The light of the sword is like the moon reflecting on Kyushu

Chapter 2062 Ambush
On both sides of the official road leading to Jinyang City, there were withered yellow reeds and wild grasses, about ten feet tall.

Three thousand archers lay in ambush in the grass east of the road. To avoid revealing their ambush, everyone lay prone on the ground. In battle between two armies, where life and death were at stake, no one complained about the harshness of their commanding officer!

The leader was Zeng Yike, a fourth-rank military officer of the Northern Han Dynasty.

He and several of his lieutenants lay prone in the grass, their eyes fixed on the official road a few dozen feet away. They were closer to the road, while the main force was several dozen feet away.

A gentle breeze stirred, and a chill crept into my body.

The lieutenant, Liu Ming, asked anxiously, "Brother, why haven't they appeared yet?"

Liu Yike said, "According to intelligence, it should be time by now! What, are you getting impatient?"

Liu Ming said, "No, brother, this weather is fucking cold! If we keep lying here on the ground like this, we'll all freeze to death!"

Liu Yike suddenly gestured for Liu Ming to be quiet, "Shh! They're here!"

Liu Ming looked into the distance, and sure enough, flags appeared at the end of the official road! Gradually, their full form came into view! Before long, a vast and continuous procession appeared in everyone's sight!
Liu Yike said in a deep voice, "Pass down the order: cheer up and prepare for battle!"

"Yes!"

The order was relayed to all the soldiers instantly, like a game of musical chairs!

The Song army's chariots and horses drew closer and closer, but Liu Yike still did not send out the attack signal!

He planned to wait until the convoy was halfway past him before striking, cutting the escort team in half!
When the Song army had marched about halfway through, he stretched out his palm to sense the breeze and whispered, "The wind is three inches to the east and the elevation is seven-tenths of an inch—prepare the crossbows!"

Liu Ming and his deputy, Li Yishui, immediately replied, "Yes, sir!"

All units immediately began pre-battle preparations, including inventorying quivers!

Each person will receive twenty feathered arrows! Twelve of them will be ordinary arrows, and eight will be three-edged armor-piercing arrows!

Among the twelve ordinary arrows, there were three rockets wrapped in oilcloth!

At the command "Prepare fire arrows!", three thousand archers simultaneously launched fire arrows, igniting the oilcloth on the arrows with flint, nocking the arrows, and aiming at the procession on the official road!

Liu Yike cut a bamboo stick to signal the order: "Shoot!"

The first volley of arrows shot out instantly from the reeds! They flew diagonally across the sky, arcing as they fell!

Thousands of arrows, wreathed in flames, tore through the faint autumn mist like locust clouds pressing down, blotting out the sun!
Arrows rained down, some landing on the Song soldiers and some on the supplies on the wagons!
The team was in chaos in an instant!

Exclamations, screams, and the neighing of horses were all mixed together!
Some of the horses were startled and began to run wildly in all directions!
In an instant, two thousand grain carts turned into a fiery dragon formation, the dreadful horses pulling them ran rampant and trampled the enemy, and the Song army was reduced to a living hell!

The air was thick with the smell of burnt wheat and the stench of roasting flesh!
As soon as Song army escort deputy commander Wu Dequan drew his waist knife, an arrow struck his throat, exploding a bloody hole. A three-edged armor-piercing arrow, carrying fragments of his trachea and flesh, pierced through the "Zhao" character banner behind him!

A cruel smile appeared on the lips of a Han army sniper. "Mission half complete!" His mission was to assassinate the Song army leader!

He picked up another black-plated armor-piercing arrow, nocked it, and began searching for his target again—the Song army's escorting officer! The Song army was thrown into chaos; burning wagons were running wildly, as were soldiers engulfed in flames, and even wagons and soldiers without arrow wounds were running wildly!

The horses galloped wildly in all directions, but the Song soldiers only ran westward! Although some panicked and ran blindly at first, they soon realized that the enemy's firepower was mainly concentrated on the east side of the road! Years of combat experience had shaped their almost instinctive instincts, driving them to run westward to avoid the rain of arrows!

Han general Liu Ming shot and killed a Song soldier, a twisted excitement appearing on his face!

After the Han army finished firing one volley, they immediately fired a second volley, arrows raining down continuously!
In an instant, a hail of arrows killed 800 Song soldiers, burned 300 grain carts, and trampled by startled horses, resulting in 700 deaths and injuries. The Song army suffered a total of 1,500 casualties!

Song army commander Zhao Wuji roared, "Raise shields!" The remaining Song soldiers hastily gathered with neighboring soldiers and formed a tortoise-shell formation! Shields were arranged into a wall!

The Han crossbowmen had run out of ordinary arrows and immediately switched to black gold armor-piercing arrows!

The armor-piercing arrows, like venomous snakes slithering through gaps, specifically targeted the gaps in the Song army's armor and shields!

A volley of armor-piercing arrows was unleashed, and screams of agony rose again from behind the shield formation!
Zhao Wuji was also shot in the left shoulder, the arrowhead lodged in the chainmail ring, gushing blood. His personal guards immediately swung their swords and cut the arrow shaft in two. "General, how are you?"

Zhao Wuji gritted his teeth and said coldly, "It's nothing!"

Another volley of arrows rained down, and many more Song soldiers were hit! Many were even protected by shields but were still struck! Surprisingly, some Han soldiers were incredibly strong; the arrows, even after piercing their shields, continued to strike with great force, eventually penetrating their own light armor!
After firing their last few arrows, the Han army had no more to shoot! Facing the scattered and corpse-strewn Song army ranks, Liu Yike threw down his bow and drew his sword: "Discard the crossbows! Fight like tigers!"

Three thousand Han soldiers were like a pack of tigers released from their cages!
Liu Ming of the Right Army led his axemen to chop off the horses' legs, while Li Yishui of the Left Army led his spearmen to strangle the shield formation!

In an instant, a scene of hell on earth began to appear—

Zhao Wuji's personal guards formed a circular formation to defend the remaining grain carts, and countless grain carts were pushed over to serve as breastworks!
The Han army cut the ropes binding the vehicles, and the salt bags on the carts crashed to the ground, causing their charge to suddenly become a slippery salt and snow track!
Countless Han soldiers who charged into battle slipped and were instantly riddled with spears and lances!
A chaotic battle ensued, with rivers of blood flowing!
During the ongoing battle, Li Yishui's kneecap was shattered by an iron mace, but he still clung to the Song general and bit through his throat.
Liu Ming was pinned to the burning grain cart by three hook spears, the flames engulfing his armor and making a clanging sound!
After killing seven people, Liu Yike was pierced in the chest by a crossbow bolt and knelt on the pile of corpses, leaning on his sword!
The battle is finally coming to an end!

Song general Zhao Wuji, dragging his severed arm, surveys the battlefield!

Of the five thousand Song soldiers, only forty-seven remained, and all were seriously wounded. All the carts and horses were destroyed, but six carts of grain and fodder survived because they were covered in wet mud!
A struggling figure suddenly emerged from the blood and mud—Wu Dequan, dying, clutched the commander's robe, blood bubbles churning in his throat as he squeezed out, "Your Majesty... we're short of supplies." Even as he breathed his last, his finger stubbornly pointed north!

Zhao Wuji, pale-faced and facing north, muttered to himself, "Your Majesty, we have run out of food and clothing. All we have left to offer are our heads. I wonder if Your Majesty will accept them?"

A fast horse galloped from afar and stopped in front of Zhao Wuji in the blink of an eye. The visitor dismounted, clasped his hands in greeting, and asked, "Are you General Zhao Wuji?"

Zhao Wuji's eyes were glazed over. He temporarily used his clothes to wrap his severed arm to stop the bleeding, but he had lost too much blood, and coupled with the fierce battle just now, he was actually on the verge of exhaustion. When he heard someone calling him, he immediately perked up, "That's right! And you are...?"

The man said, "I am Ding Liu, serving under your command!"

Zhao Wuji was taken aback: "Ding Liu? Who is Ding Wu to you?"

"Ding Wu is my superior!"

"Ding Wu is a subordinate of General Lin Yongpeng, so you are also a subordinate of General Lin."

"Yes."

"Are you here to seize military rations?"

"Yes."

"You see, the military rations are all on the ground. Take as much as you can," Zhao Wuji said weakly.

Ding Liu looked at the scene of corpses strewn across the field and blood flowing like a river, but he wasn't too surprised. He had witnessed countless scenes of mass death. However, he was still somewhat moved: "Two thousand cartloads of supplies have been completely destroyed?"

Zhao Wuji's voice was weak, and his body began to sway: "Yes."

Everything went black, and he lost consciousness.

He died without hearing Ding Liu's shouts.

The remaining dozens of Song soldiers sat on the ground, their eyes glazed over, utterly dejected. Two of them still had trembling arms—muscle spasms from the exertion and tension they had just endured!
Ding Liu sighed, "Without military reinforcements, the morale of the soldiers at the front will likely be severely damaged!" He looked at the remaining dozens of Song soldiers covered in blood and sighed, "We can't rely on you few. We need to hurry back and call for reinforcements while it's still early. We should try to salvage as much of the grain that has been spilled on the ground as possible, but the key is winter clothing!"

An old soldier sitting on the ground said weakly, "Brother, all two thousand carts have been burned. Even if there are any intact cotton-padded clothes left, I'm afraid we can't find more than ten or eight. I think you should just go back and not call anyone!"

Ding Liu said, "How can that be? Even if we can't find a single grain or piece of clothing, I will still send people back. After all, you are still here! We are all brothers who have been through thick and thin together. How can we just stand by and watch you die?" He mounted his horse and rode off into the distance!
Not long after Ding Liu left, the sound of hooves rang out again, and a rider galloped in!

The veterans opened their sleepy eyes and saw that the knight was wearing the armor of a Northern Han cavalryman. They immediately gripped their sword hilts tightly, as if facing a formidable enemy!

The Northern Han knight stopped in front of the Song soldiers, scanned the scene, and looked at the carnage and rivers of blood. His face immediately showed horror. "Damn it! They're all dead? Not a single one of the three thousand archers survived?"

He suddenly realized that there were dozens of Song soldiers lying on the ground, all staring at him!

Holy crap! More than thirty Song soldiers are still alive!

He immediately drew his sword!

The thirty-odd Song soldiers also stood up at the same time, drew their swords, and faced each other with murderous intent!
The horses of the Han army knights were startled by the murderous aura of the Song army and immediately reared up!

Dozens of veteran Song soldiers immediately swarmed forward!

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