Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 235 Wu Zaixing's Deadly Move
On July 1, the Xiazhou Campaign (Central Route) was launched simultaneously. This was a large-scale, multi-front operation no less significant than the Chenzhou and Xiangyang Campaigns (Lower Route).

Zhenhao's 30,000-strong army sensed that the number of Zhen troops around them was increasing.

Zhenhao's premonition was correct; on the strategic map, a tactical encirclement had formed around his army. Wu Zaixing (30,000) and Wang Feihao (15,000) were lying in wait for him.

From Zhenhao Legion's perspective, the Zhen Army in front of them appeared to be turning their pincer attack into a semi-encirclement. Hao's generals all expressed that if this continued, it would be extremely disadvantageous to their army.

Note: Wu Zaixing's group held an advantage in marching strategy; they arrived at the battle site in full readiness two days before Zhenhao's group's advance troops. "Fully readiness" here means that their artillery, tanks, and other heavy weapons were fully equipped. They also had ample time to gather timber and stone to construct fortifications.

In the current battle in northern Xiazhou, Zhenhao's troops are the vanguard cavalry and infantry units that arrived at the battlefield first.

The Hao army's follow-up supplies, such as "giant soldiers" and "chariots," could not arrive so quickly; during large-scale troop movements, infantry and cavalry could move three steps at a time, while "giant soldiers" and "chariots" could only move one step.

Under ideal conditions, Zhenhao would wait for the "giant soldiers" and "war chariots" to arrive together before engaging in battle.

Over the years, Zhenhao has fought against the feudal lords in the same way as Zhao Cheng; given the Hao army's large-scale troop movement capabilities, the feudal lords' armies have given the Hao army ample time to maneuver.

But now the Chen army did not give the Hao army such an opportunity; after the Hao army's vanguard set up a large camp, they immediately moved forward to build fortifications; the fortifications were not only built on the front, but also several kilometers away on both sides, cutting off the roads on both sides.

This semi-encirclement formation is putting Hao's army in a difficult position. If more troops and chariots arrive, they will face a crisis, as it will be a positional battle. As for bypassing the lines? Wu Zaixing's defenses are all backed by complex terrain such as hills and rivers.

In the military manual of the Chen army, it is written, "Never waste time waiting."

So, after five days of "steady preparation," Hao's army hastily launched a major battle before its heavy weapons arrived, attempting to crush the Chen army in one fell swoop and secure the empire.

At this time, Hao Jun was facing attacks from both the north and the south. Under these circumstances, Zhen Hao prioritized his attack to the north.

Because after the 28th, no more food supplies were sent to Hao's army, and Zhenhao's southern logistics were cut off; moreover, there were no more food supplies in the east of Xiazhou; and Zhao Cheng led his troops south, so Xiazhou was a strategic dead end. He had to break through Wu Zaixing's main force and open up the road to advance north to Shazhou.

However, Wu Zaixing learned of Hao Jun's actions before the attack even began through spies. Therefore, adjustments were made before the battle.

On the sand table, Wu Zaixing deployed his valuable mobile forces on the northern front and entrusted them to Wu Leng for command; while the southern army of Xiazhou was led by the veteran general Wang Feihao (Chapter 77), thus setting up an inescapable net.

With the deployment complete, Wu Zaixing minimized the Hao army's escape route before the decisive battle.

…closing the net…

At dawn, as the sky began to lighten, the war drums sounded from the south. Groups of Hao soldiers, shields raised, marched towards their positions amidst the clanging of their armor plates. This force of at least 20,000 men pressed forward across a five-kilometer front, like the tides of the sea.

Wu Zaixing's Chen army brought 115 cannons of varying sizes; among them, 24 large-caliber siege cannons fired first, but the shots hit the enemy's wide formation in a sparse manner, and the bouncing solid bullets overturned shields and raised limbs.

The Hao Army, after all, was an iron-willed force forged through years of fighting for supremacy, and it did not collapse. The leading sergeant shouted, "Charge! Their artillery will be useless then!"

But then, Haojun gradually felt despair.

After charging three hundred paces, Hao's soldiers saw fifteen defensive positions composed of trenches and ramparts directly in front of them.

Each position had about three hundred soldiers, while behind the positions there was a mobile force of about a thousand men on standby.

The old soldiers in Hao's army, their faces covered in dust, could tell that this was a defensive counterattack based on the position, but they had no choice but to grit their teeth and continue charging.

Then, a continuous barrage of gunfire erupted on the battlefield. Directly in front of the fortress, musket bullets traced thin lines, sweeping across the enemy troops surging in from multiple directions like raindrops.

These guns were all breech-loading rifles, with supports on the gun body that fit perfectly into the wooden railings pre-installed on the ramparts. They employed a bolt-action breech-loading design, because with muzzle-loading rifles, the gun had to be lowered and gunpowder and bullets loaded through the muzzle for each shot.

Such a charging speed is tolerable if the gun barrel can be measured by a person's arm; however, a two-meter-long gun handle is too cumbersome. To ensure the rate of fire, no expense was spared in manufacturing these parts.

But apart from that, this gun is just a breech-loading gun. In order to maintain sufficient production, the craftsmen of Zhen sacrificed the accuracy of firepower. The barrel is smoothbore and is reinforced with wrought iron rings to increase its strength.

This is due to limitations in machining. If the materials and machining capabilities were truly improved, allowing for the production of a qualified barrel, Wu Fei would equip the weapon with a gas system, a suitable spring, and a lightweight yet sturdy support; that would be the future of anti-tank rifles.

Inside the fortress, plumes of smoke and steam filled the air; yes, with an average firing rate of one shot every five seconds, the barrels became terribly hot after ten shots, requiring wet towels to cool them down.

After the gun has fired twenty rounds, a wet towel placed on it will be scorched, and you have to use a funnel to drip water onto the towel.

Soldiers inside the fortress, drenched in sweat in the humid heat, roared as they operated their weapons.

When Haojun reached two hundred paces in front of the position, it was already a bloodbath; the veterans of Haojun who had fought on the battlefield still had a murderous aura that could interfere with the trajectory of bullets; and then when they advanced to within one hundred paces, the speed at which they fell increased exponentially, and at this time Haojun also began their final assault.

However, when Hao Jun was seventy paces away, he discovered that on the straight path leading directly to the Chen Army's position, there were "bamboo stakes" protruding from the ground.

Many Hao soldiers were tripped up one after another, and had to slow down; and as they slowed down, the probability of being shot down increased.

Within the last forty steps, Hao Jun also had to deal with a disgusting, epoch-making contraption near the fortress: a short section of barbed wire wrapped around a wooden stake.

During World War I on Earth, such barbed wire was laid out along the front line for tens of kilometers; the Zhen army did not have such production capacity, and only deployed multiple layers of barbed wire in front of the fortifications, which were only 200 meters wide, and left gaps for the Hao army to sneak in.

As for why there were no flanking positions? Because the melee units were already on standby on both sides, which were specifically reserved for our own melee units to engage them, so as not to block the barricade muskets from continuing to fire at the front.

The Hao army eventually bypassed the fortified area under musket fire and found an entry point; however, they encountered a similarly heavily armored and elite Zhen army melee team there.

Although the Zhen Army has few melee fighters, they receive a monthly allowance of Herbal Rejuvenation Pills, and their martial aura is no less than that of the Hao Army's elite troops.

Furthermore, they made up for the lack of individual experience in tactics, and on the battlefield, they stood firm against the enemy like reefs.

In the central position, Wu Zaixing, riding his winged tiger, watched the "waves" of the two armies clashing at the front lines; his eyes showed no sign of relaxation. Even though blood had flowed like rivers, and firepower seemed to have the upper hand, Wu Zaixing, seeing the Hao army continuing to surge forward in the distance, knew he had to quickly annihilate the vanguard.

When Wu Zaixing was competing with Wu Rui, he was slightly slower than Wu Rui in the "decision-making cycle." Because of this competition, he felt a sense of urgency in every step of the operation.

Meanwhile, some of the crossbowmen on the ramparts began to fire sideways at the Hao army soldiers who were entangled with their own armored troops.

These crossbow bolts easily pierced through the Hao army's armor, forcing the Hao army to guard against hidden arrows before they could charge forward to engage.

This entanglement greatly angered Hao Jun. So, some warriors from Hao Jun's ranks charged forward, clad in exquisite armor with tiger emblems on their sides, clearly from a prestigious lineage; bullets hitting them were deflected. This was the equipment of the Zhanlu army of yesteryear, and the men wearing this armor were also remarkable; their martial arts cultivation had all reached the sixth level or higher, and they wielded weapons sharpened with malevolent blades, cleaving through volleys of bullets.

Faced with such elite Hao army soldiers, Wu Zaixing threw out a bamboo token.

After receiving the order, the communications battalion crossed flags on the position, and then groups of twenty-man combat teams stepped forward.

…This formation is like a pair of mandarin ducks…

The Zhen army combat squad was a mixed force of pikemen, large-caliber shotgunners, and swordsmen and shieldmen. Firearms were not used for long-range attacks, but rather for bombardment within fifteen paces.

This firearm has a very large caliber and is trumpet-shaped.

A Hao Army elite soldier, whose bronze "shoulder-swallowing" armor featured animal heads on its shoulders and whose martial energy automatically deflected crossbow bolts, charged into the open space between two "defensive barriers" seventy paces apart, preparing to break through the formation.

Just as he broke through the ramparts, relieved to have dodged a smoothbore bullet fired from dozens of paces away, he encountered a close-combat squad of the Zhen army. He immediately charged at them and then sensed a murderous aura.

For martial arts masters, encountering such a large, coordinated battle formation would normally be best avoided; they would then move to the side or rear to use hidden weapons to injure their opponents. However, in a battlefield setting where several groups advance in shifts, avoiding such formations is simply impossible.

The elite Hao army began a difficult stalemate. Although their martial energy had deflected some projectiles, the crossbow bolts and projectiles still managed to penetrate the defenses, slowing their movements.

After just one exchange, the advanced martial artist sent by Haojun was immediately at a disadvantage.

Some were killed by spears, some by being slammed into walls of swords and shields, and others by bullets.

If you only read the text description, most people would find it baffling that this combination of weapons could increase combat power. How could these second-rate things combined be able to defeat my top-tier martial arts skills that I've practiced for twenty years?
Therefore, the Mandarin Duck Formation of the Zhen Army should be described using mathematical distribution.

Treating "knife tips," "spear tips," and "shotgun shells" as attack points, we can understand their spatial distribution as a cluster of points; and the combination of battle formations will cause a cluster of "attack points" to be densely distributed within ten steps of the original point.

When the Mandarin Duck Formation is in place, all soldiers launch a coordinated attack when the enemy's expert gets close; within a ten-step range, by observing the distribution of these kill points, a dead zone will be discovered.

A master's moves can kill a person in ten steps, but there is a limit to the frequency of "attacking" within a single breath.

Within this ten-step range, the battle formation's attack frequency can overwhelm any individual.

It's worth mentioning that every weapon in the Mandarin Duck Formation can break through defenses; and unlike in the game, in reality, the damage inflicted after breaking through defenses will have negative effects such as "severe pain," "retreat," and "loss of balance."
As the saying goes, when the barrage of military attacks becomes dense enough, no martial arts moves are meaningful.

After a series of clashes, the Zhanlu army's advanced equipment changed hands. As the elite troops retreated, the other Hao troops who were charging in front of the fortress retreated like a tide. Facing these fleeing Hao troops, the Zhen army fortress once again spewed out deadly flames.

…in one fell swoop…

On July 3, Zhenhao had no choice but to abandon the Iron Wall built by Wu Zaixing; because during the time he was fighting, Wang Feihao approached from the side.

On the map, Zhenhao's troops are operating northward. Wang Feihao is also heading north, located not far southwest of Zhenhao, with his advance reconnaissance unit less than five kilometers away from Zhenhao.

At this point, it wasn't that Zhenhao could simply wait for the terracotta warriors to arrive and break through Wu Zaixing's defenses; rather, if he continued fighting, Wang Feihao would have to infiltrate the rear lines and capture the cities where the "giant soldiers" were stationed and resting. (Note: These giant soldiers had already finished resting and left the city.) At that time, once the gates were sealed, it would resemble the Battle of Changping.

Zhenhao had no choice but to withdraw from the battlefield, and even then, he would have to fight Wang Feihao, who was sneaking around in the southwest. At 3:33 PM on the 3rd, after confirming Haojun's movements, Wu Zaixing chuckled in the temporary command post inside the trenches. He had already heard that Wu Rui's side had lost track of Zhao Cheng, only managing to capture the 20,000 abandoned troops left behind by Zhao Cheng.

In the Battle of Xiazhou, a significant portion of Hao's main force was indeed engaged. This battle drew in 30,000 of the enemy's main force and also drew the attention of the remaining 20,000 troops on the Xiazhou side.

Note: The claim that Xiazhou had 50,000 troops was a boast and included the city's garrison. Xiazhou did not have the capacity to provide large-scale mobility for 50,000 troops. After the main battle was over, the remaining troops were pragmatic and knew when to back down.

"How will we determine the merits after the war?" Wu Zaixing stroked his beard, mimicking Xuan Chong's catchphrase: "It's hard to guess."

Xuan Chong personally praised Wu Rui for having the best talent, but Wu Zaixing always had a thought in his heart: "It's hard to say."

When he graduated from military academy, he was standing second in line and he was already holding back his words: "Tomorrow, let's each lead 10,000 troops and see who returns with a great victory, and who's just a showy but useless person!"

…Wu Zaixing's life is a thrilling drama, but for Zhenhao it's a tragedy…

After his failed attempt to break through the wall, he could have survived by heading east without looking back. However, by choosing to head southeast to join other military forces in the southern Xia Prefecture, his army was now truly unable to retreat.

To escape, one must travel light. Just like Zhao Cheng, by discarding unnecessary supplies and following the roads that were not yet blocked, enduring the wear and tear on chariots and terracotta warriors, one could travel a hundred li in twenty hours, and no one could catch up with Zhao Cheng.

However, Zhenhao's army had all roads blocked, and he still wanted to preserve his strength. He was unwilling to sacrifice even a single pawn, so wouldn't the entire army be "stuck" in the field?

Of course, Zhenhao was also unable to abandon his pawns. Zhao Cheng kept all military orders secret, so that the two units that were to be abandoned received no information at all. Zhenhao's subordinates were all in cahoots, so that the whole army knew about any slight movement.

…a sudden thrust…

On July 5, the vanguard of Zhenhao's army engaged in another contact battle with Wang Feihao's group on the southern front of the Zhen army.

Compared to Wu Zaixing's mobile field forces, Wang Feihao's troops were an "assault corps."

According to the situation in the Central Plains, Wang Feihao was a rising star among generals; however, in the Wu family army, "the new generation surpasses the old," and Wang Feihao did not get the "preemptive strike" mission. Therefore, in the battle plan, he was assigned by the General Staff to the "second wave" of attacks.

Of course, because Zhenhao's large-scale troop movement was relatively slow, his giant soldiers, chariots, and other heavy weapons failed to reach the front line in time. Now that Zhenhao's vanguard has moved to the rear, Wang Feihao has just encountered Haojun's heavy weapons.

This scene of the vanguard of the army clashing was the result of the Chen army's 8,000 musketeer troops relying on their positions to resist the frontal attack of the Hao army's 4,000 armored soldiers and a large army.

Hao Jun's fearsome ten-zhang-tall giant terracotta warriors, without hesitation, served as the spearhead of the assault, charging towards the Wu family's musket positions under heavy barrage of cannon fire.

Three hundred paces away, on the enemy's position, the soldiers in their brightly colored uniforms watched as this colossal creature, ten zhang tall, charged towards them. Under the orders of their superiors for "first wave of reconnaissance fire," they fearfully pulled the triggers, bullets crackling like popping beans.

However, only sparks appeared on the armor plates of the terracotta figurine, and some white glaze chips fell off.

Wang Feihao observed the effects of his troops' attacks through binoculars. The shells fired by his artillery could indeed pause the giant terracotta warriors for a step or two; however, more often than not, when the terracotta warriors swung their broadswords, the shells were deflected back.

Behind the terracotta warriors, rows of armored warriors, their bodies completely covered and even their faces hidden, were advancing rapidly, wielding long halberds. Many bullets struck these warriors, but most of the low-velocity projectiles, with initial velocities below 300 meters per second, were deflected by the shields on their armor, propelled by the warriors' internal energy. The few projectiles that managed to penetrate the defenses struck the heavy armor, destroying a number of armor plates before losing their kinetic energy.

It seemed that as the giant terracotta warriors stomped on the ground, creating thunder with each step, and as the Hao army soldiers rapidly approached, the collapse of the Chen army on the ground, which only knew how to fire guns and cannons, was just an ongoing process.

Wang Feihao lowered his binoculars and ordered: "Flight crews, prepare to separate the enemy's armored vehicles from their infantry; artillery, prepare to mop up the enemy as soon as their armored vehicles fall."

Just as they approached the tunnel position, groups of Zhenjun riflemen squatted inside the tunnel, whistling as they tied a "dung-pulling device" to the front of their spears—Xuan Chong's staff officers were always racking their brains when it came to riflemen countering enemy forces.

Advanced spearmen are too expensive, so let's try upgrading technology.

The value of a giant soldier ranges from one hundred to five hundred merit points, with the jade lion worth one hundred and the terracotta giant soldier worth five hundred. All participating troops share the points, with front-line spearmen receiving the most.

…A summary of the current state of global technology…

This is the peculiar technological path of this world. Steelmaking technology has not advanced enough to produce high-strength gun steel, so lightweight anti-tank guns have not been deployed to the squad level.

On the other hand, energy technology was developed first; large behemoths could deflect projectiles. This combination of increased power and decreased efficiency resulted in a situation where, although firepower support could be provided by muskets and cannons on the battlefield, crucial assaults and counter-assaults were all undertaken by melee groups.

And given the current technological trends, even if steelmaking can sustain the production of anti-tank guns...

Materials science will also make the giant soldiers even more terrifying, transforming them into a state where the ceramic steel structure itself possesses "energy burst reflection," forming an even more terrifying melee assault force.

Therefore, the weapons research department under Xuan Chong believed that attaching energy to melee weapons was the only solution to the problem.

…Back to the current battlefield…

In the trenches, armored spearmen, clutching their rifle shafts, crouched in small pits, quietly waiting for the terracotta warriors to approach.

As the giant soldier approached, particles fell from both sides of the tunnel with a clatter.

Inside the tunnel, an old soldier from the Wu family army assured the soldiers: "The compensation will definitely be paid, the shrine for the martyrs will definitely be built, and the orphans will definitely be cared for. The general has not mistreated us all these years. Do you have any questions?"

The soldiers shouted, "That's all!"

Team leader: "That's right. Nobody's a coward. Follow my commands and we'll move out in a moment."

…viewpoint shift…

The perspective shifts to Hao Jun's side, where the mage Hao Jun begins to act. He unleashes a peculiar spell towards Chen Jun.

A blue light enveloped a column of eighty musketeers from the Zhen Army; then the muskets fired, bullets flying forward, leaving blue trails of light; but the bullets seemed to have struck an invisible rubber band and bounced back. The Zhen musketeers were immediately knocked back by their own bullets, as if they had suffered a secondary explosion of ammunition amidst the smoke and fire.

Wang Feihao, who was watching the battle from afar, locked his gaze on the process of casting a spell and discovered the mage in Haojun's army. He immediately ordered the artillery to bombard him.

Note: "Arrow Retreat" releases a force field onto the musketeer. Any matter within the force field that moves at a speed exceeding one-third of the speed of sound will be repelled by the force field according to a "vector".

Xuan Chong was once very interested in magic because the principle of this magic could explain why the mecha had almost unlimited fuel.

Even though the mecha's energy source is "nuclear power," how come the matter inside the nozzle is almost inexhaustible? It wasn't until later that Xuan Chong discovered that the matter coming out of the nozzle circulated on both sides like "drawing circles on water"; the wings had a magical ability to recycle the airflow back, and this airflow, along the grooves left on the wings, recycled the matter back into the engine.

Wang Feihao rode his winged tiger into the sky, simultaneously sending out flag signals, and the fifty dragon horse cavalrymen waiting behind him took to the air.

This air assault force of the Chen army arrived at the front line in the blink of an eye; under the cover of their own guns and cannons, they rushed to the battlefield and headed straight for the Hao army's assault group; the cavalry flew over the heads of the enemy terracotta warriors without lingering, and flew behind the terracotta warriors.

These dragon-horse cavalrymen unleashed volleys of blasting projectiles. Upon reaching the heads of the Hao army, the projectiles exploded in a blinding flash, releasing caustic soda-laden lime powder that blinded the Hao soldiers for several seconds.

As a result, the infantry regiments in Hao's army that had been charging alongside the giant soldiers slowed down. Unable to provide timely cover for the terracotta warriors, they could only watch helplessly as the terracotta warriors, alone and forlorn, charged into the Chen army's lines.

And just then, the soldiers hiding in the pit jumped out; the instructors who had been mobilized before the battle led the charge out, and under the giant terracotta warriors' three-zhang-long halberds covered with copper blocks, the captain's spear was knocked away, and the captain's own hand was almost crippled.

The team leader, lying on the ground, shouted, "Get him!"

With a hook and sickle from seven or eight soldiers, the terracotta warriors slowed down; after being blocked by multiple spears, their balance was disrupted, and they adjusted their posture to prepare for new combat maneuvers.

Ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand, the team leader shouted, "Squad, flank from behind!"

The "Thrust" team charged forward with great force, their leather boots crunching over the broken ceramic shards as they strode forward, shouting "Take care of me, xxx!" to bolster their courage. But their shouts were quickly drowned out by the explosive sounds from the "Thrust" team's heads. Then, during the retreat, they cried out in fear and excitement, "Help me! Help me!"
Just as the terracotta warrior was preparing to unleash its ultimate attack, sweeping away the enemy forces, the soldier wielding the dung-removing device subtly stabbed the warrior's rear end. As the "depression explosive" ignited, the internal metal sheet was compressed into a jet, and shards immediately shattered along the warrior's rear. Then, a second set of explosives struck. When the third set struck, the cracks in the lower half of the terracotta warrior widened, and a large number of fragments entered as the mechanism activated, the creaking and groaning sounds growing louder and louder.

Finally, it squatted down and remained motionless. In the empty space of the giant terracotta figure's face, the burning flames seemed to flicker angrily, but eventually went out helplessly.

…Haofang's perspective…

Fang Sidao, the vanguard general under Zhen Hao, was furious when he found his infantry troops being hindered by the blinding beams of light thrown by the Dragon Horse Legion. He ordered his crossbowmen to shoot down the Dragon Horse troops.

He could not tolerate his massive army decimating these musketeer units, leaving the subsequent Dragon Guards unable to breach the Zhen army's lines.

However, just as the crossbow bolts were ready, the "Taoist Master" in his army, who was in charge of controlling the terracotta warriors, ran over in a panic and told him: "Sir, all our terracotta warriors have stopped!"

Upon hearing the bad news from his personal guards, the vanguard general named Fang Sidao immediately took out his long-barreled binoculars and looked at the smoke-filled battlefield ahead. After the blast wave faded, his giant soldiers seemed to have stopped moving, while the Chen army's muskets were not firing at the terracotta warriors, but instead directly at the Hao army infantry behind them.

On the Zhen army's position, the flashes of gunfire resembled stars in a starry night, while the plumes of smoke rose at a speed reminiscent of dozens of high-powered, polluting diesel engines igniting.

Under the sudden and intense musket fire, the infantry, who had been protected by the Hao army's armored giants, suffered greatly; these elite infantrymen were hit by a large number of bullets. Some of the Chen army's matchlock guns also opened fire, with bullets larger than twelve millimeters in caliber, copper-coated and lead-core, capable of penetrating two Hao soldiers in one go.

Ultimately, the vanguard collapsed after realizing that it had lost its heavily armored infantry and that the entire army was exposed to volley fire.

Two hours later, when Fang Sidao's troops retreated back to Zhenhao's headquarters, the panic of defeat spread among tens of thousands of Hao soldiers, and the road south to join other Hao soldiers in Xiazhou was also blocked.

On July 6th, Zhenhao had to adjust his course for the third time.

On the military battle map, Wu Zaixing then committed his main force forward and ordered the entire army to pursue. A total of 45,000 troops from both the north and south were now advancing along the entire front.

(End of this chapter)