After bidding farewell to Chen Ping, Zhang Yihetie led the way with five hundred horsemen, heading towards the intersection known as Duanshankou, and set up an ambush east of Duanshankou.
Although there is an old saying that in Guanxi there are generals, and in Guandong there are prime ministers, it is not only generals but also valiant soldiers that come from Guanxi.
The so-called resolute old Qin refers to the fact that the places where Zhang Liao is stationed, such as Qianxi County and Chencang, as well as the Tianshui County in the western border area, are all standard Qin territory. Almost all of the 2,000 horsemen under Zhang He's command were recruited in the past ten years in Fufeng and Tianshui counties.
For many cavalrymen in Zhang He's cavalry unit, the northern invasion of Liang by the Shu army was actually an attack on their hometown. The home country sentiment mixed with the desire to establish achievements made Zhang He's cavalry unit, consisting of less than 2,000 people, full of fighting spirit and willing to put up a good fight.
No need to mention Wei, Shu, or Han. Zhang He doesn't even need to make a special pre-battle speech; just the idea of defending one's hometown is enough.
And let's not mention that Zhang He calmly led his army to intercept the eastern pass of Duanshan Pass, while the four thousand vanguards of the Shu Han, led by General Yang Wujiang Deng Zhi, were gradually heading north and getting closer to the street pine intersection.
Deng Zhi was not a general by birth but followed the standard path of a civil servant. He first served as a county magistrate, then as a prefectural administrator, and finally entered the imperial court as a senior civil official. Through his diplomacy with Eastern Wu, he gradually gained the appreciation of Zhuge Liang.
It can be said that during this northern campaign, Zhuge Liang indeed employed many capable and warlike commanders, and was also cultivating a number of new leaders. However, Zhuge Liang did not fully realize that not all civil officials and strategists are like him, who is all-around proficient in everything.
Deng Zhi's unit had been in a hurry for two consecutive days, and they were actually quite exhausted.
In the past few days, when Zhang He led his cavalry from the Longshan Pass, we do not even need to mention the speed of the cavalry. The speed of the infantry was 70 li per day. This speed of 70 li per day is possible because it is within the territory of the country and with our own general leading them, there is no need to worry about risks such as road conditions and enemy information.
Deng Zhi's 4,000 infantry had to march 60 li a day, not only while facing the possibility of unexpected situations in enemy territory, but also with the responsibility of repairing the road behind the advancing main force. Not to mention that they also had to set up camp in accordance with the orders personally set by Zhuge Liang.
Compared to each other, the gap is still huge.
Deng Zhi was not known for his martial prowess, so he was placed in the middle of the formation, just like a regular general leading his army, moving slowly with the main body.
As the soldiers in front slowly passed through Duanshan Pass and reported the appearance of the mountainous plateau nearby to Deng Zhi, he felt a rare sense of relief, preparing to set up camp here today.
He felt relieved a bit too early.
General Zhang He, the left general, had sent scouts far into the mountains near Duanshan Pass to observe since noon. After the 4,000 infantry had walked about two thousand li, the scouts on the mountain waved a red flag, sending a clear signal to General Zhang He.
Zhang He saw the red flag raised, swinging left and right three times, and repeating this action three times, knowing that the battle opportunity had arrived. Without a moment of hesitation, he slowly lifted his right hand to make a gesture for advancement, and the cavalry in line behind him mounted up and silently followed Zhang He's horse forward to accelerate.
Strategy in combat is all about catching the enemy off guard and striking when they are not prepared. Zhang He had taken both of these aspects. As for Deng Zhi himself, he was still in a position between the two mountains at Duanshan Pass.
For this exhausted Shu army, the level of danger they were now facing was almost equivalent to being attacked when the enemy had half of their troops across a river!
Although there were only five hundred riders, the sound of the rapidly accelerating hooves of Zhang He's cavalry echoed through the mountains, causing Deng Zhi to panic for a moment and not being able to discern the number of enemy cavalry. The situation arose suddenly, and Deng Zhi could only shout orders to the signal officer at his side.
\"Send the command down, telling the front of Cui Ming and Zhang Ze to stop quickly and use bows and arrows to repel the Wei cavalry! There must not be many Wei troops here, and Marshal Ma, General Zhao, and General Wang are all behind us. They will definitely come to our aid in time!\" At this moment, Deng Zhi was half-giving orders and half-cheering himself up.
But Deng Zhi overestimated his infantry under him.
In the twenty-plus years of accumulation, the elite troops of Shu Han had been almost wiped out by Lu Sun, also known as Lu Bowen, in the Battle of Yeling. Although Zhuge Liang did train some elite troops during his southern expedition, these troops who participated in the southern expedition were less than 20,000 and almost all were under the command of Wu Yi in the central army.
The 4,000 soldiers under Deng Zhi's command came from the Guanghan Commandery, where he had once served as the prefect. These soldiers from Shu territory had undergone careful training by Zhuge Liang, but this was their first time participating in such a major battle, and they were facing the elite cavalry led by Zhang He, who had been with him for more than a decade.
Before the signal officer had even notified them, the 2,000 Shu soldiers who had emerged from Duanshan Pass were faced with the charging 500 Wei cavalry, and in a moment, they were in disarray, and their formation was almost immediately unstable.
\"Don't panic! Lift your spears, just like the training before. The front row will insert their spears into the ground, and the cavalry won't dare to come over!\" Commandant Cui Ming shouted loudly, trying to bring some sense back to the panicking soldiers under his command.
However, it took some time for these new recruits to switch from a state of travel to one of battle readiness.
Zhang He personally led the spearhead, wearing heavy armor and riding a very powerful brown horse, leading 500 cavalry from east to west. They passed through the gap between the front 2,000 Shu soldiers and the rear troops, piercing through like a quick knife and taking away the lives of over 100 Shu infantry. There were not many Wei cavalry, and Deng Zhi could see them clearly from his position at the intersection. The principle of attacking cavalry with infantry is to use numbers to overwhelm smaller forces. Deng Zhi immediately ordered the 2,000 Shu troops behind him to quickly advance, joining up with the Shu troops who had just emerged from the intersection.
To be honest, Deng Zhi's command was not wrong. To face the threat of cavalry by forming a united front is the most conventional method. But the problem is, can Deng Zhi really form a united front so abruptly in a unfamiliar place and have them join together seamlessly?
From the perspective of the front 2,000 Shu soldiers, Deng Zhi's rear unit was pushing themselves towards a wider plain. Out of instinct, the Shu army was retreating continuously to the foot of the mountain on the west side while changing formations.
Zhang He had already returned to the east side, facing the Shu infantry who had now realized what was happening and were gradually retreating towards the western side of the mountain. Zhang He led 500 cavalry for a second time at full speed.
However, the Shu army had already started shooting arrows for defense, and Zhang He also turned his cavalry behind him at a distance of an arrow's shot, circling around and then riding back.
However, it's no problem. Zhang He's original plan was to drive the Shu army westward towards the south mountain of the side. The Shu army's retreat and desire to form an ambush on the mountain are right in Zhang He's plan.
By the time Zhang He led his cavalry for the third time to intimidate the Shu army, Chen Ping led a thousand cavalry troops from the southern and eastern gates of Lueyang City to charge out together, forming a huge goose array formation to pressure the Shu troops. In their panic, several incidents of trampling occurred within the Shu army's formation.
In a 4,000-man formation, there are always some unfortunate souls at the edge. Zhang He and Chen Ping swept in from both sides, attacking the flanks of the Shu army's long line, and only after inflicting casualties of three or four hundred did they gradually withdraw their troops and retreat back to the city in two divisions.
As the sky grew dark, it was not suitable for cavalry to launch a night attack. Deng Zhi, who had killed 500 foot soldiers in two consecutive attacks, was now taking advantage of the night darkness to set up a camp on the mountain slope under the mountain. He was secretly licking his wounds.
But at this moment, Zhang He was expecting the arrival of 8,000 infantry troops in the northeast direction of the city.
Indeed, the 8,000 infantry Zhang He brought from Chencang finally arrived at the foot of Lueyang City on the seventh night after a hurried journey, adding fresh forces to the 2,000 cavalry who were holding out here alone.
With the 2,000 cavalry and 8,000 infantry who had followed him for many years on hand, even if Zhuge Liang's 20,000 troops advanced on Lueyang City, Zhang He was confident that he could hold the city.
So at midnight, Zhang He changed from his rather conservative style in the afternoon, sending cavalry to ride past Deng Zhi's camp every half-hour until dawn.
The sound of horse hooves in the night became especially loud, and coupled with the shouting and battle cries of the Wei cavalry, who were shouting in the local accent of Gansu, it kept the over 3,000 soldiers in Deng Zhi's camp awake all night.
However, Deng Zhi had already sent messengers back to search for Zhe Yuan and Wang Ping's troops. But his idea of seeking help was shattered by Zhang He's next assault.
As dawn began to break, the over 3,000 soldiers from Guanghan in Deng Zhi's camp could no longer hear the sound of horse hooves, and they were all exhausted and sleepy. Having traveled sixty miles the previous day, withstood an attack by the Wei cavalry, and then set up camp all night, these soldiers were so tired that their eyes could barely stay open.
Zhang He personally led the 5,000 rested infantry who had been resting for most of the night, quietly setting up their formation in front of the south gate of Lueyang City and walked towards the Shu army's camp which was a hundred yards away at the foot of the mountain.
The geographical layout here was as follows: a hundred meters south of Lueyang City is Duanshan Pass, and the surrounding plains were sandwiched between two mountain ranges from north to south.
By the time the sentry of Deng Zhi's army had shouting frantically "Enemy attack," Zhang He's 5,000 soldiers were almost upon the camp from the east, north, and west directions!
After sleeping all night and following Zhang He for more than a decade, the foot soldiers who were stationed here knew the enemy well. When they faced Deng Zhi's 3,000+ new recruits from Guanghan County, the result was obvious.
The sudden attack caused the entire Deng Zhi camp to waver instantly. Although many soldiers vigorously swung their round-handle knives in resistance, and archers also hurriedly threw arrows from the camp into the ranks of Wei troops.
But it was too late; the exhausted Shu army was overwhelmed by the spirited Wei troops within a quarter of an hour, and hand-to-hand combat broke out between the soldiers at the edge of the camp.
Zhang He had served in the army for decades, and at this moment, he felt that the temporary camp established by the Shu army was about to collapse, and it was so weak. For a moment, he even lost his enthusiasm.
\"Last night, a prisoner told us that this Shu army was led by General Deng Zhi of Yangwu General Commandery,\" Zhang He said to one of his bodyguards beside him: \"Go ask this General Deng Zhi if he is willing to surrender?\"
"Understood!" The guard, kneeling on one knee to receive the order, then took a few strides towards the camp where the battle was taking place.
The guard standing at the back of the line shouted loudly: "Those who surrender will not be killed!" At the same time, almost all the Wei soldiers around them shouted out in chorus: "Those who surrender will not be killed!" and repeated this phrase non-stop.
The guard continued to advance, taking a chance and just stepping inside the camp. However, he was suddenly ambushed by a squad of archers hidden within the camp, who showered him with arrows. When he was brought back, his body was covered in arrowheads and it was clear that there was no hope for him. (End of Chapter)
