Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 96 Seizing the Plateau
The battlefield where Cao Zhen had fought a great battle was filled with dust.

The Wei army, which was originally fleeing, suddenly changed direction and headed towards Wuzhangyuan again.

"Why are the Wei invaders coming back?" Zhao Guang reined in his restless warhorse and looked at the large group of cavalry coming from afar. He unconsciously clenched the long spear in his hand.

The Han army soldiers who were chasing the defeated enemy were still four or five miles away from the main body of the Wei army. At this moment, they even stopped at the sound of the golden bell and began to form a battle array.

To be honest, it is difficult for cavalry to gain any advantage when facing a group of infantry that is of equal number, has high morale, is well-formed, and is not restrained by other forces.

If there was any real effect, it was probably to go around behind the infantry, dismount and fight on foot to prevent the Han army on the opposite bank from retreating.

But isn’t the price too high?

Zhao Guang and Yang Tiao's two thousand infantry and cavalry had not yet disbanded, and Deng Zhi also had two thousand soldiers lined up by the river to rest.

Four thousand soldiers can cross the river to provide support at any time.

It is unknown who will support whom at that time.

Soon, however, Deng Zhi frowned: "Why do the Wei cavalry seem to be heading towards Wuzhangyuan?"

As he spoke, he climbed up to a high ground and was shocked a moment later.

"Oh no! Is that His Majesty?!" Deng Zhi pointed at Wuzhangyuan in the distance.

Everyone was shocked when they heard the sound, and quickly found high ground and turned around to look.

Seven or eight miles away, a small, slightly blurry black shadow appeared on the plain at the bottom of Wuzhangyuan.

It is hard to tell how many people there are, whether they are on horseback or on foot, or whether they are advancing or retreating. All I can tell is that the scale is not large.

Zhao Guang looked terrified: "Could it be that His Majesty has come down to the plains to reward the troops because the battle is over?!"

Having said that, he did not hesitate any longer, went straight down the mountain, mounted his horse, and galloped towards Wuzhangyuan.

Yang Tiao said no more and quickly commanded a thousand Qiang cavalry to rush towards Wuzhangyuan.

Captain Yan Zhi looked at Deng Zhi and said anxiously:

"General Yangwu, should we send infantry to follow? The Qiang cavalry are no match for the Wei cavalry."

Deng Zhi first glanced at Yang Tiao and Zhao Guangqian's cavalry who were still in the stage of accelerating their formation, and then looked at the large group of Wei cavalry that was already coming from a distance.

The horses were running so fast that the Wei cavalry were even closer to Wuzhangyuan than Yang Tiao and Zhao Guang's thousand Qiang cavalry.

Looking at the Wei infantry again, some of them were heading towards the entrance of the Xiagu Valley, and some were heading towards Wuzhangyuan. It was obvious that they were certain that the Han Dynasty would definitely send troops to rescue Wuzhangyuan.

As long as the troops were divided and left the Xiegu Pass, they would have to fight a field battle with the Wei army.

"Order the soldiers on the other side to retreat and defend along the banks of the Xieshui River!

"Order the two thousand soldiers here to follow the Tiger Guards!"

The thousand Tiger Guards brought by Zhao Guang had received Zhao Guang's orders and trotted towards Wuzhangyuan.

"Yes!" Yan Zhi obeyed the order.

Wuzhangyuan.

The Han officials surrounding the emperor were already in an uproar.

Li Feng was even more shocked.

No one expected that the Wei cavalry would make a comeback.

Not only that, the Wei invaders' intentions were obvious. They wanted to intercept and kill the two hundred infantry and cavalry led by Chen Zhi.

Li Feng simply couldn't bear to think about it. If the emperor had listened to his advice and gone down to the plateau to reward the soldiers and provide them with compensation, and if something like this had happened, and something went wrong, he would probably have had no choice but to die to thank the world.

And I don’t know if it’s because of the blocked vision, but Chen Zhi seems to have not noticed the enemy cavalry’s attack yet, and is still walking slowly along the Xieshui River towards the entrance of the Xie Valley.

They could see everything clearly from their high vantage point on Wuzhangyuan, but on the flat ground, they might not be able to see things five or six miles away.

At present, the Han army soldiers at the entrance of Xiegu have also been transferred to Wuzhangyuan, obviously worried that the team below the plateau is led by the emperor.

The ministers were shouting and there was chaos.

Li Feng lowered his head to look at the emperor, but saw that the emperor was still sitting on the wooden chair motionless, looking at the plateau with a stern expression.

Guo You started to shout, "Everyone, be quiet! What's the point of making such a commotion? Your Majesty is here, and the Wei invaders are powerless.

"The current situation is nothing more than a gambler's gamble. Once we find out that the person below is not Your Majesty, we will naturally leave!"

There are still two thousand soldiers and thousands of strong laborers on the plateau, and the defensive fortifications have been completed. Guo Youzhi does not believe that such a small number of cavalry dares to come and seize the plateau, so there is naturally no worry.

The same was true of Liu Chan.

He was now only worried that the thousand cavalrymen brought by the Qiang King were no match for the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, but he had to fight a fierce battle with them.

This kind of meaningless confrontation is not what Liu Chan wants to see, even if a Qiang cavalryman has the ability to exchange for a Tiger and Leopard Cavalryman.

Chen Zhi's men seemed to have finally seen the Wei cavalry coming to attack, and finally took action.

The Tiger Cavalry, who were responsible for guarding the emperor, were rushing towards the entrance of Xiegu Valley, probably wanting to meet up with the Qiang Cavalry who were rushing in from the entrance of Xiegu Valley.

Another hundred infantrymen rushed towards Wuzhangyuan. They were only two or three miles away from Wuzhangyuan at this moment, so returning to the plateau was obviously a better choice.

"Guosheng, take three hundred men with you and organize all the strong laborers resting on the plateau and the wounded soldiers who can move." Liu Chan looked at the battlefield without looking away.

"Let them all spread out and guard the eastern plateau wall.

"Wherever the slope is gentle and easy to climb, we should strengthen defense there to prevent the Wei invaders from seizing the plateau."

Li Feng, who was standing behind him, was stunned at first.

Then I looked down at the east wall which was almost a cliff.

Then, without thinking too much, he just obeyed the order:

"only!"

Seeing Li Feng leave in a hurry, the ministers standing outside were all stunned.

Guo Youzhi was also stunned and asked, "Your Majesty, are you saying that the Wei invaders might ascend the plateau from the east wall?"

Liu Chan nodded slowly. "That's not impossible. Without more equipment, do you think they could have successfully reached the plateau?"

The east wall of Wuzhangyuan is more than ten miles long. If the Wei army is certain that the defense on the plateau is insufficient, they will find a gentle slope to climb up and create chaos on Wuzhangyuan. Who knows what will happen in the chaos?
Although there are defenses on the plateau, there is a guard post every five steps and a sentry every ten steps.

But compared to the five or six kilometers long defense line, there are still too few people who can maneuver against the enemy.

However, this cliff, which is over a hundred meters high, has a slope angle of generally sixty to seventy degrees, which is not easy to climb. Even if you climb it, you will have almost exhausted your physical strength.

Suddenly, a tiger rider came running from the north of the plateau.

"Your Majesty, the Tiger Guards Lieutenant General said that the Wei cavalry may choose to attack the plateau in an ant-like manner. Your Majesty, please return to the camp for the time being!"

Hearing this, Liu Chan felt relieved and said, "Report to the Tiger Guards, General of the Central Army, I will be supervising the battle here. Please don't worry about my safety."

The Tiger Cavalry was only responsible for delivering the message. Naturally, they had no idea about what the emperor would choose, nor could they have any idea. They received the order and retreated.

At the foot of the plateau, six or seven miles away.

The Minister Chen Zhi, who led a hundred tiger cavalrymen and rushed towards the entrance of the Xie Valley, met the Dragon Rider Zhao Guang who was leading the way.

"Where is His Majesty?!" Zhao Guangqing asked anxiously.

"Your Majesty has not left the plateau!" Chen Zhi responded. Zhao Guang was relieved to hear this.

If the person in front of them was not Chen Zhi but the emperor, then they would not have risked returning to Wuzhangyuan at this moment.

The vanguard of the Wei cavalry, over a hundred riders, had already waded across the river ahead, and their target was most likely Wuzhangyuan, not their thousand riders.

If there was no emperor in Wuzhangyuan, then Dong Yun would be the only one who could take charge of the situation.

In this case, this fortress, which stored a large amount of food and supplies and gathered a large number of civilians, became too dangerous.

Zhao Guang looked at Yang Tiao:

"King Qiang, order your men to return to Wuzhangyuan. As many as can return, please do so. Those who cannot return should turn around and engage the Wei invaders. Do not engage in a meaningless battle with them below the plateau!"

"Okay!" Yang Tiao turned his horse around and went to command the Qiang cavalry who were still lagging behind.

Zhao Guang rode his horse and galloped towards Wuzhangyuan.

Your Majesty's safety is more important than anything else. The one thousand Tiger Guards brought here are commanded by two Simas, and Deng Zhi has sent two thousand infantrymen to follow up. The two thousand cavalrymen of the Wei invaders cannot cause any trouble.

Sloping waterside.

Wen Qin led a hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalrymen to cross the sloping water first and arrived at the flat land at the foot of Wuzhangyuan. After assembling the team, they headed towards Wuzhangyuan without saying a word.

About two or three miles away is the winding road that the Han army opened up along the steep slope of Wuzhangyuan to transport troops and food.

His mission was to intercept the Shu cavalry and prevent them from returning to the plateau.

On the east bank of Xieshui River, nearly two thousand Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and other Hu Cavalry were still wading westward.

Zhou Tai stopped his horse on the east bank, urging the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to cross the river while looking in the direction where Wen Qin's hundred cavalrymen were charging.

Wei Ping said, "General, the false emperor has fled to the entrance of Xiegu. Do we still have to continue fighting at Wuzhangyuan?"

The group of people who had just come down from the plateau split into two groups. One group of cavalry went to the entrance of the valley, and the other group of infantry ran back to Wuzhangyuan.

It is obvious that if the false emperor really went down to the plateau, he must have gone to the entrance of the Xiegu Valley. This group of infantrymen who might have been intercepted were returning to support Wuzhangyuan.

Zhou Tai nodded:

"Attack! Wuzhangyuan must be short of troops, otherwise the Shu invaders at Xiegukou wouldn't be so anxious to come back for support!
"If we can get a small group of elite troops onto the plateau, create chaos there, and control the entrance to the plateau, then when our infantry arrives, this Wuzhang Plateau will be ours!

"Besides, maybe the fake emperor is up there, who knows!"

Upon hearing this, Wei Ping was half happy and half worried: "If we had known this would happen, why would we have seized the Xiegukou? It would have been much better to just seize Wuzhangyuan!"

Zhou Tai shook his head. "If the Shu invaders hadn't sent two or three thousand men to the Xiegu Pass to provide assistance, if the false emperor hadn't been so impatient to come down to comfort the troops after his victory, and if the Shu invaders at the Xiegu Pass hadn't really rushed back to provide assistance, how could I have possibly captured Wuzhangyuan?"

As the two were talking, they saw Wen Qin's hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalry collide directly with the Shu cavalry at the entrance of the plateau and started fighting.

"A step too slow." Zhou Tai sighed.

According to the estimated distance, their Tiger and Leopard Cavalry should have arrived first, but they wasted some time both in finding a place to cross the river and in crossing the river.

However, the Shu cavalry was also very long, about three or four miles long, and its formation was chaotic.

It can be seen that their organization level is very average, similar to that of untrained Xiongnu cavalry and mixed Hu cavalry.

I think they are the Anding Qiang cavalry who recently rebelled against Wei and surrendered to Han. They are not worth mentioning.

The two thousand cavalrymen of the Wei Dynasty quickly waded across the Xieshui River.

Five hundred miscellaneous Hu cavalry and four hundred tiger and leopard cavalry received the order and attacked the Shu Qiang cavalry, and became entangled with them.

Another five hundred miscellaneous Hu cavalry and five hundred tiger and leopard cavalry galloped along the foot of Wuzhangyuan Mountain.

With the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, who were skilled in riding and fearless of death, as their vanguard, and with the advantage in numbers, the six or seven hundred Qiang cavalrymen of Shu who had not yet had time to return to Wuzhangyuan soon began to retreat.

The entrance to Wuzhangyuan began to be exposed to Zhou Tai, Wei Ping and others.

But it was obvious that the entrance was the most heavily guarded. It was undoubtedly wishful thinking for them to rely on such a small number of people to fight their way up to the plateau from this place where one man could block a thousand.

Of course, they didn't plan to fight their way up the plateau from here.

The cavalry team, composed of a thousand mixed Hu cavalry, tiger and leopard cavalry, soon found several relatively easy-to-climb slopes at the foot of Wuzhangyuan, and began to dismount and climb up the plateau.

"Where's His Majesty?!"

On Wuzhangyuan, Zhao Guang returned to the place where the emperor was before, but the emperor and his ministers were nowhere to be seen.

A Longxiong guard who was on guard duty responded, "Zhonglang, His Majesty has taken the ministers to the north of the plateau!"

Zhao Guang dismounted and walked quickly to the edge of the plateau. He stuck his head out and saw that there was a cloud of dust and fog below the plateau.

In order to prevent thieves from hiding in the grass and trees and sneaking up to the plateau to assassinate, the Han army had already cleared and burned all the grass and trees on the plateau walls and under the platform, so that a lot of dust accumulated under the plateau.

So at this moment, the dust raised from the plateau became the best cover for the Wei invaders.

Looking up at the plateau wall again, I found that somewhere three or four miles away, where the slope was slightly gentler, there were dozens of human figures so small that they were almost invisible, climbing and crawling up.

Zhao Guang was immediately startled, jumped on his horse, and galloped towards that place at full speed.

The plateau was too big, and after the Han Dynasty sent two thousand defenders down the plateau, the defenses on the plateau seemed too few.

That place is not the gentlest part of the plateau, so the defense force is naturally insufficient.

Fortunately, he had already seen that the people in the middle of the plateau were running towards the east wall of the plateau through tents, wooden houses and granaries.

Obviously, some people on the plateau also thought that the Wei invaders might rely on the high mobility of their cavalry to try to seize Wuzhangyuan by climbing the thinly defended and long plateau wall that was difficult to defend.

If not, by the time the Wei invaders' cavalry started to dismount and climb the plateau, it would have been too late to mobilize troops to defend the place!
the other side.

Liu Chan, along with more than twenty officials who could ride horses, galloped for five or six miles before finally arriving at a sentry post that was constantly blowing horns to call for help.

Several officials dismounted and walked to the plateau wall to look down. Then they were horrified and retreated one by one.

One of them trembled, turned around and shouted at the two servants who were carrying the rolling log:
"Hurry up and get the log over here, both of you! What are you dawdling for?!"

Another person also shouted anxiously: "If you don't hurry up, the Wei invaders will climb up!"

However, just as the two men were about to show off their power, the Emperor of Han took two steps at a time and personally took the rolling log from a servant.

He walked to the edge of the plateau without saying a word and threw it at the person who was climbing below.

The huge log rolled down the plateau wall, making a loud rumbling sound.

"what!"

Two Tiger and Leopard Riders who were climbing the plateau were less than five feet away from the plateau. At this moment, they were blown away by the rolling logs and fell down like a ball, bounced up, fell again, bounced up again, and repeated this process until they finally disappeared in the smoke and dust at the foot of the mountain.

If you fall from a height of seventy or eighty meters, you will probably not survive.

Liu Chan didn't even bother to look at them, nor did he have time to wipe the sweat from his eyes. He just turned around and walked towards the other two servants carrying the rolling log.

He took the rolling log from the two men and continued walking towards the edge of the plateau with it in his arms.

Seeing this, the two officials who had just reprimanded the laborers finally hurried to the emperor's side and tried to take it, but the emperor swept them away with a rolling log: "Get out of the way!"

Ignoring the two terrified people, Liu Chan walked a few steps along the edge of the plateau with the rolling log in his arms, and threw it again at the two people about seven or eight feet away.

The screams sounded again.

(End of this chapter)