12dz Chapter 2179 left a trick up its sleeve
Chapter 2179 left a trick up its sleeve
The central army of Chu.
The commander of the Imperial Guard knelt in the dust at the foot of the high slope, his forehead touching the ground, his whole body trembling.
Behind him, dozens of Imperial Guard scouts also knelt on the ground, none of them daring to raise their heads.
A deathly silence filled the air, broken only by the faint sounds of battle cries echoing from Jianghuai City in the distance, and even further away—on the eastern horizon—the rumble of hooves like muffled thunder.
Chu Ning stood before the imperial tent, his dark black dragon-patterned cloak fluttering wildly in the rising evening breeze.
With his back to the kneeling Imperial Guards, he stared intently at the rising dust in the east.
The smoke and dust, obscuring the sky like a sandstorm, were sweeping towards Jianghuai City at an alarming speed.
Beneath the smoke and dust were countless moving black dots—that was the army, an army of at least 100,000 men!
"Twenty li..."
Chu Ning's voice was icy cold, devoid of any warmth: "One hundred thousand Tang soldiers are lurking right under my nose, twenty miles away, yet your Embroidered Uniform Guard hasn't received a single tip-off?"
The commander of the Imperial Guards said in a trembling voice, "Your Majesty... Your Majesty, that valley was scouted by our scouts three days ago, and it was confirmed that there were no ambushes at that time."
"The Tang army must have infiltrated later, and... and they clearly used extremely sophisticated camouflage techniques, not lighting fires during the day, not marching at night, and possibly even..."
"What could it be?" Chu Ning slowly turned around, his gaze piercing the kneeling man like a knife.
"Perhaps... it was buried on the spot, hidden underground." The commander's voice trailed off: "Our scouts were only conducting routine patrols and didn't dig any deep..."
"enough."
Chu Ning interrupted him, his voice filled with suppressed rage: "Dereliction of duty is dereliction of duty. No excuse can change the fact that you allowed 100,000 enemy troops to get right under my nose!"
He took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
Anger won't solve the problem; the most important thing now is to deal with it.
fortunately.
Fortunately, he had a premonition.
Fortunately, he did not commit all 100,000 reserve troops to the battlefield inside the city.
Fortunately... he had a backup plan.
"I had long anticipated that Guo Ziyi's elaborate schemes were aimed at more than just trapping my 70,000 troops."
Chu Ning walked back to the high platform in front of the imperial tent and looked at the solemn army formation behind him:
"Therefore, my 100,000 reserve troops have remained inactive, waiting for this very moment."
His gaze swept over the assembled generals, and his voice suddenly turned stern: "Where is Ma Chao?"
"The general is here!"
A valiant general stepped forward in response. This man was nine feet tall, with a robust build and a resolute face. He was none other than Ma Chao, the commander of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry.
He had been waiting for this order for a long time, his eyes burning with fierce fighting spirit.
"Li Shimin dispatched 30,000 Xuanjia Iron Cavalry to reinforce the north bank, intending to cooperate with Li Guangbi to attack Zhao Yu's White Horse Cavalry from both sides."
Chu Ning pointed his sword northward: "I am giving you 30,000 Xiliang cavalry. Your mission is to cross the river, intercept those 30,000 Tang cavalry, and cooperate with Zhao Yu to annihilate them for me!"
Ma Chao's eyes flashed with a sharp light as he clasped his hands and roared, "Your subordinate obeys! We will make sure those Tang cavalry never return!"
Chu Ning continued, "As for the 70,000 infantrymen personally led by Li Shiming, they are marching towards Jianghuai City..."
He paused, a cold smile curving his lips: "Leave it to me."
He turned to face the remaining 70,000 reserve troops, his voice echoing across the high slope:
"Generals and soldiers! Emperor Li Shimin of the Great Tang Dynasty has personally led an army of 100,000 to attack, intending to relieve the siege of the Jianghuai region and annihilate the elite forces of our Great Chu! Do you agree?"
"No! No! No!" Seventy thousand soldiers roared in unison, their voices like a tsunami.
"it is good!"
Chu Ning drew the Emperor's Sword from his waist, its blade pointing directly at the approaching cloud of dust in the east:
"Then follow me—and charge forth! Let Li Shimin know who truly rules the Central Plains!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Great Chu!"
Amidst a thunderous roar, Chu Ning mounted his horse, pointing the black dragon banner forward: "All troops—attack!"
The 70,000 Chu reserve troops poured down the high slope like a floodgate opened, heading straight for the Tang army's torrent from the east!
Meanwhile, Ma Chao had already returned to his Xiliang cavalry formation.
These 30,000 Xiliang cavalry were elite troops he had personally trained. The soldiers all came from the harsh and cold borderlands of Xiliang, and each one was skilled in archery and horsemanship, and extremely brave.
They had been waiting here all day, and were eager to get started.
"Boys!"
Ma Chao leaped onto his warhorse, raising his eighteen-foot steel spear high: "Did you all hear that? The Emperor of Tang has sent 30,000 Xuanjia Iron Cavalry to the north bank to encircle and annihilate General Zhao Yu's White Horse Cavalry! Do you agree to this?"
"No!" The 30,000 iron cavalry roared in unison, their voices echoing across the land.
"it is good!"
Ma Chao brandished his spear, pointing it towards the Huai River: "General Zhang Shijie's naval warships are already waiting on the riverbank!"
"Get on the boats immediately and cross the river! Charge ahead before the Tang cavalry can encircle us! Let those Tang soldiers know that the iron cavalry of our Great Chu is the best in the world!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Once the order was given, 30,000 Xiliang cavalry surged toward the banks of the Huai River like a black torrent.
There, Zhang Shijie's navy was already ready—not large warships, but hundreds of specially made flat-bottomed fast boats, each capable of carrying thirty riders, with oarsmen at both the bow and stern, and extremely fast.
The river crossing operation was swift and well-organized.
The warhorses were blindfolded and led onto the boat by soldiers. The cavalrymen removed some of their heavy armor, leaving only key protection. The archers and crossbowmen immediately went aboard to guard the surrounding river.
Zhang Shijie personally directed operations from the riverbank. The renowned naval commander had a grave expression on his face: "General Ma, the situation on the other side is unclear. Li Guangbi's 40,000 Tang troops are on the north bank. You are likely to encounter an ambush after you cross the river."
Ma Chao grinned, revealing a set of white teeth: "General Zhang, rest assured, Li Guangbi's 40,000 men are currently tied up with Zhao Yu and cannot spare many troops to intercept them. Even if they do—our Xiliang Iron Cavalry, who are we afraid of?"
He spoke casually, but his eyes were full of caution. The worst thing to do when crossing a river is to attack while the enemy is halfway across. If the Tang army really had an ambush, they would be sitting ducks on the river.
Fortunately, it seems that the Tang army has truly exhausted all its forces.
Li Shimin's 100,000-strong army pressed towards Jianghuai City. Li Guangbi on the north bank was tightly entangled by Zhao Yu, while the Tang army inside Jianghuai City was engaged in a bloody battle with Feng Mulan, Han Xing, and others.
Throughout the entire battlefield, the Tang army had no more soldiers available to intercept the cavalry crossing the river.
The fast boat sped like an arrow, cutting through the Huai River. As the sun set, the river surface was dyed blood red, contrasting with the flames of war on the banks, creating a cruel yet magnificent scene.
By the time the first ships reached the shore, it was already getting dark.
Ma Chao was the first to jump off the boat, followed by his warhorse.
He looked around—on the desolate northern bank, Zhao Yu's white horse cavalry and Li Guangbi's Tang army were locked in fierce battle several miles away, with billowing smoke and deafening shouts of battle.
Further north, on the horizon, another cloud of dust could be seen rapidly approaching—thirty thousand Xuanjia Iron Cavalry dispatched by Li Shimin!