leonardwarren Chapter 19: Is the Northern Rong still struggling to turn the tide?
Chapter 19: Is the Northern Rong still struggling to turn the tide?
"They're insane... They're all fucking insane!"
Shigeru gripped the reins tightly, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the excessive force.
He stared at the battlefield ahead, his head buzzing.
He accepted that he was tactically outmatched.
The old widow of the Wei family was treacherous and vicious, and Huo Qingluan, that crazy woman, was audacious. This intricately linked trap had indeed ensnared him.
But what's going on here?
How could this Wei family army, which was on the verge of running out of food, unleash such fighting power?
His 200,000 infantrymen were torn apart layer by layer like paper in front of the 150,000 Wei family army infantrymen.
Those Wei dogs didn't defend at all; they fought like madmen. Even after their spears pierced their bellies, they would still cling tightly to the legs of the Northern Rong soldiers, allowing their comrades behind them to finish them off.
Now, with the addition of those 20,000 elite cavalry charging rampaging through the ranks, the defensive line is riddled with holes.
Why?
Shigeru couldn't understand it at all.
He had fought all his life and had never seen an army that was running out of food have such morale.
These are not human beings; they are a group of unleashed demons!
Even the former Wei family army had never been this ruthless!
"Young Prince! Let's go quickly!"
The lieutenant, his face covered in blood, scrambled to his feet and collapsed before the canine-toothed horse, his voice as mournful as a pig being slaughtered:
"If we don't leave now, it'll be too late! We're surrounded! We can't hold out from the front, and we can't hold out from the rear either. Let's quickly choose a direction to break through!"
"Shut up!"
Inuya Shigeru kicked the vice-general in the shoulder, sending him rolling twice on the ground.
"Break out? Break out of there? I brought an army of 500,000, are you going to run now?"
He gritted his teeth, his single eye flashing with a ferocious, beast-like light.
"Having 500,000 pigs here is enough for them to slaughter for two days! What's the panic!"
Shigeru Inuya took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.
Especially in times like these, it's crucial to stay calm and avoid making a rash decision.
Once the commander-in-chief leads the retreat, the 500,000-strong army will instantly turn into a vast expanse of routed soldiers, and that will be a true one-sided massacre.
He suddenly spurred his horse and charged toward a slightly raised mound of earth beside him.
"drive!"
The warhorse charged up the hill, and the view suddenly opened up.
From his vantage point, Shigeru Inuya quickly surveyed the entire battlefield.
Ahead, 200,000 infantrymen had been cut into pieces, and the Wei family army's infantry and cavalry were reaping the spoils.
Behind them, his 300,000 cavalrymen crashed against the steel defenses of his 50,000 heavily armored troops like waves, causing heavy casualties and leaving them battered and bruised.
But his eyes suddenly lit up.
Although the 300,000 cavalrymen were tied down, their organization remained intact!
Huo Qingluan's heavily armored army was indeed like an iron turtle, impossible to break through.
But the iron turtle has a fatal weakness – it can't run fast!
"Messenger!"
Shigeru turned around abruptly, his voice revealing a frenzied ruthlessness.
The messenger scrambled up the mound, shouting, "Here!"
"Blow the horn! Use flag signals!"
Shigeru Inuga pointed his sword behind him:
"Tell the 300,000 cavalry in the rear to forget about those 50,000 iron cans! Withdraw immediately and reorganize your formation!"
The messenger paused for a moment:
"Withdraw? What about your back..."
"I told you to brag, so brag!"
Shigeru slammed the back of his sword onto the messenger's helmet, making him see stars.
"No matter how powerful the heavily armored troops are, they're just a turtle shell! Once our cavalry retreats, they won't be able to catch up!"
He frantically calculated in his mind.
As long as these 300,000 cavalry are withdrawn, even if some are lost, at least 200,000 elite troops can still be retained.
Then, abandon the rear and burn the boats!
Send all 200,000 cavalrymen to the front lines and directly charge into the Wei family army's 150,000 infantry!
Even if the Wei family army is in high spirits now, they are still infantry, and infantry on the verge of running out of food!
If the Northern Rong cavalry couldn't break through 50,000 heavily armored soldiers, surely they could break through 150,000 light infantry?
As long as the cavalry can break through and crush the Wei family army in front, those 20,000 Wei cavalry won't be able to cause any trouble.
Once he has completely wiped out the defending troops on the front, he will turn around and slowly deal with Huo Qingluan's 50,000 exhausted soldiers!
This battle hasn't been lost yet!
"Waaaaah—waaaah—"
A dull yet urgent horn sound suddenly rang out among the Northern Rong army.
Accompanied by a large black flag flying high, it was rhythmically waved from side to side.
Behind the battlefield.
The 300,000 Northern Rong cavalrymen, who were fighting fiercely, suddenly halted their attack upon hearing the horn.
The Northern Rong army was known for its strict discipline. Upon hearing the bugle call to retreat, even if their father's killer was right in front of them, they would immediately turn their horses around.
Like the receding tide, the dark mass of cavalry quickly broke free from the heavy armor army's encirclement and began to converge towards the center of the army.
In the center of the heavily armored army formation.
On the massive chariot, Huo Qingluan's long blue dress fluttered in the wind.
She watched the retreating Northern Rong cavalry, a hint of seriousness flashing in her clear, cold eyes.
"General, the barbarians have retreated! Should we change formation and pursue them?"
A captain nearby wiped the blood from his face and shouted excitedly.
Huo Qingluan remained silent, her fingers clenching the array flag tightly until they turned white.
The worst-case scenario has still occurred.
She knew all too well the weaknesses of the heavy armored army.
These 50,000 people, each wearing iron armor and armed with weapons, weighed a full 70 to 80 pounds.
Standing here in defensive formation, they are an unshakeable Great Wall of Steel.
But what if we send them chasing light cavalry while wearing those iron suits?
Even without the Northern Rong people cutting you down, you can exhaust yourself to death after running five miles.
"We can't chase after them."
Huo Qingluan's voice remained calm, but it carried a hint of helplessness.
"Rest in place and maintain formation."
The captain was stunned: "Are we just going to watch them run away?"
"They're not running."
Huo Qingluan frowned more and more as she looked in the direction where the Northern Rong cavalry were gathering.
"Dog Fang Shigeru isn't out of his mind. He withdrew the cavalry so that he could concentrate his forces to charge the 150,000 infantrymen in the front."
She knew very well that these 50,000 heavily armored soldiers had been trekking along mountain roads for more than ten days in order to outflank the enemy, and their physical strength had long been exhausted.
The last wave of resistance against the charge of 300,000 cavalry had exhausted the soldiers' last bit of strength.
If we force an advance now, our formation will break apart, and the heavily armored army will become a pile of iron lumps that can be slaughtered at will.
She can no longer help on the front lines.
"Old Madam..."
Huo Qingluan murmured softly, her gaze fixed on the direction of Yanmen Pass.
Now, it depends on whether you can withstand the desperate attack of more than 200,000 cavalry.
……
Below Yanmen Pass.
Wei Zhao sat on his white horse, listening to the distant sound of horns.
The sound of the horn carried a sense of finality.
He frowned slightly.
"What's the meaning of this bugle call?"
He had never fought in a war and could not understand the military orders of the Northern Rong.
But he could see that the Northern Rong cavalry were rapidly assembling in the distance, like a black giant sword being reforged, its tip pointing directly at the Wei family army's infantry formation.
"We're going to have to fight this hard."
An old but steady voice came from the side.
Wei Zhao turned his head.
The old lady had somehow descended from the city wall and was now standing in front of his horse, leaning on her iron cane.