Wait, please don't call me Emperor Zhaolie

Chapter 242 Don’t worry, we have the victory in our hands!

The sudden drop in south wind blew up the flags, and the shouts of killing from the hilly areas rose to the sky. The flags and drums of Yuan’s army were connected front and back, and they rushed towards the Qingzhou army like a tide.

“Kill! Kill!!”

"Anyone who kills the enemy will be rewarded with a large sum of money!"

"General Qu has issued an order that anyone who can break through the wall and destroy the enemy's army formation, cut off the head of the commander, or capture the flag of the enemy's center army will be rewarded with 80,000 coins and 100 pieces of cloth!"

"Now is the time to make achievements. If we don't fight to the death now, when will we fight?! Charge at the enemy!"

There was a military officer in Yuan’s army who was riding a horse and holding a ring-handled sword, shouting at the soldiers.

The infantry were in the front with swords and shields, and the crossbowmen were in the back holding powerful crossbows. Led by the flags, they advanced rapidly and charged forward with great enthusiasm.

In war, quick victory is more important than duration.

In order not to give the enemy a chance to breathe, Qu Yi and Feng Ji decided that except for the central army to hold the line, the scouts would be distributed ten miles away, and the rest of the soldiers would be deployed to strive to win the battle in one go, so as to avoid the sudden arrival of Qingzhou reinforcements and the pincer attack from the five thousand people.

Nine hundred steps, eight hundred steps, seven hundred steps, six hundred steps, five hundred steps, it is almost approaching the effective range of a powerful crossbow.

The crossbowmen immediately bent over to hook the strings with ropes, and used the strength of their waists and legs to pull the crossbows. Then Yuan's army suddenly heard a thunderous roar on the battlefield, and in the distance, arrows broke through rocks and pierced through the clouds, with a deafening sound.

"Swoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!" An arrow flew out, and nearly a hundred arrows followed.

The sword and shield soldier in the front row who was holding a shield to meet the enemy had not yet reacted when he felt a sudden chill in his chest. The whole person, along with the shield, was blown backwards by the huge inertia. Then everything went black in front of his eyes and he no longer knew what happened afterwards.

The unlucky soldier behind was also knocked away. The sharp spear had pierced through two people. The spear tip was covered with blood foam and continued to fly forward as fast as lightning, piercing through the two crossbowmen behind.

Nearly a hundred spears pierced through the charging army, causing Yuan's army to panic and exclamations to ring out.

Especially the soldiers in front holding swords and shields, they saw their colleagues' shields and chests being shot and collapsed, and some were even unlucky enough to have their lower bodies shot in two with blood and flesh flying everywhere. The scene made their brains go blank.

What kind of powerful crossbow is this? How can it use a spear as an arrow and shoot it so far? How can it be blocked with a shield?

The slightest hit would result in death or injury, and the death was extremely miserable. Some people's lower bodies were broken, and they were not dead for a while, and the screams of pain were endless.

This caused panic among the people, and an inexplicable sense of fear came over them. Finally, the sergeant drew his sword and cut off his head, and the howling finally stopped.

Even though there was a slight disturbance, more soldiers rushed forward one after another. The crossbowmen in the front row finally approached the shooting range and raised their heavy crossbows to prepare for upward shooting.

But he was surprised to find that more arrows were pouring down like a torrential rain, and people fell down almost as soon as the sound was made.

"Hide behind me! Quick!"

The tall sword and shield soldiers reacted quickly and raised their shields to block the arrows for the crossbowmen. At the same time, they were also surprised why the enemy's bows and crossbows could shoot so far.

Then he suddenly remembered that the Qingzhou army was shooting from a high position, so the lethality and range must be greater.

But didn't General Qu say that most of the enemy were auxiliary soldiers? How come they had so many bows and crossbows hidden... Before he could finish his thought, the spear that attacked again pierced his shield and chest.

The one hit by the spear died instantly, and the sword and shield soldier's thoughts were forever frozen at this moment.

This is just a small microcosm of the battlefield, as more and more people are shot.

The counterattack of Yuan's crossbowmen also caused more arrows to fly in the wilderness, but although Yuan's army had the advantage in numbers, they were suppressed by the enemy's crossbows on the battlefield. After four or five rounds of shooting, morale was almost exhausted.

They could not see the casualties of the other side, but they could see with their own eyes that people around them were constantly being shot and killed by crossbows, and the cavalry that had been harassing them before did not dare to come close to provide support.

Some people began to retreat without leaving a trace, while others showed no fear and charged forward desperately with swords and shields in hand and ferocious roars on their faces, just to break through the Qingzhou army's camp and exchange their lives for revenge for their fellow countrymen.

"Kill! Kill the people from Qingzhou!"

"Kill the Qingzhou bastard! Avenge the villagers!"

The sword and shield soldiers in the front row led the charge without fear of arrows, acting extremely bravely, which boosted the morale of many people and they continued to charge forward.

Seeing that the precarious morale was stabilized, Qu Yi and Feng Ji, who were standing on a high place in the rear to observe the developments on the battlefield, couldn't help but frown at the same time.

The situation on the battlefield was somewhat different from what they had expected. Also, why would Han Mu of Qingzhou carry so many bows and crossbows? The rain of arrows just now was obviously not the speed at which two thousand soldiers could draw their crossbows and shoot.

Especially the range of the heavy crossbow, which scared them so much that they quickly changed places and climbed up to have a look. Fortunately, they did not put the big banner on the mound, otherwise if there was a spear shot at them, they would not be able to block it even if they were wearing armor.

When they climbed back up to the top, they discovered that the situation on the battlefield seemed a little strange. According to the firing rate of the Qingzhou army's arrows, the rain of arrows should not have gradually become thinner.

Unless you are exhausted after bending down, pulling the string and shooting quickly.

But... would Han Mu be so stupid?

Feng Ji couldn't help but look at Qu Yi, but saw that the other party was looking at the battlefield with a serious expression, his hand tightly holding his sword, and he didn't know what he was thinking about.

In fact, Qu Yi was also in a state of confusion, with a bad premonition that was gradually magnified. Logically speaking, since Han Mu dared to come alone to set up camp, he must have come prepared, and it was indeed expected that he would carry a lot of bows and crossbows.

Moreover, the army formation, which had just been pierced by heavy crossbows and was on the verge of collapse, has gradually stabilized at this moment. Catching up with the sword and shield soldiers, they are only two hundred steps away from the Qingzhou camp. If they sound the golden bell to call back the troops now, wouldn't so many people be killed and injured in vain?

It also gave the Qingzhou army a chance to catch their breath, which would have an impact on their morale going forward.

As for the coincidental decrease in arrows, it was because the enemy was shooting rapidly. Winding up a particularly powerful crossbow required more physical strength. No matter how strong and fierce the soldiers were, they all had to rest and recover their strength after shooting rapidly.

The fact that the Qingzhou army could shoot out a torrential rain of arrows in an instant undoubtedly showed that they were firing in volleys rather than in turns. It was normal for the enemy general to make such a deployment when they were in a panic.

The current conditions are very consistent with what is happening on the battlefield now. Even the most skilled strategist cannot predict all the enemy's plans.

Although he thought so, Qu Yi still felt something was wrong.

But reason told him that hesitation is the greatest harm in deploying troops, and disaster for the army arises from suspicion.

There is no reason to call off a battle in the middle of it just because the commander has a wrong intuition. If the enemy takes advantage of the situation and attacks you, you will be asking for trouble.

Qu Yi pondered for a long time, and finally shook his head. Forget it, since he had already brought his troops here, he must be determined to defeat them. How could he turn back to Dian County when he encountered a disadvantageous situation in the battle?

Wouldn't that make Jiang Qi a laughing stock and make him lose face in Jizhou? !

Qu Yi took a deep breath, pointed at the wall of the Qingzhou military camp, and said to Feng Ji with a smile to comfort him: "This thief has reached the end of his rope, and this is the limit of his skills. Watch me cut his throat, eat all his flesh, and then leave!"

(End of this chapter)