Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 866: The Reinforcements Retreat

Although the Song Dynasty's support troops were partly composed of imperial guards, they were more of a mixture of border troops and local garrisons, and strictly speaking could only be considered second-line troops. They were not the main force of the imperial guards who had been through many battles, and it was inevitable that they would panic in the face of the bombardment of firearms.

Although they had been told before the expedition that the Wu army possessed powerful firearms, when they were actually under attack from firearms, the scene of marbles and fragments flying everywhere and the amazing power of the explosion still caught many Song soldiers off guard.

They witnessed their comrades being blown away, losing limbs, or being hit by stray arrows, and the number of casualties rose sharply in an instant.

"Oh no! Wu Jun used firearms!"

Li Chugeng, Fu Yanqing and others in the rear witnessed this scene and were filled with shock and worry.

They were well aware of the horror of firearms, but at this moment they understood even more clearly that in the face of such damage, the only way to eliminate the threat was to charge into the enemy's formation.

"We can only charge with all our might, no matter how many casualties we suffer. As long as we break into the enemy camp, all problems will be solved." Li Chugeng made a quick judgment, and Zhang Yongde held the same view. He decisively sent troops to continue the battle, counterattack with bows and arrows, and tried to kill the Wu army's phalanx.

However, the artillery fire in Wu’s army formation continued to explode like a storm, and a large number of explosive packs and artillery shells were thrown out, covering the range from near to far.

Both the cavalry charging in the front and the infantry in the rear were in trouble under the effective attack of firearms.

"Boom! Boom!"

Amid the roar of artillery fire and the air filled with smoke, the Song Dynasty reinforcements suffered unprecedented damage.

The casualties of the original 20,000-man assault force quickly rose from several thousand at the beginning to over ten thousand.

Zhang Yongde was almost injured by a shell on the battlefield, and he had to retreat, and the 20,000 front-line troops suffered heavy casualties. Looking at the tragic scene in front of him, he was full of resentment and unwillingness, but he also clearly realized that if he could not break through the Wu army's firearms defense line as soon as possible, the situation of the reinforcements would become increasingly difficult.

At this moment, the Wu army surged out like a tide, with cavalry, infantry, and Modao warriors advancing in unison, launching a fierce attack on the Song army, as if chasing after the retreating Song army, vowing to pursue the victory.

At this time, the morale of the Song army was low, while the morale of the Wu army was high. Each of them was like a tiger coming down the mountain, with a desire to kill the enemy and be rewarded for their merits in their eyes.

These days, the soldiers of Wu army have long been accustomed to this style of fighting. They know very well that this is the best time to start killing and pursue the victory.

"Come on!"

"kill--"

The soldiers of Wu army roared, and wherever the blades in their hands passed, the enemy's clothes were easily cut, and the solid armor could not withstand the sharpness. Heads fell to the ground one after another. The scene was extremely brave.

Li Chugeng was shocked when he saw this, and immediately ordered the left and right armies on both sides to block the attack of Wu army.

Zhang Hui and Fu Yanqing each led 20,000 soldiers and horses to fight bravely, trying to stop the Wu army's offensive. They still had a glimmer of hope in their hearts that if they could fight back at this time, they might be able to turn the tide and reverse the overall situation.

However, they had never imagined that the Wu army soldiers before them were well-trained and were in no way inferior to the fierce and powerful soldiers in the north.

These Wu troops were specially selected and rigorously trained elites. They learned exquisite swordsmanship and boxing, and carried out high-intensity physical training every day. They also had very good food, such as pork and other nutritious food, which made them extremely strong and powerful. Coupled with the sharp weapons and high morale in their hands, their comprehensive combat power far exceeded that of the reinforcements temporarily assembled by the Song Dynasty.

On the battlefield, countless soldiers were killed, stabbed, and stabbed to death every second. Flesh and blood flew everywhere, limbs danced everywhere, heads rolled on the ground, and headless corpses gushed blood. The soldiers who were just risking their lives to slaughter others might have turned into dead souls under the sword and a pool of meat paste under the horse's hooves in the blink of an eye.

The world is ruthless, and the battlefield is even more so. The enemy's life is the glory of killing you. Every soldier is desperately spending the last moments of his life just to leave his own mark on this cruel battlefield.

"Second Army, take the lead!" Su Chen shouted orders, his eyes sharp, and his voice penetrated the noise of the battlefield and spread to every corner.

The first army formation in front had been blocked by two armies of the Song Dynasty. He had to quickly adjust his tactics to maintain the offensive.

Jin Hui tensed up and took a deep breath, as if to gather all his courage and strength at this moment, and then led 20,000 soldiers into the battlefield. The number of soldiers fighting increased again, and the sound of fighting became more deafening. In this cold weapon battle, every living life seemed to become worthless, like the most worthless leeks, being harvested one after another.

The blood dyed the earth red, corpses piled up like mountains, and the battlefield was filled with a strong bloody smell.

"The third army will attack from the side, and the fourth army will attack from the side!"

Su Chen once again issued precise orders, just like a chess player laying out a delicate killing move on the chessboard.

The Third Army and the Fourth Army each have 10,000 men. Now they need to coordinate tactics, like a pair of sharp scissors, to cut off the connection between the Song Army's square formations and plunge them into chaos.

Ma Donglin and Ma Zhanchao each roared, with a determined light flashing in their eyes. Holding red tasseled spears, they each led a team of 10,000 people and attacked almost at the same time, like two red lightning bolts cutting through the battlefield.

"Boom boom boom!"

The Wu army's war drums beat, and the passionate drumbeats acted like a catalyst, instantly igniting the fighting passion of the Wu army's soldiers.

They rushed forward one after another, died in battle, and blood flowed like a river, but no one retreated, no one was afraid, because they knew that only by trying their best could they win in this brutal battle.

The battle suddenly became tense. Although the Wu army had the upper hand, the Song army was still fighting stubbornly. Relying on their tenacious will and excellent tactics, they managed to withstand wave after wave of attacks from the Wu army.

Su Chen frowned. He knew in his heart that if the fighting continued like this, even if they could win in the end, the Wu army would suffer heavy casualties.

These Wu army soldiers were all elites that he carefully selected and trained, and each of them was a priceless treasure. He naturally did not want to let them fight blood here. Even if he defeated the Song army, he would be heartbroken if more than half of them were killed or wounded, and this would seriously affect the subsequent military plan.

Once his military strength is insufficient, his threat within the Song Dynasty will be greatly weakened and the situation will become extremely dangerous.

These elite Wu troops were an elite division that Su Chen had spent three years training day and night to build. They carried the hope and future of Wu and were an important support for Su Chen in this war.

Therefore, he had to act cautiously, striving to destroy the enemy to the maximum extent while minimizing his own casualties in order to maintain the combat effectiveness and deterrence of the Wu army.

At this moment, there was a sudden commotion in the sky above the battlefield. Everyone looked up and saw that behind the Song army, in the direction of Pengcheng, billowing smoke rose into the sky, like a huge black dragon tumbling in the air. This was not only a signal that Pengcheng was under attack, but also a sign that Pengcheng was about to fall.

According to Su Chen's previous plan, he had already secretly mobilized Lin Renzhao to lead 50,000 troops to quietly infiltrate outside Pengcheng and launch an attack on Pengcheng.

This move was intended to cut off the retreat of the Song Dynasty reinforcements and seize the strategic materials and food there.

Once the 100,000 reinforcements lose their supply of food and materials, they will inevitably fall into a state of collapse.

Sure enough, Li Chugeng and others turned around and saw smoke billowing from Pengcheng, and even more smoke rising into the sky, as if the entire city of Pengcheng was on fire. This startled them and they instantly guessed that Pengcheng was attacked by the Wu army.

"Oh no! Pengcheng is under attack. Our baggage train and circulated food and fodder are stored there!" Li Chugeng's face instantly became extremely worried.

Their army only carried ten days' worth of food and grass, and the subsequent food and grass were constantly transported to Pengcheng and then transported to the front line. Now that Pengcheng was attacked and the retreat was cut off, the food and grass supply for the 100,000-man army alone became a huge problem.

"Retreat and go back to rescue Pengcheng!" Li Chugeng made a prompt decision and gave the signal to retreat.

He realized that it was meaningless to continue fighting here, and it was easy to fall into the dilemma of being attacked from both sides. It would be better to rush back to Pengcheng and defeat the Wu army that attacked Pengcheng by relying on the solidity of the city. In this way, at least Pengcheng could be stabilized. Otherwise, if the battle continued here, the morale would be completely lost and defeat would be inevitable.

When the Song army's horn sounded, the remaining 50,000 to 60,000 Song troops began to retreat in an orderly manner. However, Su Chen would naturally not miss the opportunity for the Song army to retreat, and he was waiting for this moment.

Su Chen immediately ordered the Fifth and Sixth Armies to pursue with all their might. With overwhelming momentum, they pressed down on the enemy like a violent storm, vowing to wipe out the Song army and not give it any chance to breathe.