Catching Monsters

Chapter 512
boom!
boom!
Shells rained down, bombarding the rebel forces from all sides, causing considerable casualties.

Many soldiers were stunned by the bombing and had no idea what was happening, but some mid- to high-ranking officers in the rebel army knew, of course, that this was not some divine wrath.

Their gazes were constantly fixed on the direction of Daegu city.

The jet-black, powerful iron balls that fell from the sky originated from within the city.

Everyone's first impression was, could it be some kind of powerful magical artifact?
At this moment, on the northern battlefield, Zhang Han, who was in charge of attacking the north gate, took a deep breath and shouted loudly, "Don't panic! It's nothing more than a trick used by the defending army with magical weapons. There's nothing to fear!"

The elite soldiers who had been unstoppable just moments before were now scattered and broken up, and their momentum to seize the city had dissipated.

If it weren't for the supervisory team behind them, they probably would have already retreated.

This was entirely due to the fact that the attacking force consisted of elite soldiers who were well-trained.

If it were those bandit troops, they would probably have already scattered and fled.

"General Zhang, I'm afraid we can't fight anymore..."

Ahead, a general in charge of the siege quickly rode up to Zhang Han's side and said in a deep voice, "This magical artifact is too strange. It will explode as soon as it makes a sound, and then many soldiers will be killed or injured..."

Zhang Han said through gritted teeth, his face cold, "Even if there's an explosion, at most three or four soldiers will die, and seven or eight more will be injured."

"We have tens of thousands of people attacking the North Gate. Do you think we can let this strange magical artifact wipe them all out?"

The general looked troubled and said in a deep voice, "The casualties are indeed not large, but they have dealt a great blow to our morale."

“The soldiers below us are all top-notch elite troops, and they are not afraid of real fighting. But this magical artifact is strange; it may fall beside us at any time.”

“The stones that are lifted up by the force can injure people.”

"And the sound kept booming..."

Listening to his subordinate's report, Zhang Han's expression hardened. He stared intently at the city wall and took a deep breath. Morale was crucial for a siege.

The attacking side already had many disadvantages and was only holding on by its morale. If that morale collapsed...

Today, we can no longer take this northern city.

Zhang Han drew his sword and roared, "Imperial Guard, assemble! Follow me to attack the city!"

At any time, when the commander-in-chief takes the lead in preparing to attack a city, it is the most effective way to boost morale.

Soon, the bugle sounded, and soon, joy appeared on the faces of many rebel soldiers.

Soon, Zhang Han, riding a warhorse, clad in armor and wielding a sword, shouted, "I will lead my army to scale the city walls!"

The warhorse reared up, assuming a standing posture, and with Zhang Han shouting "Charge!", he instantly led several hundred elite guards and charged towards the city wall.

For a moment, the soldiers, who were still feeling frustrated and terrified from the artillery bombardment, watched as their commander charged toward the city wall with such valor.

The blood in their bodies gradually boiled, and the passion of all the soldiers and officers was about to be ignited.

And what a coincidence!

Suddenly, a cannonball landed in front of Zhang Han's warhorse with a deafening roar, and instantly, man and horse were thrown to the ground.

The soldiers attacking the city, witnessing this scene, suddenly felt their boiling blood cool down...

Before the shell landed, Zhang Han reacted quickly, hurriedly activating his magic to protect himself, and was not seriously injured.

"cough."

Zhang Han coughed heavily, realizing that, to be honest, the cannons weren't that harmful to cultivators with a certain level of magical power.

However, he was left looking rather disheveled, and soon the soldiers following behind him rushed forward to help him up.

"General, are you alright?"

Zhang Han slowly got up and quickly looked around at the soldiers attacking the city. He could clearly sense that fear had appeared on the faces of these soldiers.

Having led troops in battle for many years, how could he not know what this meant?
This means that it is probably no longer realistic to expect these soldiers to fight so fiercely.

……

The constant booming sounds coming from the battlefield in the rebel army's rear camp were already making Wang Longzhi feel uneasy.

He led Xiao Min'er quickly to the outside of the tent and looked towards the distant battlefield, where they could see shells being continuously blasted out and falling from the city.

"What is this?"

Upon seeing this, Bai Xuanang, who had rushed out from the same tent, narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "A magic weapon?"

"I don't know." Xiao Min'er shook her head, her brows furrowing. Soon, the senior generals from the four directions ahead dispatched their personal guards to report on the situation at the front.

Although the casualties were not great after being bombarded by that strange 'magical artifact', the impact on morale was enormous.

It would be very difficult to attack the city again, and continuing to linger here would only increase casualties.

Thinking of this, Wang Longzhi's face turned somewhat grim, and he said in a deep voice, "Immediately order the soldiers at the front to withdraw, regroup, and then launch another attack on the city."

“No.” Xiao Min’er’s expression changed slightly. She hurriedly grabbed Wang Longzhi’s hand and said, “We can’t retreat now. There are open plains all around. If 300,000 troops want to set up camp smoothly, they will have to retreat at least ten miles.”

"It will get dark soon."

"In the darkness of night, an army of 300,000 would be in great danger if anything were to happen."

Marching at night is a major taboo in military strategy. Even the slightest disturbance could lead to a stampede among the densely packed crowd, resulting in numerous casualties.

Upon hearing this, Wang Longzhi took a deep breath, frowned, and slowly looked at Xie Yifeng behind her, saying, "Master, could you please go into the city and destroy those magical artifacts?"

Unexpectedly, Xie Yifeng showed no interest whatsoever. He slowly shook his head and said, "I've said it before, I'm only responsible for protecting your safety. Matters on the battlefield are none of my concern."

Hearing Xie Yifeng's words, Wang Longzhi could only sigh helplessly, her gaze slowly falling on Bai Xuanang: "Elder Bai..."

"Huh? Me?" Upon hearing this, Bai Xuanang looked at the distant city of Daqiu and paced back and forth. He smiled awkwardly and said, "General Wang, as you know, when a large army is fighting, there must be experts secretly stationed inside Daqiu."

"Even if I enter the city, I might not be able to destroy these magical artifacts..."

"Moreover, with so many magical artifacts constantly roaring, the person operating them is probably quite powerful."

How could Bai Xuanang be willing to enter the city alone? Wouldn't that be courting death?

There are countless Zhenchi soldiers inside the city, not to mention that there is no information about the city at all. What if there are experts hiding inside?

Wouldn't he be going there never to return? Wang Longzhi frowned deeply. If he couldn't destroy these magical artifacts, forcibly ordering his soldiers to continue the siege would be tantamount to suicide.

Wang Longzhi took a deep breath and slowly said, "Send the order to withdraw the troops, retreat ten miles, and prepare to set up camp."

We must find a way to deal with these strange magical artifacts before launching an attack.

Soon, the melodious bugle call of retreat slowly sounded, and the soldiers at the front, carrying many seriously wounded comrades, quickly retreated.

The army of 300,000 was well-trained, and although it was a withdrawal, it was orderly and efficient as they left the battlefield one by one.

Meanwhile, on the city wall, Ye Xiuyuan saw the retreating army, which was exactly what he expected.

Soon, Qin Ziliang quickly came to his side and asked, "Mr. Ye, the enemy has withdrawn."

"General Qin, please immediately organize an army of about 30,000 men and prepare to launch an attack."

"Huh?" Qin Ziliang was slightly taken aback: "Attack?"

Although the enemy has withdrawn, they still number 300,000. What can 30,000 people do?
"Go and do it." Ye Xiuyuan patted Qin Ziliang's shoulder heavily: "Once everything is ready, leave the city immediately and pursue the enemy."

"Just don't let them stop."

"Yes." Qin Ziliang frowned slightly upon hearing this, then asked, "What if the enemy doesn't retreat but instead attacks?"

"Can 30,000 men hold out until nightfall?" Ye Xiuyuan asked in turn. "If they can hold out until nightfall, then everything will turn around."

"Yes." Qin Ziliang nodded heavily in agreement. Since Xu Xiaogang had given Ye Xiuyuan the authority to command the army, he was on the front lines.

As a general, all he needed to do was obey.

Soon, Qin Ziliang quickly mobilized 30,000 men, beat drums and sounded horns, and in an instant, the three city gates opened, and a dense mass of Zhenchi Army soldiers poured out.

They then rushed off in the direction the rebels had retreated.

At this moment, the 30-strong army was retreating in an orderly manner. Wang Longzhi, Xiao Min'er, Xie Yifeng, Bai Xuanang, and others were riding their horses to hurry back.

Sitting on his horse, Wang Longzhi was looking at the map. Fortunately, the surrounding area was flat, and it wouldn't be difficult for 300,000 people to quickly find a place to set up camp.

Just then, a man on horseback quickly arrived from behind: "Reporting to the general, something strange has happened in Daqiu County. The city has suddenly dispatched 30,000 troops to follow us."

"Thirty thousand troops?" A strange expression appeared on Wang Longzhi's face, and he subconsciously looked at Xiao Min'er beside him.

Xiao Min'er looked up at the sky and said slowly, "It will be dark in about an hour."

"We must set up camp as soon as possible, within an hour..."

"These 30,000 men are because the other side doesn't want us to set up camp easily."

"No, could it be that..."

After thinking for a moment, Xiao Min'er's eyes sharpened, and she understood the other party's intention: "I'm afraid they have some other tricks up their sleeve."

"No matter what, send a large army to hold off the pursuers behind us, then quickly find a place to set up camp. The troops must not move again before nightfall."

Xiao Min'er seemed to have guessed something, and did not immediately send people to try to wipe out the 30,000 Zhenchi troops.

She realized that there were also cunning strategists on Zhenchi Army's side.

Soon, Wang Longzhi called out, "Zhang Han obeys the order."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Han, who was not far away, quickly rode up to his side and clasped his hands in greeting: "Your humble servant is here."

"If I transfer 30,000 troops to you, can you hold off 30,000 Zhenchi troops?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Han nodded emphatically: "Yes!"

"Go do it."

Zhang Han quickly rode his horse in the opposite direction.

"After another half an hour's march, we'll quickly set up camp," Xiao Min'er reminded Wang Longzhi. "I suspect they have hidden cavalry; in this kind of place, cavalry excels."

"If it gets dark and the cavalry charges twice, our troops will probably collapse."

Wang Longzhi was not good at strategy, but he was good at fighting. He nodded emphatically.

Soon, the deafening sounds of battle erupted not far behind them.

Meanwhile, about 20 miles to the west of the 300,000-strong army, Xu Xiaogang and his 5,000 cavalry had already arrived at the location.

Soon, a cavalry scout arrived.

After arriving beside Xu Xiaogang, he said in a deep voice, "General, the 300,000 rebel troops ahead are retreating, while our Zhenchi Army has pursued them with 30,000 troops from the city..."

"The rebels also left behind 30,000 men, who are currently engaged in fierce fighting."

"The majority of the rebels are continuing to move south."

Xu Xiaogang looked up at the sky, knowing in his heart that now was not the time to charge.

At the very least, we should wait until dusk for the best opportunity. He gripped the reins tightly: "Investigate again, report back."

After saying that, he waved his hand lightly, and all the cavalrymen followed behind, slowly catching up.

Half an hour later, it was a quarter past 5 pm. The sun was about to set in the far distance. But soon, the scout returned, his face grave, and said, "General, most of the rebel army has stopped moving and is preparing to set up camp."

"Set up camp?"

Upon hearing these four words, Xu Xiaogang narrowed his eyes and then shouted loudly, "Get ready to make your move."

Once they have completely set up camp, the cavalry will not be able to exert their full power.

After all, once they set up camp, the rebels would place barricades and other barriers. It was far less effective than a direct charge, where warhorses would crash into enemy soldiers.

We can't delay any longer.

"All men, listen to my command! Charge with me and strive to annihilate the enemy to the greatest extent possible!"

After shouting loudly, Xu Xiaogang drew his sword from his waist and pointed it in the direction of the rebels: "Charge!"

(End of this chapter)