Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 163 Arrows Like Locusts
Duan Hongyan led a group of archers, raining down arrows without stopping the bowstring, inflicting heavy casualties on the enemy in an instant.

When the arrows in the Hulu bag ran out, supply soldiers immediately brought them more arrows to replenish them.

"Arrows rained down like rain, arrows flew like locusts"—this description is mostly an exaggeration and rarely appears in actual warfare.

The reason is simple: such extreme shooting is extremely inefficient, wastes a lot of arrows, and quickly depletes the archer's stamina.

However, military tactics are ever-changing, just as water has no fixed shape. Throughout history, renowned generals have often employed this lavish and extravagant style of attack to gain the upper hand. Against weaker adversaries, this allows them to swiftly inflict heavy casualties and severely damage enemy morale.

Warfare is a matter of life and death, a path to survival or destruction. If victory is decided in a single move, then considering economic factors becomes meaningless.

As the Zhejiang East Army advanced through a hail of arrows, the shields of the front-line soldiers were riddled with short, fragmented arrows, and their courage and fighting spirit were constantly being worn down by the stray arrows.

In order to encircle and annihilate the rebel army, the Zhejiang East Army also rushed over at full speed. The rebel army's disadvantage of being exhausted from their long journey when they first arrived on the battlefield was now also affecting the Zhejiang East Army.

They were clearly less than twenty paces from the enemy lines; a slight advance would have allowed them to slaughter those despicable archers.

The closer they got to the enemy lines, the fiercer the rain of arrows became. The enemy could even aim for their faces, employing the "ten-step-to-the-face" technique.

The Zhejiang warriors, their shields riddled with arrows, felt their legs as heavy as the shields in their hands, making it difficult for them to muster the courage to charge to their deaths.

"After this battle, not only will Commander Cui receive a great reward, but you can also plunder the men and women of the Three Wu regions!"

Seeing the perilous nature of the war, the officers in charge had no choice but to allow looting to boost the morale of the soldiers.

Bandits pass by like combs, soldiers pass by like fine brushes. In fact, government troops have done this more than once or twice.

However, it is extremely rare to say such things openly on the battlefield.

One of the lieutenants added, "The female general leading the troops is Huang Jutian's most beloved disciple, and also an absolute beauty. After we defeat the enemy and capture her, we'll all take good care of her. Whoever makes the greatest contribution will be the first to receive the reward!"

"Among the bandits, there are quite a few female soldiers and women. If we can defeat them in one fell swoop, we will benefit greatly!"

Such shameless words are what truly inspire the soldiers' morale.

Upon hearing this, Duan Hongyan's expression changed slightly. The soldiers of the Zhejiang East Army in front of her, however, regained their courage, their eyes blazing with fire, and charged forward shouting loudly.

"You dog-guts, what filthy words are you spouting? Did you even ask me, Meng Juehai, first!"

With a thunderous roar, a spear flew through the air, piercing the shield in the hand of the officer who had just spoken disrespectfully, then through the iron mask covering his face, the spearhead protruding from the back of his head.

Another spear pierced the man's chest.

Although Duan Hongyan called her a four-legged snake behind her back, Tian Jun was still annoyed by the general's foul language towards Duan Hongyan in public, and it reminded her of that disgusting fellow Shi Pu.

Hundreds of burly soldiers followed closely behind, and hundreds of javelins were thrown into the enemy ranks at close range within a few breaths, causing blood and flesh to fly everywhere.

Compared to bows and arrows, heavy javelins have a stronger impact and are more effective at demoralizing the enemy.

The drawbacks are also obvious: the payload is extremely small, and it is difficult to fire in rapid succession.

Following the rain of arrows came javelins, and the Zhejiang East Army's formation was instantly routed.

Meng Kai roared, brandished his great axe, and charged into the enemy ranks, transforming into a blood whirlwind. Wherever he slashed, limbs and severed bodies flew everywhere.

Even a general as brave as Meng Kai, who is renowned throughout the army, can only play a limited role in a large-scale battle involving tens of thousands of troops, as was the case in the battle with Zhenhai Army two days ago.

In battles involving hundreds to thousands of people, such top-tier generals can often turn the tide of battle single-handedly. For example, in the Battle of Dabie Mountain South, Zhu Wen and his forces were initially completely suppressed by Wang Jian, but Meng Kai charged in alone to provide reinforcements, instantly reversing the situation and causing Wang Jian's army to collapse in defeat.

The Zhejiang troops that rushed in originally numbered around 10,000.

However, the enemy's quality was limited, and Meng Kai seized the most crucial opportunity to strike, thus securing victory. Such situations are rare and fleeting, as opportunities are fleeting. Li Bi, a fierce general of the Northern and Southern Dynasties, once led sixty elite cavalrymen into battle at the Battle of Shayuan, cutting off Gao Huan's army of 40,000 in one fell swoop, but he was never able to replicate such a feat again.

How to maximize the power of a fierce general depends not only on the commander-in-chief's strategy and tactics, but also on the general's judgment and individual performance in the face of the enemy.

Meng Kai is undoubtedly an intuitive type of general. Even without outstanding strategic planning skills, he may still grow into a capable general who can stand alone in the future, thanks to his keen battlefield intuition.

As Xuanhua's battle-axe swept through the enemy ranks, creating a bloody wave, Duan Hongyan and the others also sheathed their bows and drew their swords, launching a fierce counter-charge against the enemy.

Unlike the Flame General's army, the Grass Army archers did not undergo "bow and spear integration" training; they could only be said to possess basic melee combat skills.

However, after a series of fierce and rapid attacks, the morale of the Zhejiang East Army, which had come from afar, was lost and their formation was in disarray. They were immediately overwhelmed and collapsed, trampling each other and falling into a chaotic situation.

A mere two or three thousand peasant soldiers, most of whom were archers who were not skilled in close combat, managed to chase and beat the Zhejiang East Army, which numbered over ten thousand.

Under the protection of his personal guards, Military Governor Cui Qiu fled in a sorry state, looking panicked, fearing that Meng Kai, who was like a fierce god from another world, would come to kill him!
The rebel soldiers pursued the fleeing enemy for more than a mile before turning back.

With several severed heads strapped to her waist, Tian Jun turned back into the ranks, her face beaming with excitement, and said to Lan Suting in the supply train, "This old lady had a wonderful time killing!"

These enemies were all defeated by Tian Jun using a ten-foot-long serpent spear, which is used in foot combat.

Today, she was carrying five spears on her back. Apart from killing the Zhejiang East Army lieutenant who spoke ill of Duan Hongyan, together with Meng Kai, the other four attacks missed.

When Tian Jun throws javelins, her accuracy isn't actually that great, but she's often reliable in crucial moments.

Lan Suting's gentle gaze avoided the heads of the group. Although she was used to such scenes, her innate compassion still made her dislike them.

"In Su Ting's opinion, although Pei Qu is a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), he is also a brave general who will lead his personal guards into battle when necessary. Cui Qiu, on the other hand, is a scholar who is weak and helpless. In open field battles, he will have to rely on his elite personal guards for self-defense, and he will be even less able to exert his offensive power."

Lan Suting analyzed the situation and deduced another brilliant aspect of Huang Chao's decision to attack Pei Qu first.

Learning and exchanging ideas with Zhu Wen greatly improved her skills.

Tian Jun suddenly noticed Lan Suting's expression, and then threw the heads to the servant of the military officer in charge of recording the battle achievements: "Zhizhen, are you saying that Commander Huang planned to wait for the two armies to attack from both sides before defeating Cui Qiu in one fell swoop?"

"My wisdom is limited, and I cannot presume to know for sure," Lan Suting said softly. "But it must have been involved in the planning of many contingency plans."

Top-tier strategists would certainly consider various unforeseen circumstances, such as the inability to quickly defeat Pei Qu, which was also within the considerations of Huang Chao and Zhu Wen.

Tian Jun immediately realized that Zhu Wen was the chief strategist of the rebel army, so how could Huang Chao not consult with Zhu Wen when devising his plans and strategies?
Tian Jun smiled with pride at her beloved's resourcefulness: "Cui Qiu rushed to the rescue, only to be dealt a crushing blow. When the news reached Pei Qu's army, the Zhenhai Army was utterly devastated."

"Should our army launch a general offensive against that old scoundrel Pei Qu next?"

The response to Tian Jun was the steady stream of supply troops passing by. They had collected and counted the captured Zhejiang East Army flags, clearly intending to take them to the front of the Zhenhai Army camp to show Pei Qu's men.

At the front, Huang Chao stroked the precious sword in his hand and glanced at Zhu Wen beside him.

Everything is under control.

As a master of his time, Huang Chao was determined to personally lead the charge and participate in the final assault.

Pei Qu's fate has been decided.

This person also carries the blood debt of Cao Shixiong.

Zhu Wen laughed heartily, drew his sword, and strode out to join Huang Chao in battle.

Although there are many enemies in one's eyes, they are like mustard seeds, which can be swallowed at will!

(End of this chapter)