knife

Chapter 813 The Battle of Anfu Temple (3)

At the cost of over a hundred guards, they killed or wounded nearly five hundred defenders, while clearing an offensive front about a hundred paces long, driving all the enemies in the area back and forcing them to retreat into the yellow temple, where they could only fight from the temple walls. The results were considerable.

Linghu Yong was still heartbroken. These guards were truly one less to die. Even if they were to die, they should die in a grand battle, not fall in such an obscure place at the hands of an enemy general they had never heard of.

"Crush them!" he roared angrily.

Hundreds of cavalrymen charged forward with shouts. In front of them stood infantrymen in formation, tall shields erected behind chevaux-de-frise, and long spears standing menacingly. Facing the cavalry charge, the soldiers showed fear on their faces, but none dared to retreat a single step.

Because behind them was another group of spearmen, whose spears could kill the enemy, and of course, they could also be lowered to stab those who turned and retreated to their deaths.

Zhu Zhe stood right between the first and second echelons, watching the surging cavalry, and roared, "Bring the guns!"

A three-foot-long iron spear was handed to him. He leaned back slightly, let out a furious shout, and sprang forward, throwing the spear with lightning speed.

A cavalryman swung his saber at the incoming iron spear. With a clang, the saber broke in two. To the cavalryman's astonishment, the iron spear plunged straight into his chest with a hiss.

The second one, the third one!
Three shots were enough to finish off three cavalrymen, and the defending side shouted in unison, their morale soaring.

The captain leading the cavalry was furious. With a wave of his hand, a short dagger was plunged into the hindquarters of his warhorse. The warhorse neighed in pain and galloped forward. The captain pulled hard on the reins, and the warhorse leaped more than ten feet into the air, clearing the barricades and deer antlers, and crashed straight down into the army formation like Mount Tai.

A dozen or so spears suddenly rose up, and without much effort, they pierced the belly of the warhorse. Blood gushed out, but the fall of a warhorse weighing one or two thousand pounds was not something an ordinary person could withstand. With screams of agony, the spear broke and the arm snapped. The captain on the horse leaped off, gripped his sword with both hands, and with a spin, a silver light wrapped around him, instantly slicing several soldiers around him in two.

"Die!" From the defending side, a burly man wielding an iron mace charged forward. The sword and mace clashed with a loud crash, immediately halting the double-sword captain's offensive momentum. However, his charge created a huge gap in the defensive formation, allowing cavalry to pour in one after another through the opening, causing the battle line, which stretched for about a hundred paces, to cave in.

Seeing the enemy's formation, which was scattered yet unbroken, Linghu Yong was already surprised. He originally thought that he had only encountered some peripheral guards. Although they had paid a heavy price for using the terrain and positions, he thought that once they engaged in close combat, they would definitely not be a match for his carefully selected subordinates. But now, the enemy was going to give and take with him.

Although it's not our own guards going into battle now, those two thousand men are no less formidable!
These are not just ordinary soldiers; they must be Jiang Qian's main force.

But shouldn't Jiang Qian's main force be confronting Na Wei in Liyang County?

A stalemate ensued, with the enemy holding the temple gates and using the temple walls and rooftops to launch frequent arrow attacks, leaving the attackers temporarily helpless.

Linghu Yong didn't want his guards to fight such arduous battles again.

Perhaps they can wipe out the enemy, but how many of these guards will be left in the end?

"Immediately send someone to report to General Chang that we encountered the main enemy force at Anfu Temple!" Linghu Yong said. "We request that the General expedite our journey to Anfu Temple so that we can annihilate the enemy there!"

Zhan Zhao and Su Qi rode side by side.

They were the second force to depart from Liyang, their destination Shilin. Their force of five thousand men was largely composed of former members of the Demonic Sect's Thick Earth Banner, primarily heavy infantry, with only a few hundred cavalry, mainly responsible for advancing and covering the rear. The two men weren't in a hurry; their mission was to cut off Chang Lei's rear after the major battle to annihilate him in Danyang, cutting off any possible reinforcements from the rebels in Yuezhou and other areas. Although the rebels had become active again, their strength and morale had plummeted after Xiang Zhuang's death; this was merely a last gasp. If they dared to attack, they would only be offering themselves up for slaughter.

The sound of hooves was rapid at the crossroads, and several scouts returned as if flying, but one of them was not one of their own.

"What did you say? Zhu Zhe encountered the enemy's main force at Anfu Temple?" Zhan Zhao looked at one of them in astonishment.

"Yes, General Zhu sent three men from three directions to urgently request reinforcements from Liyang. I was the luckiest and ran into these brothers. General Zhan, please send reinforcements immediately!" the scout said anxiously.

"How could that be?" Zhan Zhao asked. "Who do you think is leading the enemy?"

"Linghu Yong!" the messenger said. "General Zhu recognizes this man and says he's the son of that old scoundrel Linghu! He's appearing in this direction, so the enemy's main force is definitely in this direction too! If reinforcements don't arrive, I'm afraid we won't be able to hold out!"

"Master, but our orders are to go to the Stone Forest!" Su Qi said from the side, "Can we really disobey orders and change direction without authorization?"

Zhan Zhao glared and said, "A general in the field may disobey the emperor's orders. Our allies are in trouble, and we are the closest. If we don't go to their aid, are we just going to watch them suffer a defeat? Moreover, the fact that someone of Linghu Yong's caliber is appearing in the direction of Anfu Temple indicates that the military situation has changed and is not what we initially thought! Commander, Commander, you go back with this brother and explain the situation to the Holy Maiden. Su Qi, reorganize the army, and the entire army marches forward at full speed to reinforce Anfu Temple!"

"Yes, sir!" After a series of acknowledgments, the 5,000-strong force immediately turned a corner and rushed towards Anfu Temple.

Meanwhile, in another direction, Chang Lei was shocked as he watched the intelligence that Linghu Yong had sent back.

A main force of at least three thousand men.

We are still investigating whether there will be any further developments.

We earnestly request Chang Lei to go and provide support immediately.

Linghu Yong was a competent general; the fighting strength of an army that could make him feel troubled was self-evident.

If a single vanguard force consists of three thousand men, and that is the main force, then it goes without saying what is following behind them.

Has Jiang Qian already started her journey south?
It shouldn't be,

Is Na Wei dead?

Did they just stand by and watch Jiang Qian's military actions without reacting?
Chang Lei thought it over and over, but the one thing he hadn't considered was that Na Wei was already finished.

Because that was an army of seventy to eighty thousand, of which fifty thousand were the formidable Southwest Wolf Soldiers!
(End of this chapter)