Chapter 944
: The Fighting Shocks People’s Hearts
Chapter 944: The Fighting Shocks People’s Hearts
North of Daliang City,
East of the end of the Anyang Mountains.
now,
The Taiping Sect's army of more than 200,000 soldiers had already been entangled with the elite troops of the imperial court's Beijing camp.
As the vanguard troops of the Taiping Sect's Left Protector charged into the Imperial Army formation, the 100,000 county soldiers under the command of the former Crown Prince were slowly approaching from the east. Zuo Feng squinted his eyes, counting the steps, and suddenly, he waved his flag and shouted loudly;
"Archers, get ready. One hundred and fifty steps ahead, the front formation, fire intensively. Release."
Almost instantly,
At the same time, the shout of General Yin Renchang of Dingnan was heard in the imperial army.
"Enemy formation, 150 steps, dense projectiles, fire."
Almost instantly, a dark cloud rose simultaneously over the two armies that were slowly approaching each other. After interweaving in the air, it fell into the enemy's formation. Screams rang out one after another. Then, the two armies seemed to move in unison, raising their shields and spears and began to charge forward.
"General Yin, something is wrong. The people on the other side look like the imperial court soldiers to me. They have the same tactics and equipment. If they were the bandits of the Taiping Sect, they would have continued to draw their bows and shoot three times in a row before dispersing and outflanking us. However, the other side also has a skilled military formation. How strange."
The person who spoke was Yin Renchang's family general Yin Nan, who had always been loyal to him. He had hoped that the general would shine in this battle and defeat the rebel army in one fell swoop, but who knew that the people of Taiping Sect were so strong. His face became solemn.
"Yin Nan, those are not the troops of the Taiping Sect. They are not like them. They should be the troops of the imperial court. It seems that Marquis Luo Yun's guess is correct. The people behind the Taiping Sect can't help it. They ordered the central army to hold steady and defend with shield formation after advancing, and let the javelin soldiers hunt at close range. They are not sure about the formation of the army, but they cannot match the advantage of the imperial court's weapons and armor."
Yin Renchang quickly came up with a countermeasure, defending instead of attacking, and then used a large number of javelins from the court to continuously shoot and kill the enemy troops, so that he could create an opportunity to kill them.
"Yes, General. I will go right away."
He waved the whip, pulled the reins, and hurried away with his personal soldiers. Then, the army on the court side suddenly stopped and stationed in a shield formation, while Zuo Feng just frowned, raised his hand, and the entire army moved forward a little faster until the two armies met. The spears stabbed fiercely, and those on both sides who were stabbed screamed and fell to the ground, but the people behind them were fearless and kept filling the gaps until they died in battle. The scene was extremely tragic.
"My Lord, the enemy's rear army has gathered more troops and horses, and it seems that they want to outflank the eastern army."
At this time, Zhang Jinyu and his group were located between the two armies. The battlefield situation was clear at a glance. Not only had the imperial army gained the upper hand, but the troops on the flanks had also stabilized their positions and were advancing slowly. Especially the soldiers on the opposite side, who were obviously dressed as imperial soldiers, and although they were brave, unfortunately, they were too few in number and had fallen into a disadvantage.
Looking behind, the 50,000 elite guards of the Taiping Sect have assembled and are slowly advancing forward. The banner of the Taiping Sect leader Chu has also been raised, and it seems that he is ready to give it a try.
"Well, that Chu Sect Leader is really brave. He actually planned to charge into the battle formation himself. Fifty thousand men would be enough. Unfortunately, it's too late."
Zhang Jinyu shook his head. On the hillside in the distance, Song Yutian's 20,000 troops had already come down the mountain. Although it was not clear, it seemed that the two armies had already stuck together. The time had come.
"My Lord, is it time to make a move on General Hu?"
Ning Bian looked at the Taiping Sect's army formation, which was still constantly adjusting and replenishing soldiers from the back to maintain the front line. The fish scale formation was originally a defensive formation, which could be used for both offense and defense, and could quickly fill the front line. The fish scales were stacked layer by layer to cover each other, so I don't know which general on the opposite side was so skilled in this. Under such a fierce attack by Yin Renchang's army, they were able to hold on. It seems that the person behind him also made a huge investment.
"Don't be in a hurry. When their leader Chu really leads his troops to charge, let him prepare for a counter-charge. Oh, and let Duan Hong be ready to provide direct support in case the situation changes."
Although it sounds easy, I cannot guarantee whether the people in the Beijing camp can withstand the first wave of attacks, so we still need to make more preparations.
After giving the order, he looked at the Central Army's Imperial Guards. They were indeed the elite Imperial Guards. They were firmly fixed on the ground without retreating a single step. However, seeing the densely packed corpses on the ground, he knew that He Xiaocheng had fought desperately. Then he looked at the Taiping Sect's bandit army. Although they were fearless, they had no advantage in battle formation and suffered heavy casualties.
Seeing this, Zhang Jinyu felt that the time had come.
"Come here, let General Yang Shixiong of Dong'an and General Ling Yuantao of Xuanwu lead the troops to surround and kill them,"
"Yes, Lord Marquis."
After a while,
A burst of drums sounded, accompanied by sharp horn sounds. From the two wings of the imperial army, two fresh forces suddenly rushed out from the gaps in the army formation, like a sharp knife, killing from the two wings and piercing the flanks of the bandit army. Yang Shixiong took the lead, wielding his broadsword. Anyone who was touched was injured or killed. No one dared to stop him. Ling Yuantao used his Fang Tian Hua Ji, sweeping across. No one could stop him. The officers and soldiers behind him were even more fierce and fierce. No one fell behind. They swung their long swords, and wherever they went, the Taiping sect bandits fell one after another.
Seeing this, Zuo Ling, the left protector, was furious. He drew out his long sword and led his personal soldiers to meet him head-on. First, the man who used Zuo Ling's sword shouted loudly, urged his warhorse, and rushed in front of him like a black lightning. Yang Shixiong had already seen this man, and chopped with his sword horizontally, using attack instead of defense. With a loud "clang", the weapons separated. The two men felt a shock in their knuckles and their arms were numb. They looked at each other with a solemn look in their eyes, and secretly praised, "What a strong arm!"
Then, without saying a word, he rushed towards the other side again, long sword against long spear, needle tip against sharp edge. Seeing this, Ling Yuantao behind him also moved over here, fearing that Yang Shixiong would lose his hand. When the Taiping Sect's protector He saw this, he followed with a big axe. The four of them and four generals fought on the battlefield.
The four of them fought back and forth for dozens of rounds, their palms trembling and they were extremely exhausted.
"Brother Yang, I didn't expect the enemy army to have such a skilled fighter. I miscalculated."
Ling Yuantao, who was already exhausted and out of breath, sighed. The man with the axe on the other side was born with great strength, and he was a little unable to resist.
"Brother Ling, if we fight again, let's change people. You go kill the one with the spear. Just hold on. I'll deal with the one with the axe. If you can't take him down within three moves, you can only retreat first."
Yang Shixiong took a deep breath, tightly gripped the big knife in his hand, and competed in strength. Apart from Luo Yunhou, he had no rival in the capital.
"Okay, I think the other two should be exhausted, Brother Ling, be careful."
"Got it. Let's go."
With a loud shout, the two men tightened their horses' calves and rushed forward, dragging their weapons with them.
The Taiping Sect's two guardians, Zuo Ling and He Qiang, had already reached their limit. They forced themselves to remain calm, gathered their strength, and also tightened their horses' bellies to meet the enemy.
The four of them actually missed each other, Ling Yuantao faced Zuo Ling, Yang Shixiong dragged his sword against He Qiang. The Yang family's sword technique had only one unique move, which was to drag the sword and cut. Once used, it could decide the outcome. Seeing the enemy army advancing, he took a deep breath with both hands, and with one force, the sword fell from the sky. The force of this blow was too great, and He Qiang's hands became numb, and his knuckles cracked. He almost held the axe, and in a hurry he turned sideways, but unfortunately, the sword was unstoppable once it fell.
Finally, the long sword fell and chopped He Hufa's left shoulder. With a scream, he almost fell off his horse. On the other side, Ling Yuantao's Fang Tian Hua Ji was a heavy object and not as flexible as a spear. After several thrusts, Zuo Ling seized the opportunity and made a sudden move, knocking Ling Yuantao off his horse and injuring his chest. Just as he was about to go up and kill the thief, he heard screams beside him and saw that He Qiang had no more fighting power. He put away his spear and immediately turned back to save people.
At the same time, Yang Shixiong also had the same look. After the two of them rescued their own people, they immediately retreated to the ranks of their personal soldiers.
"Brother Ling, how is it?"
"Ahem, I can't die. I'm sorry for causing trouble for Brother Yang."
There was a large amount of blood in front of Ling Yuantao, and no one knew whose blood it was. Yang Shixiong's face was pale, and his hands were stained with blood. He must have been injured.
"Quick, send General Ling back, and the rest of you, follow me to fight your way out."
Yang Shixiong turned back and another round of fighting broke out.
The Taiping Sect's Left Protector had been fighting for three hours with 50,000 soldiers. They were almost wiped out. Looking at the brothers fighting desperately around them, he looked up to the sky and roared.
"Ahem, Brother Zuo, our sect has already shown signs of defeat. The commander of the soldiers is definitely not that kid, but Marquis Luo Yun. Under his command are the Iron Cavalry outside the Great Wall, known as the best army in the world. They haven't moved yet, so we still have a chance. However, once the cavalry comes out, we will definitely not be able to resist. While we still have troops, organize some troops and ensure that Sect Leader Chu can withdraw smoothly."
He Hufa endured the severe pain, his face was pale, and beads of sweat flowed down his cheeks. Even if the two armies of the two of them joined forces, there were not many soldiers left, and only the personal soldiers were protecting him. To the west, Cui Jiping, the leader of the Five Elements Banner, although he succeeded in the sneak attack, was also suppressed by the officers and soldiers in the dense forest. He had just seen Cui Jiping's figure, but now, he could not see him. Only the officers and soldiers were injured behind, and he thought they were also injured like himself.
"Brother He, if we gather the remaining troops and don't go to support, the central army will soon collapse and the right wing will be finished."
Zuo Ling had been fighting till now and knew that the most dangerous moment had arrived. The imperial army was outnumbered, and the cavalry had not appeared yet, which was like a thorn in his throat. Most importantly, he had not even seen the figure of the King of Jin.
Where is Luo Yunhou? At this moment, Zhang Jinyu,
All attention has been focused on the leader Chu. In the central battlefield, the Taiping Sect is doomed to fail. The west is not important, as it is blocked by dense forests. As long as they don't cross the river, they will be fine. On the flank, even Yin Renchang can no longer maintain his position. It is indeed the work of the former crown prince. Even the vassal kings in the interior cannot afford to support an army of 100,000.
What benefit did the Taiping Cult give to that gentleman to be able to send out an army of 100,000? Although it was a thought that quietly arose in his mind, once it came out, he could not get rid of it.
"My Lord, the main force of the enemy army has moved."
Outside the battle array,
Smoke and dust billowed,
The remaining 80,000 elite soldiers of the Taiping Sect have already charged forward to kill.
"Ningbyon, blow the horn, gather the cavalry, identify the enemy's attack formation, break through the flank, cut them in half, and pass through without stopping."
This is also the most ruthless. The cavalry charges forward without hesitation, and the speed of the horses matters. As long as the enemy's offensive is cut off, the battle will be won.
Inside the Taiping Sect's army, the former Dharma Protector Wei Siyuan had a worried look on his face. After nearly four hours of fighting, almost all the soldiers on both sides were almost exhausted. The imperial court also maintained its formation and firmly held the upper hand. On the Taiping Sect side, although the brothers in the sect fought desperately and inflicted heavy damage on the officers and soldiers, less than half of them were able to fight.
"Master Chu, the enemy army must have cavalry that has not yet moved. We will lead the elite guards of the sect to charge into the battlefield at the risk of our lives. If the imperial cavalry arrives at the end, how will we resist them?"
"Siyuan, the current situation is a life-and-death struggle. We cannot retreat. Even if we don't fight, the Luo Yunhou cavalry has not moved. Isn't it to encircle us? Even if we fail, we must severely damage the imperial army heading south to buy time for the leader. The transported materials are still on the way. There are many refugees in the south of the capital. If we don't use them to consume the imperial power, we will not be the only ones to worry about in the future."
Chu Yi Yue didn't care about the casualties. The White Lotus Sect had already captured Runan City and blocked the east side, which would also allow the Taiping Sect to calmly deal with the reinforcements from the imperial court. Even if they failed, they could still consume the imperial court's strength. Therefore, the former prince had to send 100,000 new soldiers from the county city to the north to help.
"Master Chu, these are all our old brothers that we recruited in Jingnan. I am unwilling to waste them here."
Wei Siyuan's face was full of disbelief. Although the soldiers he brought this time were recruited from southern Beijing, they had experienced dozens of battles, big and small, and were considered elite. Who wouldn't feel bad to waste them here?
Thinking of what Master Chu said, food is much more valuable than life, and the Master still needs a lot of food to save his life, although I feel pain in my heart, I can do nothing about it.
"Yes, Master Chu, I have prepared a thousand cavalrymen in the rear army. If we really can't hold on, we can only break out. That Marquis Luo Yun is indeed worthy of his reputation."
Looking at the battlefield ahead, General Zuo's army was actually retreating slowly. They were no longer able to stop the advance of the imperial army. The battle line had been lost, and collapse was only a matter of time.
"Follow me, pass on the order, attack the enemy's right wing, and fight to the death."
"All troops, listen up! Charge forward and fight to the death."
"Yes, Master."
Wei Siyuan's eyes turned cold, he drew out his long sword and shouted,
"Kill."
Almost instantly,
More than 80,000 elite Taiping Sect guards rushed into the flanks, which immediately stabilized the army formation that was already somewhat defeated, and even managed to counterattack the imperial court troops. In particular, the rear troops left by Yin Renchang were all brought in and caught off guard, causing a brief chaos.
Seeing this, Zhang Jinyu no longer held back.
The herald said,
"Order 40,000 cavalry to encircle the enemy's left wing. I will personally meet with the leader of the Chu sect and show the flag."
"Yes, Lord Marquis."
Ning Bian nodded with some worry, and asked the soldiers behind him to raise the commander's flag. Then, 10,000 heavily armored cavalrymen from outside the pass had been ready for a long time. When Hu Shoucheng's 30,000 cavalrymen rushed over, Zhang Jinyu immediately tightened the horse's belly and shouted;
"Brothers, follow me and kill them. Go."
"Kill, kill, kill!"
The roar almost spread throughout the battlefield. Everyone was stunned for a moment, and then the ground shook. Looking to the north, there was smoke and dust. Tens of thousands of black cavalry had begun to rush over, especially the leading 10,000 elite cavalry, all of whom were heavily armored, with long spears flashing coldly. At the front, the flag of Marquis Luo Yun was erected, and it finally appeared, rushing straight to the flank.
This charge boosted the morale of the imperial army, and the officers shouted at the top of their lungs;
"Reinforcements have arrived, Lord, reinforcements have arrived."
"The enemy is defeated. Defeated."
Regardless of whether it was a random shout or not, one person led ten people, and ten people led a hundred people. After such a shout, the first to collapse were the Taiping sect bandits in the Anyang Mountains on the west side of the river. They actually fled in all directions, and even the Five Elements Banner Master Cui Jiping and his personal soldiers could not stop them.
"Flag leader, morale is gone, we can't stop them, let's retreat first, otherwise we may not be able to go back."
The personal soldier Xiangzhu hurriedly advised. Cui Jiping's face was pale, his left arm was injured, and the brocade wrapped around it was stained with blood. He muttered to himself,
"If we lose today, Jingnan will have no elite main force except Linshan County to delay. The leader has already withdrawn all Jingnan's elite troops to Dongling County."
"What, Flag Master, this..."
The personal soldier Xiangzhu was stunned. How come he had never heard of such a thing? The main force of the sect had left, and only Linshan County had a little bit of main force left, but it could not resist the imperial army.
"Gather the defeated soldiers and retreat first, then regroup and fight again. If things are impossible, we will retreat again. Remember, don't cross the river, there is no chance."
Just when he was about to say that he was going to regroup and fight again, he turned around and saw a group of soldiers coming down from the mountain ahead. They had already started to cross the river and lined up on the official road. He was shocked that Marquis Luo Yun had hidden an ambush. The incense master naturally saw it as well and his eyes were in a panic.
"Flag Master, there are ambushes. The army is in danger."
"No hurry, withdraw the brothers first. Since the ambush troops have already crossed the river, they will not pay attention to us. After my remaining troops have passed, if Priest Chu is defeated and breaks out, you and I will lead the troops to attack from behind to buy time for Priest Chu. And Commander Zuo, remember this."
Cui Jiping spoke slowly and firmly. The fleeing Taiping sect members also saw the ambush and slowed down their pace. When Cui Qizhu saw this, he ordered his personal soldiers to gather the fleeing soldiers, enter the dense forest, and slowly retreat.
Seeing the enemy soldiers fleeing, General Xuanwei Li Zongbao's soldiers were all injured and could only retake their base camp.
"Don't chase them. Everyone, pick up your bows and crossbows. Shoot at the enemy troops on the other side of the river within a hundred steps."
There were less than 10,000 men left, and after reorganizing the army, they actually began to pick up bows and crossbows on the ground and shot arrows at the Taiping Sect's rear army on the other side of the river. In an instant, the Taiping Sect's army suffered heavy losses, and wailing was endless. Even some of the fearless followers were frightened by the killing, and there was a sign of defeat. However, the Left Protector personally led his troops to the back of the formation, and anyone who dared to retreat was beheaded.
"Everyone line up and continue to fight the enemy. Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed."
Seeing that the Left Protector had not retreated, the hesitant Taiping sect members regrouped and gathered around Zuo Ling, ready to fight again.
"keep going!"
(End of this chapter)