(PS: The map of the Battle of Changping has been uploaded in the book group album. Those interested can take a look.)
After sending off the members of the Alliance of Mountains and Seas, Ouyang Shuo began to mobilize the army for the final preparations.
The army that was going to battle included Wang Feng's Palace Guard Brigade, Lin Yi's Heavy Cavalry Second Brigade, Luo Shixin's Light Cavalry Fourth Brigade, and Shaobu's Light Cavalry Independent Brigade.
The 1st Division's First Brigade guarded the West Barracks, while the 3rd Brigade guarded the East Barracks. Sun Chuanlin's Crossbow Cavalry Fifth Brigade was transferred to the North Barracks to assist the remaining 500 cavalry of the Independent Brigade in defending the North Barracks.
Of course, Shi Wansui and E Lai, the two generals, had to go with them.
Fortunately, all the divisions were cavalry. Within a day, they had all gathered at the headquarters. In terms of logistics, Ouyang Shuo took 200,000 military ration pills from the Combat Division, enough for the army to use for twenty days. If the warhorses were included, it would only last for less than ten days.
Ouyang Shuo also wanted to bring more military ration pills. Firstly, the storage space was limited, and secondly, the military factory's production was limited. 200,000 military ration pills was the factory's production for a month and a half.
Therefore, unless Qin's logistical support was insufficient, Ouyang Shuo would not use them.
According to the price of 1 silver per military ration pill, 200,000 military ration pills would be 2000 gold coins. Adding on 10000 gold coins for teleportation, Ouyang Shuo had already spent 12000 gold coins before the battle even started. If he couldn't get a good result, it would be a huge loss.
Gaia Year 11, 14th day, 9am, the system announcement rang.
"System Announcement: 262 BC, Qin attacked King Yewang of Han. Yewang surrendered to Qin and Shang Dang fell. Han was in a panic and offered Shang Dang to appease the Qin army. Governor Feng Ting was unwilling to enter Qin and sent an envoy to King Zhao to surrender. King Zhao accepted Shang Dang gladly. The Qin Emperor was furious and ordered the Left Minister Wang Chi to lead an army to attack Shang Dang. Zhao Sui ordered Lian Po to lead reinforcements and they were locked in a stalemate at Changping.
"In the third year, Qin sent Princess Jin to Zhao. In July, the Zhaos changed generals and sent Zhao Kuo to replace Lian Po. Qin secretly promoted the Lord of Martial Peace, Bai Qi, to the position of Great General. Bai Qi took advantage of Zhao Kuo's arrogance and underestimation of the enemy. He adopted a strategy of feigning defeat and retreating, luring the enemy out of their formation, then encircling them and annihilating them. He won the war and killed 200,000 Zhao soldiers who surrendered. The third epic battle, the Battle of Changping, officially begins! "
Ten thousand elite cavalrymen of Shanhai County lined up in the square, ready to set off.
As usual, the requirements to participate in the battle were checked, the number of participants was confirmed, and the faction was chosen.
"System Notice: Congratulations to player Who Has No Clothes for activating the War Teleportation Array. 10000 people have been teleported. 10000 gold has been deducted from player Who Has No Clothes' teleportation fee."
System Notice: Teleportation has begun!
After a short period of dizziness, Ouyang Shuo and the others appeared on the battlefield of Changping.
"System Notification: Welcome to the State of Qin's base camp – Guang Lang City."
In 262 BC, the State of Qin captured Yeonpong, an important city of Han in Hanoi.
Yeonpong was stationed at the exit of Taihang Xing, the second of the Eight Xing Xing. It was an important stronghold to ensure that Han's Shang Dang County entered Hanoi and was connected to the area south of the Yellow River.
After losing Yeonpong, the connection between Shang Dang County and the capital of Han, Xinzheng, was cut off. To Han, the barren land and sparsely populated Shang Dang County was a dead land. Hence, Han decided to trade land for peace and cede Shang Dang County to Qin. However, the governor of Shang Dang County, Feng Ting, gave Shang Dang County to Zhao to continue resisting Qin. This led to the war between Qin and Zhao over Shang Dang, the Battle of Changping.
At that time, the Zhao court had a heated debate on whether to accept Shang Dang. Lord Pingyuan, Zhao Sheng, believed that Zhao could occupy Shang Dang without sacrificing a single soldier, and agreed to accept it. Lord Pingyang, Zhao Bao, believed that Qin and Zhao's overall national strength was far greater than Zhao's, so he strongly opposed accepting Shang Dang and Qin.
Zhao Kuo, on the other hand, came to the conclusion that Zhao had to accept Shang Dang.
This was because if Qin obtained Shang Dang County of Han and occupied Hu Guan, they could attack Zhao's capital, Handan, directly if they attacked Shang Dang.
Because of this, Shang Dang was of little value to Han, but to Zhao, it was a matter of life and death. On the surface, Qin attacking Shang Dang was a battle with Han, but in actual fact, it was to prepare for their next attack on Zhao. Hence, regardless of whether they accepted it or not, there would definitely be a battle between Zhao and Qin. If they accepted Shang Dang, Zhao would be able to gain the initiative and prepare for battle. This was a wise move.
In 262 BC, the famous general of Zhao, Lian Po, led the Zhao army to accept Shang Dang. At the same time, he set up defenses around Changping to stop the Qin army. Lian Po chose to set up defenses around Changping due to the geographical conditions.
Firstly, Changping was a strategic location in the entire Shang Dang area with many advantageous military and geographical conditions. The area was mainly hilly, followed by mountainous areas and finally flat plains. The main river was the Dan River, which had five main tributaries: Xu River, Dong Cang River, Xiao Dong Cang River, Dong Da River and Yong Lu River. They formed a network throughout the area and were rich in groundwater.
With such a geographical environment, the mountainous areas were dangerous, especially in the west and north where there were forts such as Gao Pass, Changping Pass and Old Pass that could be defended. As the saying goes, 'one man can hold the pass against ten thousand'. The hills were not a hindrance to the movement of the troops but could be used for covert operations. The river valleys and flat plains were ideal for the movement of large troops and the transportation of supplies. All these were advantageous to the main army and disadvantageous to the guest army.
Secondly, whether it is Qin attacking Shangdang or Handan, there are only two strategic routes in the mountains that they can take, namely the western route through Black Ridge and Old Horse Ridge, or the southern route through Yangchang Ban and Tianjing Pass. Changping is a strategic shortcut, and it is also a route that they have no other choice but to take. That is to say, as long as Lian Po had a strong army to defend Changping, the Qin army would not be able to sneak past Shang Dang and get close to Handan.
The Zhao army headed west from the capital, Handan, past the fourth of the 'Eight Xing of Taihang', Fukou Xing, then west past Hukou Pass and entered the hinterland of Shang Dang. From there they turned southwest and followed the Ba Jian River, past Ba Yi Village, past Old Pass and entered Changping. They then followed the Xiao Dong Cang River valley and passed Jinmen Town to Xuan.
Xuan was situated in the middle of the Dan River, where the Dan River and Xiao Dong Cang River converged. The terrain was relatively low and humid, open and flat. The two sides of the river were separated by about ten kilometers of open land. Although there were many hills in the middle, it did not hinder movement. Instead, it was dangerous. One could follow the riverbed of the Dan River to the southeast, or follow the riverbed of the Dan River to the northwest, or follow the riverbed of the Yuan Village and Ma Village to the southwest.
After Lian Po entered Changping, he set up the following 3 lines of defence.
First, the Old Horse Ridge defence line. In the middle of the Old Horse Ridge was a huge mountain pass, commonly known as Gao Ping Pass. There was a steep cliff on the left and a steep stream on the right. There was only one line in the middle to connect the east and west. The mountain pass was 350 metres long from east to west and 1000 metres wide from north to south. There were river valleys to the west and east of the mountain. The Duanshi River's tributary, Yuxi River, went west. Although the Guan East was supported by Haoshan Mountain, there were two tributaries of the Dan River, Ma Village River and Yuan Village River to the east. The river valleys were good for travel and it was another important military hub between Shang Dang and Hedong.
After Lian Po set up defenses on the Old Horse Ridge, he built two cities at the riverbed intersection of the South Horse Village River and the North Horse Village River in the Haoshan Pass. They were the reinforcements for the Old Horse Ridge outpost and formed a triangular formation. The two cities were backed by mountains and faced rivers. They were a well-fortified area and could be heavily fortified to reinforce Gao Ping Pass at any time.
Er Lian City followed the Ma Cun River and the Yuan Cun River to the east. At the confluence of the two rivers was Kangying Village, south of the village was the Xu River, south of the village was the Northern Ridge Mountain, west of the village was the confluence of the Ma Cun River and the Yuan Cun River, west of which was the Wolf Mountain. This village could be said to be surrounded by mountains and three rivers, forming a closed geographical environment. At the same time, the three river valleys curved outwards, forming a typical military hub that could be advanced or retreated, easy to defend and hard to attack.
Kang Ying was' Guang Lang City '. It was originally an important backup and supply base for Zhao's Xuan Family and Da Liang Mountain to defend the Old Horse Ridge. Later, it was captured by Qin's Left Minister Wang Qi and became the base for the Qin army to advance east.
The Guang Lang City that Ouyang Shuo and the rest landed in was here.
Let's not talk about this for now. Let's first introduce the other two defence lines that Lian Po set up.
Second, the Dan River defence line. The Dan River originates from the Danzhu Ridge of the Changzi Mountain in Gaoping and flows southeast, from the center of Gaoping through the entire territory, through Jincheng in the south, and finally into the Yellow River in Henan. The valley is deep and the flow is large. The terrain along the coast is open, making it convenient for large troops to move.
Lian Po made use of this natural barrier to build a second defence line on the east bank of the Dan River. This was the main defence line of the Zhao army. This defence line started from the Xuan Family's Zhao village and Da Liang Mountain on the east bank of the Dan River to Gaoping and Jincheng's Upper and Lower Chenggong Village. From the Xuan Family's Northwest along the east bank of the Dan River were Dianshang, Qijia Courtyard, Wei Cheng, Shimen, Arrow Head, Three Armies, Mount Han Wang, Yong Lu, Changping, Diao Shan, Water Severing and Danzhu Ridge.
Da Liang Mountain was where Lian Po stored his grain. From the north, there was Guanjia Ridge and Seven Buddha Mountain. The three mountains were connected and formed one mountain. This mountain was the tallest among the mountains in Gaoping. To the northeast, one could see the Old Pass. To the southwest, one could see the Old Horse Ridge. To the north was Mount Han Wang, one was south and one was north. From a high vantage point, they formed the two eyes of the Zhao army's defence line. They could easily control the situation of the enemy and the enemy on the east and west.
From a military geographical point of view, such a situation was extremely advantageous. It was especially important in cold weapons battles and ancient wars without modern means of communication. At the foot of the mountain, there was the Xiao Dong Cang River valley on the left and the Dong Cang River valley on the right. They were parallel to the northeast and pointed towards Handan. They could maintain close communication with the rear and ensure the supply of grain.
Lian Po's Shogunate was located at Da Liang Mountain.
Mount Han Wang was located seventy-five kilometers north of Gaoping. It was the watershed of the Dan River, the Little Eastern Cang River, and the Yong Lu River. This mountain towered into the clouds. If one climbed up and gazed into the distance, they would be able to see the plains, villages, and sceneries on both sides of the Dan River.
To the west of Mount Han Wang was the General Ridge. It was almost as tall as the main mountain. From the top, one could see the entire Dan River. Just like how Daliang Mountain was set up for Lian Po during the Three Years War, Han Wang Mountain was set up for General Zhao Kuo during the final battle, and the line from the west of Han Wang Mountain to the Dan River was the main battlefield of the final battle, which was also the central area where the Zhao army was finally surrounded.
Chang Ping Pass was located at the border between Gaoping and Changzi. To the north of the pass was the source of the Zhuozhang River. To the south of the pass was the Dan River. To the east and west of the pass were mountains. The west mountain was Danzhu Ridge, the highest peak in the area. The north slope of Chang Ping Pass was relatively flat while the south slope was steep. From the south, one could look down from a high vantage point.
Chang Ping Pass was the northern terminus of Lian Po's second line of defense. It was to defend against the Qin army from the east or north.
Third, the Hundred Mile Stone Wall line of defense. This line of defense was in the north-west and south-east direction, mainly from east to west. This line of defense started from Chang Ping Pass in the west and extended from Nangong Mountain to Yangtou Mountain, then from Golden Spring Mountain to Saddle Ravine at the border between Lingchuan and Hu Pass. It was named so because of the simple Hundred Mile Stone Wall that was built along the mountain.
If Old Horse Ridge was Zhao's defensive outpost and the Dan River was the main position, then the Hundred Mile Stone Wall was Zhao's rear. This line of defense was built by Lian Po at the northeast, which was the deepest part of Zhao's rear. It was also the last line of defense that concerned the safety of Shangdang and even their headquarters in Handan.
During the spring and summer of 262 BC, Lian Po set up a defense at Old Horse Ridge while Wang Ci led his army along the Qin River to prepare for an assault. The Zhao army at Old Horse Ridge met with the Qin outpost. The defenders could not hold on and the Qin army pressed forward.
Wang Ci broke through Zhao's natural stronghold of Old Horse Ridge and its defense, taking over its support and supply base – the Four Mountains Ring Defense and the Three Rivers Confluence Fortress, Guang Lang City. The obstacles on the east side of the Dan River were all swept away and they reached the west bank of the Dan River in one go, forming a situation where they were facing off against Zhao across the river.
During the encounter, Lian Po understood the Qin army's combat power and could not fight them head on. Perhaps he could conserve his strength and wait for an opportunity to attack. Without organizing any resistance, he retreated to the east bank of the Dan River along the mountains and defended the favorable terrain. Relying on the Dan River, he used all his strength to strengthen the Dan River line of defense.
At this point, Lian Po waited for the Qin army. The Qin army challenged him several times but the Zhao army did not come out. Just like this, he made full use of the favorable terrain that he occupied and defended his position. Using the principle of not changing, he persisted for several years. The powerful and eager Wang Ci was at his wits' end and could not cross the Dan River.
The battle was in a stalemate with no clear winner or loser.
The Qin army came from afar and had a hard time resupplying their rations. They were also known as the 'Country of Tigers and Wolves' due to their bloodthirsty nature. In the Shangdang, they could be said to be an unjust cause with little support. The Zhao army was at ease waiting for the exhausted. Their supplies could come in time and they had the full support and cooperation of the Shangdang's officials and people. This determined that the Qin army was good for a quick battle while the Zhao army was good for a drawn-out battle.
The battle situation could not stay at the same level for long. It could either continue to develop according to Lian Po's strategy and counterattack to defeat or destroy the Qin army, or it could be that the Zhao court was hindering them or the Qin court's countermeasure would cause the situation to develop in the opposite direction.
The result was that King Xiaocheng of Zhao, who was young and impatient and had little military knowledge, used Lian Po's strategy of waiting for the exhausted to attack the enemy as' not daring to fight '.
The King of Zhao thought that he would give in and Prime Minister Fan Ju of Qin ordered the Jin to rebel against Zhao so that Zhao Kuo could replace Lian Po to attack Qin. At the same time, the Qin heard that Ma Fuzi would be the Lord of Martial Peace, Bai Qi, as the Great General and Wang Ci as the Lieutenant General. Those who dared to leak information about the Lord of Martial Peace would be executed. From then on, the three-year stalemate between the weak Zhao and the strong Qin was finally broken. The battle situation was in Qin's favor and not Zhao's.
When Ouyang Shuo arrived at Radiant Wolf City, he did not know how far Gaia had extrapolated the war to. Would it be at the stage where Lian Po and Wang Bei faced off against each other for three years, or would it be the final battle between Bai Qi and Zhao Kuo? (To be continued.)
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