Tiger Guards

Chapter 536 Quick Counterattack

"The Great Xianbei are now at a critical juncture of life and death!"

As the Xianbei central army halted and began to regroup, Qianman loudly encouraged the tribal leaders and nobles gathered around him: "If we are defeated, we will lose everything, and our descendants will be enslaved by the Han army. Even if the Han army lets us go, the Xiongnu will show no mercy!"

As Qian Man spoke, he drew his sword and pointed it at the Han army camp: "Those Xiongnu who are allied with us will also tear apart our women, the elderly, and children like mad dogs!"

"There is no way out. Even if we surrender to the Han army, it is impossible for us to retreat back to the Great Xianbei Mountains!"

The Great Xianbei Mountains were the territory of the Liaodong Xianbei. They could outwardly submit to Tanshihuai, but remained relatively independent.

In such a harsh winter, fodder and fuel are limited. If they retreat to Liaodong, not to mention the freezing cold along the way, even if they reach Liaodong and the Daxianbei Mountains, they will still have to fight a battle with the Liaodong Xianbei.

Qianman surveyed the crowd: "Now let's attack like eagles! Either become the masters of this place, or die here!"

"Each unit selects its own combat teams. Anyone who dares to retreat will be shot on sight, and their wives, daughters, and livestock will be distributed to the meritorious heroes!"

"Pass on my order: the entire army must fight to the death!"

Qian Man shouted at the top of his lungs, and the tribal leaders, no matter how unwilling they were, could only draw their swords and point them to the sky: "Fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death!"

"Fight to the death!"

They were all shouting and venting their anger, but they didn't go to plunder Han lands... In fact, there was nothing left to plunder within their attack range.

Emotionally speaking, the fact that they haven't raided the borders in recent years is already a great favor to the Han Dynasty.

Unexpectedly, they were attacked by the Han court, just like twenty years ago.

Almost every leader today was one of those who responded to Tan Shihuai's call back then and participated in that sacred decisive battle, a battle that laid the foundation for the glory of the Great Xianbei.

It was that battle twenty years ago that made the Xianbei people the overlords of the Hetao region.

Now, it's just another battle.

After the oaths were taken, the leaders of each tribe returned to their respective camps, and the entire Xianbei army began to advance.

Contrary to Zhao Ji's prediction, they did not send out miscellaneous troops and abandon their horses to attack the camp on foot.

The Xianbei people could not give up their warhorses; only when they were on horseback could they have the energy to fight.

Otherwise, in such a harsh winter, their layers of bulky leather clothing would hinder their movement, and they would be out of breath after running only a few miles, their clothes soaked with sweat.

Even if they don't participate in the fighting, they'll catch a cold... and there's no chance they'll have to leave the battlefield.

Qianman could force each unit to select its own supervisory teams, but he could not force each unit to select its own men to be suicide infantry.

Slaves of the Xianbei people were not eligible to go to the battlefield, except for a small number of war slaves.

True war slaves actually held a higher overall status than ordinary herders and tribespeople.

"Grand Marshal, the Xianbei have launched a general offensive."

Zhang Hong peered through the observation hole with one eye closed. When he looked back, he saw Zhao Ji sitting cross-legged on several layers of leather, pretending to be asleep.

Zhang Hong had also studied this kind of guiding exercise that was popular under the rule of the Grand Marshal when he was young.

When he followed Sun Ce in his campaign against Jiangdong, he consulted with senior professionals from the Gan Jundao and Li Jiadao schools, and also met Ge Xuan from the Ge Jiadao school several times.

Zhang Hong was not unfamiliar with some of the figures from Langya Dao Palace.

As for the Buddhist sect, he wished he could arrest them all and throw them into the mines to work until they died.

Therefore, he didn't care much about the breathing techniques related to guided breathing exercises.

The reason why the Zhao family was able to rise from a powerful clan was that Zhao Yan followed General Zong to quell a rebellion when he was young, and offered the "Five Yang County Soldiers" method, which crushed the rebel army in one fell swoop.

Laymen might think that the suppression and control of the rebel army by the troops of the Great Wuyang Commandery over the small Wuyang County in Langya was due to the external forces of the Great Wuyang Commandery. But from Zhang Hong's perspective, this was a trick played by Zhao Yan back then. He targeted Emperor Huan, who was obsessed with Taoist practices, and brought in valuable reinforcements for the frontline army, which led to their victory in one battle.

At this moment, Zhang Hong assumed that the Grand Marshal was resting and, seeing no response from Zhao Ji, continued to observe.

Within his line of sight, the ring of ice cones around the camp was functioning normally. The charging Xianbei knights were a dark, swarming mass, with hardly any brightly colored decorations on their clothing or banners.

There were only a few blue horses and a few red horses, while the white and blue horses blended into the snow and their outlines were not very clear.

The Xianbei people also lacked professional engineers and tools or equipment capable of quickly destroying low icicles.

Even with their anxieties, the Xianbei knights involved could only slowly pass through, crowding together to form a thick, black ring. Meanwhile, the Han army unleashed a volley of arrows, and the Xianbei knights, filled with resentment, frustration, anger, and a normal mix of sadness and pleading, were struck by arrows, watching their comrades fall.

Xianbei knights were constantly crossing the ice cones that slowed them down, spurring their horses to accelerate and charging towards the camp's fortifications.

Regardless of their own safety, they all spurred their horses to leap.

Some horses stumble and end up in a split position on the ramparts, neighing in pain; others leap over them.

Some Xianbei knights approached the fortress, dismounted, and began to break through the ice and snow barrier to carve a path for the following knights... In any case, they did not want to easily enter the camp to fight.

As more and more knights crossed the ice cones that slowed them down, the frontline defenders abandoned large sections of the fortifications and converged on the pre-arranged crescent-shaped positions, using obstacles to block the gaps.

Zhang Hong sensed something was wrong and said to Zhao Ji, "Grand Marshal, the Xianbei have abandoned their bows and are mostly armed with spears and knives. They have already broken through the fortifications."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ji snapped out of his meditative state and opened his eyes to find that most of his strength had been restored.

He got up and went forward to observe, and saw that more than a thousand Xianbei knights had already jumped into the camp and were galloping on their horses, but there was nothing that could make them crash into the human bowling ball.

The daredevils, having completed the construction of the second rudimentary defensive fortification, were firing crossbows at the Xianbei knights who were running back and forth. Knights were constantly falling from their horses, kicking up snow as they tumbled.

Zhao Ji saw many Xianbei knights crowding the outer walls of the camp. They dismounted and climbed over the ice wall to enter, their numbers increasing.

Seeing this, Zhao Ji did not turn his head, but spoke up while observing: "Chief Secretary, please observe the battle from here."

"Grand Marshal, our soldiers are fighting bravely and their morale is high. Why should we trouble you, Grand Marshal?"

Zhang Hong immediately advised, pointing to the distance outside the camp: "The Xianbei chieftain has his troops stationed outside to oversee the battle. If the Grand Marshal leads his fierce warriors in a surprise attack, he can inflict no damage on them before they are exhausted."

Zhang Hong was so anxious he was practically jumping up and down. He often watched battles under Sun Ce's command, and in the current situation, there was absolutely no need for Zhao Ji to take action.

Fearing that the great undertaking of sealing the wolf's lair might be ruined due to Zhao Ji's injury, he urgently advised, "Now that most of the Xianbei have been mobilized, their troops will be exhausted within an hour. Our guerrilla troops on the left and right flanks can then be mobilized and will be able to break through their central army on their own!"

"That's the general rule, but my troops aren't good at prolonged battles."

Zhao Ji calmly retorted: "They follow me and never engage in wars of attrition. After the more than 10,000 Xianbei infantrymen enter the camp, they will raise the yellow smoke."

Zhang Hong did not respond, but Pei Bao, who was in charge of guarding the area, cupped his hands and said, "Yes, sir!"

Zhao Ji nodded to Zhang Hong, raised his hand to put on his face armor, turned around and went down the stairs, with several guards quickly following him.

Below the observation platform, his more than 300 cavalrymen and his core force of more than 3,000 chariots and cavalry were already on standby.

Zhao Ji looked around at the people, and they all looked up at him. Seeing that Zhao Ji's armor and battle robes were still the same and had not been changed, many people felt relieved and showed simple smiles.

Zhao Ji pointed with his right arm at the Xianbei infantrymen who were continuously pouring into the camp, and said loudly, "There are still few of them now. When there are more of them, we will charge at them. I was worried that the ice wall and the deer antlers at the gate would hinder us, but fortunately the Xianbei have removed these obstacles for us. Although some of them died for this, I think it was meaningful. They did not die in vain."

A few quick-witted officers understood and grinned.

Even the slower-moving officials laughed along, as did those who hadn't clearly heard Zhao Ji's voice. As long as they laughed, the tension dissipated considerably.

Although they are ruthless killers, it doesn't mean they aren't nervous when facing battle.

Seeing the laughter erupt, Zhao Ji raised his right arm and pressed it down slightly, which reduced the laughter considerably. Zhao Ji continued loudly, "I will not promise you rich rewards like I did for the suicide soldiers in the Battle of Fushi, because this battle will not be difficult for you. We just need to run, overtake them, crush them, and then it will be over."

Zhao Ji removed his mask, revealing a smile: "Enjoy this! This is the Xianbei people's last struggle!"

He put the mask back on, and Cheng He raised his arms and shouted, "Long live the Emperor!"

"Long live!"

"Long live!"

More than three thousand people cheered and shouted. Zhao Ji boarded the chariot, and the horses that pulled it had been replaced.

At that moment, he turned to look at the watchtower, where yellow smoke was slowly rising, spreading rapidly with the help of sulfur.

"Bang the drum!"

"Attack!"

Zhao Ji waved his hand, and the drum carts began to sound one after another, and the entire army's chariots and cavalry began to accelerate.

At the same time, the drums of the daredevil troops began to beat loudly, and they rushed forward, crossing the makeshift barricades, and began to fight with the Xianbei infantry who were entering the camp.

(End of this chapter)