RPAGF Chapter 63 Gathering Troops Westward
Chapter 63 Gathering Troops Westward
The blizzard in the northern border region lasted for two days, and only today did it ease up a little, leaving only a chaotic white expanse between heaven and earth.
The wind whipped up snowflakes, making it impossible to open one's eyes. The snow underfoot was above knee-deep, and every step required all one's strength.
Liu Bei's 6,000-strong army was completely torn apart in this sudden chaos, with each unit losing contact and scattered across the grasslands for hundreds of miles.
Liu Bei, along with Tian Yu, Xu Rong, and over six hundred personal guards, was trapped at the foot of a sheltered earthen slope.
The campfire flickered in the wind and snow. The soldiers wrapped themselves tightly in their tattered fur coats and huddled together for warmth. Their warhorses were led to the inside of the earthen slope and covered with felt.
Of the three scouts Xu Rong sent out, only one barely returned; the other two teams disappeared into the vast snowstorm.
"My lord, news has come from the south that Xia Yu's men have gone on a killing spree."
The scout's lips were purple from the cold, and his voice trembled. "They chased after Mija's defeated soldiers, hacking and slashing them all the way. They killed anyone wearing fur robes and speaking a foreign language. They couldn't tell whether they were Xianbei soldiers or our own followers."
"Several of our scattered followers have been mistaken for Xianbei and beheaded, their heads taken to claim credit."
Tian Yu's face darkened: "Just as our lord predicted, Xia Yu is greedy for merit and reckless, and his soldiers are even more undisciplined."
"Given our relationship with him, if we were to head south and surrender to him, let alone seek help, he might even use our own people as a victory to be executed."
Liu Bei gazed at the snow-covered landscape to the south, his eyes deep and thoughtful.
With a sigh, I realized that man proposes, God disposes!
Everything was planned perfectly, so how did it end up like this?
Could it be that he is really not good at commanding tens of thousands of troops?
No, that's absolutely impossible!
This is not a fault of the war effort, but a cruel twist of fate!
Liu Bei quickly shook his head, shaking off the self-doubt in his mind and returning to the reality before him.
He had anticipated Xia Yu's reaction. This Protector of the Wuhuan only cared about military achievements and didn't care whether the Xianbei people who appeared were enemies or not.
Moreover, given his achievements in slaying Queji and unexpectedly breaking Miga, the other side certainly wouldn't let him off the hook.
If I were to offer myself up, he would only see me as a stumbling block to his claim of credit.
"Order the entire army to head west towards Yuyang County."
Liu Bei's voice was calm yet undeniable: "Leave markers along the way, and carve codes on tree trunks and boulders to tell the scattered tribes to regroup to the west."
"promise!"
At almost the same time, the generals scattered throughout the grasslands also made the same decision.
Cheng Pu, with over eight hundred remnants of the Central Army, was trapped in a river valley.
His soldiers were half Han and half Hu, and many Xianbei followers were in a state of panic after learning that Xia Yu had killed surrendered soldiers.
Some even secretly packed their bags, wanting to escape back to the grasslands.
Cheng Pu was not angry. He simply gathered all his followers, stood in the snow with his spear in hand, and said in a deep voice.
"I know you're scared, but if you go back now, you'll either freeze or starve to death on the way, or you'll be killed by the Xianbei cavalry."
"Follow me, head west, and find Liu Junhou. Only then will you have a chance to survive."
"You know in your hearts how Lord Liu has treated you."
No sooner had he finished speaking than he personally beheaded two Xianbei junior commanders who had incited the defection, and then ordered: "The entire army shall immediately break camp and march westward."
"Any soldiers under Xia Yu's command encountered along the way shall be killed without exception. Any coded marks shall be left behind by our own troops immediately, and we shall continue westward."
Cheng Pu was a strict disciplinarian, and his troops did not collapse even in dire straits.
They marched westward along the valley, constantly gathering scattered soldiers along the way. When they encountered Xia Yu's stragglers, they mercilessly defeated them, seized their provisions and weapons, and continued their advance.
Han Dang, leading six hundred wandering knights and Xianbei followers, encountered the most dangerous moment.
They encountered three hundred cavalrymen under Xia Yu's command at a narrow pass.
Seeing that they were dressed in mixed clothing and that there were many Xianbei people among them, the enemy drew their bows and arrows without saying a word and shot two of the followers to death on the spot.
Han Dang was enraged and drew his sword, roaring, "You son of a bitch, Xia Yu! You killed your own people!"
He charged forward first, and his henchmen and followers, their eyes red with rage, followed him into the fray.
In a short while, all three hundred Xia Yujun soldiers were annihilated.
Looking at the corpses on the ground, Han Dang spat and shouted sternly at his men, "See this clearly! Heading south, this is the end result!"
"From this moment forward, anyone who dares to mention heading south will be executed!"
"The entire army marches west to find our lord!"
They traveled westward, gathering many scattered members of their own forces along the way and rescuing several groups of remnants being pursued by Xia Yujun. Their force gradually grew to over a thousand men.
Yan Gang's department is the most complete among all departments.
His soldiers were highly disciplined. When a blizzard struck, he immediately ordered the entire army to regroup, and in the end, less than a hundred men were lost.
He led more than two thousand cavalrymen westward along the edge of the grassland, clearing away the scattered Xianbei cavalry along the way.
Upon reaching a high point, they would carve coded marks on the tree trunks.
These were all suggestions made by Tian Yu earlier, just in case, and we never expected they would actually come in handy today.
On the way, he encountered Zou Dan, who was leading three hundred remaining soldiers.
The two joined forces, and Zou Dan said with lingering fear, "Fortunately, we didn't go south. We just saw Xia Yu's camp in the distance. They killed all the captured Xianbei old and weak, and their heads were piled up like mountains. It was simply inhumane."
Yan Gang said coldly, "Let's just head west and find our lord first."
Only Gongsun Zan, with his four hundred White Horse warriors, initially insisted on heading south.
He was already dissatisfied with Liu Bei and didn't want to owe Liu Bei any favors, so he thought he would lead his men back to Liaoxi on his own.
But after traveling less than twenty miles, he encountered Xia Yu's thousand-strong force, and he intended to negotiate with them.
Unexpectedly, the enemy noticed that some of them wore Xianbei clothing and immediately fired arrows without saying a word.
Seeing that he was outnumbered, the other party immediately surrounded him.
Although Gongsun Zan was brave and fierce, he was outnumbered and had to fight his way out, finally managing to break through the encirclement.
Seeing over a hundred of his soldiers killed or wounded, Gongsun Zan gritted his teeth, but had to admit that heading south meant certain death.
He spat angrily on the ground, turned his horse around, and said in a deep voice to his men, "Go, west!"
More than ten days passed in the blink of an eye. The wind and snow gradually subsided, and a sliver of light finally appeared in the sky.
Liu Bei led his troops westward, and as he saw the marks left by various tribes along the way, his anxiety gradually subsided.
He knew that his brothers were still alive and were all converging in the same direction.
That afternoon, when Liu Bei's army arrived at a place called Black Stone Mountain, they saw a group of people with the name "Cheng" setting up camp at the foot of the mountain.
"It's Inspector Cheng!" Tian Yu exclaimed in surprise.
Cheng Pu also saw Liu Bei's banner and immediately led his men to greet him.
The two looked into each other's eyes and saw the relief of surviving a disaster.
Cheng Pu knelt on one knee, his voice hoarse: "My lord, this humble general is incompetent and has frightened you!"
Liu Bei quickly helped him up and patted him on the shoulder: "Demou, you flatter me. It's good that you're safe and sound."
No sooner had he finished speaking than the sound of horses' hooves came from afar.
Han Dang led his troops galloping over. Upon seeing Liu Bei, he dismounted, strode forward, and grinned, "My lord! I've finally found you!"
"I knew you'd be alright!"
A few days later, Yan Gang arrived with Zou Dan.
The main force of two thousand cavalrymen stood in neat formation, their armor gleaming, making them particularly conspicuous in the snow.
Yan Gang and the others bowed in unison, saying, "This humble general greets our lord!"
Gongsun Zan was the last to arrive.
He reined in his white horse, looking at the various troops gathered below the mountain, his face showing some unease.
He dismounted and bowed slightly to Liu Bei, saying, "Lord Liu."
Liu Bei smiled and nodded, without saying anything more.
He knew Gongsun Zan's temperament; it was already quite an achievement that he had come to join them.
Everyone gathered at Blackstone Mountain and immediately took a headcount.
Excluding those who died in battle or were lost, the army still had more than 5,200 men left. The main force was basically intact, but food and weapons were almost exhausted, and they had to rely on killing horses to survive.
Fortunately, conditions were better in the past, and most people rode two horses. Even now, there is still a shortage of horses for riding.
The only one absent was Tadun and his Wuhuan cavalry.