Chapter 120: The Strategy of Dividing the Spoils

Xiao Ding had killed two Hu generals, and his reputation suddenly soared; almost everyone in the entire army knew the name Tian Xiao Ding.

Xiao Ding had not expected to become an overnight Internet celebrity—or rather, a "military celebrity."

When the remnants of the Hu army retreated to Tuhe Town, they reported the situation truthfully to Li Daocheng. Upon hearing that his two great generals, Wanniba and Fang Choupi, had been slain, Li Daocheng was struck with a fit of rage. That a renowned general of the Great Xia Empire should be killed by an unknown nobody was a humiliation of the highest order.

"Tian Xiao Ding, I will kill you to avenge my two generals!" Li Daocheng gritted his teeth.

"Your Highness, do not be impulsive," interjected Mao Yanshun, the strategist sitting nearby. "With over twenty thousand troops now garrisoned in Pubian City, there is no longer any need for us to capture it."

"Then how should we deploy our troops next?" Li Daocheng, too furious to think, simply asked Mao Yanshun for a plan.

"According to our scouts, the Great Song Empire has only sent fifty thousand troops in total, and they are currently divided between two cities. We can adopt a strategy of dividing and conquering them one by one," Mao Yanshun said confidently.

"How do we divide and conquer? Do you want me to split the army into two to attack Dingbian and Pubian?" Li Daocheng asked, looking up.

"No, no! The Song imperial troops are concentrated in Dingbian and Pubian. We don't need to clash with them head-on. Song soldiers excel at city defense; even if we committed our entire army, we might not take the cities quickly and could suffer heavy losses," Mao Yanshun analyzed.

"If we don't attack those two cities, where do we strike?" Li Daocheng asked, puzzled.

"To the southwest of Dingbian County lies Xinquan County, which is currently undefended. We can send troops to attack it. If Dingbian splits its forces to provide rescue, then attacking Dingbian will become much easier. If they do not send reinforcements, we will simply seize Xinquan County and then bypass Dingbian to march directly on Yongzhou City," Mao Yanshun explained, pointing at a military map.

"And if they send the garrison from Pubian to rescue Xinquan?" Li Daocheng asked.

"If they split the Pubian garrison to rescue Xinquan, we will send another detachment to attack Pubian. Once we take that city, we can still bypass Dingbian and march on Yongzhou," replied Mao Yanshun.

"Strategist, this 'divide and devour' strategy is brilliant! Forcing them to scatter their main force and then picking them off one by one!" Li Daocheng said with admiration.

Following this plan, Li Daocheng redistributed his forces. He dispatched the famous Great Xia generals Chibu Gou and Wona Fei with twenty thousand men to attack Xinquan County. He sent generals Yeli Ertai and Yeli Laowen with ten thousand men to Dingbian to support Balatian’s siege, and commissioned generals Zhang Yuanpu and Zhang Wangrong with twenty thousand men to monitor Pubian City, with orders to attack as soon as the garrison moved to rescue Xinquan. With these orders issued, Li Daocheng felt triumphant, believing that once this plan succeeded, he could lead his main force straight to Yongzhou.

***

In Dingbian City, Huang Wenlong commanded his troops in resisting wave after wave of fierce Hu assaults. The fighting lasted until the small hours of the morning before Balatian ordered a retreat to rest. At the foot of the city walls, corpses were piled high—both Hu and imperial soldiers. In this battle, the Hu had lost over three thousand men, while the imperial army lost about two thousand. The old saying, "a thousand enemies lost is eight hundred of one's own," held true.

There were still over twenty thousand imperial troops in Dingbian. Fortunately, Balatian had concentrated his firepower only on the northern side; had he attacked from all four sides, the casualties would have been even greater. However, Huang Wenlong received some good news: the cavalry reinforcements led by Jin Xi had successfully rescued the two thousand men taken by Commander Wei. While there were losses, it was better than total annihilation, and the fact that two great Xia generals had been slain was a surprising windfall.

But before he could celebrate, a scout reported that Li Daocheng had sent Chibu Gou and Wona Fei with twenty thousand troops toward Xinquan County. Huang Wenlong immediately developed a splitting headache. He understood the Hu strategy: they knew he lacked sufficient manpower and were attacking separately. If he split his forces to rescue, he risked being picked off one by one; if he didn't, he would have to watch Xinquan fall. Furthermore, he realized the Hu were likely to bypass Dingbian and strike directly at Yongzhou.

Caught in a dilemma, Huang Wenlong could not find a perfect solution. He had no choice but to send an urgent dispatch to Feiwu, the Governor of Yongzhou, requesting reinforcements. He also sent word to Pubian, ordering Jin Xi to dispatch five thousand men to aid Xinquan, while simultaneously pulling five thousand men from his own garrison in Dingbian to reinforce the county.

In Pubian City, Jin Xi received the order at dawn the next day. Lacking a seasoned field general, he remembered Xiao Ding’s heroism the previous night and appointed him to lead the five thousand men to Xinquan. Xiao Ding requested cavalry to ensure speed, fearing that if they arrived too late, Xinquan would be lost. Jin Xi agreed, handing over all the cavalry under his command to Xiao Ding.

As soon as Xiao Ding led his troops out of the city, Zhang Yuanpu and Zhang Wangrong received the news. They shouted, "Attack the city!" and launched their twenty thousand men against Pubian.

***

Xiao Ding and his cavalry rode for a day and a night before reaching the vicinity of Xinquan County. A scout reported, "General Tian, we have discovered an encampment ten miles ahead. It appears to be a Hu camp. Should we take a detour to enter the city?"

Having become a "military celebrity," Xiao Ding was known by all, and though he held no official rank, the soldiers respectfully addressed him as "General Tian."

"Is the battle for Xinquan ongoing?" Xiao Ding asked.

"No fighting yet, but the reinforcements from Dingbian seem to have already entered the city," the scout replied.

"Since the enemy camp is ahead, I suspect they have only just set up and haven't had time to launch a siege. Why don't we catch them off guard and charge them? Do you have the guts to join me?" Xiao Ding shouted.

"We are willing to follow General Tian!" the soldiers roared.

"Good! Then follow me and let's give them hell! Let's drive these Hu back to their ancestors!" Xiao Ding yelled.

"Drive them back to their ancestors!" the soldiers shouted in unison.

Seeing the morale was high, Xiao Ding brandished his spear and charged forward, with the main force thundering closely behind him.