Chapter 452: The Battle of Whirlpool Mouth (1)

Whirlpool Mouth, Jing Mountain Stockade.

Originally it was just a land stockade built by Zhao Kuangyin for forward observation. After the fighting began, he added two water stockades backed against the land stockade, mooring thirty warships and stationing fifteen hundred naval troops, coordinating with Zhao Kuangyin's militia troops to defend Whirlpool Mouth against the Hao Prefecture forces.

In fact, Wang Jun's original arrangement was not without purpose, and as the war developed, it now revealed his foresight. Ever since word came from Hao Prefecture of the Tang army's advance, the entire Han army's alert level at Whirlpool Mouth had been raised another notch. Even when the Tang army marched west and approached the Han stockades, there was no sign of panic.

On the southern bank of the Huai River, a small group of riders galloped up and entered the southern water stockade of the Han army. The young officer leading them was none other than Dang Jin, Commander of the Second Army of Su Prefecture.

Returning to the military stockade, Dang Jin immediately asked the men inside urgently: "Where has the Militia Commissioner gone?"

"The Governor has gone to Tu Mountain again!"

Dang Jin had personally led men to scout the Tang army's situation at Hao Prefecture. Hearing this, he immediately turned southeast and headed for Tu Mountain. He had not ridden a few li when he ran right into Zhao Kuangyin, who was returning from studying the terrain.

"My dear Governor Zhao, the Tang army's swords are practically at our throats, and you're still out surveying the terrain of your Tu Mountain!" Riding back side by side with Zhao Kuangyin, Dang Jin, blunt and outspoken, could not help saying.

This northern man, with his rough features carrying a hint of grievance, actually amused Zhao Kuangyin: "The military stockade is already prepared for defense, so there is no immediate worry. The Tang army has marched a hundred li to get here; even with carts and boats, the soldiers' fatigue is unavoidable. With our army prepared, even if they have superior numbers, they would not dare launch a rash attack!"

Seeing Zhao Kuangyin's confident demeanor, Dang Jin chuckled and said: "When it comes to anticipating the enemy, there are probably few in the Great Han army who can surpass you! The Tang army has set up camp in the deep-water area ten li away!"

Back at the military camp, Zhao Kuangyin spread out a map of the surrounding area and, together with Dang Jin, gnawed on hard coarse flatbread while drinking hot water, pondering.

"Brother Zhao, you're not really planning to wipe out this Tang army in one stroke, are you?" Zhao Kuangyin had previously revealed a bit of his thinking, and Dang Jin could not help asking.

"Why not?" Zhao Kuangyin looked up, wiped a crumb from the corner of his mouth into it, and smiled faintly.

Dang Jin immediately said: "We only have two thousand troops in hand. That thousand or so naval soldiers, facing the Hao Prefecture navy, would be lucky to hold the water stockade and pontoon bridge. The Hao Prefecture infantry numbers roughly five to six thousand, three times our strength—how can we annihilate them?"

Because Su Prefecture needed to retain garrison troops, fewer than two thousand militia had been brought by Zhao Kuangyin to the front line at Whirlpool Mouth, coordinating with the navy for defense.

"Good analysis!" Hearing this, Zhao Kuangyin smiled, then turned serious: "Precisely because the Huai bandits are strong and the navy is not up to the task, we cannot allow them to attack freely. Otherwise, with only our meager strength, holding the line will not be easy. Even if we manage to hold by the skin of our teeth, our soldiers' losses will certainly be considerable."

"Now to the south, Tang reinforcements are advancing on two routes, and a major battle is likely to erupt. We are ordered to hold Whirlpool Mouth, and we absolutely must not let the Hao and Si Prefecture forces affect the battle at Shouzhou! Therefore, I have already considered the matter thoroughly—rather than defending passively, we should take the initiative and strike!"

Hearing Zhao Kuangyin say this, Dang Jin's interest was also piqued: "Tonight, I'll first lead a hundred riders to raid their camp and harass the enemy?"

Zhao Kuangyin looked at Dang Jin, saw his eagerness and the complete absence of fear in his expression, pondered briefly, and replied: "Fine! Later, you and the hundred riders sleep first. Go at midnight. Remember, only harass them—keep them from getting any peace! The purpose of the raid is to exhaust them, provoke them, anger them!"

Seeing Dang Jin nod, Zhao Kuangyin then laid out his full plan: "Tonight we harass them for half the night. Tomorrow I'll lead five hundred troops to challenge them, feign defeat, and lure them to Tu Mountain. You lead the remaining troops to set an ambush between the two passes of Tu Mountain, and we'll annihilate them!"

After hearing this, Dang Jin was a bit stunned: "That simple?"

"Compared to you leading troops in a charge, it's not much more complicated!" Zhao Kuangyin laughed heartily: "Though the scheme is simple, it works if it's useful!"

Throughout the history of warfare, tactics have always varied with the men and the circumstances. Hearing Zhao Kuangyin's words, he clearly already had some insight. Though the plan was simple, it depended on who was executing it and who the enemy was.

Perhaps infected by Zhao Kuangyin's confidence, Dang Jin gritted his teeth and slapped his thigh hard: "Let's do it! The Tang army on land is only a few thousand men—we'll destroy them in one battle. Let Commander Wang see what you and I can do, and see the strength of our Su Prefecture army!"

When Dang Jin said this, his expression still carried a hint of resentment. When the great army had first marched south to campaign against Huainan, Zhao Kuangyin and Dang Jin had tried to request the Su Prefecture militia as the vanguard. The result, as Zhao Kuangyin had guessed, was a direct refusal, and Wang Jun's attitude was very poor—contemptuous would be the word.

Zhao Kuangyin had a good mentality and deep scheming, remaining composed and diligently carrying out military orders. Dang Jin was different—he felt wronged and deeply indignant. Young men, after all, have hot tempers.

Hearing his words, Zhao Kuangyin patted his shoulder and said seriously: "After this battle, there will be no one in all of Huainan who does not know the names of you and me!"

The idea of setting an ambush at Tu Mountain had been circling in Zhao Kuangyin's mind for a long time, and he had also conducted a detailed investigation of the Hao Prefecture Tang army's main general Guo Tingwei and Army Supervisor He Yanxi. Guo Tingwei governed his troops well, had strategic ability, and was not easy to deal with.

But that Army Supervisor He Yanxi was proud by nature, stubborn and self-opinionated, and quick to anger. This character flaw was worth exploiting. And although Zhao Kuangyin had made some name for himself along the Huai region in recent years, he ultimately had no substantial battle achievements to show off, and he feared he would not be taken seriously by Guo Tingwei and He Yanxi.

It was precisely by weighing all these factors that Zhao Kuangyin had made up his mind to fight a battle at Tu Mountain.

Of course, a plan was ultimately just a plan—whether it could succeed depended on the actual execution. If the Hao Prefecture Tang army did not take the bait, then Zhao Kuangyin could only defend to the death and look for another opportunity. This point, Zhao Kuangyin had also considered in his heart.

That very night, Dang Jin staged a tale of "Gan Ning's hundred riders raiding Cao's camp" on the north bank of the Huai River—except this time, it was the Tang camp that suffered.

Being a temporary camp, the Hao Prefecture Tang army's stockade was not particularly sturdy to begin with. And although Tang Hao Prefecture Militia Commissioner Guo Tingwei had made arrangements to guard against a Han night raid, he never imagined the Han army would dare to charge his camp with a mere hundred riders. Add to that the Tang army's general lack of means to counter cavalry raids, and the cover of darkness.

The result was that Dang Jin achieved merit in a single battle. Leading a hundred riders, he entered the Tang camp from the west and exited south, entered from the east and exited south, entered from the south and exited west—three entries and three exits. The vast Tang camp was truly poked full of holes by Dang Jin and his men.

Being so humiliated by such a small Han force, Hao Prefecture's main general Guo Tingwei was furious, but he still patiently gathered the scattered troops and reorganized the camp. But Army Supervisor He Yanxi could not bear the insult—even though it was the middle of the night, he led troops in pursuit for three li, though he failed to catch them...

When Dang Jin returned with his light cavalry, Zhao Kuangyin was overjoyed. He heavily patted his shoulder several times, loudly praised his bravery, and personally welcomed him and the armored riders who had gone into battle into the camp.

He was in high spirits, and by his own account, the raid had been thoroughly satisfying. According to the tally, of the hundred riders, seventeen had been lost, leaving only eighty-three who returned, nearly all of them wounded.

As for the results, although there was no detailed tally, according to Dang Jin, the raid had directly killed or wounded over two hundred Tang soldiers. Of course, the casualties were only a small part of the achievement—the impact on the Tang army's morale, fighting spirit, and physical stamina was what mattered most.

And upon learning of the Tang army's reaction, Zhao Kuangyin gained even more confidence in his plan.

Early the next morning, Zhao Kuangyin announced the results of the night raid to the entire army, greatly boosting morale. Then, after instructing the naval Commander Zhang to hold the water stockade firmly, he took advantage of the dim morning light to personally lead the Su Prefecture militia to Tu Mountain to arrange the ambush.

Dang Jin had wanted to go to the Tang camp to challenge and lure the enemy in Zhao Kuangyin's place, but Zhao Kuangyin refused, telling him only to wait at the ambush site and rest, recovering the strength consumed by last night's raid.

As for Zhao Kuangyin, he personally led five hundred troops, using the dim morning light, and rode ten li toward the Tang camp. Hiding in the wilderness two li southwest of their camp, he looked into the distance. The sky was already fully bright, but the Tang camp was still completely silent.

"Governor, the Tang army is probably still deep in dreams after last night's disturbance! Let's attack!" The battalion commander beside Zhao Kuangyin could not help suggesting.

Zhao Kuangyin turned to look at him and saw his face full of excitement. Clearly, last night's feat of a hundred riders raiding the camp had greatly boosted the soldiers' confidence—five hundred men charging an enemy camp ten times their number, and they weren't afraid. Though it seemed reckless, the army's spirit was usable.

But at this moment, Zhao Kuangyin showed no emotion at all. He only waved his hand coldly: "No rush! The soldiers have ridden ten li and need rest. Pass the order—everyone stays hidden where they are, rests, and eats! No one is to make any sound that might alert the enemy. Violators will be executed!"

"Yes!"

This battalion commander had trained with Zhao Kuangyin for several years and knew his temperament well. When this young Governor Zhao got ruthless, he showed no mercy. He immediately went to pass the order.

After waiting nearly half a shichen, the Tang camp finally showed signs of activity, and the smell of cooking fires gradually rose. When he saw wisps of cooking smoke rising from all parts of the Tang camp, Zhao Kuangyin, who had been leaning against a pile of dried grass, immediately sat up. Gazing into the distance and observing for a moment, he suddenly stood and shouted: "Pass the order—raise the banners high, advance to the front of the Tang camp, and form up to challenge them!"

"Yes!" The Han soldiers, now fed and mostly recovered, immediately rose to receive the order.