Zhang He, in a fit of anger, burst into laughter and dismounted to squat beside the bodyguard who had followed him for nearly five years, using his rough large hands to close the guard's eyes.
After standing up, Zhang He's demeanor gradually solidified, and even became somewhat fierce: "Hurry to attack the fortress! Don't waste another moment! In another fifteen minutes, I will see if you can take this fortress!"
"Following the commander's order!"
A moment later, a sharp and urgent trumpet sound came from behind, urging the Wei infantry to continue their assault on the camp.
These new recruits from Guanghan under Deng Ji had never faced such a situation before, and were completely different from the situation they had heard from their officers during their stay in Shu. Their fighting spirit had already reached a point near collapse. Faced with Wei's sudden strengthened attack, many soldiers turned to run away at the sight of it.
As soon as one ran, there were two more, followed by more.
Before the quarter hour was up, among the many soldiers who were trying to flee eastward or westward, the Shu army in the camp was either already dead or wounded, or kneeling or sitting on the ground requesting surrender.
The Shu soldiers who wanted to flee were not so lucky. Under the pressure of Wei's mounted troops, the nearly one thousand soldiers who had run out were surrounded by the cavalry and were in a difficult situation with no way to advance or retreat.
Chen Ping, beside him, asked: "Commander, now that we have captured the Shu camp, what should we do with these people?"
Zhang He glanced at Chen Ping and said indifferently, "First, have them discard their weapons, and then massacre them all. After burning the camp, return to camp immediately."
"By the way, find that Shu general named Deng Ji and bring him here. I have something to say to him."
"Massacre?" Chen Ping looked at Zhang He with disbelief. "Commander, executing captives is inauspicious. How can we just kill them all?"
Zhang He coldly snorted: "What do you mean by 'killing captives is unlucky'? Have you not seen my personal guard, Lv Yi, went personally to the Shu camp to persuade them to surrender, but was shot dead by Shu dogs?"
"The Shu soldiers who are kneeling in the camp and outside are not voluntarily surrendering captives; they are just terrified to the point of not wanting to fight anymore. Our troops have traveled a long way and have been short on supplies. The forage collected over the past two days is also not much. If we don't kill them, will we carry them to the city and waste our supplies?"
"But..." Chen Ping still wanted to persuade him further.
"Don't waste any more words, do it quickly!" Zhang He shouted angrily. "I don't believe that the Shu army didn't ask for help last night. If we don't kill them now, they will kill you tomorrow!"
Chen Ping's expression darkened, and he immediately took the order and did it.
Within the camp, the Shu soldiers who were kneeling and sitting on the ground were cleanly and efficiently slaughtered by the old soldiers who broke into the camp within two hours. The Shu soldiers on the open ground outside were killed in a similar manner.
Zhang He sat on his horse, watching the scene before him with a calm demeanor. His eyes were filled with a cold intent. Not long later, Deng Ji was brought to Zhang He by Wei soldiers.
Deng Ji was injured in many places. The refined scholar he used to be looked like a demon with his hair disheveled, screaming and staring straight at Zhang He with bloodshot eyes that seemed to spew blood.
No matter who it is, seeing their subordinates slaughtered so senselessly, their hearts at this moment are filled only with overwhelming hatred, and it is impossible for them to have any other thoughts.
A mouthful of blood spat onto Zhang He's horse in front of him, Deng Ji shouted angrily, "What kind of general are you? You're nothing but a mass murderer! You deserve to die a bad death!"
Zhang He squinted at Deng Ji, his expression showing a touch of surprise: "How could you ask such a question? Your reinforcements are about to arrive. How can I handle this situation if I don't kill your entire army?"
"Only allowed to you cross the Great Wei's borders and occupy our cities, but not for us to kill you? Have you never fought in a war?"
Deng Ji continued to shout, but was quickly silenced by his personal guard who quickly stuffed a handful of sand, dirt, and stones into his mouth. He could only wail continuously for a while.
Zhang He snorted lightly: "Deng Ji, Deng Bo Miao, right? I want to ask you, how many Shu troops do you have behind you? How is Zhuge Liang planning to invade our Wei?"
Seeing Deng Ji struggling to speak while being held down by his guards, Zhang He asked, "If you wish to talk, just nod your head. If you don't wish to talk, then shake your head."
Deng Ji stared for a moment, then shook his head violently and struggled to get up.
Zhang He sighed lightly and told his personal guards, "Decapitate him! Take the head to the end of the mountain pass and wait for the Shu troops to pick it up. Those who dare to invade our Wei territory will meet this fate."
Having said that, Zhang He turned his horse and rode towards the direction of Lueyang City.
As soon as the Wei troops had burned the Shu camp and taken away the few provisions they had, they just entered Lueyang City when the sentry on the city wall sounded an alarm.
Chen Ping hurried into the county government building and bowed to Zhang He, saying, "Commander, more Shu troops have arrived at the end of the mountain pass!"
Zhang He heard this and leaned against the bed, saying, "Did you hear anything about Chencang?"
Chen Ping shook his head: "Commander, no message has been received. The messenger we sent to Chencang when we returned to Lueyang two days ago is estimated to arrive in Chencang in another two days."
"Um." Zhang He lay on the bed without moving and then asked, "Has the small river that runs around the west and north of Lueyang City frozen over?"
Chen Ping nodded: "Commander, I asked about the surrounding geography yesterday and found that this river has not completely frozen over." "I understand," Zhang He said indifferently: "If the Shu army wants to camp by the side of this river, let me know. If there are no other things, I will take a nap first."
Chen Ping knew that his commander was getting older and his energy was not what it used to be. After bowing and showing respect, he withdrew and left.
Not to mention that Zhang He was sleeping soundly in the city, the Shu army that had passed through the end of the mountain pass saw the campsite on the west side still smoldering, as well as the head placed flatly in the middle of the road, and reported this matter to their rear troops at once.
"Commander, Commander, our vanguard encountered an enemy battle, the camp was burned!"
Zhao Yun learned that Deng Ji had asked for help at midnight, so he decided to lead 5,000 troops to aid him. When the soldiers, who had been walking all night, were tired and hungry, Zhao Yun ordered them to rest on the ground for half an hour and have some dry food and drink.
Upon hearing that a camp south of Lueyang City had been burned, Zhao Yun was merely surprised and, in his mind, thought about where Deng Ji's troops might have fled to.
After seeing the head presented by his personal guard, Zhao Yun felt dizzy and lightheaded, and for a moment, he was about to fall off his horse.
After all, even the most formidable warriors at their peak are not immune to the passage of time.
The personal guards, quick and alert, quickly came forward to support their aging general. Several guards helped Zhao Yun down from his horse and laid him down to rest. After a while, he gradually regained consciousness.
As soon as he woke up, Zhao Yun's eyebrows were filled with anger, and the several guards who were kneeling by his side were frightened.
Seeing Deng Ji's severed head, it was evident that he had been killed no more than an hour ago!
Zhao Yun had spent his entire life in military service. In this northern campaign, Chancellor Zhuge Liang had entrusted him with half of the Eastern Army, totaling 15,000 troops, which could not be considered a light responsibility.
And only an hour ago, Deng Ji was killed by Wei troops?
Zhao Yun pushed away the guards who were trying to support him and stood up from the ground on his own, his expression determined as he said, "Since Bo Miao has died, it is likely that the 4,000 soldiers serving as our vanguard will have little chance of survival."
"Send for Ma Jiang and for the Chancellor to receive the message. Tell them that the enemy commander Zhang He has arrived in Lueyang, and that our vanguard of 4,000 soldiers under Deng Ji has been entirely defeated. We will encircle and attack first, please have the Chancellor prepare accordingly!"
"General Zhao has been killed by Wei troops, and I must avenge this! As soon as he finished speaking, Zhao Yun mounted his horse and said resolutely, "Send out the order. Set up camp three li to the east of Lueyang City and confront the Wei troops. Once our main army arrives, we will continue northward and block the Longshan Pass!"
"Understood!" The messengers, having received their orders, mounted their horses and rode off in all directions.
Zhao Yun gently picked up Deng Ji's severed head and held it in his hands. He carefully wiped away the dust on the head.
Zhao Yun turned to ask, "Is there any silk in the army?"
The aide replied, "Reporting to General Zhao, there are indeed several dozen pieces of fine Shu brocade."
"Take three!" Zhao Yun sighed. "I don't know if we can find Bo Miao's body, so I can only use the brocade to temporarily rest his head."
A few moments later, Zhao Yun carefully wrapped Deng Ji's head in several layers before handing it over to the aide beside him. He then rode forward to catch up with the vanguard.
After more than ten days since the Shu army had encircled Qishan Fort, outside Lueyang City, the Wei army and the Shu army began their first large-scale battle.
The result was also tragic. Zhang He led 5,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry to wipe out the 4,000 Shu vanguard troops led by Deng Ji south of Lueyang City. Moreover, he sent Deng Ji's official credentials, seal, and military flags to pass through the Longshan Pass to the east.
After the victory at Lueyang, the mood among the Shu army was extremely grave, from Zhao Yun to Ma Su and Wang Ping.
The problems exposed in this battle with the Shu army were also very prominent.
At this point, the Shu Han had about 130,000 troops in its central army, garrisons in various locations, and defensive zones under various commanders. Zhuge Liang's northern campaign drew 80,000 troops this time, which was already a significant drain on the country's military resources.
In other words, with the exception of leaving 20,000 battle-ready troops in Jiangzhou under the command of Li Yan, all the remaining battle-ready troops had been called north by Zhuge Liang.
But the Shu Han army was indeed rushed together. Liu Bei had lost a significant number of troops and almost depleted the veteran soldiers and junior officers accumulated over decades at the Battle of Yiling. Even Zhuge Kongming, strong as he was, had to recruit soldiers from various districts of Shu Han in the absence of junior officers.
For example, Zhao Yun's 15,000 troops were mainly composed of the central army and the imperial guards, supplemented by county troops recruited from the Bashu Commandery. Deng Ji's troops were entirely made up of county troops from the Guanghan Commandery.
Although the army had been in existence for several years and was not considered rushed, under Zhuge Liang's training, it was still considered an elite army. However, these new soldiers and commanders who had never been on the battlefield were no match for Zhang He, a veteran who had fought in many battles and the best troops of the Wei army from the western region.
This battle at Lueyang served as a reminder to both sides and also dug a huge pit for them.
If the Great Wei believes that the Shu Han army is as weak as Deng Ji's troops, they will surely encounter great trouble. If the Shu Han thinks that the Wei army is as strong as Zhang He's loyal troops, then they will only overestimate the enemy and shrink back in fear.
The dangers of war are thus in its ferocity, and the charm of war lies in this very ferocity. (This chapter ends.)
