451. Crossing Port Battle

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As orders were rapidly disseminated throughout the camp, the soldiers of Lie Fan's army moved with renewed urgency. Scouts were dispatched to monitor the enemy's movements, and a contingent of elite troops was assembled under the leadership of Taishi Ci and Ji Ling to head toward the crossing port and thwart the approaching forces.

Lie Fan gave Taishi Ci and Ji Ling 75,000 elite soldiers to intercept Zhang He and Gao Lan's men, with Chen Deng and Liu Ba acting as their strategists. Although Chen Deng and Liu Ba were not at Tian Feng's level, they were on par with Xu You, and with the support of Lie Fan's navy, they had more than enough power to execute the mission.

Lie Fan also sent a messenger crow, belonging to Lie Fan whom he had trained personally, to inform Jiang Qin and his naval forces in Beihai. The message urged Jiang Qin to immediately sail toward the crossing port near Puyang to support the interception effort.

Before the sun even let out its morning glow, Taishi Ci and Ji Ling led their forces with a determined pace. The soldiers, elite and well-trained, moved with precision and discipline, their armor glinting faintly in the growing light.

Chen Deng and Liu Ba rode alongside them, discussing strategies and contingencies for the upcoming engagement with Zhang He, Gao Lan, Zhang Yan, Tian Feng, and Xu You's Army.

"Zhang He and Gao Lan will not expect us to be ready," Taishi Ci remarked. "We'll hit them hard and fast, disrupt their crossing, and force them into disarray."

Ji Ling nodded. "Our goal is to prevent their reinforcements from joining Cao Cao. If we succeed, it will give us a significant advantage at Hulao Pass."

Chen Deng on the side gave his insight on how the engagement will happen, "While I agree that the element of surprise was on our side, we are still 45,000 men less than them who send 120,000 men so we still need to be cautious."

Meanwhile, Jiang Qin, having received the urgent message, mobilized his ships with impressive speed. The navy set sail from Beihai, their prows cutting through the water as they headed toward Puyang.

The coordination between land and naval forces underscored the importance of the campaign unfolding currently.

Back to Zhang He, Gao Lan, Zhang Yan, Tian Feng, and Xu You, the five of them continued their march toward the crossing port, unaware of the looming threat.

Their spirits were high, bolstered by the belief that their plan would turn the tide in Cao Cao's favor. As they approached the port, they began the process of boarding ships, their movements careful but confident.

The atmosphere was tense, the quiet of the early morning broken only by the sounds of soldiers preparing for the journey. Zhang He, overseeing the operations, felt a sense of anticipation. "Once we cross, we must move swiftly. Lord Cao Cao depends on us to strike a decisive blow," he said to Gao Lan.

Gao Lan nodded. "Our forces are ready. We will deliver the victory that Lord Cao Cao needs." Gao Lan said so, he kept his eyes on the soldiers who were boarding the ships.

As Zhang He and Gao Lan were talking, Zhang Yan was silent and didn't talk much which caused Zhang He and Gao Lan to be curious and ask him if there was something wrong.

"No, there's nothing wrong. It's just that I had a bad feeling that didn't go away the moment we left Shangdang," Zhang Yan said as he turned to look at Zhang He, Gao Lan, Tian Feng, and Xu You.

Tian Feng's interest was immediately piqued, and he asked Zhang Yan, "Bad feeling? Is this bad feeling you felt concerned about our operation right now?" His question immediately elicited a nod from Zhang Yan.

Zhang Yan then explained how the nagging feeling was that they were heading into a trap. "It just feels suddenly everything feels weird," he said, frowning. "But we all know there's no chance that Lie Fan and his advisors could know about our plan. We were so careful."

After he finished speaking, Zhang He and Gao Lan felt that Zhang Yan was just being paranoid. They dismissed his concerns, confident in the secrecy of their operation.

However, Tian Feng and Xu You, as seasoned strategists, couldn't afford to ignore his intuition. Despite the small chance that their plans had been discovered, they knew that underestimating their enemy could lead to disaster.

Tian Feng and Xu You exchanged a look. "It's better to be cautious," Tian Feng said finally. "Even a small chance is still a chance." After Tian Feng stopped speaking, Xu You nodded his head indicating his support for Tian Feng.

Seeing that their two strategists had decided so, Zhang He and Gao Lan decided to not protest and followed their decision, because if the two of them felt so that meant there was a possibility what Zhang Yan said could happen.

After a brief discussion, they decided to split their forces into two armies. The first group, numbering around 50,000, would continue on the planned route toward the crossing port near Puyang.

The second group, comprising 70,000 men, would divert and head to a crossing port closer to Luoyang and reinforce Cao Cao's men there, abandoning the plan of pincer attack and explaining the reason to Cao Cao if what Zhang Yan felt truly happened.

Zhang He and Gao Lan led the first group, maintaining the original plan to join the main force and launch a surprise attack on Lie Fan's rear, and if what Hznag Yan said truly happened they should retreat and immediately regroup heading toward the crossing port near Luoyang.

Zhang Yan, Tian Feng, and Xu You will take command of the second detachment, moving cautiously toward their new destination. This way, even if the first group encountered trouble, the second group would still have a chance to impact the battle significantly.

As the two armies parted ways under the cover of darkness, the Oriole agents who followed them from Shangdang immediately wrote a letter and sent it to Lie Fan and Jia Xu to inform them.

Back at Hulao Pass, Lie Fan and his advisors received the reports from the Oriole agents. Jia Xu, studying a map, frowned. "It seems they have split their forces," he said, pointing to the locations marked by their scouts. "We anticipated an attack on our rear through the crossing port near Puyang, but now they changed their plan and had an army group sent to Luoyang."

Lie Fan nodded, his eyes narrowing as he considered their options. "Then I think we should annihilate their first group, as for the second one they would be way long gone to Luoyang, so I suggest we send Taishi Ci and Ji Ling alongside their army and our navy to attack Luoyang from the north, what do you think everyone?"

Jia Xu, Xun You, and Liu Ba looked at each other the moment Lie Fan's word fell, not expecting that Lie Fan would suggest a counterattack against Cao Cao's plan that had failed.

"I think we could do so My Lord, but I suggest we reinforce 25,000 men and send some of our generals to help General Taishi Ci and Ji Ling." Xun You as the one with the highest military knowledge, felt that Lie Fan's move could work but he suggested some reinforcements, to reduce the chance of their losses.

Lie Fan immediately gave his agreement to Xun You's suggestion after Jia Xu and Liu Ba gave their support as well. Orders were rapidly dispatched, and the camp buzzed with renewed urgency.

Soon Cheng Lan, He Qi, Cao Xing, and Fan Chou departed from Lie Fan's encampment with their 25,000 men and headed toward the crossing port to join Taishi Ci and Ji Ling there.

A letter was also sent out beforehand to inform Taishi Ci, Ji Ling, Chen Deng, and Bu Zhi of the changes in the enemy movements and their order as well.

As all of that happened, several hours passed by and the sun had risen to show its glow, the first group led by Zhang He and Gao Lan reached the crossing port near Puyang.

As they reached the port, several of their ships began anchoring and their soldiers got down from the ships, when their movements were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a loud war drum.

Both Zhang He and Gao Lan who were still on their ship turned their head and saw Taishi Ci and Ji Ling's army begin their attack on their soldiers who had just gotten down from their ships.

They also saw artilleries such as trebuchets and the Hwachas firing on their ships, and when Zhang He began to give orders to minimize their losses and retreat, Lie Fan's navy under Jiang Qin began their attack to support their ground forces.

"Attack!" Taishi Ci's voice rang out as Lie Fan's elite soldiers surged forward. The initial shock of the ambush sent ripples of confusion through Zhang He and Gao Lan's men. Combined with Lie Fan's navy bombarding them, the situation was chaotic for Zhang He and Gao Lan.

Seeing that Zhang He was overwhelmed in coordinating their army alone in this chaotic situation, Gao Lan tried to help by rallying the troops, but the precision and ferocity of the assault left them little time to organize a coherent defense.

Chen Deng and Liu Ba, coordinating from a vantage point, directed the assault with sharp efficiency. "Cut off their retreat," Chen Deng ordered. "We must ensure none of them escape to warn the others."

The battle at the crossing port was fierce but swift. Taishi Ci's and Ji Ling's forces overwhelmed Zhang He and Gao Lan's men, their superior tactics and element of surprise proving decisive.

Zhang He and Gao Lan finally managed to give the order of retreat to their men amid the chaos. Realizing the gravity of their situation, their men quickly boarded the remaining intact ships.

Despite their efforts, the retreat was disorganized. Many of their men, unable to reach the ships in time, were left behind to act as a distraction. As the intact ships pulled away from the shore, Zhang He and Gao Lan watched with a mix of relief and sorrow. They had narrowly escaped but at great cost. The waters of the crossing port churned with the remnants of the battle, showing a grim picture that polluted the Yellow River as it filled with bodies and ships wreckage.

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Name: Lie Fan

Title: Three Heroes Who Defeat Lu Bu

Age: 31 (198 AD)

Level: 16

Next Level: 462,000

Renown: 825

Cultivation: Yin Yang Separation (level 9)

SP: 1,121,700

ATTRIBUTE POINTS

STR: 936 (+20)

VIT: 598 (+20)

AGI: 583 (+10)

INT: 587

CHR: 96

WIS: 509

WILL: 397

ATR Points: 0