knife

Chapter 812 The Battle of Anfu Temple (2)

After feeding the horse a handful of beans and wiping its sweat with a burlap cloth, the horse was allowed to graze freely on the grass.

He took off the felt blanket from his horse, spread it on the ground, sat cross-legged on it, opened his bag, took out some dried meat, and slowly chewed and gnawed on it.

The dried meat was hard, but it provided enough energy. Some soldiers also milked the mare directly. There were many mares in the group, which were specially selected so that there would be enough food to replenish their supplies during the journey.

Meat combined with milk can restore a tired soldier's energy in a very short time.

Such long-distance raids were commonplace for Linghu Yong and his thousand-odd cavalrymen; back in the border regions, it was all too common. But the other two thousand cavalrymen who had come with them were somewhat unaccustomed to it.

However, since Linghu Yong took the lead, no one could say anything and could only try their best to keep up with Linghu Yong and the others.

Chang Lei dispatched Kou Wenhai with tens of thousands of infantrymen to march towards Danyang in a grand procession, while he himself led more than 10,000 carefully selected cavalrymen to march rapidly southwest, intending to cooperate with Na Wei to defeat Jiang Qian's main force in Liyang County in one fell swoop.

As soon as Jiang Qian falls, the Chu Kingdom will naturally fall into Chang Lei's hands.

Linghu Yong volunteered to be the vanguard.

The scout sent to contact Na Wei has already set off. Linghu Yong was gnawing on some jerky while calculating the days. The day after tomorrow, he would be able to reach the outskirts of Liyang County and launch a surprise attack to seize Qingpu, the outskirts of Liyang County, thus securing a foothold for the main army to arrive later.

"The whole army will rest for two hours!" After finishing the jerky in his hand, Linghu Yong lay down on the felt blanket fully clothed.

It was just nightfall, and two hours later it would be the third watch of the night. Linghu Yong hoped to reach his destination as quickly as possible.

Such a surprise attack is more effective the more sudden it is.

Even the most secretive operations can be leaked due to various unforeseen circumstances. Only by shortening this process as much as possible can we maximize the chances of achieving the final results.

Linghu Yong fell asleep immediately.

In the distance, through the dense bushes, several bright eyes peered at the makeshift camp.

Three thousand cavalrymen were not three thousand infantrymen; their momentum was already quite great. The warhorses that snorted and occasionally neighed made the scouts change color.

"Go!" the leading captain whispered, and several of his men bowed and quickly followed him toward the rear.

They ventured into a forest, where a man was bound hand and foot to a large tree, his mouth stuffed with a clump of straw, his head hanging low, his fate unknown.

They were scouts sent by Zhu Zhe, and they were really lucky. They encountered this guy unexpectedly on the way, and after a fierce battle, they captured him alive.

Once they fell into the hands of these scouts, there was no point in talking about courage or integrity anymore; the only thought of the losers was to die as soon as possible and be reborn. Soon, these scouts learned that Linghu Yong's army was very close.

In a panic, he sent people back to report the news while simultaneously conducting reconnaissance to obtain more detailed information.

Zhu Zhe's troops and cavalry totaled no more than three thousand men. If they were to encounter three thousand cavalrymen on the way, the outcome would be self-evident.

"Take this bastard and go back!" The captain wiped the cold sweat from his face, put the prisoner on a horse, and the men spurred their horses and headed back.

When the group returned to their encampment at Anfu Temple, it had been transformed into a massive construction site. Thousands of people were frantically felling trees, building fences, digging trenches, and erecting arrow towers, gradually forming a defensive position around the temple. To challenge thousands of cavalry in open battle with a predominantly infantry force was something only a fool with a waterlogged head would attempt.

When the two sides meet under such circumstances, the infantry have no chance of escaping. Their only option is to form a defensive line and wait for reinforcements.

"It's actually Linghu Yong!" After interrogating the prisoners brought back once more, Zhu Zhe's heart pounded wildly, and it took him a long time to calm down.

They had dealt with each other before in the area outside the Great Wall, and when Zhu Zhe heard that the enemy's core force was actually from Linghu Ye's personal guard regiment, he knew that this battle would be really difficult.

By the time it was fully light, Anfu Temple and its surrounding area had completely changed.

The once lush surrounding forest has been completely cleared away, the once smooth ground is now riddled with holes, and the felled branches are piled up, some even smeared with grease. The trunks have been transformed into fences and arrow towers. The seemingly chaotic trenches, scattered here and there, are actually full of hidden traps. Some are filled with snares, some hide soldiers, some are dead ends, and some are interconnected.

The hard work of thousands of people over one night has only one purpose: to minimize the enemy's advantage as much as possible, forcing them to fight against what we are good at with what they are not good at, and then we will gain a three-point advantage.

This position will render cavalry ineffective; their horses will encounter an obstacle before they can advance more than three steps, forcing them to dismount and fight in order to defeat their opponents.

Linghu Yong was indeed brave and decisive. After discovering the enemy's garrison at Anfu Temple, he did not hesitate for a moment and immediately issued the order to attack.

The complex defensive positions did not pose a significant challenge to him. The five hundred guards dismounted, donned their armor, and took up their shields, immediately transforming from cavalry into the vanguard of the assault.

Mounted, they were cavalry; dismounted, they were elite infantry. These men were similar to Li Dachui's Heavenly Battalion, except that Li Dachui only raised three hundred men, while Linghu Ye raised a full five thousand. Even the weakest among them were at the fourth rank of Qi Control. Clad in heavy armor, unless hit by a powerful crossbow bolt, ordinary arrows were merely a tickle to them.

These people's task was to clear the way.

They broke through mountains and built bridges over rivers, overcoming all the traps in their path. This allowed the five hundred men to advance unimpeded, paving the way for their cavalry to surge forward. The battle was about to be lost.

Seeing these men charge into the last line of trench defenses, Zhu Zhe drew his knife and grinned maliciously, "Charge!"

These winding trenches were prepared specifically for these people.

The narrow moat can only accommodate one person at a time. If someone blocks your way, you can only move forward by killing them, or you can be killed so that others can pass you and continue the attack.

The guards of the Linghu tribe were naturally not afraid of one-on-one combat, but the problem was that these trenches were not straight; they contained numerous alleyways. If they took the wrong step, they could very well step directly into the gates of hell.

Upon entering the dead-end alley, they were immediately drenched in grease, followed by rockets that ignited the grease. Those clad in full armor had no way to escape and were directly roasted to death inside their armor.

Sometimes, one would misstep and fall into a deep pit, more than ten feet deep, with a splash. If one tried to jump up, rocks would come crashing down from above, and in no time, one would be buried alive.

Sometimes the alleyways feel solid underfoot, but as you walk along, several spears will suddenly appear from the seemingly normal tunnel walls and thrust at you all at once. Heavy armor can protect against swords and arrows, but it doesn't offer much protection against the barrage of spear thrusts. Often, these elite armored warriors may be able to kill several attackers in a row, but in the end, they are riddled with spears.

From the very beginning, the battle entered the most brutal phase of exchanging pieces.

Zhu Zhe understood his opponent well, and his targeted deployment was extremely effective. In just one hour of fighting, Linghu Yong was already heartbroken.

(End of this chapter)