Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 480 The Battle for Hegemony between Tang and Chen
As dawn broke, the Chen army soldiers stretched out in a dense, dark mass across the Chenliu Plain. Their command flags were like clouds obscuring the sky, their spears and halberds like a dense forest, and their bugle calls were like deafening thunder. The troops from all sides stretched to the horizon, seemingly endless, inspiring fear in all who beheld them.

Inside the central army camp, Yuan Shu sat upright in his imperial carriage, his head draped with a canopy of Shu brocade, woven with gold thread, and adorned with jewels, displaying his wealth and status.

"Has any news come from Huang Zhong's army?" Yuan Shu asked.

"Not yet!"

The cavalryman said, "Judging from the time, General Huang and Zu Lang are currently harassing the Tang army and should be engaged in fierce fighting."

"Report immediately!" Yuan Shu said.

"promise!"

The rider accepted the order and withdrew, while a few scouts were sent to investigate.

After Chen Jun had traveled one or two miles, his scouts encountered Huang Zhong's defeated cavalry. Upon learning that Yuan Shu's army had arrived, Huang Zhong hurried towards them, guided by the scouts.

"His Majesty!"

Upon catching a glimpse of Yuan Shu, Huang Zhong shouted loudly.

Upon hearing the voice, Yuan Shu looked over and saw Huang Zhong. His expression changed slightly, and he waved and said, "Stop the carriage!"

"Why is Hansheng here? What's the military situation?" Yuan Shu asked, sticking his head out in surprise.

"His Majesty!"

Huang Zhong pulled on the reins and said with shame, "Zu Lang was killed by the Tang people. When I arrived at the camp gate, I was ambushed by the enemy. Three thousand elite cavalrymen were almost wiped out. Now I only have five hundred cavalrymen following me. The rest are nowhere to be found."

"what!"

Yuan Shu slammed his hand on the carriage railing, his face grim and uncertain. The failed surprise attack on the southern camp not only meant his plan had failed, but he had also lost a large number of elite cavalry.

"Your Majesty, I have failed in your duty. I beg Your Majesty's forgiveness!"

Huang Zhong dismounted and knelt on the wasteland.

"This is not Han Sheng's fault, but Zu Lang's poor conduct!" Yuan Shu said in a low voice.

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Huang Zhong nimbly rose from the ground and said, “Your Majesty, since the Tang army knows our plan and I suffered a defeat in our surprise attack on the camp, Your Majesty has lost the initiative. It would be better to lead the army to retreat slightly and then think of a way to defeat the enemy.”

Yuan Shu sighed and said, "The army has already moved, and now we are withdrawing. Wouldn't that hurt the morale of the troops? Besides, Zhang Yu and his elite troops are not in the camp, which is advantageous to our army."

Then, Yuan Shu looked at Ji Ling and asked, "Do you think we can fight today?"

"His Majesty!"

Ji Ling hesitated for a moment, then said, "If the enemy knows that General Huang is attacking the camp, then they will know the movements of our army. As the art of war says, 'Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.' But now our army does not know the enemy, so it is not advisable to use troops lightly."

Yuan Shu fell silent. He preferred to send troops into battle and end the war as soon as possible.

A short while later, Yuan Shu asked, "In your opinion, should my army return to camp to continue the battle?"

“Acting with caution is the way to go!” Ji Ling said.

While the group was discussing military matters, a scout suddenly galloped up.

"Your Majesty, there are signs of a large Tang army eight miles ahead!" the scout said urgently.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Shu frowned and asked, "With the enemy army ahead, can we retreat now?"

"It's difficult!"

Ji Ling shook his head and said, "If our army changes formation and retreats now, the Tang army will surely pursue us relentlessly. When our troops reach the canal, the enemy will attack halfway across, causing chaos as our troops cross the river, and our army will suffer a great defeat!"

"Then let's fight the Tang army!"

Yuan Shu decisively said, "We have 70,000 troops out of the camp, while the enemy only has 40,000. The enemy is outnumbered and we have the advantage. Why can't we defeat the enemy?"

"Our army's superior numbers are a real advantage!"

Ji Ling said, "Our army will use the Danyang soldiers as the vanguard, with the rest of the troops following behind, taking turns to charge the enemy lines. Perhaps we can defeat them!"

"it is good!"

Yuan Shu already had the intention to engage in battle, but now that he saw it was no longer advisable to withdraw his troops, and Ji Ling agreed to use force, he said, "Then let all the troops advance and see if we can defeat the Tang army before noon." "Han Sheng will continue to command the cavalry and hold the flank!"

"promise!"

The strategies discussed by the group did not affect the march of Chen's soldiers.

Under the morning sun, the Chen army rolled forward, while the Tang army met them head-on. The distance of eight li between the two armies was not long, and soon the Chen army saw the Tang army's high-flying banners.

The Tang soldiers were in tight formation, their banners fluttering in the wind, armored warriors marching in step, and cavalrymen leading their horses. Outside the formation, Tang scouts, in an effort to seize the initiative, constantly drove away the enemy cavalry, reducing their space.

"Stop!"

About two miles from the enemy lines, the Tang soldiers leading the charge spoke loudly.

The flag bearers, following orders, raised their flags high. The change in the flags caused all the troops to halt, and under the officers' inspection, the Tang soldiers continuously made minor adjustments to their formations.

On the chariot, Zhang Liao and Xun You stood side by side, discussing their strategy for advancing.

“Qu Yi is skilled in commanding infantry and knows the weaknesses of the Danyang troops. His Majesty has entrusted Qu Yi with this important task, so we should follow Qu Yi’s advice and advance into the enemy lines, allowing the Chen army to charge. Once the Danyang troops are exhausted, we can then send cavalry to break through their lines,” Zhang Liao said.

Xun You pondered for a moment and said, "The Chen army has a large number of troops, so it is not advisable to rush into battle. Now that His Majesty has led his elite troops back to reinforce, we can follow your strategy and first use infantry to wear down the enemy's morale. When His Majesty's troops arrive, we can then launch a flanking attack. However, before His Majesty's troops arrive, you can lead your cavalry in a surprise attack."

"good!"

After some discussion, the two men clarified their military strategy and then ordered the drums to be sounded to advance.

"Boom!"

"Boom!"

Dozens of strongmen, shirtless in the cold wind, wielded drumsticks, their muscular arms gleaming, as they struck the large drums. The cowhide drumheads trembled violently, and the resounding sound echoed across the plains.

"Wan Sheng!"

Encouraged by the sound of drums, the Tang soldiers marched across the wild grass and trudged through the uneven ground, charging straight towards the Chen soldiers.

"Fire arrows!"

As they approached the range of the arrows, the Tang army's lead soldiers shouted.

As soon as the words fell, hundreds upon hundreds of arrows flew from the army formation, raining down on the Chen soldiers. The Chen army's counterattack followed immediately, arrows blotting out the sky as they rained down on the Tang soldiers. Although the Tang army was outnumbered, it was visibly more effective at inflicting greater damage on the Chen troops.

After all these years, Zhang Yu first captured Chang'an, then seized Hebei, acquiring countless weapons and equipment, and forging a large number of weapons and armor. Therefore, the armor usage rate was high, the weapons were sharper, and the bows and crossbows were more powerful.

For example, a standard infantryman's equipment included a suit of armor, a powerful bow, thirty arrows, a ring-pommel sword, and a long spear. Other equipment such as shields, axes, and javelins varied depending on the soldier's role.

Under the rain of arrows fired by the Tang army, many of the Chen infantrymen in the front ranks were killed or wounded. The Tang infantrymen were not in much better shape either; the armored warriors were like hedgehogs, and some spearmen lay on the ground.

"kill!"

Three arrows were fired at the last moment, and the two armies clashed!

But on the eve of the engagement, the Tang infantry suddenly stopped, and the burly soldiers in the front row held shields, while the short-armed soldiers held spears, forming a solid square formation.

Driven by a surge of adrenaline, the Danyang soldiers at the front of Chen Jun's infantry bravely charged forward.

A soldier raised his shield high and jogged fiercely towards the Tang army's shield wall. He thought that with his physique, the Tang soldier would be knocked down, but to his surprise, the Tang soldier only swayed for a moment before regaining his balance and wrestling with him through the shield.

"Draw your sword!"

Someone shouted, and the soldiers of the Tang and Chen armies, shield-bearing soldiers, drew their ring-pommel swords from their waists and thrust them through the gaps in their shields. The sudden thrust of the sharp blades caught many armored soldiers off guard; some were lucky enough to dodge, while others were unfortunate enough to be stabbed.

While stabbing with a knife at close range is insidious, it doesn't have a significant impact on soldiers wearing two layers of armor. In particular, Tang soldiers, due to the low cost of cloth armor, almost all front-line soldiers wore two layers of armor.

Spears clashed and clashed in the air. Due to the narrow space, there was no room to maneuver or dodge; the only options were to strike or thrust. In this environment, only those with quick hands and eyes or rich experience could prevail.

Tang soldiers have fought since the chaos of the late Han Dynasty, almost every year they have been at war. A large number of them have become skilled in spear fighting, and they are especially good at teamwork and combat techniques. This makes them superior to the Chen soldiers who have little experience in battle.

Therefore, in the battles between the two armies, the casualties of the Chen soldiers were always significantly higher than those of the Tang soldiers. Now, thanks to the excellent coordination of the shield-bearers and spearmen, Qu Yi's elite Hebei troops withstood the onslaught of the Danyang soldiers.

Not only Qu Yi's troops in the central army, but also Meng Ningzhi's troops in the left army and Zhang He's troops in the right army, no matter how the Danyang soldiers charged and fought, they were like rocks growing on the ground, resisting the Danyang army's impact without wavering.

(End of this chapter)