My Sims of the Eastern Jin Dynasty

After reviewing the simulation information, Xiao Heng slowly stood up.

He subconsciously rubbed his still aching left hand.

The blood-red salt field and Deng Jing's figure in the simulated scene weighed heavily on my heart like lead.

Those were not just a few salt stacks and brine wells; they were his escape route, painstakingly planned over the past two weeks.

If Deng Jingyi were to seize it, it would mean that he would completely lose the initiative in the East China Sea, and if things continued like this, he would be trapped in Tan County, truly becoming a sitting duck.

He originally intended to use his prophetic knowledge of history to gain military merit and rise to power after the war in Algeria.

But no matter how much they planned, they didn't expect the Qin army to advance eastward so quickly.

With a deep sigh, Xiao Heng subconsciously looked south.

If we abandon Tanxian, we can break through through the Shushui River at night and drift downstream...

The thought of going back brought with it an alluring sense of relief.

Returning to the familiar system, they awaited the next historical opportunity with the help of Sun Wuzhong.

This seems to be the safest and most common-sense choice.

But the next opportunity might come more than a decade later when Liu Yu rises to power.

"Supervisor! Should we give chase?"

Xu Xianzhi, who was standing to the side, asked a question.

Xiao Heng was somewhat shocked to hear Xu Xianzhi's words; he had never considered chasing after him.

Putting aside the issue of infantry chasing cavalry, even if they caught up, whether they could win was another question. Even if Deng Jing was blocked by Wang Shi and those three people, there were still more than two thousand cavalrymen here, who could arrive in half a day with a forced march.

He looked at Xu Xianzhi, wanting to hear his opinion.

"Zongwen, what do you think?"

"If we don't keep up with the updates, we'll have no chance. Our only option is to return to Sikou! Besides, there are those three leaders and the Wang family's private soldiers!"

Yes, if we don't pursue them, then the only option left is to flee south.

Pursuing him might seem like a futile endeavor, but Xu Xianzhi reminded him that if he didn't pursue him, he would have no chance at all.

As for the salt fields, the Wang family, for the sake of their own core interests, would never sit idly by and watch the salt fields be easily taken over by the Qin army.

He patted Xu Xianzhi's shoulder hard, his eyes full of admiration.

"You're right! If we don't fight now, when will we? Hesitating will only cause us to miss the opportunity! This decisive nature is far superior to my half-hearted thinking!"

Having figured things out, Xiao Heng looked down at the city walls and made up his mind to chase after Deng Jing and regain the initiative.

But the first step is to deal with the Xianbei cavalry that are currently besieging them.

At this moment, the more than two hundred Xianbei cavalrymen below the city did not attempt to approach the city wall; in fact, half of them had already dismounted some distance away.

After confirming this, Xiao Heng and Xu Xianzhi went around to the East Gate tower.

There are no city walls here, only a gate tower for stationing troops. Bridges connect the city to several small rivers on both sides.

There were even fewer Xianbei cavalrymen here, less than a hundred of them guarding the stone bridge across the city, with the Mu River behind them.

Finally, they arrived at the South Gate, the defense zone under Liu Dan's command.

The scene here is different again. On a distant earthen slope, one can vaguely see Xianbei people building a simple camp, with smoke rising from the chimneys.

Below the city wall, about two hundred cavalrymen, divided into several groups, were galloping back and forth within a certain area, shouting and occasionally firing a few inaccurate arrows at the city wall.

It is clearly a continuous harassment and pressure campaign to maintain contact and prevent the garrison from having peace.

"The pressure is greatest at the south gate, and the Xianbei people seem to be more focused on this side as well."

Xu Xianzhi observed.

Xiao Heng nodded, but he had some doubts in his heart.

Did the Xianbei people place their camp at the south gate because they thought he would break out through that gate?

The two returned to the East Gate.

Upon reaching the city tower, they saw Han Yongzheng sitting imposingly on the steps, surrounded by several people.

Han Yong spoke of his past with a rough, unrefined smile, showing no sign of the tension of facing a formidable enemy.

Upon seeing Xiao Heng and Xu Xianzhi arrive, Han Yong and his old comrades immediately stood up.

"Supervisor Xu, scribe."

Han Yong clasped his hands in a fist salute.

"The South Korean commander is certainly in high spirits!"

Xiao Heng looked at them, his face showing no reproach, but rather a thoughtful expression.

Han Yong grinned and patted the dust off his clothes.

"I apologize for the embarrassing situation, Commander. The brothers are really frustrated. These Xianbei dogs are so annoying. They're always howling outside, never actually fighting. It's infuriating."

His tone was full of impatience and disdain for this siege tactic.

Xiao Heng stepped forward and sat down on the steps, just like them, gesturing for the others to sit as well.

"What do you think we could gain if we... suddenly attacked these noisy guys outside the East Gate?"

Han Yong's eyes lit up suddenly, and his old brothers beside him also straightened their backs instantly.

"Supervisor, you mean... to take the initiative?"

Han Yong lowered his voice, his fists clenching unconsciously.

"Yes, the Shu River bends here, and the riverbed and that reed marshland form a natural pocket."

Xiao Heng used crumbs to make a few simple marks on the steps.

"This is the east gate. If we send a group out quietly through the sluice gate, sneaking along the riverbank reeds to their flank and rear, and then send a group of daredevils to suddenly open the gate and charge straight in to engage them, we don't need to annihilate them completely, just catch them off guard, take out thirty or fifty of their riders, seize some horses, and retreat immediately. The operation should be large-scale, and the retreat should be swift!"

Han Yong answered almost without hesitation.

"He'll definitely have to send reinforcements! But there's a distance between the south gate and the east gate, and even if the cavalry comes, it will take time. If we're quick enough, we can retreat back into the city before his main force arrives, and he'll be helpless!"

Xu Xianzhi interjected, his eyes shining.

"With the attack on the East Gate, the Xianbei people will surely reassess our army's movements. If we can take this opportunity to create a temporary vacuum in the surveillance outside the East Gate, or even just cause chaos... perhaps, we can create an opportunity for another team that really wants to leave."

Xiao Heng quickly interrupted, saying that it wasn't time to go out yet.

"Do you dare to do it? You need to be able to do it all in one go, hit and run!"

Han Yong suddenly stood up.

"Supervisor, that's exactly what we've been waiting for! We'll make sure those Xianbei bastards outside the East Gate are utterly routed!"

"good!"

Xiao Heng also stood up.

"Han Yong, you are in full charge of the specific arrangements, with Chief Secretary Xu assisting. Remember, the key is speed. I will take Captain Liu and provide cover from the city wall!"

"promise!"

Han Yong clasped his hands in a deep fist salute, then turned and growled at the few old brothers who were eagerly waiting.

"Did you all hear that? Grab your weapons, pick your men! Get to work!"

"..."

In less than an hour, on the East Gate tower, Liu Dan, along with his personally selected elite archers, lay in ambush behind the battlements.

Behind the east gate, Han Yong stood with a shield in one hand and a sword in the other, awaiting orders.

He was followed by more than a hundred veterans.

Xiao Heng stood on the city tower, looking down at the bridges over the river on both sides, where two groups of people had already quietly slipped into the water.

After waiting a moment, Xiao Heng looked at Liu Dan behind him.

Let's begin!

Liu Dan, who was half-squatting behind the stack, took a deep breath upon hearing this and suddenly stood up!

The bow in his hand was already fully drawn, and an arrow with a vermilion mark at the end was steadily nocked on the string.

There was almost no aiming process; it relied entirely on muscle memory and intuition honed through countless hours of practice, until the bowstring rang out!

"Whoosh—!"

The arrow tore through the air, tracing a short and sharp arc, and with a resounding "thud," it embedded itself deeply into the wooden plank at the head of the bridge connecting the city gate to the outside world! The crimson tail feathers were exceptionally dazzling in the bleak autumn light.

Dozens of Xianbei cavalrymen who were idly strolling their horses or dozing off leaning against their spears near the bridge were startled by the sudden whooshing sound and the strange noise from the bridgehead. They all looked up and turned to look in surprise.

It's now!

"Creak—Boom!"

Before they could fully react to what was happening, the tightly closed east gate suddenly swung open from the inside out!

"Northern Army—Kill!!!"

A thunderous roar erupted from the doorway!

Han Yong charged out like a tiger released from its cage, his left hand holding a heavy shield to protect most of his body, his right hand raising a gleaming ring-pommel sword.

Behind him, more than a hundred veterans from the Northern Army, also armed with shields and swords, surged out like a flood bursting its banks.

The footsteps pounded the ground with a dull, rhythmic thud, heading straight for the wooden bridge!

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!"

A centurion among the Xianbei cavalry was the first to react, shouting in shock and anger, while instinctively taking off his horse's bow and hastily nocking an arrow.

"Fire arrows! Stop them!"

Sparse arrows rained down on the charging Northern Army infantry.

But the distance was too close, and Han Yong and his men's momentum was too strong!

Most of the arrows struck the shields held high by Han Yong and his men, with only a few falling into the crowd and causing negligible damage.

Han Yong's charging speed did not decrease at all; instead, he rushed to the bridge in just a few steps.

Seeing that the arrows were ineffective in stopping them, and that the shield formation of the Northern Army infantry was pressing in like a moving city wall, the centurion realized that the narrow bridge surface meant the cavalry had no room to charge and had become a burden instead.

A fierce glint flashed in his eyes, and he roared.

"Put away your bows! Charge with me! Stomp them to death!"

Having said that, he sheathed his sword, drew a sharp scimitar with his other hand, spurred his horse, and charged straight at Han Yong's shield formation without dodging or yielding!

Behind him, a dozen fierce Xianbei cavalrymen roared and drew their swords, spurring their horses to follow closely.

The warhorses neighed, their hooves pounding the wooden planks of the bridge as they charged straight towards us!

When Han Yong saw that the other party dared to ride his horse and charge across such a narrow bridge, and had already passed the vermilion arrow shot by Liu Dan, his eyes flashed with cold light. Instead of retreating, he roared.

"Raise your shield—!"

"roar!"

The veterans behind him echoed in unison, their voices resounding across the bridgehead.

The swordsmen and shieldmen at the front slammed the bottoms of their large shields heavily onto the bridge surface, then crouched down behind them. The shields of the second row were then stacked up, and the spearmen in the back rows poked their spears out from the gaps in the shields!

In the blink of an eye, a tight shield formation like an iron hedgehog firmly sealed off the bridge!

At this moment, the Xianbei centurion's warhorse had already charged close, less than twenty paces from Han Yong, and was about to crash into the shield wall!

On the city wall, Xiao Heng kept his eyes fixed on the bridge. Just as the centurion leaped over the crimson arrow, he swung his right hand downwards sharply: "Release!"

Liu Dan, who had been waiting for the right moment, gave the order almost simultaneously in a hoarse voice.

"All troops—fire!!!"

"Buzz—!"

The sounds of bowstrings rang out in unison!

Hundreds of elite archers simultaneously released their bows, and arrows soared into the air like locusts, instantly obscuring a small patch of sky and precisely covering an area of ​​about twenty paces around the bridgehead, with the main target being the Xianbei cavalry attempting to charge!

"Puff puff puff puff...!"

The centurion at the forefront was hit by at least seven or eight arrows, and fell directly from his horse to Han Yong's shield.

Han Yong raised his knife and beheaded him.

The cavalry behind him fared even worse. The narrow bridge left them with no way to escape, and under the dense rain of arrows, men and horses fell to the ground in an instant!

Some men and their horses were riddled with arrows, while others, startled, reared up and threw their riders off, only to be trampled by the hooves of their pursuing companions...

"stop!"

Seeing that the first round of covering fire had been effective and the enemy's charging formation had completely collapsed, Liu Dan immediately ordered a halt to firing.

He grabbed the long sword leaning against the wall and roared at the archer beside him.

"Follow me down the city! Reinforce Han Junzhu!"

Having said that, he led the way and rushed down the horse trail.

On the bridge, Han Yong felt the rain of arrows above his head suddenly stop. Through the gaps in the shields, he saw the Xianbei cavalry in complete disarray.

"Break the formation—Kill!!!"

Han Yong roared and charged at the nearest Xianbei cavalryman who had just gotten up from the ground.

The veterans of the Northern Army behind him shouted in unison, and their shield formation instantly dispersed, transforming into deadly daggers that rushed towards the chaotic enemies.

As the blade flashed, blood and flesh flew everywhere, and roars of vengeance mingled with screams of agony.

Almost at the same time that Liu Dan led his archers down the city wall, the reeds in the Shu River channel on both sides of the bridge were suddenly parted!

"Kill the Hu!!!"

Soaked to the bone, Chen Da, wielding a sharp blade, leaped out like a water ghost.

Behind him, two teams of elite swordsmen shouted in unison and charged in from the chaotic flank of the Xianbei cavalry!

Besieged on both sides, the Xianbei were routed!

The remaining Xianbei cavalry completely lost their will to fight. Only a few clever ones turned their horses around and tried to escape, but they were relentlessly pursued by Chen Dabu, who attacked from the side of the river.

After clearing out the remaining enemy on the bridge, Han Yong's troops quickly deployed, and the archers brought by Liu Dan, together with Chen Da's navy, completed the final encirclement and annihilation of the remaining Xianbei cavalry.

The battle was intense but brief.

From the moment Liu Dan fired the signal arrow to the moment the last stubborn Xianbei cavalryman was cut down by Chen Da's sword, the entire process took less than a quarter of an hour.

On the bridge and along the riverbank, nearly a hundred corpses of Xianbei cavalrymen and their horses lay scattered about. Only a dozen or so riders, quick-witted and resourceful, managed to break free before the encirclement was complete, fleeing in panic towards the main force camp to the south...