Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 200 The First Batch of Bamboo People.

Xuan Chong, with dark circles under his eyes, stood on the high ground, watching the tree people who were gradually approaching.

Meanwhile, the officers, who also had dark circles under their eyes, further tallied the size of the tree people.

Of course, using numbers to count is inappropriate; because a wooden figure in the form of a willow tree is several times the size of an ordinary soldier. Thirty tree figures are equivalent to a battle formation, while a battle formation of halberdiers in the Wu family army consists of eighty to one hundred and twenty men.

In the early morning air filled with the smell of firewood cooking, Xuan Chong couldn't help but yawn before turning to the young sergeant beside him: "Judging from the 'acreage' occupied by the enemy's forces, it's about fifteen times the size of ours. The battle remains extremely fierce."

The officer beside Xuan Chong was his adopted son from Yaodu. His name was Wu Rui. Unlike Wu Ju and others who took the path of civil servants, he was interested in military strategy.

Although both of them stayed up all night with Xuan Chong, this young man could stay up much longer.

Wu Rui was quite excited that he happened to encounter such a grand event during his job rotation.

Xuan Chong shouldered his sniper rifle and peered at the other side through the 8x scope—in the mortal war, Xuan Chong, for various reasons, did not use Chi You's soldiers.

It is now a war between two ethnic forces, and diplomacy will be needed after the war.

If the Xi people can rightfully suppress the Tree People in this battle using their developed military technology, then their relationship will be based on their true strength. Such a relationship is stable and can last for decades, or even centuries.

If the Chi You weapons are brought out and victory is achieved in war, then the diplomatic relationship with the Tree People will largely be based on the existence of these "divine weapons".

Xuan Chong: "If the divine weapon breaks down one day, wouldn't it be like in some anime series, where the national treasure is destroyed and war breaks out immediately?"

As for using Chi You's soldiers to fight cultivators and Xie Yue? Xuan Chong felt no guilt whatsoever. Xuan Chong: "That was me discussing the Dao with them! Chi You's soldiers are my magic weapons. Magic weapons belong to those with virtue. I can use Chi You's soldiers to bombard your mountain gate because I have virtue."

On the battlefield, Wu Rui was already shouting orders for Xuan Chong! He flashed his token and demanded that each team prepare for battle.

Groups of tin loudspeakers and high-volume announcements conveyed a general mobilization message to the entire army.

Amplified by the sound waves from the loudspeakers, the artillerymen on the mountain, the musketeers on the hillside, the halberdiers at the foot of the mountain, and the cavalry resting in the wagon formation in the distance all began their battle preparations.

The soldiers tied flammable materials such as cotton and sulfur to their arrows; the squad leader gave the soldiers a final pre-battle briefing, explaining how to wet their groin cloths with urine and cover their mouths and noses.

The bowstrings were taut, the armor plates clanged. Under the resounding commands, the entire army was filled with unwavering confidence.

Based on their combat experience following Xuan Chong over the past ten years, the general they were now serving had always been victorious and had never let down the soldiers who risked their lives for him.

…The perspective switches to the enemy position…

The treants were enormous, but they had no chance to reorganize their formation before engaging in battle.

Due to the uneven speed of the trees, this large fighting force stretched for four kilometers and was divided into six relatively densely packed zones. Each zone contained approximately twenty to thirty battle groups.

Small tree people are "mountain goblins" that sprout anew from the corpses of the winged race or even ordinary animals, with about eighty individuals forming a battle group.

Animal remains can sometimes still be seen on these little tree people.

Medium-sized tree-people made entirely of plants are about two people tall and weigh between 200 and 400 kilograms each. They form a battle group of twenty to thirty-odd people.

As for the large tree people, they are like detached houses, each person forming a battle group.

Although the Treants' formation is currently sluggish, they still have an advantage in troop numbers.

The Feathered Queen, riding a giant bull, saw many of the tree people around her thirsty and withered. She sensed something was wrong with the war situation and wanted to persuade the Tree Lord.

The "Waterfall Hermit" who arrived from behind used willow branches to whip the ground, and the stones immediately cracked.

The Waterfall Hermit dismissed the Feather Clan Queen's advice, saying, "Now that we have captured those cunning humans, we must not let them escape like this."

Meanwhile, the Cloud-Sweeping Elder demonstrated its stance through action, urging its two bamboo-jointed attendants to lead the children to the front for the first round of combat.

…testing each other…

At Wangfeng Mountain, Xuan Chong confirmed that his first wave of encounters consisted of "bamboo monsters." These bamboo monsters, which had come to the scene, shook their thick bamboo frames, making a creaking sound as the wood fibers twisted, and pounced on the humans on the high ground.

On Xuan Chong's side, with the signal flag conveyed, three thousand spearmen deployed in front, while two hundred cavalrymen on each side formed a "V" shape like white cranes spreading their wings.

The formation looks simple, but the key is the speed of execution.

The entire formation unfolded within ten breaths. Groups of soldiers marched towards each other, their movements so tight that there was no collision between men and horses, a sight comparable to an aerial aerobatic display.

The samurai light cavalry used their high mobility to reach the flanks, then immediately spread out and dismounted; they swung their slings, and burning ammunition billowed smoke as they hurled it at the first clumps of treants to arrive.

Immediately, a large amount of smoke rose from the densest area of ​​bamboo, followed by open flames.

As flames leaped across every branch of the tree-men, the tree-men charging towards Xuan Chong's halberdiers hesitated about whether to maintain their dense formation.

On the battlefield, the bamboo people provided the answer.

These bamboo-like tree people, of varying sizes and equivalent to more than twenty "battle groups," dispersed among themselves, and the few flames that burned only a few bamboo leaves before going out.

Xuan Chong sent out cavalry for this purpose: to harass the enemy's frontal formation by creating disarray through flank attacks, thus relieving pressure on his infantry who were about to engage the enemy lines.

High in the sky, Crow-people signalmen, gliding with kites, were rapidly exchanging battlefield information and reporting data on the density of Tree People during the battle.

Before the battle, Xuanchong had conducted a simulation, which showed that the battle line would only be able to hold if the density of the tree people was diluted to the point that each tree person could make contact with five halberdiers.

As the battle lines were about to make contact, the six bamboo warrior groups gathered once again. Their originally straight trunks bent to the point of "holding their spears horizontally" and launched a charge. The long bamboo poles thrust towards the soldiers and armor, then suddenly released their elasticity.

Two hundred spearmen directly in front of them took the force of the impact head-on, and a few front-line soldiers were thrown away by the bamboo poles.

This was with all soldiers wearing shields on their chests; otherwise, the bamboo spears would have pierced their chests. Xuan Chong saw many scenes of bones being pierced through the chest in the ruins.

Even though Xuan Chong had ensured the first rank was well-protected, the central line of the frontline soldiers still sagged inwards. ...Adjustment...

In the command post, a battalion officer said to Xuan Chong, "Commander, the brothers in front are almost back to the fortified area. Should we send the artillery to the flank?"

The plan proposed by this battalion commander was not something that came up on the spot; a "tactical contingency plan" had been mentioned yesterday. That is, taking advantage of the slow mobility of the Treeman army, a column of vehicle-mounted artillery could be quickly moved to the flank when the battle line was stalemate, and then bombard the Treeman army line with artillery.

At this moment, Xuan Chong looked at him and said, "What's the panic? I told you to prepare some methods before the battle, but don't think that your pre-battle preparations are a magic bullet. You need to pay attention to the situation on the battlefield."

At this moment, Xuan Chong conveyed another order: the three hundred reserve soldiers began to head to the front with coils of straw rope.

If it were other tree-like beings, Xuan Chong would have used flanking artillery to attack them. However, the group he encountered first was the bamboo-like beings. These plant spirits have straight stems and vertical fibers, making them difficult to cut. Artillery fire would cause projectiles to slide along the stems, rendering it ineffective. —Small-caliber field guns cannot fire chain shot.

Xuan Chong's memo: Formulating strategies before the battlefield is necessary, but in actual combat, one must never assume that "a strategy formulated ahead of time is guaranteed to be brilliant." If such wishful thinking arises, then one is a quack-like fandom advisor. They have pre-determined their own victory and then disregard the facts.

As the Wu family army solidified its formation, the reserve force at the rear began to move. Their rubber boots shone in unison as they marched toward the flank, carrying unique equipment.

As the reserve troops set off, Xuan Chong just ordered the front-line troops to retreat and intersect with the support troops.

The reserve soldiers picked up straw ropes with stones tied to both ends, and with the swinging of these guards, the ropes flew out like chain bullets. These straw ropes couldn't cut the bamboo figures, but they certainly served to entangle them. (Similar to the effect of a whip striking a bamboo pole.)
Even if the straw rope fails to wrap around both bamboo figures and bamboo poles at the same time, and only wraps around one, when the bamboo figure bends the bamboo pole to thrust and stab, the moment the pole snaps out, it will accidentally get caught on the straw rope hanging on the other bamboo pole and will be immediately entangled.

Soon, a linkage phenomenon appeared on the bamboo figures: when one bamboo figure moved, it caused a large number of other bamboo figures to sway, which was obviously a "linked grass chain".

Bamboo people quickly moved among themselves, you pulling me, I pulling you...
Upon reaching the first barrier, the collapse of one bamboo figure caused the others to stumble and fall as they attempted to cross it. The samurai halberdiers, regrouping on the barrier, were pleasantly surprised to find that their previously vicious bamboo sweeps were now being stopped halfway by their comrades entangled in straw ropes.

Yes, it's like suddenly getting stuck when closing a door. You immediately think, "What happened?" and then you realize that something that was originally inconspicuous is stuck.

…a clever solution…

After completing their retreat, the spearmen, whose morale had been somewhat damaged, began to shout "The mountain stands firm!" again and launched a counterattack. With a sharpened hook and sickle, they swiftly severed the bamboo branches at the bent parts of the bamboo figures, making it easier for more chain bullets and straw ropes to be thrown up and tied up.

Xuan Chong created a variety of shouts for his troops, allowing them to indicate their current state during battle.

From high-ranking to mid-level commanders, the Wu family army could judge the situation of the troops by the shouts or songs they sang.

For example, when marching, they would chant, "The wind rises, the wind rises, the wind follows the dragon, the clouds follow the tiger!" If they sang loudly enough, it meant they had plenty of energy, but if they were hoarse and their voices were out of sync, it meant that the troops had to slow down.

The information system between grassroots units and generals in the "Infantry Drill Manual" that Xuan Chong has now integrated is quite complete.

While the enemy was shouting for resistance, Shen Wanqing, who was very familiar with the situation of his allies, led his men to approach from the side.

As the cavalrymen galloped, they drew out flintlock pistols, which served as ignition points. The knights waved them in the air, using the wind from the galloping horses to create a bright flame. They then lit the fire arrows and aimed them at the tree people who were already bound together.

…fire attack…

The forward troops quickly regrouped, the entire force turning around and retreating rapidly. But the bamboo men were caught off guard, as flames began to rise from both sides!

Like a virus in a zombie movie, it gradually spread to the center of the camp. Groups of bamboo people, for some unknown reason, suddenly burst into thick smoke, followed by a strong wind in a few breaths, and then their whole bodies were engulfed in flames, making crackling sounds.

The scorching airflow poured into the gaps between the bamboo figures like a flood. The bamboo leaves curled up rapidly, then burst into bright flames, merging with the hot airflow and seeping into the bamboo poles. After the bamboo poles changed color, they emitted smoke, and when the smoke touched the open flame, boom! The smoke ignited.

Although the ropes binding the bamboo figure were quickly untied amidst the flames, it was of no use. The back-and-forth shaking, much like using a fire poker to prop up firewood and allow air in, only fueled the towering flames.

The bamboo people in the very center area were gathered together and could not retreat, which quickly turned into a firestorm.

Fortunately, the Wu family army was blocked by a layer of earthen ramparts, allowing the soldiers to retreat thirty paces and quietly feel the scorching heat coming their way.

Of course, the flames also carried a hint of meaty aroma, because one of the bamboo varieties, with a color like jade, is called Qishe bamboo, and "Bamboo Leaf Green" coexists in the heart of the mature bamboo.

Originally, when these elite bamboo people entered the front line of battle, they would continuously release small snakes, which would then bring a negative "buff" of continuous blood loss to the Xiren tribe legion in the area. That is, after being bitten, they would experience palpitations, exhaustion, and other symptoms.

Dozens of people were bitten during the battle, but the intensity of the fighting prevented them from noticing. —After disengaging from the fighting and facing the scorching heat of the flames, one suddenly collapsed and was transported to the rear for examination.

Furthermore, these poisonous bamboo figures are generally quite large because venomous snakes need to be housed inside the bamboo. Therefore, they were blocked by the smaller bamboo figures in front of them and were burned before they could surge forward.

…One break…

In the first wave of contact between the Wu family army and the tree spirits, the vanguard bamboo people were burned to ashes, but the battle was not over yet, as other types of tree people were on their way.

The second battle will take place in forty minutes. Xuan Chong seized the time to give the soldiers who had contributed to the front lines a chance to catch their breath.

As Xuan Chong gazed at the swaying Willow People Group in the distance, he suddenly imagined the host's speech during the sports meet: "Next up, marching towards us is the Yellow Spring Willow Formation! This formation is famous throughout the Thorn Ridge for the blade-like leaves on its willow branches; they are masters of the reverse step!"

After Xuan Chong used his binoculars to determine the number of enemies, his own troops had already re-formed their square formations and were resting on the ground.

A quick mental calculation shows that the battle with the bamboo men resulted in approximately 67 casualties; only 70% of those injuries were sustained by those who directly confronted the bamboo men with swords, spears, and halberds. Compared to a force of nearly 6,000, this number of casualties is negligible.

This is how close combat with cold weapons works: when the formation is tight and the team is strong, casualties will not exceed a hundred in an hour of fighting. This is because the knives are used to strike each other, and there is armor to block them. There is also the cooperation of colleagues to dodge. The fighting is usually just weapons clashing.

The real casualties occur when the formation is broken and the fleeing troops are in disarray. At this point, the victorious side can easily strike the vital points of the fleeing group, making it a decisive victory.

At that time, even those skilled in internal energy cultivation will be unable to withstand the attacks from all directions, unable to retreat, and will be easily knocked in the groin if they leap.

Currently, Xuanchong's troop losses are minimal, but the morale of the central group's forward position has been reduced by about 50%.

Xuan Chong immediately called for backup forces to replace the most exhausted groups, while also sending water and sesame candy to the soldiers at the front.

The musketeers, who hadn't expended much energy, put down their guns, picked up axes, and began cleaning up the battlefield, pulling out some intact bamboo. Then, Wen Siting and his cavalry joined in the work of clearing away the remains of the bamboo figures.

"Hurry up!" "Pick the big ones!" "We need the ones that can be used as scaffolding, not the ones we pick up to make flutes!" Wen Siting, who had arrived at the front line, rode on his winged tiger and instructed the soldiers cleaning up the battlefield on how to "select the best bamboo."

(End of this chapter)