Chapter 40: The Allied Army's Probe (Part 1)

  The wind, a biting cold wind, rampaged across this land of Yique.

  In the icy and snowy land, waves of shouting voices came, scaring away the few birds. The vast earth, the broad sky, the magnificent city walls, and the tiny human beings. This is today's picture of Yique.

  Just after breakfast, the allied forces of Han, Zhao and Wei set out. The achievement of annihilating one million Qin troops made every allied soldier full of confidence, and the one million Qin troops in front of them might be their next big meal.

  Yesterday evening, after the White Army arrived at Yi Quan, the Allied Forces held an emergency meeting to discuss the current situation. The original plan of voluntary retreat and showing weakness to the enemy proved to be ineffective. During General White's march, the harassment by the Allied Forces along the way had no effect whatsoever. Since General White's army arrived, they have been closed in their camp and not coming out, even the scouts were all recalled within the city walls, giving an appearance of having no intention of attacking. Such actions left the Allied Forces at a loss for what to do.

  The Qin army has been fighting against the Yi Qu for hundreds of years, and against various countries in Shandong. The most terrifying ability they have cultivated is not offense, but defense. Even Bai Qi's several great victories were all based on solid defense, and then counterattacking when the enemy showed weakness, winning in one battle!

  At present, the three-state coalition army has an advantage in numbers and morale is high. In contrast, the Qin army has traveled a long distance and recently suffered a major defeat, so their morale must be low. White Start's current choice seems to be to strictly defend the camp, wear down the coalition army's will to fight and morale. After the coalition army's morale declines and the Qin army reinforcements arrive, White Start will likely counterattack.

  Having figured out this principle, the Allied strategy also made some adjustments. The original defense had lost its effect, and the Zhao army was all iron cavalry, defending was not their style, attacking was their nature. Since you don't dare to attack, I'll just attack!

  Fight! Fight! Fight!

  The crown prince looked at the Qin army's large camp not far away, and his heart was also boiling with hot blood. Those who have not experienced the cold weapon era of war can hardly feel such a feeling. The banners were densely packed, the war drums were loud, the neat phalanx, the icy long spears. Once the troops reached 10,000 people, it looked like a sea of people. And behind him, there was an army of 1.3 million!

  The Allied Forces' greatest reliance was the Zhao army, which had not yet experienced the defeat of the Changping Great War. They had a pride that did not yield to the Qin people, and also a fearlessness that did not yield to the Qin people.

  At the beginning of the Changping War, if it wasn't for Zhao Kuo's underestimation and rash advance, the Zhao army would not have lost the strategic initiative; if it weren't for the fact that the entire state of Zhao lacked a correct understanding of the war, the three-year stalemate would not have exhausted the military potential of Zhao, which was far inferior to that of Qin, and the outcome would still be uncertain.

  Even so, the 400,000-strong Zhao army managed to inflict over half casualties on the 600,000-strong Qin army, severely weakening Qin's national strength and rendering it unable to take advantage of the situation to attack Handan.

  The horn of Wuu sounded in the Qin camp, and facing the gathering of the allied army, the Qin army was not weak either. The large flag in the center army continuously directed each camp to join the defense.

  The allied forces were led by the Korean and Wei armies. The Korean army had excellent equipment and was undoubtedly the best choice for the vanguard, and since they were fighting on their home soil, there was no worry about their morale! The Wei army had recently changed its commander and wanted to regain its strong military style, and with the help of Korea, it had built a heavy infantry force, which was now being tested in battle!

  It was the Zhao army that broke through the lines of Han and Wei, with 800,000 iron cavalrymen from Zhao sufficient to block the battlefield! If any Qin troops dared to come out of their camp, they would first worry about being surrounded and annihilated by the powerful Zhao army.

  The purpose of this battle was to probe, if possible, break through one corner of the Qin camp, and then the Zhao army would take advantage of the situation. If it gets stuck in a stalemate, the weak Qin army will lay the foundation for the subsequent defense of Yique.

  Bai Qi gazed at the coalition forces in the distance, nodding to himself. His plan of holding out for reinforcements had been seen through so quickly, it seemed there were clever people among the coalition as well.

  Actually, he could have waited for reinforcements in Yi Yang, but that would have certainly displeased the King of Qin. It's worth noting that when attacking Chu State, he only had 50,000 troops, yet still managed to defeat over 300,000 Chu soldiers and capture their capital. This time, with an army of 100,000, if he didn't rush to Iqiu, wouldn't the King of Qin suspect him of disobeying orders?

  However, the state of Chu is not comparable to the current Han, Zhao, and Wei. The upper class of Chu has sharp contradictions, the people's lives are already miserable, and the Chu army lacks fighting spirit. On the other hand, the current Han, Zhao, and Wei have just won a great victory, their morale is high, and there is no discord among them, which is what they fear most. Especially the 100,000 iron cavalry of Zhao, making it difficult for them to move freely.

  But who says that only an offensive, only a big victory can strike the enemy's morale. Bai Qi just did the opposite, relying on his own accumulated prestige to make the allied army fearful, and then advanced to Yique. In this way, both the King of Qin and himself were satisfied.

  Closely observe the coalition forces, assess their combat effectiveness, and look for weaknesses. If the coalition forces have any flaws, we can take advantage of them; if the coalition forces are impregnable, then we will defend ourselves and wait for reinforcements. The coalition forces are not invincible, are they? Our Great Qin army of 100,000 soldiers is right under your noses. Come and attack me! Bite me! Ah, I mean, come and attack me!

  The allied forces were in a difficult situation where they had to fight, because if they didn't, the morale that had been built up with great difficulty would slacken. Once their 100,000-strong reinforcements arrived, Qin would thoroughly grasp the initiative. Even if they didn't take the initiative to attack Yique, the three Jin states wouldn't dare relax. At that time, it would be like a fishbone stuck in the throat, and the three Jin states would be unable to advance or retreat. The grain and fodder alone would be enough to exhaust the three Jin states.

  The Allied army has come to its senses, but it's too late. In any case, the three Jin have fallen into their own plan. Defense is always easier than offense, and soon you will know that Qin's defense is even more brilliant than its offense. Bai Qi secretly clenched his fists.

  The armies of Han and Wei finally moved. Under the cover of catapults and crossbow arrows, two ten-thousand-man formations held up their shields and charged forward at the risk of their lives.

  "Fire!"

  Without batting an eye at the arrows that fell around him from time to time, a Qin army officer gave orders with an unchanged expression.

  The Qin army is now at a disadvantage, the Qin army from afar lacks stones, and the stone-throwing vehicles have lost their use. Now only crossbow arrows can suppress the Han army.

  In the past, the Qin army would have suffered heavier casualties. However, the current Qin army is no longer the original Qin army. After capturing several iron and armory manufacturing centers from Korea, the Qin army's crossbows are now on par with those of the Korean army, with a maximum range of 800 steps.

  Fresh blood splattered all over the land, with soldiers from both sides falling at every moment. The sky was filled with a rain of arrows, and when the arrows fell to the ground, they harvested lives.

  Both sides' large crossbows relied on their ultra-long range to launch the first wave of attacks, but their main role was actually to suppress and destroy each other's large crossbows. Just like how a sniper's first target is always another sniper, the terrifying killing ability of the opponent's large crossbow is what both sides fear most.

  The casualties of the crossbowmen on both sides were the heaviest at first, with crossbow bolts constantly falling into the formation, and anyone hit was killed instantly. However, the crossbows on both sides did not stop for a moment, and as soon as a soldier died, there were soldiers behind him to replace him.

  "Hurry! Hurry!"

  The military marquis of the crossbow camp constantly urged his men to load the crossbow arrows. In the crossbow camp, speed is above everything. Perhaps it's just a minute faster, but this minute may be the dividing line between life and death.

  Loading a large crossbow is complicated, but it's as fast as lightning. Every second counts in the work of the crossbow corps. Their lives were already out of their control from the moment they stepped onto the battlefield. The only fortunate thing was that if they died unfortunately, they wouldn't have to suffer too much pain. The powerful crossbow arrows would often tear their bodies apart in an instant, without even giving them time to feel pain.

  Han and Wei's two armies took advantage of the momentum to advance another 400 steps, and the large crossbows of the Qin army that survived the first round of mutual shooting also shifted their targets.

  No one is foolish enough to think that a shield can withstand the most ruthless weapons on the battlefield with flesh and blood. At this time, if infantry dare to form a dense formation, they will become the best target, seeking death.

  In response to the huge threat of crossbow arrows, infantry also have a way to respond. That is to gather into small arrays and not give the opponent an opportunity. The biggest drawback of this crossbow arrow is that it is inconvenient to move and slow to load. As long as the shooting angle can be determined, soldiers can completely avoid the flight direction of the crossbow arrow. Especially after rushing forward for two hundred steps, even the opponent's shooting can be seen clearly, and dodging becomes easier.

  This is just the appetizer. After advancing two hundred steps, the attacking side will face the greatest test - the shooting of the crossbowmen! This is the real test. If the large crossbows in the sky form a sparse drizzle, then the crossbowmen within two hundred steps form a dense and impenetrable storm.

  Form a dense phalanx, this is the only possibility for infantry to survive. Don't consider casualties, don't fear death, only by charging through these two hundred steps can the attacking side grasp its own fate.

  And now, the two armies of Han and Wei, each with tens of thousands of soldiers, have passed through the danger zone of the large crossbows and officially entered the most dangerous area!