Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 92 Ambush at Yongshui

After the siege of Laocheng ended, at the same time, on the Yongshui side, the group led by Wei Guan, after Wu Fei had been infiltrating for so long, finally seemed to wake up from a dream and took action.

On November 8th of the 32nd year of the Tianli calendar, outside the pass sealed off by the Wu family army, the wooden fence was slowly pushed open, and a figure covered in mud slipped out and immediately fled. Wu Fei was also watching the messenger fleeing to the north bank of the Yong River.

This man arrived in the south posing as a merchant, but alas! The patrol officers under Wu Fei's command happen to be very familiar with merchants.

This person claimed to be a merchant. But in reality, a true merchant would accurately say that he "sells dates" or "trades in the medicinal herb business," and when emphasizing his connections in the trade, he would say that he "delivers messages."

Furthermore, this "merchant" didn't know what goods were suitable for sale on this road at this time of year. He also noticed that although the man was dressed in rags, his teeth were straight, showing no signs of hardship. In those days, the middle class ate food that involved chewing on pebbles. Only the sons of wealthy families could afford such lavish meals.

So Wu Fei put on a show.

After the merchants began entering the city, all the city's elite troops were transferred out, and only locally recruited auxiliary troops were put in place to guard the city gates of Furnace City.

These local auxiliary soldiers became quite lax after Wu Fei left them unsupervised. At some city gates, where five men were stationed, only one would be dozing off at the gate while the rest were gathered around earthenware pots playing cricket fighting. This "merchant" was also a skilled cricket fighter; he came up and placed bets, cleverly blending in with these soldiers.

Wu Fei, dressed in the same white dragonfish outfit, paused and asked, "Is cricket fighting really that fun?" The Wu family guards following him immediately echoed their young master's "refined tastes," saying, "No, cockfighting is more exciting."

These soldiers, lacking accurate information and with their big mouths, allowed this "merchant" to overhear the idle chatter of these auxiliary troops on the street: the main force was fighting in the south, and its soldiers were already heading back.

None of these local auxiliary troops had any real contact with the Wu family army's high command. After the Wu family army entered southern Yongzhou and carried out a systematic extortion campaign against local families, the two groups were also estranged and could not get any information.

Therefore, the spy received incorrect information and left.

…Wu Fei: With such obvious bait, surely no fish will actually bite. …

Ten hours later, the scout arrived at the large army camp in Yongzhou to the north. Ji Fei, the self-proclaimed governor of Yongzhou, remained silent after listening to the intelligence brought back at the risk of his life by loyal and righteous men sent by his powerful clansmen.

One of his young generals, Tang Du'ao, saw that the governor was in a dilemma and that his other colleagues were eager to try. So he took the lead and volunteered to lead his elite troops across the Yong River and launch a surprise attack on the south bank.

As this hothead jumped out, Ji Fei, the governor of Yongzhou, had just the same idea.

Ji Fei has had a difficult few days. He lost the area south of Yongshui and was severely criticized by the entire court.

The once spirited King Bo is now extremely displaced and battered by reality, making him highly sensitive. Upon hearing that the Yao army was coming from the south, King Bo immediately took his wife and close ministers and retreated to the northern part of Xingzhou, which was backed by the Hao Kingdom, as if he wanted to flee if the situation turned bad.

Ji Fei, a bureaucrat who had been bound to the Prince of Bo since before his rebellion, was now stuck in a rut and wanted to invite locals to join him. After all, only by being more aligned with the local powerful families could he ensure that, if the rebellion failed, only he would be executed, and his own family could still survive in Yongzhou.

However, due to the blatant mistreatment of local scholars in Yongzhou by the Wu family's southern barbarian generals in the southern part of Yongshui, he, as the governor of the state who governs the people of this region, has done nothing to stop it and has also been criticized by the local scholars.

Seeing how "brave" Tang was, Yoshihiro waved his hand and began to warm the wine for the young general. Then he personally draped the battle robe over Tang's shoulders.

...Flags waved, and an army began its southward march...

Here, Wu Fei received news of the impending surprise attack from the north of Yongshui three days in advance. Compared to the disastrous intelligence work of the northern aristocratic families, Wu Fei used the term "spy" in accordance with military regulations.

First and foremost, intelligence work must never be driven by emotions, and certainly not by political stance. If a spy has a particular inclination, and the commander-in-chief, due to alignment with that inclination, fails to filter the information and believes that inclination, then a major misjudgment will occur.

This is a perfect example. The intelligence agents in Yongzhou are doing just that, using scions of powerful families to pass on information. This shows a bias in the war effort, and the Yongzhou commander, needing the support of these families, is also biased, hoping that this young man from a powerful family under his command will achieve extraordinary feats. That's why this absurd result has occurred.

Wu Fei's method of gathering intelligence was simple: he would offer large sums of money to lone individuals, who would then use the money to bribe merchants in the north, obtaining information through subtle details. However, Wu Fei never trusted them and never allowed the merchants to ascertain his stance and preferences.

Therefore, spies used carrier pigeons to send messages along several key points along the route Tang Du'ao was preparing to take with his troops—and Wu Fei's military deployment on the south bank of the Yong River followed suit. Wu Fei's scouts advanced along the northward branch of the Yong River, and after a month of marching into the area, Wu Fei had already explored most of the river crossing routes and could almost easily determine where the enemy would cross the river.

Sui Wufei personally led a thousand men to the battlefield, preparing to launch an ambush.

On the night of November 15th, Wu Fei divided his soldiers into two groups: one group was on the south bank of the Yong River, while his own group was on the north bank.

About ten hours later, a group of people arrived on the north bank of the Yong River. The number was small, only about eight hundred riders. It could be determined that this was the vanguard, while the main force, still several miles behind, followed by a cloud of dust and noise.

Wu Fei crouched on a slope at a height of exactly fifty meters on the mountain. The vegetation on both sides was dense, and from below, it was unclear how many people were lying in ambush.

Wu Fei stared at the enemy troops. Although he believed that the enemy did not have a professional level of skill and would probably cross the river directly without scouting the hidden troop points on both sides of the crossing, he still ordered his men to prepare.

This involved a crucial operation: sending someone to the upstream ferry crossing to signal for a larger force to come from upstream. This contrasted sharply with the erratic actions of this pseudo-military unit.

Wu Fei has collected a large number of ferries, which allows him to move his troops more freely across the river. Currently, his own forces, which have priority to cross the river, are relatively few, making it easier to engage the enemy at the crossing point.

Hiding on the hillside on the north bank, Wu Fei instructed Wu Laifeng (a sergeant), a member of the Wu family, who was standing beside him: "In military strategy, when passing through dangerous terrain, the formation is loose and it is most vulnerable to ambush; the correct operation is to first send scouts to explore the high ground before proceeding."

When Wu Fei leads his troops, no matter how complicated it is, he will never skip this step. But the opposing side simply ignores this "scoring point" and skips it entirely.

In Wu Fei's eyes: the vanguard of this false army crossed the river with ease and carelessness; after they had crossed more than half of the river, his troops, which were lying in ambush on the south bank, led by Wang Feihao, came out to attack. This was a true case of attacking while the enemy was crossing.

Among the ambush troops led by Wang Feihao, there was a type of ballista mounted on a horse-drawn cart. This ballista had a direct firing range of only three hundred paces, far inferior to catapults and cannons, and it did not have the capability to siege cities, but it was very important in Wu Fei's military system.

Because of its excellent mobility, this type of vehicle-mounted crossbow can move forward with the crossbowmen, and for example, it has now formed the famous "Crescent Moon Formation".

The pseudo-cavalry, who had just crossed the river, had not formed a battle formation. They only saw a whistling arrow fly up and were then rammed into the front of the chariot formation.

…Small battlefield scenes…

The Wu family's crossbowmen began their work according to the drill procedures. Two strong men unfolded the crossbow arms that were folded on the cart as if they were spreading open a female warrior's thigh. The smell of tung oil from the cart concentrated on the mechanism, and with a snap, just like the folding mechanism that turns a round table into a square table, the crossbow arms were straightened.

"Be careful, don't get your hand caught! I don't have time to suck your fingers right now." (Everyone who gets their hand caught will instinctively suck their fingers.)

The veteran soldier instructed the new recruits, reinforcing the joints of the unfolded crossbow arms with rigid copper plates, and then busied himself leading the horse aside so that the ballista could be better aimed at the riverbank.

On both sides of the ballista, the crossbowmen were also in position, and as a rocket firework went off, the ballista began to fire.

After each crossbow bolt pierced through two warhorses, the vanguard troops crossing the river were unable to advance or retreat in the shallows. Blood flowed from the wounds of the men and horses, which was immediately washed away by the river, revealing the pinkish-white flesh.

After completing a volley of fire, this pseudo-vanguard unit, which had initially been disorganized but cohesive, became a chaotic mess.

On the shore, Wang Feihao, who was setting up the Crescent Moon Formation, had a sharp eye and directly destroyed the baseline of the opposing cavalry's formation with a single cannon shot.

On the south bank of the Yong River, Wang Feihao commanded the Wu family army to form several columns and rush toward the enemy's crossing point. When the columns were fifty paces away from the river, they turned into a line and began to encircle the enemy.

The puppet troops crossing the river, their boots caked with mud and their trousers soaked, walked with heavy steps. They were pushed back onto the riverbank almost immediately. In contrast, the Wu family army, standing on the dry bank, moved swiftly and could quickly form ranks, outnumbering the puppet troops who had just emerged from the water.

Often, the Wu family's crossbowmen would run in formation and unleash a barrage of fire on the scattered soldiers who had come ashore, while the wheeled crossbows would be used to skewer the huddled groups carrying water while swimming across the river. Finally, the cavalry would charge along the riverbank like shaving heads, targeting those who had miraculously survived and driving them back into the water.

Two hundred men completely overwhelmed eight hundred men.

In response, Wu Fei, observing from a hilltop on the north bank, remarked: "(Tang Du'ao) This guy's too green, he's never been in a war, has he?"... The perspective shifts to the other side...

Upon hearing that Tang Du'ao was being held back by several hundred soldiers of Da Yao on the riverbank, he immediately became anxious. He glanced at the surrounding troops and decided to rush forward to provide support. If he had other advisors by his side, they would have warned him of a possible trap. However, those around him were mostly his personal guards, eager to get on their way; how many of them would possess such vigilance?
Moreover, even if someone were to advise him, Tang Du'ao might not listen. In his view, "These few hundred Wu family soldiers are just a patrol team that happened to run into a lucky opportunity. If I could rush over and be invincible, that would be giving myself a victory! Besides, speed is of the essence in war. What if I'm too slow and those people escape?"

Narrator: This is because there is no complete infantry manual. In Wu Fei's sergeant manual, it is clearly recorded that after sending out scouts, when reporting the enemy situation, it is necessary to find out the number and type of weapons.

The blocking force that Wu Fei deployed on the riverbank was quite extraordinary, equipped with something like crossbows.

When Tang Du'ao saw his vanguard attacked while crossing the river, he was clearly anxious, worried that his troops had suffered too many losses, so he hurriedly led his elite troops to charge forward.

…three-quarters of an hour later…

When Wu Fei saw Tang Du'ao leading more than 500 men rushing over to cross the river to the south bank, Wu Laifeng, the team leader beside him, turned to look at Wu Fei and asked, "Brother Fei, should we go in?"

Wu Fei tapped him on the head: "Wait a little longer, don't be impatient."

Fifteen minutes later, after half of Tang Du'ao's reinforcements had crossed the river and their horses had left eight-shaped ripples in the shallow water, Wu Fei ordered Wu Laifeng's troops to launch a rapid assault.

So, after the big flag was raised on the hilltop, Wu Fei ordered the main force to wait on the hilltop, while Wu Laifeng led a hundred cavalrymen to the vicinity of the ferry to prepare for a possible charge at any time.

Wu Fei's order to Wu Laifeng: Just use guerrilla tactics. As long as the enemy doesn't take the initiative, don't rush to any place! Our army's objective is to ensure the separation of the two armies and prevent the enemy from regrouping.

If any enemy forces in the front and rear armies attempt to cross the dividing area and use themselves as a reference point to converge the dispersed ranks of the two armies into a battle formation, your unit should launch an attack before they gain momentum.

The battlefield was suddenly divided into two parts, front and back.

Frontline battlefield: At the ferry crossing, Wu Fei is now attacking from both the north and south banks while they are halfway across.

Rear battlefield: The main force that followed the arrival of the pseudo-Kuan is now unable to cross the river directly and must deal with the troops on the mountain.

The puppet army couldn't divide its forces to deal with the troops on the mountain because they didn't know how many troops Wu Fei had left up there. If they left too few, the mountain troops could rush down and rout the rear guard. And if the rout occurred in the rear guard while the battle raged ahead, and Tang Du'ao wasn't there to hold the rear guard, too many casualties in the rear guard would trigger a chain reaction.

However, if more troops are left in the rear to support the riverbank while surrounding the hilltop, Wu Laifeng's hundred cavalrymen are not to be underestimated. They could turn around and crush the supporting troops first, leading to a chain reaction of collapse.

Therefore, the only option left for the puppet regime in the rear is to first defeat the troops on the mountain!

Wu Fei's deployment was somewhat similar to Ma Su's arrangement for defending the mountain in the Battle of Jieting, but the results were different.

Wu Fei's military logic here is: "The prerequisite for deploying troops on the hilltop is to force the enemy to attack the high ground."

Now, Wu Fei has created a reason for war by cutting off the battlefield. The vanguard is stuck at the river crossing, and the rearguard, as the abandoned rear guard, must rejoin the vanguard.

Moreover, Wu Fei would not be trapped on the mountaintop, as reinforcements were already swimming across the river upstream, and Tang Du'ao could not surround him.

...First, describe the battle situation on the rear battlefield...

On the high ground, facing the swift advance of the Guan army, Wu Fei's crossbowmen, who had been lying in ambush on the mountain, began to brandish their weapons. Arrows rained down, and the surrounding troops quickly dropped to the ground, struggling to climb upwards.

Wu Fei did not deploy any giant beasts on the hillside. His own peacock mount was too conspicuous and not suitable for ambush operations. However, Wu Fei still considered the possibility that the position might be attacked by a large giant beast.

The positions on the hillside were divided into multiple sets, and each of these fortified positions had large nets buried underground. With a simple pull of a lever, these nets would suddenly rise up, trapping the charging Guan Jun.

Several squad leaders led the charge, and Wu Fei was slightly taken aback: Good heavens, exotic beast mounts! This is no ordinary creature. These "deer-like" mounts leaped gracefully through the mountains, their hooves as light as goats running on cliffs.

Several more large nets were lowered, accompanied by rolling stones that crashed down with a loud bang. The captains trapped inside the nets soon stopped running around frantically. The deer began to burrow into the ground with their heads, while the riders continued to tear at the nets relentlessly. However, as they tore at the nets, their weapons slipped from their hands.

Guan Jun, who rushed to the halfway point, saw that his general was trapped and tried to rescue him. Meanwhile, Wu Fei on the mountain watched with a grin as the group of Calabash Brothers rescued their grandfather, and ordered the crossbowmen to aim and fire at the group.

After a volley of crossbow bolts, the personal guards who tried to rescue their commander suffered heavy losses! — According to the saying that personal guards are the commander's property certificate, the other side lost a fortune in this round.

…The situation on the front lines is also changing at this moment…

From Wu Fei's perspective, a quarter of an hour after the battlefield was divided, the Guan army, which had been entangled in the river crossing, finally reacted. On the hilltop, Wu Fei saw a young general who was quite outstanding—in fact, Tang Du'ao was about the same age as Wu Fei.

He led thirty horsemen, abandoned the vanguard, and began to return, intending to transfer part of the rear guard over.

Wu Laifeng, who was waiting at the foot of the mountain, immediately led his cavalry to block the way, and a large number of cavalry surged toward Tang Du'ao.

This was a righteous brawl, but Wu Laifeng was knocked off his horse by Tang Du'ao in a single exchange. Fortunately, the surrounding Wu family cavalry surrounded him in time, and with the "wild boar roll" skill he had just learned, he dodged the slash that sparked against the stone, and Tang Du'ao was unable to finish him off. This confirmed to Wu Fei that this guy was the general of this army, so he called over Jiu Feng, who was wearing a straw mat on the back mountain.

Tang Du'ao raised his spear to parry the arrows, and when he was a hundred feet away from the mountaintop, he shouted loudly: "Thieves on the mountain, stop your arrogance! Watch me charge and kill you!" He then patted his mount, and the unremarkable, seemingly strange mount immediately swelled up, becoming two feet long and 1.8 meters tall at the shoulder, with a pair of large horns as long as two long halberds, making it incredibly powerful.

Meanwhile, Wu Laifeng, covered in mud, climbed onto his horse, shoved aside his personal guards, and, his face flushed and neck red, prepared to catch up and kill the enemy general. He had failed in his first mission assigned by his elder brother, the military commander, and was furious, determined to fight the enemy to the death. He immediately caught up and continued to entangle Tang Du'ao. However, he was also shrewd and ordered his cavalry to fire long-range archers.

Tang Du'ao rode a deer like a tank, easily sweeping aside the barrage of arrows as he faced them. His troops cheered loudly in response.

As he challenged them, the morale of the Guan army soldiers who were being suppressed and beaten at the foot of the mountain was greatly boosted, and they began to shout at the Yao army on the hillside.

But his dashing moment lasted only three seconds. As Tang Du'ao continued his charge forward, preparing to rejoin the main force, nine long cries rang out from the mountain.

As for the soldiers rushing upwards from the foot of the mountain, they suddenly felt a heart-pounding wave coming from ahead, and then, as if watching a missile launch, a large bird soared into the sky and took flight vertically.

Wu Fei appeared riding the Nine Phoenix and began to respond to the enemy general's challenge to his duel.

Seeing the giant, ferocious bird attacking from above, Tang Du'ao quickly prepared to dodge, but the grenade launcher hanging below Jiu Feng fired.

As the metal projectile-like object flew towards him, Tang Du'ao instinctively swung his lance, but quickly felt it become entangled. Then, a soft force enveloped him.

That's right, this is the Spider Web Grenade (codenamed Immortal Binding Rope) invented by Wu Fei. It uses the power of gunpowder to make the warhead spin, and then unfolds a tough net from the air to cover the target.

After limiting the enemy's escape space before the attack, Wu Fei unleashed his murderous aura, like a great fortune descending from the sky, directly rushing towards Tang Du'ao. The nine-colored deer, whose antlers were entangled, suddenly turned its head and tried to break free. To be fair, the nine-colored deer was also a giant beast in size. Faced with the attack of the nine phoenix, it was immediately knocked to the ground and rubbed against the ground for three meters. Then, it faced the nine phoenix's skillful claw techniques and was constantly kicked.

That said, if Wu Fei hadn't been absolutely confident in his three signature moves, he wouldn't have jumped out to respond to this challenge.

Just like how long-legged birds such as cranes and serpent eagles deal with snakes and rats on the ground, Jiu Feng's claws stomped one after another through the large net. In the midst of the combo, Tang Du'ao and his mount quickly fell unconscious.

The instant he lost consciousness, Wu Fei's murderous aura was fully released. Unrestrained, the murderous aura spread like a shockwave, and across the entire battlefield, the murderous aura of the army shifted overwhelmingly to Wu's side.

Both battlefields collapsed simultaneously. The vanguard surrendered on the riverbank, abandoning their weapons, while the rearguard fled in large numbers, leaving behind all their carts, horses, and supplies.

(End of this chapter)