Chapter 82

Lu Yao, the pressure he bore was far heavier than his subordinates understood. The total number of the invading Xiongnu army was roughly forty thousand. After deducting the troops distributed in Jieyou, Qixian, and other places, Lu Yao estimated that the actual number of troops they could use on the main battlefield was about twenty-eight thousand. This number was nearly three times the size of the main force of the Jinyang Army led by Liu Kun. Duke Yu Shi, who led his troops to confront them head-on, was under immense pressure.

Early yesterday morning, a messenger reported Liu Kun's order: The main force of the Jinyang Army had engaged in fierce battles with the Han King Liu Yuan's army, resulting in heavy casualties on both sides. Therefore, the reinforcements that had been gradually assembled in the rear would be dispatched to Xicheng, and no more reinforcements would be sent to Qixian. The battle in Qixian was entirely Lu Yao's responsibility.

Duke Yu Shi's willingness to entrust such a strategic direction to a newly promoted commander like Lu Yao demonstrated his extraordinary confidence in his subordinates. However, for Lu Yao, the pressure was immense—he had to rely on his current force of less than one thousand five hundred men to resist over five thousand Xiongnu troops.

The Xiongnu army's strength lay in their numerical superiority and the generally higher quality of their soldiers compared to the Jin army. Their weakness was the difficulty in securing food supplies after crossing the Jieyou area to the north, making prolonged warfare unfavorable.

In stark contrast, the Jin army's weakness was their numerical and combat strength. Even if Lu Yao had full confidence, he did not believe that his troops had the capability to engage the Xiongnu in direct combat. However, the Jin army had the advantage of terrain, relying on the numerous high mountains, dense forests, lakes, and rivers on the eastern side of Zhaoyu, as well as the strategic points of Qishan and Jiefang Mountain, and the control of the Tuanbo Valley pass, forming a strong defensive line.

However, the shift in the Xiongnu's main force disrupted the delicate balance between the two armies over the past few days. Without knowing the enemy's target, it was impossible to organize a targeted defense. The geographical advantage that the Jin army relied on was now precarious, plunging the battle situation into an extremely dangerous state.

What was the Xiongnu's target? The Jin army's defenses at Qishan and Jiefang Mountain were solid enough to withstand an attack by five times their number, and this did not change even in the thick fog. Therefore, the Xiongnu's purpose in moving under the cover of the fog was unlikely to be the Jin army at Qishan and Jiefang Mountain.

Then, could their target be the Tuanbo Valley? That was even less realistic. There were only four roads leading to the Tuanbo Valley: one major road at the foot of the mountain and three small, rugged paths that could not accommodate a large army. More importantly, all four roads were under the strict surveillance of the Jin army, making it impossible for the Xiongnu to sneak through.

If it was neither Qishan and Jiefang Mountain nor the Tuanbo Valley, what was the Xiongnu's target?

What did the Xiongnu intend to do? Where were they now? What would they do next? How should our army respond? Lu Yao pondered these questions repeatedly, feeling a headache coming on. He decided to take out the map and examine it again.

This map was a standard military map, but to Lu Yao, it was too simplistic. The mountains and rivers were sketched with just a few strokes, and the distances between them were often inaccurate. Lu Yao called for a guide and took a pen to add the relevant topography to the map.

Qixian's terrain was higher in the southeast and lower in the northwest, with mountains, hills, plains, lakes, and rivers, making it complex and varied. The Qishan he was currently in was one of the many peaks in the southern part of Qixian. The two Jin army units were stationed at Qishan and Jiefang Mountain, overlooking the official road to the north and the three other north-south paths, making it almost impossible for birds to cross.

The official road running north-south through Qixian passed between the two mountains, leading to the county town. The residents of the county town had long been relocated to Jinyang, leaving only an empty city. Beyond the official road to the northwest was the important pass of Tuanbo Valley. North of Tuanbo Valley was a vast plain leading directly to Jinyang without any obstacles.

Not far from the foot of Qishan was the Longzhou River, also known as Houjia River. The originally east-west river was blocked by Qishan, making a turn to the north and eventually rushing out of the mountains, merging with the Fen River in the marshy area about twenty miles north of Qishan.

Lu Yao frowned deeply. Qixian was the territory of the Xiongnu's right wing, so they were very familiar with the geography. However, Lu Yao, who had served in Bingzhou for many years and had local guides, was no less familiar with Qixian's terrain than the Xiongnu. The problem was that Qishan and Jiefang Mountain, where the Jin army was stationed, were indeed strategic points, and he could not imagine where the Xiongnu's main force had moved to.

He sighed imperceptibly and continued to add details to the map.

Lutai Mountain was south of Qishan, about fifteen miles from Jingling to the south and about forty miles from Qishan to the north. If one took a small path, it would be even farther. This mountain was steep and rugged, serving as the watershed between Qixian and Wuxiang. In the mountain was a valley called Hucheng Valley, where many streams converged into a river called Hugu River. The Hugu River flowed east for dozens of miles, merging with the Dongwo River in an unnamed lake at the easternmost part of Qixian, then turned northwest, winding its way and eventually merging with the Fen River south of Tuanbo Valley.

Drawing this, Lu Yao was suddenly startled.

Hugu River!

The Hugu River had a small volume of water, a winding course, and a significant drop, making it impossible to navigate by boat. Therefore, Lu Yao had not paid much attention to it initially. However, if the Xiongnu soldiers were bold and brave enough, they could build rafts and float downstream! Although this river made a large detour to the east, it had several advantages: first, there was a lake at the confluence with the Dongwo River for rest; second, the water volume downstream gradually increased, sufficient to carry large boats; third, the complex terrain along the way could help them avoid the surveillance of the Jin army at Lutai Mountain and Qishan, allowing them to reach the final strategic point of Jinyang, Tuanbo Valley, directly!

Yes, it must be so! The Xiongnu's commander, Shi Le, was a former horse bandit from Hebei. This kind of risky strategy to win was precisely the style of a bandit who dared to take great risks and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Indeed, he was a ruthless and desperate man!

Lu Yao threw down his pen and strode out of the tent, shouting, "Pass the order down, all troops prepare their equipment and break camp in half an hour!"

As the messenger was about to leave, Lu Yao suddenly shouted, "Wait!"

What if Shi Le did not take the Hugu River route? What if the enemy just used the fog to descend the mountain and hide in a secluded place? If our army panicked and left, wouldn't it give the Xiongnu an opportunity? Lu Yao could easily imagine that if the Jin army left the Qishan camp and was ambushed by the Xiongnu, it would be a disastrous defeat! Shi Le, the Xiongnu commander, was very likely to do this because hiding and waiting for the right moment to strike was also a bandit's specialty.

Or what if the Xiongnu did not take any action at all? By abandoning the important strategic point of Qishan based on a mere guess, he would be directly threatening Tuanbo Valley. Such a significant command error would bear heavy responsibility.

Lu Yao furrowed his brows and paced back and forth in front of the tent, deep in thought. He was so engrossed that he did not notice the sweat drenching his clothes.

"General! General!"

Lu Yao looked up to see Shen Jin and He Yun dismounting and running over quickly.

"Report, General, we failed to locate the main force of the Xiongnu," Shen Jin said, ashamed.

Lu Yao interrupted Shen Jin, urgently asking, "Did you notice anything unusual near the Hugu River when you searched the terrain around Lutai Mountain?"

"Uh..." Shen Jin was momentarily speechless. He exchanged a glance with He Yun and hesitated, "There was nothing special. The south bank of the Hugu River is Lutai Mountain, and the Xiongnu had cut down all the trees along the river, making the view very open. We did not dare to get too close."

"All the trees?" Lu Yao suddenly shouted, startling Shen Jin. He then asked seriously, "Think carefully, did they cut down the trees to build rafts?"

Shen Jin's eyes lit up, exclaiming, "Very likely!"

He Yun added, "We saw many scattered pieces of wood stranded on the shore downstream of the Hugu River... They could very well be the leftover materials from building rafts!"

Lu Yao clapped his hands and shouted, "That's it!"

He was extremely excited and shouted, "Pass my order, immediately prepare weapons and armor, abandon all other supplies. The entire army will retreat to the Longzhou River via the back mountain, then board the boats and head to Tuanbo Valley!"

"Board the boats?" Xue Tong, who had rushed over, was surprised. "Daoming, are you mistaken? To get to Tuanbo Valley, we need to take the land route! The Longzhou River does not lead to Tuanbo Valley!"

Lu Yao grabbed Xue Tong and pulled him to the table in the tent, "Old Xue, look here!"

Having determined the Xiongnu's direction, Lu Yao had already thought of a response. The Xiongnu's surprise attack via the Hugu River was indeed covert, but it was not fast. The Hugu River was winding, first making a large detour to the east, then turning north, covering a distance of over a hundred miles. Even if the Xiongnu had set out at dawn, they would only be halfway by now.

If the Jin army set out now and took the land route, it would be a sixty-mile journey to Tuanbo Valley, with rugged mountain roads. Even with forced marches, it would take three hours. Time-wise, it was barely enough, but there was a high risk of encountering the Xiongnu in the open fields south of Tuanbo Valley. Given the Xiongnu's numerical and combat superiority, Lu Yao did not want to engage them in open battle.

"Therefore, we will take this route!" Lu Yao pointed heavily on the map. He had already confirmed with the guide that after the Longzhou River made a turn at Qishan, it flowed almost straight north for about twenty miles before merging with Zhaoyu.

Zhaoyu was a famous marsh since ancient times, known as Wuzhe in the area near Wuxian and Qisou in Qixian, surrounded by numerous lakes and marshes, making the terrain extremely complex. The east side of the Longzhou River's mouth was a large expanse of shallow mudflats, and on the other side of the mudflats was the Xianggu River, which originated from Xianggu Valley.

The Xianggu River almost merged with the marshes of Zhaoyu, then continued north, passing through the northern entrance of Tuanbo Valley, and finally merged with the Fen River in Yangyi County.

This route to Tuanbo Valley was at most fifty miles. Moreover, the Longzhou River and the Xianggu River were both wide rivers, suitable for boating. The Jin army had already gathered all the boats upstream and downstream to prevent the Xiongnu from crossing the Longzhou River. The number of boats was sufficient to carry Lu Yao's troops. Although it would require manual labor to move the boats from the Longzhou River to the Xianggu River, with hundreds of soldiers working together, it was not a difficult task. A rough estimate of the journey suggested that they could reach north of Tuanbo Valley in just two hours, just ahead of the Xiongnu.

Warfare is like a game of chess; the key is to seize the initiative, and the same applies to military strategy. Lu Yao said confidently, "The Xiongnu are taking the water route, and so will we! This is called using their own methods against them!"

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