Chapter 798: Urgent Rout on the Mountain Plank Road

In the early autumn season, it was still somewhat hot, and the mountain roads of Sichuan were high and perilous, but the fierce mountain winds were enough to make one feel the chill of autumn. North of Lizhou, along two hundred li of mountain roads, plank roads were built high, opening a thoroughfare through the dangers.

The waters of the Jialing River, blocked by rocky cliffs, wound their way southward in twists and turns. Amid the towering ridges, a sense of emptiness prevailed, making the sound of water striking stone all the more distinct. On a stretch of plank road to the right of the river, military banners stood tall—they were Shu banners. Three thousand Shu soldiers were marching with heads down, and because of the road conditions, the column was stretched out extremely long.

At the front of the army flew the commander's banner, bearing the character "Wang." This force had been ordered north by Zhao Chongtao, the Northern Expedition Recruiter of Shu and Military Governor of Lizhou, to reinforce Sanquan Pass. According to military reports from Sanquan, the attacking Han army numbered only a few thousand men under Wang Renshan of Hanzhong. With Sanquan's defenses, and with the Later Shu "great general" Li Jin stationed there, it should be enough to hold.

But having fought the Han army before, having experienced the great Han-Shu war three years prior, he knew well the might of the Han army. And the Han general Wang Renshan had built his reputation and fame on the piled bones of Shu soldiers. Therefore, without much hesitation, Zhao Chongtao decided to strengthen Sanquan's defenses and sent the army supervisor Wang Shenchao north in person.

Since the founding of the Northern Han, in the ten years of Han-Shu conflict, they had lost battle after battle, suffering heavy casualties, and the morale of the army had long been shattered. Most of the Shu officers and soldiers had actually developed a phobia of the Han. Including Zhao Chongtao himself—this man's loyalty to the Later Shu was beyond doubt, but his fear and dread of the Han was equally genuine.

This sudden attack by the Northern Han still caught the Shu army somewhat off guard. Because the Han-Shu peace agreement stipulated that the Shu army could only station five thousand troops within Lizhou's borders, constrained by the Northern Han's overbearing might and also to shorten the distance for transporting military grain north and reduce the pressure of supply, they had fairly faithfully fulfilled the treaty. The Shu army's fifty thousand men in the north were mainly stationed along the Jianmen and Jiameng line.

Of course, when it came to national security and border defense, the Shu army wouldn't truly be that "honest." Over the past three years, along the Lizhou road, they had built several defensive military stockades to cut off the Sichuan route, repaired and reinforced city walls, and stockpiled weapons, equipment, and grain.

Once the Han army had set out, besides dispatching troops to reinforce Sanquan Pass, they also hurriedly sent soldiers to garrison the various stockades and strengthen defensive preparations.

As for Wang Shenchao's force, upon receiving the urgent message, they decisively organized their troops and supplies, and marched north from Mian'gu in Lizhou, covering fifty li per day. After three days, they finally approached Sanquan.

By this time, a full five days had passed since the Han army had attacked the pass. Throughout the northward march, military reports from the north kept arriving, which could be summed up in one sentence: the Han army was attacking the city with increasing urgency, the pass defenses were in peril, and reinforcements were urgently needed.

Thus, Zhao Chongtao's decision to send troops seemed prescient. And Wang Shenchao, sensing the urgency of the situation in the north along the way, couldn't help but feel anxious, constantly urging the soldiers to hurry—otherwise, the march would have been even slower.

"Army Supervisor, the soldiers have been marching for days on end and are extremely exhausted. Let's rest a while!" Standing by the plank road, watching the Shu soldiers pass by one after another, a Commander walked up and suggested to Wang Shenchao.

"The fighting at Sanquan is fierce. We can afford to rest, but I'm afraid Li Jin can't afford to wait!" Wang Shenchao said somewhat helplessly. "Sanquan is the first major pass for the Han army entering Sichuan, so they will certainly attack with full force. I have been ordered to provide support and cannot afford to delay."

"But marching like this, with the troops weary and morale low, even if we reach Sanquan, the soldiers won't be able to throw themselves into battle!" the Commander said.

Hearing this, Wang Shenchao's expression turned serious and resolute: "We still cannot delay. If Sanquan Pass falls, our army's position will be severely constricted. And once we stop, who knows how much time will be wasted!"

"Pass the order to all battalions: no slackening, violators will be dealt with by military law!" Wang Shenchao said, then paused and added: "We are less than forty li from Sanquan here. Let the soldiers hold on a little longer—they can rest once we reach the pass city!"

No sooner had the order been given than a junior officer from the vanguard battalion rode back in haste, his expression urgent, and reported: "Army Supervisor, there's unusual activity ahead!"

Seeing this, his expression shifted slightly. Wang Shenchao immediately ordered the entire army to halt and stand on guard, then led the central army guards and rushed forward. In the middle of the plank road, the vanguard Shu soldiers, forgetting their exhaustion, raised their shields, leveled their spears, drew their bows, and stared northward on alert.

The commotion ahead was obvious—chaotic and noisy. When faint cries of battle began to emerge, the atmosphere suddenly grew tense. Before long, a column appeared in view, their figures panicked and bedraggled, with no banners to identify them, but judging by their armor and uniforms, they were clearly Shu troops. Seeing this, Wang Shenchao's heart skipped a beat—by the looks of it, something had clearly gone wrong at Sanquan Pass.

Although they were friendly forces, one couldn't relax around a bunch of routed soldiers. When they drew near, he shouted for them to halt. But the defeated troops paid no heed—seeing reinforcements, those fleeing in front couldn't help but show joy on their faces, and ignoring the shouts, they charged straight toward Wang Shenchao's position.

Without a moment's hesitation, he ordered a volley of arrows. The dozen or so Shu soldiers at the very front immediately collapsed to the ground, which finally calmed the rest down, and they dared not approach recklessly.

After some jostling and pushing, a Shu general emerged from the defeated ranks, advancing with a few soldiers. The newcomer was Liu Tingzuo, the army supervisor of Sanquan city, covered in grime and dishevelment. Seeing his condition, Wang Shenchao pulled him aside and asked urgently: "Supervisor Liu, what happened? Sanquan Pass has fallen? Where is General Li?"

Having reached Wang Shenchao's relief force, Liu Tingzuo breathed a sigh of relief, but at the question, his eyes darted evasively. He nodded and said: "The Han soldiers are fierce and unafraid of death. They attacked the city for days on end. Though we fought to the death, in the end we could not hold. General Li was slain by a Han general on the north wall. I had no choice but to gather what routed troops I could and retreat south!"

Speaking, Liu Tingzuo looked at Wang Shenchao and lamented: "If Army Supervisor Wang had arrived just one day earlier, Sanquan could certainly have been held!"

"What do you mean! Are you blaming my army for being late?" Wang Shenchao couldn't help but flare up at his words. "The moment I received your military report, I was ordered to muster troops and march north. We have marched for days without a single moment's delay, and there is not a soldier among us who is not exhausted. You had three thousand men, holding a strategic pass and fortress—you couldn't even hold it for five days?"

Seeing that he had angered Wang Shenchao, Liu Tingzuo's expression shifted slightly, and he hastily explained: "That's not what I meant! Army Supervisor Wang, the Han army is pursuing right on our heels. Let's skip the idle talk and think about how to defend!"

The words were still ringing in the air when the sounds of shouting and killing from the north along the road grew clearer. Clearly, the Han army's pursuit was drawing near. The routed soldiers ahead were piling up, already beginning to stir in agitation, and the relief force's vanguard camp was starting to grow uneasy as well.

Wang Shenchao's expression changed drastically as he suddenly realized the awkwardness and danger of his position. His relief troops were exhausted, strung out along the plank road, with routed soldiers massed in front and pursuers closing in fast. Under such circumstances, without sufficient time, it would be nearly impossible to organize an effective defense.

"Supervisor Liu, I will form a defensive formation here. You go back immediately, organize the routed troops, hold off the Han army, slow their pursuit, and buy me time!" After a brief consideration, Wang Shenchao instructed: "If we just keep fleeing, the Han army will hunt us all down!"

Hearing the order, Liu Tingzuo shook his head repeatedly: "Army Supervisor Wang, the routed troops have lost all formation, and their morale is completely shattered. It's impossible to hold the line and reorganize the army at the same time. How about you clear the road, let the routed troops retreat south first, you hold the line here, and I'll reorganize the troops to the south!"

Hearing this, Wang Shenchao nearly spat in Liu Tingzuo's face, his expression turning very ugly. But at a time like this, he couldn't afford to quibble with him. His eyes flickered, and he immediately said: "Fine! But it cannot be this chaotic and disorderly. Go at once, do a bit of organizing, tell the Sanquan routed troops that I am opening the road and letting them retreat south in an orderly fashion. I'll set up defenses here!"

"Excellent! Army Supervisor Wang is truly a righteous general!" Seeing his agreement, Liu Tingzuo's face lit up with joy, and he clasped his hands in salute.

With that, he turned and went back to organize. As soon as he left, the junior officer beside Wang Shenchao couldn't help but say: "Army Supervisor, defeated troops cannot be used, and weary troops cannot be relied upon! Once we open the road and let the Sanquan routed soldiers pass through, they are bound to disrupt our army and drag us into the abyss of defeat as well!"

"Do you think I don't know that!" Wang Shenchao's face changed, and he said coldly: "Hear my order—the vanguard camp will occupy the plank road. Anyone coming from the north will be shot dead!"

Having said this, he turned to his deputy commander and instructed: "Immediately pass the order to the rear army to slowly retreat and withdraw to Mantian Stockade. You personally take men to the rear end of the plank road, pile up firewood and oil along the way, and prepare to burn the road to block the Han army's advance!"

"Yes!"

On Wang Shenchao's side, he quickly made his decision and arranged the actions. On Liu Tingzuo's side, he returned to the midst of the routed troops and relayed Wang Shenchao's intentions. The defeated soldiers were overjoyed, and within moments, they were shouting as they fled south—showing no intention whatsoever of "getting organized first."

Watching from the south, Wang Shenchao couldn't help but curse loudly. He was still having arrows rushed to the front. Paying no further heed, he directly ordered the archers to loose their arrows, shooting down any living thing that dared come south.

Seeing Wang Shenchao occupying the road and acting this way, Liu Tingzuo finally understood that he had been duped. Facing the merciless arrows of friendly forces, his eyes nearly split with rage as he cursed Wang Shenchao for slaughtering his own men, for being utterly inhuman.

The routed Shu troops who had withdrawn from Sanquan Pass numbered over a thousand. With the relief force blocking them ahead with arrows and the Han army slaughtering them from behind, they completely collapsed.

The Shu soldiers who came into contact with the pursuers, upon hearing the news, simply threw down their weapons and surrendered. But the Han army, not understanding the situation, directly cut them down, showing no intention of accepting surrender. Advancing step by step, every step was bloody, leaving the Sanquan routed troops facing death whether they advanced or retreated.

Under such circumstances, the routed troops were stirred to their last bit of fighting spirit. Led by Liu Tingzuo, they chose to charge directly at Wang Shenchao's blocking position. Their fearless assault threw the temporary vanguard defensive line Wang Shenchao had constructed into chaos...

Wang Shenchao had no choice but to retreat in defeat.