Sweep Yuan

Chapter 200 One Battle, Ten Thousand Bones Fall
The battle between the right wing of the Allied forces and the salt workers of Huaidong has entered a fierce stage.

Like a pillar in the midst of the tide, the Qingri Guard, under Chang Yuchun's precise command, continuously pressed forward using the "staggered advance" tactic. This efficient and ruthless method of rotation warfare greatly depleted the Yanding's manpower and morale.

The Zhongyi Guard and Li Xixi's troops, whose combat strength was slightly weaker, followed the rhythm of the Qingri Guard, filling the gaps and expanding their gains. The soldiers' confidence gradually rose as they repelled the salt soldiers' counterattacks time and time again, and their actions became more decisive from the initial awkwardness.

On the other side, the front-line salt soldiers kept falling, but the subsequent salt soldiers, under the pressure of the supervisory team's butcher's knife, surged forward like moths to a flame, only to fall in droves under the dense spears and accurate crossbow bolts.

Chang Yuchun keenly observed that the advance of the salt soldiers had slowed down significantly, their combat effectiveness and organization had declined rapidly, and the salt soldiers were filled with more fear than fighting spirit. The leaders' command was also becoming increasingly chaotic.

Their morale was plummeting rapidly as casualties soared, and their formation had been squeezed and deformed by the Allied forces, revealing weaknesses.

The time has come!

Chang Yuchun fastened his helmet straps, picked up his spear, and gave the order:

"First Battalion! Second Battalion! Form wedge formation!"

As the order was given, the First and Second Battalions, which had been conserving their strength on the innermost side of the battlefield, swiftly advanced, forming a wedge-shaped assault formation. Chang Yuchun, clad in iron armor, was the sharpest "wedge tip." He raised his spear high and roared:
"Follow me—charge into battle!"

Behind Chang Yuchun, more than a thousand elite warriors roared in fury.

"kill--!"

The salt soldiers who charged into the Qingri Guard formation were already demoralized, and seeing such momentum, how could they dare to stop them?
However, the gap in the middle of the Qingri Guard's "double-headed" long snake formation was not wide to begin with, and there were tight military formations on both sides. Yan Ding was trapped in the middle, with Chang Yuchun's iron torrent in front of him and Qingri Guard soldiers waiting in battle on both sides. There was no way to go up to heaven or down to earth.

They were as if they had been stuffed into a giant pump, with Chang Yuchun's thousand-plus elite troops acting as the "pistons."

As the piston powerfully pushed, the salt soldiers squeezed inside the pump were either mercilessly strangled by the spears extending from the sides of the pump wall, or thrown away by Chang Yuchun's powerful spear, with almost no chance of survival.

Finally, some of the salt workers, utterly crushed by fear, awoke from their despair to realize—they still had a way out! A hoarse, tearful cry suddenly rang out:
"We can't win! Run! Run from behind—!"

The cry was like a curse, instantly igniting the fear in the hearts of the salt workers. The salt workers who were originally at the forefront quickly turned around, pushing and shoving their comrades who were rushing forward in a daze, wanting only to escape this bloody slaughterhouse, even if it meant trampling on the corpses of their comrades.

Behind them, Chang Yuchun, like a seasoned hunter, did not rush to slaughter, but instead continuously created a terrifying sense of oppression, driving the fleeing soldiers back into the small formation of salt workers, in order to create greater chaos and lead the chaos toward Tian Feng's banner.

At this moment, Zeng Bocheng's troops on the left wing of the allied forces had already engaged in battle with the Yuan army's river workers on the right wing.

He commanded his surrendered troops, who once again formed their most proficient circular formation, advancing slowly like a steel hedgehog.

Within the formation, archers occasionally hurled a few arrows outwards, with little force and mediocre accuracy, resulting in limited damage. It was more of a defensive posture—a warning to the river workers not to attempt a direct confrontation.

Behind the main force of the Hegong Army, Marshal Wang Xuan of the Huainan "righteous army" rode on horseback, his brows furrowed, scrutinizing the movements of Zeng Bocheng's troops.

After the battle began, this rebel force moved unusually slowly, a stark contrast to the swift advance of the enemy's right flank, which Wang Xuan suspected was suspicious. Now, observing them up close, he became even more certain of his judgment:
This rebel force was clearly well-organized, and their soldiers appeared quite capable; they were fully equipped to launch a more threatening assault and charge. Yet, they chose to cower in a circular formation, and their arrows were obviously fired perfunctorily, as if they had no intention of inflicting further casualties on the river workers' army.

"Closely monitor the movements of Zeng Bocheng's rebel troops!"

Wang Xuan gave the order decisively, his voice low and stern.

"Shift your main force and launch a full-scale attack on the two rebel armies under the banners of 'Peng' and 'Zhao'! You must crush them!"

Since Zeng Bocheng's tribe has strength, wants to preserve its strength, and is even suspected of harboring rebellious intentions, it is better to concentrate our forces and launch a fierce attack on the other two enemies that seem "easier to defeat" than to waste time on them!

Although Peng Erlang and Zhao Junyong were cunning, they dared not be careless on the battlefield. When they saw that Zeng Bocheng was moving slowly, they deliberately slowed down as well. It wasn't until Shishan sent an order urging them to engage the enemy that the two ordered their troops to speed up.

Unexpectedly, shortly after they entered the battlefield and were preparing to deal with the situation using the old methods, the river engineering army, which was originally focused on attacking Zengbo City, suddenly turned its spearhead on their two units and launched wave after wave of fierce attacks with its superior forces.

Zhao Jun's face was grim. Seeing the river works army's offensive growing increasingly fierce and his own casualties rising, he knew that if they continued to passively endure the attacks, they would eventually suffer serious damage. He gritted his teeth, a ruthless glint in his eyes, and ordered his trusted confidant, Tian Qi:
"Tian Qi! Lead your men and charge up there! Teach these ignorant Yuan dogs a lesson and shut them up!"

At almost the same time, Peng Erlang on the right side of his unit also made a similar decision.

"Damn it! Do you really think I, Old Peng, am made of clay? Cui De! You take some men and charge! Let these peasants see what we're made of!"

Peng and Zhao were, after all, the highest-ranking military commanders under Sesame Li, and having fought across various regions for a year, they did indeed possess some elite troops hidden away. Previously, in order to preserve their strength, they had only sent ordinary soldiers to the front lines, and they seemed to be struggling against the fierce attacks of the river engineering army.

Left with no other choice, each side dispatched its elite assault forces to plunge into the river engineering army's ranks, with immediate results.

Tian Qi's troops, like a raging whirlwind, wielded broadswords and spears, fiercely tearing apart the small formation of the river workers' army in front. Cui De's troops, like tigers descending a mountain, instantly routed the enemy on the flanks.

The poorly equipped river workers, who relied mainly on sheer numbers, were caught off guard by such a fierce and elite assault. Their previously aggressive offensive stalled, several small formations were scattered, and the soldiers retreated in panic.

The pressure on the already precarious front lines of Peng and Zhao's forces was suddenly reduced, and the balance of power shifted dramatically.

"Hold on! The enemy is outnumbered and won't be able to break through for long. If we hold them off, we'll win!"

A commander of a small river worker unit desperately roared from the rear, trying to stabilize the formation and boost morale, but he exposed his position. Cui De's elite troops broke through the formation and killed him on the spot. Seeing that the situation was bad, his river workers scattered in all directions.

At the rear of the river works army, Wang Xuan, mounted on horseback, his face ashen, took in the chaos of the vanguard and roared:
"Wang Xin!"

A young general who bore a striking resemblance to Wang Xuan stepped forward and clasped his hands in greeting.

"The general is here!"

"The bandit general is rampant! You will lead your cavalry to disperse those bandits who have broken through and halt their offensive!"

"Leader!"

After breaking through two enemy lines, Cui De sensed that his soldiers' stamina had decreased after the fierce fighting. He also saw signs of cavalry movement in the rear of the river engineering army and worried that his isolated force would be ambushed and surrounded by the enemy. He decisively moved closer to Peng Erlang's main camp.

Tian Qi, however, was caught up in the thrill of the battle, already immersed in the excitement of breaking through three formations and capturing generals and flags.

He led his men through the chaotic river works army, charging left and right as if they were in an empty field. Just as he was fantasizing about making another great achievement in one fell swoop, he suddenly heard a deep and rapid sound of horses' hooves coming from afar.

"Oh no! It's cavalry!"

Tian Qi was instantly jolted awake from his frenzy, his whole body jolted with fright. He hurriedly looked around and realized that he had charged too fast and was already far away from Zhao Junyong's formation. Although he was still surrounded by hundreds of people, their formation had long been scattered and broken in the battle.

"Retreat! Retreat now!" Tian Qi shouted hoarsely, turning his horse around to retreat.

It's too late!

Seeing their retreat, the river engineering infantry, under the command of their officers, surrounded them from all sides, blocking Tian Qi's retreat route.

Tian Qi charged left and right, hacking and slashing fiercely, his brothers falling one after another. With great difficulty, he led a hundred or so men to fight his way out of the infantry's encirclement. Wang Xin, leading more than a thousand cavalry, had already rushed up to them like lightning.

"Form ranks! Form ranks quickly! Spearmen in front!" Tian Qi shouted hoarsely, his eyes bloodshot, as he commanded his remaining troops to try to hold off the cavalry charge with a dense formation, fighting like cornered beasts.

But when he looked back, his heart sank to the bottom.

The hundred or so men who had charged out with him were already exhausted from the fierce battle of the breakout. Their formation was loose and chaotic, everyone was wounded, and their faces were filled with despair. How could such a small number of men, in such a state, withstand the charge of thousands of ferocious cavalry?

"Kill—!" Wang Xin took the lead, his spear pointing directly at Tian Qi's remaining troops.

Tian Qi only managed to parry one spear thrusting towards his chest before being violently knocked away by a warhorse charging from the side. Several spears then pierced down simultaneously... His hundred or so remaining soldiers were like fallen leaves in a whirlwind, instantly overwhelmed by the river engineering army's infantry and cavalry.

Zhao Jun's face was as dark as the bottom of a pot, but not because he was saddened by Tian Qi's tragic death—this fellow was greedy for merit and reckless, and had ruined more than a thousand of his elite old brothers, he simply deserved to die! What pained him was that the wealth he had painstakingly accumulated had been lost like this.

"Contract the defenses! Form a circular formation! Hold the line!"

Zhao Junyong practically gritted his teeth as he gave the order. The losses in this battle were so heavy that he felt he had done his "best." Next, he decided to emulate Zeng Bocheng, forming the tightest circular formation, and begin to "fish in the dark," preserving his remaining strength while observing the situation.

As their troops were tightening their formation and their ranks were in disarray, a sudden whistling sound of arrows piercing the air came from their left flank.

Boo hoo hoo-!
The dark, heavy arrows, like a sudden downpour, whistled as they slammed down on several unsuspecting small formations under Zhao Junyong's command!

Puff puff!
what--!
Screams erupted instantly, and the Red Turban Army soldiers, who were adjusting their formation, were caught off guard and fell in large numbers.

Blood splattered, cries of agony filled the air!
Zhao Jun suddenly turned his head and realized that Zeng Bocheng's troops had quietly approached his main force at some point. At this moment, Zeng Bocheng was on horseback, coldly watching them, while the archers in his formation were retracting their crossbows, preparing to nock them and fire again.

"Zeng Bocheng! I'll fuck your ancestors!"

Zhao Jun instantly understood. This bastard had taken advantage of his attention being drawn to Tian Qi's destruction to stab him in the back. He no longer cared about being a scholar; veins bulged on his forehead, and he cursed loudly:
"Zeng Bocheng! You fickle, treacherous bastard! Brothers! Charge forward and kill this son of a bitch to avenge our fallen brothers!"

After the order was given, Zhao Junyong looked at the soldiers who were driven by passion and roaring as they charged towards Zeng Bocheng's troops, but a hint of coldness and calculation flashed in his eyes.

He needed these men to entangle Zeng Bocheng and create chaos. Meanwhile, he himself, with over a thousand trusted elite troops, quietly retreated to the edge of the battlefield—yes, Zhao Junyong had decided to flee!
His judgment was cold and realistic: the main force was not strong to begin with. First, a portion of it was consumed by the River Workers' Army, and then a thousand elite troops were lost by that fool Tian Qi. Now, the flank was suddenly attacked by Zeng Bocheng. It was absolutely impossible to withstand the fierce attack from the River Workers' Army and Zeng Bocheng's forces.

A rout, or even total annihilation, is only a matter of time. Having come this far, are we really going to fight to the death and perish for Shishan?
Where there is life, there is hope!

Peng Erlang's main formation.

The situation on the left wing suddenly changed, and Zhao Junyong's troops were attacked. Peng Erlang saw this and was very anxious. It wasn't that he was sacrificing himself for others, but he understood that if Zhao Junyong's troops collapsed quickly, his troops would be directly exposed to the attack of the river workers' army and Zeng Bocheng's troops.

"Cui De! Quickly! Take men to reinforce General Zhao! We must hold the line..."

Before Peng Erlang could finish speaking, Cui De pointed in the direction of Zhao Junyong's troops and said urgently:
"General! General Zhao's banner has fallen. He... he's probably trying to escape!"

"Damn it! Zhao..."

Peng Erlang only uttered half a curse before swallowing back the rest of the profanity—he had dealt with Zhao Junyong for so long, how could he not know how treacherous this fellow was? If he didn't decisively run away and betray his comrades at this moment, he wouldn't be Zhao Junyong.

Instead of wasting time cursing, we should think about how to deal with the current crisis.

"Contract the defenses! Form a circular formation! Hold the line for Grandpa!"

Peng Erlang decisively gave the order. His troops suffered relatively few losses, and their elite forces remained largely intact, retaining their fighting capacity. There was no need to flee now; the risk was too great. The best option was to hold their ground and await changes in the overall battle situation.

He glanced at Zhao Junyong's routing troops and added:
"Forget about Zhao Junyong, you take some men to pick up the old brothers who are willing to fight alongside us! We'll join forces and hold this place firmly, fighting the Yuan dogs to the bitter end!"

Zhao Jun, if you want to run away, then run away. Since you don't want your old brothers anymore, I, Lao Peng, won't be polite to you!
The Allied Forces' Central Command Watchtower.

Seeing Zhao Junyong's troops being routed and forced to retreat under the combined attack of Zeng Bocheng and Wang Xin's forces, the military advisor Yin Congdao hurriedly went to the watchtower and suggested to Shishan:

"Marshal! The situation on the left flank is critical! Zhao Junyong's troops are in danger of collapsing. Once they collapse, it could affect the entire situation. Please send reinforcements immediately!"

Standing on the observation platform, Shi Shan had already seen the chaos on the left flank, but his gaze did not linger there. Instead, he turned to the Yuan army's central army opposite him—where banners were waving and the massive military formation had begun to move, its target clearly the Pengyue Guard, where he was stationed.

Clearly, Darmashiri saw the chaos on the left flank of the Allied forces and believed that the time for a general offensive had come, attempting to break through the Allied forces' central command in one fell swoop.

Shi Shan's lips curled into a cold smile. He nodded slightly to Yin Congdao below the viewing platform and said:

"It's time for reinforcements! But not the left flank. Order: The elite cavalry will attack! Target—the flank of the enemy's central army!"

The left wing of the Yuan army.

At this moment, the salt workers of Huaidong were being driven back to their original positions by Chang Yuchun, resulting in a large-scale rout.

Beside Tian Feng, there was still a cavalry force of nearly a thousand men. He had already mounted his warhorse, but instead of fleeing in panic or charging into the enemy lines in a fit of rage, he led his cavalry to patrol the edge of the routed enemy lines, as if waiting for something.

Seeing that Chang Yuchun's troops were approaching, Tian Feng took a deep breath, mustered all his strength, and shouted:
"General Chang is incredibly brave! I admit defeat today. Could you please show mercy and spare the lives of my men? I will repay you handsomely afterward!"

Tian Feng twice sent huge sums of "ransom" to the Red Flag Battalion in order to save his own life or to ransom his captured brothers. The fact that salt smugglers in Huaidong secretly had "business dealings" with Marshal Shi was no secret among the senior officers of the Red Flag Battalion.

Tian Feng's shout at this moment was a gamble that Chang Yuchun knew this background and was willing to do him this favor.

Chang Yuchun was in the midst of the chaotic battlefield and did not actually know the current situation of his left flank, but he could see that the two armies' central forces were rapidly approaching each other and a decisive clash was about to break out!

He glanced again at the remnants of the Huaidong salt workers, who were already routed and posed no real threat to him. Killing these defeated soldiers would be pointless and might even hinder his flanking maneuver against the Yuan army's central force.

He didn't look at Tian Feng, nor did he show any change in expression. It was as if he were simply giving an order to thin air, his voice cold and decisive:
"All troops assemble! Form ranks! Target: Yuan Gou's central flank! Full speed ahead!"

Upon hearing this, Tian Feng felt a huge weight lifted from his heart, knowing that he had won his gamble once again and had temporarily escaped this calamity.

He immediately clasped his hands in a solemn gesture towards Chang Yuchun's direction, then turned and shouted with all his might towards the remaining salt workers who were desperately blocking Chang Yuchun's path:

"My lads! Do not block General Chang's path! Make way for him! Quickly!"

The central army of the Yuan army.

Woluo, supporting the shaft of Daermashili's chariot, said expressionlessly:
"Your Excellency! We've lost this battle! Let's retreat!"

"Failed?"

Darmashiri was watching the battle between the two armies' central forces when he heard this and suddenly turned his head, his face showing a look of bewilderment and disbelief.

Looking in the direction indicated by Woluo, he was horrified to find that the left flank of his army, which had been shouting and neighing just moments before, now had its flags fallen and countless fleeing soldiers running for their lives like headless flies.

In fact, when the main force of the central army began its advance, the left flank of the Huaidong salt troops had already shown signs of collapse. But at that time, Darmashiri insisted on ordering the advance, even going so far as to personally lead the charge!
The reason was simple—at that time, the left wing of the rebel army collapsed even faster and more completely! In the eyes of Daermashili and Wuluo, Wang Xuan's river engineering army had already gained an absolute advantage and was sweeping across the left wing of the rebel army with unstoppable momentum.

Our forces have an overwhelming advantage. As long as we quickly destroy the central stronghold of the bandit chief, Shishan, we will win this battle.

Therefore, although Woluo warned of potential dangers on his left flank, he did not strongly oppose the decision of the central army to advance.

When Daermashiri turned his gaze to the left flank of the rebel army again, his heart sank. The right flank battlefield, on which he had placed high hopes, did not present the one-sided situation he had imagined.

Despite being heavily surrounded and seemingly about to be overwhelmed by the army, the Red Turban rebels under the "Peng" banner never fell!

The "Xue" flag on its right side was not on passive defense; it was currently charging left and right among the river workers' army, as if entering an empty field. Wherever it went, men and horses fell, greatly hindering the river workers' offensive.

Further to its right, a flag bearing the character "Hu" stood like a reef in the sea, unmoved by the "waves" of the river engineering army, maintaining a disciplined formation and preventing the central army from being distracted.

The enemy's left wing did not collapse completely as expected.

Woluo's finger pointed again to the front of the army—the core area where the two armies were fiercely clashing.

"Yes, we lost!" His voice was resolute, yet still icy cold.

At this moment, the elite main force of the Yuan army's central army was locked in fierce combat with the Moon-Holding Guards personally led by Shi Shan.

Despite the bravery and fearlessness of the government troops, who launched several charges under the supervision of their officers, with warhorses neighing and battle cries shaking the heavens, the enemy's central formation remained as solid as if cast in bronze and iron.

Even more terrifying is that, from the flank of the central army, tens of thousands of enemy infantry and cavalry have already rapidly encircled and surrounded the central army.

Besieged on all sides, defeat is inevitable!

The political struggles in the imperial court were no less bloody and cruel than the battlefield before them, a scene of carnage.

In an instant, Daerma Shili realized that he had suffered a crushing defeat despite leading such a superior force. Upon returning to Dadu, he would face the wrath of the Right Chancellor, Toqto'a.

Family, future, life... everything was about to vanish, and fear and despair instantly engulfed him.

"No! This commander..."

Daerma Shili's eyes were bloodshot. He shoved Wuluo aside, roared, climbed onto a warhorse, and with a determined heart, drew his waist knife. He was about to charge into the meat grinder-like enemy army, intending to die in the line of duty, preserve his last shred of dignity, and protect his family.

But just as he mounted his horse and was about to whip it to urge it on, a sharp pain shot through the back of his head, and everything went black.

Before losing consciousness, he vaguely heard Wolo's cold voice.

“You cannot die here. The Right Chancellor still needs your head to answer to the Emperor.”

(End of this chapter)