12dz Chapter 1598 Defeat
Chapter 1598 Defeat
The cold wind was like a knife, the snow grains were like sand, Guan Yun led 30,000 elite soldiers and marched rapidly in the night. The frost condensed on the iron armor shone coldly in the moonlight.
The trail was rugged and steep, but the Chu army moved through the mountains like ghosts, with their horses holding their mouths shut and their soldiers holding their breath, without a trace of fire to reveal their whereabouts.
"General, five miles ahead is the flank of the Tang army." The deputy general lowered his voice and pointed to the campfire that was faintly visible in the distance.
Guan Yun narrowed his eyes, and a cold gleam flashed in his eyes under the dark blue iron mask.
He slowly raised his hand, and the army behind him stopped like a tide, silent.
"Modao team, form a battle array."
Three thousand heavily armored infantrymen dispersed silently, their long-handled Mo Daos gleaming coldly in the snowy night.
These elite infantrymen wore double-layer iron armor and carried Mo Dao (a sword) over ten feet long on their shoulders. The blades were broad and thick, extremely sharp, and were specifically designed to defeat heavily armored cavalry.
At the same time, five thousand crossbowmen quickly occupied the high ground, strung their crossbows, and aimed the cold arrows at the unsuspecting Tang army camp.
The Tang army never expected that the Chu army would cross Yingchoujian in such weather!
"Fire arrows!"
In an instant, a rain of arrows came pouring down like a dark cloud!
The range of the Chu army's crossbows far exceeded that of ordinary bows and arrows. The sound of arrows breaking through the air was sharp and piercing. The Tang army's outer sentries did not even have time to sound the alarm before they were nailed to death in the snow.
Inside the tent, the Tang army soldiers who had just woken up were shot through the chest by the second round of crossbow arrows before they could even put on their armor!
"Enemy attack! It's the Chu army!"
Chaos spread like a plague.
Li Ji, the commander of the Tang army, suddenly rushed out of the tent, only to see flames rising from the flanks and countless black shadows rushing towards him like evil spirits!
"How is that possible? Where did they come from?"
However, what shocked him even more was yet to come.
On the city wall, Ma Chao, who had received the news long ago, was watching the battle from the arrow tower on the top of the city wall.
Seeing the troops led by Guan Yun appear like ghosts on the flank of the Tang army and catch the Tang army off guard, a sneer appeared on his face.
"These damned Tang troops actually besieged our army here, bullying our cavalry and making them afraid to leave the city easily!"
"Hmph, tonight I will show you how powerful cavalry is!"
"Come here, bring me my spear. I will lead the troops into battle myself!"
After saying that, he turned around and walked towards the city wall.
But at this time, the deputy general Ma Ji hurriedly stood in front of him and bowed: "General, as the commander-in-chief, you cannot leave the city easily. Why don't you let me lead the troops out of the city?"
The duty of a commander-in-chief is to command the troops in battle, not to go out of the city to fight in person.
But Ma Chao sneered: "It has been too oppressive for me to be trapped in the city for a while. If I don't go out and fight for a while, I will not be able to relieve the hatred in my heart."
After he finished speaking, without waiting for Ma Ji to react, Ma Chao stood up and walked past him.
Ma Ji gave a bitter smile and ordered his personal guards beside him: "You must protect the general. If anything goes wrong, I will hold you accountable."
The personal guard's expression changed and he quickly followed Ma Chao.
The gate of Qingcheng opened with a bang!
"kill!"
Ma Chao personally led the cavalry charge, their iron hooves crushing the snow, their long spears like a forest, heading straight into the heart of the Tang army!
Ma Chao held the reins with one hand, clamped his legs against the horse's belly, and the warhorse under him let out a long neigh and rushed out of the city gate like an arrow.
The eight-foot-long spear in his hand drew a silver light in the cold wind, and wherever the tip of the spear pointed, the Tang army soldiers retreated.
A Tang army lieutenant raised his shield and came forward to meet him. Ma Chao shook his wrist and his spear stabbed out like a poisonous snake. The tip of the spear made of fine steel actually pierced through the iron shield and stabbed the person behind the shield.
Blood gushed out from the blood trough. Ma Chao roared, used his arms to lift the corpse high up, and threw it towards the enemy formation.
The Tang army's formation was suddenly in chaos. He took the opportunity to ride his horse into the enemy group, sweeping and slashing with his spear, and people and horses fell wherever he passed.
The red tassel wrapped around the gun barrel had long been soaked in blood, and a string of scarlet blood beads was thrown out in the wind and snow.
The Chu cavalry, who had been trapped for many days, had already been filled with anger. At this moment, they were like tigers out of a cage, instantly tearing apart the hastily organized defense line of the Tang army!
The Tang army responded hastily, but their long spears pierced the heavy armor of the Chu army and only produced a few sparks!
The Chu army's Modao troops advanced like a meat grinder, slashing their long swords and splitting the Tang army soldiers in half, armor and all! Blood splattered, staining the snow red, and screams rang out one after another!
Li Ji's face turned pale. He had wanted to besiege Ma Chao, but he didn't expect that the Chu army would have reinforcements and launch a surprise attack. He also didn't expect that Ma Chao would come out of the city for a decisive battle at this time!
"Retreat! The entire army retreats!"
The Tang army's formation was in chaos, and they abandoned their weapons and fled in a panic.
Guan Yun did not pursue them, but just looked coldly at the fleeing enemy troops and slowly sheathed his sword.
"Send the order, clear the battlefield and reinforce the city defenses."
In this battle, the Tang army suffered nearly 10,000 casualties and was forced to abandon the siege of Qingcheng and retreat thirty miles away.
The Chu army regained the initiative on the battlefield!
At the same time, in Yanzhou, the sky was filled with wind and snow.
Wu Ming led 80,000 Chu troops and swept in like a raging wave, with their iron armor cold and their battle flags fluttering.
When they arrived, they saw an 8,000-strong Han army attacking a border town.
On the city wall, the Han army's archers fired wildly, and arrows rained down. However, the Chu army's heavily armored infantry advanced like a solid wall, and the arrows hit the armor and could only create a few sparks!
"Oh, that saves us the trouble of looking for it."
Wu Ming sneered and suddenly drew out his sword. The blade reflected a dazzling cold light in the snow.
"All troops charge! Leave no one behind!"
The earth trembled as the Chu cavalry rushed towards the Han army's flank like a torrent! The Han soldiers didn't even have time to turn around before they were pierced through the chest by the sharp Chu spears!
"It's the main force of the Chu army! Retreat quickly!"
However, it's too late.
The Chu army's heavily armored infantry advanced like a solid wall of steel. The Han army's swords and knives could only produce a few sparks when they hit the Chu army's armor!
However, the Chu army's swords could easily cut through the Han army's leather armor, and the blood instantly dyed the snow red!
On the city wall, the crossbowmen of the Chu army occupied the commanding heights, and arrows rained down like locusts. The archers of the Han army were shot and fell one after another, and screams were endless!
"Kill! Take back the city!"
Wu Ming did not linger in the battle. After annihilating the Han army, he immediately divided his troops into two groups and swept across Yanzhou with lightning speed.
The Chu army recaptured six of the seven cities that the Han army had just occupied within just two days!
When Huo Quji received the battle report, his face was as gloomy as water.
"The Chu army's armor and weapons...are so much better than ours?"
He originally thought that the Han army's cavalry was enough to crush the Chu army, but reality slapped him in the face!
The Chu army's heavy armor was impenetrable to swords and spears, and their swords were extremely sharp. The Han army's equipment seemed so fragile in front of the Chu army!
"Order the entire army to retreat to Dongwu City!"
Huo Quji gritted his teeth and ordered that he must readjust his strategy.
Otherwise, if the fighting continues like this, the Han army will probably be wiped out!
Wu Ming, on the other hand, stood on the city wall that had just been recaptured, looking at the direction where the Han army was fleeing, with a sneer on his face.
"Huo Quji, do you think you'll be safe if you retreat to Dongwu?"
"The real battle has just begun!"
He believed that after receiving the news, his Majesty would definitely order a counterattack!