Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1233 Melee
The Qi army was in the middle formation.

The great banner stood behind them, occasionally swaying in the wind of the plains. The vast army around them stopped in their tracks, and the dust they had raised slowly settled, covering the black armor with a thin layer of yellow soil.

Large shields and iron spears were put down from the hands of the guards and placed on the ground. The wolf riders and guards cavalry lined up on the left and right also reined in their warhorses. Occasionally, a horse would snort, stomp its hooves, and shake its neck.

Red Hare kicked the soil twice, hissing as it exhaled a puff of hot air, and impatiently swayed its tail.

"Don't be anxious, you're a father now, be quiet." Lu Bu stroked the neck of his beloved horse, his eyes fixed on the dark mass of Song soldiers: "They are indeed tenacious, still able to gather so many men."

"The Song army has a considerable number of troops in the south, after all, it is a major tax-paying area. Since Fang La, the Song court has paid more attention to this area and dared not let the troops here run rampant again."

Fang Xuedu followed behind on horseback. This Minister of War was also dressed in silver armor, with a long spear hanging on his armrest. He looked no different from an ordinary military general: "Moreover, when Zhao Gou fled south, many Song troops from Hedong, Hebei, and Qingxu followed him south. The number of troops now is only more than before, and certainly not less."

Lu Bu spoke softly: "An army of this size would indeed be troublesome if given time to develop, but they don't have that chance now."

Scouts went back and forth, relaying information about the enemy's formation.

As Lü Bu listened to the report, he stroked the red mane of Red Hare with his large hand: "There are not many cavalry in the Song army. It is a disadvantage to fight cavalry with infantry. Order Shangguan Yi, Zhai Jin, and Zhai Xing of the vanguard to go forward and probe the attack. Order Yang Zaixing, Niu Gao, and Guan Sheng to lead the cavalry forward to roam and seize the opportunity to rush in."

woo-

Woohoo——

The war horns echoed through the sky, and the generals in the Song army opposite them tensed up at the sound.

In the distance, the long, dark shadows moved like a swarm of ants, spreading out under the bright, sunny sky.

The earth trembled under the trampling of iron hooves.

"Stay calm, don't panic!"

"The vanguard raised their large shields and picked up their great axes, preparing to face the northern bandit cavalry!"

A frantic shout came from the officer's mouth. The figure in the front row, dressed in crimson military uniform, bent over, braced himself against the large shield, and placed his spear at the bottom of the "V" shape above the shield. A soldier holding a long-handled axe as tall as a person stood to one side, staring intently at the galloping warhorse in front.

"Archers, prepare."

The tremors of the ground traveled from the soles of their shoes to the soles of their feet, rising to their hearts. Their vision seemed to sway with the vibrations, and many archers' arms were shaking.

"Stay calm, stay calm, don't panic! Don't panic!"

Wang Gui roared loudly in the midst of battle, watching the cavalry take a breath not far ahead.

"put--"

The loud shout caused the archers, who had been training for a long time, to instinctively let go. Then Wang Gui's eyes widened as the cavalry in front of him suddenly split up and galloped to both sides. He unleashed a volley of arrows at them, and many soldiers fell to the ground with a scream.

Such scenes occurred simultaneously in several locations where the Song army was almost in a circular formation.

Arrows slashed through the crowd below, plunging into the sea of ​​people and splashing up ripples of blood. Similarly, a rain of arrows returned from the army formation, landing on the scattered cavalrymen and civilians. As they embedded themselves in the soil, the frantic, surging footsteps trampled over them, raising dust that obscured their vision.

A gentle breeze blew, scattering the yellow sand. Soldiers carrying swords appeared as the sand settled, rushing forward from just twenty paces away from the cavalry who were rushing past. They then crashed into the crowd, tearing them apart.

"Hahaha, so it's all show and no substance!"

"Fight in!"

A Qi soldier let out a wild laugh, pinned a Song soldier to the ground, gripped the blade of his sword, and plunged it into the soldier's eye socket. A fellow soldier rushed over, thrusting his spear at the soldier's head. The soldier roared, dodged the spear, and, ignoring the spear that had taken his ear, lunged forward and plunged his sword into the soldier's throat.

Li Qiong, mounted on his horse and holding a large sword, glanced at the ranks and his eyes widened in disbelief at how fearless the soldiers on the other side were in battle. This was completely different from what he had expected before he came.

"Damn it, get to the backup!"

As the view rose into the sky, the battle between the two sides on the plains west of Hefei was extremely fierce. Three Qi army infantry generals led 12,000 men in a probing attack. From south to north, groups of people fighting could be seen everywhere on the plains.

Compared to the three vanguard generals who were making probing attacks, the real pressure on the Song army came from the cavalry led by Niu Gao, Yang Zaixing, and Guan Sheng.

This was the first time these generals who had crossed the Yangtze River to face the offensive of the northern cavalry head-on. Under the daylight, large groups of cavalry broke into small squads and lingered outside. They first harassed the enemy with arrows, and after the infantry moved forward and became entangled with the Song army in front, a small number of cavalry gathered together and directly cut in, dividing the battle formation in front into small battle groups, which could be crushed and destroyed in a short time.

Among these galloping cavalry were many fierce warriors with exceptional martial skills. They charged in with their individual strength, killing the junior officers commanding the front lines and causing the battle formation to collapse even faster.

After more than a decade of fighting, most of the surviving cavalrymen would mentor the new ones, possessing a wealth of experience in how to dodge arrows, how to deal with charging cavalry, and how to coordinate with their infantry comrades to attack the enemy lines.

The Jin army, the Liao army, and the Western Army of the Song Dynasty had all been shattered under their iron hooves. How could these soldiers fleeing south possibly resist them?

The battlefield, stretching for miles, was filled with the sounds of clashing weapons and shouts of battle that shook the heavens and the earth. Niu Gao, Yang Zaixing, and Guan Sheng led three cavalry units in coordinated maneuvers, striking at the weak points of the Song army and shattering them.

"This can't go on."

Liu Qi tensed up as he watched the battle begin to crumble ahead: "Order Yan Chong to immediately set up a second defensive line. Deploy all the Divine Arm Archers in front, and dig as many pits and scatter caltrops as possible in front of the lines."

He paused for a moment, then said, "Immediately send a message to Commander Yue and Commander Li, instructing them to do the same and shrink their lines."

A messenger immediately rushed out.

In the battle formation ahead, a general wearing a plume helmet shouted for his soldiers to advance, while men carrying hand knives quickly dug through the soil in front of them.

……

On the boiling battlefield, figures under the banner of "Zhai" fought bravely, tearing through the shield formation in front of them. The charge spread throughout the Song army ranks, with figures wielding swords and spears plunging into the crowd, charging forward recklessly regardless of their lives.

These people are crazy!
Zhang Yong, his face filled with horror, commanded his troops to meet them. Long spears formed a forest, creating a spear formation. Behind him, Tang Huai directed soldiers wielding large axes to move closer.

"Forward! Forward! Let a marquis emerge from among the fallen!"

Zhai Liang's face was filled with madness. He used his spear to knock away the figure in front of him, roared, spurred his horse forward, and led the charge. Many of the surrendered soldiers from Jingxi were also caught up in the heat of the moment and followed with red eyes. They used all their strength to slash and stab at the men who had been their comrades not long ago.

"there."

Around the battlefield, the cavalrymen riding their warhorses back and forth keenly noticed the changes in the front line. Yang Zaixing slowed down, put his hard bow back into its scabbard, picked up his spear, and charged towards the front line under the banner of Zhai. Behind him, a thousand vanguard cavalrymen followed like a tidal wave, charging towards the direction his spear was pointing.

"Follow General Yang."

Zhai Jin, shouting from the center of his own army, was also worried about his son. He drew a longbow from his bow bag and, while shooting, led several hundred cavalrymen to charge forward.

Thanks to the abundance of horses in the Qi army, this meritorious general was given a considerable number of warhorses to join the army, thus escaping the predicament of having no cavalry available.

Zhai Liang charged ahead, his iron spear smashing through the forest of spears. Spearheads scraped white marks against his armor, sparks flying with each metallic clang. Then, a large axe, held diagonally in front of him, slammed down on the horse's leg. *Thud*

The warhorse's leg flew halfway into the air, and Zhai Liang on horseback immediately pounced forward, thrusting his spear downwards to stop some of the falling force. He landed on one foot, spun around, and with a shout of "Ah!" used the momentum to swing his spear horizontally, sending those who tried to take advantage flying backwards with a heavy blow.

"Surround it up!"

"kill him!"

The eyes of the people around Song Jun lit up. Everyone wanted the credit for killing generals and capturing flags, and they couldn't let this windfall slip away.

Zhai Liang barely managed to stand firm, then swung his gun to push aside the advancing Song soldiers. His arm muscles bulged, and with a shout of "Haa!" he used the gun like a club to sweep away the enemy soldiers who were coming forward.

"Damn it... cavalry ahead!"

A Song soldier who was engaged in close combat with the Qi army shouted, and several soldiers who were relatively close behind turned around. In their line of sight, a young Qi general wearing silver armor was rushing over at high speed.

"Go away!"

A loud voice rang out in the formation, and several soldiers who were nearby were seen flying into the air. One after another, galloping warhorses crashed into the bodies of men, the sound of bones breaking, blood and flesh splattering, and iron spears piercing through their bodies.

Some Song soldiers were sent flying backward, landing on the backs of the axe-wielding soldiers. A chorus of screams erupted: "Turn around! Turn around! Cavalry! Cavalry—"

Amidst piercing screams, the iron hooves of the cavalry charged into the crowd, raising and stomping down, stirring up a chorus of pitiful cries. Thick, dark red blood formed a long carpet, and the advancing front was a scene of carnage.

bang——

The warhorse neighed, and a general who attacked from the side swung his iron rod and smashed it against the iron spear that was thrusting at him.

Zhang Yong gritted his teeth, looked at the figure in silver armor ahead, and roared sharply, "You traitorous general, stop..."

"roll!"

Within the swaying vision, the spear, which had caught them off guard, trembled. The golden tiger-head spear slashed across the ground, sending dirt flying everywhere as it swung through the air in a huge crescent shape before crashing down fiercely towards the opposite side.

Just as Zhang Yong was about to pursue with his iron rod, he saw the long spear bending almost in the air and quickly grabbed the rod with both hands to block it.

when--

A deafening roar echoed across the battlefield, and the gun barrels trembled violently in the air.

Zhang Yong cried out "Ah!" and flew off his saddle, crashing into a Song soldier to his side. The two rolled into a heap.

Seeing Zhai Liang being besieged, Yang Zaixing didn't pursue him. Instead, he roared and charged into the fray, thrusting his spear left and right. Several soldiers wielding large axes flew out, their blood dripping in the air.

Zhai Liang breathed a sigh of relief as he watched Yang Zaixing charge towards him.

"Mount."

A cavalryman reached out his hand, and Zhai Liang grabbed it for leverage. The soldier let go and then realized his palm was wet and slippery. When he turned the reins, he looked down and saw that his palm was covered in blood. He glanced at Zhai Liang's hands and saw that his hands, including his thumb and forefinger, were covered in blood. His hands and the shaft of his gun were red.

"Come back, form ranks! Quickly—"

Tang Huai, watching the cavalry and Qi infantry charge into the formation, was extremely anxious. When Yue Fei ordered him to return to defend, he could only grit his teeth and lead his remaining troops, still in formation, to fight and retreat.

The intense battlefield spread in all directions. The battle formations in front of the Qi army, which was being attacked by both cavalry and infantry, began to fall into chaos. Zhai Jin kept urging his horse forward, breaking apart another wave of Song soldiers who had formed a battle formation. Infantry were filling the gaps in their own ranks from the rear.

Seeing his son being rescued, he breathed a sigh of relief. As he watched the troops in front of him retreat, he immediately understood their intentions.

"A message was sent to the entire army: the Song troops are retreating in a turbid formation, but not in disarray, and there are two lines of defense—"

He fired an arrow from his longbow at the retreating figures under the banner of Tang, but it was blocked by the shield of the guards there. He looked somewhat regretful and said, "Sound the horn! The infantry behind, push forward!"

Waaah, waaah—

……

The sunlight gradually shifted westward.

On the plains, the sounds of clashing weapons and fighting filled the air, as if roars echoed everywhere.

As Lu Bu rode his warhorse, his gaze swept across the battle flags obscured by the yellow sand ahead, and he heard the varying lengths of the horn signals. He immediately understood.

"Order the Left Guard and the Wolf Cavalry to attack the left and right flanks to support the vanguard."

"Order the elite troops to advance and open up the situation from the front."

"Order the central army to advance slowly, providing initial support with bows and arrows."

"The scouts from the army went around to investigate the rear of the Song army's formation."

The messenger cavalry galloped out, and troops from all directions followed suit, their hooves thundering across the plains.

Lu Bu watched the black battle formation advance ahead, gently spurred Red Hare between his legs, and moved forward protected by the shield wall of the Right Guard.

"Is Your Majesty afraid they'll run away?" Fang Xuedu, standing behind, asked curiously.

"It's rare to gather so many people here." Lu Bu glanced at him, then stared at the battle formation ahead: "I don't know much about Zhao Gou, but I do know a little about the Song army."

He raised his arm, clad in golden armor, and pointed to the banner bearing the character "Song": "Those who can fight on the battlefield without running away are considered the elite of the Song army. These people here are probably the last remaining elite of the Song army."

"Does Your Majesty intend to annihilate them all here?" Fang Xuedu tilted his head. "Judging from their current orderly deployment, although their front line has suffered a setback, their battle formation in the distance is not in disarray. It may not be easy before nightfall."

“Too many of them.” Lü Bu shook his head. “After the initial panic, they will become more cautious as they retreat. Today, we can only retreat, not rout them. However…”

He narrowed his eyes: "Luzhou can't escape from here. They also lack cavalry and are in a passive position."

Fang Xuedu nodded slightly.

……

Under the light of day, the black-clad troops relentlessly advanced towards the crimson circular formation, arrows raining down between the two sides.

The atmosphere became more heated.

(End of this chapter)