The Emperor ordered Zhao Tang

Chapter 344 The Battle of Qujiang Pool (Part 2)
The two sides fought fiercely for control of Qujiang Pool, engaging in a life-or-death struggle within the pool amidst the forest.

"Whoosh!" A heavy arrow shot out from the crowd and struck Prince Mei's thigh. Although it was blocked by his skirt armor, the strong momentum still carried him to his knees.

"Kill him!" Gao Jichang, who was hiding in the shadows, put away his bow and shouted.

"Kill!" Seeing an opportunity, the Bian army immediately thrust five or six spears forward.

Zhao Jun, who was with him, was like a mad tiger. He swept with his knife, grabbed and dragged his shoulder, and did everything in his power to protect his commander.

Blood streamed down his face, and the disheveled Prince Mei staggered to his feet. For the first time, panic flickered in his eyes. In the midst of hand-to-hand combat, with a wounded leg, how could he possibly fight his way out?

"Kill this minister, and the royal army will surely collapse immediately!" the Bian army shouted, thrusting wildly with their spears.

Prince Mei limped as he fought and retreated.

"Whoosh!" Another cold arrow shot out, and countless steel blades were aimed at him!
Prince Mei stumbled and dodged, but his back armor still took two arrows, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood. At the same time, he used his last strength to slash through a group of people with his broken sword.

This barrage of attacks had drained him of all his energy.

He stumbled backward, about to sit down, feeling dizzy and his vision blurred.

That's it, that's it, I'll be buried in Qujiang Pool.

I have exhausted all my wisdom and strength, and given everything I have, to the military government and to the Holy Tang Dynasty!
As Wang Zimei's consciousness gradually slowed down, he suddenly felt someone jump to his side, slashing wildly with a steel knife. A large hand grabbed his burly body and pulled him backward.

Wang Zimei turned around with difficulty, only to see Xiao Gan, who was also disheveled.

As the hour of Si (9-11 AM) approached, the clouds dispersed and the warm winter sun shone down, casting a bright red glow over Qujiang Pool.

Outside the Yong'an Canal at Anhua Gate on the west side, ten thousand cavalrymen came to a halt with a rumble.

The King of Wu lay prone on his horse.

Although he had learned some military strategy from Wang Congxun, he had never put it into practice. After arriving in Chang'an, he discussed several attack plans with Qiyan Shu, Zhao Cun, and others. However, after the scouts returned and learned that the battle was in full swing, the generals unanimously agreed that they could charge directly.

The King of Wu agreed.

After a period of rest, once the warhorses had recovered from their sweating, eaten their fill, and drunk their fill, their armor was put back on, and the soldiers donned their gear once more. The ten thousand cavalry first arrayed themselves at the Yong'an Canal, then split into five groups, proceeding slowly and deliberately. As they approached, they began to pick up speed.

Large swarms of black tides quickly appeared at the foot of the city wall.

"Whose troops are those?!" A commotion erupted on the walls of Chang'an. The trembling city gate guard, Dongfang Tai, suddenly stood up, curled his fingers over his eyes, and leaned down to look. He exclaimed with delight, "Those are the Emperor's troops! Those are the banners of the King of Wu! The Emperor and his son have returned to save us!"

The long neighing of warhorses echoed up to the city walls.

At the same time, there was also the thunderous roar of ten thousand horses galloping.

The people on the city wall and Dongfang Tai looked up and saw that on the desolate land west of Mingde Gate, many cavalrymen bearing the banner of the Holy Tang Dynasty were raising countless long dragons of dust as they rode along the city wall toward Qixia Gate.

Among this army, the Wu-character King's Banner was fluttering fiercely!

It was a saint! The saint sent his son back to save them!
"My goodness, I've been waiting so long..." Dongfang Tai's vision went black. He wanted to jump up and scream, but he frowned and rushed down the city wall, shouting to his guards, "Get back to your posts and prepare to open the city gates to welcome the King of Wu back to Chang'an, who is loyal to him!"

*****
"What is that?" Upon recognizing the banner, the Bian army on the west bank of Qujiang Pool panicked: "It's over! Reinforcements have arrived!"

Someone saw it and, without hesitation, took off their armor and ran.

Someone shouted wildly towards the main army: "The cavalry are coming! The cavalry are coming!"

Some people didn't see it and looked around, asking, "Where? Where? I can't see it!"

Some people were still sitting on the ground, chewing on vinegar cakes while holding their armor, waiting to rest before going back into battle.

The thunder rumbled over Qixia Gate, growing ever closer, until the figures of a large contingent of cavalrymen came into clear view.

Like a dark cloud, it stretched endlessly.

"Fuck!" At this moment, most of the Bian soldiers were so shocked that they sprang into action.

"Where is the imperial envoy? Why haven't we heard any news?"

"They've allowed them to kill us right under our noses! Gao Laizi and his men deserve to die!"

"Form ranks and prepare for the charge!"

"Damn it! Didn't you see how many troops the royal army has? Even if you bring Zhu Dalang's whole family to make up the numbers, it won't do you any good!"

"Get into the woods quickly, get into the woods quickly!"

The killing hordes rushed into the forest in a frenzy.

Regardless of whether they were officers or not, anyone blocking the way immediately swung a spear at them, shouting, "Run for your lives! Run for your lives!"

"Boom!" The two thousand fastest Uyghur cavalrymen plunged into the Bian army like swords.

If handled carefully at this time, such as setting up barricades in time or cutting down trees to increase the complexity of the terrain, the Uyghurs could even suffer a great loss.

But nothing happened.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!" The hundreds of riders at the front hurled three volleys of arrows, felling a swarm of men like wheat being harvested. Then they turned their horses around, drew their swords, and re-entered the fray, hacking and slashing.

Meanwhile, on the other flanks, the main force charged in, thrusting their lances into the ground, spurring their horses, drawing their bows, nocking arrows, and firing. The Turkic light cavalry scattered, pouring into the forest in disarray, pursuing the fleeing enemy. "Hold on, we're here, we're here!"

On the Imperial Archives, war drums thundered.

"Kill!" shouted the valiant soldiers amidst the chaos of battle.

"Kill!!" The demoralized street envoys, imperial envoys, Jingzhou soldiers, and Jinwu Guards were greatly encouraged and poured into the willow grove from the riverside rooms.

"What's the point of playing ball here? Let's go!" The Bian army, which had just been strong and menacing, turned into chicks and ran around wildly.

Within two rounds, the external militia and young men and women collapsed on the spot.

Some knelt and kowtowed, while others fled back the way they came. The crying and shouting created a chaotic scene.

"Kill! Tie up the rebels! When the main army arrives, wipe them all out!!" Han Yi, leading his subordinates, ran through the ranks, shouting fiercely. In his eyes, these men were no different from the true Bian army—the same accent, the same armor and weapons, the same bloodlust for the Holy Tang.

Whether they are true warriors or mere charlatans, they all deserve to die!
The Bian army collapsed just like that.

“This…” Wang Zimei leaned against the red wall, looking at Long Jiejun who was killing people like flies in front of her, and murmured in a voice that only she could hear: “Wow, I’ve been waiting for so long… Can this sky be made up for now?”

"Gentlemen, is fighting really this simple?" King Wu stood by the lake, gazing at the blood-soaked royal gardens and the wailing Bian people, and stroked his chin.

"Otherwise, how else can we fight?" Zhao Cun sneered. "The Bian Army is no longer what it used to be. The Crane Control Army and the Longsword Army were able to be driven away by the Sage at Tongguan. These cowards still want to rebel. They must be wishing their parents had given them more heads!"

Upon hearing this, the King of Wu felt somewhat uncomfortable. However, since this fellow was the Consort's cousin and a staunch supporter of the Zhao family faction, he paid little attention to his emotional intelligence and thus ignored him.

"Immediately send someone back to inform the rear army." King Wu did not intend to dwell on Zhao Cun's rudeness and ordered, "Tell them that the Bian army is incapable of fighting, and we will head straight for Tongguan. I think that Zhu traitor is confused and still dares to send troops to Chang'an. He has no idea what our deployment is."

To attempt to seize Chang'an alone—do they think the emperor is a fool?

"Your Highness, you mustn't," Qi Yanshu said, clasping his hands. "Your Highness and we agreed early on that we should first lift the siege of Wuguan. From Wuguan, we can cut off the Zhu bandits' rear in Shanzhou, or even take Bianliang directly. We have more cavalry than infantry, so we can make the most of flat ground. If we go to Tongguan, with so many troops stationed there now, there won't be anywhere to release the horses. Moreover, the Zhu bandits have built a mountain wall around the city, so we can't get out, and even if we do manage to break out, there's no place for us to fight."

"Oh, I have forgotten something." King Wu rubbed his forehead, only then remembering the original plan. But being reminded like this by this Uyghur barbarian in front of everyone and all his generals, he looked at Qiyan Shu and smiled, "Then let's proceed as planned!"

However, he already felt somewhat uneasy.

As the eldest son of the Holy Ones, he was first bullied by Zheng Yanchang, then threatened by the censor to his subordinate Yuan Xie, who said, "Don't you know the power of prison officials?!" Just now, he was questioned in return by Zhao Cun, and now he's being berated by Qi Yanshu...

Only those who have experienced it can truly understand the frustration it brings.

Looking back now, Zhao Cun being sent to lead troops back to reinforce might have been a way for the sage to keep an eye on him.

Power, power!
When will I finally have any real power?
*******
The army was defeated like a landslide, collapsing in a flash.

In the dense forest, Gao Jichang, who was scrambling and stumbling along with the army, grabbed a fleeing soldier and asked, "What's going on?"

"Tens of thousands of cavalry will surely come to our aid!" The routed soldier flung his hand away: "Let's all flee for our lives!"

Gao Jichang immediately had an idea. He quickly took off his clothes and prepared to blend into the fleeing army. Gather the defeated troops? Did he not know what era this was?! If he were hacked to death in the chaos, who would he complain to?

"Soldiers, proceed to Tongguan to regroup! We can't capture the city now, let's take Tongguan with Dalang first."

He snatched a mule, mounted it, and prepared to gallop away.

However, more than a dozen of the soldiers who had fought alongside him moved with him.

Gao Jichang was stunned, his heart sinking to the bottom: "Soldiers, let's go! If I've done anything wrong, we'll talk about it when we get back! Whatever you want, we can discuss it!"

A heavily scarred soldier stepped forward from the crowd, a smile on his face, and bowed to Gao Jichang, saying, "Captain, we are your subordinates, how could we possibly find fault with you? We are from the Bianzhou government, how wealthy and powerful are we? What could you possibly want that you could give us?"

"Even if the royal army had over ten thousand iron cavalry, they couldn't reach Tongguan even if they had wings..."

More than a dozen steel knives were raised at the same time, staring straight at Gao Jichang: "What we want now is only the head of the captain."

Some of the routed soldiers even knelt down before the pursuing cavalry, shouting, "We're done fighting! We surrender! We surrender! We are willing to serve the Holy Tang Dynasty!"

"Bastard!" Gao Jichang cursed angrily, "A bunch of incorrigible killers!"

He spurred his mule and rode off, shouting to the nearby officers, "Be careful with your lives, we'll see you at Tongguan!"

"Kill!" The sound of horses' hooves shook the entire capital.

"Kill!" The rebellious militiamen swarmed forward.

"Ouch!" Gao Jichang yelled as the mule was struck by several arrows in the rump, whipped it several times, and cursed loudly as he went east.

When will I finally get to make something of myself?
On the fifteenth day of the first month of the first year of Guanghua, the King of Wu defeated the army that had seized Biancheng at Qujiang Pool, and then split his troops into two routes.

On the seventeenth day of the first month, the King of Wu arrived at Qingni Ridge, and the defending soldiers all shouted "Long live the King!"

On the eighteenth day of the first lunar month, Zheng Yanchang led more than 10,000 tribal troops into Tongguan, which was already a completely dead end.

The daily work of building earthen mounds eventually led to a qualitative change, and Zhu Dalang had captured Tongguan City at the Huangxiangban pass.

Wang Congxun and Chen Xiong retreated to Lianzhai and Jingucheng within the pass.

However, Zhu Dalang's offensive did not diminish even slightly after capturing Tongguan City; on the contrary, it intensified wave after wave! He simply resorted to the most primitive tactics of swarming and attacking, prioritizing the expulsion of civilians, or buying people with coarse bread and then sending them to the village to pile up corpses.

(End of this chapter)