Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 414 The Battle of Gaoliang River (Part 1)

"Having arrived at Gaoliang River, of course we have to go racing."

A high platform was built behind the main building, with a huge curtain lowered to cover it.

Batch after batch of soldiers from various units took turns entering the curtain to admire the super mining trucks brought by the forest road.

This is one of a batch of second-, third-, fourth-, and fifth-hand mining vehicles that he purchased in the name of a South African mine.

After engine refurbishment and vehicle maintenance, and with some modifications and additions, it can be sent directly into battle.

At this time, the soldiers were sent to take turns to look around and walk around the battlefield, so that they wouldn't frighten their own people when they appeared on the battlefield.

Undoubtedly, this will greatly boost morale.

With such a divine artifact by our side, victory in this battle is assured!
The Liao army also received the news, but words alone are not enough to prove anything.

They tried various methods to peek inside, but the ten-zhang-high curtain on all four sides firmly blocked all their view.

The initial shock is the most intense, and the true extent of the shock will only be revealed when you go to the battlefield.

The appointed day of the decisive battle arrived at dawn.

Along the Gaoliang River, in the numerous camps stretching for more than ten miles, the soldiers indulged in lavish feasts and drinks.

They ate beef that provided enough calories, and drank energy drinks instead of alcohol.

"This water tastes so sweet, it's delicious!"

The soldiers had all eaten beef before, so it wasn't anything special for them.

This is probably the first time I've ever tried this beverage.

"Niu Hong~" A soldier looked at the energy drink can in his hand and asked, "What is Niu Hong?"

"Could it be some part of the cow?"

Someone nearby joked, "Maybe it's cow urine~"

"Nonsense, since it's red, it must be made from cow's blood."

As the soldiers were discussing it, one of the ten generals burped and explained, "Stop talking nonsense. I heard from the captain that the name of this thing is read backwards."

"Oh~" The soldiers suddenly realized, "Just like we learned in night school, read from left to right."

"That's Red Bull!"

"Are there really red cows in this world?"

"I've seen black cattle, yellow cattle, and blue cattle, but I've never seen a red cattle."

While they were chatting and joking, the time allotted for them to use the outhouse had already passed.

As the officers at all levels called out, the soldiers rose and began to put on their armor.

Armor also comes in many varieties.

Not everyone wore the same armor.

Cavalry, unless they are heavily armored like the Ironclad Cavalry, usually wear light armor and are mainly designed to deal with arrow damage.

As for the infantry, not all of them wore heavy armor that looked like iron cans.

Most people actually wore light leather armor, and many didn't even have armor; they were just dressed in cloth.

This is partly due to resource scarcity.

The production of metal objects in the handicraft era was inevitably insufficient to meet the enormous demand.

This is a limitation of technology and productivity.

Furthermore, different military ranks result in different treatment.

It's impossible for the commander to wear lamellar armor, and for the cooks stirring the ladles to wear lamellar armor as well.

At this time, Lin Dao's army was in a similar situation.

All the military officers were dressed in full armor, even the ten generals.

The same applies to elite infantry.

Most of the soldiers wore light armor for convenience.

It is mainly a light armor to facilitate the protection of the head and torso.

The light armor provided by Lindao is also made from thin armor plates produced and processed in modern machining factories around the world.

Despite being less than one millimeter thick, it is made of high-quality steel.

Not only is it lightweight, but it is also strong enough to withstand crossbow fire, sword and spear slashes and stabbings.

As for hammers and maces coming at you—even heavy armor can't stop them.

The armor can block it, but the body inside the armor cannot withstand the shock of the force.

After getting dressed, the soldiers picked up their weapons and equipment, as well as water bags and carrying bags.

The water sac is filled with water to replenish energy.

Lin Dao also invested heavily this time, placing large orders directly from the factory.

Inside the portable bag, besides two compressed biscuits, there was also a bag of sugar cubes and a bag of White Rabbit milk candy.

On the battlefield, where physical exertion is intense, sugar is the fastest way to replenish energy.

A large number of soldiers filed out to greet them and headed to the banks of the Gaoliang River.

As for Lin Dao, he was currently operating the drone.

With a buzzing sound, Lin Dao remotely controlled the large drone to fly towards Youzhou City, which was dozens of miles away from the battlefield.

The drone hovered in the sky, its onboard camera clearly capturing the situation inside the city.

The tall city walls could block prying eyes from outside the city.

However, there is absolutely no obstruction when faced with prying eyes falling from the sky.

Looking at the densely packed guards near the city gate, Lin Dao sighed and shook his head, then looked at Cao Bin beside him and said, "Look for yourself."

This was the first time Cao Bin had ever experienced such a vast, top-down perspective.

After getting used to it, he turned pale when he saw the many Liao soldiers hidden in the city.

He immediately flew into a rage, shouting, "You scoundrel! How dare you bully me!"

Without a doubt, it was those so-called wealthy families in the city who deceived Cao Bin under the pretense of surrendering the city.

When the time comes to bring the troops into the city, the city gates will be suddenly sealed off, and the ambush troops inside will swarm in.
Just thinking about it makes my head tingle.

"My lord is guilty!"

Cao Bin bowed and begged for forgiveness, saying, "Your Majesty, please punish me."

If Lin Dao hadn't used his immortal powers to detect the ambush, he would have truly dispatched over ten thousand elite troops to capture the city.

So, what was the result?
"Then you should atone for your crimes by doing good deeds."

Lin Dao simply instructed, "You lead ten thousand elite troops and continue towards Youzhou City." Upon hearing this, Cao Bin was shocked, "Your Majesty, this is a trap!"

"I know!"

Lin Dao waved his hand, "Take a closer look."

"There are at least 20,000 ambushes inside the city, not even counting the city's garrison."

"Your purpose in going there is to hold them back and prevent them from joining the main battlefield."

Cao Bin understood now.

Use a detachment to control the enemy's reserve force, which is not far from the battlefield.

However, this means being far from the main battlefield, which affects one's chances of gaining military merit.
"Leader!"

The previous misjudgment almost led to significant losses.

At this point, nothing you say will help; the only thing you can do is try your best to make amends.

Having resolved the issue of flanking maneuvers, Lin Dao retrieved the drone, which hovered over the battlefield and was set to automatically circle and cruise.

He got up and went into the huge curtain, first seeing off the heavy mining truck to Yonghe Time and Space.

The main battlefield was set on the other side of the river, and he couldn't very well drive this massive machine weighing hundreds of tons across the river directly.

He then mounted his horse and, surrounded by many imperial guards, rode straight to the riverbank.

At this time, the engineers trained by Lin Dao had already erected more than a dozen simple steel pontoon bridges across the not-so-wide Gaoliang River.

These steel pontoon bridges are actually not technically difficult.

They are all modular buildings; once they are pushed into the water, the modular components are simply connected.

As for buoyancy, it comes from the float airbags under each component and the sealed empty barrels suspended on both sides.

The Liao army on the opposite bank did not hinder the construction of the bridge; in fact, they gradually retreated, clearing out a considerable amount of space.

This was not because the Liao army was being kind; rather, they planned to attack while the enemy was crossing the river.

It is well known that a large army is very vulnerable when crossing a river. If it is attacked at this time, it will suffer heavy losses or even collapse.

Furthermore, because of the river's obstruction, there was nowhere to escape.

This is why only strong armies dare to forcibly cross rivers to start a war.

Lin Dao had anticipated this would happen and had naturally made arrangements accordingly.

Those who crossed the river first were all the most elite Imperial Guards.

They also carried large amounts of barbed wire facing the enemy, and even Molotov cocktails.

After crossing the river, the engineers quickly moved forward to get to work.

They laid barbed wire, buried landmines, dug shallow trenches to place Molotov cocktails, and so on.

Lin Dao knew that his elite troops could withstand the Liao army's charge.

But if we have the technological means to use, why risk human lives?

If it weren't for the concern that the Liao army would be scared away before the decisive battle, Lin Dao would have even considered using armored vehicles.

"His Majesty."

On Yelü Shulu's side, a group of experienced generals advised, "Releasing 20,000 or 30,000 would be enough; we can't wait any longer!"

"Attack while the enemy is crossing" usually means to launch an attack after the enemy has crossed half of the river.

However, the strength of the Southern soldiers on the other side made them feel a great threat.

The rapid formation of the troops, their gleaming armor, and their surging speed across the river all posed a visible threat.

A fast regrouping speed indicates good training.

The brightly colored armor on their bodies indicates that they are well-equipped.

Even more unexpectedly, the Southern army crossed the river at an incredibly fast pace!

It really was as fast as the tide coming ashore.

The generals, realizing that something was wrong, hurriedly urged Yelü Shulu to take action as soon as possible.

It would be enough to wipe out 20,000 to 30,000 southern soldiers.

Yelü Shulu was cruel and particularly enjoyed abusing his servants. Historically, he was killed by his servants who could no longer tolerate his cruelty.

However, even within the imperial court, advice could still be heeded.

He immediately nodded and ordered the troops to be dispatched.

Many people believe that the side with more cavalry will inevitably charge with thousands of troops, directly overwhelming the enemy.

In reality, unless they are heavily armored cavalry, cavalry rarely charge into battle unless forced to.

Because a true infantry formation is sufficient to withstand a cavalry charge.

The Liao army's first move was to send cavalry forward to harass and disrupt the Southern army's formation by firing arrows.

Then a large number of soldiers stepped forward to engage in close combat.

The first thousand or so cavalrymen hesitated in front of the barbed wire fence, trying to go around it.

However, the barbed wire erected by the engineers formed an arc, directly obstructing the landing zone.

They dismounted and tried to cut or drag it away.

But barbed wire is extremely resilient; it's not something that can be easily cut or dragged away.

Moreover, the imperial guards here were constantly firing crossbows, felling men and horses in droves.

There was nothing that could be done about it; the range of the bows and arrows carried by cavalry could never compare to that of powerful crossbows.

They could only ride their horses over layers of barbed wire, heading towards the Southern army.

The outer layers of barbed wire were spaced quite far apart, allowing the horses to jump.

However, the further in you go, the smaller the gaps become, making it impossible to leap across them on horseback.

Once entangled in barbed wire, its sharp barbs cut through the skin and muscles, and the more you struggle, the tighter it becomes.

Meanwhile, the powerful crossbows of the Imperial Guard continued to fire.

The thousand-plus cavalrymen not only failed to harass the imperial guards, but were instead trapped in the mud, struggling to make ends meet.

The Liao army reacted swiftly, quickly throwing out hooks and ropes in an attempt to drag away the barbed wire.

But the barbed wire is extremely resilient; it's not so easy to drag it away.

It's almost stretched into a bow, but it still hasn't broken.

It wasn't until the infantry caught up, wielding their weapons to chop, smash, and cut, and even bringing cloth to spread out, that a path was cleared for them to proceed.

However, this is only the first line of defense.

The Liao army, gathered together and marching in formation, quickly kicked away the landmines and tripwires!
(End of this chapter)