knife

Chapter 815 The Battle of Anfu Temple (5)

The melodious sound of bugles rang out as the sun gradually set, and the last rays of sunlight slanted across the battlefield strewn with corpses.

A tattered flag planted in a pool of blood.
A lone warhorse wanders across the battlefield.

The wounded soldier staggered backward, leaning on his broken spear.
And the rearguard troops, standing ready and prepared for battle,

Everything was dyed red by the last rays of sunlight.

Chang Lei stood beneath the fluttering central army banner, his face extremely grim.

Before him arrived at the battlefield was a massive army of several thousand men led by Zhan Zhao.

Upon arriving at Anfu Temple, the army did not immediately engage in battle at the first location. Instead, they began to reorganize their camp and rebuild their defenses.

This meant that when Chang Lei led his main force to arrive, they were faced with another army with a basically solid defensive line.

Whether it's Zhu Zhe or Zhan Zhao, they are both experienced veterans who have fought on many battlefields.

After seeing the current situation, they were all very clear that the other side would definitely have reinforcements.

If Zhan Zhao intended to crush the army led by Linghu Yong and Chang Wei upon arrival, then by the time Chang Lei arrived, it would be a complete rout.

However, Zhan Zhao's cautious approach left Chang Lei helpless. With night approaching, and night battles not being a good thing for cavalry, Chang Lei could only lead his troops to retreat slowly. Zhan Zhao also withdrew all his troops back to the main position at Anfu Temple to further strengthen the defense.

The situation will inevitably shift to Chang Lei focusing on offense and Zhan Zhao on defense.

Beside the burning campfire, Chang Lei stared at the map at his feet, his brows furrowed. Linghu Yong, who was roasting a lamb leg, saw Chang Lei's displeasure and dared not say a word.

"General, everything is arranged!" Chang Wei walked over. "If the enemy dares to attack the camp, they'll be in for a world of hurt!"

Chang Lei shook his head: "Zhan Zhao isn't that stupid, he won't come! Sit down and rest for a while, eat something, and get a good night's sleep."

"I just find it strange that the Chu army is here, and there's a constant stream of reinforcements coming. If it weren't for their reinforcements, we would have taken Anfu Temple today!" Chang Wei asked, puzzled.

"Yes, what exactly is the situation in Liyang?" Linghu Yong cut off a piece of roasted meat and handed it to Chang Wei.

Chang Lei stared at the burning fire for a long time before saying, "Is it possible that Wei has already been defeated by Jiang Qian?"

"How is this possible?" Linghu Yong found it unbelievable: "Even if an army of seventy or eighty thousand were defeated, some people would have escaped. It wouldn't have been completely silent. This is not child's play. Such a large-scale battle cannot be concealed!"

"Is there another possibility that Wei actually surrendered to Jiang Qian, which led to this result?" Chang Wei said, "But General, if that's the case, I'm afraid Lin Yunqi's retreat in Zhongli County was a conspiracy."

“It’s unlikely to be a surrender!” Chang Lei murmured. “But one thing I’m certain of now is that Na Wei is no longer an ally of ours.” Both Linghu Yong and Chang Wei’s expressions changed.

“I’m more inclined to believe that Na Wei has lost his fighting ability for some reason we don’t yet know, and is no longer a threat to Jiang Qian!” Chang Lei said. “Jiang Qian blocked all news and ordered Lin Yunqi of Zhongli County to retreat, in order to lure me into attacking Danyang City. Her planned battlefield should be to surround us under Danyang City!”

Looking down at the map at his feet, Chang Lei asked, "Chang Wei, did you capture any prisoners in today's battle?"

“Yes!” Chang Wei said.

"Go and interrogate them to see where Zhan Zhao's troops came from," Chang Lei said. "Also, send men to scout the areas of Majiadian and Taibaochang to see if there are any enemy troops in those directions."

Looking at the places Chang Lei pointed out, Chang Wei and Linghu Neng both gasped. If enemy troops were found in these directions, then it would be certain that the Battle of Danyang was a trap set for them.

The two got up and left in a hurry.

Chang Lei sat cross-legged by the fire, looking up at the bright lights of Anfu Temple in the distance, and murmured, "How exactly did you defeat Na Wei?"

He couldn't figure it out.

Sweetwater Town, the main camp of the Chu army.

The two groups of messengers from Zhu Zhe and Zhan Zhao caused quite a stir here.

Chang Lei's unexpected splitting of forces clearly disrupted Jiang Qian's original plan.

"Chang Lei is definitely not going to follow the usual path. He's trying to strike right at the heart of the enemy!" Jiang Qian looked at the location of Anfu Temple on the sand table and then gestured the distance between Anfu Temple and Tianshui Town. It was fortunate that they were found and stopped here. If they had been allowed to rush in, Jiang Qian would have been in a real mess. The main force of the Chu army had already set off, and now only a small number of guards and some directly subordinate departments of the headquarters remained in Tianshui Town.

Of course, all units have now received new orders.

"What a pity!" Zhang Qingyun shook his head slightly as he looked at the sand table. "If this were Danyang, we could have surrounded them from all sides and won the battle quickly. Now, the focus of the battle has shifted to Anfu Temple, putting both sides in a nearly equal decisive battle!"

“War is always full of unexpected events!” Jiang Qian laughed. “I’m sure Chang Lei will soon realize this, so Kou Wenhai’s tens of thousands of infantrymen who are heading towards Danyang will also turn around and head to Anfu Temple. This place will become the battlefield for our decisive battle.”

"Soldier against soldier, general against general!" Kang Zhen, who had just returned, was extremely excited. "Excellent! I've been wanting to see just how skilled the world-renowned Chang Lei really is!"

"The tiny Anfu Temple has become a meat grinder!" Ke Wuji said. "I wonder how many lives will be lost in this battle!"

"I never thought Elder Ke would show compassion for living beings!" Jiang Qian laughed loudly. "One battle will decide the fate of the world. After this battle, the South will be at peace! This is much better than the two sides being entangled in a protracted war! Although it will be more difficult than we thought before, the result will be no different."

"After winning this battle, we'll march north and take the eastern capital. Then, Linghu Ye will be torn between two options: fighting Li Duhu while also worrying about our rear being cut off. Haha, let's see how he wins! Holy Maiden, then we'll be the greatest heroes of the new dynasty!" Ke Wuji said, "With the world unified, we can focus on improving people's livelihoods. Li Duhu is a very ambitious man. If his ideas can be realized, Holy Maiden, then our founding principles of the Divine Sect will truly have a chance to be achieved!"

(End of this chapter)