Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 440 Using Both Orthodox and Unorthodox Methods (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Quickly, quickly, pack all these things!"

"Finish this sooner so we can cross the river sooner!"

On October 22, the sky was slightly hazy, and mist rose from both banks of the Yangtze River. Bodao City, located at the confluence of the two rivers, was undoubtedly particularly eye-catching.

As the seat of Rongzhou and an important port connecting Xichuan and Jiangnan, Bodao City was not large in population, but it was very prosperous.

Over the years that Gao Pian had managed the city of Bidao, he had already fortified it to be as solid as a rock.

The Bodao is bordered by the Yangtze River (Minjiang River) to the north, the Mahu River (Jinsha River) to the east and south, and the vast Cuiping Mountain with a drop of tens of meters to the west.

Because Cuiping Mountain is close to Bodao City, the people of Bodao City often went up the mountain to cut down trees. The entire mountain has long been a barren mountain, with only some trees remaining around the Thousand Buddha Temple, which was built more than eighty years ago.

At this moment, both inside and outside the city of Bodao, everything was bustling with activity.

However, the city of Bodao, where only a few thousand people lived, was now teeming with more than 100,000 people.

Among the more than 100,000 people, in addition to the less than 40,000 Tang soldiers, there were also civilians who had migrated from Jiaozhou and Meizhou.

The two prefectures were once populous, but later, due to the invasion and plunder by the southern barbarians, all the people were captured and taken to the southern barbarians.

After Gao Pian recovered the lost territory, he encouraged the people to go south to reclaim wasteland. It was only with great difficulty that the population recovered somewhat, but now they have to migrate again because of the war.

At this moment, more than 100,000 people are passing through the Tang army's inspection and then crossing the iron chain bridge to the east bank.

The Mahu River is over a hundred feet wide, but the iron chain bridge is only seven feet wide, allowing only one-way access to the east bank.

After reaching the east bank, these people still needed to walk more than 600 li (approximately 300 kilometers) to reach Bozhou, which was under the jurisdiction of the Tang army.

However, while relocating people to Qianzhong Road was easy, how to settle them became a difficult problem for Gao Pian.

At this moment, he stood on the pavilion of Qianfo Temple on Cuiping Mountain, gazing at Bodao City, which was more than two miles away.

"King Gao, everything is ready!"

Zhang Lin and Lu Ruyue entered the pavilion and reported the progress of the matter to Gao Pian.

Gao Pian nodded upon hearing this, but then glanced at the two of them and asked, "Are the preparations complete in Bozhou, Qianzhou, Sizhou, Chenzhou, Juzhou, and other places?"

"Rest assured, Your Majesty, the brothers have already begun their work!"

Zhang Lin's tone was somewhat lighthearted, and Gao Pian nodded in agreement, saying, "Once we've dealt with all the chieftains in these states, things will be much simpler from here on out."

Although the Qianzhong Circuit was established by the Tang Dynasty, in reality, the Tang army could only control the towns and cities of each prefecture and county, as well as the stone fortresses between them.

Many relatively flat areas were basically occupied by local chieftains of various ethnic groups, and the Tang Dynasty had no intention of fighting for these fragmented flat lands.

Of course, that was in the early Tang Dynasty. Now, the Tang Dynasty would not complain about having too much land, especially Gao Pian himself.

The land held by these chieftains was just enough for Gao Pian to settle hundreds of thousands of Han people.

For this reason, Gao Pian had long ago dispatched Wang Zhongren and his 20,000 Tang soldiers to relocate people into the Qianzhong Road.

Wang Zhongren has probably already started making his move, and all I need to do is fight a battle in Bodao City to let the court know, and then I can calmly lead the people to retreat into Qianzhong.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian couldn't help but ask, "Where is Yang Fuguang?"

"After hearing that our army had fought against the rebels in Yibin and achieved some success, that man immediately went to write a memorial to the throne."

Zhang Lin's tone carried a hint of disdain, while Gao Pian remained unconcerned: "Did you tell him how many soldiers we suffered casualties and how many rebels we captured?"

Gao Pian was worried that Zhang Lin's report was too small, but Zhang Lin did not disappoint him.

"This humble general reports that our army lost 9,762 men and killed 7,454 rebel soldiers, all of whom were elite troops!"

Zhang Lin's words made Gao Pian nod in satisfaction. Although the Battle of Yibin was an ambush, Ma Yi was indeed brave enough.

Gao Pian estimated that the number of Han soldiers killed by his side was no more than five thousand, while the number of enemy soldiers killed was twice that of the enemy.

However, this was enough, since the Han army was composed of elite cavalry and infantry, and Ma Yi's troops were all infantry, indicating that they were all veterans.

Killing so many veterans will be enough to make Liu Jilong feel the pinch for a long time to come...

Thinking of this, Gao Pian couldn't help but feel a little excited, but also a little regretful.

If the court had initially entrusted him with full authority to attack Longyou, he would have commanded over 100,000 troops. Even if he couldn't defeat the Han army in one battle, he could have defeated the Han army with several times the number of troops.

Even if their own casualties are multiples of those of the Han army, Liu Jilong will not have an easy time.

Unfortunately, it's too late to say all this now. The situation is already set, and all I can do is try my best to salvage it.

Taking a deep breath, Gao Pian turned and walked out of the pavilion, heading towards the outside of Qianfo Temple.

Since the Yangtze River had not yet breached the shallows north of Bidao City, the army could only attack Bidao City via the official road south of Cuiping Mountain.

The scouts have already reported the military situation: the Han army is only thirty li away from Cuiping Mountain, and it is still noon.

If Liu Jilong were to lead the three armies to attack, they should be able to reach Cuiping Mountain before nightfall.

For this reason, Gao Pian had already set up many means of blocking the road and the barren mountains on both sides of the road.

Catapults, logs, boulders, and multiple trenches and barricades along the official road...

If Liu Jilong were to lead his three armies to attack, it would not be so easy to break through, but we still need to be careful, after all, Liu Jilong is not so easy to deal with.

As Gao Pian pondered, he saw the camp built at the foot of the mountain and dozens of catapults on the south side of Qianfo Temple.

At the same time, Yang Fuguang rode his horse towards Qianfo Temple and soon arrived in front of Gao Pian.

"Lord Gao, this is the memorial presented regarding the Battle of Yibin. Please take a look."

Yang Fuguang handed over the memorial, which Gao Pian merely glanced at and chuckled, saying, "Supervisor Yang's writing is exceptional; I need not read this memorial."

Yang Fuguang did not shirk responsibility, but put away the memorial and continued:

"After this battle, Governor Gao will lead his troops to withdraw to Qianzhong Road, while I am appointed by the court as the military supervisor of Xichuan, not the military supervisor of other roads."

"Therefore, after this battle, I need to return to Luoyang and take the two memorials with me to present to His Majesty."

Seeing that Yang Fuguang had already arranged an escape route for himself, Gao Pian scoffed inwardly, but still put on a regretful expression and said a few words to persuade him to stay.

Yang Fuguang did not agree, but instead had someone find him a meditation room in Qianfo Temple to rest in.

Seeing him leave, Gao Pian didn't say anything to Zhang Lin and the others, but went straight back to his meditation room to rest.

Time was passing, and the people of Bodao City were constantly migrating to the east bank, with thousands of people passing through almost every quarter of an hour.

Three hours passed, and Gao Pian still hadn't received any news of the Han army's southward advance, so he sent out scouts again.

As darkness fell, the scouts who had gone north to reconnoiter returned to Qianfo Temple and found Gao Pian, bowing respectfully and saying:
“King Gao, the rebels are encamped on a low hill fifteen miles away. Judging from the number of troops in their camp, there are no fewer than 100,000.”

"One hundred thousand..."

Gao Pian narrowed his eyes after hearing this and said in a deep voice, "The people of Yibin and Jiaozhou have all been relocated by us, so Liu Jilong can only find laborers from other places."

"If they transport the grain and supplies to Jiaozhou and then send troops out from Jiaozhou, the journey will be at least two hundred li. Each soldier will need to be paired with two civilian laborers to supply the army with provisions."

"Of the 100,000 troops, at least 60,000 are civilian laborers, so there is no need to panic."

In a few words, Gao Pian calculated the approximate number of the Han army, but Zhang Lin, upon hearing this, said:

"That being said, they launched a multi-pronged attack, and reinforcements could arrive from the north at any time."

"King Gao, why don't we first transport our supplies to the east bank, and then relocate the people?"

“No…” Gao Pian shook his head: “Relocate the people first, then transport the supplies to the east bank.”

The number of people who migrated to Qianzhong Road was a number that Gao Pian himself rigorously estimated.

Too much or too little is not acceptable, so at this point, people are more important than supplies.

As long as he can settle the people of Qianzhong Road, he can lead his army eastward to attack Huang Chao, take the opportunity to eliminate the powerful clans who surrendered to Huang Chao, and gain a sum of money and grain.

However, Gao Pian decided to treat the powerful families in Hunan and Lingdong well to avoid them not cooperating with his governance of Hunan.

"Alright, everyone go and rest. Tomorrow will definitely be a fierce battle!"

"We'll take our leave..."

At Gao Pian's command, the generals withdrew to rest one after another, and Gao Pian also lay down to rest after they left.

As the night passed and the roosters of Qianfo Temple began to crow, the Tang generals who emerged from the temple wore grim expressions.

More than 36,000 Tang soldiers were arrayed on Cuiping Mountain and the barren mountains to its south, with their backs to the camp, ready to retreat to their camp at any time.

The catapults on the north and south sides have been set up, and more than 5,000 laborers are loading and assembling the catapults under the supervision of the Tang army.

On the official road, the trenches, barricades, and Tang troops within the camps stood ready, creating an indescribable sense of oppression in everyone's hearts.

Two hours passed quickly, and the piercing sound of a wooden whistle could be heard in the distance.

Dozens of Tang scouts were seen speeding south along the official road. Every time they crossed the moat bridge, Tang soldiers would come out and remove the moat bridge.

As they stormed into the camp, Gao Pian also learned that the Han army was only five li away.

He sat on the platform on the south side of Qianfo Temple, where a tent had been set up and a brazier had been placed to dispel the chill of the mountains.

Although the brazier provided warmth, Gao Pian still felt cold.

It wasn't a physical feeling of cold, but a feeling of coldness that came from the inside out.

Previously, he had always outnumbered the Han army, but now, even if he didn't have as many troops, the forces were at least evenly matched, so he wasn't very confident.

However, in order to boost the morale of the army, Gao Pian hesitated for a moment and then ordered: "Pass down the order: kill one Han soldier and the reward will be fifty strings of cash!"

Faced with such a grand gesture, the generals couldn't help but look at Gao Pian, but Gao Pian remained calm and composed.

Soon, the military order reached all units of the three armies, and the soldiers were all invigorated.

Fifty strings of cash—that's two years' worth of military pay.

Even though they knew the Han army was not easy to deal with, the promise of a great reward always attracted brave men, and countless men were sharpening their swords in anticipation.

Half an hour later, a fiery red color began to appear on the north side of the official road.

The banners of the Han army fluttered on the official road, which was no more than a few dozen feet wide. When the Tang army saw the Han army appear, their eyes almost lit up.

The Han army did not advance rashly, but stopped at the sound of whistles. Liu Jilong and his generals appeared in front of the Han army's formation.

"This method is similar to the one used by Zheng Tian and Wang Shi in Lingtai County."

Zhang Wu couldn't help but speak up, and Li Shangyin said, "Perhaps we should divide our forces now, first take down the camps on the left and right mountains, and then launch a main attack on the Tang army's main force on the official road."

Faced with the two men's suggestions, Liu Jilong did not rush to give orders. Instead, he carefully observed the situation before saying, "Gao Qianli is preparing to fight our army here to show the court that he is not passively resisting our army."

"Your Highness, what should our army do?"

Zhang Wu followed Liu Jilong and didn't learn much else, but he did learn that fighting is not just about fighting; it also involves the intrigue and power struggles within the imperial court.

Upon hearing his prince say this, he immediately cast an inquiring glance at him.

After a moment of contemplation, Liu Jilong narrowed his eyes and said, "If he wants to fight, then fight him."

"But doesn't he like to ambush and strike? Then let's give him a taste of his own medicine."

Liu Jilong looked behind him and saw Gao Shu among the generals: "Gao Shu, you personally lead three thousand infantrymen and see if you can take a shortcut to get behind the government troops."

"If you can, don't restrain yourself. Fight however you want!"

"Your subordinate obeys!" Gao Shu agreed without hesitation, then took the military dispatch from Liu Jilong and turned his horse to mobilize troops.

Seeing him leave, Liu Jilong looked at Li Shangyin: "Yishan, your suggestion was good. First cut off his left and right hands, and then cut off his head!"

"Order Liu Yingyan to lead 5,000 infantrymen to attack the right flank, and Wang Sifeng to lead 5,000 infantrymen to attack the Thousand Buddha Temple on the left flank."

"The remaining units shall remain in place and rest, awaiting further orders..."

"Your subordinate obeys!!" The generals responded and immediately began to collect their military documents and deploy their troops.

While they were deploying their troops, Li Shangyin and Zhang Wu followed closely behind Liu Jilong. Zhang Wu asked, puzzled:

"Your Highness, you previously said that Gao Pian and the people should be allowed to go to Qianzhong, so why are you attacking Gao Pian now?"

Liu Jilong chuckled upon hearing this and pointed at the Tang army in the distance with his riding whip: "Since Gao Pian is going to put on an act, there must be a supervisor from the Northern Division present."

"He wants to put on an act, and we want revenge, so why can't we just have a big, big fight?"

"Don't forget, we lost more than four thousand cavalry and infantry last time. This battle is the perfect opportunity to avenge them!"

"Yes!" Zhang Wu nodded quickly.

While they were talking, Gao Pian, on the platform south of Qianfo Temple, also saw the Han army constantly deploying troops.

"Liu Jilong..."

Gao Pian murmured softly, guessing that Liu Jilong had already figured out why he wanted to confront him in the Bodao.

However, he didn't care; this was the result he wanted.

"King Gao, they have divided their forces!"

Zhang Lin couldn't help but speak up, and Gao Pian also saw the Han army splitting up their forces, attempting to launch a feigned attack on the two barren mountains on the left and right.

"Our troops are positioned on high ground and have ample weaponry to defend the city. There is no need to panic!"

After calming the generals down, Gao Pian then focused his mind and surveyed the battlefield.

The Han army split into two routes, with 5,000 men on each side attacking the mountain, while the remaining 30,000 troops were stationed along the official road for several miles, waiting to support the troops attacking the mountain from both flanks.

The Tang army's deployment was similar: 7,000 soldiers were stationed at Qianfo Temple, 7,000 soldiers were stationed on the barren mountain to the south, and more than 22,000 soldiers were stationed on the official road.

The Tang army was smaller than the Han army, but it had the advantage of terrain, so Gao Pian was not worried at all.

He even considered that Liu Jilong might send troops to flank him, so he deployed 3,000 elite cavalrymen to patrol the rear to ensure timely communication.

In his view, his arrangements were flawless; now it was a contest of the two armies' quality and organizational capabilities.

He knew the disparity between the two armies, but as long as he could clash with Liu Jilong here, he could use the results of this battle to continue to gain the trust of the imperial court, and then help him control Hunan in the future.

"call……"

He breathed a sigh of relief, while the Han army had already begun climbing the not-so-steep hillside.

Five thousand Han soldiers began their upward advance, getting closer and closer to where the Tang army was stationed.

Although a generous reward will surely attract brave men, many Tang soldiers were still somewhat nervous in the face of the pressure from the Han army.

They would glance at the flag bearer's flag from time to time, hoping he would wave it and give them the order to attack.

However, the flag bearers made no move, and the Tang soldiers could only continue to wait.

Two hundred steps, one hundred and fifty steps, one hundred steps...

Seeing the Han army approaching, Gao Pian rose from his tent, took the command flag from Zhang Lin, and immediately began waving it. "Beep beep—"

"put!!"

When the flag bearers blew their wooden whistles and raised their command flags, the Tang army crossbowmen were the first to launch an attack in accordance with military orders.

Thousands of crossbow bolts were fired from above, like hailstones, striking the Han army's armor and making it rattle. The Han soldiers themselves were also panting heavily from climbing the mountain.

Not to mention that the northerners in the Han army were not good at climbing mountains, even the Han soldiers recruited from Sanchuan found it difficult to adapt to climbing mountains while wearing armor weighing more than 50 jin.

They could only crawl and rest at the same time, carefully dodging the crossbow bolts shot from above.

Fortunately, the distance was far enough and the armor was thick enough that crossbow bolts at this distance, unless they hit the face, could not cause any casualties, but could only disrupt the Han army's advance.

This was exactly the effect Gao Pian wanted, and the Han army did indeed have to carefully climb the slope due to the interference of arrows.

It took them half an hour to get within fifty paces of the Tang army, and at this time Gao Pian continued to wave his command flag.

In an instant, the previously silent Tang archers began unleashing a hail of arrows.

Moreover, there were several skilled archers among the archers who used powerful bows.

They learned from the Han army's attack methods, accurately aimed, and then launched a frontal assault on the Han soldiers.

In a short time, quite a few Han soldiers were hit in the face by arrows. The iron-clad copper face armor was difficult to withstand the powerful bow thrust with a force of more than one stone at a distance of about forty paces.

The Han army could only lower their heads and approach the Tang army's position step by step.

Under Gao Pian's command, all archers except the sharpshooters began to change their weapons, taking out blunt weapons and long weapons, and began to form a defensive formation.

"Beep--"

"Form ranks!!"

Seeing that the Tang army was only about twenty paces away from his main camp, Wang Sifeng immediately began to blow whistles to form a battle formation.

Upon hearing the whistle, the Han army, which was already panting from exhaustion, began to assemble, but not as quickly as usual.

The Tang army waited in comfort on the mountain, while the Han army, having climbed the mountain to attack, was naturally exhausted.

"Enter!!"

Gao Pian calmly waved his command flag, and in an instant, the Tang army on Cuiping Mountain began to charge against the Han army.

They launched their attack from their high ground, their formation not very stable, but the Han army's formation was even more unstable at this point.

"Bam—"

"kill!!!"

"For killing one Han soldier, the reward is fifty strings of cash! For killing one squad leader, the reward is seventy strings of cash! For killing one captain, the reward is one hundred strings of cash!"

"Straight bitch!"

"You pig and dog bastards!"

Within the Tang army, the leaders of each squad raised their arms and shouted out the "bounties" offered by the Tang army to the Han soldiers.

The soldiers of the Han army probably never imagined in their lives that their heads would be worth so much.

But after they realized what was happening, they felt angry.

Long spears clashed with military lances, formations clashed with formations, and squads fought each other...

The Tang army broke through the Han army's flimsy formation in the first instance, but the Han army's central and rear armies immediately steadied themselves, led the vanguard brothers to retreat, and charged at the Tang army with their spears.

"it is good!!"

Seeing that his side had actually managed to break through the Han army's formation, even Gao Pian, who had lived for over forty years, couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement.

He looked toward Nanshan, where he saw the Han and Tang armies clashing, locked in a fierce battle.

"With our superior position, there's no reason for us to lose!"

Gao Pian encouraged himself, took a deep breath, and continued waving the command flag.

The clashes between the Han and Tang armies on the mountainside were even more intense, and Liu Jilong and others clearly saw the disadvantages suffered by the Han army.

"Your Highness, the Tang army has the high ground, and our army is attacking uphill, but we have exhausted most of our strength. Should we withdraw?"

"No need!"

Li Shangyin, who made the suggestion, couldn't help but ask, clearly indicating that he too was wavering in his plan.

Liu Jilong flatly refused, confidently stating, "They are not new recruits; they know how to recover their strength in battle!"

Liu Jilong was right. It was because Liu Yingyan and Wang Sifeng, who were leading the army in a strong attack, immediately began to form ranks to recover their strength after they found that the attack was not going well.

The vanguard fought while the middle and rear guards rested, switching ranks every half-cup of tea time to recover the energy expended during the climb.

The Tang army was in a similar situation, but compared to the Han army, the Tang army's physical strength was not as important at this moment.

"Press forward!"

Seeing that the Han army was beginning to reorganize, Gao Pian couldn't help but feel anxious.

Upon seeing this, Zhang Lin immediately bowed and said, "King Gao, let this humble general personally lead the army to charge!"

"Alright!" Gao Pian replied without hesitation, and Zhang Lin, upon receiving the order, immediately led several hundred Tang soldiers from all around to attack down the hillside.

Wang Sifeng saw Zhang Lin leading his troops toward them, but he was not afraid at all. He gritted his teeth and brandished his sword: "Hold the line! Jump Dang, prepare to switch to long weapons to reinforce the formation!"

As soon as the military order was issued, Zhang Lin led several hundred Tang soldiers to the mountainside where the two armies were clashing.

Holding two iron maces, he charged towards the Han army's formation like a tiger descending a mountain.

More than ten Tang soldiers acted as the vanguard to break through the enemy lines for him and blocked the spears that were thrusting towards Zhang Lin.

With the spear no longer an obstacle, Zhang Lin raised his iron mace and smashed it down with all his might...

"boom--"

The face shield was dented from the impact, and blood flowed from the cracks as the Han soldiers fell backward.

Zhang Lin broke into the Han army's ranks, wielding his double maces and smashing them repeatedly, causing many Han soldiers to die or be wounded.

Upon seeing this, Wang Sifeng immediately abandoned his long weapon and switched to a powerful bow, shooting at Zhang Lin.

In an instant, an arrow struck Zhang Lin in the chest, and Wang Sifeng's last arrow grazed Zhang Lin's helmet, frightening Zhang Lin into breaking out in a cold sweat.

In just a moment of distraction, the Han army's leaping soldiers, wielding long weapons, rushed up and pushed Zhang Lin and his men out of the formation.

The Han army regained its footing, which disappointed Gao Pian, who was watching the battle.

The Han infantry were too well coordinated, giving them no chance to break through the enemy lines.

Even if the formation has been broken, if the opening cannot be torn open instantly, the only outcome will be being pushed out.

Under such circumstances, Gao Pian could only hope that the Tang army could continue to suppress the Han army and would not be pushed back after the Han army recovered its strength.

As he was thinking this, the situation on the battlefield also reached a stalemate.

The Han army was unable to break through the barren mountains on both sides, and thus could not destroy the catapults.

Unable to defeat the Han army, the Tang army could only grit their teeth and continue to tug at the Han army's defenses.

Half an hour, an hour, two hours...

The two armies began fighting when the sun was high in the sky, and now it is 2:45 PM.

Fortunately, the weather in Sanchuan was cold enough in late October; if it were summer, the Han army would probably be even less able to adapt.

The cold in the South is indeed a penetrating, damp chill, but as long as you wear enough thick clothes, eat something hot, or move around, you can still withstand it.

However, as time went by and physical strength was gradually depleted, the food eaten in the morning was completely digested.

The hands and feet of the Han soldiers began to grow cold, and they gradually could not withstand the relentless advance of the Tang army.

"kill!!"

Wang Sifeng's lips turned blackish-purple, and not only him, but the lips of the other Han soldiers also changed color.

Seeing this, the army doctor rushed to Wang Sifeng's side and advised him, "Brothers, if you continue like this, something bad will definitely happen. Let's retreat first!"

"We can't retreat!" Wang Sifeng was shivering from the cold, but he still gritted his teeth and persevered.

Upon seeing this, several military doctors scrambled down the mountain and told Liu Jilong about Wang Sifeng and the others' situation.

Upon hearing this, Liu Jilong immediately ordered: "Send word that Zhang Wu and Li Shangyin each lead 5,000 Han troops to attack the barren mountains on the left and right. Once the position is stable, Wang Sifeng and Liu Yingyan's troops will take over and descend the mountain."

"Yes!!" Zhang Wu and Li Shangyin responded without hesitation and immediately began to mobilize their troops for the attack.

The soldiers at the foot of the mountain had just eaten lunch and were currently feeling hot and full of energy.

With Wang Sifeng and Liu Yingyan leading their troops to hold the mountainside, the two armies did not need to rush to attack.

Li Shangyin attacked the barren mountain on the right, while Zhang Wu attacked the Cuiping Mountain on the left.

The two began to slowly climb the mountain, conserving their energy for the advance.

Upon seeing this, Gao Pian's expression turned serious, and he began to wave his command flag.

"Beep--"

"Withdraw from the base!"

The whistle blew, and the generals all looked toward the command flag. They saw that their King Gao had ordered a retreat, and Zhang Lin and others led their troops to withdraw to their camp about twenty paces away.

Meanwhile, Wang Sifeng and his men gave chase, but were quickly stopped by the returning military doctor.

Upon learning that their immediate task was to support Zhang Wu's troops, Wang Sifeng ceased his obstinacy and waited for Zhang Wu's army to arrive before leading his troops down the mountain.

After they left, Zhang Wu began to unite his team, but did not immediately launch an attack as a unified force.

He carefully observed the platform where the Tang army was stationed and guessed that it contained a lot of mountain defense tools. Therefore, he turned around and gave the order:
"Each unit disperses into smaller groups, then charges at the enemy before forming ranks and launching a counterattack!"

Zhang Wu's military orders were naturally somewhat far-fetched for the Han army, which emphasized large-scale formations and unity.

However, due to his prestige from defeating Gao Pian twice, the five thousand infantrymen he led all followed his plan and began to spread out, attempting to attack after climbing the mountain.

This has a bit of a "spare the rod and spoil the worm" feel to it, but if the fire can't burn off every last drop of oil, then that's another story.

"Blow the trumpet!"

"Uuuuuu——"

In an instant, the bugle sounded, and Zhang Wu led his troops to spread out and launch an uphill attack on the Tang army's position, which was more than fifty paces away.

"Throw logs and pound stones!"

Gao Pian calmly waved the flag, and Zhang Lin, having received the military order, immediately commanded the Tang army to throw down rolling logs and boulders.

Countless logs and stones were thrown down, rolling down the gentle slope with astonishing force.

Fortunately, Zhang Wu ordered the three armies to spread out, so the Han soldiers were able to effectively avoid most of the boulders and logs.

Many Han soldiers were unlucky enough to be hit, and after rolling around more than a dozen times, they fainted. The military doctors and officers then carried them down the mountain to treat them.

Cuiping Mountain, which does not appear to be steep, seems so difficult to attack at this moment.

Ultimately, after suffering hundreds of casualties, the Han soldiers began to approach the Tang army's garrison and spontaneously assembled, launching an attack on the Tang army in units such as squads, brigades, and regiments.

When Zhang Wu attacked, the Han army formed three formations, each with more than a thousand men, and attacked the Tang army from different directions.

Zhang Lin's Tang army had already suffered heavy losses and exhausted its strength in the battle with Wang Sifeng's troops.

Now, they encountered Zhang Wu's troops, who were in similar condition, and the two forces immediately clashed. Zhang Wu and Zhang Lin each displayed their bravery.

One man wielded two hammers, and the other two maces. Each man fought fiercely with his guards on either side. The formations of both armies were broken due to the crowding, and the orderly battle formations turned into a chaotic melee like that of thugs.

Seeing how badly the battlefield had become, Gao Pian's face darkened.

Before he could lash out, he saw Li Shangyin leading his troops in the direction of Nanshan, entangled with Lu Ruyue, his face almost black enough to drip ink.

Seeing this, Yang Fuguang, who seemed to be an outsider, couldn't help but say, "This battle has killed or wounded at least two or three thousand Han soldiers. Why don't we withdraw our troops now?"

“No!” Gao Pian refused with a dark face, because there were still 30,000 to 40,000 civilians and thousands of supply wagons crossing the river behind them, so he needed to buy at least two more hours.

Thinking of this, Gao Pian said coldly, "Order Forty-Third Brother to divide his troops into ten thousand and rush to the aid of our comrades on the left and right sides of the mountain!"

Those standing beside Gao Pian agreed and then began waving their command flags.

Upon seeing the flag signal, Gao Qin, who was stationed on the official road, immediately began to divide his troops and head towards the left and right sides of the mountainside.

"King Han, they have dispatched troops to reinforce us!"

After being taken down, Wang Sifeng, who had drunk some hot soup to warm himself up, couldn't help but speak up.

Liu Jilong naturally saw Gao Pian's move to divide his troops, but he was waiting; he was waiting for Gao Shu's three thousand men.

As time passed, seeing the Tang army coming to their aid, Zhang Wu and Li Shangyin immediately moved their formation along the mountainside and regrouped.

Zhang Lin and Lu Ruyue took the opportunity to regroup and positioned the reinforcements who had just climbed the mountain behind them, waiting for them to recover their strength.

The two sides faced off for a quarter of an hour. As the quarter of an hour ended, the Tang army, which had recovered much of its strength, began to fight against the Han army with fewer troops, attacking like a pocket, as if to trap the Han army in it.

Zhang Wu remained calm in the face of danger and decisively formed a sharp formation to launch an attack, while Li Shangyin was more conservative and chose to form a straight formation to protect himself.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Wu led his troops in a charge, managing to pierce the Tang army's "pocket," but Zhang Lin's plan to surround him was also thwarted.

At Nanshan, Lu Ruyue led his army to surround Li Shangyin, but no matter how fiercely the Tang army attacked, the Han army remained steadfast.

Although the situation remained relatively stable, Gao Pian still showed a hint of joy.

As long as he can maintain a balance of power, he will be the only trusted minister of the court capable of dealing with Liu Jilong.

Just as Gao Pian was about to issue the military order, he heard a piercing whistle coming from afar.

"This direction..."

Gao Pian, Zhang Lin, Gao Qin, Lu Ruyue and others' expressions changed drastically, and they all looked towards the direction of Mahu River.

That was behind the Tang army, where Gao Pian had deployed his elite cavalry.

Now that a whistle has suddenly sounded from that direction, the meaning of which is self-evident.

"coming!"

In the Han army formation, Liu Jilong's ears twitched slightly. Upon hearing the whistle, he immediately stood up, a smile playing on his lips: "Gao Shu has not disappointed me."

"Order the three armies to prepare for battle! Advance at the sound of the drums!!"

(End of this chapter)