r18novel Page 397
Page 397
Li Cunxiao had already led 5,000 elite Xuanjia soldiers to ambush Gu Jiantang and Zhao Kai on their only route. No normal person would do something like that – 5,000 men ambushing 100,000.
However, Li Chang'an was not a normal person, and Li Cunxiao and the Xuanjia Army were even less normal.
Tai'an City.
When Zhao Chun received the news that his daughter had been kidnapped, he finally couldn't hold back anymore and completely exploded!
"Li Chang'an slaughtered the Northern Liang Prince's Mansion, killed my special envoy, and killed the two Celestial Masters and dozens of disciples of Longhu Mountain!"
"He also kidnapped Fengya, this...this beast!"
The thought of his only beloved daughter being kidnapped by Li Chang'an filled Zhao Chun with rage. Like a lamb entering a tiger's den, what good could come of it?
"Teacher, what are the developments from all sides?"
Yuan Benxi replied, "Gu Jiantang and the Prince of Shu are already on their way, Xu Xiao is also on imperial orders to reorganize his troops, and the Prince of Jing'an's troops have been assembled."
"The King of Yan said that the army is scattered in various places and is currently assembling. They can only set off after they have assembled."
Zhao Chun snorted angrily, "That slippery Zhao Bing is watching and waiting again!"
Yuan Benxi hesitated for a moment before saying, "Your Majesty, the latest news is that Li Chang'an says Princess Suizhu can be released."
"However, he wants His Majesty to grant him the Shu region before he can release the princess; otherwise, when the princess returns, it will be a buy-one-get-one-free deal."
Upon hearing Li Chang'an's conditions, Zhao Chun, dressed in a solemn dragon robe, cursed angrily.
"Damn Li Chang'an, he traded Xu Fengnian for Liangzhou, and now that he's tasted success, he actually wants me to trade Shu for my daughter!"
He certainly knew what Li Chang'an meant by "buy one get one free." If the court didn't use Shu to exchange for Zhao Fengya, Zhao Fengya might become pregnant with Li Chang'an's child.
As the ruler of a nation, Zhao Chun felt utterly humiliated to be threatened in this way!
"No trade! Shu is easy to defend and difficult to attack, and it is known as the Land of Abundance. If Li Chang'an gets Shu, he will be even more troublesome than Xu Xiao!"
Although he said he wouldn't change it, he felt like a piece of his flesh had been cut out.
Now that the imperial court and Shazhou are about to go to war, Zhao Fengya is the princess of the enemy country, and I wonder how Li Chang'an will ravage her.
Even if we win the battle and manage to rescue Zhao Fengya, by then it's probably already too late.
Zhao Chun only had this one daughter, whom he cherished and raised with utmost care since childhood. Now that she has met such a tragic end, His Majesty the Emperor is truly heartbroken.
However, compared to a daughter, Li Chang'an's potential to overthrow the Li Yang court was what Zhao Chun cared about most.
The border between Qingzhou and the Western Shu Road.
Gu Jiantang and Zhao Kai's resting place is located between Jiange Pass and Liusha. This place is situated in a steep canyon that stretches for twenty miles along the upper reaches of the river. It is the Iron Gate Pass, an important passage from the western frontier to the eastern frontier.
Whenever the situation in the Central Plains dynasty was initially stabilized, it would need to pacify the areas north and south of the Tianshan Mountains, and the soldiers of the Central Plains would inevitably pass through this place.
Every westward clatter of hooves symbolized the peak of the Central Plains dynasty's power, while every eastward retreat signified the disintegration and collapse of the Central Plains during the Spring and Autumn period.
Therefore, as the two headed west from here, a sense of pride and honor rose in their hearts. Only when the Liyang Dynasty became powerful would they have the opportunity to send troops westward.
Zhao Kai, who had been frustrated and unsuccessful, suddenly received an imperial edict bestowing upon him the title of king. Although the edict came with a military order, he was overjoyed.
He was blessed with great fortune and had been waiting for such an opportunity. This time, his two mentors in the court actually won this opportunity to besiege Li Chang'an. How could he not be excited?
If he can win this battle, he will become a powerful vassal king with a large army, just like the Prince of Yan and the Prince of Jing'an, and will be qualified to seize the throne.
Thinking about this opportunity, Zhao Kai felt even more that he was destined by fate. Otherwise, how could he, an illegitimate prince, have been chosen from among so many princes to be granted a title and sent to war?
However, not long after they reunited with Gu Jiantang, the two received bad news: Li Chang'an had wreaked havoc in Beiliang, wiping out the Jianghu forces that supported Xu Xiao, and even killing the crown prince of Beiliang.
What shocked Zhao Kai the most was that Han Diaosi, who was highly respected in the palace and feared by people in the martial arts world, had also been killed!
The master is gone. His greatest support since childhood is dead!
However, news also arrived from the court that his second master, the sickly Tiger Yang Taisui who had once trampled half of the Dragon-Tiger Demon-Slaying Platform, was on his way.
At the critical moment when Gu Jiantang and Zhao Kai were about to besiege Li Chang'an, the greatest strategist of the Liyang Dynasty had to lend a helping hand, both for public and private reasons.
One hundred thousand troops, half infantry and half cavalry, emerged from the Iron Gate Pass like a long dragon. Beyond the Iron Gate Pass, to the north lay Liangzhou.
The once strategically important area of Northern Liang has now been taken over by Li Chang'an.
Gu Jiantang gazed at the plains to the north, his heart immediately set on a serious mission. "Order the entire army to be on high alert. There are no natural barriers separating us from the rebels here!"
Zhao Kai said dismissively, "General, you're being too cautious. There are still several prefectures in the north. If Li Chang'an's army comes, we can't possibly fail to detect it."
"If nothing is found, even if he sends people, it will only be a small force, nothing to fear."
Gu Jiantang's thick eyebrows furrowed instantly, his tone already showing dissatisfaction. This new Prince of Shu was somewhat ambitious but incompetent.
"Li Chang'an defeated the Western Barbarians and the Western Rong, and inflicted a great defeat on Xu Xiao's army of 100,000. Those who could defeat Xu Xiao are all recorded in history."
"If we are even slightly careless with such an opponent, it could be a catastrophe!"
Zhao Kai often heard his two masters comment on the people of the world. They said that General Gu Jiantang was not as bold as Xu Xiao in battle, was a bit too crafty, and was more cautious in his actions.
However, what Zhao Kai didn't know was that whether these important figures were strong or weak depended on who they were compared to.
Anyone you randomly pick is far better than him, someone who has never fought in a war or held an official position.
However, Zhao Kai lacked self-awareness; he always thought that by associating with wise people, he himself had become a wise person.
He thought that Yang Taisui had come all this way to help him, but in reality, he was afraid that Yang Taisui would do something wrong and cause big trouble.
"General, you are overthinking it. We have an army of 100,000 behind us!"
"If Li Chang'an dares to use a considerable number of troops, then his rear will definitely be attacked by Xu Xiao, so Li Chang'an wouldn't be that stupid."
“If he sends out too few troops, not even enough to fill our teeth, Li Chang’an will not do such a futile thing.”
"Therefore, Li Chang'an would at most send out some scouts to investigate the military situation. He is fighting against many enemies, so how could he possibly send people to launch a sneak attack on us?"
Gu Jiantang remained silent. Zhao Kai's words seemed reasonable, but Gu Jiantang was still uneasy. He ordered the entire army to be on high alert and dispatched numerous scouts to maintain vigilance.
As expected, trouble arose on the third day after they left the Iron Gate Pass.
Several riders on horseback arrived from the north amidst a sandstorm, the scouts using their internal energy to transmit urgent military intelligence.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack! The Shazhou cavalry are launching a surprise attack!"
The marching column was still far from reaching the prefectural city of Xishu Road, and the column moved forward like a long dragon.
At the same time the scouts were spotted, a dark mass of black cavalry appeared on the northern horizon.
The men and horses, clad in black armor, wielding spears and carrying long swords, were rushing towards Li Yang's troops at breakneck speed.
Gu Jiantang said in a deep voice, "The Xuanjia Army, Li Chang'an's elite Xuanjia Army!"
Li Chang'an's 5,000 elite Xuanjia Army soldiers were all peak fourth-rank and third-rank martial artists, all of whom were elites who had fused with the template.
Like the Great Snow Dragon Riders, the Xuanjia Army can switch between light cavalry and heavy cavalry. The current Xuanjia Army is in light cavalry mode.
"The cavalrymen should turn their horses around to protect the rear!"
Behind the column were 50,000 elite infantrymen, who were most afraid of cavalry charges.
Zhao Kai was startled; he hadn't expected Li Chang'an to actually send cavalry to launch a surprise attack without warning.
He glanced at them from afar, then said with relief, "General, don't be nervous. There are only four or five thousand men."
"We have tens of thousands of cavalry; surely we can stop them?"
Gu Jiantang had no interest in dealing with this blockhead. The Xuanjia Army's great victory over the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry was known throughout the land.
These five thousand men might be able to kill fifty thousand of his men!
Sure enough, the five thousand Xuanjia soldiers marched faster than even the scouts of the Liyang army.
Those scouts who came to deliver the news had their chests ripped apart by spears and then trampled into mincemeat by the Xuanjia Army.
The infantrymen of Liyang had already felt the earth tremble. Under the orders of their officers, these infantrymen began to form square formations, their long spears forming a forest of spears. This was the most practical formation for infantry to resist cavalry.
The charging Xuanjia Army saw the Liyang cavalry approaching from the diagonal, but their target remained unchanged: the Liyang infantry phalanx.
The cavalry commanders of Liyang were both puzzled and contemptuous of the act of five thousand cavalrymen charging an army of one hundred thousand.
"Kill! Stop the rebels!"
"A mere four or five thousand men dare to charge an army of one hundred thousand!"
"A frog in a well, a country bumpkin who's never seen the world!"
But their smiles soon faded.
Those Liyang cavalry who tried to stop the Xuanjia Army were like hitting a brick wall; they couldn't stop them at all!
The Li Yang cavalrymen who charged in were all trampled and crushed by the Xuanjia Army!
After more than a thousand cavalrymen were slaughtered, the remaining cavalrymen actually reined in their horses and stopped, not daring to pursue any further.
Five thousand steel torrents plunged headlong into Li Yang's infantry formation!
The forest of spears raised high was easily cut down by the horse lances, and the black-armored warhorses mercilessly stepped into the infantry formation!
The galloping warhorses trampled the infantrymen to pieces, and the old black-armored soldiers could kill several men with a single swing of their lances!
Li Cunxiao took the lead, and with each thrust of his spear, dozens of people were sent flying through the armor and then crushed underfoot.
A dark dragon of battle intent gradually formed above the infantry formation, then roared and charged into the formation.
"Help!"
"There's a monster!"