Chapter 411: Summoning the Commander (Data Introduction Chapter)

Although their side's Vermilion Bird is barely qualified as a god‑level commander.

But the Vermilion Bird has always followed Su Ye in the capacity of a general.

The only time she led troops was when she commanded the three thousand Shouting Voice Battalion that Su Ye organized for her.

Now, for a short while, she was temporarily pulled out to command tens of thousands of Cangzhou troops, as well as the heavy infantry legion Halberdiers and the Tiger‑Leopard Cavalry and White‑Mountain Retainers, these two Dao Soldier units.

Su Ye really had no confidence in his heart.

All along, I, Su someone, have always won battles by crushing the enemy's formation with our own.

Then we took it down effortlessly.

Now when have we ever encountered a situation where the enemy's formation quality is somewhat comparable?

This makes Su Ye, who always adheres to a steady path and advocates luxurious crushing‑style warfare, a bit restless.

"Ding! Using 110 summon points to summon, the system will give out five names; the host must remove two, and the system will randomly summon one from the remaining three."

"Summoning in progress, host please wait."

"Ding! First summon: King Kai Ping Chang Yuchun, Commander 98, Martial 104, Intelligence 89, Politics 76!"

Good, a great start.

Under Zhu Yuanzhang, fierce generals were as numerous as clouds, but if we talk about famous generals, Xu Da and Chang Yuchun are foremost.

Xu Da excels in strategy, Chang Yuchun excels in assault.

Xu Da governs his troops well, not disturbing the populace, while Chang Yuchun charges forward and breaks formations, capable of facing a million enemies.

Although their fighting styles differ, they thus complement each other perfectly.

The two often campaigned together, contributing greatly to Zhu Yuanzhang's southern and northern conquests.

In the 27th year of the Zhizheng era, Chang Yuchun was appointed Deputy Commander, together with Grand Commander Xu Da leading 250,000 troops on a northern expedition to chase the Yuan emperor and seize the Central Plains.

The northern expedition of Xu Da and Chang Yuchun was of great significance; the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun, ceded by the Later Jin "Child Emperor" Shi Jingtang to the Khitan Liao, were finally returned to Han hands after 430 years away from the Central Plains.

Yet at the moment of this great victory, a tragedy quietly unfolded: when Chang Yuchun returned to the army and reached Liuhechuan, he suddenly died, aged only forty.

He had served fifteen years in the army, won a hundred battles, never lost, and unexpectedly the Ming's first fierce general fell thus.

Therefore, Chang Yuchun's death was a huge loss for Zhu Yuanzhang; upon hearing the news he was both shocked and grief‑stricken, then buried him with royal rites, and because of his merit in capturing the Yuan capital Dadu, he was posthumously enfeoffed as King Kai Ping.

"Ding! Second summon: Emperor Mingzong of Later Tang Li Siyuan, Commander 96, Martial 98, Intelligence 86, Politics 89!"

Hmm. Li Siyuan, chief of the Thirteen Grand Protectors?

Li Keyong had many adopted sons; those recorded in history number nine, with Li Siyuan foremost, so the populace calls him "Grand Protector".

In the late Tang period, Li Siyuan followed his adoptive father Li Keyong on southern and northern campaigns, achieving great merit in suppressing the Huang Chao rebellion and resisting Zhu Wen, among others.

To reward Li Siyuan, Li Keyong named his five hundred cavalry under him the "Horizontal Charge Troop".

From then on, the Two Rivers region called Li Siyuan "Li Horizontal Charge".

In the series of wars where Later Tang destroyed Later Liang, Li Siyuan also played an extremely crucial role; in the final battle— the surprise attack on Daliang— the commander was precisely Li Siyuan.

This one is also not bad, and he additionally has a special combination— the Thirteen Grand Protectors!

This relates to the fact that the Li clan's undisputed first person in the Five Dynasties is Thirteen Grand Protector Li Cunxiao!

"Ding! Third summon: Governor Luodiao Hulü Guang, Commander 97, Martial 100, Intelligence 88, Politics 81!"

"Governor Luodiao" Hulü Guang, a famous general and military strategist from the Northern Wei to Northern Qi period, son of Chancellor Hulü Jin.

Skilled in horse archery, his martial arts are outstanding; on campaigns beyond the frontier, he vanguard‑breaks the enemy and often gains trophies.

He resisted the Northern Zhou general Daxi Chengxing's attack, participated in the Battle of Luoyang, greatly defeating the Northern Zhou Prince of Qi Yuwen Xian; he participated in the Battle of the Fen River, greatly defeating the Northern Zhou Pillars of State Xin Wei and Wei Xiaokuan; he led troops to attack the Pingyang Dao, capturing Yao Xiang and the garrison of Bai Ting.

He governed his troops strictly, led by example, did not seek private gain, and repeatedly defeated Northern Zhou invasions.

"Ding! Fourth summon: General of the Great Tree Feng Yi, Commander 98, Martial 96, Intelligence 92, Politics 90!"

General of the Great Tree Feng Yi!

In the early Eastern Han, stars of generals gathered.

Feng Yi, as one of the "Twenty‑Eight Generals of the Cloud Terrace", is best known for his modest character.

In fact, whether in conduct or strategy and martial ability, Feng Yi surpasses his peers.

Feng Yi came from a scholarly background, once served as a prefectural clerk, and is versed in the "Zuo Spring and Autumn" and "Sunzi's Art of War".

After pacifying Hebei, he was appointed Commander of Mengjin, garrisoning the armies of Henei and Weijun two commanderies on the river, awaiting an opportunity to attack Luoyang.

Feng Yi employed a divisive strategy to dissolve the Luoyang garrison, timely advising Liu Xiu to take the throne.

Thereafter Feng Yi greatly defeated the Red Eyebrows and Yan Zhen and other separatist forces, stabilizing Guanzhong.

Brave in battle, adept at strategy, strict in troop discipline.

Holding the post of General of the Westward Expedition, he also served as governor of the Three Fu, North Ding, An Ding, and Tian Shui commanderies.

Besides his glorious military achievements, Feng Yi also achieved remarkable results in governing Guanzhong; history records that during his tenure there, "he cherished the people, straightened unjust cases, within three years the imperial parks flourished".

"Ding! Fifth summon: Warring States' Four Great Generals Lian Po, Commander 100, Martial 96, Intelligence 89, Politics 75!"

Lian Po of the Warring States' Four Great Generals, the renowned Zhao general famed across the seven states!

His martial valor is outstanding, his achievements glorious; he once swept 600,000 Yan troops with 130,000 men.

The idioms and stories surrounding him can be called timeless, deeply rooted in the people's hearts.

Although such a great general, famed among the feudal lords, has not yet reached the "birds exhausted, bows stored" stage and could still save Zhao from peril, his later years were quite miserable.

Although Lian Po wholeheartedly served the state with loyal devotion, his blunt attitude made the Zhao king increasingly dislike him.

In 262 BC, the Battle of Changping erupted; initially, Zhao's commander was Lian Po.

At that time, Changping was surrounded on three sides by Qin forces, the situation extremely dire.

Lian Po held his position, avoided battle, and checked the Qin advance.

Originally Lian Po's approach was fine, but because he considered himself blameless, he neglected to explain to the Zhao king, causing the king to grow suspicious.

Moreover, the newly enthroned Zhao king was the son of Zhao Huiwenwang, Zhao Xiaochengwang, who understood Lian Po even less.

Under the Qin army's counter-espionage plot, after King Xiaocheng of Zhao repeatedly urged Lián Páo to send troops several times, he discovered that Lián Páo consistently ignored him, gave no explanation, and offered no response; thus he grew angry, dismissed Lián Páo, and replaced him with Zhao Kuo, who advocated 'armchair strategy'.

As a result, 400,000 Zhao troops were buried alive by Bai Qi, and thereafter Zhao never recovered.

After the Battle of Changping, Lián Páo once disappeared for a period of time.

It was not until 251 BCE, when Yan attacked Zhao, that the 77-year-old Lián Páo once again took to the field; he adopted a tactic of sending a lone force deep into enemy territory to strike straight at the Yan capital, marching over 250 kilometers, and ultimately with a force of 130,000 he routed Yan's 600,000-strong army, captured Yan's Chancellor Li Fu, and forced Yan to cede territory and seek peace.

(End of chapter)