Chapter 54: The Two Armies Face Off

  It's better not to delay, for delay will lead to changes. After Wang Shan was killed, Xu Wei took advantage of the situation and immediately ordered someone to count the number of captured rebels. Roughly calculated, there were more than 6,000 people! This is more than ten times the total strength of the Jingwei Camp! More than 600 soldiers had blocked more than 6,000 rebels by the lake. If it were daytime, what a magnificent sight it would be, or perhaps how precarious?

  His heart couldn't help but be shocked, Xu Wei knew that although the more than 6,000 people had been disarmed, there were still variables at present. The top priority was to disperse and divide them, otherwise, what the outcome would be, only heaven knows. Just as he was discussing with several leaders, a scout suddenly came to report that a large group of cavalry was rushing towards this side.

  Everyone was shocked, what kind of person would be running to this desolate wilderness at the third watch? Could it be Wang Shanzai's reinforcements? Xu Wei did not dare to be careless, and personally led Yang Yan and Ma Tai, two commanders, with 200 cavalry and infantrymen, to welcome them. After leaving the bandit camp, a horse galloped forward on the flat plain, and the 200 soldiers advanced for a short while before seeing a black shadow moving quickly towards them from the east. Before long, the sound of hooves shook the sky, and the other side arrived extremely quickly!

  "Form up!" Xu Wei gave the order, and over a hundred infantrymen immediately formed a square formation with their heads bowed. The long spear soldiers stood in four rows, the first row crouched down with their spears pointing forward. The sword and shield bearers stood at the back of the two sides, waiting in strict array. Dozens of cavalrymen approached the infantry from a distance, ready to encircle and charge at any moment.

  "Brother Jiu! The enemy doesn't know my true strength, why not take the initiative to charge at him!" Yang Yan tightened his reins and said with a curved gun. Having won two consecutive battles, this kid's confidence is bursting! Now, let alone bandits, even if it were the imperial guard coming to attack, he would dare to launch a preemptive strike.

  "On the other hand, we don't know each other's true intentions either. What if we charge rashly and kick against an iron plate?" Xu Wei retorted. Yang Yan was momentarily speechless, sullenly sheathing his weapon and saying no more. The opposing cavalry suddenly halted dozens of yards away from Xu Wei's troops, and a warhorse whinnied, apparently having its bit tightened, preparing to launch a surprise attack."

  Before long, a small team of cavalry rushed out from the other side and galloped towards them. They stopped several dozen paces in front of the Jingyuan camp and one of them shouted loudly: "The leader come out to answer!"

  Xu Wei looked around, urged his horse forward, with Yang Yan on the left and Ma Tai on the right, closely protecting him. When they approached the group, they were several steps away before they could see clearly that everyone was fully armed and dressed in uniform. Judging from their equipment, they shouldn't be bandits. If not bandits, then the ones wearing armor and leading troops can only be the imperial army.

  "Who are you waiting for? Report your name!" The leader of the other side asked loudly.

  Yang Yan immediately responded: "The Great Name Prefecture's Jingwei Village Brave Camp!"

  "Brave warrior? Then what are you waiting for in formation, what do you want to do?" The other party asked with a hint of disdain.

  Yang Yan's head was not feeling well, but he said: "What does it have to do with you? I am following the orders of my brother, training soldiers here!" Training soldiers in the middle of the night? This kind of diligence is probably unmatched in the entire Song Dynasty army.

  That head, upon hearing these words, suddenly became enraged and shouted while raising his hand: "You see if I can or cannot control you!" A strong gust of wind howled in, Xu Wei's hands moved quickly, and with a reverse knife stroke, he counterattacked! The soldiers behind the general simultaneously mobilized their warhorses to surround Yang Yan and Ma Tai. With one spear and one axe held straight out in front of them, they shouted loudly: "Don't move!"

  That general grasped half of his horse whip, enraged with shame! He drew out the knife at his waist and pointed it straight at Xu Wei: "Do you want to rebel?"

  Xu Weileng snorted, sweeping away the opponent's weapon with one knife, and said disdainfully: "I was ordered to suppress the bandits, you led the army to attack, are you trying to rebel?"

  That general was choked with rage for a moment, and after a while, he spat: "I won't argue with you! Get out of the way quickly, or you'll be punished for delaying the battle!"

  Yang Yan squeezed in a sentence: "War machine? Who are you fighting with? King's bandits? Sorry, they've already been defeated by my Jingui Camp, and the remaining troops have surrendered! As for you, you don't even have leftover soup to drink, let alone leftover rice."

  How can the other side believe, Wang Shan's troops have more than 10,000 people, and the government army has attacked several times, each with casualties. Relying on your group of high-Liang flower sons' local rascals to think about eliminating Wang Shan, fart! Grandfather led a thousand elite vanguard, and the prefecture governor also led the main force behind, but did not dare to boast that he could defeat Wang Shan!

  That general gazed into the distance, seeing that the large camp in front was indeed engulfed in flames, and his heart was filled with shock and uncertainty. A flash of insight struck him, and he thought to himself: "This must be a sign of turmoil within Wang Shan's army!" If what he said was true, then I'll lead my troops forward and steal the credit for myself! But even if it was just an empty boast, since Wang Shan's camp has already fallen into chaos, I can still send in my thousand iron cavalry to stir up some trouble and reap some rewards! With this thought, he became even more arrogant and spoke with a threatening tone: "I am the Commander-in-Chief of the Yan State army! I have been ordered to quell the rebels, and I don't care what kind of nonsense you're spouting - quickly get out of my way! Otherwise, I'll treat you as bandits!" Since they were just local militiamen, what difference was there between them and ordinary civilians? This general thought that by flaunting his official title, he could intimidate these country bumpkins into retreating in disarray and prostrating themselves on the ground.

  But unexpectedly, the three "bird shooters" opposite him didn't move at all. The stout man among them even asked in a low voice, "What rank is the military supervisor of Yanzhou?"

  "Your grandfather is a ninth-grade official of the imperial court! Are you going to let me through or not!" The general lost his patience and bellowed loudly.

  Xu Wei let out a cold laugh, not wanting to bother with him at all. Yang Yan couldn't help but retort, "Pfft! Who do you think you are? Eighth rank? My brother is a genuine eighth-rank official in the imperial court, how dare you order me around?"

  That general heard it and said: "Has the world changed? When did a rustic soldier like this also get to wear an eighth-rank official's uniform?"

  Although I knew that the other party also had official rank, this is my Shandong territory. Can your county's militia suppress me, a local snake? Even if you take credit for it, what can be done? At this point, I steeled myself and was about to turn back and prepare to lead the army in a surprise attack. Just as I turned my horse around, a rider came galloping from afar, shouting: "Liu Du Jian! The governor's orders are that if you encounter militia coming from Da Ming, do not harm your own people!"

  Damn it! Who is related to this group of native dogs? Liu Du Jian cursed silently, pretending not to hear. He quickly rode his horse back to the formation, issued an order to the whole army, and prepared for a surprise attack! Let these damn plague-ridden native dogs see what a crack troop looks like!

  "It's not suitable to fight, I'm afraid! Although the other side is a local militia, they are after all going to Shandong to assist in the war. Moreover, their leader has an official title, if a conflict arises and it's investigated, we'll be the ones to take the blame." A cavalry commander (also a military officer) advised against it.

  Liu Doujian refused to listen, and angrily scolded: "If I don't let him know my skills today, where is my dignity? Don't talk nonsense, come with me! The magistrate will investigate, and I'll take all the blame! One more word, and you'll get a good beating!"

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