vstars Chapter 258 Crossing the Long River
Chapter 258 Crossing the Long River
The infantry of both sides clashed.
The bandits' vanguard consisted mostly of able-bodied men, and many of them were even former government soldiers who had surrendered.
In terms of combat prowess alone, the old thieves had seen blood and were wielding knives with ease, plus the former government soldiers who were professional killers.
How could they compare to these ordinary people on the other side?
Not to mention, these civilians at the front had no armor to protect themselves and were only carrying rakes and sticks.
Before engaging the enemy, the rebels first drew their bows and fired three volleys of arrows into the sky.
A dense rain of arrows fell.
The temporary soldiers fell in droves, like wheat fields swaying in the wind, screaming in agony.
Countless arrows were stuck in the corpses on the ground, like weeds growing on fertile land.
There was a great commotion recently.
Many people trembled and turned to run away.
The supervising troops behind them, composed of regular soldiers, drew their swords and slashed forward without hesitation, while others drew their bows and shot arrows.
Hundreds of unfortunate souls died, and the remaining people, wailing, turned and charged at the bandits.
boom!
The two torrents collided.
Countless people howled and roared, desperately stabbing and thrusting their objects forward, uttering incomprehensible screams.
People would fall down from time to time, and then be trampled by countless feet, never to get up again.
The front line was on the verge of collapse.
On the watchtower surrounded by the personal guards.
The bugle call sounded.
The messenger waved a red flag.
On the flank of the infantry formation, several hundred of the household guards' cavalrymen were dispatched, their hooves thundering and shaking the earth.
They drew an arc and crashed directly into the flank of the enemy's forward ranks.
It's like a scorching hot iron poker piercing through a thick layer of grease without any hindrance.
The bandits, who were riding high on their victory, were thrown into disarray.
The hundreds of cavalrymen practically carved a bloody path through the crowd, cutting across the enemy lines.
Wang Daniu exclaimed "Eh!"
He rode a clumsy horse beside Yang Silang, wearing an ill-fitting suit of armor that stretched his body taut.
Yang Silang gave him the repaired set of fine iron armor that the government had awarded him when he searched the mountains.
Wang Daniu was strong and squeezed his way in.
He said in surprise in a low voice.
"Wasn't this our job before?"
"General Wang has taken pity on us and decided to send out his personal guards and cavalry?"
"Damn it, if they don't let us go out today, how are we going to get to the river?"
Yang Silang shook his head.
"Don't be impatient, this is just the beginning, it's still early."
"Our time to take action will definitely come today."
at this time.
With the help of cavalry, the rebel vanguard, which had initially held the upper hand, was defeated one after another.
The bandit cavalry seemed to be making a move, but they were merely keeping watch as the officers and soldiers continued their pursuit.
Seeing that the imperial guards and cavalry only charged for a short while and then withdrew, and because of the distance, they ultimately did not move out.
The two armies took the opportunity to regroup and form ranks.
Amidst the mournful sound of horns.
The officers and soldiers on the front line were already decimated. The remnants retreated through the human wall separating the two sides, crying and shouting.
Of the three small groups of several thousand people, only half survived and were able to help each other retreat.
He had almost completely discarded all the rakes, sticks, kitchen knives, copper spoons, iron hammers, and other such items in his hands.
The supervisory team led them to regroup at the foot of the city wall.
There were piles of miscellaneous items, almost like small mountains, all of them household utensils such as sticks, spoons, and hammers, all scavenged from the city.
The defeated soldiers were given their weapons again here, then placed on the ground under surveillance, given some bread and water, and prepared for the next battle.
Many people were bleeding, and after a rough bandage, they wolfed down the flatbreads, eating while crying.
As cannon fodder, we don't even have the right to a full meal.
The so-called supply camp only provided one meal a day of coarse rice porridge mixed with sand; the only way to get a full meal was to go into battle and fight.
And in front.
Urged on by the supervisors, the men in the middle formation moved forward, their faces pale, ready to fight.
Half an hour later.
The middle formation also suffered half its casualties and collapsed. As usual, they were guided to the rear formation, where they were given a better meal, with several flatbreads and some vegetables.
This time, it was the household guards and cavalry who were dispatched again. The bandits' cavalry pressed forward in a dark mass, but ultimately failed to break through.
The middle formation still crumbled upon encountering the enemy, but it was better than the front formation, at least causing some bandits to be killed or wounded.
After all, when able-bodied people are desperate, they can fight back with their lives and cause casualties to the enemy.
Wait for the command flag on the vehicle to wave again.
The rear guard was also urged to go into battle by the supervisory team, and this time the ballista was also pushed up.
"Fourth Brother, the sun must have risen in the west today!" Wang Daniu exclaimed in surprise. "The General has actually used his precious household cavalry again."
Chai Qing sneered upon hearing this.
"Hmph, we were the ones leading the charge the past few days."
"He knew that there would be no risk in sending out cavalry at this time."
"His retainers and cavalry need to see some blood, so they won't be too weak in the face of a real battle."
"You see, when it really comes down to a tough battle, it's our turn to step up..."
at this time.
The war drums thundered ahead.
The scattered martial artists in the rear then went into battle. They were all trained in martial arts, and although they were all low-level martial artists, their one-on-one combat strength far exceeded that of an individual.
The thousands of people didn't have any formation; they just pushed forward haphazardly, without paying any attention to formations or ranks.
The same was true for the bandits on the other side.
Upon meeting them, the bandits suffered heavy losses, with many falling to the ground.
Seeing the overwhelming momentum of the rear guard, a chaotic group of people charged forward, actually breaking through the enemy troops who had come out to fight.
Several small groups of bandits collapsed in succession.
The warriors in the rear charged forward several hundred steps, while some on both sides ran faster, gradually forming a large inward crescent shape.
The bandit camp was filled with fluttering banners.
Immediately, over a thousand elite soldiers clad in iron armor and wielding long spears surged forth from the formation, forming a line, each shout accompanied by a step, each step followed by a thrust of the spear, in a continuous cycle of thrusting.
After the first group thrust ten times, the next group surged forward and thrust ten more times.
These warriors all carried their usual weapons, but very few of them carried shields.
Their weapons ranged in length, but short weapons were the primary type.
Even if one possesses martial arts skills, several spears suddenly thrust at one's feet, waist, chest, and face.
The martial artist, despite his agile movements, tried to dodge, but with people all around him, he was unable to utilize his skills effectively.
Screams echoed as the warriors in front were stabbed one after another, turning their great victory into a series of defeats, and they were on the verge of collapse.
This is something that never happened in the battle a few days ago.
Chai Qing's expression changed upon seeing this.
"The spear pierces a straight line, the hand is the rudder, and the steps are the boat."
"Use long weapons in short positions, coordinate hand and footwork, thrust with a level spear, advance like a wall..."
"This is the bayonet technique used by the imperial court's trained elite troops..."
"These armored soldiers are those surrendered government troops. Now that they've seen blood, it'll be hard for them not to become traitors!"
Wang Daniu asked urgently.
"Is there a way to break this?"
Chai Qing nodded.
"Of course there is. They can use cavalry to break through infantry. The bandits' spear formation is incomplete and lacks the protection of shield soldiers, making it easy for cavalry to break through."
"Or we could train a squad of elite spearmen to fight bayonet to bayonet."
As they were talking.
Wang Dou then ordered the soldiers to wave the flag again.
The household guards and cavalry were dispatched again, this time in two columns.
Because a large force of bandit cavalry was nearby, they did not advance in a roundabout manner, but instead charged directly at the long spear formation from both sides in an arrow formation.
The spearmen hurriedly stopped their pursuit, pointed their spears diagonally forward, plunged the butts of their spears into the ground, and stomped on them, creating a forest of spears on the flat ground.
Boom boom boom!
The household guards and cavalry were indeed elite, and some of them were fearless and valiant.
The riders in front were caught off guard and instead spurred their horses to their maximum speed.
Bang bang bang!
Several riders rammed directly into it.
The men and horses charged violently, their spears piercing the ground.
With a series of snapping sounds, the spears broke, piercing the horses and causing many spearmen to fall to the ground with broken bones.
Several large gaps immediately appeared in the well-organized gun formation.
Horses that were on the verge of death, and a group of wounded spearmen lay flat on the ground, howling in agony.
The servants on horseback, some of whom were skilled, could leap off their horses with a somersault and plunge into the fray, drawing their swords to fight.
Some unlucky ones jumped too slowly and were pierced by the spear along with their horses, falling to the ground, coughing up blood, and clearly not going to survive.
next moment.
The sound of hooves thundered as the household guards and cavalry charged forward.
Without hesitation, they spurred their horses forward, laying flat the area near the breach, crushing any enemy or ally who couldn't dodge in time into a bloody pulp, and charged directly into the gun formation.
From afar, use a spear thrust; up close, use a downward slash.
In the blink of an eye, this elite force of over a thousand former government troops, now bandits, was slaughtered and routed.
A supervisory team guided the rear guard, which was on the verge of collapse, back to the main camp.
They can eat bread, meat, and wine.
General Wang was selective in his use of personnel, never wasting food, and was also extremely stingy with it.
In fact, given the current strength of the officers and soldiers, they should have defended the city, but General Wang had the military supplies officer calculate the amount of grain and fodder.
His army lacked sufficient supplies to hold out for long.
Therefore, his continuous dispatch of troops into battle also served as an opportunity to wear down the old, weak, sick, and disabled, and incidentally deplete the strength of the enemy's main force.
It was clear that the bandit infantry was about to be driven out and defeated by the household guards and cavalry.
woo woo woo...
Bugles were also sounded in the bandit army.
The large cavalry force moved, numbering over two thousand, twice as many as the household guards' cavalry.
Moreover, they were positioned to encircle the enemy from both sides, clearly intending to seize the opportunity to take down this elite force of officers and soldiers in one fell swoop.
dong dong dong...
In the general's camp, the drums sounded like thunder.
This time, General Wang personally waved the red flag, his hand moving so fast it became a blur.
Upon seeing this, the guerrilla commander hurriedly ordered the flag bearer beside him to wave the response flag, indicating that he had accepted the order to attack and provide support.
"All troops, attack..."
He brandished his spear and immediately spurred his horse, leading a hundred or so personal guards to charge at the forefront.
Under the banner of the character "鬼" (ghost).
Hundreds of cavalrymen charged out like a flowing river.
Ghost Guerrilla is no pushover.
He observed that the household guards and cavalry had already ridden their horses in a wide arc within the bandit ranks and were retreating towards the government troops.
The bandit cavalry attacked from both sides, with the Ghost Scout leading his team to charge towards one of the more than a thousand bandit cavalry.
He has several hundred men; he only needs to hold them off for a while and prevent the bandit cavalry from encircling and annihilating his personal guards and cavalry.
The household guards and cavalry numbered over a thousand. More than a hundred were lost in the spear formation. By cutting off their tails and abandoning another hundred riders, most of them should be able to escape back to camp.
"I can only apologize to you cannon fodder..."
Ghost Guerrilla made his plans. He charged ahead fiercely, then ordered the cannon fodder to charge forward as well.
He then planned to lead his personal guards to find an opportunity to escape back.
Even if there were a few high-level martial artists among these cannon fodder, he wouldn't care, since forcibly conscripting them had already offended them.
If they all die, it will be peaceful.
He was thinking about it.
"call……"
A hundred or so cavalrymen charged past him, their hooves kicking up dust that choked him and covered his face in dirt, causing him to cough repeatedly.
Under the raised banner bearing the character "Li," veteran general "Li Qing" led the way, followed by three deputy commanders, Guo, Yang, and Wu.
Behind them stood a group of fiercely contested warriors, their killing intent soaring and their blood boiling.
"What the hell?"
"Aren't these cannon fodder people tired of living?"
The ghost guerrilla was dumbfounded.
He hasn't figured it out yet.
boom!
The two cavalry forces have collided head-on.
Chai Qing was the arrow, charging at the very front.
The four of them had just discussed it. Since they were all Grandmasters, they would unleash their full power and sprint forward for a hundred steps before switching places, trying to reach the riverbank in one go.
Chai Qing dissuaded Yang Yanhui from his idea of becoming a vanguard.
He said he was a veteran who had fought on the battlefield for half his life, and that such a chaotic battle was a rare opportunity.
He should be the most adept at seizing opportunities among them, able to find the enemy's weak points the fastest in the chaotic battlefield, so this first battle must be, and can only be, led by him.
This reasoning left Yang Silang with no room for objection.
So the oldest of them, Chai Qingchong, was at the very front, holding a long spear and shouting like thunder.
Using the horse's strength, he charged forward, dodged the attacking spear to the side, and with lightning speed, thrust, flicked, and jerked the enemy rider he had just encountered, sending him flying through the air!