Datang: Rebirth of Li Chengqian, the beginning of the treason interrogation

Chapter 209: Lure the enemy deep into the enemy territory and fight to decide the outcome
"It's been three days. Why haven't the supplies and troops arrived in time?"

Soon, the Japanese army discovered the lack of logistical supplies.

The few ministers who were left hurriedly sought out Emperor Kotoku to discuss countermeasures. They felt that something was wrong and they all felt that a crisis was approaching them.

“Now that the rainy season has arrived, there may be road sections that have collapsed, which has delayed the journey.”

Emperor Kotoku, as always, tried hard to stabilize the morale of the entire army.

At the same time, there is also a sense of luck.

After hearing his explanation, the generals at all levels could not ask any more questions and could only wait silently.

However, they waited for five days and the Japanese army's supplies were almost exhausted, but there was still no material or news.

On this day, the scouts sent by Emperor Kotoku returned.

The news he brought completely pushed Emperor Kotoku into the abyss and also pushed the Japanese pirates to death.

But he had no time to be sad, because they were now facing the danger of total annihilation.

"The Naniwa Imperial Capital has been captured by the rebels. Our food and fodder have been cut off, and our retreat has been cut off. If we do not fight to the death today, there will be no time to fight again. The whole country will be in danger, and our great Japanese nation will perish."

Emperor Kotoku did not choose to conceal the news, but instead summoned the entire army and made an announcement.

The purpose is to inspire the morale of the entire army and fight to the death.

"You all know the methods of the rebels. If you surrender, you will be slaughtered. The only way to survive is to fight to the death and repel the rebels."

"Today is the day of the decisive battle with the Tang army. Warriors, are you willing to fight alongside me?"

After saying this, Emperor Kotoku put on his armor and, holding his sword, marched towards the Tang army outside the city.

"I am willing to be loyal to the Emperor!"

The Japanese troops behind him shouted slogans and followed Emperor Kotoku's steps, crossing the earthen city they built and charging towards the Tang army camp.

Even a rabbit will bite when it gets angry.

What’s more, what about the hundreds of thousands of Japanese troops who were forced into a desperate situation?
The only option is to fight to the death.

Because if you surrender, you will only be slaughtered.

The entire mountain was filled with the shouts of the Japanese army. Even though hundreds of thousands of troops had launched a general attack, there was still a strong sense of oppression.

There was also a little panic in the Tang army camp.

After all, everywhere you look, there are Japanese troops.

"Order all troops to protect the central army and quickly form a shield formation for defense. Archers occupy the high ground and stand by."

The sudden attack by the Japanese army also made Heichi Changzhi panic.

As the flags were waved, the entire military camp sprang into action instantly.

Rows of shields were erected on the path that the Japanese army had to take to charge, forming an unshakable iron wall.

"The cavalry breaks through the formation!"

At some point, a large group of Japanese cavalry appeared and began to charge towards the shield formation. If they could not break the shield formation, the Japanese would only be shot to death.

"Wind! Wind!"

Suddenly, uniform shouts rang out from the Tang army's formation.

Whoosh!Whoosh!
The sound of breaking air was heard, and at this moment, the sky became dark.

Countless arrows fell.

The Japanese troops rushing in the front fell down in large numbers like wheat seedlings, and both the men and horses were shot like hedgehogs.

"Keep charging, for the glory of the samurai and for the honor of the great country of Japan."

Emperor Kotoku continued to wave the sword in his hand, but his heart was bleeding.

The only way they could do was to use the flesh and blood of their soldiers to consume the Tang army's equipment and iron tools.

The charge continues and the killing continues.

No matter how many people rushed in, they could not cross the death line built by the Tang army with rain of arrows.

"Cavalry, stand by for orders. Shield soldiers, advance!"

Seeing the speed of the cavalry, they were unable to charge past them.

Emperor Kotoku also had to change his strategy and ordered his soldiers to advance steadily with shields in hand.

"catapult!"

Cheng Mingzhen on the other side also shouted, and dozens of catapults fired at the same time.

The huge rock flew through the air and smashed into the Japanese army's shield formation with a sharp sound of wind.

Suddenly, the wooden shield was smashed to pieces.

Many Japanese soldiers were also beaten to pieces.

If you rub it, it will hurt; if you hit it, it will kill.

The catapult plays a role in military combat comparable to that of the bow and arrow, and is a highly lethal military weapon.

It was already used in the military field during the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.

The production of a catapult is also very simple. It uses the principle of leverage. Several soldiers work together to throw stones. The attack distance is even farther than that of a bow and arrow.

The "cannon" in the black Chinese chess piece actually refers to the catapult.

However, with the later application of gunpowder, catapults were no longer loaded with stones, but artillery fire.

So in chess, the piece on the red side is this "cannon".

In movies and TV shows, when attacking a city, you can see flaming iron balls being launched. When they hit the city, they will suddenly explode, causing heavy casualties.

This is the original "cannon", which is an upgraded version of the catapult.

It also evolved from being a weapon for long-range attacks to a weapon for siege.

However, that was all after the Song Dynasty.

During the Sui and Tang dynasties, catapults were still used as weapons to restrain shield troops.

Under the constant shaking of the catapults, the Japanese army still suffered heavy losses.

Without even encountering the Tang army, the Japanese army suffered thousands of casualties.

Knowing that there was no way to retreat, the Japanese pirates were still fearless and continued to charge forward at high speed.

There are too many of them, and it is impossible to take care of all the archers and catapults.

"Wu Xing, take out all the Thunderbolts and hand them over to General Cheng. Have him treat them like rocks and throw them all into the Japanese army."

An idea suddenly occurred to Li Chengqian. Isn't the catapult a ready-made gun mount?

Soon, the huge rocks were replaced and iron balls were put in their place. After the fuse was lit, they were immediately thrown out.

"Boom! Boom!"

After landing, it exploded with a loud bang, and countless limbs and arms flew out. The air was filled with smoke, and blank areas were formed wherever the earth explosives fell.

In each place, there were dozens of casualties.

The violent explosion caused the Japanese army's horses to panic and run wild, killing and trampling countless people. In a crowd of hundreds of thousands, this kind of lethality can be ignored.

However, this huge movement and noise still caused quite a stir among the Japanese army.

The entire Japanese army was mobilized and attacked from all directions. Although they encountered huge obstacles on the front, it did not affect the overall progress of the battle.

A fight to the death, there is no retreat.

"Your Highness, the Japanese army is in high spirits right now. Should we temporarily avoid the front line?"

"As the Art of War says: The first attack will bring the army to its peak, the second will weaken, and the third will bring it to its limit. I don't know why the Japanese army is so motivated right now, and they are fearless of death. Although our Tang army is not afraid of them, we will suffer losses if we fight them head-on."

Cheng Mingzhen hurried to the central army tent and spoke to Li Chengqian.

A general's duty is to achieve the greatest results at the lowest cost.

It is unwise to respond tit for tat when you know that the enemy's morale is high.

"General Cheng's words make sense. Then let's follow General Cheng's strategy. Order the entire army to fight and retreat at the same time, using long-range weapons to consume the enemy."

Li Chengqian also has patience. A large-scale battle involving hundreds of thousands of people cannot be ended in one day.

The Tang army retreated in an orderly manner. The baggage of the rear army was evacuated first, while the front army was still fighting.

The retreat was not a one-off retreat as one might imagine.

"The Tang army is defeated. Do not let them retreat. Kill them and destroy all the invading enemies."

Emperor Kotoku, who was standing on a high place, saw this and gave orders loudly.

As the flags were waved, the morale of the Japanese pirates rose again and they rushed forward.

The shield formation in front of the Tang army shook violently, as if it could be broken through at any time. Faced with the sudden increase in pressure, none of the shield soldiers retreated, and they fought back desperately.

This also provided the archers with excellent shooting opportunities. As the rain of arrows fell from the rear, batch after batch of Japanese pirates fell.

These Japanese pirates were recruited temporarily and it was impossible for them to have armor, so there were countless casualties.

"Open the formation!"

Heichi Changzhi waved his hand, and while the Japanese pirates were still in a panic, their shields were opened, and the Tang soldiers holding short knives rushed out, swinging their knives and killing the Japanese pirates who were close at hand.

The shield soldiers, archers and infantry cooperate very closely, creating a gorgeous visual feast.

With zero casualties, hundreds of Japanese pirates were easily killed.

This is just the tip of the iceberg of the entire battlefield.

Each army of the Tang army had various types of troops, which were deployed in certain proportions.

In an army of 10000 people, there must be 10000 bows. In other words, those who join the army must be able to shoot a bow. Because they fight in large armies and most of the time, volleys are fired, and the requirement for soldiers to be good at shooting is not high.

There are also 10000 swords and spears, which are common weapons and are indispensable. As for shields, there are 3000. Every three people are equipped with a shield soldier, and every four people are equipped with a crossbow soldier. At the peak, every four people are equipped with a Modao soldier.

In other words, the smallest squadrons of the Tang army were equipped with shield soldiers, archers and cavalry.

It’s just that there will be different combinations at different times.

This also greatly ensures that the Tang army can maintain its combat effectiveness at any time and adapt to various combat environments.

"Crossbowmen, cover! Retreat!"

After leaving the battle circle, officers from various units immediately ordered a retreat.

Although not all the troops were in the east at the same time, it did not cause too much panic, and the Tang army still showed a trend of retreat.

This was an organized retreat, but their fighting power remained undiminished, and in the process of retreat, they continued to erode the Japanese army.

This avoided the situation of a head-on battle with the Japanese army.

The Tang army has always been brave and fearless in battle.

They were not afraid of many powerful enemies, let alone the Japanese pirates who were not good at land warfare.
Even though the Japanese army's morale was high, their combat effectiveness was still very limited.

All of this is nothing more than a strategic operation, with minimal casualties in exchange for maximum results.

However, when many Japanese commanders in the distance saw this scene, they thought the Tang army had been defeated.

"The rebels are defeated, the entire army will kill them all, and not a single one should be spared!"

Emperor Kotoku stood on a high place, looking at the Tang army retreating like a tide, and the heavy stone in his heart finally fell to the ground.

The frustration that had been accumulating in my heart recently seemed to have found an outlet at this moment and burst out.

He stared at the battlefield with his eyes shining with excitement, as if he had seen the dawn of completely defeating the Tang army and achieving victory.

The Japanese pirates, who were already extremely excited, became even more excited after hearing Emperor Kotoku's order, and their speed of attacking and killing increased even more.

However, they did not know that such a blind charge would only bring them one step closer to death.

Although the Tang army was retreating, all they left behind along the way were the corpses of the Japanese soldiers.

The Japanese army had already been deceived by the illusion of the Tang army's defeat. They completely ignored the danger and rushed towards the dense rain of arrows of the Tang army like moths to a flame.

For a moment, arrows whizzed past, bringing up bursts of blood and screams.

The Japanese army chased frantically all the way, but was never able to break through the Tang army's indestructible shield formation.

Every charge was like hitting a solid wall of steel. Not only did it fail to cause any substantial damage to the Tang army, but it also resulted in heavy casualties among their own troops.

Gradually, the Japanese army, which was once so powerful and unstoppable, began to show signs of fatigue and decline.

During the long pursuit, the Japanese army's morale was gradually exhausted.

The pirates' footsteps became heavier and heavier, and their movements were no longer as agile as before. They became much more hesitant.

In sharp contrast, although the Tang army had been in a passive defensive state, everyone in the army was holding their breath.

They had fought in hundreds of battles, but had they ever fought such a cowardly battle?

They were forced to retreat again and again by these poorly equipped and short Japanese people.

At the same time, during the battle, the front line was stretched a lot.

"Your Highness, the morale of the Japanese pirates has dropped significantly. The opportunity for our army to counterattack has emerged!"

Since the beginning of the war, Cheng Mingzhen has been concentrating on observing the entire battle situation and firmly controlling the development of the situation.

For a battle of such scale and form, the difficulty was not high for him, so he was able to command it with ease.

After all, the Japanese army's combat effectiveness has never posed a substantial threat to the Tang army's rock-solid defense system.

It is precisely because of this that the Tang army was able to always take the initiative, and whether attacking or retreating, they could respond calmly and seize the opportunity.

"In that case, then we should immediately order an attack, break through the last line of defense of the Japanese pirates in one fell swoop, and end our expedition to Japan."

Li Chengqian said with a stern face and no expression. The outcome of this battle will determine the final fate of Japan.

The many worries and troubles that have lingered in Li Chengqian's mind will also disappear as the dust settles on this battle.

"Understood! Spread our order to the entire army. All commanders must lead their troops to launch a comprehensive attack and annihilate the Japanese pirates completely!"

Cheng Mingzhen bowed respectfully and took a few steps back. Then he jumped onto his horse with a swift somersault. Without hesitation, he drew the sword from his waist and raised it high above his head. At the same time, he shouted loudly and rode his horse towards the front of the army.

In an instant, the momentum of the Tang army suddenly changed, becoming aggressive and extremely oppressive.

(End of this chapter)