Chapter 422 – Battle of Jiameng Pass – Deployment
July 17th, 192 AD.
Khan finished setting up his defense lines.
As he had once led an attack on Jiameng Gate before, he knew the weaknesses of this checkpoint.
The Jiameng checkpoint was sandwiched by mountain valleys, which blockaded the main road to Zitong City. However, there were other passages around the mountain ranges.
Khan and Ma Chao had led a force to bypass this checkpoint before, so they knew that these passages could not be overlooked.
He decided to protect the main gate while Ma Chao, Ma Teng, and Han Sui covered the other passages. He splitted his force into three legions, 100,000 each, to protect all entries to Zitong City.
Ma Chao covered the western mountain ranges, while Ma Teng and Han Sui covered the east.
Now, Khan was ready, but he felt that something was off.
'I can't launch an attack this way. Too bad that little bitch ran off, or I would have ordered her to protect the gate while I go on a rampage.'
.
The same day
Ju Shou and Xun You brainstormed and came up with strategies.
Lu Bu's regiments of 40,000 redhare knights would attack Jiameng Pass with all their cannons.
Gao Shun's regiment, Qiang Cavalry unit of 10,000 soldiers and 20,000 knights, along with Han Hao's 10,000 light cavalries from Ghost Legion would scout the west mountain range for a secret passage. If they could bypass the mountain, they had to do so and strike Zitong from behind.
Zhang He, Qu Yi, Gao Lan, and 50,000 men would be their second main force. They had to force their way through the east mountain range and break through the enemies.
Since Zhang He possessed Tong's system skill, the HUD radar map, he could detect enemies from far away, which was more suitable for guerrilla warfare.
Although Zhang He protested that he was more compatible with scout missions, Lu Bu, Ju Shou, and Xun You disagreed. Since Lu Bu acknowledged Zhang He as a talented fighter, he should be put to good use on the fierce battlefields.
With the arrangement, everyone moved to their new position, waiting for an attack signal from their strategists.
.
.
Though the terrain was rocky and uneven, the redhare horses and the Qiang's horses did not have trouble trekking through the tight mountain passages to the west.
Gao Shun and Han Hao kept an eye on the high ground while their men observed the surroundings with caution. Since Gao Shun were experienced in fighting in the mountain terrain in the Bing Province, he adapted to the environment and led Hao Han's forces further west.
Han Hao's men had troubles climbing the mountains, unlike the others, which should have had the most problems bringing the heavily armored horses on elevated ground. It embarrassed this vice commander because they were lightly equipped, yet they were the cause of their slow marching speed.
"Sorry for dragging you down, Sir Gao," Han Hao was ashamed.
"Don't apologize. Everyone gets easily exhausted from climbing a mountain for the first time. We're wearing heavy armors and carrying weapons at the same time. It's natural to get tired."
From 8 AM until noon, the west team managed to get everyone to a plateau, where they could make camps and fortify their defensive line against a counter-attack from Khan Army.
The plateau was not wide enough to house all 40,000 soldiers, 40,000 horses, and their belongings. Still, many soldiers could rest inside the forest on the mountain without sleeping inside the camp.
Gao Shun was not satisfied with the current location, but it was the widest space that they could fortify.
"We're going to use this as a temporary resting spot. After we fortified this place, we should move out."
"What about the garrison?"
"We won't garrison this camp. Instead, we will bait the enemy into attacking it."
"Huh?"
"I've consulted with Ju Shou before our deployment. He has approved of this move. You can check with him in the clan chat."
"Well, let's report our movement to the clan chat anyway, so they might have other opinions."
Han Hao and Gao Shun decided to report everything to the clan chat.
As they had expected, Ju Shou agreed with Gao Shun's decision.
Ju Shou: "Mountain battlefields are actually not suitable for horsemen, but I believe in your mobility and Sir Li Feihong's redhares."
Han Hao: "My light cavalry unit is not doing well on this mountain. Are you sure?"
Ju Shou: "From the testimonies of local villagers, there will be an open field after you get through this mountain range. It will be troublesome at first. But once you get through, all of you can shine."
Lu Bu: "You should have sent me there and let Gao Shun and Han Hao attacking the gate instead."
Xun You: "No. We'll need you to stop Khan when he appears. He will likely show up at the gate. Among all generals, you are the only one who can fight a four-winged angel, Sir Lu Bu."
Lu Bu: "Fine."
Ju Shou: "Well, Sir Gao, Sir Han, you should rest on that spot for a day. If you don't encounter any enemy, or Khan did not attack you, scout the perimeter first before you move forward.
Gao Shun: "Okay."
Lu Bu: "Pro's tips. Use your goddamn souls to scout ahead. All of you should have awakened at least one soul, no? Stop thinking like a mortal and act like an immortal for once. Use your force!"
Everyone: "…"
Everyone was speechless that Lu Bu was getting smarter.
With the confirmation from the strategists, Gao Shun and Han Hao rested in the unfavorable terrain for the day.
.
Unlike Han Hao and Gao Shun, Zhang He already dispatched his three souls to scout ahead. Combined with the radar map, Zhang He's line of sight covered all east mountain range.
Without much trouble, he was the first to spot Khan's defense forces.
"Let's see … 20km southwest from here, we have a massive army blockading the exit point of this passageway."
Qu Yi and Gao Lan were surprised that Zhang He's soul already pinpointed their enemy's location so fast.
"Already?"
"You've found them, sir?"
"Aye. Too bad, my radar map doesn't count their troops for me, or it would have been easier to determine their number."
"How many of them? Can you guess?"
"Somewhat between 80,000 to 100,000. I'm not sure. For now, let's report everything to everyone.
After Han Hao and Gao Shun consulted with the others, Zhang He turned in his reports.
Ju Shou: "Great job, general Zhang. Now, we wait for confirmation from the west team. If they find that Khan's men are blocking the exit point in the west, we can use many strike plans."
Zhang He: "Care to explain before we strike?"
Ju Shou: "No. You are a day away from those guys. Variable is still possible. Let's wait for the main battle to conclude for today, and we will decide what we will do."
Xun You: "We have already drafted our counter-measures against the enemy's movements. You don't have to worry. For general Zhang, please move forward to the south, so you can be in a position to attack the defenders."
Zhang He: "Roger that."
.
Meanwhile, Lu Bu patiently maintained his forces in front of Jiameng Gate. 50 Wheeled cannons, which transferred from the Ghost Legion and their logistic units, were being pushed to the front line.
As Lu Bu's men took down many commanderies, they acquired more experience from the siege battles. Just like before, they positioned their cannon crews on the front to confuse the defenders while we're preparing to attack from a long-range.
Should they come out and fight, Lu Bu and his redhare knights would butcher them. Should they hole themselves behind the walls like a coward, Lu Bu would crush them with cannons.
A simple strategy for a simple man.
Yet, it was so efficient to the point that Lu Bu had repeatedly used this strategy to take many commanderies within a short time. Furthermore, the local defenders either surrendered or ran away after a day of fighting.
In the end, Lu Bu's troops maintained their full number throughout the campaign while many surrendered forces were waiting to be drafted into his legion in the future.
But that was a job for the civil officers and another story.
"General, all of our cannon crews are ready."
Lu Bu glanced at his cannons. When he saw that all of them got into their firing range, and Khan's defense force had not come out to fight, he sighed.
"Cannons, fire at will."
.
.
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Khan arrived at Jiameng Gate after his men got to their position. He walked to the top of the wall, watching the attack force.
When he saw the banners of Redhare Legion, Khan had a broad smile on his face.
"Ah, my stupid self. You've come!"
Khan laughed like a madman. He ignored his subordinates and hired advisors, rushing down the stairs to get on his horse.
He wanted to go out and challenge Lu Bu into a duel.
For years, he had been cloning the soldiers and neglected his training. Since Lu Bu could rival him in military might, Khan wanted to go out and enjoy the duel.
Unfortunately,
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
*BOOM*
The matured Lu Bu did not bother shouting or challenging the enemy generals into a duel before the fight. He simply attacked first, then he talked later, like a particular civilized country in the modern world.
Cannonballs slammed onto the stone walls.
As the new clone soldiers were created from a high-level skill, they had no feeling. The garrison soldiers stared at the incoming iron balls with an indifferent expression.
None of them made a noise or panicked.
Khan clicked his tongue as he glared to the direction of Lu Bu in disappointment.
"I wasn't aware that you're growing into a coward, Lu Fengxian. I'll beat you up, and I'll teach you a lesson that the immature you can't beat the enlightened me!"
Khan got on his cloned Redhare King while the gate opened. He galloped out of the gate to challenge Lu Bu.
