My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 244 Capturing Huang He Alive
Pan Zhang's face was somewhat gloomy. He was now a veteran of many battles, and upon careful comparison, apart from the unexpected street battle with the Sun family's troops in Guangling City, this opponent was the most ferocious.

Perhaps their combat skills and command of flags are not as proficient as those of the Sun family's troops, but they are even more capable of risking their lives.

Pan Zhang's face was grim, while Huang Shao and He Luan were heartbroken.

These two thousand Yellow Turban warriors were their most prized possessions, something they had always treasured.

This direct attack is a result of their high regard for the Xuzhou army. They want to take advantage of the Xuzhou army's unstable foothold, and even if they lose some Yellow Turban warriors, they can still allow the main force to escape into the city.

But the current situation has made them so heartbroken they almost gritted their teeth.

In just a quarter of an hour, at least two hundred Yellow Turban warriors fell, and the casualties exceeded one-tenth of their original number.

The armored warriors on the other side were quite experienced in battle formations and rarely exposed themselves to archers. Although they also suffered losses, they were less than half as many as the Yellow Turban warriors.

So far, only sixty or seventy armored soldiers have fallen, and most of them were wounded but not killed, and were dragged back by the auxiliary soldiers who fought desperately behind them.

This was only because crossbowmen fought desperately to provide support; without them, the Yellow Turban warriors would probably have been driven out of the chariot formation by the enemy.

As the war intensified, the Xuzhou army, with its advantage of iron armor, often managed to exchange wounds for lives.

Upon discovering this, these veteran elites, who were already no less formidable than the Yellow Turban warriors, became even more reckless, and the direct consequence was that the Yellow Turban warriors fell even faster.

Come to think of it, this is iron armor. Liu Feng's troops numbered thirty to forty thousand, yet they could only muster a little over a thousand sets. They were only given to the elite, one in a hundred, whose combat experience and skills were among the best in the Xuzhou army.

"No, we can't keep dragging this on."

Seeing that nearly a hundred more Yellow Turban warriors had fallen, He Luan's eyes were bloodshot: "Commander Huang, if we keep fighting like this, even if all the Yellow Turban warriors are wiped out, we still won't be able to get through this chariot formation today."

Huang Shao suddenly turned around, his expression ferocious, and said viciously, "Then what's your plan?"

"Spread out the battle lines!"

He Luan did come up with a solution that was not a solution at all. He pointed to the convoy of wagons protecting his flank and shouted, "Let them push outwards, and then send men to bypass the wagon formation from the side to attack the flank of the Xuzhou army."

"Doing this is too dangerous."

Huang Shao was a seasoned veteran of many battles, so how could he not see the hidden risks? "So many cavalrymen from Xuzhou haven't moved an inch yet. What do you think they're waiting for?"

"If we don't push them out, they'll die."

He Luan retorted fearlessly, "Rather than waiting to die here, let's fight! As long as our flank can hold out until we break through the Xuzhou army's flank, we can survive. Otherwise, the entire army will die here."

Huang Shao fell silent and stopped speaking, but kept his eyes fixed on the front lines of the battlefield.

He had originally hoped that troops from the city could be sent to attack the Xuzhou army from both sides, but although troops were sent from the city, a full three thousand men, they could not break through the enemy's position.

It makes perfect sense, considering that even the elite Yellow Turban warriors, who were their last resort, couldn't break through the enemy's defenses. How could the remaining soldiers in the city possibly succeed?

The initial order was simply given in the hope that they would divert some of the Xuzhou army's attention and manpower.

"it is good!"

Under He Luan's eager gaze, Huang Shao finally agreed: "Commander He, the remaining eight hundred cavalrymen will also be under your command. Remember, you will only have one chance."

"Don't worry, Huang Shuai, I know!"

He Luan was an impatient person by nature; otherwise, he would have stayed in Yingyin instead of getting into such a dangerous situation.

Huang Shao agreed to He Luan's request because he appreciated He Luan's willingness to risk his life to come to his aid. At the same time, Huang Shao was also worried that if the situation dragged on, the enemy could launch a surprise attack on the three thousand friendly troops on the other side, which would surely lead to their defeat in one battle, and they might even be able to drive the defeated troops to seize the city.

This made Huang Shao realize that he really couldn't delay any longer and had to take a desperate gamble while the sunlight was still good.

Soon, He Luan got moving, personally directing the archers to push outwards.

Pan Zhang's chariot formation was only five or six hundred meters long, while the Yellow Turban army's marching formation was four hundred meters wide. By extending outward by two or three hundred meters, they could launch a flanking attack on Pan Zhang's army.

Two or three hundred meters is not a long distance, but making such a deployment on the spot is quite difficult.

In particular, as soon as the chariot formation moved, the Xuzhou army's cavalry appeared, shouting and intimidating the Yellow Turban army from a distance.

“The bandits aren’t stupid enough to run into our wagons. If they’re far enough away, we can ignore them. If they dare to come closer, shoot them dead!”

He Luan calmed the soldiers down and continued to advance.

Just as He Luan had predicted, the harassment by the Xuzhou cavalry proved to be quite ineffective.

This boosted the morale of the Yellow Turban army, and they advanced several dozen meters in one go.

At this moment, the Xuzhou cavalry suddenly launched a charge, with light cavalry galloping past their lines and firing overhead shots.

However, the target was not the archers and Yellow Turban infantry hiding behind the cart, but the livestock being pulled in front and the cart driver.

In an instant, many livestock and drivers were hit by arrows and fell to the ground, and the entire wagon formation became chaotic, but the overall casualties were not great.

So, at He Luan's call, the surviving chariots and horses continued to advance. After they had gone forward several dozen meters, the Xuzhou cavalry attacked again. As before, they just passed by and fired a volley of arrows.

He Luan gritted his teeth and persevered. Every time they charged forward a few dozen meters, a troop of cavalry would rush in and fire arrows.

After four times, many of He Luan's carts had lost their livestock or drivers and were abandoned on the roadside. The originally orderly cart formation had unknowingly become scattered and disorganized.

"It's almost time."

Taishi Ci pointed to the formation opposite and said to Liu Feng, "The enemy is already under attack from three sides. A single, swift strike should be enough to break their formation."

Liu Feng nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble you, teacher. But please remember, it would be best to capture the enemy's commander alive."

The Yellow Turbans' tenacity and fighting spirit along this route prove that there must have been important figures among them from the Gebei Yellow Turban Army.

If we can capture the enemy alive, we will have the possibility of persuading Yingyin to surrender, and we will even have another option for Runan.

Therefore, before the battle, he instructed Taishi Ci, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang to capture enemy generals alive to the best of their ability.

Taishi Ci nodded, preparing to go into battle.

Liu Feng then gestured to his personal guards, who spurred their horses to signal for the lighting of bonfires in the rear.

When the smoke rose from where Liu Feng was, three cavalry forces simultaneously emerged, thousands of warhorses trampling the plains, the earth itself seeming to pulse, pulsating powerfully.

He Luan's face still held a hint of joy, but he stood there frozen in place.

Just as the chariot formation had finally pushed forward and was about to attack the flank of Pan Zhang's troops, they saw that the chariot formation was about to be pushed out.

But then, the earth began to pulsate.

He Luan is no newcomer. Don't let his age fool you; he's only thirty. He's been through a lot.

Eleven years ago, outside Changshe City, the nightmare of the Sanhe cavalry marching through the snow seemed to descend once again.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"

He Luan wanted to shout that the enemy was attacking, but he found that his voice was so soft.

No, it wasn't that my shouts were too soft, but rather that the sound of the approaching horses' hooves was too loud.

Countless cavalrymen surrounded them from three sides. He Luan forgot that this was a vast plain where cavalrymen could roam freely.

The knights in the front row launched their arrows far into the air, firing three arrows in quick succession before switching to long weapons.

A certain distance was maintained between every two hundred knights, giving the knights in front more time to react.

With victory in sight, Taishi Ci and his men were unwilling to use their knights to ram the enemy's chariot formation.

As the Xuzhou cavalry approached the chariot formation, they scattered like mercury spilling onto the ground, rushing into any gaps in the formation.

Unbeknownst to many, a large number of trucks broke down and stopped on the road, which made it impossible for the first line of vehicles to connect. The gaps between them were enough for several riders to rush into them side by side.

"Don't panic! Don't panic! Spearmen, push forward, block the breach, plug the gap!"

He Luan shouted desperately, "We can't run! We can't run! If we run, we'll all die!"

Upon seeing He Luan, Xu Huang spurred his horse and charged towards him.

He Luan's personal guards saw this and hurriedly tried to stop them.

Xu Huang seemed to have only shaken the tip of his spear a few times, and He Luan's personal guards all fell to the ground.

Enraged by this, He Luan advanced instead of retreating, reaching for the spear as if to seize it and pull Xu Huang off his horse. For some reason, Xu Huang's movements slowed, and He Luan managed to grab the spear.

He Luan was overjoyed and was about to exert his strength to seize the spear while simultaneously pulling Xu Huang off his horse.

Judging from the iron armor Xu Huang wore, he was clearly a high-ranking general. If we could capture him, we might have a chance to turn the tide of battle.

Unfortunately, as soon as He Luan exerted his strength, he found that the gun was light and airy, and He Luan was immediately thrown off balance by his own exertion.

Xu Huang released his spear, and his mount suddenly charged forward, causing him to lean to the side and reach out, managing to drag He Luan, armor and all, onto the horse's back. The force was truly terrifying.

He Luan felt as if he was about to fall, but suddenly he was pulled up by a force, and his whole body felt like he was flying.

When he came to his senses, he discovered that he had been captured alive by the general.

He Luan tried to resist, but Xu Huang knocked him unconscious with a punch and then threw him to the ground.

"Tied."

"Yes, Captain!"

The guards dismounted and bound He Luan, stripping off his armor and tying him up tightly with hemp rope.

He Luan's side collapsed, and Huang Shao's side also fell into despair.

Once He Luan collapsed, even the Yellow Turban warriors who were attacking head-on couldn't hold on and began to show signs of defeat.

After sweeping through He Luan, the Xuzhou cavalry began their assault inward.

Pan Zhang also seized the opportunity to launch a counterattack.

Huang Shao still wanted to fight desperately, but the situation was beyond saving, and he was eventually captured by Taishi Ci.

After defeating Huang Shao's troops, Pan Zhang led the other fleeing soldiers towards Yingyang City. At the same time, Taishi Ci sent someone to shout that Huang Shao and He Luan had surrendered.

The morale of the troops in Yingyang City was low, and they were leaderless. When they heard the Xuzhou army outside the city shouting that Huang Shao and He Luan had surrendered, they simply surrendered the city.

Pan Zhang was heartbroken by this battle. More than fifty armored soldiers were killed, more than sixty were seriously wounded, and more than two hundred were lightly wounded.

This was arguably the battle with the greatest casualties since the establishment of the Ironclad Warriors.

However, the Yellow Turban warriors did not gain any advantage either. The enemy suffered even heavier casualties. All two thousand Yellow Turban warriors were crippled, with more than three hundred killed, more than two hundred seriously wounded, and countless others slightly wounded.

The Xuzhou knights suffered relatively few casualties; the battle was resolved with overwhelming force.

The total number of casualties in the Yellow Turban Army was not large. Apart from the Yellow Turban warriors who fought hard and suffered heavy casualties, other places were defeated quite quickly, and the casualties were relatively small.

Among them, Taishi Ci, Zhang Liao, and Xu Huang made outstanding contributions. Taishi Ci and Xu Huang captured the enemy's main general, while Zhang Liao broke through the Yellow Turban army's camp at the first opportunity and directly attacked the Yellow Turban warriors from behind.

That evening, the Xuzhou army entered Yingyang, and Liu Feng rewarded the three armies.

Aside from not being allowed to drink alcohol, there is plenty of meat.

Today's battle outside Yingyang City resulted in the deaths and injuries of a large number of livestock pulling carts, which were all excellent sources of meat.

Liu Feng even specially sent two portions of meat to Guan Ping's troops in the camp outside the city, showing no neglect of them.

When Guan Ping's troops received the meat, they were almost asleep.

Upon discovering that there was not only an extra meal, but also various kinds of large pieces of meat, they were overjoyed.

Liu Feng did not mistreat the surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers. He not only provided them with food but also treated and medicated the wounded, thus stabilizing the emotions of the Yellow Turban prisoners.

While the soldiers below were happily eating meat, Liu Feng was so busy that he didn't even have time to eat.

Only after the city's defenses were rotated, all the Yellow Turban prisoners were settled, and the soldiers had eaten hot millet rice and stewed meat, did he finally have time to catch his breath and eat his dinner.

After filling my stomach, a wave of drowsiness washed over me.

However, Liu Feng had other things to do, so he simply washed his face with cold water and then went to the backyard of the county government.

Huang Shao and He Luan, who were captured earlier, were placed here. Liu Feng first met He Luan.

He vaguely remembered that He Yi was a surrenderist in history, and could be considered a dove among the Yellow Turban Army in Gebei.

After Huang Shao's death in battle, He Yi surrendered to Cao Cao with 70,000 to 80,000 men and never rebelled again, proving himself to be an honest man.

I learned from the surrendered soldiers of the Yellow Turban Army that He Luan was He Yi's nephew.

If we can persuade He Luan to convince He Yi, then the entire Yingchuan region will be completely pacified.

He Luan is thirty years old this year. He looks quite refined, but his temper is completely different from his uncle's. He is somewhat impatient and strong-willed.

This time, Liu Feng did not have Pan Zhang with him, but instead invited Xu Huang.

He Luan was captured alive by Xu Huang, so he's an acquaintance.

As soon as Liu Feng and Xu Huang entered the room, they saw He Luan get up from the bed.

Apart from his hands being tied behind his back, He Luan had not been mistreated at this time, and someone had even fed him just now.

He Luan's gaze swept over Liu Feng and Xu Huang, then he stared at Xu Huang and said, "Did you take me down?"

Xu Huang looked at the other person calmly, ignoring He Luan's question.

He Luan, somewhat embarrassed and angry, shouted, "I'm not convinced! Do you dare to challenge me again!"

Xu Huang still ignored him, though his eyes seemed to be looking at him, but he gave off a rather arrogant feeling.

He Luan was furious and turned around to shout at Liu Feng, "A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated! Kill me or torture me, it's all up to you!"

Liu Feng chuckled and called Xu Huang to sit down with him before turning to He Luan and saying, "You can die and be done with it, but what about those Yellow Turban followers who are with you? Do you want to take them with you to your death?"

Liu Feng's words calmed He Luan down. After a moment of silence, he said, "If you want me to surrender, then you should give up on that idea."

Liu Feng laughed: "You know what? I won't say anything like 'If you die, all the Yellow Turban prisoners will be buried with you'."

He Luan suddenly raised his head, thinking that Liu Feng was threatening him with the lives of the surrendered Yellow Turban soldiers.

But when he realized what he meant, he was stunned again.

Liu Feng said to himself, "Because you are not that important. I will arrange for these surrendered soldiers to go to Xuzhou, then register them as commoners, allocate land to them, and let them farm in peace."

He Luan looked at Liu Feng with a complicated expression. After Liu Feng finished speaking, he asked softly, "You will give them land? Can you really do that?"

Liu Feng laughed heartily, and amidst He Luan's somewhat embarrassed and angry expression, he earnestly replied, "My father, Liu Xuande, is the General of the Cavalry of the Great Han Dynasty, the Governor of Xu Province, and oversees the three provinces of Xu, Yu, and Yang. Last year, hundreds of thousands of refugees from the southeast were settled by my father with his own strength, and land was distributed to them. How can you, with a mere seventy or eighty thousand people, not be settled?"

Liu Feng's words not only shocked He Luan, but also Xu Huang, who was standing next to him.

Xu Huang came from a powerful family, which was also a small-to-medium-sized landowning family.

However, faced with war and drought, small and medium-sized powerful landlords like Xu Huang had no power to resist. Even Xu Huang himself had no choice but to lead the young people of his clan to join the White Wave Army.

Although Xu Huang had risen through the ranks in the White Wave Army, how could someone from a respectable family be willing to become a thief?
"He was born into the White Wave Army."

Xu Huang suddenly spoke up, surprising not only He Luan but also Liu Feng.

"Following the General of Chariots and Cavalry in his campaigns in the south and north, westward into Guanzhong, and escorting the emperor back eastward, they fought bloody battles along the way, leaving behind only ruins and piles of white bones wherever they went."

Xu Huang's voice was heavy, filled with deep weariness: "You are farming in Yingchuan instead of wandering around looting, which shows that you also want a stable life. But you don't know that as long as you are not strong enough, you will never be able to settle down."

He Luan wanted to refute, but he couldn't bring himself to say it, because he knew that Xu Huang's words were absolutely correct.

Otherwise, why would they have to abandon the grain villages outside the city and retreat to a few large cities to defend themselves every time the Xiliang army came out of the pass to plunder?

Isn't it because they can't beat the other side?
You can only watch helplessly as the other side loots and plunders everywhere, even destroying farmland and houses, and burning down anything you can't carry away.

Even though they were furious, they dared not leave the city, because they were terrified of the Xiliang army.

"The only reason you're still sitting here being persuaded to surrender is because your uncle still has tens of thousands of lives at his disposal."

Liu Feng interjected at the opportune moment: "I'm advising on the lives of tens of thousands of people, not just yours."

(End of this chapter)