Chapter 528: Gongsun Zan's Defeat
Chapter 528: Gongsun Zan's Defeat
September 25, 2017
As Lu HaiKong launched his attack on Liangqi, on the other side, in Anping Prefecture, Gongsun Zan also simultaneously advanced towards Julu.
Compared to Lu HaiKong, Gongsun Zan had a much larger force, not just a few thousand cavalry like Lu HaiKong, who seemed to be making a token appearance. Gongsun Zan almost brought his entire main force, leading five thousand White Horse Cavalry and fifty thousand infantry directly towards Wu County in Julu.
Well, this was a very capable young man, but unfortunately, he was a little too capable.
The movement of fifty-five thousand troops was not a small matter, so he couldn't just rush to the enemy's city walls with a few thousand men like Lu HaiKong. Gongsun Zan's army hadn't even started moving yet when they were discovered prematurely.
After all, while the Han Army was paying attention to the Yellow Turban's intelligence, their information was also being closely monitored by the Yellow Turbans.
Moreover, Jiuzhou was the Yellow Turban's old stronghold. Although many territories had been recaptured by the Han Army, there were still many Yellow Turban members hiding in those reclaimed areas, so in terms of intelligence, the Yellow Turbans actually held an advantage over the Han Army.
Gongsun Zan was unaware of this, and even if he knew, he wouldn't have cared. In his eyes, the Yellow Turban Army was nothing more than a bunch of rabble.
It was quite normal for him to have this misconception, as in all the wars he had experienced, whether it was the Yellow Turbans in Youzhou or those in Zhongshan Commandery, Hejian Prefecture, or Anping Prefecture in Jiuzhou, they all crumbled like rabble before his mighty army, unable to put up any effective resistance.
Time and again, Gongsun Zan's evaluation of the Yellow Turban Army naturally became lower, and this underestimation would prove fatal!
Just after Gongsun Zan had advanced his army into Julu, the sound of war drums suddenly rang out, and two large armies charged in from the left and right.
"There's an ambush! But so what? They're just a bunch of rabble!" Gongsun Zan laughed coldly, unafraid of the two approaching armies.
With his extensive combat experience, Gongsun Zan didn't find this group of Yellow Turban soldiers intimidating. He handed the command of the infantry to Gongsun Yue and, brandishing the pike in his hand, led the five thousand White Horse Cavalry towards the Yellow Turban Army on the left.
Although this White Horse Cavalry was newly formed, their strength couldn't be underestimated. They had an air of unstoppable momentum, and under Gongsun Zan's leadership, the five thousand White Horse Cavalry easily penetrated the left flank of the Yellow Turban Army.
The Yellow Turban Army on both sides numbered over thirty to forty thousand each, and the performance of the five thousand White Horse Cavalry against forty thousand troops was exceptionally valiant, subtly revealing the formidable strength of the White Horse Cavalry that would one day awe the borderlands.
While Gongsun Zan's side was advancing smoothly, the situation on Gongsun Yue's side was not looking good.
Although Gongsun Yue was Gongsun Zan's younger brother, this man didn't rely solely on family connections to rise to his position. He had some genuine talent and learning, but compared to some historical generals, his abilities fell short.
Unfortunately, Gongsun Yue's opponent was none other than the barely first-rate general Zhang Niugan!
At this time, the Yellow Turban Army was indeed filled with talented individuals. Not to mention the purely martial generals, there were also capable leaders like Zhang Mancheng, Bo Cai, and Zhang Liang, and under them were capable warriors like Zhu Yan, Zhang Niugan, and Yu Du.
Setting aside everything else, just randomly picking Zhang Niugan from the second-tier is enough to easily trounce Gongsun Yue.
Although both sides have similar numbers and the quality of their soldiers is not far off, when it comes to actual combat, Gongsun Yue is directly beaten to the ground without any room for negotiation.
In terms of military command, they are not on the same level. Although Zhang Niugan has not systematically studied this aspect, some people can summarize their command style from actual battles, allowing them to dominate one side.
Zhang Niugan's command style is straightforward: fierce and extremely aggressive. He can maximize the cohesion of his troops, unleashing astonishing combat power.
On the other hand, Gongsun Yue, who has undergone systematic training, commands in a rigid manner. It's not that there are significant flaws in his command, but rather a lack of flexibility that cannot withstand the opponent's offense.
At this moment, Gongsun Zan, seeing his brother being trounced, was about to turn back with his White Horse Cavalry to rescue him when a formidable Yellow Turban general with a tiger-like back and bear-like waist emerged.
"Where are you running, Han General?!" This person was none other than Guan Hai, renowned as the first fierce general of the Yellow Turbans.
"Get out of my way!" Gongsun Zan, eager to rescue his brother, waved his long spear towards Guan Hai, intending to settle this reckless fellow.
A cold glint flashed in Guan Hai's eyes as he swung his broadsword, chopping down on Gongsun Zan's spear.
A terrifying force surged, and before Gongsun Zan could react, his spear flew out of his hand. Guan Hai swung his sword again, sending a chilling air towards Gongsun Zan's head, causing him to panic and turn his horse to flee.
Fortunately, the horse beneath him was a powerful beast with a strength of 60, allowing Gongsun Zan to narrowly escape with his life.
However, at this point, Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry's unstoppable momentum was halted by Guan Hai, signifying Gongsun Zan's inevitable defeat in this battle.
In a 1691 book, there is not a single mistake!
"Retreat!"
Although extremely reluctant, Gongsun Zan had no choice but to order a retreat at this moment.
While Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry could easily escape, Gongsun Yue's situation was more difficult. They were entangled tightly, and it was only after Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry managed to break free from Guan Hai and launch an attack on Zhang Niugan's troops that Gongsun Yue's army was able to retreat.
However, even though they retreated, within a few short hours, Gongsun Zan's side suffered heavy losses. Of the original 50,000 infantry, only over 30,000 returned, with many killed on the spot and more scattering during the retreat.
Gongsun Zan's White Horse Cavalry also suffered some losses, but the most devastating was that the entire logistics train brought by Gongsun Yue was captured by the enemy.
For Gongsun Zan, this feeling was truly terrible. The originally easy-to-bully opponent suddenly tore off the fragile facade, directly pinning him to the ground for a beating. This situation, placed upon anyone, would not be pleasant.
After this battle, Gongsun Zan no longer dared to underestimate the strength of the Yellow Turban Army.
Almost simultaneously with Gongsun Zan's defeat, in Wucheng, Dong Zhuo and Liu Bei's army began to mobilize, preparing to advance towards Ye City, while Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun showed their fangs towards Jiuzhou.
The grand battle had begun, and the curtain was raised...
(End of Chapter)
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