Chương 298: Xu Da's Expedition

In the fifth year of the Zhongping era, in September in Youzhou, the sky was high and the clouds were light, and it was the season when the grass turned yellow and the horses were fat.

Outside Zhuoxian City, the wide official road that was originally used by merchants and travelers has been completely cleared, and every ten steps along the road stands a Youzhou armored soldier with his hand on his sword and holding a halberd.

More soldiers formed silent and imposing square formations on the vast open space between the drill ground and the city gate.

This is Xu Da's second army, which is about to launch a western expedition to Bingzhou.

The 50, 000-strong army remained silent.

Only the autumn wind rustling the banners and the occasional snort of a warhorse being gently soothed by its master could be heard.

Sunlight shone on the forest of horse spears and the gleaming armor, reflecting a chilling light that sent shivers down one's spine.

The infantry formation was as steady as a mountain, with the specially made longswords of the front-row Mo Dao soldiers pointing diagonally forward, the blades gleaming with a cold arc in the sunlight.

The cavalry formations resembled a surging torrent, with both men and horses clad in gleaming armor, revealing only their sharp, piercing eyes.

The air was thick with the scents of leather, steel, and a unique atmosphere of tension and excitement characteristic of the period before the great war.

Standing on the makeshift platform, Liu Ce looked down at the dark mass of troops below and felt quite proud.

He didn't speak, but slowly surveyed the steel jungle he had created below the stage.

These are the soldiers he personally trained; their spirit and morale are completely different from other armies.

Dian Wei and Xu Chu stood like two iron towers, flanking him from the left and right.

After a long silence, Liu Ce stepped forward, gathered his strength, and shouted:

"Brothers!"

With just three words, tens of thousands of eyes were immediately focused on him.

"Seeing you all reminds me of four years ago in Zhuojun, when we used eight hundred Xuanjia cavalry to charge into the Yellow Turban army's 100, 000 rabble!"

A low, proud chuckle and panting sound faintly rose from the audience.

Many veterans' eyes lit up, and they straightened their backs even more.

"Back then, we had nothing, but we had a fierce determination not to wait for death, and a promise I, Liu Bolue, made to my brothers: Follow me, and you'll have meat to eat, clothes to wear, and houses to live in. I'll make sure your parents, wives, and children never suffer from cold and hunger again, and never fear the barbarian swords again!"

His voice suddenly rose in pitch:

"Four years! Have I kept my promise?!"

"It's true!!!"

A roar like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami surged into the sky, shaking the city walls of Zhuoxian County in the distance.

Countless soldiers blushed with excitement and pounded their chest armor.

"Good!" Liu Ce waved his hand.

"Now, someone is preventing us from living in peace! The White Wave bandits in the south and the Xiongnu dogs in the north have teamed up to kill, burn, rob, and plunder grain and people in Bingzhou. They've even threatened Luoyang and His Majesty! Who is His Majesty? He is the Emperor of our Great Han, and also my elder brother, Liu Ce! What they're doing is a slap in the face to our Great Han, and even more so, a slap in the face to our Youzhou army!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping across the room: "Whose territory is Bingzhou? It's under the protection of Youzhou! The seal of military command over Bingzhou is in my hands! Now that someone's causing trouble there, what are we going to do?"

"Attack! Attack! Attack!" Fifty thousand people roared in unison, the sound so loud that the flags on the stage fluttered loudly.

"Yes! Attack!" Liu Ce waved his hand.

He paused, then said earnestly, "General Xu Da!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Xu Da, in his armor, strode forward with a resounding voice.

"I'm entrusting these 50, 000 fine young men to you! Go to Bingzhou and smash the White Wave bandits' jars and pots to pieces! Cut off the Xiongnu Chanyu's wolf-head banner and use it as a chamber pot! Let the whole world know, don't mess with Youzhou!"

"Your humble servant obeys! I swear I will not return until the enemy is defeated!" Xu Da shouted, kneeling on one knee to receive the order.

Liu Ce then looked down at the crowd and said, "Brothers! The people of Bingzhou are our compatriots too! You must carry swords in your hands and keep a scale in your hearts! Kill those who deserve to die, and don't touch those who deserve to be saved! After the war, we'll build bridges and roads, distribute land, and let the people of Bingzhou experience what life is like in Youzhou! Do you have confidence?"

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" The roars rose one after another, the murderous aura filling the wilderness and soaring to the heavens.

Liu Ce finally walked up to Xu Da and patted the composed general on the shoulder: "Tian De, how to fight this battle is up to you. I'll just give you one piece of advice: win the battle, but more importantly, use this opportunity to thoroughly understand the situation in Bingzhou. You need to know which officials are useful, which powerful clans need to be dealt with, and which places can be garrisoned...

Xu Da clasped his hands in a fist salute and said in a steady voice, "Rest assured, my lord, this humble general understands."

Liu Ce then looked at the entire army and raised his voice, saying, "On this expedition, there will be plenty of good wine and meat! Those who perform meritorious service will be richly rewarded! Those who are wounded will be treated by the best doctors! Those who die in battle will have their pensions doubled, I will raise their children to adulthood, and I will take care of their parents in their old age and see them off in their final days!"

"We are willing to die for our lord!" the entire army shouted again, their morale soaring.

Xu Da mounted his horse, drew his sword, and pointed southwest: "Let's go!"

The 50, 000-strong army, like a sophisticated machine, began to move in an orderly fashion, rolling westward.

Smoke and dust rose, obscuring half the sky, but the resounding and orderly footsteps still echoed in the ears of the people of Zhuoxian County long afterward.

Liu Ce stood on the high platform until the last group of troops disappeared from sight, then let out a soft sigh of relief and smiled at Fang Xuanling beside him, "Xuanling, now I understand why famous generals throughout history wanted to use elite troops as soon as they saw them. This feeling is fucking exhilarating!"

Fang Xuanling stroked his beard and smiled: "The army that my lord has trained is one of benevolence and righteousness, an army of kings. Naturally, its demeanor is different."

...

Xu Da's military strategy was always to plan carefully before acting, and when he did act, it was as swift as thunder.

The alliance between Guo Tai, the leader of the White Wave Army, and Yufuluo, the Chanyu of the Southern Xiongnu, appeared powerful, but in reality, each harbored their own ulterior motives.

The White Wave Army consisted mostly of refugees who could not survive and remnants of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Although it numbered in the tens of thousands, it lacked food and weapons and was poorly organized.

Although Yufuluo's Xiongnu cavalry were elite, they had been on a long-distance raid and lacked supplies. They were only after wealth and children and had no intention of fighting a protracted war.

Xu Da accurately grasped this weakness.

He ordered Qin Qiong to lead a portion of his cavalry as the vanguard, avoiding engagement with the enemy's main force and instead focusing on swiftly penetrating and cutting off their supply lines and supply routes.

Yuchi Gong led another group of cavalry to press forward, squeezing the White Wave Army's space to maneuver.

He personally led the main force of the central army, advancing steadily and surely, like a giant millstone slowly grinding towards the enemy's core.

Yu Fuluo and Guo Tai had never seen anything like this before. The equipment, training, and morale of the Youzhou army completely overwhelmed them.

Especially those bright armors, which are impervious to swords and arrows, are like tickling the rebels' weapons when they strike them.

Battle reports were frequently sent to Zhuoxian.