12dz Chapter 1976 The Decision!
Chapter 1976 The Decision!
The situation was even worse for Helian Wujiu.
Cavalry's advantage lies in mobility and impact, but in a crowded, chaotic camp with fire burning, their advantage vanishes!
The warhorses, startled by the firelight and shouts of battle, ran wildly and were completely uncontrollable.
Many Scorpion Clan cavalrymen finally managed to climb onto their horses, only to find that they were unable to launch an effective charge.
Instead, the frightened warhorses led them in a rampage through the camp, knocking down their own men and further disrupting their already fragile formation.
"Damn it! Don't panic! Stay calm! Follow me and charge out!"
Helian Wujiu swung his sword and cut down a Chu cavalryman who was trying to approach, then roared at his chaotic subordinates.
But his personal bravery seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the chaos of the whole situation.
The Chu infantry followed closely behind the cavalry, clearing the battlefield like a comb.
They worked in groups of five or in teams of ten, coordinating perfectly. Swordsmen and shieldmen blocked in front, spearmen thrust from behind, and archers precisely killed enemy officers who tried to organize a resistance.
The camp was plunged into chaos and slaughter.
The firelight illuminated countless panicked faces, the sounds of clashing weapons, dying cries, neighing warhorses, and crackling flames.
The various voices intertwined, composing a bloody and cruel elegy for dawn.
Helian Wujiu and Zhang Xun's meticulous plan was completely shattered by Feng Mulan's sudden and swift attack.
Not only did they fail to launch a surprise attack on Luoxia Mountain, but they themselves were also trapped in a desperate situation of being surrounded, divided, and annihilated!
The initiative in the war changed hands in just half an hour!
Inside the camp, flames soared into the sky, the sounds of battle were deafening, and the chaos had reached its peak.
Helian Wujiu and Zhang Xun were forced to retreat to a relatively sturdy ring-shaped defensive perimeter in the center of the camp, temporarily formed by supply wagons and some intact tents.
The Chu army, surging in from all sides like a raging tide, repeatedly battered the crumbling defense line, each impact bringing more casualties and deeper despair.
Helian Wujiu was covered in blood, mostly from his enemies, but also some of his own.
His rugged face was now filled with anxiety and rage, like a wild beast trapped in a cage.
He brandished his nicked scimitar and roared at Zhang Xun, who was also pale-faced beside him:
"General Zhang! This can't go on!"
"The Chu army is far superior to us in strength, and it was a surprise attack. Our camp has been breached, our men are scattered, and our cavalry can't maneuver at all! If we continue to defend, we will all perish here!"
He looked around at the ever-shrinking defensive perimeter and the Xuanjia Chu army, which, illuminated by the firelight, were closing in like ghosts. An unprecedented sense of crisis gripped his heart.
He considered retreating and wanted to gather all the cavalry he could still control to fight his way out at all costs.
Zhang Xun's situation was equally dire; his Tang infantry suffered heavy losses in the initial chaos.
At this moment, fewer than five thousand people had gathered around him, and all of them were wounded and demoralized.
However, as the deputy general personally appointed by Li Jing, he was well aware of the strategic importance of this flanking maneuver.
They also understood the devastating impact the annihilation of this surprise force would have on the entire Eastern Front.
He forcefully suppressed the fear in his heart, grabbed the almost outburst Helian Wujiu, and spoke in a hoarse but unusually firm voice:
"Chief Helian! Do not act rashly! Breaking out now would play right into the hands of the Chu army!"
"They'd love for us to abandon our camp so they can hunt us down one by one in the open!"
"Our troops are exhausted, while the enemy is well-rested and ready. Once we leave this last barrier, we will be like fish on a chopping board, at their mercy!"
"Then what do you suggest we do?! Are we just going to wait here to die?!" Helian Wujiu roared, his eyes bloodshot.
"Hold on! We must hold this place!"
Zhang Xun said decisively, pointing towards Luoxia Mountain: "The only course of action now is to hold our ground and await reinforcements!"
"We immediately send a carrier pigeon to General Wang Zhongsi of Luoxia Mountain to request reinforcements! We ask him to send troops immediately to come and meet us!"
"Wang Zhongsi?"
Upon hearing this, Helian Wujiu's face showed no joy, but rather a hint of mockery and deep doubt.
"General Zhang, you and I both know that our mission is to launch a surprise attack on Xue Huaide and catch the Chu army off guard!"
"Now we are surrounded instead. You want Wang Zhongsi to abandon his strong fortifications and advantageous terrain, and take the initiative to send troops away from his defense zone to rescue us? Will he come?"
"If he doesn't come, aren't we just sitting here waiting to die?"
Helian Wujiu's concerns were not unfounded.
As a famous general of the Tang army, Wang Zhongsi's primary task was to defend the Luoxia Mountain defense line.
Without absolute certainty and clear orders from superiors, rashly sending troops to rescue a heavily besieged flanking force is extremely risky. It is very likely that the rescue will fail, resulting in heavy losses and even the loss of one's own defensive line.
However, Zhang Xun's eyes were unusually firm.
He stared intently at Helian Wujiu, his tone carrying an unquestionable trust:
"Chief Helian! I guarantee with my life that General Wang Zhongsi will definitely come!"
He offered a detailed analysis, attempting to dispel Helian Wujiu's doubts:
"Firstly, General Wang is a man of great principle and considers the overall situation! He is well aware of the importance of our surprise force to the entire Eastern Front!"
"If our 40,000 troops are annihilated here, not only will the siege of Luoxia Mountain be lifted, but the Chu army will also be able to free up 100,000 fresh troops."
"At that time, whether he returns to reinforce Zhennanguan or joins forces with Xue Huaide to attack General Wang's main force, he will find it difficult to resist!"
"Saving us is saving himself, and saving the entire Luoxia Mountain defense line!"
Secondly,
Zhang Xun emphasized, "On Mount Luoxia, there are not only General Wang's Tang army! There are also 30,000 warriors from your Scorpion Clan's Black Wolf Tribe!"
"The Black Wolf tribe leader may have some... cough cough, internal strife with you, but they would never sit idly by and watch you, the Golden Scorpion tribe leader, along with the most elite warriors of the thirty thousand tribes, be surrounded and annihilated by the Chu army!"
"This concerns the face and strength of the entire Scorpion Clan! They will definitely pressure General Wang to send troops!"
He concluded by emphasizing, "As long as we hold our ground here, relying on the remnants of our camp, setting up defenses layer by layer, resisting step by step, and making full use of the complex terrain and remaining fortifications within the camp, we can exhaust and delay the Chu army to the greatest extent possible!"
"I believe that with the bravery of our allied soldiers, holding out for two days is no problem at all!"
"Two days is enough time for General Wang to reorganize his troops, make a decision, and rush to our aid!"
Zhang Xun's analysis was clear and logical, dissecting the stakes thoroughly. In particular, his point that the Black Wolf Tribe could not stand idly by deeply resonated with Helian Wujiu.
Indeed, although there is competition among the various factions within the Scorpion Clan, they will inevitably unite against a common enemy when facing external threats, especially in situations that could lead to the loss of the clan's elite forces.