“What?!” Shi Le was shocked, “Where is the ambush? How many people are there?”
“It’s not exactly an ambush…” The scout’s face turned red, and he whispered, “The Jin army that intercepted us earlier led our flanking force into a narrow passage. General Wang ordered me to seek help from you…”
Shi Le was momentarily at a loss for words. Weren’t only about 5,000 troops in the force going out for a field battle? He left his trusted general Wang in charge of the flanking force, with a number three times that of the enemy. How did it turn into such a situation?!
Wait! Could it be that this was the army from the Northern Province?
Understanding the intricacies, Shi Le’s expression turned even colder. This strategy was bold; they used a few thousand troops to divide his forces in half. If he sent troops to rescue, would there be an ambush along the way? He had underestimated his own army!
“Stop attacking the city, retreat three miles, and set up camp to face the enemy!” Shi Le ordered loudly.
“General, are we not going to rescue General Wang?” A confidant beside him furrowed his brows.
The flanking force had 15,000 troops! Would they really not rescue them and let those few thousand troops swallow them up?
Shi Le sneered, “Of course, we will rescue! And all cavalry should go!”
This was a typical strategy of dividing the forces to lure the enemy. He still had 5,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry. They might be ambushed along the way if he sent only two or three thousand to rescue. However, by sending out all the cavalry, they could swiftly overwhelm the enemy, who used themselves as bait. The remaining 10,000 infantry, as long as they stopped attacking the city and defended the camp, could hold on until his return.
Only in this way could he make the best use of his numerical advantage. The worst tactic in warfare was the “reinforcement” strategy, dividing the forces and allowing them to be picked off individually. Only when the entire army moved together could it be considered the right strategy!
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Not everyone below necessarily understood Shi Le’s tactical arrangement, but they followed his orders unquestioningly. Simply because General Shi’s strength was well known to all, soon, all the attacking forces were withdrawn, and they set up camp again at a chosen location. Shi Le personally led 5,000 cavalry to go to the aid of the flanking force.
The battlefields on both sides were less than twenty li apart, and with the horses urged on, they could arrive in the blink of an eye. Shi Le did not move at full speed; instead, he restrained the pace, with scouts on both sides accompanying him. In case of an ambush, an immediate counterattack could be launched. These cavalrymen were his most trusted confidants, seasoned in numerous battles; not just anyone could take advantage of them. He wanted to see what tricks this group of soldiers from the Northern Province had in mind!
※
“In the camp, the enemy has sent reinforcements. It’s cavalry, a total of five thousand!”
Hearing the latest information from the scout, Liu Gong took a deep breath. The general’s predictions were indeed accurate! Previously, under Yiyan’s orders, he led five thousand troops to intercept the disorderly army. If the enemy launched a full-scale attack, this force might not necessarily withstand it. However, the enemy leader did not leave behind all of his troops; instead, he dispatched fifteen thousand to deal with them.
His mission was to lure the enemy into dividing their forces and to hold back this group of enemies. So, he fought while retreating, leading his troops to the prearranged battlefield, and utilizing the terrain to constrain the enemy. It didn’t take much effort to disrupt the enemy’s formation. With soldiers defending both ends of the narrow passage, the disorganized enemy couldn’t break through and had to request reinforcements from their main camp. This was exactly the result Liu Gong needed!
“Spread the order, open the western passage, and let the enemy break through!” Liu Gong ordered loudly.
Using these new recruits to surround the enemy was quite a daunting task. It was thanks to the well-trained soldiers, well-prepared battlefield, and the assistance of various weapons that they could barely hold up. With this command, the outer soldiers began to retreat, quickly making way for the passage slowly.
Advertisement
For the bandits who had been struggling in the chaos, unable to break free, how could they miss such an opportunity? Like exhausted birds seeing a gap in the net, they immediately rushed out. However, no matter how much havoc they caused in Ji County, these people were still refugees with no military training, and they had no idea about the subtleties of a retreat.
Previously besieged without causing much loss of life, now that they had a chance to escape, the situation turned into a self-trampling one. Like a burst dam flooding, breaking through turned into a rout in a short time!
“Beat the drum! Advance the front line!” Liu Gong mounted his warhorse and shouted loudly. Behind him, five hundred cavalry also mounted their steeds, charging out of the formation with the sound of trumpets!
At any time, pursuing routed troops is an effective method of killing the enemy. The new recruits under his command had already seen blood in the recent battle, gaining courage. As long as the pursuit formation remained organized, they could make the routed soldiers flee in the desired direction.
His family’s general had not miscalculated. Drawing his long knife, Liu Gong’s blood boiled. He was not originally from the Liang Brave Camp but joined the military after the formation of the Tiger and Wolf Camp, gradually climbing to the position of deputy commander based on his military achievements. Now, with the mission to return to Bing County under Wang Long’s command, he was the second most important figure in the army. This was a real opportunity to show his capabilities and build a reputation. How could he not seize it?
Like wolves driving away a flock of sheep, the five hundred cavalry pierced through the routed troops with the sound of drums and horns.
※
“General! There are enemies ahead!” The scout was the first to notice the enemy.
However, before the voice had settled, someone else exclaimed, “It’s not an enemy; it’s General Wang’s detachment!”
Indeed, the mountains and fields were filled with fleeing defeated soldiers. They discarded their helmets and armor, running in panic, abandoning their weapons in disarray. The command signals were utterly useless for them, and fear overrode rationality. No one dared to turn around and fight; instead, they wished to break through everything in front of them to escape.
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Facing such routed soldiers, no one could rally them, let alone stop them!
“Raise bows! Shoot down anyone daring to charge the military formation!” Stone-faced, Shi Le shouted loudly.
If left unattended, these routed soldiers might break through their own formation. By then, the pursuing enemy troops would catch up, and even their supporting troops would be in jeopardy! This was not the time for benevolence; they had to block these terrified deserters!
They were all their own brothers, a large army composed of refugees, fundamentally different from a regular imperial army. Even among these cavalry soldiers, there were people with relatives and friends among the routed troops. Some hesitated, but Shi Le did not. With a longbow in hand, arrows flew like lightning towards the routed soldiers in front of him.
A soldier fell, then ten, then a hundred… More and more cavalry released arrows, shooting either at people or into the ground, creating a space in front of the formation. The threat of death finally brought some rationality to the routed soldiers, and they began to detour.
Watching the scattered routed soldiers taking different paths, Shi Le did not relax. He was still waiting for the moment those Bing County troops would seize the opportunity to attack amidst the chaos. However, as all the routed soldiers dispersed, the enemy did not appear.
“Trouble!” Shi Le’s face changed dramatically. “Quickly, back to the camp!”
Those attempting a sneak attack were not the charging cavalry but the ones left outside the city walls at Qinghe!
※
In less than a moment after the cavalry left, Zhao Lu, a trusted aide left in the main camp by Shi Le, noticed the enemy’s presence.
“Less than two thousand, all cavalry? They think they can raid our camp with this small force!” Zhao Lu snorted coldly. “Order the spear infantry and archers to form up, and defend the main camp!”
Being a cavalry veteran himself, he understood the weaknesses of cavalry. As long as there were long spears and bows, combined with the anti-cavalry obstacles like the stake fences and deer antlers set up during camping, it was enough to resist. Even if soldiers were brave, horses were delicate creatures, incapable of charging straight into a camp. Formations broken by cavalry were either caught off guard or succumbed to fear and rout. Facing this small group of cavalry, even skirmishing was not a threat.
As long as the attack was blocked, the Grand General would return soon. When that happened, with five thousand cavalry against two thousand, they would be crushed.
With the enemy’s strategy in mind, Zhao Lu personally donned his armor and went to the front lines. In the distance, dust billowed, and the booming sound of a thousand horses’ hooves echoed across the vast wilderness. The sound was menacing, even more threatening than their own cavalry.
Squinting his eyes, Zhao Lu realized something was off with the enemy’s formation.
Advertisement
Two hundred paces, one hundred paces, fifty paces… When the two armies were within an arrow’s range, and the enemy’s appearance could finally be discerned, Zhao Lu widened his eyes. Those horses… those horses were not right!
Leading the charge were five hundred towering horses clad in iron armor. Like the knights riding atop them, these horses were fully encased from head to hoof, resembling mobile iron mountains as they thundered toward the formation. What was this?!
Zhao Lu had never seen fully armored cavalry, but he knew that these cavalry were entirely different from what he was familiar with!
“Release the arrows! Release the arrows!” Zhao Lu roared loudly. Behind him, hundreds of archers simultaneously shot their arrows. At such a close distance, arrows could penetrate most light cavalry armor, and some well-aimed shots might hit the knights in the face. However, now it was like a storm hitting an iron plate. In a single file, the heavy cavalry remained unharmed, and everyone had raised their long lances.
With a resounding crash, the heavy cavalry collided with the defensive array of the defenders. Wooden spears, swords, and even the deer antler barriers could not stop these terrifying cavalry, acting like an impregnable shield or fortress. In an instant, the defensive line was torn apart, and even Zhao Lu, who was at the forefront, was thrown out by the galloping horses, suffering broken bones and torn muscles. Where the heavy cavalry passed, the ground was littered with blood and corpses, and this was just the beginning. Following the heavy cavalry were lightly armored horsemen armed with long knives and fast horses, swiftly and efficiently reaping the lives of their enemies.
Who had ever witnessed such cavalry?
With the loss of their commander and the breach of their defense, after a brief struggle, the entire main camp collapsed. Despite all the preparations, they were unable to resist the ruthless onslaught of these fierce enemies wielding blades and arrows. These bandits, armed with knives and spears, were farmers tilling the fields just a dozen days ago. What could they use to resist this unstoppable charge?
Shi Le’s reaction speed was undeniably fast. However, when he rode back to the front of Qinghe City, what awaited him was a scene of ruins and an army arrayed beside the ruins, ready for his arrival.
The main camp was breached within half an hour. No matter how much preparation Shi Le had made, could he have anticipated such an event?
“General!” among his trusted aides, someone shouted, “Let’s attack! We must reclaim the main camp!”
There, lay the wealth they had accumulated over several months and the mountains of supplies. If they didn’t reclaim it, wouldn’t all the fierce fighting and risking their lives be in vain?
Shi Le’s teeth were also grinding loudly, but in just an instant, he clenched his teeth and said, “Retreat! Gather the remaining soldiers, we’re breaking out!”
Qinghe couldn’t be stayed in any longer. These five thousand cavalry were his backbone, and he couldn’t risk them recklessly. However, could he defend this city and this province? Change the stronghold, and let’s see how capable you are against me!
Carrying a belly full of resentment and a bit of unclear fear, the group of cavalry didn’t pause for a moment and fled towards the distance. In the enemy formation across the way, Liu Gong murmured, “General, they’ve fled.”
In fact, they had set an ambush in the nearby military camp, waiting for the enemy to charge in recklessly and then capturing them all at once. However, they didn’t expect these rebel soldiers to be so cunning; the routed troops couldn’t be dispersed, rendering the ambush useless. It was like setting a trap but failing to catch the fox. The enemy commander’s military tactics were unexpectedly cunning.
Wearing heavy, chilling iron armor, with the scent of thick blood lingering in the air, yet these sensations from the frenzied battlefield didn’t make Yiyan lose his composure. Watching the cavalry disappear into the distance, he coldly declared, “Clean up the battlefield. The rest, follow me into the city!”
“What?!” Shi Le was shocked, “Where is the ambush? How many people are there?”
“It’s not exactly an ambush…” The scout’s face turned red, and he whispered, “The Jin army that intercepted us earlier led our flanking force into a narrow passage. General Wang ordered me to seek help from you…”
Shi Le was momentarily at a loss for words. Weren’t only about 5,000 troops in the force going out for a field battle? He left his trusted general Wang in charge of the flanking force, with a number three times that of the enemy. How did it turn into such a situation?!
Wait! Could it be that this was the army from the Northern Province?
Understanding the intricacies, Shi Le’s expression turned even colder. This strategy was bold; they used a few thousand troops to divide his forces in half. If he sent troops to rescue, would there be an ambush along the way? He had underestimated his own army!
“Stop attacking the city, retreat three miles, and set up camp to face the enemy!” Shi Le ordered loudly.
“General, are we not going to rescue General Wang?” A confidant beside him furrowed his brows.
The flanking force had 15,000 troops! Would they really not rescue them and let those few thousand troops swallow them up?
Shi Le sneered, “Of course, we will rescue! And all cavalry should go!”
This was a typical strategy of dividing the forces to lure the enemy. He still had 5,000 cavalry and 10,000 infantry. They might be ambushed along the way if he sent only two or three thousand to rescue. However, by sending out all the cavalry, they could swiftly overwhelm the enemy, who used themselves as bait. The remaining 10,000 infantry, as long as they stopped attacking the city and defended the camp, could hold on until his return.
Only in this way could he make the best use of his numerical advantage. The worst tactic in warfare was the “reinforcement” strategy, dividing the forces and allowing them to be picked off individually. Only when the entire army moved together could it be considered the right strategy!
Advertisement
Not everyone below necessarily understood Shi Le’s tactical arrangement, but they followed his orders unquestioningly. Simply because General Shi’s strength was well known to all, soon, all the attacking forces were withdrawn, and they set up camp again at a chosen location. Shi Le personally led 5,000 cavalry to go to the aid of the flanking force.
The battlefields on both sides were less than twenty li apart, and with the horses urged on, they could arrive in the blink of an eye. Shi Le did not move at full speed; instead, he restrained the pace, with scouts on both sides accompanying him. In case of an ambush, an immediate counterattack could be launched. These cavalrymen were his most trusted confidants, seasoned in numerous battles; not just anyone could take advantage of them. He wanted to see what tricks this group of soldiers from the Northern Province had in mind!
※
“In the camp, the enemy has sent reinforcements. It’s cavalry, a total of five thousand!”
Hearing the latest information from the scout, Liu Gong took a deep breath. The general’s predictions were indeed accurate! Previously, under Yiyan’s orders, he led five thousand troops to intercept the disorderly army. If the enemy launched a full-scale attack, this force might not necessarily withstand it. However, the enemy leader did not leave behind all of his troops; instead, he dispatched fifteen thousand to deal with them.
His mission was to lure the enemy into dividing their forces and to hold back this group of enemies. So, he fought while retreating, leading his troops to the prearranged battlefield, and utilizing the terrain to constrain the enemy. It didn’t take much effort to disrupt the enemy’s formation. With soldiers defending both ends of the narrow passage, the disorganized enemy couldn’t break through and had to request reinforcements from their main camp. This was exactly the result Liu Gong needed!
“Spread the order, open the western passage, and let the enemy break through!” Liu Gong ordered loudly.
Using these new recruits to surround the enemy was quite a daunting task. It was thanks to the well-trained soldiers, well-prepared battlefield, and the assistance of various weapons that they could barely hold up. With this command, the outer soldiers began to retreat, quickly making way for the passage slowly.
Advertisement
For the bandits who had been struggling in the chaos, unable to break free, how could they miss such an opportunity? Like exhausted birds seeing a gap in the net, they immediately rushed out. However, no matter how much havoc they caused in Ji County, these people were still refugees with no military training, and they had no idea about the subtleties of a retreat.
Previously besieged without causing much loss of life, now that they had a chance to escape, the situation turned into a self-trampling one. Like a burst dam flooding, breaking through turned into a rout in a short time!
“Beat the drum! Advance the front line!” Liu Gong mounted his warhorse and shouted loudly. Behind him, five hundred cavalry also mounted their steeds, charging out of the formation with the sound of trumpets!
At any time, pursuing routed troops is an effective method of killing the enemy. The new recruits under his command had already seen blood in the recent battle, gaining courage. As long as the pursuit formation remained organized, they could make the routed soldiers flee in the desired direction.
His family’s general had not miscalculated. Drawing his long knife, Liu Gong’s blood boiled. He was not originally from the Liang Brave Camp but joined the military after the formation of the Tiger and Wolf Camp, gradually climbing to the position of deputy commander based on his military achievements. Now, with the mission to return to Bing County under Wang Long’s command, he was the second most important figure in the army. This was a real opportunity to show his capabilities and build a reputation. How could he not seize it?
Like wolves driving away a flock of sheep, the five hundred cavalry pierced through the routed troops with the sound of drums and horns.
※
“General! There are enemies ahead!” The scout was the first to notice the enemy.
However, before the voice had settled, someone else exclaimed, “It’s not an enemy; it’s General Wang’s detachment!”
Indeed, the mountains and fields were filled with fleeing defeated soldiers. They discarded their helmets and armor, running in panic, abandoning their weapons in disarray. The command signals were utterly useless for them, and fear overrode rationality. No one dared to turn around and fight; instead, they wished to break through everything in front of them to escape.
Advertisement
Facing such routed soldiers, no one could rally them, let alone stop them!
“Raise bows! Shoot down anyone daring to charge the military formation!” Stone-faced, Shi Le shouted loudly.
If left unattended, these routed soldiers might break through their own formation. By then, the pursuing enemy troops would catch up, and even their supporting troops would be in jeopardy! This was not the time for benevolence; they had to block these terrified deserters!
They were all their own brothers, a large army composed of refugees, fundamentally different from a regular imperial army. Even among these cavalry soldiers, there were people with relatives and friends among the routed troops. Some hesitated, but Shi Le did not. With a longbow in hand, arrows flew like lightning towards the routed soldiers in front of him.
A soldier fell, then ten, then a hundred… More and more cavalry released arrows, shooting either at people or into the ground, creating a space in front of the formation. The threat of death finally brought some rationality to the routed soldiers, and they began to detour.
Watching the scattered routed soldiers taking different paths, Shi Le did not relax. He was still waiting for the moment those Bing County troops would seize the opportunity to attack amidst the chaos. However, as all the routed soldiers dispersed, the enemy did not appear.
“Trouble!” Shi Le’s face changed dramatically. “Quickly, back to the camp!”
Those attempting a sneak attack were not the charging cavalry but the ones left outside the city walls at Qinghe!
※
In less than a moment after the cavalry left, Zhao Lu, a trusted aide left in the main camp by Shi Le, noticed the enemy’s presence.
“Less than two thousand, all cavalry? They think they can raid our camp with this small force!” Zhao Lu snorted coldly. “Order the spear infantry and archers to form up, and defend the main camp!”
Being a cavalry veteran himself, he understood the weaknesses of cavalry. As long as there were long spears and bows, combined with the anti-cavalry obstacles like the stake fences and deer antlers set up during camping, it was enough to resist. Even if soldiers were brave, horses were delicate creatures, incapable of charging straight into a camp. Formations broken by cavalry were either caught off guard or succumbed to fear and rout. Facing this small group of cavalry, even skirmishing was not a threat.
As long as the attack was blocked, the Grand General would return soon. When that happened, with five thousand cavalry against two thousand, they would be crushed.
With the enemy’s strategy in mind, Zhao Lu personally donned his armor and went to the front lines. In the distance, dust billowed, and the booming sound of a thousand horses’ hooves echoed across the vast wilderness. The sound was menacing, even more threatening than their own cavalry.
Squinting his eyes, Zhao Lu realized something was off with the enemy’s formation.
Advertisement
Two hundred paces, one hundred paces, fifty paces… When the two armies were within an arrow’s range, and the enemy’s appearance could finally be discerned, Zhao Lu widened his eyes. Those horses… those horses were not right!
Leading the charge were five hundred towering horses clad in iron armor. Like the knights riding atop them, these horses were fully encased from head to hoof, resembling mobile iron mountains as they thundered toward the formation. What was this?!
Zhao Lu had never seen fully armored cavalry, but he knew that these cavalry were entirely different from what he was familiar with!
“Release the arrows! Release the arrows!” Zhao Lu roared loudly. Behind him, hundreds of archers simultaneously shot their arrows. At such a close distance, arrows could penetrate most light cavalry armor, and some well-aimed shots might hit the knights in the face. However, now it was like a storm hitting an iron plate. In a single file, the heavy cavalry remained unharmed, and everyone had raised their long lances.
With a resounding crash, the heavy cavalry collided with the defensive array of the defenders. Wooden spears, swords, and even the deer antler barriers could not stop these terrifying cavalry, acting like an impregnable shield or fortress. In an instant, the defensive line was torn apart, and even Zhao Lu, who was at the forefront, was thrown out by the galloping horses, suffering broken bones and torn muscles. Where the heavy cavalry passed, the ground was littered with blood and corpses, and this was just the beginning. Following the heavy cavalry were lightly armored horsemen armed with long knives and fast horses, swiftly and efficiently reaping the lives of their enemies.
Who had ever witnessed such cavalry?
With the loss of their commander and the breach of their defense, after a brief struggle, the entire main camp collapsed. Despite all the preparations, they were unable to resist the ruthless onslaught of these fierce enemies wielding blades and arrows. These bandits, armed with knives and spears, were farmers tilling the fields just a dozen days ago. What could they use to resist this unstoppable charge?
Shi Le’s reaction speed was undeniably fast. However, when he rode back to the front of Qinghe City, what awaited him was a scene of ruins and an army arrayed beside the ruins, ready for his arrival.
The main camp was breached within half an hour. No matter how much preparation Shi Le had made, could he have anticipated such an event?
“General!” among his trusted aides, someone shouted, “Let’s attack! We must reclaim the main camp!”
There, lay the wealth they had accumulated over several months and the mountains of supplies. If they didn’t reclaim it, wouldn’t all the fierce fighting and risking their lives be in vain?
Shi Le’s teeth were also grinding loudly, but in just an instant, he clenched his teeth and said, “Retreat! Gather the remaining soldiers, we’re breaking out!”
Qinghe couldn’t be stayed in any longer. These five thousand cavalry were his backbone, and he couldn’t risk them recklessly. However, could he defend this city and this province? Change the stronghold, and let’s see how capable you are against me!
Carrying a belly full of resentment and a bit of unclear fear, the group of cavalry didn’t pause for a moment and fled towards the distance. In the enemy formation across the way, Liu Gong murmured, “General, they’ve fled.”
In fact, they had set an ambush in the nearby military camp, waiting for the enemy to charge in recklessly and then capturing them all at once. However, they didn’t expect these rebel soldiers to be so cunning; the routed troops couldn’t be dispersed, rendering the ambush useless. It was like setting a trap but failing to catch the fox. The enemy commander’s military tactics were unexpectedly cunning.
Wearing heavy, chilling iron armor, with the scent of thick blood lingering in the air, yet these sensations from the frenzied battlefield didn’t make Yiyan lose his composure. Watching the cavalry disappear into the distance, he coldly declared, “Clean up the battlefield. The rest, follow me into the city!”
