r18novel Page 368
Page 368
"Teacher, Xu Xiao has actually deployed the Great Snow Dragon Riders and Ironclad Cavalry, which are his strongest cavalry."
Yuan Benxi's expression also relaxed considerably. "Li Chang'an's army is not weak either, but I'm afraid it won't be able to stop Beiliang."
"However, if Northern Liang wants to completely eliminate Li Chang'an, it will inevitably suffer heavy losses in military strength."
"Your Majesty is wise! This grand plan of using one tiger to devour another has finally succeeded!"
Zhao Chun said, "I do hope Li Chang'an is crippled, but not swallowed up by Xu Xiao, otherwise Xu Xiao will occupy the four states."
Yuan Benxi said, "This old minister will have Zhao Gou investigate quickly, and if necessary, he can also push things along and profit from it."
"Li Chang'an has recovered the three prefectures of Shazhou, which can be considered as doing a good job for the court. The territory of Liyang has expanded again."
"As long as Northern Liang is severely weakened, it will surely follow the imperial court's lead!"
The capital of Northern Mang.
In the palace of the Northern King Tuoba Pusa, General Zhong Shentong and Spider Web leader Li Mibi came to pay their respects.
Zhong Shentong excitedly said, "Your Majesty, spies in the army have sent a message by carrier pigeon: Beiliang has dispatched 110,000 troops and they have already left Jiayuguan!"
"Now is a rare opportunity. If we send troops to northern Shazhou, we will surely be able to wipe out Li Chang'an in one fell swoop!"
The deaths of Hong Jingyan and Zhong Liang in Beiliang have always been a source of deep sorrow for Zhong Shentong, and he has been constantly thinking about them for the past two years.
Li Mibi, the leader of the Spider Web, remained silent, clearly disagreeing with the view on the supernatural powers.
The existence of Shazhou can both restrain Beiliang and cause Liyang Dynasty to fall apart. No matter how you look at it, it is not advisable to send troops to Shazhou.
A single prefecture is utterly insignificant to the behemoth that is Northern Mang.
As expected, Tuoba Pusa said in a deep voice, "His Majesty has already made a decision on this matter."
"Personal grudges are nothing to worry about. General, you must think about the bigger picture. Our long-cherished wish is to conquer Liyang and unify the world!"
"Isn't Li Chang'an's bloody battle with the Northern Liang army our best chance to break through Northern Liang?"
"Li Chang'an is confined to a corner and is of little use. Keeping him around can at least restrain Xu Xiao, so how can he help the Li Yang court destroy Shazhou?"
The truth is so simple, but Zhong Shentong was blinded by personal feelings and was determined to avenge his brother.
“But Your Majesty, Xu Xiao is a man of great cunning and ruthlessness. He began clearing out the border tribes two years ago, which is why he is able to spare 100,000 elite troops now.”
"There are still strong troops guarding the Liangmang border, so it's probably not easy for them to reap the benefits."
At this moment, Li Mibi said in a sinister tone, "Xu Xiao's abilities are known throughout the world; he fought his way out of mountains of corpses and seas of blood."
"His weakness is this son. If Xu Fengnian dies in Shazhou, what will Xu Xiao do?"
Tuoba Pusa looked on with admiration. "If Xu Fengnian dies, Xu Xiao will definitely send reinforcements to avenge his son. That will be our opportunity."
"General, don't hesitate any longer! Gather your troops! Your chance to go south and achieve great things has arrived!"
"Mr. Li, I'm entrusting the matter of Xu Fengnian's death in Shazhou to you!"
Outside Jiayuguan Pass.
Xu Fengnian led his mighty army and finally set foot on the land of Shazhou.
His idea was simple: first, slaughter several counties in Shazhou to let the soldiers and people of Shazhou know the might of the Northern Liang army.
With cavalry on both flanks and infantry in the center, and with Qi Dangguo and Yuan Zuozong present, the entire army moved in an orderly manner.
On the first night, Xu Fengnian received unexpected news.
Inside the central command tent, a scout reported, "Your Highness, Li Chang'an has personally led 80,000 troops and is already 500 li away!"
Upon hearing this news, Xu Fengnian sneered, "The Northern Liang army has come to attack, yet Li Chang'an isn't holding the fortified city. Does he intend to engage us in a decisive battle?"
Many of the generals in the tent were amused by the news.
"Instead of defending the city, he dares to fight us to the death. Does Li Chang'an think he has the Great Halberdiers of Western Chu?"
"He's really ignorant of his own limitations. The Ironclad Cavalry could easily overpower him in one go!"
"Your Highness, this humble general is willing to lead the charge!"
These arrogant and fierce generals were all veterans of countless battles, and they greatly underestimated Li Chang'an, who had only been in service for two or three years.
However, Yuan Zuozong and Qi Dangguo dared not be careless at all. Firstly, they knew the importance of this battle, and secondly, they knew how formidable Li Chang'an was.
In order to maintain the army's combat effectiveness, Xu Xiao did not let the entire army know about some news that was unfavorable to Beiliang.
However, Yuan Zuozong and Qi Dangguo were very clear that the Xuanjia Army and the White Horse Cavalry were by no means ordinary people.
Of course, even in the eyes of these two, the Northern Liang army was destined to win!
The current Northern Liang army was developed from the veterans who swept through the six kingdoms, and its tactics are more mature and its combat power is more complete.
In particular, the world-renowned Ironclad Cavalry and the Great Snow Dragon Riders are facing off against the same enemy for the first time!
However, this atmosphere of overconfidence and complacency is definitely not a good thing.
Yuan Zuozong snorted coldly and said, "Arrogance will surely lead to defeat! We will win this battle, but we must not underestimate the enemy."
Given Yuan Zuozong's prestige in the army, the moment he opened his mouth to rebuke, the generals in the tent fell silent.
The composed Qi Dangguo interjected, "Li Chang'an, who was able to sweep through the Western Barbarians and the Western Rong, is by no means an easy person."
"Moreover, he also has five thousand monk soldiers and ten thousand Western Rong barbarian soldiers to assist him in the battle, so he should not be underestimated."
The two veteran generals suppressed the restless atmosphere, and Xu Fengnian continued, "Everyone should understand the importance of this battle to Beiliang."
"If anything goes wrong, Northern Liang will face enormous pressure from Northern Mang and the imperial court."
"Therefore, for the sake of the great cause of Beiliang, you must put away your pride and strive to ensure that nothing goes wrong."
Yuan Zuozong and Qi Dangguo both nodded in agreement. Xu Fengnian had indeed grown a lot. Although he was eager for revenge, he was still quite calm and knew what was important.
This is undoubtedly a great thing for those who support Xu Fengnian.
Xu Fengnian added, "Since Li Chang'an dares to engage in a direct confrontation, it saves us the trouble of besieging the city and beating a tortoise."
"All troops should rest and regroup, and choose a day to engage in a decisive battle with Li Chang'an!"
The Northern Liang finally launched its attack, a day Li Chang'an had been waiting for.
Li Chang'an had begun preparations a year in advance.
This battle is a direct confrontation between Shazhou and Beiliang; we can no longer wait for the enemy to reach the walls of Jinchang as we have done before.
Li Chang'an had finally managed to establish Shazhou, but given Xu Fengnian's style and the discipline of the Northern Liang army, the Northern Liang soldiers would definitely cause a great deal of destruction along the way.
Therefore, Li Chang'an's idea this time is to keep the enemy outside the country's borders.
One-third of the four elite military units—the Xuanjia Army, the Modao Soldiers, the Baifei Soldiers, and the Baima Righteous Cavalry—have already broken through to the third rank.
Especially the Xuanjia Army and the Modao Soldiers, two powerful forces that merged their templates four years ago, half of whom are third-rank soldiers and the rest are all at the peak of fourth-rank.
The strongest army in Northern Liang was also a mixture of warriors and ordinary people.
The morning after Li Chang'an arrived at the battlefield, Xu Fengnian received a challenge.
Inside the central command tent, Xu Fengnian opened Li Chang'an's challenge letter, which contained only a few simple words.
"Useless trash, I will arrest you again."
Xu Fengnian gritted his teeth, suppressing the anger in his chest, and agreed on a time for the decisive battle with Li Chang'an's envoy.
Seeing Xu Fengnian's composure, Yuan Zuozong and Qi Dangguo were both greatly relieved.
They certainly didn't expect Xu Fengnian to actually deploy troops; they were just happy if he could avoid causing trouble, hold his position firmly in the central army, and keep the morale of the troops stable.
Three days later.
On the vast plains beyond the Great Wall, the Shazhou Army and the Northern Liang Army faced each other from afar. True warfare between strong armies doesn't involve many fancy calculations.
Because both sides are battle-hardened forces, neither side will be able to exploit too many weaknesses; it's a true clash of strength.
On the Shazhou Army's side, the main infantry force consisted of refugees, plus White Feather Soldiers, Black Armor Army, and monk soldiers from the Waleng tribe, totaling more than 40,000 people.
The refugees were inherently warlike and harbored deep hatred for the Northern Liang. After more than a year of training and actual combat with the barbarians, these infantrymen were no less capable than the veterans of the Northern Liang.
The infantry's face-to-face charge was devoid of any fancy moves; the outcome of the battle depended on the flanking maneuvers of the cavalry on both sides.
Whichever side's cavalry gains the upper hand and successfully charges to the flanks and rear of the enemy's infantry phalanx, it's basically a one-sided massacre.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The war drums of both sides have sounded, and nearly 100,000 people are scattered across the vast plain for several miles. After several rounds of arrow rain, they begin to charge.
"Kill the Liang dogs and capture Xu Fengnian alive!"
"Charge! Drive the Northern Liang people out of Shazhou!"
"Let the Northern Liang soldiers never return!"
Before long, the two sides clashed in close combat, spears and halberds clashing, and blood began to splatter along the long battle line.
The Tang Dynasty infantry, composed of refugees, harbored deep resentment. For many years, they had been passively attacked by the Northern Liang soldiers, who would retreat when they were pleased with themselves.
Now that these refugees have finally been armed, with their armor gleaming and weapons sharp, how could they not seek revenge?
The Northern Liang infantry were all veterans, each one incredibly fierce, and they would only become stronger when faced with a powerful enemy.
At one end of the battle line, a group of black-clad soldiers wielding longswords stood out, and they were carrying out a one-sided massacre of the Northern Liang soldiers.
Although their primary role is to defend against cavalry, it doesn't prevent them from taking the lives of enemy infantry before the cavalry arrives.