noffsinger Chapter 10 Yuan Shao betrays Yuan Shu! Will Sun Jian and Yuan Shu break off their relationship?
Chapter 10 Yuan Shao betrays Yuan Shu! Will Sun Jian and Yuan Shu break off their relationship?
Thirty li outside Sishui Pass
Sun Jian led 30,000 Jiangdong troops and set up camp on a high slope.
Near the high slope, there were also many bushes for cover, in addition to the antler fences set up by the Jiangdong army at the foot of the slope.
In terms of geographical advantage, Sun Jian made the most of it.
Let alone Hua Xiong's 20,000 Xiliang cavalry, even with a larger army, it would be extremely difficult to form an effective charge.
In other words, the role of cavalry has been greatly diminished.
If Hua Xiong wanted to defeat Sun Jian, he could only hope that his infantry could break through the defensive line that Sun Jian had built.
Some might argue that cavalry charging uphill would certainly be effective.
Yes, there are, but the effect is greatly reduced.
The antler fence was an effective weapon to hinder cavalry charges.
Moreover, the cavalry during the late Han Dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period were not strictly speaking heavy cavalry.
The strength of the warhorses and the weight of the armor during this period were far inferior to the Xuanjia cavalry and Tiefu cavalry of later dynasties.
therefore.
Sun Jian's formation was not problematic.
"My lord, according to our scouts, Hua Xiong has led 20,000 Xiliang cavalry out of Sishui Pass and is charging towards our army!"
Zu Mao's voice rang out from the side.
Sun Jian nodded, his eyes full of confidence.
Without infantry, relying solely on 20,000 Xiliang cavalry, Hua Xiong could not possibly defeat Sun Jian!
“Da Rong (Zu Mao’s courtesy name was Da Rong), pass down the order that the brothers should eat immediately.”
"At most another hour will pass before we strike Hua Xiong hard!"
"Yes!"
Zu Mao accepted the order and left.
Sun Jian had four generals under his command: Cheng Pu, Huang Gai, Han Dang, and Zu Mao.
Among them, Zu Mao may not have been the most capable, but he was Sun Jian's fellow townsman and childhood friend, and was the one whom Sun Jian trusted the most.
Zu Mao quickly relayed Sun Jian's orders.
Jiang Dongjun enjoyed a delicious and hearty meal.
The meticulous Huang Gai frowned, approached Sun Jian, and reported:
"My lord, our army's food supplies are running low, with only three days' worth left."
Sun Jian waved his hand:
"If we defeat Hua Xiong tonight, the prestige of our Jiangdong army will once again resound throughout the world!"
"Moreover, Yuan Shu will be sending a batch of grain to our camp in two days."
"There is no need to worry about the food supplies."
"Yes……"
Feeling uneasy, Huang Gai took his leave from Sun Jian.
Sun's army is very strong, that's for sure.
However, without engaging in production and lacking sufficient arable land for logistical support, Huang Gai always felt that problems were bound to arise sooner or later.
……
Sun Jian's judgment was correct.
Hua Xiong led 20,000 Xiliang cavalry, expending tremendous effort, but still failed to break through the defenses erected by the Jiangdong army.
After leaving behind the corpses of thousands of Xiliang cavalrymen, Hua Xiong was furious!
The cost of creating a cavalryman is normally five to ten times that of an infantryman.
Even for the wealthy and powerful Xiliang army, the loss of over a thousand cavalrymen in one fell swoop was a painful blow.
Moreover, Sun Jian was not using cavalry to fight against cavalry.
Instead, he defeated Hua Xiong's Xiliang Iron Cavalry with only a small number of infantry!
This is even more terrifying to think about!
For Hua Xiong, who had fought on the battlefield for many years, the infantry's victory over the cavalry was nothing short of a disgrace!
"General, I have heard that Sun Jian's troops are running low on supplies."
"If Sun Jian runs out of supplies, we will surely defeat him and avenge that arrow wound!"
A lieutenant beside Hua Xiong offered his opinion.
Upon hearing this, Hua Xiong's face flashed with annoyance, and he stomped his foot.
"Sun Jian has no provisions, does that mean those bandits from Guandong also can't produce any provisions?"
"If they support Sun Jian, won't Sun Jian still have food to eat?"
It's no wonder Hua Xiong was angry. Logically speaking, as the vanguard of the warlords of Guandong, Sun Jian would not be easily defeated by them, nor would they cause him any trouble behind his back.
However, Hua Xiong was unaware that the conflict between the two Yuan brothers had long since reached an irreconcilable point.
More than eliminating Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao desired to become the sole legitimate heir of the Yuan family, the most powerful clan in the land!
In other words, Dong Zhuo could be dealt with at any time.
But Yuan Shu's power must be weakened!
As Sun Jian was Yuan Shu's ace fighter, preventing Sun Jian from becoming estranged from Yuan Shu was not a good thing for Yuan Shao.
"Never mind, let's go back to Sishui Pass and regroup."
"One day, this general will surely take Sun Jian's head!"
Hua Xiong led his army back to Sishui Pass, cursing and swearing.
Sun Jianjun was also immersed in joy.
Little did they know, a conspiracy was brewing against them!
……
Allied Forces Camp
In Yuan Shao's main tent
Upon receiving news that Sun Jian had defeated Hua Xiong and beheaded over a thousand cavalrymen, Yuan Shao rubbed his palm meaningfully.
Xu You, standing to the side, cupped his hands and smiled:
"My lord, Sun Jian has won a minor victory, but the army is running out of supplies."
"The supplies from Yuan Gonglu's side are expected to be sent to the front line tonight and delivered to Sun Jian."
"Hehehehe..."
"The highway is just too hasty."
Yuan Shao suddenly stood up and instructed the captain of his personal guards:
"Summon Yan Liang and Wen Chou."
The captain of the personal guard received the order and left.
Soon, Yan Liang and Wen Chou, known as the "Two Heroes of Hebei," arrived at Yuan Shao's command tent.
Don't assume that Yan Liang and Wen Chou were incompetent just because Guan Yu killed them with a single blow.
In fact, during the entire late Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period, the two generals' martial prowess would definitely rank among the top 30 or even the top 20!
Even Wei Xu and Song Xian, two of Lü Bu's eight generals, and Xu Huang under Cao Cao, were no match for Yan Liang and Wen Chou.
"Lord!"
The two generals clasped their fists in greeting to Yuan Shao.
"Yan Liang and Wen Chou, heed my command!"
"I hereby order you two generals to don the uniforms of the Xiliang Army and attack the grain transport convoy sent by Yuan Shu to the front lines!"
"Yes!"
Yan Liang and Wen Chou turned and left.
The two generals were determined to carry out Yuan Shao's orders to the death.
As for why Yuan Shao's side had the uniforms of the Xiliang army, that goes back to the old story between Yuan Wei and Dong Zhuo.
At that time, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu's uncle, Yuan Kui, as the head of the Yuan family, invested in Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan, hoping that the two could become the leading warlords on the frontier.
As it turns out, Yuan Wei's judgment was excellent.
After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, the two most powerful frontier warlords in the world were Dong Zhuo's Liangzhou army and Ding Yuan's Bingzhou army.
But Dong Zhuo and Ding Yuan had finally become powerful regional officials, so how could they obediently serve as puppets of the Yuan family?
On the eve of entering the capital, Dong Zhuo used Lü Bu to kill Ding Yuan and annex the Bingzhou army.
With the addition of the Luoyang Imperial Guards and the Western Garden Army, Yuan Wei suddenly realized that Dong Zhuo was no longer someone he could easily order around.
Then, Dong Zhuo broke with the Yuan family, Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu left Luoyang, and Yuan Wei and other members of the Yuan family were killed by Dong Zhuo.
Many of the uniforms worn by Dong Zhuo's Liangzhou army were originally funded by the Yuan family.
Yuan Shao was cautious and kept some of the clothes.
This proved useful in the matter of Yuan Shu transporting grain to Sun Jian.
……