Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 305: Battle of Niutou Gorge

"Xilulu!!"

Outside Niutou Gorge, at Niutou Plain, 60,000 Dali soldiers camped. Tents were like a forest, densely covering the entire Niutou Plain, like a vast dark ocean.

The neighing of war horses and the sounds of smashing and looting the camp were intertwined, and everyone was busy.

"Weng Ru, please be gentle when you smash things!"

"That's right. The wood chips are almost getting into our pot."

"Eat some leftovers to train your teeth, haha..."

Between the tents, groups of soldiers gathered. At first, although they were making a lot of noise, they were talking and laughing.

"I don't know when the war will end..."

Sitting in front of the team's tent, a soldier with particularly dark skin looked at the people playing in the distance and couldn't help but sigh.

The barbarian with fairer skin sitting next to him smiled and said:

"Xida, you barbarians who like to chop off people for sacrifice actually want to live in peace?"

"Beheading is normal for sacrifices." The dark-skinned Xida responded with a smile, and said:

"Unlike you white-clothed people, who believe in Buddha all day long, but kill people without blinking an eye."

The barbarian called Bai Yi nodded with a smile, and then said: "I miss home too."

"When I came out, my daughter was only three years old. Now she is almost six years old..."

The barbarian looked to the south. His wife and daughter were waiting for him to return in Menglao, thousands of miles away in the south.

"I really don't know why we have to fight. We have finally had a few years of peace..."

Xida sighed, and the barbarian couldn't help but nod.

Compared with the barbarians in the north of Dali, these barbarians in the south did not have peace for a few days.

Over the past few decades, Dali has been waging war against the Pyu, Mon, Shan, and Chenla peoples.

From Gaya (Bay of Bengal) in the west to Dharapatti (Gulf of Siam) in the south, decades of continuous warfare made life extremely difficult for the southern barbarians.

The war was finally ended, but less than four years later, war broke out again with the Tang Dynasty in the north.

Anyone who can serve as a captain is already a minor noble in the local area.

Even so, in a war between great powers, they are no different from ordinary soldiers.

The more wars you experience, the more you yearn for peace.

It is not only the barbarians who desire peace, but also the Han people...

"Gao Pian, you only have 20,000 soldiers and horses. How can you stop my 60,000-man army?"

While the lower-level officers and soldiers were longing for peace, You Shilong rode his horse to a high hill somewhere in Niutouyuan.

His eyes were as sharp as an eagle's as he stared at Niutou Gorge in the distance.

At this moment, he had only one thought in his mind, which was to have a decisive battle with Gao Pian, defeat the Dongchuan army in one fell swoop, and invade the heartland of Bashu!

Relying on his own military advantage, he was confident of victory, going north to occupy Bashu and completing the feat that his ancestors had failed to accomplish!

While he was looking into the future, Dong'an City, more than 20 miles away from Niutouyuan, was also quite hot.

"General, our army has fought two battles in a row and the soldiers are exhausted. Should we rest for a while before sending out the troops?"

Inside the Dong'an government office, Wang Zhongren couldn't help but stand up and bow as he watched the soldiers carrying things away, his tone filled with worry.

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Lin interrupted with a smile: "Is Wang Lang afraid?"

"Do not……"

Wang Zhongren frowned and was about to explode, but Gao Pian raised his hand to interrupt him.

Gao Pian looked at Wang Zhongren calmly and firmly: "Our army is exhausted, and so are the barbarians."

"Right now our army's morale is high, it's a good time to pursue the victory."

"Even if we need to rest, we have to wait until we reach the entrance of Niutou Gorge."

Gao Pian paused while explaining, and continued:

"The east entrance of Niutou Gorge is only twelve miles away from here. We spent two hours on the journey and set up camp today, and the rest of the time will be used for rest."

"Since You Shilong wants to have a decisive battle at Niutou Gorge, then we will do as he wishes!"

Seeing that Gao Pian had made up his mind, Wang Zhongren had no choice but to nod in agreement.

He looked at Gao Pian's increasingly cold expression, and couldn't help feeling a sense of strangeness in his heart.

The former commander was majestic yet humane, but now he seems to be only cold and calculating.

While he was thinking, the Dongchuan army in Dong'an City marched westward.

The distance of twelve miles was not far for the army, and they arrived at the east entrance of Niutou Gorge in two hours.

The terrain in front of Dongxiakou is relatively spacious and flat, so it does not hinder camping.

As Gao Pian ordered to set up camp, You Shilong at Niutouyuan at the west entrance of Niutou Gorge also learned of the military situation in Dongchuan.

Seeing Gao Pian accept the challenge, You Shilong felt his blood boiling.

Even so, he knew that his troops were tired from the journey and now was not a good time to start a war.

He wanted to rest for a few days at Xixiakou, waiting for the morale of his troops to improve, and then launch a large-scale attack on the Dongchuan army at Dongxiakou.

"The army is exhausted, so we will rest for three days. After three days, we will march out of Niutou Gorge."

"Also, tell the troops in Zhuti and other places to be careful of Gao Pian's trickery and surprise attack!"

"The ministers and others lead the decree..."

Yu Shilong gave the order as calmly as possible, and the generals breathed a sigh of relief after hearing his words.

After receiving the order, they began to transmit military intelligence according to You Shilong's arrangements.

At one time, Tuodong City recruited more than 10,000 barbarian soldiers from all around to march north in order to stabilize Zhuti.

Gao Pian was not very clear about the movements of the Dali army. He only knew that he was only one battle away from becoming famous all over the world...

"Uuuuuu——"

Three days passed like a flash.

At the east and west entrances of Niutou Gorge, the atmosphere of confrontation between the two armies became increasingly tense, as if even the air had frozen.

In the camp of the Dongchuan army, the soldiers were already ready for battle. Their armor flashed a cold light in the morning light, their swords and spears were like a forest, and their flags were fluttering.

Gao Pian stood in front of the battle formation, his expression stern, but a fire was burning in his heart...

Today is the moment for him to become famous!
At the same time, You Shilong's 60,000 barbarian troops had also formed their battle array.

On Niutou Plain, the flags of the barbarian army covered the sky like dark clouds. The soldiers held long swords and short hammers with fierce eyes, like a group of ferocious beasts ready to attack.

You Shilong rode on his warhorse, holding his sword high, and said in a thunderous voice: "My men! Today is the day for us to conquer Rongzhou and spread our power across the world!"

"Boom boom boom——"

War drums beat, trumpets blew, and the two armies broke camp almost at the same time.

They all left their elite cavalry who were not suitable for fighting in the canyon outside the canyon, in order to prevent the main army from being defeated and to cover their retreat.

Niutou Gorge, which is nearly ten miles long, is only ten feet wide at its widest point and four feet wide at its narrowest point.

Fighting in such terrain does not require the general to be able to make changes on the battlefield, but it does require extremely high standards in how he manages the army.

If the front army collapses in this kind of terrain, the other three armies will collapse one after another and become lambs to be slaughtered in the hands of the enemy.

The seven thousand Dongchuan cavalry and infantry dismounted and formed a battle line before entering the gorge, and walked into Niutou Gorge step by step.

The same as them are the barbarian troops at Xixiakou.

The difference is that the number of barbarian troops in Xixiakou is nearly ten times that of the Tang army in Dongchuan...

If you use seven thousand to defeat sixty thousand, if you succeed you will go down in history; if you fail you will be infamous for eternity.

No one could understand how much pressure Gao Pian was under at the moment, but the generals of the Dongchuan Army were basically blindly confident in their own commander.

Time passed bit by bit. Counting from the time they set out at noon, the soldiers of the Dongchuan Army had already walked five miles.

After making an estimate, Gao Pian on horseback decisively raised his hand and said, "The army should line up here!"

"Beep--"

The sound of the wooden whistle was like a stone falling into a deep pool, spreading outward continuously.

Soon, seven thousand Dongchuan soldiers lined up in the valley. The team stretched for nearly two miles. There were mountains on both sides and thick fog above their heads. There were only two roads to go.

"Sorry..."

The military horse under his crotch was panting, and Gao Pian was waiting for news.

"Beep--"

Suddenly, different wooden whistle sounds were heard from the mountains on both sides. It was obvious that the soldiers from both sides encountered each other at the top of the mountain.

The soil and rocks on Niutou Ridge are loose, so it is not a problem to send a dozen soldiers to climb up and scout out. However, if a large army is commanded to climb, it is unknown how much energy it will take and how many elite soldiers will be killed or injured.

Because of this, Gao Pian did not think of setting an ambush on the mountains on both sides of Niutouling, nor did he think of cutting down trees to block the valley road.

He only needed to send out the Tang soldiers to make sure that there were no ambushes on his marching route.

The two of them had come here with the idea of "accomplishing the goal in one go".

"Screw rustle..."

Suddenly, the sound of footsteps and the collision of armor pieces were heard in the valley ahead.

"Beep, beep--" the wooden whistle representing caution and vigilance kept sounding, and flags gradually appeared at the end of the valley road of more than a hundred steps ahead.

Among the 60,000 barbarian troops led by You Shilong, only 30,000 of his direct subordinates wore armor, of which more than 10,000 wore iron armor and 20,000 wore heavy armor.

The so-called heavy armor is armor made from thick leather of giant crocodiles (Han Yu crocodiles), elephants, rhinos, etc.

There are elephants, rhinos, giant crocodiles and other creatures in Dali, and many people have suffered greatly from them.

Barbarian armies often hunted these animals, one to protect the country and the people, and two to obtain their skins to make armor.

The leather armor technology of the Dali Kingdom was very mature, and the leather armor it made was thick enough, so it was called heavy armor.

In terms of defense, heavy armor of the same level is slightly higher than chain mail, and the large armor worn by generals is comparable to ziplock and fish scale armor.

Because of this, when the heavily armored Dali barbarian army appeared in front of the valley, many soldiers in the Dongchuan army felt under pressure and swallowed subconsciously.

"woo woo woo woo--"

Suddenly, strange cries were heard from the mountains on both sides, but they did not come from the top of the mountains, but from the dense forests on the steep slopes on both sides of the valley.

"what sound?!"

"Don't panic, it's the Puzi Man and the Naked Man!"

The Dongchuan soldiers were in chaos because of the strange shouting, but Gao Pian had done his homework and calmed the surrounding soldiers in a deep voice.

The Puziman tribe mainly lived in the Ailao Mountains. They wore blue silk trousers all over their bodies. They were brave and agile, and were good at using white bamboo. They often galloped through the deep forests and shot flying squirrels, and they never missed.

The naked barbarians live in the west of Gaoligong Mountain. They often run barefoot in the dense primitive forests as if they were walking on flat ground.

Only these two types of barbarians can gallop through steep mountains.

It is said that the Wudang Flying Army during the Three Kingdoms period was an elite force composed of the Puziman, Luoxingman and Wangman.

Wangjuziman, Puziman, Luoxingman and Wangman are the four most powerful barbarian troops outside of the ones directly under Dali.

However, Wangzhuzi was good at riding and shooting, and was mostly recruited into the cavalry, so he did not appear here.

"Shhhh-"

"Watch out for arrows!"

"Crossbows fire back!"

Before Gao Pian's military order was passed down, the Puziman and Luoxingman, who had suddenly attacked along the mountains on both sides of the valley, began to harass the Dongchuan army from a distance.

Although casualties were inflicted on the Dongchuan Army, they were not numerous.

As the Dongchuan army fought back with bows and crossbows, many barbarian soldiers fell from the mountains due to being hit by arrows.

"Damn it! It's a human!"

As the soldiers of the Dongchuan Army discovered that the strange screams came from the barbarians, the fear in their hearts instantly dissipated. Instead, their tempers were aroused and they continued to fight back with bows and crossbows.

Almost every soldier in the Tang army had a bow, and this was completely copied by Gao Pian to the Dongchuan army.

Because of this, in terms of archers alone, the Tang army has more archers than the 60,000 Dali barbarian troops here.

Arrows flew like locusts, continuously falling into the mountains, and the Puziman and Luoxingman were also at a disadvantage in the confrontation, being repeatedly hit by arrows and falling into the valley.

"Boom boom boom——"

Suddenly, the sound of drums came from the front. The barbarian army of Dali had already formed a battle array and was attacking, only a hundred steps away from the Dongchuan army.

"A crossbowman can shoot an arrow when he is 100 steps away from the enemy, and an archer can shoot an arrow when he is 60 steps away from the enemy."

"When the enemy is within 20 steps, the archers and crossbowmen will put down their bows and crossbows, tie their arms first, take their swords and clubs with them, and then join the vanguard teams in the fight..."

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

Gao Pian commanded the army in an orderly manner according to the Tang army's large-scale battle formation, and the large-scale battle formation tested the quality of the soldiers.

It has to be said that Gao Pian trained the Dongchuan soldiers very well, especially the grassroots generals in Dongchuan.

The generals and lieutenants stood in the battle formation, their eyes sharp as torches, their voices steady and powerful, penetrating the hustle and bustle of the battlefield:
"Crossbowmen, shoot arrows at a hundred paces! Archers, shoot arrows at sixty paces! Vanguard, prepare to engage the enemy!"

After receiving the military order, the Dongchuan soldiers armed with bows and crossbows quickly carried out the order and shot arrows like rain at the approaching barbarian army.

The barbarian soldiers fell in the rain of arrows, but the subsequent troops still came like a tide, without retreating.

Their heavy armor gleamed black in the sunlight, and they all shouldered short spears and threw them towards the Dongchuan Vanguard.

The spears made a sharp sound of breaking through the air, and many Dongchuan soldiers were hit by the spears and fell down because they could not catch their breath.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The vanguard of the Dongchuan Army shouted in unison, and pointed their spears like a forest directly at the barbarian army.

The two sides collided fiercely in the valley, their spears clashed and the gun barrels made continuous collision sounds.

When the soldiers in the front row fell, the soldiers in the back row immediately took their places. The battle was extremely fierce.

Gao Pian always kept a close eye on the changes on the battlefield and kept adjusting the formation.

In such narrow terrain, once the front army collapsed, the entire line would fall apart, so he had to ensure that every soldier strictly followed orders and kept the formation stable.

"Drag the wounded away! Make up the back row!"

The voices of the generals and captains rang out again, and many Dongchuan soldiers whose arms were sore from archery quickly dragged their fallen comrades in the front row to the rear.

The soldiers in the back row immediately filled the vacancies and continued to fight with the barbarians.

This efficient battlefield dispatch is the result of Gao Pian's daily rigorous training.

At the same time, the Puziman and Luoxingman of the barbarian army were still harassing the mountains on both sides, trying to distract the attention of the Dongchuan army.

But as time went by, the archers of the Dongchuan Army had already become familiar with this tactic.

There was no need to aim. They only needed to shoot according to the orders of the generals and colonels. With a rain of arrows, they could shoot down the barbarians hiding in the mountains.

The shouts and cries of killing lasted for a cup of tea, and both sides kept changing the front team so that the vanguard would have sufficient physical strength.

The barbarian army's advantage in manpower could not be fully utilized in the narrow valley, while the Dongchuan army's tight formation and efficient command allowed them to maintain their position despite the disadvantage.

Finally, the barbarian army's offensive began to weaken and the soldiers in the front row began to retreat.

Gao Pian saw this but did not seek credit for himself. Instead, he said steadily: "Advance step by step, keep your position steady, and anyone who pursues the enemy without authorization will be killed!"

Under his military orders, the Dongchuan soldiers of the Vanguard Team suppressed the idea of pursuit and advanced step by step, steadily and cautiously.

At the same time, the news of the defeat of the front army quickly reached You Shilong in the central army.

"Dispatch the queue and stabilize the front! Can't you do such a simple thing?!"

Upon learning that the frontline of the army had been defeated and retreated, You Shilong cursed loudly, and then said in a deep voice: "Tell Zhao Qihuai that I will go to the front line immediately!"

"If the vanguard of the army cannot maintain its position, I will execute him on the battlefield!!"

"I obey your order!" The messenger, Tang Jiang, lowered his head quickly, and then sent Tang cavalry to deliver the message.

Soon, Zhao Qihuai, the general of the vanguard army, received the news.

Knowing that the emperor was angry, he had no choice but to go ahead with the armored soldiers.

"Uuuuuu——"

The sound of trumpets and drums sounded at the same time, the heavy armored soldiers were replaced, and the heavy armored soldiers took their place.

As the heavy armored soldiers retreated into the iron armor formation, the barbarian army's defense line was finally stabilized here.

The two armies clashed with their spears, and the naked barbarians and the Puzi barbarians on both sides of the mountain withdrew at some point.

The threats from both sides disappeared, and the Dongchuan Army began to continue to exert its strength.

On this long and narrow battlefield, most of the soldiers did not die from their weapons, but fell down during the battle and were then trampled to death by the army.

Among them, there were very few corpses of the Dongchuan Army, most of them were corpses of the Barbarian Army.

"kill!!"

The Dongchuan army was so bloodthirsty that the elite troops of both sides stopped in this valley and kept colliding with each other.

When a grand formation faces an enemy, there is usually no eye-catching fighting style, only boring filling in the lines.

But the lives of soldiers from both countries were used to fill the gap...

The sounds of shouting, weapons clashing, and calls for help filled everyone's ears.

The soldiers in the back row continued to advance, and after reaching the vanguard, they met the enemy troops opposite them eye to eye.

Everyone's face looked extremely terrifying. They kept stabbing the people opposite them with their spears, hoping that it would be the other person who fell instead of themselves.

As more and more people fell, more and more people were trampled to death.

Neither side had room to drag the fallen men out of the battle, and the bodies gradually piled up.

The long spears used for formation were no longer useful, and the experienced veterans had already taken out their blunt weapons.

The two armies engaged in close combat.

"The front troops retreat twenty steps, let them come over, and fight the enemy with a large formation!"

In the rear, Gao Pian saw that his own troops were actually engaging in close combat with the barbarian army, and he immediately roared orders.

Under his military order, the rational vanguard soldiers immediately left the close combat battlefield, retreated twenty steps, picked up the long spears that were everywhere on the ground, and formed a spear formation to face the enemy.

Those soldiers who were not rational enough were trapped by the barbarians, but the barbarians did not advance rashly. Instead, they dragged the corpses away to prevent the piles of corpses from hindering their advance.

In half a cup of tea, most of the bodies in the canyon were dragged away, and the open space where the front armies had fought became "wide" again.

"Boom boom boom——"

The drums sounded again, and the two armies continued to advance with their spears in hand, until they finally collided...

(End of this chapter)