Chapter 14: Blood War (Part One)
Li Jinhua gazed at the approaching Western Xia cavalry, a hint of flush rising to her face. She was unfamiliar with commanding an army in battle, but the genes of her warlike ancestors lingered in her blood. In critical moments, she did not lose her composure as a woman, and at this moment, there was no longer any panic from earlier. "Pass down the order: all grain-protecting troops protect the grain supplies, infantry form up in front, and the elite cavalry follow me to block them first. Where is General Yu of the army? Pass down my orders: anyone who retreats in the face of the enemy will be beheaded."
The camp was originally in a state of chaos, but in this era, as long as the commander-in-chief could muster up the corresponding courage, it would be easy to calm the troops. Li Jin Hua's performance at this time immediately made the motley crew of regular and militia soldiers seem to have found their backbone. The guys who had previously been skeptical of this commander-in-chief also immediately followed orders. As soon as the order was given, the camp's order was restored. The Qin army was originally fierce and good at fighting, and with excellent equipment, they had an advantage in previous battles against Western Xia. Compared to another Song army from a different time and space, they were like heaven and earth. At this time, after recovering from the initial chaos of being ambushed, although their strength was somewhat weaker than the enemy's, those regular soldiers did not show any fear, and instead formed up in battle formation, waiting for the fight to begin.
Two hundred cavalrymen under Li Jinhua's leadership, without a moment of hesitation, charged forward with no regard for their own lives towards the enemy that outnumbered them several times.
Zhao Shi stood on the slope, staring intently at the two armies rapidly approaching in the distance. He couldn't help but feel a sense of strangeness and excitement. This was war in the era of cold weapons, where men faced each other in mortal combat.
About a hundred paces away, the bowstrings sounded simultaneously and merged into one piece. Then there were mournful cries transmitted from afar. The bloodstains appeared weak in the smoke and dust stirred up by the war horses, but they all represented the disappearance of lives. The warriors who fell off their horses had no possibility of survival and were trampled to death without exception by the galloping war horses. After two rounds of arrow showers, the Qin army drew out their crossbows and shot one more round than the enemy. Immediately, dozens of men on the other side fell off their horses.
The neatly arranged troops slowly formed a sharp arrowhead shape, cutting straight into the enemy's army. It was only then that the elite of the Qin army became apparent. Facing the Xia army, which had no formation to speak of but outnumbered them several times over, the fewer than 200 Qin soldiers gathered together, forming a sharp blade that cut into the enemy's array. The horizontal swords were swung out with great force amidst the warriors' frenzied shouts, either colliding with the enemy's blades and producing ear-piercing iron scraping sounds or directly bringing up large sprays of blood, cutting down the enemy and sending them tumbling to the ground. The dazzling red color was like a raging fire that scorched Zhao Shi's eyes and body. A pair of eyes that were originally deep and black had become almost imperceptibly tinged with threads of blood. The warrior who had killed countless people in his past life, cold-blooded and devoid of emotion, seemed to have fully awakened at this moment. His desire for slaughter once again filled his chest and every part of his body.
Galloping war horses, waving weapons, ferocious warriors, splashing hot blood, everything was deeply imprinted in Zhao Shi's mind. Many years later, when Zhao Shi recalled it, he could still clearly feel that at that time, there seemed to be a mysterious voice calling his name, making him excited and calm at the same time. Perhaps before, Zhao Shi was still influenced by the attitude of being coldly observed, but after seeing this scene that made his blood boil, he had vaguely found his own belonging.
The long spear shot out like lightning, the one-foot-long spearhead penetrating the opponent's cheek without any obstruction, directly extending from the back of the brain, without any pause. The long spear swept across, and after stirring the opponent's head into a bloody mess, it slashed open another enemy's neck. Due to the rapid movement, the suppressed hot blood immediately found an outlet, instantly spraying Li Jin Hua's face. That person covered his neck and swayed, falling off the horse. Li Jin Hua didn't dare to look closely, nor could she afford to look closely, strongly enduring the discomfort in her stomach, using the spear shaft to block the long knife swinging towards her. The bodyguard beside her loudly chopped down one of the opponent's arms.
The fierce battle had only lasted for a moment, but to Li Jinhua it felt like an eternity. Everywhere were the flashing of weapons and the shrill cries of soldiers being killed. The strong smell of blood made her feel like vomiting, her face was as pale as paper, and her breathing was rapid as if she was about to spit out her internal organs. But in the eyes of her subordinates, this seemingly weak commander was awe-inspiringly brave. Her pear blossom spear danced and spun, swift as lightning, fierce as thunder, every strike drawing blood. In just a short moment, she had already knocked six or seven people off their horses. The shiny chain armor on her body was stained with fresh blood, adding to her killing aura.
But the Western Qin army was too small in number, and these two hundred cavalrymen wanted to block the enemy who were several times their own number. The Western Xia's so-called invincible Iron Hawk Troops were indeed somewhat unable to cope with the pressure. The deeper they went, the greater the pressure, and the surrounding enemies were all desperate to block them. Strange-shaped weapons hacked at the Qin army's heads and faces, and they were like a pack of wolves, pouncing from all sides, amidst the blood, layer by layer peeling away the densely packed Qin army.
Li Jinhua's personal guards were all descendants of her family's ancestral guardians, and by her generation, only four remained. This time, they all came out, but one had already died. The man had blocked a stray arrow for Li Jinhua, but after a brief pause, his head was smashed into a bloody pulp, causing Li Jinhua to feel a sharp pain in her heart. These four people were more like family members than servants, having followed her father's old department and watched her grow up as elders. Now, seeing one of them die before her eyes, how could she not be extremely grieved?
The leader of the four was named Li Shu, who was extremely brave and fierce. The horizontal knife in his hand was stained with a thick layer of fresh blood, making it impossible to see its original color. At this moment, he grabbed hold of Li Jinhua's warhorse and roared: "Let's go, we'll fight our way out!"
At this time, the Qin army had only about 100 people left, all of whom were covered in blood. The two division commanders had been reduced to one, and the speed of the war horses had slowed down to the lowest point. However, these Qin soldiers were all elite imperial guards from the front palace, and they did not panic. Although they were surrounded by enemy troops, with comrades being cut down and falling off their horses from time to time, they still closely followed behind their commander-in-chief, gathering together in a tight group.
After the array, Li Yuanhan did not go forward to fight. At this time, under the protection of more than a dozen guards, he stood not far behind the array and saw that the Qin army had turned around and was about to break through from the flank of his own array. His thick black eyebrows furrowed slightly, but in his heart, he let out a faint sigh. When did the Iron Swallowtail become so weak? In the past, five thousand Iron Swallowtails dared to charge into an enemy army of tens of thousands, but now, the famous Iron Swallowtails couldn't even hold back a few hundred enemy soldiers. It's really worrying.
"Go, tell them to ignore the Western Qin cavalry and directly attack their camp. Wu Li, take some men to block their reinforcements. It's just a grain transport team, but they've been beaten into this state - I'm embarrassed for them. This order seems timely and correct now. The escort team has only 200 elite cavalrymen, while the rest are mostly mobs. When faced with a large-scale cavalry charge, it's only a matter of time before they collapse. They need food, not to kill people. However, this order later made Li Yuanhan regret so much that his intestines turned green."
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In the camp, Zhao Shi hastily ran to the front of several vehicles that had been inspected, tore off the seals on them, and the people gathered around him were all shocked. Shang Yan Zu grabbed his wrist, "Shi Tou, what are you doing? Are you sending everyone down a dead-end road?" He said urgently, looking around, taking advantage of the fact that at this moment everyone's attention was attracted by the intense battle in front, and no one noticed them.
"Bring out all these crossbows, three people in a group, two to load and one to shoot. If you want to stay alive, do as I say."
But no one moved, this was a capital offense for killing the commander. Everyone's eyes turned to Shang Yanzu, who usually had the highest prestige, "This is a battlefield, there is nothing more important than preserving one's life, can you use these when the Western Xia people rush in?" He stared tightly at Shang Yanzu's eyes and pointed at the weapons in their hands.
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Zhao Shi took a closer look at the crossbow in his hand, with very simple craftsmanship. However, from his past life's perspective, the crossbow had always been exclusive to the Han people, and the Hu people were unable to manufacture it. In fact, since the Shang and Zhou dynasties, the Han people had never been comparable to the nomadic tribes of the north in terms of politics, culture, or other aspects. Unfortunately, regardless of cultural advancement, it ultimately depends on how people use it. These are all digressions, so let's not discuss them here for now.
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The low and even hastily constructed camp walls were unable to withstand the Xixia cavalry's charge, with warhorses leaping over the walls and charging into the infantry ranks. At first contact, several Xixia riders were knocked off their horses by the Qin soldiers' spears, but more riders crashed into the Qin troops, sending them flying. The Qin soldiers who failed to dodge in time were trampled to the ground, their bellies torn open by the warhorses' iron hooves. The cavalry's advantage over infantry was evident at this moment.
The Qin army, although brave and fighting to the death, was no match for the Western Xia's iron cavalry, which descended upon them from a higher position. The Qin army managed to hold out for only a moment before being breached at several points, allowing the Western Xia cavalry to pour in like a tidal wave, tearing the Qin army apart and splitting it into several groups. At this point, the battle within the camp had barely begun, yet it had already become a one-sided slaughter. The Qin soldiers fell like wheat under the scythe, their blood immediately staining the earth red. The cries of agony filled the air, piercing the sky and echoing far and wide.
