Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 388 Battle of White Pool
"kill!!"

"Brother, can we survive?"

Within the mountain gorge, one's ears were filled with countless shouts of battle, almost shattering one's eardrums.

Amidst the chaotic shouts, Wang Jian heard a timid voice behind him.

But he didn't turn around; instead, he stared intently at the small stone fortress standing at the bottom of the mountain valley.

"You'd better stick close to me if we all strive for promotion and wealth!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the task of launching a strong attack fell to their squad of soldiers.

Compared to other warlords who have not encountered war for a long time, the troops of Zhongwu Town, which have been suppressing bandits in the Central Plains in recent years, have not performed badly.

Over the course of more than half a month, the walls of Gudao Stone Fortress were almost captured by them several times, but they were quickly recaptured by the Longyou Army.

A thousand soldiers from Longyou held off their three thousand Zhongwu soldiers' fierce attack for half a month, forcing Wang Shi to send another three thousand soldiers from Heyang to their aid.

Now only 1,800 of the 3,000 Zhongwu soldiers remain, and the 3,000 Heyang soldiers have already suffered hundreds of casualties in just two days since they arrived.

In order to capture Xiaoshibao, Wang She increased the reward for the first to scale the walls to a promotion of four ranks and a reward of a thousand gold pieces.

Wang Jian, a common soldier, was also promoted on the battlefield, rising from an ordinary infantryman to his current position as deputy commander of the supervisory team.

Even so, he was not satisfied, his eyes fixed on the dilapidated stone fortress.

If I could be the first to scale the walls, I would at least be promoted to colonel and lead several hundred soldiers...

Thinking of this, Wang Jian felt a surge of excitement, but he also knew that Xiaoshibao would not be so easy to take.

"put!"

"Rumble--"

While Wang Jian was pondering, his soldiers surged towards the city walls like a tidal wave, while the Longyou army on the walls also abandoned their formidable warriors.

The enemy soldier exploded upon landing, and the burning grease and the ejected iron pellets caused countless deaths and injuries to soldiers within a five-step radius.

One warrior capable of defeating ten thousand men was enough to kill eleven or twelve soldiers.

Combined with hundreds of iron balls fired from arquebuses, even the strongest soldiers would find it difficult to withstand a single attack within seven paces of the city wall.

However, the number of enemies capable of defeating ten thousand men is not endless, and the cooldown time required for the arquebuses also gives the soldiers of the Loyal Army time to launch an attack.

"They don't have many of those jars that can explode anymore, let's take this opportunity to storm in!"

"Yes!"

Wang She calmly gave the order, and the bugle calls continued to sound.

The soldiers of the Zhongwu Army launched continuous attacks, and after encountering attacks from the Wanrendi (a type of enemy) and arquebuses, only about thirty of the fifty soldiers of Wang Jian's troop survived.

With the team leader absent, Wang Jian, the deputy team leader, had to take on the responsibility of leading the team.

Holding a shield and a sword, he climbed upwards, reaching the top of the city wall before immediately pulling his head back down.

"Bam—"

The crossbow bolts from the triple-bow ballista shot just past his helmet, and cold sweat soaked his clothes, but he was not afraid. Instead, he raised his shield and charged up the city wall, then leaped down from the triple-bow ballista.

"Damn it!!"

He raised his shield and wielded his sword, slashing and hacking, sparks flying, but he did not wound any of the soldiers.

Fortunately, his sudden appearance caused a commotion among the Longyou soldiers guarding the area, and six or seven Zhongwu soldiers followed and climbed onto the city wall.

"Form ranks, hold this position, and we'll all be promoted to level four!"

Wang Jian shouted loudly, but this only attracted more troops from Longyou to encircle and suppress him.

Dozens of Longyou soldiers besieged the place, and even the wooden shields in the hands of the Zhongwu soldiers were smashed by blunt weapons. Several tall Longyou soldiers wielded double hammers and smashed the shields. Wang Jianshen was strong and powerful, and he picked up two hammers from somewhere and started smashing the shields.

Their bravery caught the attention of Wang She, the commander of the central army. He dared not delay and hurriedly said, "Rush to their aid without fail!!"

Under his command, the command flags were waved continuously, and two teams of Heyang soldiers began to climb the ladders and form a battle formation with Wang Jian and others, constantly pushing back against the Longyou army.

"Get away!!"

"Rumble--"

Two soldiers from Longyou rushed out pushing a cart, but the cannons on the cart suddenly flashed, and many soldiers from Heyang who had just climbed the city wall had their armor pierced and fell to the ground in defeat.

"kill!!"

After the arquebuses fired, the soldiers of the Heyang Army and the Zhongwu Army charged towards the Longyou Army on the left and right flanks.

The horse path, which was only about twenty paces long, was packed with people. The Longyou army was forced to retreat, and a steady stream of Zhongwu and Heyang troops poured onto the city walls.

Even so, the Longyou army did not lose its composure, but instead retreated in formation.

The Heyang Army and the Zhongwu Army advanced along the horse path, and after forming ranks, they fought and retreated, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

However, as the Longyou army retreated into an arrow tower, they immediately closed the wooden door, and then the Longyou army on top of the arrow tower immediately threw down the "Ten Thousand Musketeers" and used iron cannons to kill the enemy.

"Boom——"

In a short time, the number of pursuers killed or wounded was countless, and the structure inside the stone fortress made the Heyang Army and the Zhongwu Army feel despair.

They only managed to breach the outer wall of the city; the inner city wall, which was ten feet higher than the outer wall, still stood before them.

"What did you say?!"

"There is an inner city within the city..."

The generals of the Zhongwu Army had to grit their teeth and bow to Wang She in response. Wang She felt as if he could not catch his breath, his vision went black, and he was about to collapse.

Fortunately, he was caught by the cavalry commander of Heyang who was beside him, so he didn't fall.

"Fortunately, we've captured the inner city..."

Despite being so angry that his vision blurred, Wang She still tried to salvage the situation:
"The three armies shall halt their attack and rest for half an hour."

He turned and walked towards the command tent, while Zhang Cui, the cavalry commander of Heyang who remained behind, asked the general of Zhongwu Army, "What is the name of the general who is stationed at Shibao?"

"I heard that his name is Zhang Wu, and he is a general in the Longyou army."

“Zhang Wu?” Zhang Cui shook his head and couldn’t help but say, “Such an unknown person was able to hold off my two towns’ more than 6,000 troops. There are quite a few good generals in this rebel army.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he turned and walked towards the command tent. At the same time, inside the small stone fortress, a young man who was over six feet tall, looked to be in his early twenties, and had a dark purple complexion was scanning the many soldiers who had retreated into the inner city.

Compared to the thousand soldiers before the war, less than 60% of the brothers have survived, and fewer than 500 are still capable of fighting.

"General, when will the reinforcements from Chengzhou arrive?"

Two captains stood before this man, and the only general in the small stone fortress who could be addressed as a separate general was the garrison commander Zhang Wu.

Faced with their questions, Zhang Wu said in a deep voice, "Two more days. Reinforcements will arrive in two days!"

Upon hearing that reinforcements would arrive in just two days, the two captains visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"After this battle, your name will surely be renowned throughout the prefecture!"

"Yes!"

The two praised Zhang Wu, but Zhang Wu said, "Let's talk about survival first!"

He turned and walked toward the gate, and the two captains looked at each other in bewilderment before following him.

Half an hour later, the Heyang Army and the Zhongwu Army launched another attack, and Zhang Wu once again personally led his troops to resist.

The small stone fortress has become the place that the Heyang Army and the Zhongwu Army least want to remember.

The fighting continued there, but hundreds of miles away, Li Chengxun, who had just led his troops to Chengji County, received news that the rebels had withdrawn.

You're saying the rebels have withdrawn?

Li Chengxun entered the Chengji County government office, and Li Zhiyi nodded and said, "The Tang soldiers brought news this morning that the thousands of rebel troops in the north have withdrawn."

"Could it be that they knew I was coming with my army, and that's why they withdrew from this place?" Li Chengxun frowned slightly.

If so, it means there are spies in Qin Prefecture, and quite a few of them.

"Father, could it be that Shuofang in the north has fallen, and the rebels have withdrawn to besiege other places?"

Li Zhiyi has matured somewhat and proposed a second possibility.

Li Chengxun walked into the main hall of the county government office, sat down, and nodded, saying, "It's not impossible."

"However, no matter where they besiege, now that I have led my troops here, I will not allow them to threaten Qin Province."

"Tomorrow you will conscript five thousand laborers to transport the grain and fodder from here to Shanggui."

"Yes!" Li Zhiyi bowed in agreement, and then, as instructed by Li Chengxun, sent the news of the withdrawal of the rebel army in northern Chengji to Chang'an and the front line.

The following morning, Li Zhiyi began conscripting laborers to transport grain south.

Meanwhile, Liu Jilong, who was in Weizhou, also received military intelligence from Mingsha County.

Without delay, he immediately mustered his elite cavalry and galloped towards Yanzhou.

After a half-month-long raid, only 6,500 of the 8,000 elite cavalrymen of Longyou remained. The remaining 1,500 were either without horses or wounded and killed in battle elsewhere.

Even so, it could not stop Liu Jilong from defeating the imperial cavalry force in Guannei Road.

Cao Mao led 5,000 cavalry and infantry to entangle Li Sigong and Zhou Bao on their way to Yanzhou, while Liu Jilong headed straight for Yanzhou, while simultaneously sending out cavalry to intercept them halfway.

The journey from Mingsha County to Baichi County in Yanzhou is over 240 li, while the distance from Weizhou to Yanzhou is only over 160 li.

Although Li Sigong and Zhou Baobi had a day more time than Liu Jilong, they did not run very far.

"Giddy up! Giddy up! Giddy up..." On the Lingyan Grassland, thousands of elite cavalrymen were fleeing towards Baichi County, with thousands of infantry and cavalry following closely behind them just five or six miles away.

"Damn it, how come the horses in Longyou are so strong?!"

On horseback, Zhou Bao couldn't help but curse loudly.

After their successful breakout yesterday, Cao Mao relentlessly pursued them, constantly harassing them with his abundant bean feed.

Not only did he not get a good rest last night, but he was also being chased and harassed by them, which made Zhou Bao feel irritable.

Li Sigong, who was riding alongside him, had a solemn expression. He was not worried about the rebel army catching up behind him; what he was most worried about was the elite cavalry commanded by Liu Jilong.

He had already witnessed yesterday's battle. The general of the rebel army behind him was probably not very familiar with commanding thousands of men in battle. He would have plenty of opportunities to use his elite cavalry to harass and defeat such an opponent.

The problem is that defeating this cavalry and infantry is useless. If we are delayed, Liu Jilong's elite cavalry might launch a surprise attack from our flank or rear, which would be the most fatal mistake.

"Buzz, rumble—"

The dull thud of hooves echoed across the grassland, and both armies had lost many soldiers.

The government troops that broke out had 5,000 cavalry, but now they only have 4,600 or 4,700 elite cavalry. Cao Mao's cavalry and infantry force also has less than 5,000 men, so the two sides are roughly equal in number.

"It's only 150 li from Yanzhou, we should be able to arrive by noon tomorrow at the latest, no need to get entangled with them!"

Li Sigong reminded Zhou Bao, and Zhou Bao nodded, saying, "That's what I was thinking too!"

The two stopped talking and just ran wildly, not caring how many soldiers had fallen behind.

As time went by and night fell, both sides moved on and off, constantly resuming their pace.

In just one day, the two sides traveled nearly a hundred miles, which was only fifty or sixty miles away from Baichi County.

As darkness fell, neither Li Sigong nor Zhou Bao had any intention of stopping to rest.

Both of them knew that it was better to travel slowly under the cover of night than to stop and rest and be caught by the rebel cavalry.

"Light the torches, and slow down!"

"it is good!"

The two men exchanged a glance and immediately issued military orders, but no one dared to complain.

Soon, it got dark. After lighting torches, they began to slow their horses down, sometimes galloping and sometimes dismounting to feed them.

Their actions caused great distress to the pursuing Longyou army.

"You bastards, don't let Ye Ye catch you!"

Upon learning that the government troops were still on their way, Cao Mao had no choice but to order them to follow, even though he was already drowsy.

They also lit torches and slowly followed behind him for about five or six miles.

If you're not careful, you could easily be left more than ten miles behind, so you have to keep a close eye on things.

During this time, it was common to see elite cavalrymen of the government troops falling behind. These men would then dismount and squat down beside them.

Faced with them, Cao Mao could only leave five or six men to guard them, and then led his army to continue the pursuit.

The two sides chased each other, and the night passed quickly. Both sides had lost some of their stragglers.

Baichi County is just a stone's throw away, a distance of more than ten miles, forcing both sides to brace themselves.

Li Sigong and Zhou Bao's eyes were bloodshot, and they seemed like they could fall asleep if they closed their eyes, but neither of them dared to sleep.

They knew that this distance of more than ten miles was the key to their life or death.

As expected, as they headed towards Baichi County, they heard what sounded like whistles coming from the southwest.

"Beep...beep..."

"Beep beep..."

The whistle grew closer, startling everyone awake.

"Quickly! Don't worry about horsepower, retreat to Baichi County!"

Li Sigong suddenly became alert, cracked his whip, and lashed the horse, forcing it to grit its teeth and charge forward.

The others followed suit, disregarding the condition of the horses and sprinting forward with all their might.

They rushed forward quickly, but the whistle sounded even faster.

"Beep--"

The piercing whistle seemed to be right next to their ears, and many people looked to the southwest, where they saw dust billowing up from the distant hills, as if thousands of troops were charging through them.

Gradually, cavalrymen emerged from the dust, their configuration of one man and two horses making it easy for even ordinary soldiers to guess who they were.

"Uuuuuu——"

The bugle sounded melodiously, and the elite cavalry of Longyou did not rush to stop Li Sigong and his men, but headed straight for Baichi County.

Seeing that they were constantly increasing their speed, Li Sigong knew that his side could not outrun them, so he immediately reined in his horse and said, "Rest and conserve your strength. I don't believe they can completely block all the roads!"

"Uu——"

Everyone reined in their horses one after another and fed the horses the last of their bean feed.

At this moment, they only had about four thousand cavalrymen, and Cao Mao was still in pursuit, about seven or eight miles away, and would catch up in a quarter of an hour at most.

With tigers in front and wolves behind, the fate of these four thousand men depends entirely on how Li Sigong and Zhou Bao command them.

At this moment, the two were on the verge of a mental breakdown. Nearly two days and nights without sleep had left their minds in disarray, and even if they managed to muster their spirits, they would quickly succumb to exhaustion.

"Damn it, why think so much? Let's just fight them!"

"Win and you'll enter White Pool City; lose and you'll simply die!"

Zhou Bao became agitated and roared as if to vent his frustration.

Li Sigong was younger after all, and although it was difficult for him to stay up for two days and nights without sleep, it was not unbearable.

Looking at Zhou Bao, who was shouting hoarsely, he gritted his teeth and said, "It's nothing but a fight!"

The two reached a consensus again and then began to plan the operation.

Cao Mao and his men in the rear were mainly infantry and cavalry, and were just as exhausted as they were. Naturally, they chose to attack Cao Mao, who was weaker than themselves, rather than Liu Jilong, who was stronger in the front.

The words "quick victory" were before them, and Cao Mao, who was in hot pursuit, sensed something was wrong with the government troops' elite cavalry just as he was about to catch up.

"Rein in your horse!!"

Cao Mao roused himself and reined in his horse, waving his command flag to signal the army to rein in.

Before the three armies could rein in their horses, Li Sigong and Zhou Bao, who were about a mile away, led their troops in a surprise attack.

"Damn it, charge!!"

Seeing that it was too late for the three armies to turn their horses around, Cao Mao had no choice but to go with the flow and ordered the three armies to charge.

"Uuuuuu——"

When the bugle sounded, the cavalry and infantry on horseback switched to horn bows and crossbows to bridge the gap in archery skills between the two sides.

A distance of a few miles is nothing more than a snap of the fingers for the two groups.

Both sides formed a wedge formation, with one side wielding horn-bow crossbows and the other using hard bows for mounted archery.

Just as the two sides were about to collide, they consciously crossed paths and then fired arrows at each other.

Arrows clashed and struck, countless people fell from their horses, and many more were thrown about.

The first clash was just the beginning. Li Sigong's elite Dangxiang cavalry and Zhou Bao's elite Shuofang cavalry, relying on their superb horsemanship and archery skills, quickly adjusted and launched another attack.

In mounted archery duels, the Longyou cavalry and infantry were naturally and steadily suppressed.

However, after only a few skirmishes, their casualties increased visibly, and their formation gradually became chaotic, while the government troops' elite cavalry became more and more skilled in battle.

"Buzz, rumble—"

Seeing that hundreds or even thousands of Longyou cavalry and infantry had been killed or wounded, Li Sigong and Zhou Bao added fuel to the fire, but the elite Longyou cavalry that had launched a surprise attack to the north turned back.

They stopped two miles away, and everyone dismounted one after another.

"Damn it, they're wearing vests! Go and kill them!!"

Li Sigong was the first to discover Liu Jilong's intentions, and had no choice but to bite the bullet and charge towards Liu Jilong's elite cavalry.

"You scoundrel, haven't you heard how powerful you, Cao Aye, are?!"

Cao Mao, having somehow switched to a military spear, led his troops in a cavalry charge.

Li Sigong didn't care and led his troops to Longyou to ride the elite cavalry.

Zhou Bao's thousand-plus elite cavalry, feeling obligated to stay behind to cover the rear, immediately engaged Cao Mao's thousand-plus cavalry and infantry in battle. The remaining routed cavalry and infantry quickly regrouped and charged toward Zhou Bao with renewed vigor.

"kill--"

Li Sigong led less than three thousand elite Dangxiang cavalry in a charge. The two-mile distance was only half an incense stick's time for the charging cavalry.

Faced with their charge, the elite cavalry of Longyou could not put on all their armor in time, but Liu Jilong was not prepared to put on all his armor either.

Seeing that his team had already put on their vests, headbands, and front panels, he immediately signaled to Anpohu beside him.

Anpo Hu nodded in agreement, then picked up the horn at his waist and blew it.

"Uuuuuu——"

(End of this chapter)