Chapter 417

Chapter 417

Can a strategist not ascend the throne? Final Volume: The Rise and Fall of Kingdoms, Unification of the World, Chapter 417: Iron Mace and Heavy Armor

The book it belongs to:


Can a Strategist Not Ascend the Throne?

Chapter 417: Iron…

Due to the length of the mace and its absence from the battlefield, even if someone realized it was a secondary weapon, most would assume it to be a sword or a knife.

But when it’s a mace, its utility differs greatly from that of a sword or knife.

Eight pounds might not seem like much, but when swung while galloping on horseback, it would feel like a steel whip lashing against a person.

“Patrol the sentry posts—” The excitement brought by the debut of the new weapon and its involvement in yet another crucial battle was, at most, reflected in the slightly elevated tone of Lu Lingju’s commands. She glanced around and said, “The rest of you! Eat here.”

She herself did not dismount, instead using her elevated position to survey the surroundings, ensuring that the wind and grass movements were normal, with no unexpected incidents during the march. Then she continued, “Although you all have practiced with the iron mace after it was distributed, do not take the extra eight pounds in combat lightly.”

Eight pounds, this additional weight during movement, the longer the action, the greater the impact, and the same applies in combat.

Although the battle they are about to face, due to its scale, is destined not to last long, they still cannot afford to be careless.

“But I have some confidence in you all!”

“Although in terms of archery and horsemanship, you are not the most capable in the Fanyang camp, you have followed me in campaigns against the Wuhuan in Liaodong, beheaded Tadun, and followed me in clearing out the remnants of Gongsun Zan’s forces, marching hundreds of miles without rest. Tomorrow’s battle will require us to press forward with one spirit, united, indeed stronger than those so-called elite soldiers under General Huya, isn’t that right?”

Hearing Lu Lingju seriously referring to her father as General Huya and her current words, everyone present laughed, “That’s right!”

Lu Lingju added, “Even Sima Zhongda, that strategist, was left in General Huya’s camp because he couldn’t keep up with our offensive. We must not let him look down on us, right?”

“Yes!”

This unanimous response echoed once again from the upper reaches of the Xu River.

“Then make sure you eat well, anyone who lacks strength when swinging the iron mace…”

She swung her own mace twice in the air, and the whistling sound was truly startling.

This “audible” threat made the soldiers present respond again, “General, rest assured,” and they couldn’t help but add a bit more laughter as they looked at each other.

Having a general who strives for excellence and has a bit of a comedic personality is truly their blessing.

Moreover, although she is somewhat impulsive, like the sudden decision to capture Gao Shun, it is genuinely aimed at securing a military achievement for them, and she has not relaxed due to their advantage.

After the patrol soldiers returned, Lu Lingju finally dismounted, took out the improved assembly-line meal pack from the saddlebag, quickly ate, then fetched some water from the bamboo tube on the horse’s side, wiping her slightly tired face.

Although they crossed the river near dusk, because she had sent out troops earlier, Lü Bu should now be slowly advancing towards the Xu River. She still had a night to rest and did not need to march overnight.

In a nearby hidden spot, she found a place to settle the soldiers, arranged for night watch shifts, and then slept for half the night with her weapon.

As dawn approached, the team set off towards the lower reaches of the Xu River.

Target—Beiping County!

At this time, in the Beiping area, Gao Shun was also carefully checking their preparations.

This was not because this battle was particularly crucial, as they only had one chance to try when facing the enemy crossing the river.

But rather, this was something he had to do every time he encountered a battle.

The camp he led, during army movements, was of course a cavalry unit, but when used to intercept the enemy, making it difficult for them to break free, it was a genuine heavy infantry unit!

The cost of building such a heavy unit was already considerable, not to mention the subsequent costs of maintaining the armor.

And Gao Shun needed to ensure that everyone in the unit was in a high state of combat morale, otherwise, if there was a defect in one of the operational hubs, this heavy-armored army could no longer be the enemy’s nightmare.

This team of about eight hundred people, their eyes followed Gao Shun’s inspection in the army, until they saw the commander say “Go!” in the same tone as usual, and they also seemed to be in a fully awake state at this moment, following his steps in a very solemn manner.

Gao Shun did not give them any instructions, because these matters that must be paid attention to in battle had already been explained in the daily磨合.

He also did not use any extra slogans to boost the morale of his subordinates, because when he stepped out with firm steps, his subordinates already knew the subtext.

Just fight!

They also had a reason to win this battle!

Then there’s nothing more to say.

“General Gao!” The Beiping County garrison commander hurriedly greeted Gao Shun as soon as he appeared, asking, “How many Beiping city generals do you need to accompany you in this action?”

In Ju Shou’s troop deployment order to Gao Shun, there was a sentence saying that the Beiping and Tongguan garrisons should follow Gao Shun’s orders, but from Gao Shun’s performance, except for adjusting the city’s defense, he did not seem to have the intention to lead troops?

“No need,” Gao Shun replied, “You guard the city gates, if any stragglers come under the city, then shoot them with the city wall crossbows.”

Taking these city garrison troops with him might seem to give him an extra boost when facing Lü Bu’s threat, but it could also add an extra layer of danger.

What kind of person is Lü Bu, whether it’s his killing of Dong Zhuo or his successful pursuit of Gongsun Zan, or the battles between him and Ji Province over the years, it’s enough for Gao Shun to see clearly.

His elite troops, when facing Lü Bu, might still rely on their默契 and armor defense to block the charge of the Bingzhou elite cavalry, but these Beiping garrison troops, who rarely see battle, definitely cannot!

If they are caught as a weak point by Lü Bu in this encounter, unable to stand firm in the face of the northern iron cavalry’s formidable charge, or even panic and flee due to the death of comrades, it would instead break the barrier formed by the陷阵营.

Then rather than that, it’s better to have fewer but more elite troops, using absolute elite to face Lü Bu and others’ impending attack!

But what Gao Shun truly did not expect was that in the enemy’s advance, to establish a foothold on the other side of the Xu River, the first to wade through the shallow river bend were indeed the cavalry led by Lü Bu, but it did not seem as Gao Shun thought, to break their interception with a swift and powerful attack.

Lü Bu changed his previous style of intending to break through the enemy formation upon encounter, and instead, along with the cavalry he led, roamed on this side of the riverbank, harassing Gao Shun’s direction with bows and arrows.

And in the momentary delay caused by his stone bow’s killing, the soldiers following closely behind had already rushed forward.

This doesn’t seem like Lü Bu’s style at all!

Because the陷阵营 soldiers who rushed to the front under Gao Shun’s command, intending to block the enemy’s river crossing, when they held shields to block the arrow rain and drew knives to slash at the enemy, the blade hit a shield.

A shield sturdier than the one in his hand!

And in the many attacks of the陷阵营 soldiers, such sounds of knife and shield clashes were not uncommon.

This is not the swift and agile team he encountered before, but clearly a shield-focused defensive unit.

The spearmen in the rear had not yet caught up, so what they showed was a completely defensive posture.

Da Yong’s investment in armor was never small, and in this battle, it was fully displayed.

Even though the陷阵营 general, relying on his training methods, had made his subordinates act and change formations without hesitation when facing the enemy, even Lü Bu had to admit this gap in strength—

Da Yong’s troops still had their unique advantage due to their complete military equipment!

When they even gave up offense, reducing possible vulnerabilities, this stubborn defense on the riverbank became increasingly difficult to change.

Gao Shun truly did not understand what Lü Bu was thinking.

Even if the front-line shield soldiers formed a temporary wall that the陷阵营 could not break, their rear soldiers were still standing in the water, not yet on the riverbank.

In such a situation, it’s not a posture to launch an attack.

As long as they, the defending side, could prevent the enemy from advancing, the attacking side’s physical consumption would surely far exceed theirs, and by then, could they still have the opportunity to continue the stalemate?

Of course not!

What Lü Bu should do now is to use his shield soldiers to form a small-scale confrontation, quickly deploy more cavalry to the front, even at the cost of cavalry casualties, to create an opportunity to break through Gao Shun’s defense.

Regardless of whether such an attack could effectively penetrate Gao Shun, it would at least be better than the current stalemate that might end up with nothing.

But when he looked towards Lü Bu, who had retreated to the rear, he did not see any signs of impatience on his face, but only saw him constantly deploying soldiers to throw sandbags into the river, widening the shallow water area for soldiers to cross.

If it weren’t for the strong bow he first shot, which fiercely passed through the shield gap on his side, killing one of his subordinates on the spot, Gao Shun would almost think that the person here was not Lü Bu, but just someone who looked very much like him.

But this is indeed Lü Bu.

He just remembered what Sima Yi told him before the attack!

“We are here to attack together, so General Lv’s military achievements and yours are one. Therefore, rather than first clashing with General Gao in a battle of elites and ending up in a stalemate, it’s better to give up some unnecessary merits.”

“The reason why General Gao’s陷阵营 is formidable is because of its strict military discipline, excellent armor, and soldiers who are willing to sacrifice their lives. Such traits are not something ordinary soldiers can achieve, so the river crossing battle will only be intercepted by the陷阵营, not giving you the opportunity to attack weak points. Therefore, it’s better for us to be the sturdy shield, holding them back, and let General Lv be the sharpest spear.”

Making Lü Bu restrain his attacking momentum was really uncomfortable.

But thinking that he was not allowed by His Majesty to participate in the assassination response battle, possibly because of his only-know-attack flaw, and thinking that he was absolutely unwilling to leave a stain in this world-unifying military achievement, Lü Bu decided to temporarily endure this discomfort.

Moreover, his discomfort did not last long.

In front of him, his armored soldiers crossing the river had formed another row, supporting the front line that was about to fall, forming an increasingly solid shield.

Although the front line of this shield had a slight decline in the face of the陷阵营 soldiers’ counterattack, it was not yet time to determine the outcome. And just as this “shield” with a back-to-the-wall momentum held back the陷阵营’s interception, in Lü Bu’s ears, honed by years of leading cavalry without weakening with age, the sound of galloping hooves had appeared.

That was their “spear”!

When he looked west, he indeed saw a cloud of dust raised by the galloping horses.

The leader, who else but Lu Lingju!

Of course, Gao Shun, who kept an eye on all directions in battle, would not overlook the sound of these hooves.

Even though he focused most of his attention on Lü Bu, the moment the cavalry appeared, he quickly realized their arrival.

Even as Lu Lingju’s figure approached on horseback, the陷阵营 responding to the river-crossing army had already changed formations under Gao Shun’s command.

Although there were less than a thousand people, at this moment, it felt like facing a force four or five times their number.

Not to mention, this special unit had ample experience facing cavalry.

But with Lü Bu’s unusual performance at this time, how could Lu Lingju, who suddenly appeared, be an ordinary cavalry?

The usual appearance lowered the guard of these陷阵营 soldiers.

However, as they approached, slashing with long spears and halberds, when they failed to hit, these heavy-armored soldiers closed the distance, intending to pull them off their horses…








At the moment when the sweeping motion came down, the cavalry at the front, following Lu Lingju’s signal of “attack,” suddenly drew their iron maces from their sides.

They directly swung them down at the nearest soldiers of the trap camp.

Perhaps it would be more appropriate to call it a “whirlwind” attack.

These armored soldiers of the trap camp had a set of techniques to avoid long weapons, allowing them to be far more adept than ordinary soldiers in dismantling cavalry charges. However, it was precisely this familiarity in their movements that made it too late for them to realize that the enemy’s secondary weapon was not a sword!

The heavily armored soldiers of the trap camp, while advancing, found it difficult to retreat due to the weight of their armor, which also forced them to face another delaying factor. Yet, the swing of the iron mace left no room for hesitation.

Not all parts of the armor were as effective as the “bright mirror” of the Mingguang armor in providing defense. Most armor was designed to protect against swords and arrows, not the sudden and unexpected shock of an iron whip.

Using the momentum of the horse’s movement, this impact formed an irresistible and terrifying force in an instant.

Just like the strike Lu Lingju delivered at this moment, the armor beneath even made a nearly distorted sound, accompanied by a cracking noise. But she clearly knew that it wasn’t the sound of the armor breaking; it was the force of the iron mace directly penetrating the iron armor, striking the human body beneath, causing absolute destruction!

This should have been a battle where heavy infantry held the advantage.

Even if this cavalry had inexplicably appeared on this side of the river and suddenly launched a charge, it wouldn’t have affected the repeatedly proven outcome. Yet, what was presented to everyone present was that in the clash of the leading dozens of people, the cavalry, as if descending from the heavens, achieved a complete victory.

And the youngest female general, in a flash, charged through the gap that hadn’t been filled yet, heading straight for—

Gao Shun’s position.

She even threw her iron mace at the moment she was about to be blocked.

The power of the thrown iron mace, or the so-called “slippery mace,” needed no further explanation at this moment.

This equally swift and even more difficult-to-defend attack brutally smashed open the helmet of the soldier in front of her, causing him to fall immediately, unable to coordinate with his commander in time. Meanwhile, Lu Lingju, wielding her long weapon, had already charged straight to Gao Shun’s front.

Behind her were the cavalry who had followed her from upstream of the Xu River.

Almost simultaneously, Lü Bu no longer needed to suppress his previous aggressive thoughts. Seeing the trap camp’s formation slightly chaotic due to the casualties on the flanks and Gao Shun’s ambush, he also raised his halberd and charged forward.

But perhaps the one closer had the advantage. By the time Lü Bu arrived, he heard Lu Lingju’s voice:

“General Gao, my apologies.”

“My lord?”

As this voice sounded, a teacup held in hand trembled for a moment, nearly spilling its contents.

If it weren’t for this sudden change being clearly seen by Guo Tu, he might have thought that Yuan Shao could maintain his composure in the face of these two pieces of news.

But this was something truly difficult for anyone to achieve.

Xin Ping from Qingzhou did not betray Yuan Shao due to Xin Pi’s defection. His origins as a scholar from Yingchuan also made him hold the line, and he gave effective advice to Yuan Tan when there were movements in Xuzhou.

But the turmoil in Qingzhou happened among the Yellow Turban remnants they least expected.

These Qingzhou Yellow Turbans had once stabbed Yuan Shao in the back when he least expected it, turning his dream of inviting Zheng Xuan to Ye City to teach and establish the Imperial Academy into a bubble.

Now, those who couldn’t follow Guan Hai back then were persuaded by the Taishan bandits under Qiao Yan to attack Beihai and Donglai, blocking Yuan Tan and Xin Ping’s rescue on the spot.

If Yuan Shao hadn’t faced threats from other regions, he might have been able to reinforce Beihai. With Kong Rong’s return to Beihai boosting morale, they could have recaptured the lost half of Qingzhou. But he couldn’t!

Even Yuan Tan’s move to borrow troops from Qinghe County under Xin Ping’s advice was already his limit.

The reinforcement of troops in Xuzhou would inevitably allow the Da Yong generals east of the Wei River to gain a firmer foothold.

If the situation in Qingzhou was still within Yuan Shao’s expectations—after all, even if Qiao Yan’s generals didn’t advance from Xuzhou, there was a high probability they would cross the Bohai Sea from Liaodong—then the situation on the northern front of Ji Province completely exceeded Yuan Shao’s expectations.

He originally thought it was highly likely that Ju Shou’s letter would say that Lü Bu, that scoundrel, had once again invaded Jizhou’s Hejian County according to his previous half-month attack plan, only to be driven out again by Ju Shou or Gao Shun. Or perhaps Qiao Yan’s troops from Quanzhou had been spotted by Ju Shou’s scouts.

But he never expected that in this letter, Ju Shou would send such news.

Gao Shun was captured by the combined forces of Lü Lingju, the Protector of Wuhuan in Youzhou, and Lü Bu, the Tiger Tooth General. Beiping County in Zhongshan, Jizhou, was occupied by Da Yong generals. Floating bridges were being built upstream of the Yi and Xu Rivers, forming a troop transport line from Fanyang to Beiping.

Ju Shou now faced only two possibilities.

Either these soldiers would block the two river channels, gradually cutting off the flow of the Yi River north of Hejian County, and then the army would press in.

Or, before Ju Shou could attempt a cross-border attack, they would already be heading south directly through Zhongshan!

In any case, with Beiping falling into enemy hands, Yuan Shao’s defense on the northernmost front of Jizhou had almost failed.

Even within just two days, as Ju Shou hastily retreated south and redeployed defenses in central Hejian County, two more pieces of bad news arrived for Yuan Shao.

The place of Quanzhou had previously accumulated a lot of military supplies under Gongsun Zan, but due to his secretive actions, few outsiders knew about it. So when Taishi Ci was stationed there, Shen Pei on the south bank estimated that the other side still needed to transport a lot of supplies. But he never expected that what Taishi Ci lacked might be troops, but definitely not supplies!

Thus, just as the news of Lü Bu and Lü Lingju’s success was delivered to Quanzhou by fast horse, Taishi Ci and Gan Ning joined forces to launch an attack from the north of Bohai County, swiftly breaking through Shen Pei’s camp.

This timing of the attack was truly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if it wasn’t the time for a full-scale offensive, the two of them acted without hesitation.

If it weren’t for Shen Pei’s timely rescue, he might have become a prisoner in this northern Jizhou battle, just like Gao Shun.

But even so, with the failure of the Beiping County battle and Shen Pei’s camp being attacked, Ju Shou’s decision to move the front line south was no longer just a temporary measure but a necessity.

This was the first piece of bad news.

The other was that the movement in northern Zhongshan had been known by the local magnates before it reached Ju Shou.

The merchants of Zhongshan were a shrewd bunch.

Years ago, a horse merchant from Zhongshan had seen Liu Bei’s potential and provided him with aid.

Naturally, some of them had business in Guanzhong. How could they not see the growing gap between Jizhou under Yuan Shao’s control and the territories ruled by the Son of Heaven of Da Yong?

If it weren’t for the fact that in this era, the more entrenched one’s local influence, the harder it was to break free from their environment, some of them might have already considered switching sides.

Think about the Donghai Mi Clan, who were among the first to surrender. With Qiao Yan’s help, they not only preserved their power during the transition in Xuzhou but also opened a new path with the sale of cotton clothing, even becoming royal merchants after Qiao Yan’s ascension. Many were envious.

Now, they finally had their chance.

Yuan Shao and the Han court he belonged to couldn’t blame them for making such a choice now, after all, Da Yong’s troops had already arrived in Zhongshan.

Thus, not long after Lü Lingju and others stationed in Beiping County, they received a reward from the merchants of Zhongshan.

The scale of it truly startled Lü Bu and the others.

If the other side hadn’t sent someone to explain first, the grand procession might have been mistaken for a civilian siege force rather than a surrender delegation.

Of course, after learning their identities, it was good news for the Da Yong troops who had entered Jizhou with minimal losses, but for Yuan Shao, it was another blow.

In a sense, it could even be called a disgrace.

Because among those who came to reward the troops was a man named Zhen Yao, from Wuji County, Zhongshan, Jizhou.

If that wasn’t enough to clarify the situation, then to be more specific, Zhen Yao had a sister named Zhen Luo, who was chosen by Yuan Shao as a second wife for his son Yuan Xi, originally set to marry next year.

But what was happening now?

Before the marriage could be formalized, the in-laws had already decisively defected, which was tantamount to a slap in Yuan Shao’s face.

But could Yuan Shao spare any extra energy to deal with the Zhen family of Zhongshan now?

The previous monthly report and proclamation were nothing more than provocations. He forced himself to stay strong and sit here only because—

He still had one last chance in a direct confrontation.

But now, the consecutive defeats in two battles seemed to be telling him in the most straightforward way that the tide had turned!

His eldest son couldn’t turn the tide in Qingzhou, his second son faced a blocked path in the Taihang Mountains, and his youngest son, instead of thinking about defense, boldly wanted to attack Henei first.

The current lack of gains and even losing territory made this external competition look like a joke!

And the biggest joke was Yuan Shao himself.

A Grand General who couldn’t even hold onto Jizhou and Qingzhou, what kind of confidence did he have to cling to this crumbling dynasty and resist Da Yong?

In this bleak mood, he felt only an indescribable confusion, not the anger that made him want to spit blood again.

The rising summer heat around him felt like a cage, trapping him inside.

Outside this cage were pairs of eyes, staring at him like prey!

Yuan Shao took a deep breath, forcing his nearly失控的心态重新收拢回去。

也恰是在此时，忽有一个小黄门疾奔而来，一见到他便仓皇地一骨碌摔在了地上，好不容易重新坐了起来，仰头朝着他说道：“大将军——陛下，陛下急召您前往！”

这个月里，刘辩其实也知道袁绍面对着的是何种压力，大概是生怕将袁绍给逼迫得太急，直接让其投降了，所以甚少找到他的面前。

可眼下，势必是有什么对刘辩来说格外麻烦的事情发生了，让他不得不在此时求助于袁绍，根本顾不得他这位大将军是否还坐在轮椅之上了。

没等袁绍发问，那小黄门便已经说道：“那位……大雍的那位，给陛下送了一封国书。”

不是寻常由信使送来的书信，不是什么附着在乐平月报上的檄文，更不是什么简单的字条。

而是国与国之间。

大雍对着大汉发起的国书！

当袁绍抵达邺城皇宫之时，便见刘辩到了此时已经是彻底顾不得形象，如同要抓住最后一根救命稻草一般疾步走到了袁绍的面前。

他何止是顾不得自己的形象，也顾不得自己此前还对袁绍有着一番怎样的怀疑，又是在此前兖州豫州丢失的时候如何腹诽袁绍的无能。

在此刻袁绍还愿意和他站在同一立场上，而不是尽快带着自己仅存的下属突破北部防线远遁于草原，又或者是带着他刘辩的人头去向大雍求和，将所有的罪责都给推到大汉天子的身上，就已经足够让刘辩对于袁绍还心存几分感激了。

他欲言又止，不知自己是不是该当在此时问出，事到如今，他们到底还有没有可能有和平的方式保全性命，又觉这问题在他已然念出了那份讨贼檄文的情况下，几乎是一件不可能做到的事情，还不如不要在此刻自取其辱了。

他讷讷说道：“大将军来看此书吧。”

这出国书的仪式和形制都要远比之前的乐平月报回应不知正式上多少倍，偏偏这其中只有极其简短的两句话。

乔琰在其上写道：

【民心在我，不在于汉，天下数州，不当令出两朝。】

【八月秋收之时，盼会于邺城，一见故人，以辨君臣之分。】

话虽简单，这却是远比此前那句“必将伐之”还要明确的决胜信号！