Three Kingdoms: Rebirth of Liu Bei, the Zhaolie

After a night of rapid march, by dawn the next day, Liu Bei's thousand cavalry had covered nearly two hundred li.

It's only about two hundred li away from Yanliyou Village at the foot of Langshan Mountain.

They traveled another fifty or sixty li.

Liu Bei discovered a valley nearby, so he ordered a thousand cavalrymen to enter the valley to rest temporarily while waiting for the arrival of the follow-up troops.

In the valley, a clear spring flows down from the mountain.

The soldiers and their horses were all parched and went to the stream to fetch water to drink.

Liu Bei sent out a small group of cavalry to drive all the herders grazing within a few dozen miles into the valley and assigned special personnel to guard them.

at the same time.

Yesterday, the twenty-eight elite cavalrymen he sent out by Xu Wushan encountered scouts sent by Yan Liyou while they were exploring deep into the Wolf Mountain area. They immediately shot and killed one of them and captured the other alive.

Liu Bei personally interrogated the scouts sent by Yan Liyou's troops and learned that Yan Liyou's sons were very nervous and kept sending out scouts to investigate the eastern region.

Whether on the northern or southern slopes of Gaoque Mountain, there were numerous scouts dispatched by the Yanliyou tribe.

Not only that, they also sent people to contact the Zhijian and Luoluo tribes further west, reminding them to take precautions.

Despite being the tribal chief, Yan Liyou maintained a leisurely lifestyle, even mocking his sons for their fuss.

However, his sons believed that Yan Liyou was old and senile and did not listen to him at all. They continued to strengthen their defenses and prepare for war.

The tribes living on the grasslands have no city walls.

Therefore, Yan Liyou's sons ordered people to make barricades out of wooden fences and to dig a trench several meters deep in front of the barricades to defend against the charge of the cavalry.

Of the 8,000 troops, 3,000 elite cavalry were assigned to guard the area around Yan Liyou's tent, while the remaining 5,000 cavalry were assigned to guard the four sides of the tent.

As for the specific troop deployment, even the scout from Yanliyou's tribe didn't know the details.

Upon learning this intelligence, Liu Bei summoned Jian Yong, Qian Zhao, Lü Bu, and Gao Shun to discuss the matter.

Lü Bu spoke first:

"If the enemy digs trenches, fill them in. If the enemy has barricades, cut them down. If the enemy has wooden palisades, push them down."

"Xuande, our eight hundred elite cavalry have been training for several days. They have mastered the charging techniques you taught them and are all eager to put their skills to use on the battlefield."

"No matter how many troops they have, you still appoint me as your vanguard. I will lead my men, one halberd and one horse, and smash straight through Yan Liyou's camp!"

Qian Zhao pondered for a moment and said:

"Fengxian is right. However, our eight hundred elite cavalry are all extremely valuable soldiers, and they should be used wisely."

"Using them to launch a surprise attack on the enemy's central command tent will greatly increase the chances of victory."

"As for filling in the trenches and cutting down the barricades, we can have the six hundred cavalrymen led by Babapeng, Pulu, and Yiloujin do it. Just have them prepare sandbags beforehand to fill in the trenches, and then use axes to cut down the barricades to make a passage."

"Next, they can follow behind the eight hundred elite cavalry, set fires all over the enemy camp, create chaos, and disrupt the enemy's morale."

Liu Bei listened and nodded:

"That's right. As for the specific details, we'll discuss them with Babapeng, Pulu, and Yilouqin when they arrive."

"The five veteran generals, Tuoba Daxi, Tuoba Sihai, Tuoba Yizhan, and Tuoba Chekun, can each lead seven hundred cavalrymen to launch feint attacks on the Yanliyou tribe's army from four directions. As for Tuoba Qiudun, he can lead his seven hundred cavalrymen to follow behind the eight hundred elite cavalrymen and expand the gains."

Everyone agreed.

The plan has been finalized.

Another hour or two passed.

Babapeng, Pulu, and Yiloujin led six hundred light cavalrymen to the valley in accordance with Liu Bei's military orders.

Liu Bei summoned three men and told them in detail about his plan with Qian Zhao, Lü Bu, and others. He instructed them to go to a dense forest several dozen miles from Yanliyou's territory and prepare earthen mounds, torches, and other items to fill in the trenches and set fires in various places.

The three men gladly accepted the order and then discussed the details with Liu Bei.

Liu Bei told the three of them to rest well and feed their warhorses.

With over a hundred li remaining, Liu Bei planned to lead his army to Yanliyou's territory by evening and launch a formal attack at dawn.

Another hour or two passed.

Tuoba Qiudun and five other veteran generals led 3,500 cavalrymen to the valley and, according to Liu Bei's orders, hid in the dense forest and secluded valley to rest.

People ate dried meat and milk, and horses ate good grass; both rested and recharged their energy.

Liu Bei then summoned five veteran generals, including Tuoba Qiudun, and explained his attack plan to them in detail.

The five veterans each offered their own suggestions, mainly regarding details.

Liu Bei adopted some of these suggestions.

This made the five of them very satisfied.

They immediately praised Liu Bei's arrangements and were full of confidence for the battle at dawn.

Liu Bei was pleased to see their high morale.

Everyone rested until evening, when the sun set over the western plains once again.

Only then did Liu Bei order his entire army to attack.

After nearly a day of rest, the army was full of energy, and the warhorses were neighing and galloping.

Naturally, Liu Bei's thousand-strong army was the first to set off.

After a three- or four-hour journey, Liu Bei led his troops to the pre-arranged location—a dense forest only thirty or forty li away from Yanliyou.

This dense forest was located on a small hill, with a stream flowing nearby. It was Xu Wushan's twenty-eight elite cavalry who carefully scouted the area and informed Liu Bei of it.

Liu Bei learned that from this small hill, he could observe the situation of Yanliyou's troops, which was thirty or forty miles away. Therefore, he set up this place as a garrison location.

He ordered his army to lie in ambush in the hills and dense forests.

On one hand, they waited for Baba Peng and two others, and Tuoba Qiudun and five other generals to arrive.

On the other hand, Xu Wushan dispatched twenty-eight elite cavalrymen, divided into four teams, to shoot and kill all the scouts of Yan Liyou's tribe who were patrolling within a radius of dozens of miles, in order to prevent the news from leaking out.

In order to achieve surprise in their attacks, Liu Bei's army often rushed at night, killing many scouts from Yan Liyou's tribe along the way.

Standing atop the mound, Liu Bei looked westward and saw a camp dozens of miles away with firelight flickering everywhere. He deduced that even at night, Yan Liyou's troops were still strengthening their patrols and vigilance.

He knew that Yan Liyou's sons were quite cautious.

Liu Bei's army marched a long distance to attack, while Yan Liyou's troops waited in comfort.

With this in mind, Liu Bei immediately ordered the eight hundred elite cavalrymen responsible for raiding the enemy camp to rest and recuperate.

More than an hour later.

Babapeng, Pulu, and Yiloujin led six hundred cavalrymen to the mound and dense forest.

The Xianbei cavalry, who spent most of their time raiding and fighting across the grasslands, were able to sleep on their horses while they were galloping. They typically had three horses for changing mounts, so the horses were the ones who got the most tired.

The soldiers also cherished their warhorses, feeding them the best fodder and ensuring they got as much rest as possible to restore their strength to the greatest extent.

More than an hour later.

Tuoba Qiudun and four other generals led 3,500 cavalrymen to the mound and dense forest, and immediately began to dismount and rest in accordance with Liu Bei's military orders.

I worked all night.

At dawn the next day.

The sky was half bright and half dark.

This is precisely when soldiers on the defensive are complacent and let their guard down.

This is also the best time to launch a surprise attack.

At this time, all of Liu Bei's troops were ready to set off.

At a single command!

Each army, following the pre-planned attack routes, galloped towards their designated positions.

Tuoba Daxi was responsible for attacking the area behind the Yanliyou tribe, which was due west.

Tuoba Sihai was in charge of attacking and harassing the southern part of the Yanliyou tribe.

Tuoba Yizhan was in charge of attacking the north.

Tuoba Chekun was responsible for attacking the east, which was the front line of the Yanliyou tribe.

The attack from all sides was intended to throw Yan Liyou's troops into chaos, making them unable to focus on one thing at a time and unable to find the specific location that Liu Bei's main force was targeting.

As the sky darkened.

The four armies surged out from the mounds and dense forests, like four long dragons galloping across the vast grasslands.

Following closely behind were six hundred cavalrymen led by Baba Peng, Pulu, and Yiloujin, each with three or four horses carrying sacks of earth and other items prepared the previous night, closely following behind Tuoba Chekun's seven hundred-strong army.

The location east of Yanliyou was the point of attack chosen by Liu Bei.

Standing beneath the white banner, Liu Bei outwardly appeared calm as he watched the various armies march to their designated locations, but inwardly he was filled with excitement.

After all, this was the first time he had commanded a battle of this scale.

……

Therefore, the essence of military affairs lies in understanding the enemy's intentions, uniting against them from a single direction, and killing their general from afar. This is what is meant by skillfully accomplishing great things.

—The Art of War by Sun Tzu