"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! There are enemy troops on the cliff!" Yang Zuo looked up and saw nearly a hundred figures, tied with hemp ropes, descending from the almost vertical cliff above!
The cliffs on both sides of Eagle's Beak Gorge were like sharp blades splitting the terrain. The height difference between the cliffs and the city walls was at least ten to twenty meters.
Who would have thought that Tian Yu would be so bold as to order his soldiers to descend the cliffs in groups of three—one soldier rappelling down while the other two held the rope—thus landing on the walls of the pass.
If Yang Zuo hadn't accidentally spotted them, they would never have imagined that the enemy would appear on the battlefield in such a manner!
"Damn, we've been discovered!" Tian Yu, standing at the edge of the cliff, looked down at the enemy forces below. Yang Zuo had already sent a small squad from his troops to shoot arrows at the soldiers still suspended in mid-air. Many were killed on the spot.
"Quick! Signal!" Tian Yu waved his hand, and the flag bearer behind him immediately waved a colorful flag toward the opposite cliff. Instantly, the ambushed troops on the other side revealed themselves—it was Dan Jing's unit!
"Allied forces are in trouble, archers, provide cover!" Dan Jing commanded, and his archers unleashed a rain of arrows, causing heavy casualties among the unsuspecting defenders who were now caught in a pincer attack.
"Damn it!" Under the three-pronged assault, the already under-defended forces of Yang Zuo began to collapse. They had to defend against Tian Yu's airborne assault, resist Gongsun Zan's forces advancing from below, and endure Dan Jing's arrow barrage.
Soon, Gongsun Zan's siege troops reached the base of the pass and set up ladders, while Tian Yu's soldiers descended onto the walls and engaged the defenders in close combat. Tian Yu himself rappelled down and joined the fray.
Yang Zuo, unable to manage the situation, tried to retreat but was struck down by a flurry of arrows from Dan Jing's forces on the cliffs.
With their leader dead, the remaining defenders were like lambs to the slaughter, and they were quickly wiped out. The pass, which had blocked Gongsun Zan for nearly a year, was finally conquered.
"Hahaha! Excellent!" As the battle ended, Gongsun Zan and his soldiers stood below Eagle's Beak Pass, their faces finally showing smiles. Tian Yu, the hero of the battle, became the center of attention.
"Guorang! What a young talent!" Gongsun Zan, full of praise, patted Tian Yu's shoulder. "Three campaigns, and without you, this Eagle's Beak Pass might have been a thorn in my side!"
"Your praise is too kind, my lord. Today's victory is not mine alone. It is due to your excellent leadership, the bravery of our generals, and the unity of our army. Victory was inevitable!"
Tian Yu skillfully redirected the praise to Gongsun Zan and the other soldiers, earning their appreciation and respect.
Gongsun Zan stroked his beard, grinning widely. "Alright then, this victory belongs to Tian Yu. Does anyone object if I name him General of Valiant Cavalry and Governor of Liaoxi Commandery?"
"Your humble servant thanks you for your great kindness, my lord!" Tian Yu was overjoyed and quickly bowed to Gongsun Zan. The other generals, also rewarded, felt a sense of balance and satisfaction.
After the battlefield was cleared, Gongsun Zan began counting his soldiers, seemingly preparing for another campaign. Tian Yu and the other generals quickly intervened.
"My lord, are you planning to continue the eastern campaign?"
Gongsun Zan, puzzled, replied, "Of course. With Eagle's Beak Pass breached, the way to Liaodong is open. It's the perfect time for our cavalry to demonstrate their might."
"Our soldiers are eager after this victory—why not press on and sweep away the rebel Gongsun Du in one fell swoop?"
"My lord, I must disagree," Tian Yu shook his head. "Though the situation is as you say, after I defeated Gongsun Gong's 50,000 reinforcements last night, Gongsun Du has shown no sign of sending troops."
"I suspect Gongsun Du is sacrificing his forces to save himself. By now, the various counties of Liaodong are likely well-prepared. If we advance, we might fall into Gongsun Du's trap, where he waits to ambush us."
"Moreover, our primary objective was to eliminate Eagle's Beak Pass. Now that we've achieved our goal, returning to Beiping will boost our army's reputation. And my lord, don't forget about Liu Yu."
"Liu Yu..." After hearing Tian Yu's analysis and the mention of Liu Yu, Gongsun Zan suddenly realized, "Guorang, you are absolutely right. If we suffer a defeat in Liaodong, who can guarantee that Liu Yu won't take advantage and invade our Jizhou?"
"Very well, after this battle, Gongsun Du is severely weakened. With Eagle's Beak Pass blocking him in Liaodong, I want to see how long this autumn grasshopper can survive!"
"Pass my orders: Dan Jing will lead 5,000 elite troops to garrison Eagle's Beak Pass. The rest will return to Beiping with me! I'll figure out how to deal with Liu Yu before returning to finish off Gongsun Du!"
"My lord is wise!"
...
Gongsun Zan heeded Tian Yu's advice and, after his victory, did not advance further but instead returned to Beiping. When the news reached Liaodong, Gongsun Du at Xiangping breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
"My strategist is truly a genius..." Gongsun Du wiped the sweat from his forehead, realizing that he had nearly followed Tian Yu's plan to deploy troops against Gongsun Zan, only to be dissuaded by Ji Zhicai's contrary advice.
Ji Zhicai also breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, Gongsun Zan retreated as he had hoped; otherwise, with Eagle's Beak Pass fallen, Liaodong would have been left defenseless.
"Now that Eagle's Beak Pass has fallen, and General Yang Zuo is dead, why did Gongsun Zan return to Beiping after garrisoning the pass instead of continuing his advance?" Gongsun Du wondered.
Xi Zhicai said, "My lord, do not forget that Liu Yu is still in Youzhou. Liu Yu and Gongsun Zan were once in a lord-vassal relationship.
Liu Yu was originally the Inspector of Youzhou, while Gongsun Zan, though the Governor of Beiping, was merely one of his subordinate generals.
It wasn't until Liu Yu went to the capital to serve in office that Gongsun Zan established his own power in Beiping, leading to a complete rift between the two."
"Gongsun Zan and Liu Yu have long disagreed, and now that they are once again in Youzhou with their own territories, tensions between them are inevitable. They will certainly be wary of each other."
Xi Zhicai stroked his beard, assuming a contemplative posture. "The fall of Eagle's Beak Pass was only a matter of time. If Gongsun Zan wishes to engage us in a decisive battle, he will first have to settle the score with Liu Yu. When that time comes, it will be our best opportunity to turn the tables."
Gongsun Du rubbed his temples and shook his head, saying, "That may be true, but now that Eagle's Beak Pass has changed hands, I never realized how much of an obstacle it was until now. "
"With it in Gongsun Zan's hands, our connection to the outside world is completely severed. If we attempt to retake Eagle's Beak Pass, it will surely result in heavy casualties."
"My lord is correct," Xi Zhicai replied with a smile, "but have you considered that as formidable as Eagle's Beak Pass is to defend, it will cause no harm as long as we do not engage it. Moreover, the route from Liaodong to Beiping is not limited to a single path."
"You mean…"
"The water route." Xi Zhicai stood up, pointing to Lelang Commandery on the map, and Gongsun Du suddenly realized.
"So that's why you spent so much on building warships at Lelang! I see now!" Gongsun Du was overjoyed. "With nearly a hundred warships, we can bypass Eagle's Beak Pass entirely and strike directly at Beiping with tens of thousands of troops!"
"You are exactly right, my lord. However, our troops lack experience in naval warfare. If we don't want them to falter when crossing the sea in the future, we must start preparing now."
"Hmm…" Gongsun Du nodded. "But the majority of our generals are only experienced in land warfare, especially in cavalry battles. We have no one familiar with naval warfare. Do you have anyone in mind?"
Xi Zhicai smiled deeply and paused before replying, "There is one person I would recommend, though he currently resides in your prison—Gao Lan…"
...
Now let's shift our focus to the northern part of Bingzhou, where Wu Ben and his remnants were being relentlessly pursued by Tadun's Black Banner Army.
They had fought only a few skirmishes along the way, but many of Wu Ben's men had succumbed to exhaustion and hunger. Every time they managed to rest, Tadun's forces would catch up within half an hour.
After finally shaking off the pursuit again, the weary and starving soldiers took shelter in a cluster of hills. Wu Ben, looking at the few hundred men left from the original two to three thousand who had escaped, felt deeply guilty.
"General Wu, a few more brothers didn't make it…" one man reported as he approached Wu Ben. Several soldiers had collapsed as soon as they dismounted, blood seeping from their eyes, their faces gaunt—a sign they had died from sheer exhaustion.
Wu Ben clenched his teeth and slammed his fist into the nearby tree, causing it to shake. It was no wonder, having fled nearly a thousand miles from Yinmaze, constantly on the run without any real rest. If this continued, they wouldn't be worn out by battle but by sheer exhaustion, with the horses dying first.
"Bury them as best you can, and slaughter those warhorses as well. Cut the meat and cook it—our supplies ran out two days ago. This is the only way to keep going for now."
After giving his orders, Wu Ben found a spot to rest against a rock wall. A few soldiers who still had some strength left began slaughtering the dead warhorses, slicing the meat and cooking it over a fire.
The scent of roasting meat immediately drew the attention of the starving men, who stared intently.
Wu Ben swallowed hard but found himself more overcome by fatigue than hunger as he watched the flames dance. Just as his eyes began to close, he suddenly snapped awake. "Put out the fire! Put it out now!"
Seeing the confused looks from the others, Wu Ben hurried forward and stomped out the fires one by one, leaving only a few wisps of smoke rising into the sky.
"The smoke… the smoke will give away our position," Wu Ben explained.
"But without fire, we can't cook the meat," the men complained as they stared at the half-cooked horse meat.
Wu Ben licked his cracked lips, pulled out a short knife from his belt, sliced off a piece of the blood-red meat, and threw it into his mouth, chewing it.
Blood smeared his mouth as he swallowed the barely chewed meat. Even the battle-hardened Xianbei warriors, known for their bloodthirsty nature, grimaced at the sight.
But hunger was a stronger force than revulsion. The others quickly followed suit, tearing into the raw, bloody meat with their knives and swords, devouring it ravenously.
Their primitive appearance, clad in leather armor and feasting on raw flesh, looked as if they had reverted to a time of savagery long past.
"General! The Black Banner Army! They're coming!" Just after their grisly meal, a scout galloped in with the news that the Black Banner Army was once again closing in.
"Damn it…" Wu Ben gritted his teeth, and perhaps it was the raw meat that stirred something primal in him. He stood up and declared,
"Brothers! These bastards have chased us long enough. We've been running for so long—it's time to stop. With the strength from this meal, let's stand our ground and fight them head-on. If we die, at least we'll die with full bellies!"
"Ready to die with you, General!" Inspired by Wu Ben, the Xianbei riders rose and shouted in unison.