Sweep Yuan

Chapter 196 The balance of offense and defense shifts in an instant

"Yuan Gou's main force has been mobilized!"

"Oh no! The Yuan dogs have cavalry, and they're heading this way!"

Li Xixi's troops had just captured Zhoupo Village and had not yet had time to rest when the sentries who had climbed the arrow tower discovered the movement of the main force of the Yuan army's defense line, and the village was immediately on edge.

The gate of the stockade had been smashed to pieces in the battle just now, and there was no time to repair it. But if they wanted to hold out until the main force of the Red Flag Battalion arrived, they had to defend Zhoupo Village.

Li Xixi quickly calmed herself and gave the order:
"Ignite it! Send the signal now!"

A group of soldiers rushed to a relatively open area in the village, piled up the firewood they were carrying, sprinkled water on it, and lit it. Soon, billowing white smoke rose into the sky. On a clear early autumn day, this signal was enough to be heard more than 20 miles away!

This matter was handled by a specially designated centurion, and Li Xixi subsequently issued other orders.

"Bai doesn't believe me. Your brothers should guard the stockade walls first! Repair as many of the city's fortifications as possible!"

Zhoupo Village was small to begin with, and its walls were low and dilapidated, unable to accommodate many defenders. Bai Buxin's troops taking over the defense would maximize the use of existing forces while allowing other troops that had fought hard to catch their breath.

“Commander Tian!” Li Xixi turned his gaze to another composed general.

"Take three hundred brothers and have them work with these prisoners. Use everything movable in the village—grain carts, bed boards, broken chests and cabinets—to plug the hole in the village gate. The rest should be piled up at the four corners of the camp, ready to fill in any other damage to the village walls!"

He paused, then added in an icy voice:
"And these local militia corpses, don't waste them either, pile them up behind the village gate and give Yuan Gou a hard time!"

"Order!"

Commander Tian accepted the order expressionlessly, his gaze sweeping over the trembling prisoners, and he shouted sternly:
"Did you all hear that? If you want to live, get moving! Now!"

"Commander Deng!"

Li Xixi looked at the last general, who looked exhausted, and softened her tone.

"Your men just fought the most during the siege, and suffered the most casualties. Take them back to the barracks to rest and prepare to relieve Bai Buxin!"

At this critical moment of life and death, there was no room for politeness or prevarication. Commander Deng immediately clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Don't worry, sir! Brothers, follow me!"

After the generals had received their orders and left, Da Dao Ao, who had been closely following Li Xixi, lowered his voice and glanced warily at the prisoners who were being driven around by Commander Tian. He said with concern:
"Steward, if a fight really breaks out, these local militia might not behave themselves. What if they stab us in the back..."

There are still more than 500 captured local militiamen. If these people take the opportunity to cause trouble while the two armies are engaged in fierce fighting, it will indeed be a considerable hidden danger.

Li Xixi didn't hesitate much and said coldly:
"Once they've finished moving the stuff, gather them together, pick out the leaders and chiefs, and let the local militia kill them themselves. Those who are unwilling to fight, those who dawdle, get rid of them all!"

"Order!"

While Zhoupo Village was busy preparing for the enemy, in Shengjia Village, Mao Gui also found Xue Xian and said:
"Steward Xue, we've been saved, Steward Li!"

The two villages of Zhoupo and Shengjia are about five miles apart. Mao Gui did not know the situation of Li Xixi's troops, but he knew that this hastily assembled force was of poor quality and lacked training. At this moment, it was entangled with the enemy. Although it would not be wiped out quickly, the casualties would certainly be considerable.

On the other hand, to prevent their strategic intentions from being exposed too early, both the Xiaoji Guard and the Qingri Guard were deployed in the woods about seven miles from the Sui River. Although the Chang and Li forces had already begun to advance after Xue and Li's forces eliminated the strongholds on the north bank, it would still take a considerable amount of time for them to cross the river and provide reinforcements.

"Ok!"

Xue Xian nodded emphatically, his eyes filled with excitement at the impending battle, without considering the casualties of Li Xixi's troops.

"Right! We have to keep these Yuan dogs occupied and not let them get away!"

His gaze swept over the more than three hundred still-shaken prisoners of Shengjiazhai. Rescuing Li Xixi certainly couldn't involve these burdens.

Xue Xian pointed his blood-dripping spear at the prisoners, intending to kill them all, but then remembered that Shi Shan disliked unnecessary killing, and more importantly, killing these people would waste time. In the end, he sheathed the spear and chuckled strangely:
"Hehe! Grandpa had a great time killing people today! I'll show some mercy and spare you cowards!"

His voice was loud and clear, full of the arrogance of a victor.

"You little brats, run for your lives! If you fall into Grandpa's hands again, you won't be so lucky! Hahaha!"

Having said that, Xue Xian stopped looking at the prisoners who were scrambling and tumbling as they fled, pointed his spear towards Zhoupo Village, and roared:
"Brothers! Follow me to kill the Tartars and rescue Chief Steward Li. Kill—!"

"kill--!"

South bank of the Sui River.

"Signal!"

As the elite cavalrymen were advancing towards the Sui River, they saw thick white smoke rising into the sky from Zhoupo Village.

Li Xixi has already engaged the enemy!
"Quickly, send reinforcements!"

Boom!Boom!Boom!
At the same time, the Qingri Guards, who were positioned slightly behind, also discovered the signal sent out by Li Xixi, and Chang Yuchun quickly ordered his men to beat the war drums to advance.

"Quick! The Sun Guard is advancing! Hurry, keep up!"

Peng Erlang and Zhao Junyong were unaware that Xue and Li's forces had already breached four camps. They were only worried that if they crossed the river too late, they would fail to complete the task of eliminating the enemy camps that day and would be executed on the spot by Shishan. They desperately urged their troops to catch up with the Qingri Guards who were advancing rapidly.

Outside Zhoupo Village.

Looking at the gate of the stronghold, which the Red Turban bandits had built with corpses and debris, Zeng Wanhu felt his back teeth itch.

Giving up is not an option, as the camp is already in such a dilapidated state, and it's hard to give up this seemingly easy victory. But if we attack, we might not be able to take it in a short time, and if the enemy army sends another large force, we'll be in big trouble.

After much hesitation, he decided to eliminate the stronghold—he couldn't let the prize slip through his fingers.

The bandits have already broken down the gate, so there's no need to build any more siege equipment. Archers can go forward to suppress the bandits on the walls, and then people can be sent to clear away the debris at the gate little by little.

The battle broke out quickly, with the Yuan army having an overwhelming advantage in numbers and more archers, and they soon suppressed the Red Turban Army archers.

Although there was a lot of debris piled up at the gate, it couldn't stop the Yuan army from being too numerous and powerful, and they soon managed to break through.

Seeing the situation was dire, Li Xixi had no choice but to order his men to rush forward. The two sides then surrounded the breach, thrusting spears and hacking with swords and axes. Shouts of battle, screams of agony, and the clash of weapons filled the air. People fell on both sides, and more surged forward, leaving a trail of blood.

The Yuan army ultimately outnumbered the Red Turban Army and was physically stronger than the Red Turban Army, which had fought many battles, and gradually gained the upper hand.

"Da Dao Ao, charge!"

Li Xixi deflected the incoming arrows with his large shield. Seeing the critical situation, he had no choice but to send out his bravest subordinates.

But he knew this situation wouldn't last long. Bai Buxin was already injured, and the other commanders' fighting spirit wasn't as strong as his old brothers'. Perhaps in another half a quarter of an hour, he would have to go in himself.

"Commander, a bandit army of nearly three thousand is attacking from the east!"

Zeng Wanhu had known for some time that the rebel army had already crossed the river with two groups of troops. He had been hesitating about whether to abandon Li Xixi's group and attack the other one. Unexpectedly, this rebel army took the initiative to come to him, and he immediately felt uneasy.

The Yuan army was already superior in equipment and training, and its numbers were greater than the two rebel armies combined. It was only a matter of time before they were defeated head-on.

It was quite strange that the bandit army, which had not been blocked, not only did not retreat quickly but instead took the initiative to attack.

Zeng Wanhu felt a chill run down his spine, and a possibility instantly came to mind—was he trying to hold off our army?

Recalling the intelligence that the Red Flag Battalion had already reinforced Suzhou, alarm bells rang in his mind, and he almost wanted to retreat immediately. However, when he turned his head and saw the Red Turban rebels in Zhoupo Village who were struggling to hold on, he gritted his teeth and thought, "Want to devour my army? Then let's see who devours whom first!"

Zeng Wanhu made up his mind. He turned his head sharply and looked at a cavalry general beside him.

"Hasir, go and hold off that bandit army. Once I've dealt with the bandits in the stronghold, I'll come back and wipe them all out."

"Order!"

Hasir clasped his hands in acceptance of the order, his face bearing a hint of cavalry arrogance towards infantry. He raised his spear high, swung it behind him, and shouted:

"Men, follow me! Let those two-legged peasants taste the might of our iron cavalry!"

More than 800 Yuan cavalrymen quickly broke away from the main formation, kicking up clouds of dust, and rushed straight towards Xue Xian's troops who were in motion.

"Those damn Tartar cavalry again?!"

Last year, in the battle at Donglongwang Temple in Xiao County, Xue Xian's camp was raided by the Tatar cavalryman Shulun Timur, resulting in the deaths of countless veteran soldiers under his command, and he himself nearly lost his life on the spot. Now, seeing the Tatar cavalry attempting to attack his main force again, he was immediately enraged.

"You Tartar dogs! I hate Tartar cavalry the most!" Xue Xian's eyes were bloodshot. He reined in his horse and roared at his several commanders:
"You lot, form a proper battle line, don't let the Tartar cavalry break through our formation!"

After issuing the order for the infantry to defend, Xue Xian suddenly spurred his horse, raised his spear high, and roared:

"Cadre battalion, follow me! Let these damned Tartars see what real cavalry warfare is like! Kill—!"

"Kill the Tartars!!"

"drive!"

After retreating to Lingbi, Xue Xian painstakingly assembled a cavalry force of nearly four hundred men. They repeatedly distinguished themselves in battles against the Yuan infantry, but never had the chance to fight against the Tatar cavalry. He was truly a young man who was not afraid of tigers.

Inspired by Xue Xian, they were all fired up, roaring and urging their warhorses forward. Facing twice their number of Tatar cavalry, they fearlessly launched a counter-charge, their hooves pounding the earth, kicking up clouds of yellow dust, and crashing into the rapidly charging Tatar cavalry.

boom!
The neighing of warhorses, the roar of knights, the crisp sound of bones breaking, the muffled thud of weapons piercing flesh, the screams of those falling from their horses... all intertwined in the instant of contact!

As the two cavalry charged at high speed, figures flew off their horses like tattered sacks, only to be mercilessly trampled by the iron hooves of the oncoming cavalry.

As it turns out, cavalry is indeed a highly technical military branch.

Xue Xian's hastily assembled cavalry was far inferior to the Tatar cavalry in terms of individual horsemanship, battle formation coordination, the quality of warhorses, and weaponry, and was also at a significant disadvantage in terms of numbers.

After the first fierce clash, Xue Xian's cavalry suffered heavy losses, losing nearly 20% of their troops, and their formation was also disrupted.

But Xue Xian didn't think so. In that rapid charge just now, the spear in his hand turned into a deadly poisonous dragon. He pointed, stabbed, swept, and smashed. With the spear tip flying, at least a dozen Tatar riders were knocked off their horses. If a few more rounds were to come, he would definitely be able to break the enemy's morale.

At this moment, Xue Xian was covered in blood, with bits of flesh hanging on his armor and his horse's back slick with blood, but he was completely unaware of it, his eyes fixed on the Tatar general with his gleaming armor opposite him—Hasir!

Similarly, Hasser also noticed this fierce bandit general who was charging left and right through his own ranks as if he were in an empty field. In the previous charge, several of his best men had fallen to him.

This thief must be eliminated!

Hasir quickly gathered a few skilled personal guards around him, gave them some instructions, and then regrouped his troops, charging towards Xue Xian's forces, which now numbered only three hundred or so cavalry.

The two sides clashed again, their horses slowing down considerably. Xue Xian launched another round of frenzied slaughter, with almost no one able to withstand his spear.

In the chaos, Hasir circled around to Xue Xian's side and rear. Taking advantage of the moment when Xue Xian had just killed a fellow soldier and was exhausted and had not yet generated new strength, Hasir suddenly spurred his horse and thrust his spear straight at Xue Xian's left side, an open area.

This shot was cunning, ruthless, and determined to succeed!
"Bah!"

As if he had eyes in the back of his head, Xue Xian suddenly let out a thunderous roar, startling Hasir and his personal guards into a moment of hesitation. He abruptly pulled back his left arm, forcefully using the iron plate under his left armpit to clamp the spearhead that Hasir was thrusting at him.

Hasser felt an immense force coming from the gun barrel, as if the gun head was being clamped by iron clamps. No matter how hard he tried to pull it back, it wouldn't budge. Hasser's eyes widened in horror, and he was about to let go and switch to another weapon.

"Get the hell over here!"

Xue Xian let out a sinister laugh, and using the force of gripping the gun barrel, he twisted his muscular body sharply to the left, sending a terrifying rotational force through the gun barrel.

Caught off guard, Hasser's body swayed violently on the horse's back, his center of gravity instantly becoming unstable. He quickly let go and leaned back, clinging tightly to the horse's back, hoping to escape this predicament with his superior riding skills.

Xue Xian had been waiting for this moment. The muscles in his right arm bulged, and his spear, which had been soaked in the blood of the Tartars, thrust straight at him like a poisonous dragon emerging from the sea.

Puff.

The cold spear tip pierced through the gap in Hasser's abdominal armor and emerged from his back.

"Ugh—!"

Hasir let out a bloodcurdling scream as Xue Xian lifted his body high into the air with his spear.

He looked down at the gun barrel that had pierced his abdomen, his eyes filled with despair and confusion, as if he never understood how he could have died at the hands of a "peasant" bandit general.

"Hahaha! The dog-like Tartars are dead, who else is left?! Anyone who dares to die, come and try!"

Xue Xian swung his arm violently, and Hasir's corpse was flung away like a tattered sack, crashing heavily to the ground and raising a cloud of dust. Then he raised his blood-dripping spear high and laughed wildly at the sky.

Hasir's two personal guards wanted to take advantage of the chaos to kill Xue Xian and avenge their commander, but as soon as they rushed in front of him, Xue Xian glared at them with red eyes and said, "Hmph! You think you can take advantage of me?!" They instantly lost their courage and fled on horseback.

Seeing their commander fall instantly and that no one could stop Xue Xian, the remaining Tatar cavalry turned their horses around and fled back to their own lines.

"Chase them! Don't let those damned barbarians get away! Kill them all!"

Xue Xian was caught up in the killing frenzy and was unwilling to let them go. Leading his remaining hundred or so cavalry, he chased after the fleeing soldiers who outnumbered him several times over, hacking and slashing them like sheep. The situation on the battlefield was instantly reversed.

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Zeng Wanhu, who was in the main force in the distance, was so angry that he almost vomited blood. His face turned ashen and he cursed loudly. He saw that Hasir had been killed by the enemy general after only two charges. His remaining six hundred cavalrymen were being chased and beaten by less than two hundred enemy cavalrymen.

Despite his anger, he couldn't stand by and watch his cavalry be slaughtered. He could only suppress his rage and order his infantry to tighten their formation, raise their spears and shields, and fire arrows at the enemy cavalry to support his own retreating cavalry.

With the Yuan army adjusting its offensive, the pressure on Li Xixi's troops was greatly reduced, allowing them to catch their breath and reorganize their defenses.

As a result, the battlefield situation became: Zeng Wanhu's main Yuan army defense line blocked Li Xixi's Red Turban Army in Shengjiazhai, while Xue Xian's troops harassed Zeng Wanhu's troops from the outside.

At first, although Zeng Wanhu was heavy-hearted because of the cavalry's humiliating defeat, he was still able to barely maintain his composure.

On the first line of defense, the two largest fortresses with the most troops were not attacked. They had already sent people to order the garrison troops in the fortresses to come to their aid, and they were on their way to reinforce them. The Yuan army still had an absolute advantage in total strength.

Since this bandit army called "Xue" is so arrogant, let's take them down first!
After making up his mind, Zeng Wanhu left a small group of men to block Li Xixi's troops, while gathering the majority of his forces to deal with Xue Xian.

Xue Xian's troops possessed a strong personal style in their tactics and techniques. They were exceptionally brave and skilled in chaotic battles, capable of unleashing astonishing destructive power when the enemy's formation was scattered. However, their advantages were rendered ineffective against opponents with well-organized and methodical formations.

Commander Zeng Wanhu directed his infantry phalanx to advance steadily, with a forest of spearmen and shieldmen in the front and a dense troop of archers and crossbowmen in the rear, constantly hurling arrows to suppress the enemy. The flanks were constantly harassed and restrained by newly arrived local militia.

Xue Xian's troops were quickly suppressed and plunged into a bitter battle. The cavalry still had room to maneuver in the melee, but the infantry were exposed to the Yuan army's dense rain of arrows and spear thrusts, and their casualties began to increase rapidly.

"Damn it! If this keeps up, Grandpa's entire fortune will be wiped out!"

Xue Xian brandished his spear, deflecting several arrows. Watching his brothers fall one after another, his heart ached with pain. He wanted to turn his formation around and break through the weak local militia, but his deputy, Mao Gui, grabbed the reins of his warhorse.

"We cannot break through! If we leave, Chief Steward Li will surely be defeated!"

Xue Xian wouldn't listen to any of this and angrily retorted:
"You son of a bitch, at a time like this, why are you still worrying about Steward Li and Steward Wang!"

Mao Gui, facing Xue Xian's spittle spraying all over his face, felt his body stiffen involuntarily, but forced himself to remain calm and said:

Do you believe in Marshal Shi?

Last year, Xue Xian suffered a crushing defeat at the Dragon King Temple and fell into a coma. Even then, Shi Shan hadn't annexed his tribe. How could Xue Xian not trust Shi Shan? But thinking of his meager resources, he felt a pang of heartache. After a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and cursed:

"Damn it! Let's fight! Let's fight the Tartars!"

Zeng Wanhu, fighting two against one, grew more confident with each battle. Looking at Xue Xian's bandit army, which was struggling and suffering increasing casualties, he laughed:

"Hahaha, bandits are just bandits, a rabble that roams around and is difficult to deal with. How dare they challenge our government troops to a fair battle? Fools!"

The Yuan generals' tense mood was finally relieved, and they all began to flatter their commander.

"Wan Hu is wise!"

"Today's victory is a great one, with tens of thousands of enemy soldiers killed. There probably hasn't been such a great victory in the last two years!"

"Hahaha!"

Just when the generals thought victory was assured, a cloud of dust rose from the direction of the Suishui ferry in the southeast, as if thousands of giant beasts were galloping at once. Immediately afterward, the ground beneath their feet began to tremble like muffled thunder.

The clamor on the battlefield seemed to be instantly gripped by an invisible hand, resulting in a moment of eerie silence.

A Yuan scout on the outer perimeter galloped up, shouting as he ran:
"Bandit cavalry! Several thousand bandit cavalry have already crossed the river!"

"The main force of the rebel army is here!"

(End of this chapter)