Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

bang bang-

boom--

The pear blossom-pointed steel spear kept colliding with the flagpole. Lu Zhishen swung the several-meter-long pole in his hand as usual, and he didn't look like he was struggling at all.

But he was also anxious as the two of them clashed head on.

As someone who had been in the army for many years, Lu Zhishen naturally knew that this cavalry was only the vanguard cavalry, and their job was to charge into the enemy ranks and attract attention. There must be a large enemy force following behind them. It would not be a good idea to get entangled with this Liao general at this time, and he had to kill this Liao general quickly.

As for Alichi, he was even more anxious than Lu Zhishen. The battle formation was operated skillfully and the Qi soldiers cooperated skillfully. At a glance, he found that the cavalry that followed him in were almost wiped out.

"Drink-"

Amidst the roars, Alichi's gun moved like wildfire, firing three shots in succession at the front end of the flagpole.

click-

The long pole, which was not originally made for killing people on the battlefield, broke. Lu Zhishen stood on the ground. Just when his old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet come, he staggered forward and took a step. He quickly exerted force and stood firm on the spot.

Over there, Aliqi saw the last knight who followed him to charge the battle fell off his horse. A gap was left behind the shieldman behind Lu Zhishen, and a figure holding a strong crossbow appeared. He did not dare to stay here any longer and turned his horse around: "The thief over there, we will decide the outcome next time."

Lihuadian's steel spear shook, and a path was immediately cleared for the surrounding spears. The fierce general, who was known for his bravery, quickly rode away.

If he doesn't break out now, he won't be able to escape once the circular battle formation closes.

"Cowardly bandit! If you have the guts, hit me now." Lu Zhishen threw the flagpole to the ground, stretched out his hand to pull out the sword from his waist, pointed it at Alichi's back and shouted loudly.

Alichi on his horse pretended not to hear anything. He just dodged the arrows and ran without looking back.

In the gradually darkening sky, two thousand Liao cavalrymen advanced in advance and charged at the battle formation of the Qi army, with people in the front row constantly hanging on long spears and iron lances.

The cavalry, having lost their fighting spirit, quickly turned to patrolling outside and shooting arrows while waiting for reinforcements from the rear. Arrows were flying back and forth between the two sides, and the sound of whizzing through the air was endless.

Just a few breaths after Aliqi rushed out of the battle formation, the imitation Shenbi bow began to roar in the Qi army formation, and the Xijing Road cavalry began to suffer heavy casualties.

The order of "retreat--" echoed under the sky, and the cavalry in the front began to turn, followed by a rain of arrows.

Various shouts continued in the dim light. On the battlefield with more than 40,000 people, twinkling torches replaced the skylight.

The crowd was running wildly, the horses were galloping, the ferocious faces were in close contact, within the range of the firelight, weapons were wielded fiercely, and the shouts of "Kill" were deafening.

Thousands of sword lights danced on the front line. People's bodies were separated by the shield wall, and they slashed madly at the large iron-clad shields. Between the shields, spears and iron lances stretched out and retracted like snakes. Blood and corpses increased in front of the scarred shield formation. The heart-wrenching screams suddenly reached the highest point at this moment.

Ji Anbang held his thick and long iron spear in his hand, staring at everything in front of him with red eyes, and let out a roar of "Ah--". His personal soldiers followed him to fight, and the heavy iron spear smashed the shield. At the same time, Di Lei's spear also followed.

bang——

The gun barrel made a dull sound in the air, and the two men on horseback swayed. Di Lei muttered, "He's really strong." He didn't want to fight him head-on in front of the battle, so he shouted, "Shoot him down!" and shot him.

Several officers who were good at archery drew their bows and shot several arrows at Ji Anbang.

bang——

Ji Anbang waved his hand to deflect the stabbing spear, and his body shook immediately. Several arrows shot into his armor, and a burning pain was transmitted to his brain. A warm and sticky liquid was flowing.

The warhorse under his crotch also raised its head and neighed almost at the same time, but it was an arrow shot by someone that pierced the horse's body.

"Walk--"

Ji Anbang roared angrily and quickly fired a shot at Di Lei. The commander of the Danzhou army turned his horse and shot the shieldman who was approaching him, sending him flying. Then he retreated unwillingly, as he would be swallowed up by the battle formation if he stayed here any longer.

"Shieldmen, move forward to fill the position! Archers, keep shooting." Di Lei did not chase after them on his horse. He swung the spear in his hand to knock the cavalry who had just followed Ji Anbang in the attack off their horses, and looked coldly at the Liao army under the light of torches.

The low sound of horns was heard, and the cavalry and infantry in the battle formation were moving. The rotating soldiers replaced their tired comrades in front, and the energetic figures roared and swung their weapons.

The darkness of night concealed the rising smoke and dust, and the ground shook more and more violently.

Wu Yanguang's battle flag was barely visible in the dim light, and countless soldiers from Xijing Road roared and shouted as they marched towards the battle formation of the Qi army.

Looking from the sky, it looks like huge waves rising up and crashing heavily into the reef standing over there.

boom--

A huge roar exploded the moment the two armies came into contact. Several shields flew up when the war horses charged over. More cavalry swarmed in and crashed into the torn gap. Before the rushing knights could even smile, lances, iron spears and arrows hit them on the head.

The front line was filled with blood. Long spears hit the heads of war horses with a dull thud. The beasts on all fours screamed in pain and threw the men on horseback off the ground. Human figures pounced into the sky, pierced by long spears with their fangs and claws bared. Some fell to the ground, dizzy and unable to get up for a while.

The soldier rolling on the ground was already seriously injured. Looking at the figure falling beside him, his face turned ruthless. He pulled out the short blade he carried with him and stabbed the man in the vitals.

"Shrink, shrink—"

As the officers and generals at the front of the Qi army gave orders, the spearmen and archers who had lost the protection of their shields quickly retreated behind the shieldmen on the short side of the trapezoid, and their spears were raised again and extended out from the shields.

"Come on, follow me!"

Alichi, holding a spear in his hand, shouted loudly to the reinforcements coming from Xijing. A cavalry general led the cavalry to catch up with his mount, and then repeated the previous events in front of the reef.

"The enemy has many soldiers. We cannot let them attack the battle formation. Order Di Lei to lead the cavalry to attack from the outside. Wanyan Chanchun's troops will cooperate. Order all the battle formations to keep a close eye on the rear of the cavalry."

Xi Sheng was in the army, looking at the reinforcements ahead. His expression remained unchanged, but his eyes were fixed on the front line. "Send a message to Lu Zhishen, and have him lead a team of brave warriors to move with the battle formation and clear out the enemy soldiers who have broken in."

"Blow the horn and order the whole army to fight to the death—"

After the loud voice, horns were blown, and the sounds of fighting and shouting echoed on the front line. Figures kept rushing onto the motionless battle formation, and then fell away like a tide.

Ru Tingqi wiped the sweat off his face and found Ji Anbang who was pierced by an arrow: "General, the cavalry soldiers can't stand it anymore, let them retreat and rest."

"Commander Wu Yan is leading the army here. How can we retreat now?" Ji Anbang said coldly. He drew out a sharp knife and cut off the arrows that had pierced his armor. There were several places where blood oozed out. The man raised his spear again as if nothing had happened: "Tell the soldiers to hold on. Everyone in the court is looking at you. Don't do anything that is humiliating to your manliness."

Ru Tingqi had no choice but to return to the army and command his troops to continue attacking the Qi army on the opposite side. However, these cavalry had lost their fighting spirit and often retreated halfway through the charge, leaving Ji Anbang in the rear watching helplessly.

Waves of blood mixed with corpses surged on the battlefield. Wu Yangguang felt a headache looking at the battle formation over there. He thought that he could defeat Xi Sheng this time with his superior strength, but he didn't expect that the opponent's troops were so capable of fighting after forming a battle formation and standing firm on the battlefield with a tide of attacks.

"It depends on whether the troops behind them can find the main camp." Wu Yanguang frowned as he gripped the reins: "Let the troops in front of Tanzhou retreat and replace them with the rear troops." He clapped the whip in his hand fiercely: "The soldiers in Nanjing Road are used to enjoying themselves and can't stand the hard battles. It's still us who have been fighting for years. This time, let Your Majesty see who is the pillar of the country."

"Order more torches to outlast these Qi troops!"

Dozens of soldiers with messengers rushed out, and their shouts spread faintly in the night sky. A number of torches lit up in the darkness, and iron balls with burning powder were thrown out from the Qi army formation.

The roar dotted the figures of fighting.

……

Under the same sky.

boom--

"Throw them out. Don't be stingy with these firearms. If the camp is breached, they will be useless even if you hold them in your hands."

With a slightly hoarse voice, Zhao Li rode his warhorse and galloped around the newly built military camp. Most of the people in the camp were young and strong men who had been conscripted, military craftsmen, and some wounded soldiers who had retired with him. Now they were organized by him and deployed in various places in the camp.

The Liao army that was charging outside with weapons was blown to pieces by the thundering fireballs. Although not many lives were lost, their sneak attack on the camp was discovered, and the leader Wu Yanyanshou felt a little embarrassed.

With a roar of "Go forward and break through here," the young general took the lead and led his troops forward with a Fang Tian Hua Ji in hand.

Another round of roars rang out in front of the military camp, and a roar of "Hold on!" came from the general on horseback. The wounded general endured the pain, drew his bow on horseback, ran along the wooden fence of the military camp, and shot more than ten people in a row, which immediately made the young and strong soldiers in the army cheer.

There was a craftsman in the back who put together a catapult and a crossbow and pushed them forward, commanding the young and strong men to surround them, and shooting outside without accurately aiming.

A roar mixed with screams sounded outside the camp.

……

Time passed in the fighting, the commanders on both sides issued orders, and the casualties increased every moment.

Di Lei rode a warhorse and led his cavalry to charge out of the battle formation several times to rescue the enemy. The Liao army infantrymen walking on the ground were knocked over under the horses' hooves and their lives perished between heaven and earth. The cavalry that had gone out into the battle formation retreated back into the formation under the cover of bows and crossbows, leaving the Liao army that had caught up with them helpless and forced to retreat, roaring in the rain of arrows.

On the front line of the battle, occasionally a fierce soldier of the Liao army would rush through the first line of shield formation. Lu Zhishen, wearing heavy armor and holding his Zen stick, would swing the heavy weapon, and from time to time blood and figures would fly into the sky.

Lu Zhishen, who was originally irritable, became excited. His fair face was covered with blood spots as if he had drunk alcohol, and his eyes were stained with blood. He held a water-milled iron Zen stick and laughed ferociously: "Come on, those who are not afraid of death, come forward quickly, I will save you!"

He ran forward quickly, his staff brushed past people's bodies, and his figure flew out in a spin. The dozen or so Xijing Dao soldiers following behind were knocked to the ground by the flying figure. The soldiers holding iron spears and long guns hurriedly lowered their weapons. The sharp iron blades entered the human body, bringing up pools of blood, and screams came from the mouths of those who were almost stabbed into meat paste.

The swordsman and shieldman at the back hurried over, thrust the iron shield into the ground, and held it up with his shoulders.

After being rescued, Hua Heshang breathed a sigh of relief, looked towards the rest of the formation, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and ran over with his soldiers.

Roars and screams continued under the light of the fire.

The noisy sounds of the battlefield could be heard from far away in the night that should have been quiet. Wu Yanguang looked up at the moving moonlight in the sky from time to time, listened to the noise on the battlefield, and almost never stopped giving orders.

But in the distance, the blood-red flag was still fluttering, and the flags of several main generals of the Qi army did not waver, which made him gradually anxious.

"Report——"

A cavalryman shouted and ran over quickly, stopping in front of him. The figure on the horse jumped down, knelt on one knee and clasped his fists: "Report to the commander-in-chief, the young general led the army to attack the enemy camp but failed. The enemy general Zhao Li defended tightly, and now he has decided to withdraw."

Wu Yanguang stood up on his horse and asked, "He has 7,000 men under his command, and he can't take down a camp?"

The soldier looked bitter. "The enemy army is cunning. Their barracks are farther back. When the scouts went there, they had already set up their camp." He paused and said, "Also, their crossbows and whirlwind cannons are still there. The soldiers were seriously injured. Even the young general was almost hit by the crossbow."

"hiss--"

Wu Yanguang took a deep breath and looked at the battle formation in front of him. His expression changed several times, and finally he gritted his teeth and said, "Pass the order! Retreat..."

Then he shouted in a higher voice: "Retreat!"

Dangdangdang——

When the golden gong sounded, the soldiers who had been fighting hard at the front for half the night retreated hastily under the leadership of their respective generals as if they had been pardoned.

At the Qi army, almost all the soldiers, who were covered in blood and wounds, breathed a sigh of relief when they saw this. Many of them had not yet reacted from the fighting, and only now did they feel the pain in their wounds. They groaned, and sat down on the wet ground that had long been soaked with blood.

Xi Sheng was in charge of the central army. He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw the retreating soldiers. He turned his eyes and saw many soldiers sitting down. He shouted, "Send a message to the whole army. We are not out of danger yet. Everyone, please stay alert and retreat slowly."

The exhausted messengers hurriedly ran out, their shouts tearing the night sky. The tired figures supported each other and slowly retreated with swords and guns in their hands.

This night.

Both the Qi and Liao armies suffered heavy casualties. Wu Yanguang failed to defeat Xi Sheng's troops as he had planned, and Xi Sheng was also unable to attack Danzhou as he had planned before the war.

They each retreated back to their camps to lick their wounds.

Soon, Xi Sheng received a message from the troops in the rear that Du Fu's reinforcements would arrive soon.

……

Northwest direction.

Under the daylight, muscular figures walked into the tents with yellow, blue and red ribbons. The bald tribal leader looked at the captains under his command and said, "The water and grass are seriously polluted. Many cattle and lambs died this spring. Many herdsmen suffered heavy losses. Their losses are the losses of the royal court."

He drew out his scimitar and stabbed it on the table with a "bang". "I intend to go south, taking advantage of the war in Liao that has weakened the country and prevented it from looking west, and seize the Uighurs' territory to make it a pasture. All the warriors of the Naiman tribe, it's time to hunt!"

Swah——

Scimitars were raised one after another, and a passionate voice came from the seated figure: "Hunt!"

"hunting!"

In the spring of the fourth year of Jianwu, the grassland tribes far to the west of Shangjing Road brazenly sent troops to attack the Western Region Uighurs because of water pollution and the death and injury of many livestock.

There is a message coming from a fast horse on Xijing Road. (End of this chapter)