Chapter 142 The First Battle

Wei Yan had already made up his mind. He detached five thousand men and handed them over to Chen Xiang, ordering him to lead them toward Tong Pass, while he himself led the elite forces—primarily composed of the Wei family's private soldiers—rapidly toward Mei Fortress. Wei Yan chose this compromise because one of Chen Xiang's remarks had struck home: the Wei family had poured almost all of its resources, manpower, and wealth into this single campaign. The ten thousand men behind him included five thousand Wei family elite soldiers, representing every single able-bodied man capable of bearing arms from the Wei family estates, down to the artisans from the various workshops. To equip these five thousand men with weapons, armor, and rations, Madam Zhang had even pawned her own dowry.

It could be said that the Wei family was putting all their eggs in one basket this time. Victory would mean a manifold return, but defeat meant utter destruction.

Wei Yan could not afford to lose, yet he was deeply worried about Wei Ba's safety. This led to his decision to divide his forces. Chen Xiang would lead five thousand men ahead to Tong Pass, while he would take the five thousand most elite troops to Mei Fortress to rendezvous with Wei Ba and escort Zhao Yun out of the Baoxie Valley. Without his reinforcement, facing the formidable Wei army arrayed at the valley mouth, Zhao Yun might eventually have broken through, but it would have undoubtedly cost a great deal of time.

What Wei Yan needed most right now was time. Deploying Zhao Yun's ten thousand men ahead of schedule would be of immense help to the overall tactical situation.

This had not been the original plan, but the situation on the battlefield changes in the blink of an eye. How could anyone blindly follow rigid rules and remain inflexible in the face of shifting circumstances? Wei Yan possessed both the strategic vision and the courage to shoulder this responsibility.

The ten thousand elite troops were promptly split into two groups. One group, led by Chen Xiang, marched directly toward Tong Pass. Accompanying them were over a hundred large boats laden with timber. This timber had originally been intended for transport to Chencang, but Wei Ba had intercepted it midway and diverted it to Tong Pass. The defenses of Tong Pass were severely damaged; if it was to be repaired quickly enough to be functional and hold off the impending Cao Wei counteroffensive, this timber was indispensable.

Wei Ba had advised Xiahou Mao to "build high walls," with Tong Pass being the most crucial stronghold among them. However, the fortification of Tong Pass could not be done openly; preparations had to be made in secret.

Wei Yan then led his five thousand men toward Mei Fortress. Hearing from Chen Xiang that a thousand-strong contingent of Wei troops from Tong Pass was not far ahead of them, Wei Yan decided to annihilate this unit first. He would then use their banners and official seals to advance toward Mei Fortress and look for an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.

Scouts soon brought back word that the thousand Wei soldiers were stationed just ahead at Lesser Xiaoyi, only fifty li away. Wei Yan glanced at the sky and ordered a forced march for the entire army.

Many of the Wei family soldiers had previously carried out missions in Guanzhong and were no strangers to its terrain. The map of Guanzhong in Wei Yan's possession was no inferior to the one held by Xiahou Mao; once they arrived in Guanzhong, it was practically no different from being home. Having cast off the five thousand county troops whose physical endurance was slightly inferior, the Wei family elite soldiers could finally unleash their full potential. Guided by the moonlight, they threaded through the mountain forests like nocturnal tigers.

At daybreak, Wei Yan reached the valley west of Lesser Xiaoyi. After inspecting the terrain, he designated ambush points. Once all troops had moved into combat positions, they finally began to rest and eat. At his command, the soldiers sat right in their positions, pulled out dry rations and light wine from behind their backs, and quickly consumed their meal to replenish their strength.

After inspecting the positions, Wei Yan sat down as well. He took two large flatbreads from his ration pouch, took a bite, and couldn't help feeling a pang of heartache when he saw the thick chunk of cured meat sandwiched inside. To prepare the dry rations for this march, Madam Zhang had slaughtered almost every livestock animal on the Wei family estate that could be butchered, utilizing every scrap of edible meat. She had begun hoarding cured meat since the previous winter, and for the sake of this campaign, they hadn't even been allowed to eat their fill during the Lunar New Year. At the time, he had found it a bit strange; only later did he learn that Madam Zhang had salted and preserved the vast majority of the meat. Her purpose was not only to ensure they were well-fed but also to reduce the weight of their rations as much as possible. Pound for pound, carrying meat-filled flatbreads like these could sustain them twice as long as pure wheat cakes alone.

Of course, the cost of doing so was staggering, the most direct manifestation being that the Wei family couldn't find a single shred of meat left anywhere, forcing everyone left behind—including Madam Zhang—to subsist entirely on vegetarian fare.

Despite the tremendous price paid, the results were remarkably evident. Eating these meat-filled flatbreads not only replenished their stamina but also eliminated the need to light fires for cooking, thereby lowering the probability of detection by the enemy. Five thousand men lay concealed within the mountain hollows without a single wisp of smoke or fire; without coming close, it was nearly impossible to spot these warriors hidden in the ravines.

After finishing his breakfast in a few quick bites, many of the soldiers seized the opportunity to take a brief nap, preparing themselves for the impending battle. Wei Yan, however, did not sleep. Concealed behind a massive boulder, he watched the distant imperial highway. A thousand Wei soldiers would soon emerge from there, and the first battle of the Guanzhong campaign was about to begin. Yet, he was not troubled by these thoughts; his primary concern was Wei Ba at Mei Fortress.

From the words relayed by Chen Xiang, Wei Yan had sensed something unusual.

Wei Yan did not know Zhuge Liang's specific arrangements. Ever since his "demotion," he had remained at the Wei family estate, making various preparations for the upcoming surprise attack, which included training the private soldiers and getting them accustomed to new equipment. By the time he was summoned to Mianyang, Zhuge Liang had already made all arrangements, and he had simply followed orders.

He had originally assumed that since Zhuge Liang had adopted his Ziwu Valley plan, the main force should be entering Hanzhong via the Baoxie Valley. Now that only Zhao Yun was in the Baoxie Valley, where was Zhuge Liang? Where was the main Shu army? Could it be, as Wei Ba claimed, that he had gone to Longyou? Was the intelligence gathered by Wei Ba mistaken, or had Zhuge Liang altered his original deployment and made new arrangements without having time to notify him?

Wei Yan did not dwell on it deeply. He was not someone adept at second-guessing people's minds; he cared only about the current battlefield situation. Since Zhuge Liang's main force was not in the Baoxie Valley, the subsequent war in Guanzhong was an entirely different matter. The only personnel available were the two tens of thousands under himself and Zhao Yun.

This was precisely one of the reasons why he insisted on rescuing Zhao Yun first. Without the main force led by Zhuge Liang, the longer Zhao Yun's ten thousand men lingered in the Baoxie Valley, the greater the danger they faced.

"Father, take a rest for a while. I'll keep watch for you," Wei Wu said, walking over with a leather water flask and handing it to Wei Yan.

"I'm fine, I'm not tired." Wei Yan looked at Wei Wu with affection, took the flask, tilted his head back, and took a large gulp. Over the past year, Wei Wu's body had grown rapidly, shooting up considerably until he almost reached his father's shoulder height. His physical endurance, cultivated through martial arts since childhood, was now fully on display. Throughout the ten-day forced march along the Ziwu Valley plank roads, Wei Wu had not uttered a single complaint of hardship. "A-Wu, this is your first time going into battle. Are you scared?"

"Scared of what?" Wei Wu raised an eyebrow, rubbing his hands together. "I've been longing for this day for ages. Father, later on, you have to let me charge at the very front. I want to take plenty of enemy heads so I can win merits and earn a marquisate later on."

"You want to be a marquis too?"

"Of course! Your peerage, Father, will be inherited by Big Brother in the future. Brother and I both have to carve out our own paths. My brains aren't as sharp as Brother's, but my martial arts are better than his, so of course I have to rely on my blade."

"Common soldier's valor." Wei Yan spat disdainfully, raised his hand, and cuffed Wei Wu on the head. "Knowing only how to hack away with a blade—what kind of merit can you earn that way? You need to use your brains more, think more about military formations and troop deployment. That is the proper business of a general. Come here, look at this terrain. If you were in command, how would you deploy your forces?"

Wei Wu rubbed his head, blinking his eyes. "We're studying this right now?"

"Stop talking nonsense! Such a prime opportunity, where else are you going to find it?"

Wei Wu responded with a somewhat dazed expression, stood up from his hiding spot, and cursorily surveyed the terrain of the entire ambush zone. His mind was entirely fixed on taking enemy heads; he had zero inclination to care about terrain, completely unaware of how rare such an opportunity was. In an era where most knowledge had to be passed down within families, how fortunate it was to have a father who was a general teaching him hands-on.

While Wei Wu was struggling with his impromptu lesson, the Wei army coming from Tong Pass finally marched out of Lesser Xiaoyi. Although they knew that Xiahou Mao had mobilized them to Mei Fortress to intercept the Shu army, they were accustomed to lax discipline. As an inner-land garrison post of Cao Wei, Tong Pass had long since lost its wartime tension, and the vast majority of these men had never experienced a major battle. Hearing that there was fighting ahead aroused their curiosity rather than anxiety, and they set off at an unhurried, leisurely pace. The sun was already high in the sky when they finally sauntered out of Lesser Xiaoyi in a slouch.

Even once on the road, they maintained no proper formation. The commanding officer rode his horse, picking his teeth with one hand while swaying back and forth, recalling the services of the camp followers the previous night, humming out-of-tune, lewd ditties. He was too lazy to even cast a glance at the slopes on either side.

In their view, even the Shu forces in the Baoxie Valley were merely feints; what danger could possibly exist here?

This relaxed, bordering-on-hedonistic mindset brought them fatal consequences. As soon as they entered the encirclement, Wei Yan stood up from his hiding place, drew his bow, notched an arrow, and loosed it directly at the swaying Wei officer on horseback.

The arrow left the string, the whistling fletcher on its shaft piercing the wind with a shrill shriek. Amidst this piercing sound, the Wei family elite soldiers sprang up from their hiding spots. Some drew their bows and loosed arrows at pre-selected targets, while others grasped shields and blades, charging down the slope toward the enemy below. Their rapid footfalls kicked up clouds of yellow dust, raising a flurry of golden dragons.

In an instant, arrows fell like rain, and men surged like a tide.

Startled by the sudden eruption of battle cries, the Wei army descended into immediate chaos. The absent-minded Wei officer was struck square by Wei Yan's arrow, screaming as he flipped off his horse. His bodyguards rushed forward, shouting frantically, and scrambled to drag him away and turn tail. Yet, with the formation in utter disarray and panicked soldiers everywhere, there was nowhere to flee in their haste. Ironically, the most accessible route happened to be the nearby Wei River.

"Charge!" Wei Yan lowered his bow, drew his sword, shouted the order, and charged down the slope.

"Charge—" Wei Wu shrieked excitedly, holding a shield in one hand and brandishing his saber with the other. Running wildly, he rushed into the enemy ranks ahead of Wei Yan, raising his blade to hack down a Wei soldier who was holding a spear with both hands. Bursting into the enemy formation, he slaughtered left and right, his roar echoing like thunder.