Chapter 2: The Stormy Weather of Yan and Zhao Section 33

  "Look at the city wall." Yan Rou pointed to the fishing city and said to Yan Wu Wei: "On our side of the city wall, our battle flag has disappeared, and the fluttering flags are all those of the Hu people. This means that after a while, the south gate of the fishing city will be lost. In other words, most of our soldiers defending the south gate have been killed. The fishing city has 4,000 people, with at least 2,000 troops at the south gate. According to conventional calculations, in a siege war, the loss ratio between the two sides is generally around five to one. But for the brave and good-fighting Hu people, this calculation should be halved. So I say that if our 2,000 soldiers are all killed, then the Hu people will have to pay at least 4,000 lives."

  Swallowing his fear, he suddenly understood and nodded in agreement. In his heart, he admired this man who was just like him, a former bandit who roamed the vast grasslands. No wonder someone wanted him even if he wasn't a bandit anymore; he indeed had some real skills.

  "The Xianbei army in front of us is still lined up neatly, steady and calm, which means that the loss of the attacking troops is still within their acceptable range. Moreover, our army is still defending on the city wall and has not abandoned the south gate. Can't this prove from the opposite side that the enemy's losses are not as many as Lord Yan said?" Zheng Xin, who had been silent all along, spoke up.

  "I disagree with Zi Yu's opinion. Our army should still focus on repelling the enemy and temporarily lifting the siege of Yucheng by the Xianbei people. This risk cannot be taken, once we can't defeat the enemy, we will be stuck in a stalemate on the battlefield. At that time, as long as Xiong Ba's troops rush over from the east gate, it will be us who will be surrounded and defeated." Xian Yu said firmly.

  Yan Rou glared and was about to speak when Li Hong stopped her.

  "Brother Zi Yu, Brother Yu Xing's idea is correct. At this time, it is indeed not suitable to take risks. Let's prioritize breaking through the siege first. What do you think of my idea?"

  "The Xianbei archers were at the forefront of their entire formation, and no matter whether we used a single-line or a goose-formation, we could not deal them a crushing blow. But when we turned back to launch a second attack, the enemy's archer units might quickly reorganize and launch fierce volleys against our flanks, which would cause significant casualties on our sides."

  "So, I plan to launch a pincer movement from the enemy's flank, with a rhombus formation. The left wing of the rhombus formation will be led by the vanguard, attacking the Xianbei people's archery unit, and must disperse them, defeat them, not allowing them to organize an effective counterattack, heavily injuring our army. I will lead the two hundred men of the Scout Troop and the Rear Guard Troop at the front, with Yu Junhou's Left Horn six hundred men in the middle, and Wei Xiongdi's Right Horn six hundred cavalrymen bringing up the rear."

  "The central route of the rhombus formation also serves as the main attacking force. The 600 men in front, led by Zi Yu's brother, and the 600 men behind, led by Zhao Junhou, are all concentrated here. The enemy's most elite troops, who are preparing to attack the city, are all gathered here, their defensive capabilities and counterattack capabilities are the most ferocious, so the central route is the most difficult to attack."

  The right wing of the rhombus formation is the auxiliary attack. The Xianbei troops who retreated to rest are all here, and they should be some exhausted and worn-out troops. Once we start a surprise attack, the first ones to flee in fear will be here, and the gap that breaks through the enemy's overall defensive formation will also be here. Our main goal is to disperse them, and on the basis of dispersing them, annihilate as many as possible. The 600-strong right hook of the Huzi will undertake this task.

  "Does anyone have a different opinion?" Li Hong asked. Everyone shook their heads in unison. Li Hong's attack method was simple and practical, with a clear purpose, leaving no room for criticism.

  "Does everyone know what they're doing?" Li Hong asked again. "If not, I can explain it one more time."

  Seeing everyone's excited expressions and eagerness to try, Li Hong smiled and waved his hand: "Everyone go back, reorganize your formations. Disperse!"

  Tian Chong led the rear guard to advance quickly, and merged with Zheng Xin's vanguard to form a team of horses. They lined up neatly behind Li Hong's horse.

  Orderlies ran back and forth in the darkness, a tense and busy time before a big battle.

  Li Hong turned around and looked at Tian Chong, who had a solemn expression on his face. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind: this old soldier would definitely fulfill his wish to die in battle alongside him.

  Tian Zhongchong smiled and drew an arrow from his quiver behind him, placing it on the bowstring.

  Li Hong kicked the horse's belly, and the black leopard was in pain. It let out a long hiss and took off first. Zheng Xin and Tian Chong each led their teams to follow up.

  Yu Shi fiercely whipped his horse and led his troops to start moving. At the same time, Yan Rou's army in the middle route also set off simultaneously.

  Xian Yu Fu, Zhao Wen and Hu Zi's troops were basically on the same line, and soon their cavalry slowly disappeared into the endless darkness.

  Li Hong's heart was as still as stagnant water. His entire body lay flat on the back of the black leopard, his torso rising and falling in rhythm with the leopard's flight. He closed his eyes, letting the wild wind blow against his face, comfortably enjoying the thrill of the free and wild run.

  The distance from Yuancheng is getting closer and closer.

  The warriors could clearly hear the battle cries, screams of agony, clashing of blades and guns, the sound of cow horns below the city walls, and the beat of war drums above; they could distinctly discern the stench of blood floating in the air, the acrid smell of burnt trees, and the pervasive atmosphere of carnage and suffering that hung over the battlefield.

  Murong Ji was very excited, sitting on his warhorse, feeling proud and confident that his own abilities were not inferior to Murong Feng's. Although Murong Feng had failed to take down the Lulong Pass, he, Murong Ji, had taken down the Yuyang City.

  He saw that the situation on the west wall was settled, and a triumphant smile finally appeared on his face. Immediately he prepared to send out a reserve team to reinforce the city gate tower of the Hua Xia tribe. At this moment, the war horse under him suddenly jumped up anxiously in place, and Murong Ji almost fell off the horse. Immediately after, more war horses were abnormal, either neighing loudly, or moving their hooves wildly, or shaking their heads and tails.

  Murong Ji's eyes scanned his surroundings warily, and he felt a faint sense of unease in his heart.

  Li Hong slowly straightened up from his horse, holding the steel spear in his hand.

  He seemed to have drawn some kind of power from the steel gun, and suddenly he was like a different person, his whole body filled with an overwhelming killing aura.

  "He shouted loudly: 'Sound the horn, full speed ahead...'"

  The Han army on the battlefield mainly used flag language and war drums to command the deployment and advance and retreat of troops. Li Yan believed that flag language was silent, and in the intense battle on the battlefield, how many people would look up at the command flag behind them without a reason, and at night, soldiers couldn't see the flags, lacking flexibility. War drums and golden bells were good, but compared to cow horns, they were not convenient for cavalrymen to carry and use. Only the Hu people's cow horn was suitable for cavalry. They came in all sizes, could be hung around the neck or waist, and could issue commands at any time while riding a galloping horse. Therefore, Li Hong insisted on using cow horns in the cavalry troops.

  A huge bugle sound suddenly tore through the black curtain and rushed straight into the sky.

  Murong Ji's eyes widened in shock as he stared into the depths of darkness.

  He didn't know which unit this was, and how they suddenly appeared here. But he was familiar with the sound of the horn, that was the authentic sound of a pure cow horn being blown. So like all the Xianbei soldiers, he instinctively thought this was their own reinforcements.

  The sound of horseshoes was getting clearer and louder, until it became a rumble.

  Li Hong turned around and saw that the cavalry had divided into three huge torrents, with high morale, covering the sky and earth, surging towards the Xianbei people's army.

  Suddenly, he felt his whole body boiling with hot blood, and a surge of heroic emotions burst out from his heart, stimulating him to gallop into the air on horseback.

  He raised his steel gun and shouted with all his might: "Accelerate... accelerate..."

  The huge sound of the horn came again from the depths of darkness, accompanied by the thunderous sound of war horses galloping, and an atmosphere of tension and fear suddenly enveloped the hearts of every soldier under the city, a mysterious and terrifying sense of horror that almost suffocated them.

  The distance to their own army's formation was already very close, and the bugle sounded a charge. If it wasn't the enemy, then it was a ghost. Even if it were the Xianbei troops, they would still be the enemy's troops. Murong Ji's face changed greatly, and he shouted hoarsely: "Form a defensive array, form a defensive array! The enemy is making a surprise attack, a surprise attack..."

  His cry had barely fallen when the hornblowers around him sounded the alarm, and the urgent, low-pitched sound instantly spread throughout the entire battlefield.

  The soldiers were bewildered and didn't know what was happening. Although the thunder of galloping warhorses had drowned out all sounds on the battlefield, although the warriors' souls were being tightly oppressed by unknown forces in the depths of darkness, they still subconsciously responded to the alarm call and quickly made a defensive reaction.

  However, Murong Chui and his subordinates soon realized that all of this was in vain.

  A lone rider suddenly flew out of the darkness, a head of flowing long hair dancing wildly in the wind.

  Li Hong waved his long spear and shouted loudly: "For Great Han, kill..."

  Tian Chong, Zheng Xin, Lei Zi, and the horned soldiers responded in unison: "Kill..."

  A shrill cry suddenly rang out, shaking the entire dark night. More cavalry warriors heard the loud shout and followed with all their might, shouting loudly: "Kill..."

  The mighty cavalry of the Han Dynasty was like a ghost in the dark night, bursting out of the thick darkness with a deafening killing sound. They were like a burst dam, rushing forward with a loud whistle, thundering and roaring, carrying the wind and thunder, with an aura of lightning speed, sweeping towards the Xianbei army like a broken branch.

  On the city wall, Murong Feng led hundreds of shock troops in a difficult and bloody advance. The soldiers on both sides had become ferocious beasts, entwining each other, tearing at each other with knives, axes, spears, and teeth. On the top of the city wall just tens of steps away, corpses were piled thickly, blood filled the ground, and began to flow down the stone stairs. In their ears, there were only the enemy's mournful cries, in their eyes, only the enemy's bodies, everything else was unimportant compared to killing each other.

  Murong Feng was hacked several times, and his whole body was covered in blood. Several guards pulled him out of the pile of dead bodies. He lay on the city wall, struggling to open his mouth wide, panting heavily. Then he saw the cavalry army rushing out of the darkness. He cried out in despair, but what came out of his throat was almost an inhuman whimper.

  Murong Chui stood on the left wing of the army, commanding. He stared blankly, not daring to believe his eyes. Had this Han reinforcement emerged from the ground?

  Murong Chen almost hysterically shouted: "Prepare bows and arrows..."

  There were no archers or long spear soldiers behind him. Because it was a siege, the archers had all been transferred from their respective units and concentrated under the city wall. The long spear soldiers had all switched to war knives and battle axes during the siege, serving as vanguard troops. Behind him, apart from his own guards, were only knife-wielding and axe-wielding soldiers, who formed the next batch of reserve troops ready to climb up the city tower. He could only choose to retreat, retreating alone by himself.