Covering the sky: Starting with the holy body, the immortal Taoist comes to attack

Chapter 167 Internal strife!

It was evening.

The thousands of heavy cavalry led by Manggu had undoubtedly reached a dead end.

They retreated all the way, suffering from hunger and thirst, and were constantly harassed by Gu Xuan and his men, never finding peace.

It can be said that the entire Jie tribe was in a very bad state.

However, Manggu and the others were not fools; they had considered ways to break the deadlock.

Midway through their journey, when their food supplies were cut off, they did not hesitate to kill their precious warhorses for food and drink their blood.

They even went so far as to detach over a thousand cavalrymen to block the attacks of the human cavalry, just to gain a brief respite.

however.

Slaughtering horses on the spot is not a real food source, and the timing and terrain do not allow them to cook the horses properly. They can only eat the horse meat raw, and the horse blood is not real water either.

The real military rations could not be replaced by raw horse meat and blood.

Gu Xuan led his cavalry without any mercy, dividing and surrounding the more than one thousand Jie heavy cavalry that came to obstruct them, and killing them one by one.

Even so, this scene was already expected by the surviving Jie soldiers.

But when they saw their own kind being slaughtered by humans, these soldiers couldn't help but weep.

In the past, they had done this to the human army and even the common people of the Great Zhou Dynasty more than once.

now.

This scene was perfectly replicated in their own lives; one can only say that what goes around comes around.

On the other hand, the human cavalry already had their own beef jerky, water bags, and other supplies, so they had no worries about resupply.

Furthermore, Jiang Bushi led the remaining heavy infantry regiment as backup, steadily advancing from the rear, constantly communicating with Gu Xuan, and replenishing supplies in a timely manner.

Under these circumstances, Gu Xuan led his men to keep a close watch on the Jie cavalry, patiently waiting until dusk.

"almost!"

After Gu Xuan personally went to investigate and shot and killed more than a dozen Jie scouts, he came to this conclusion.

From a short distance, he saw the desperate faces and eyes of many Jie soldiers, and also sensed their morale on the verge of collapse.

Moreover, his unparalleled martial prowess clearly shocked the Jie tribe once again.

What kind of person is this, who killed more than a dozen scouts with a wave of his hand? Keep in mind that they were the elite of the Jie tribe, yet they were slaughtered like chickens and dogs, without any power to resist.

In fact.

In this pursuit battle involving fewer than ten thousand cavalrymen, Gu Xuan displayed his unparalleled martial prowess to an extreme.

If it were any other general leading the army, it would be absolutely impossible to force the Jie tribe to this point. They could neither win in battle nor escape!
finally.

On a small plain.

The opportunity had arrived, and Gu Xuan led his nearly five thousand human cavalrymen in a desperate attack without hesitation.

On the Jie side, there were also five or six thousand heavy cavalry remaining, which was no less in number than their opponents, but their condition was extremely poor.

Rumble!
The sight of thousands of horses galloping and two cavalry battalions charging towards each other was truly earth-shattering, raising clouds of dust.

Puff puff!
Everywhere there were sounds of swords and spears piercing bodies, and the thud of warriors falling from their horses.

The Jie heavy cavalry battalion lived up to its reputation as an elite force that had dominated the northern border for decades. Even in such poor condition, they displayed remarkable fighting power thanks to their unwavering determination in the face of adversity.

In just one clash, six or seven hundred human knights fell.

However, the Jie tribe was at a great disadvantage. Some soldiers were so weak that they could barely hold their spears, and the whole tribe was in a state of pessimism and despair.

With Gu Xuan leading the charge, he was like a sharp blade, piercing deep into the Jie tribe's ranks and instantly tearing open a large gap, where he hacked and slashed with unstoppable force.

Thump thump!
With such unstoppable momentum, Gu Xuan was virtually invincible.

He was surrounded by hundreds of the most valiant and skilled elite soldiers in the border army, who, like bloodthirsty wolves, both fiercely protected their King Zhou and commander-in-chief and sought every opportunity to kill the enemy.

The final outcome was not in doubt.

On the human side, at the cost of losing nearly two thousand cavalrymen, they almost completely annihilated the opponent's five or six thousand heavy cavalry.

Only Manggu and his men, leading seven or eight hundred guards, all wounded, fled desperately. Judging from their direction, they were probably heading towards Kuoju City, as that was the only place where they could get supplies.

Such a brilliant victory would have been unimaginable in the past few decades!

Because of the continuous decline of the Great Zhou Dynasty over the years, it has not achieved any decent military results on the border for a long time.

The most recent major battle could even be described as humiliating.

That was in order to deal with the invasion of the western Quanrong tribe, the ruling Sima clan did not hesitate to plunder the western capital Luoyang in exchange for the Jie tribe's support.

While this outcome alleviated a crisis for the Sima clan, it also greatly emboldened the Jie people, making them even more rampant in the northern border.

This can only be described as drinking poison to quench thirst, or as robbing Peter to pay Paul. If this continues, the northern border will eventually fall under the control of the Jie people.

But with the arrival of Gu Xuan and the downfall of the Sima clan, all of this eventually changed!
After a resounding victory.

Gu Xuan ordered the wounded and exhausted cavalry to rest and recuperate on the spot, while awaiting the arrival of the subsequent infantry formation.

On the other side, a thousand-strong cavalry force was dispatched to continue pursuing the remaining Jie troops, including Manggu, mainly to harass them and maintain constant communication with the rear.

In addition, the remaining cavalry were tasked with cleaning up the battlefield, and there was no question of taking prisoners.

Most of these Jie cavalrymen had committed numerous atrocities within the territory of the Great Zhou Dynasty, and were already extremely wicked. The border troops had long hated them intensely, and had no psychological reservations about finishing them off.

Only a very small number of people in relatively good physical condition were left behind, suitable for public trials after the war.

……

Meanwhile, on Manggu's side, he led more than seven hundred defeated soldiers in a desperate escape.

Looking at himself and his personal guards, all of them were in a state of panic and injured, and they were filled with sorrow!
Unfortunately, two or three miles behind them, there were clearly still elite human cavalry pursuing them.

At this critical juncture of life and death, they had no room for self-pity. They could only temporarily set aside everything, suppress the deep hunger and thirst emanating from the depths of their bodies, and flee desperately toward the distant city of Kuoju.

Along the way, Jie soldiers who could no longer hold on fell from their horses and remained motionless. Some were not dead but were left to be slaughtered, while others were truly at their last gasp.

On the other hand, the human cavalry pursuing them were clearly in much better condition, having not lost any supplies. They were able to chew on dried meat and drink water from their water bags while on horseback, and pursue them with ease.

This scene filled Manggu with sorrow, and it also intensified his resentment towards King Jie, Daishang!

In his mind, he completely blamed Dai Shang for the loss of supplies.

They simply refused to consider that, under those circumstances, no one could withstand the fire oil bombs launched by the humans. Manggu thought bitterly, "If it weren't for Daishang, Chanshan City wouldn't have fallen so easily, and they wouldn't have lost their supplies and suffered such a dire situation and heavy casualties!"
Unfortunately, Dai Shang has disappeared without a trace, most likely having fled to Kuoju City!
Manggu's thoughts also infected several of his subordinate generals, who also harbored resentment towards King Daishang.

It must be said that the power of hatred is immense.

Or rather, even in despair, living beings can still unleash their potential once again.

After a night and half a morning of desperate escape, Manggu and his men actually managed to reach the city of Kuoju without drinking water or eating.

of course.

At this point, they had truly reached a certain limit.

The once formidable Jie heavy cavalry had long since discarded their heavy armor, each one looking utterly haggard, with bloodshot eyes and unrecognizable faces.

He staggered to the city gates on his warhorse, barely having the strength to even shout for help!

Unfortunately, several miles behind them, human cavalry were undoubtedly still pursuing them, making these Jie soldiers anxious and fearful, as if their hearts were burning with rage.

Fortunately, the guards on the city gate eventually recognized their kinsmen below.

at this time.

The largest force in the city was naturally the Jie King Daishang, who had fled here the day before, leading the last two thousand or so remaining Jie tribe members.

No matter how much he disliked Manggu, and no matter how much Dai Shang hated Manggu, he could find a reason to refuse Manggu and his companions entry into the city.

Moreover, the human pursuers are not far away and seem to be about to appear in sight.

At this critical juncture, Dai Shang had no time to think or hesitate.

Therefore, he ultimately had no choice but to order the city gates opened and let Manggu and the others in.

And only half an hour later.

The human vanguard cavalry, numbering around a thousand, had already arrived at the foot of Kuoju City, staring intently at the Jie people on the city walls like eagles.

Half a day later, Gu Xuan arrived with his cavalry contingent.

Next came the human heavy infantry regiment led by Jiang Bushi, numbering in the tens of thousands, which completely surrounded the small city of Kuoju!
Such a scene left the Jie people on the city wall looking at each other in dismay, filled with fear and a deep sense of sorrow.

Once upon a time, the Jie tribe dominated the northern border, even trampling the former suzerain state, the Great Zhou Dynasty, under their feet, and subjecting human women to their wanton humiliation.

Now, however, they have fallen to such a tragic state, with their clansmen reduced to only three thousand or so remaining in the city!

However, after Gu Xuan and others surrounded the city, they did not immediately order an attack.

They built fortifications, lit cooking fires, and slaughtered cattle and sheep right beneath the city walls, seemingly preparing to give their soldiers a lavish reward.

Such a leisurely scene clearly shows that they do not take the remaining Jie people in the city seriously at all, which can be described as contempt!
This scene not only made the Jie soldiers on the city walls drool with envy at the aroma, but also caused their eyes to blaze with fury, as if they wanted to devour the humans below the city alive.

Unfortunately, not far away, a force of over two thousand human cavalrymen was watching intently, just waiting for the enemy to come to them.

Therefore.

The Jie people could only watch helplessly, filled with impotent rage.

Thus, Gu Xuan led his army and besieged Kuoju City for one night and the morning of the next day.

Just as the soldiers' morale was high and they were about to launch a full-scale siege, a shocking change suddenly broke out inside the city!
……

Even from hundreds of meters away, across the city walls, Gu Xuan and the others could hear the earth-shattering shouts from inside the city.

And, some intense shouts and sounds of battle from the Jie tribe.

Obviously.

Some kind of internal strife has broken out in the city!
"Could this be what they mean by 'when a nation is about to perish, monsters will inevitably appear'?"

Seeing this scene and hearing the faint sounds of fighting and cursing carried on the wind, Jiang Bushi, the Northern Border Governor, and other high-ranking human officials couldn't help but show strange expressions.

Even Gu Xuan's eyes held a strange look, as if he had guessed the truth of something.

really!

About half an hour later, the sounds of fighting in the city finally ceased.

The next moment, the south gate facing the direction of the human race's banner was suddenly opened, and more than a hundred men, bare-chested and brandishing weapons, emerged from the city gate to surrender.

But the one walking at the very front was neither the Jie King Daishang nor the Jie general Manggu, but an old Jie man with white hair and beard.

That was Dai Shang's cousin, who was considered an old nobleman among the Jie people.

Gu Xuan ordered a pair of fully armed cavalrymen to carefully advance and take over the defense of the city's south gate.

After confirming that it was safe, the main force of the human race finally entered the city and gradually took control of the entire city, capturing the remaining two thousand or so Jie people.

Flames had already begun to burn in the palace at the very center of the city, and were raging fiercely.

Unfortunately, the Jie tribe did not possess the same potent fire oil bombs as the human tribe, and they were not as decisive in setting fires.

After a firefighting effort, the palace fire was extinguished, revealing hundreds of horribly mutilated corpses inside.

After careful examination, the bodies of King Daishang and General Manggu of the Jie tribe were discovered inside the palace. Both had been stabbed many times and were almost torn to pieces, a truly gruesome sight.

Around them lay their personal guards lying in disarray, clearly the result of a fierce battle.

After interrogating the Jie prisoners, Gu Xuan and the others finally learned what had happened!
It turned out that after Manggu and the others entered the city, they became extremely hungry, thirsty and exhausted. However, they pretended to be calm and didn't say a word. They just ate and drank a lot and sat quietly to rest because they were really too weak.

however.

Once Manggu recovered, he began to cause trouble.

He led several of his staunch lieutenants and over a hundred personal guards to launch an attack on King Dai Shang of Chao Jie during a meeting.

Manggu angrily rebuked Daishang, blaming him for most of the reasons for the defeat in this great battle. He also said that if Daishang hadn't lost Chanshan City so quickly, the army wouldn't have run out of supplies and suffered a crushing defeat.

Dai Shang naturally had loyal ministers who loudly rebuked him and refuted his arguments point by point.

Neither side was willing to back down or admit defeat, and the argument became so intense that it left the other neutral parties with no clear stance.

But Manggu, as a seasoned general, had more and more elite soldiers under his command!

After a fierce battle, Manggu and his warriors were filled with murderous intent, their eyes bloodshot, as if they wanted to devour Daishang's men!
For a moment, Manggu and the others seemed to be engaged in a fierce battle, with the momentum to kill King Jie on the spot!
However, despite the dissuasion of many neutral parties, he ultimately did not do so, and perhaps he did not really intend to kill King Jie, but only wanted to frighten him.

However, the next day in the main hall, Dai Shang, who was already a frightened bird, suddenly launched an attack and beheaded Mang Gu with a single stroke.

As the hairy head rolled down from the main hall, Dai Shang finally avenged himself for being bullied by his subordinates, but this also triggered a massive brawl!

(End of this chapter)