knife

Chapter 295 Battlefield
The black cavalry swept across the vast plains wave after wave, like a tidal wave, while in front of them, the bandit army fled in terror.

Although they were numerous, their individual martial arts skills were also quite good.

But in the end, they can only be considered a mob.

Faced with a well-trained and powerful army, it collapsed after only a short time.

If Zhang Quanyi hadn't wanted to chase them down and cause a commotion, disrupting Yang Lixin's central army, these people would never have been able to escape so far in such a large group.

Upon seeing Yang Lixin's central army flag fluttering in the distance, Zhang Quanyi couldn't help but burst into laughter.

They're nothing but a bunch of worthless scoundrels, yet they dare to dream of sitting at the table in the main seat.
Do you really not know how to write the word "death"?
"Your Highness, watch how our army will crush these rebels in one fell swoop!" Zhang Quanyi said to Crown Prince Li Tai, who was riding alongside him.

"General Zhang's troops are indeed as fierce as wolves and tigers. With such a powerful army, how can we not sweep away these demons and monsters from the world and restore a bright and clear world to our Great Qin?"

“Your Highness, the Great Qin is not lacking in loyal and brave men. As long as the finances can provide the necessary supplies, we can also obtain an army of 100,000 to 1 million!” Zhang Quanyi sighed repeatedly as he recalled the difficulties in training this army.

If it weren't for the constraints of funding, how could they have only been able to train 20,000 new troops? Even so, they were almost exposed by that scoundrel Zhang Ruo.

The force has now expanded to 100,000 men, with 50,000 each in Chang'an and Luoyang, but their fighting strength is not necessarily much stronger than before.

Fortunately, they have finally gained control of Luoyang, the economic capital of the Qin Dynasty.

Moreover, in such a time of war, there was no one like Zhang Ruo to keep a close eye on their money.

He can now unleash his full potential and begin large-scale military expansion and training.

Give me a few more years, and the 50,000 people in Luoyang will grow to 100,000, or even 200,000!
Zhang Quanyi thought to himself.

The thunderous sound of war drums rose from the opposite side.

As the drums sounded, the fleeing Green Forest Army soldiers turned and ran to both sides, instead of directly attacking their own main camp as Zhang Quanyi had hoped.

They weren't entirely a mob.

But then, Zhang Quanyi's expression changed.

As the drums sounded, another large flag slowly rose in the opposite formation.

What's so special about that!
He Zudao is here.

The drums continued to beat, and the outer Green Forest Army began to change formation, slowly moving to both sides to form two solid square formations.

He Zudao's main force was completely exposed to Zhang Quanyi.

Ballistae, bows and arrows, catapults, spear formations, swordsmen and shieldmen, and a large cavalry force behind them.

Yang Lixin felt somewhat ashamed.

Because he assured He Zudao that his men could at least hold out for the time it takes to eat a meal.

But as a result, he couldn't even hold out for the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before Zhang Quanyi drove him back.

This made him feel a little embarrassed.

"Not bad, at least you still remember the earlier arrangements and know not to charge into the enemy's camp!" He Zudao glanced at Yang Lixin and laughed, "Otherwise, it would be a real injustice if you didn't die at the hands of the enemy but under the arrows and swords of your comrades!"

"General, I will definitely train the troops well from now on and will not embarrass myself again!" Yang Lixin said.

"You've decided to come south with me?" He Zudao asked Yang Lixin with a smile.

“Of course, where else can I go if I don’t follow the General? Without the General, I fear I won’t live more than three days before my head is displayed on the flagpole!” Yang Lixin patted the nine-ringed sword at his waist: “General, I will lead the charge for you!”

He Zudao laughed loudly: "No need, you just lead your men and wait for us to defeat the enemy. You can follow behind and pick up the spoils. Your men are good at that, hahaha!"

Yang Lixin blushed with embarrassment.

He Zudao spurred his horse forward.

"Zhang Quanyi!"

Having bypassed all the soldiers, He Zudao actually went straight to the center of the battlefield and shouted loudly.

His martial arts cultivation of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan made his voice resound throughout the entire battlefield, and everyone could hear it clearly.

"You all wanted to reap the benefits from the fisherman's attack, but you failed. Today you want to have a decisive battle in the open field. Haha, now that you see me here, you should realize that you're going to fail again, right? I'll give you a chance. Are you willing to fight me one-on-one? As long as you defeat me, I'll immediately dismount and surrender to you. How about it?"

Zhang Quanyi's face turned ashen.

He Zudao is at the peak of the ninth rank of Xuan Yuan. Wu De fought with him in Taiyuan. Even with Wu De's abilities, he could only run away in front of He Zudao. Not to mention that Zhang Quanyi is only at the peak of the eighth rank and has not even stepped into the ninth rank.

Singled out?

Are you looking for death?

Unfortunately, there wasn't a single person in his own army who could match He Zudao and stepped forward to take on this challenge.

"General Zhang!" Li Tai beside him seemed quite tempted. Zhang Quanyi shook his head and said, "Your Highness, this is war, not a brawl. The enemy knows they are weaker than us, so they are trying to demoralize our troops. We must not fall for their trick!"

"Now what?"

Zhang Quanyi sneered: "He Zudao's five thousand troops are indeed a strong army, but so what? We have thirty thousand elite troops here. As for those tens of thousands of Green Forest Army soldiers, Your Highness can completely ignore them!"

"so?"

Zhang Quanyi smiled, pointed his halberd holding a riding whip at He Zu, who was still shouting in the center of the battlefield, and said, "Shoot him to death!"

With a whoosh, countless feathered arrows flew toward He Zudao.

He Zudao laughed loudly, turned his horse around, and rode away.

"Zhang Quanyi is nothing but a pedant!"

"Attack!" Zhang Quanyi no longer hesitated. The army valued martial prowess, and He Zudao, having served in the army for decades, was indeed well-versed in this principle. He would not let go of even the slightest opportunity to undermine their morale.

With just this challenge, Zhang Quanyi could feel the morale of his own troops immediately plummet.

When dealing with someone like He Zudao, you shouldn't give him a chance to speak; the right thing to do is to start fighting as soon as you meet him.

Following Zhang Quanyi's command, the black armored vehicles surged towards the opposite side like a flood bursting its banks.

Both armies were dressed in black clothes and armor, except that He Zudao's army had a red tassel stuck on their helmets.

The attack was like a flood breaking through a dam.
The defenders, however, were like reefs blocking the river.

As for the bandits on the outskirts, they can only be considered as playing the drums on the sidelines at this moment.

They shouted and cheered, organizing waves of troops from time to time to charge from the flanks towards the main Qin army formation on both sides.

However, with each attack, the Qin army simply countered and repelled the opponent without pursuing them, focusing all their attention on the very center.

In Zhang Quanyi's view, as long as He Zudao is defeated, the scum on the left and right flanks will naturally fall apart, so why waste too much effort on them?

To deal with He Zudao, we must use the strategy of "a lion hunting a rabbit," putting all our strength into him.

Moreover, since He Zudao is here, what about his subordinates Feng Kuan and Zhen Jianren?
Did they really head towards Luoyang, as the intelligence indicated?

not necessarily.

Zhang Quanyi felt that if he was not mistaken, Feng Kuan and Chen Jianren were at least sending one of their troops to encircle this area. If he sent all of them, he would inevitably be caught off guard and in a panic.

In war, no matter how difficult it is, we must always reserve some resources to deal with unexpected events that may occur at any time.

Moreover, Zhang Quanyi still believed that he had the upper hand at this point.

He Zudao's main army was indeed elite, but his own troops were not bad either.

"General Zhang, I think if we send another force forward, we can find a chance to win!" Li Tai whispered from the side.

“Your Highness, He Zudao hasn’t gone all out. He’s waiting for me to launch a full-scale attack!” Zhang Quanyi said. “His hidden army behind us should also show itself soon. Once we discover their whereabouts, it will be time for us to launch a counterattack. However, the one I want to counterattack is not He Zudao, but this rebel army that is trying to encircle us.”

"General Zhang thinks he can't handle He Zudao?" Li Tai asked, somewhat unwilling.

Zhang Quanyi didn't feel ashamed at all. He nodded and said, "A great reputation is well-deserved. Your Highness, please look at our forces. We are attacking He Zudao's army, which outnumbers his main force by a full two, but after fighting for so long, we haven't made much progress. This isn't because our army is incompetent, nor because our frontline officers are incapable, but because our opponent is indeed very strong. Attacking is inherently more difficult than defending. Moreover, He Zudao's coy and hesitant attitude is an attempt to lure me into thinking I can swallow him whole, thus prompting me to launch a full-scale attack. If that happens, you'll find that we'll still be facing the exact same situation as we are now!"

Li Tai suddenly realized: "If that's the case, his men will surround us, and we'll be in a real mess."

"Your Highness is wise!" Zhang Quanyi laughed. "The scouts have now discovered traces of the traitors. Would Your Highness be interested in leading an army to defeat them?"

Li Tai was overjoyed: "Is it possible? Can I do it?"

“Your Highness’s martial arts cultivation is at the peak of the eighth rank of Xuan Yuan, and you have been practicing military strategy since childhood. Countless military masters have passed down their teachings to you, but you lack practical experience. Now that He Zudao has been killed by this humble general, his few small fry under his command will surely be no match for Your Highness!” Zhang Quanyi smiled and said, “Once Your Highness has defeated those guys, we will turn around and attack He Zudao with all our might.”

"Great!" Li Tai exclaimed, his face beaming with excitement.

Sure enough, a moment later, the scouts rushed back. To their left rear, ten thousand rebels led by Chen Jianren were rapidly approaching.

Li Tai happily led his 10,000 elite troops to turn around and meet the enemy.

Seeing the Qin army split up and leave, He Zudao's main force immediately sounded the drums, and with the waving of the command flags, the Green Forest Army soldiers who were roaming on the left and right flanks immediately gathered together, seemingly intending to follow Li Tai.

Leading the troops at the forefront was Yang Lixin, the leader of the Green Forest Army.

Zhang Quanyi calmly dispatched 5,000 men to intercept Yang Lixin's bandit army.

This time, under Zhang Quanyi's leadership, his troops bravely faced the Qin army.

What Zhang Quanyi didn't know was that this time, Yang Lixin was accompanied not only by the Green Forest Army, but also by nearly a thousand skilled members of the Demonic Sect led by Ke Wuji from the south. Unlike the newly formed Green Forest Army, these people, who took rebellion as their mission, were quite familiar with military operations.

Putting everything else aside, just the fact that a master like Ke Wuji, a peak ninth-grade Xuan Yuan expert, is enough to give them a run for their money.

(End of this chapter)