Standalone Northern and Southern Dynasties

Chapter 442: The Best Spy
After being persuaded by Wanqi Chounu and Chen Chong, Han Lou decided to stay in Fan Yang. He also struggled a bit and ordered his soldiers to simply repair the city walls. He also sent messengers to comfort the surrounding people, and he managed to barely control the area.

However, Han Lou did not run away, and Youzhou could still fight. Wanqi Chounu and Chen Chong retreated. They came to the military camp and began to inspect the barracks.

Han Lou brought 5,000 troops with him this time, 3,000 of whom were his own followers. The ones handed over to Wanqi Chounu and Chen Chong for command were actually Peng Le's original followers, that is, the 2,000 armored cavalry under Peng Le.

It was not that Han Lou completely trusted the two men, but after Peng Le was seriously injured, Han Lou himself was unable to command this armored cavalry.

Chen Chong captured the enemy on the battlefield and was considered the benefactor who saved Peng Le. The armored cavalry could accept being under his command.

During the following march, Wanqi Chounu and Chen Chong inspected the barracks every day and asked about the soldiers' well-being. Both Wanqi Chounu and Chen Chong were excellent in riding and archery, and they soon won the support of the soldiers.

Arrogant soldiers and brave generals cannot control arrogant soldiers unless they are brave generals.

Wanqi Chounu was more courageous. He said to Chen Chong:

"Han Lou was also frightened. We have 5,000 people. We may be able to fight against the Erzhu family's cavalry. But when he heard that the Erzhu family's cavalry was heading north, he was so scared that he ran back to Ji County. He is really a hopeless case!"

Wanqi Chounu was originally a chieftain, so he was naturally impolite in his speech. He looked down upon people like Han Lou.

Chen Chong is younger than Wanqi Chounu. He studied in Chongwen Pavilion and has a more stable personality.

"The Erzhu family's cavalry is feared by the world. Only the Duke of the county dares to confront his army. Han Lou has also seen Erzhu Zhongyuan's hundred cavalrymen with his own eyes. How could he not be afraid?"

Wanqi Chounu also nodded. The scene of Erzhu Zhongyuan leading the 100 elite soldiers of the Erzhu family to charge that night is still a scene he often recalls.

Wanqi Chounu said:

"It's a pity that those one hundred men will die for Erzhu Zhongyuan."

Chen Chong also felt a little emotional. After Han Lou killed Erzhu Zhongyuan, he wanted to recruit the 100 elite soldiers of the Erzhu family, but these soldiers were determined not to surrender to Han Lou. Even when Han Lou personally tried to recruit them, they were still insulted. Han Lou was so angry that he directly killed these 100 elite soldiers.

What a good soldier.

Wanqi Chounu sighed:

"Only the guards around the Duke of the County can be so impressive, right? The Erzhu family actually has thousands of cavalrymen like this. I really don't know how they were trained."

Chen Chong said:

"The Erzhu family has accumulated wealth for generations, and Erzhu Rong has been training soldiers in Xiurong since he was crowned. In comparison, it is even more difficult for a county duke to rise in just a few years."

Wanqi Chounu nodded repeatedly. In comparison, Su Ze seemed more wicked. After all, Erzhu Rong came from a family of generals and had his own territory, while Su Ze was a poor soldier of the Yulin Army. It was indeed a miracle that he could create his current foundation.

For ordinary grassroots warriors like Wanqi Chounu and Chen Chong, no matter how those scholars slandered the Duke behind his back, Su Ze was the one they respected more. For warriors, was there anything more inspiring than Su Ze's experience?

Chen Chong talked about several problems encountered during today's march. He said:
"Although Peng Le's cavalry has a good foundation, they are still unskilled in battle. This cavalry is strong when facing a weak opponent, but weak when facing a strong opponent. It can only be used to counterattack, not to attack."

Wanqi Chounu nodded and said:

"I can see that these soldiers are no worse than those under my command, but they still lack some bravery. We need to win a few battles on the battlefield to build up their courage."

Wanqi Chounu and Chen Chong have very different leadership styles, but they complement each other.

Wanqi Chounu is a wild man who prefers stream of consciousness. He leads his troops to fight as if it were instinct. He can tell the mental state of his soldiers at a glance and know the quality of the enemy just by meeting them face to face.

Chen Chong is a member of the new generation who has received systematic military training. He relies more on military tactics rather than experience and intuition when leading his troops.

Chen Chong was able to make up for the crudeness of Wanqi Chounu's leadership of the troops, but Wanqi Chounu's experience and intuition were what the young Chen Chong lacked.

The two men reached a consensus that Peng Le's two thousand armored cavalry were elite soldiers worth training and should not be sacrificed in this battle. Anyway, Su Ze's order was to have them hold back the Erzhu cavalry in Fan Yang, so they just had to focus on defense.
-
Heba Yue led two thousand cavalrymen and advanced day and night, and finally arrived south of Fan River seven days later.

The city of Fanyang was just north of the Fan River. Heba Yue ordered his troops to set up camp and sent soldiers to look for a place to cross the river, preparing to launch a surprise attack on Fanyang after resting.

During the day, Yuwen Tai personally crossed the Fan River to conduct some reconnaissance. As soon as he returned to the military camp, Heba Yue immediately summoned him to discuss matters.

"Han Lou arrived in Fanyang three days ago, but he stayed in Fanyang to repair the city defenses. He must have discovered the intelligence of our army's advance."

Heba Yue was a little disappointed, but it was impossible for the army to be completely hidden while advancing, so it was normal for Han Lou to get the news.

It’s a pity that we lost the opportunity to intercept midway.

Yuwen Tai said:
"Fanyang City is in ruins. Even if Han Lou repairs part of it, he won't be able to defend the city. This is good news for us."

Heba Yue nodded and said:
"In that case, attack tomorrow!"

"General, wait."

"?"

"General, have you ever thought about why Han Lou stopped marching three days ago and repaired the city wall in Fanyang?" "He must have heard about our march and didn't dare to engage in a battle with us, so he stayed in Fanyang."

"General, think about it. Where were we three days ago? Our army was on a forced march."

Heba Yue was stunned for a moment. This unit was a very elite cavalry, not slow infantry. Even if the scouts were light cavalry with a faster speed, Han Lou could not have received the news so early.

Yuwen Tai then asked, "With Han Lou's control over the local area, can he get the news so quickly?"

Heba Yue shook his head.

Yuwen Tai said:
"If we talk about the best spy in the world, it must be the Duke of Su."

Heba Yue nodded solemnly. Su Ze was good at using spies and had mastered the technique to perfection. This was something everyone in the world knew.

It is said that there is a Xuan Jing Si in Guanxi, which was set up in imitation of the Bai Lu Cao of the Wei Dynasty. It is specifically responsible for spying on military intelligence, planting spies, assassinations and sabotage.

Erzhu Rong also wanted to emulate Su Ze and set up the same institution. Unfortunately, after the chaos in Luoyang, Bai Lu Cao was basically empty, and he had no talents in this area under his command, so he had to give up in the end.

He knew that the whereabouts of his army might be discovered by Su Ze's spies, so he notified Han Lou to stop the advance and stay in Fan Yang for defense.

Yuwen Tai said:
"There is an even more terrifying situation. If Su Ze does not attack Zhongshan and comes straight to us, how will the general deal with it?"

Heba Yue was now a little panicked. Just thinking about this scene was very terrifying.

"But the troops have already arrived here, so we have no choice but to attack. We can only send out scouts to investigate nearby tomorrow. If we cannot find Su Ze's ambush, we will immediately attack Fan Yang!"

Yuwen Tai sighed. This was the only way. The army was already here, so he had to fight even if he didn't want to.

The next day, Heba Yue sent out several scouts to search for any traces of the army around the camp.

What Heba Yue didn't know was that his camp had long been targeted by Su Ze's scouts and followers. When his scouts were sent out, Su Ze had already received a prompt from the system and hid his troops.

After a fruitless search, the scouts reported that they found no trace of the enemy.

Heba Yue felt relieved a little, and the next day he finally ordered the entire army to cross the Fan River from the shallow water and immediately attack Fanyang City.

Su Ze looked at the Erzhu cavalry crossing the Fan River on the system map. It was finally time to close the net!

In August, the sun is scorching.

The Erzhu family's cavalrymen were all wearing heavy armor, and the stuffy armor was like a tin can, but no one complained.

The escort knights brought the horses, which were the best horses of the Erzhu family, with shiny and glossy coats. With the help of the escorts, the cavalrymen sat on the war horses and looked towards the ruined Fanyang City. The knights licked their lips one after another, feeling the bloodthirsty taste in their mouths.

The Erzhu cavalry attacked and massacred countless cities like this on their way north, and the famous northern city of Fanyang was no exception.

Yuwen Tai was wearing heavy armor and standing in the first row of the team. He looked back at Fan Shui behind him uneasily, always feeling that there was a sword behind him.

The most taboo thing on the battlefield is distraction. Yuwen Tai remembered the teachings of his father and brothers when he was a child, and he quickly turned his gaze back to the front, which was the direction of Fanyang City.

Perhaps knowing that they could not defend the city wall to the bitter end, Han Lou ordered his infantry to build chevaux de frise and form a formation with spears in hand to block the gap in the city wall. Han Lou also put on armor himself and stood on the city wall to give orders.

Heba Yue narrowed his eyes. There were only infantry in the city, but no cavalry formation. It seemed that they were lying in ambush nearby, preparing to cooperate with the infantry in a defensive surprise attack.

That also depends on whether the infantry can hold on.

Heba Yue licked his lips, waved his hand and ordered the march to begin.

Drums sounded on the battlefield, the sound of horse hooves gradually became more rapid, and the armored cavalry charged together under the scorching sun. The huge psychological pressure made Han Lou sweat nervously.

Can you really hold on?
Han Lou looked towards the woods not far away, where Wanqi Chounu and Chen Chong were lying in ambush with two thousand heavy cavalry.

The original plan was for Han Lou to withstand an attack, and then the heavy cavalry in the woods would charge while the enemy's old strength was exhausted and new strength had not yet been generated. But now it seems hard to say whether his soldiers can withstand a charge.

"General Wanqi, Han Lou can't hold on any longer, let's attack."

Chen Chong looked at the crumbling Han Lou army. Plans could not keep up with changes. If he wanted to completely wipe out the Erzhu cavalry, he could only use heavy cavalry to resist.

If Heba Yue had already entered Fanyang City by the time Su Ze's army attacked from behind, there would be no point in attacking from both sides.

Wanqi Chounu also noticed Han Lou's weakness at once, and was afraid that if he didn't show up, the formation would fall apart, so he had no choice but to say:

"Go ahead. At least we have to hold off until the Duke's cavalry arrives."

Wanqi Chounu rode forward, raised his rifle and said, "Brothers, our future wealth and glory will depend on this battle. Charge!"

(End of this chapter)