The Duke of Shu Han began guarding Jingzhou in place of Guan Yu.

Chapter 62 Attack Where They Must Rescue, Like a Fishbone Stuck in One's Throat

Today's battle was a resounding victory.

While it may not be enough to turn the tide of the battle, it is certainly enough to boost morale.

After the enemy troops have withdrawn far away.

Xi Hong even complained about why he couldn't fire the crossbow at full power.

Otherwise, I would have surely beheaded today, and so on.

Miwei could only let him be.

Afterwards, they treated the wounded, repaired the weapons, and sent out more scouts to investigate the enemy, which was no different from yesterday.

if not?
You can't exactly say you won a small battle involving a thousand people.

So, they claimed that they "shattered the myth that Sun Quan's army was invincible south of the Yangtze River since the Battle of Red Cliffs."

It's not impossible to exaggerate it if you really want to.

But we must wait until Liao Hua successfully crosses the river before we can draw a conclusion.

And before that.

The enemy will inevitably do everything in its power to remove this thorn in their side.

The following day, Ma Zhong returned with renewed force.

This time, we finally took the main route, which had a wide open area, towards the main gate.

After the enemy lines approached.

Miwei saw that the enemy soldiers in the front row were carrying a wide and thick wooden raft.

There were three layers, inside and out.

They were clearly taken aback by the density of arrows fired by the garrison yesterday.

How could the enemy have created so many "shields" overnight?
Miwei glanced at the shape of the raft and quickly understood.

They probably dragged the original raft used for crossing the river ashore, made some modifications, and used it to defend against arrows.

From this, it can be seen that Ma Zhong of Jiangdong also had the ability to respond to emergencies.

Unfortunately, they encountered other troubles before they could even get close to the defenders' firing range.

First, someone in the front row covered their foot and shouted loudly.

As the army advanced, the shield bearers at the rear quickly became disorderly.

At this moment, the enemy suddenly realized what was happening.

Beneath this pitted, muddy swamp.

There were actually a lot of thorns that could prick your feet buried there!

What's even more annoying is...

These caltrops are mostly made of bamboo, wood, animal bones, and other materials.

Although not as sharp as metal, its material and color make it easier to hide in swamps.

It can be described as extremely insidious.

The slightest misstep could lead to annihilation.

This is certainly not just a problem of thorns pricking the feet.

Rather, it means that because of the foot irritation, the soldiers could not concentrate on walking side by side.

It was no longer possible to maintain a sufficiently tight and orderly military formation.

In action, be sparse; in battle, be dense.

In the era of cold weapons, a poorly organized military formation could not be used for frontal combat.

Conversely, if Ma Zhong dared to attack in a scattered formation, Mi Wei would immediately open the camp gates and decide the outcome of the battle in one fell swoop.

These caltrops were naturally brought over by Mi Wei after emptying Hua Rong's treasury.

Be prepared.

It wasn't used in the previous battle against Sun Huan, nor in Shengjiangzhou, nor in Dankou.

Today, in this perfectly suited terrain, it has finally come in very handy.

It can only be said that Miwei certainly did not overestimate himself.

then.

On this day, before the sun had even set, Ma Zhong had no choice but to sound the retreat.

It's even earlier than yesterday.

The morale of the defending troops naturally soared even higher.

Xi Hong even suggested taking advantage of the situation to launch a counterattack down the mountain, cutting down enemy camps and killing enemy generals.

However, Miwei persuaded him to stay.

Although Ma Zhong suffered two consecutive defeats.

But he withdrew decisively both times.

This shows that the person has not lost their composure and must still have some countermeasures.

And as expected.

On the third day, the enemy brought out a mode of transportation that Mi Wei was familiar with.

Mud pry bar.

A group of fearless enemy soldiers pushed mud shovels and carried large shields to lead the army.

Soldiers then dragged large logs and rolled them on the ground to clear away the caltrops.

After half a day, with dozens of casualties, the debris in front of the camp was mostly cleared away.

By this time, Miwei had no more caltrops left.

The area in front of the camp was cleared.

The only option now is to confront them head-on.

Therefore, Mi Wei finally listened to Xi Hong once and took advantage of the night to go down the mountain and attack the camp.

They ultimately succeeded in burning some of the enemy's equipment.

But that was all. Because Ma Zhong had taken precautions, he was unable to cause any greater chaos.

On the afternoon of the fourth day...

There are no more obstacles between the two sides.

Even the water that had accumulated on the ground dried up completely after four days of sun exposure.

Heavy rain in winter is already rare.

The opportune moment and favorable location have come to an end.

Ma Zhong beat the drum to attack the mountain, while Mi Wei raised the flag to meet the enemy.

The two sides engaged in a hard-fought battle on the still-pitched but sufficiently dry ground.

On this day, the Miwei tribe finally suffered combat casualties.

If it weren't for the heavy casualties inflicted on Ma Zhong's troops in the first three days, which boosted morale...

I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out until the end of the day.

but no matter.

After holding out for four days.

Everyone has to admit it.

Mi Wei's men did indeed successfully establish themselves behind Pan Zhang.

Unless Pan Zhang continues to divide his troops to attack the mountain.

But his troops were already at a significant disadvantage, so how much could he possibly have left?

……

"We must not divide our forces!"

Pan Zhang slammed his fist on the table and stood up.

He immediately refused Sun Huan's request to fight again.

Sun Huan had anticipated this, and added:
"I understand the general's concerns about Guan Ping."

"In that case, why don't I take charge of this place, and you go and trap Guan Ping? What do you say?"

Pan Zhang refused without even thinking:
"We have each occupied our own territory for a long time, and our troops are already familiar with the terrain and enemy situation in front of us. How can we easily redeploy our forces!"

Sun Huan had also anticipated this, but seized the opportunity to sneer:
"I never imagined that the general feared Guan Ping as much as he feared a tiger!"

"He's a lieutenant general, and so are you, but you've served in the military longer than him!"

Pan Zhang's expression visibly darkened.

But it didn't happen on the spot.

His voice, however, had hardened slightly.
"For a general, fearing the enemy is not a bad thing; what is bad is being afraid to act."

"But compared to not daring to do something, acting recklessly is even more unacceptable!"

Sun Huan continued to scoff: "A general cannot wage war out of anger... Is that what you meant, General?"

"Use whatever quotations you want, it's all the same idea."

Pan Zhang waved his hand, looking slightly annoyed.

And said:

"Our troops are currently attacked from both sides, and it is difficult for us to hold our ground in this water fortress."

"I believe that rather than being attacked separately in the future, it would be better for us to join forces and seek a tangible victory!"

Sun Huan's sarcastic remarks were actually a ploy to provoke a fight.

Upon hearing this, he immediately suppressed his smile: "Please enlighten me, General!"

Pan Zhang: "There are only three strategies: superior, middle, and inferior."

I wonder if he had just been subtly mocked by Sun Huan for not being literate.

Pan Zhang showed off a little.

"The best course of action is to ignore Guan Ping, join forces with him, cross the river, and besiege the Tang dynasty."

"If we can defeat or even crush Liao Hua's troops, the ownership of Wuling and Lingling prefectures will be a foregone conclusion."

"And you and I might even be able to compete for the greatest credit in this battle!"

Sun Huan was at an age when he was extremely eager to make a name for himself.

Upon hearing this, I was immediately lost in thought.

But Pan Zhang was the main general in charge of the campaign against Tang, so we could only listen to him continue:
"The middle strategy is the opposite: ignore Liao Hua and focus all our efforts on surrounding and killing Guan Ping!"

"Thus, it is no longer possible to stop Liao Hua from rescuing Linyuan."

"But it did weaken a portion of the enemy's forces, which is a tangible result."

"Perhaps we can sow discord between Guan Yu and Liao Hua, leaving ourselves a backup plan for the future."

Sun Huan was also somewhat tempted upon hearing this.

After all, personally killing Guan Yu's eldest son was a significant achievement.

Perhaps this will even make them famous worldwide!
He then asked hastily, "What about the worst option?"

"The worst option is simple." Pan Zhang let out a soft breath.

"Upstream of the Yuan River, there is a large sandbar called Fanzhou, which is twenty li long and is located at the mouth of the river leading to Linyuan and Hanshou cities."

"Zhu Yifeng's (Zhu Ran's courtesy name) scouts went there and found it to be a safe and reliable place."

"If we join forces on the island, we can block the waterway. Even if Liao Hua and Guan Ping join forces, it will be difficult for them to use the Yuan River to quickly move west and relieve the siege."

"In this way, we can barely consider it as weakening the enemy."

Upon hearing this, Sun Huan immediately shook his head and said:
"A poor strategy is one that puts you in a passive position and should not be adopted."

"Moreover, as the general said before, once Guan Ping escapes, with Liao Hua's assistance, he will be a force to be reckoned with. We must not let him go lightly!"

Pan Zhang nodded slightly: "So you chose the first option?"

Instead of answering, Sun Huan asked, "If we join forces to attack the Tang, what are your chances of victory, General?"

(End of this chapter)