Elegy of Tang Dynasty

Chapter 691: Dead Birds Fly to the Sky

Swords flashed, corpses and blood covered the streets. On the official road not far east of Cijian, the life-and-death fight was still going on, but it was drawing to a close.

Wang Wujun still had a few personal soldiers around him, but most of his vanguard troops had become corpses, with various deaths.

The rest all collapsed, and the outcome is likely to be death.

Some were hacked to death by the Konghe Army, some were hacked to death by the supervisory team, and some were trampled to death by each other.

This narrow road east of Cijian has become a hell.

"Kill, you little bastards of the Crane Control Army, attack Yeye!"

Wang Wujun clenched his sword tightly in both hands and shouted at the indifferent soldiers of the Control Crane Army, but he looked a little timid.

But no one paid any attention to him. The soldiers of the Control Crane Army were all looking for suitable weapons on the ground and then walked westward.

After killing the vanguard army, the Crane Control Army is going to find Li Baochen for fun!
As for Wang Wujun, who was covered with dozens of wounds and stained with blood, those people had no interest in him. In their eyes, Wang Wujun was just a dog's life, not as attractive as a handy knife.

"You are just a defeated general. If you want to commit suicide, just go away and stop shouting.

Go away. You were sold out by Li Baochen and you still help him count the money. I feel sorry for you."

Li Huaiguang, who was passing by, shouted something to Wang Wujun, then walked away without any interest.

"I……"

The curse words got stuck in my throat and never came out.

Wang Wujun wanted to live, he didn't want to die. Although he had many knife wounds on his body, the bleeding had stopped, and he just looked horrible.

As for why the Crane Control Army didn't kill him, it was because they were too lazy to do so. The person they wanted to deal with was Li Baochen, and only by defeating Li Baochen's troops could they win the battle.

As long as they beat Li Baochen, Wang Wujun would die sooner or later, or become a bandit. If they lose, it doesn't matter whether they kill him or not, because dead people won't think about anything anyway.

The remaining soldiers of the Control Crane Army began to form a line and headed west. In an instant, only a few people were left alive on the battlefield, including Wang Wujun and a few of his personal soldiers who were guarding him and fighting to the death.

"Li Baochen! You son of a bitch! Damn your ancestors!"

Wang Wujun howled to the sky and cursed loudly.

The several personal soldiers around him all had gloomy faces. The vanguard army really tried their best and fought until the last moment.

However, Li Baochen was using them as cushions to block the punches of the Konghe Army.

Cruel and merciless.

The Konghe Army was blocked by them for a while and was already at the end of its strength. The outcome when facing Li Baochen was predictable.

But when the crossbow was just fired, what happened to the things that were hit?
No one pays attention to stories beyond idioms.

Wang Wujun felt a little sad. If the superior said that everything was for the overall situation, then he must be sacrificing you to achieve his overall situation.

What Wang Wujun couldn't understand was that he and Li Baochen were from the same hometown, so they could trust each other.

Why did Li Baochen betray him and send him to death?

When fellow villagers meet, they stab each other in the back. How insidious! After this incident, Wang Wujun saw through Li Baochen's character.

"General Wang, what should we do now?"

A personal soldier with an arrow stuck in his shoulder asked in a low voice, gritting his teeth to endure the pain, his eyes full of despair.

They actually knew what was going on.

It's only a few miles away. If that bastard Li Baochen is willing to send reinforcements, the reinforcements can crawl here!
This guy relies on the vanguard army to consume the physical strength and morale of the Crane Control Army!

The knife-pad style of play was not invented by Li Baochen, and someone will continue to carry it forward in the future. There is nothing new under the sun!
"I plan to go to Bianzhou. If any of you want to return to the camp, feel free to do so. I don't owe Li Baochen anything."

Wang Wujun looked around at everyone and said.

Who would go back after all this? Would Li Baochen give them credit? It would be great if he didn't find a reason to settle accounts with them!

The sword-padding style of play was not a glorious thing anyway, and Li Baochen naturally wished that Wang Wujun and his men would all die. Of course, if Wang Wujun could really repel the Crane Control Army, he would definitely be rewarded.

In short, the battlefield is a place where success or failure determines heroism. Losers and the dead should just shut up. There is no human rights to talk about.

"We are willing to follow General Wang!"

The personal soldiers clasped their fists and said that they were unwilling to work for Li Baochen anymore.

There were no horses on the battlefield, so Wang Wujun and his men supported each other and headed eastward towards Luoyang.

……

Just a few miles to the west, on a temporary platform, Li Baochen looked at the end of the road with a solemn expression.

Just now, many deserters rushed over, but the trick of rolling up the bead curtain could not be used. In the middle of the road, there were four or five layers of wooden fences and horse-barrier stakes, placed in a row at intervals.

The soldiers on the hills on both sides had already drawn their crossbows and swords. These were not only used to deal with the Crane Control Army, but also to deal with deserters.

The deserters who attempted to attack the wooden fence were shot directly by the crossbowmen on the hill, leaving a pile of corpses in front of the formation.

In order to win, Li Baochen was willing to risk everything he had.

The deserters were unable to advance and turned back, charging into the formation of the Crane Army, while some climbed up the mountains on both sides.

In short, the road was cleared in a very short time.

With blood, cruelty, and the determination to win.

War is a fight to the death, with no mercy and no means of escape.

Li Baochen finally saw the soldiers of the Control Crane Army appear at the end of the road. They were beasts determined to die, and they were no longer afraid of anything.

All strategies, routines, and tricks no longer work at this moment.

Just like Li Huaiguang did not lead his troops back to Luoyang after defeating Wang Junwu, once they let go of their anger, they could never pick it up again. The soldiers of the Control Crane Army were also human beings. When faced with an enemy with an absolute advantage, they would panic in despair.

Now, no matter what mountains of swords and seas of fire lie ahead, the only way to survive is to fight our way through.

For Li Baochen, the vanguard army was defeated. If he retreated at this moment, it would mean the undefeated myth of the Konghe Army was fulfilled.

The soldiers under his command will begin to become disunited and doubt whether they can win.

Both sides were forced into a desperate situation, and only by killing the opponent could they qualify to survive.

"Pass the order down, no charge, hold the line."

Li Baochen gave the order.

"Order!"

The messenger went to pass on the message, and Li Baochen said to another messenger: "The crossbowmen on both sides are not allowed to go down the mountain until they have shot all their arrows, so as to avoid contact with the Crane Control Army."

"Order!"

The messenger left, but Li Baochen seemed still worried. He said to his son Li Weicheng, "In this critical moment, I will personally lead my soldiers to charge the battle line. You must hold the line and kill the deserters. You must not retreat."

"Father... has it really come to this?"

Li Weicheng was shocked. He thought Li Baochen was very confident before. How come he is so completely defeated now?
"Huangfu Weiming was frivolous and has already paid the price. I don't want to be the second Huangfu Weiming."

Li Baochen snorted coldly.

His characteristics fully reflect what it means that "the older you are, the less courageous you are." In fact, when Li Baochen heard that Fang Qing left Bianzhou for Dengzhou, he didn't believe it at all!

When someone says he is not there, it just makes you think he is not there. If a person lives in seclusion, outsiders cannot find out the truth.

Then Li Baochen specially sent people to Dengzhou to verify, until the spy saw Fang Qing appear in Dengzhou with his own eyes, accompanied by his trusted general He Changqi and others. Li Baochen was relieved after learning the news, and decided to give it a try and deal with An Shouzhong and Li Huaiguang in one go.

If Fang Qing was in Bianzhou, he would not dare to send troops at this moment.

"Look, it's already started!"

Li Baochen pointed to the front of the battle line with his whip. At this moment, an arrow shot towards him. The personal soldiers around him were quick-witted and blocked the arrow with their shields.

Li Weicheng secretly thought that he was lucky. His father was well prepared and stood on the high platform to watch and guard against this move. War is so terrible!
Li Weicheng began to have the urge to back out. He didn't like leading troops in the first place, and now after observing the battle, he felt that this field was like walking on the edge of a knife, and it was not something he could handle.

How can the battle of wits and courage between the officers on both sides be summed up in these four words?
Li Weicheng wanted to say that he didn't want to lead troops in the future, but when he saw the stern expression on Li Baochen's face, he swallowed back what he was about to say.

The fighting has begun!

The soldiers of the Control Crane Army charged with their shields, advancing towards the ambush troops on the northern hill.

The ambush troops armed with horn crossbows were terrified, and many of them dropped their crossbows and ran away. For a moment, there was chaos and the ambush position in the north was in a mess.

Li Baochen stood still as a mountain, as if the animals being killed were all pigs and sheep.

"Pass the order down, the central army does not move! The reserve troops do not move! The supervisory troops do not move!

Anyone who disobeys the order will be killed on the spot!"

Li Baochen gave a cold order to the messenger.

At this moment, his heart was harder than the rocks on the mountain.

Li Weicheng wanted to speak several times, but was scared away by Li Baochen's eyes.

Li Baochen's judgment was correct. The best thing the Konghe Army was doing was winning in chaos.

First attack one place to disrupt the enemy's organization. Then attract the enemy to fill the position.

The enemy's originally orderly formation would naturally become chaotic.

Then they will break the formation in an explosive manner, focusing on the loose areas in the formation by breaking through the surface.

At this time, the enemy troops could no longer tell whether the troops in front of them were the enemy or our troops.

Finally, they found the position of the central army and killed them with one strike.

Even if the enemy had 100,000 soldiers, what would that do? These 100,000 soldiers couldn't fight them at the same time, and they were often pushed down and trampled to death by their own people!

Li Baochen understood this very well. He erected fences to maintain the line and placed chevaux de frise to prevent cavalry from charging, just like an old turtle, steady and unmoved.

Anyway, I won’t move. If you like to chew on it, come up and chew on it!

Of course, any method of using troops will have advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage of doing this is that the troops covering the two wings are very dangerous and cannot get support from the central army.

Suddenly, Li Weicheng saw that the offensive of the Konghe Army seemed to slow down.

After the ambush troops in the north were killed and dispersed, the ambush troops in the south actually managed to hold on and were in a tragic situation in hand-to-hand combat with the soldiers of the Konghe Army.

Li Baochen just won’t save him!
"Father……"

Li Weicheng wanted to say something, but hesitated.

"It's almost time. They are running out of energy."

Li Baochen sighed, seeming to feel sorry for the Konghe Army.

Seeing that Li Weicheng still didn't understand, Li Baochen added: "The Konghe Army is truly an iron army, like tigers and lions. Fang Youde is also a god, able to lead such troops. It's a pity that they slaughtered Chang'an and cannot be used by me. Otherwise, I really wouldn't kill them."

Li Weicheng remained silent.

Even Li Baochen did not dare to do what the Konghe Army did in Chang'an, and he suffered a lot for it.

But if we don't make peace with the Tianlong people in Guanzhong, we won't be able to stay in Chang'an.

This is actually a question of trade-offs, and there is no way to have the best of both worlds.

The ambush formation in the south was also dispersed, but during the charge, many soldiers of the Konghe Army were shot and killed, and it seemed that there were not many people left!

"Bang the drum!"

Li Baochen shouted to the messenger beside him!
coming!

Li Weicheng's heart was lifted.

When it is time to strike, you must strike, and you cannot hide behind the fence. This is because military morale is a highly suggestive thing.

The general is the courage of the soldiers!
Li Baochen just wanted to use his sword as a buffer, but he did have the courage to fight to the end.

"Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!"

The soldiers in the central army, who had been eager to try, pushed down the fence and rushed out like a flood.

Li Weicheng was distracted by the deafening shouts and the dense footsteps. When he came to his senses, Li Baochen had already led the troops himself and the entire army was on the march!

Even if he was fighting a sick tiger, Li Baochen used all his strength and went all in!

Standing on the high platform, Li Weichen saw the much smaller number of Konghe Army soldiers who were divided and surrounded, but they still advanced towards Li Baochen's flag.

Li Weicheng couldn't help but sigh repeatedly.

Li Baochen had several general flags and many backup flag-bearing officers. As long as the general flag fell, someone would immediately raise a new one.

Even Li Weicheng's side has a commander's flag prepared!

In order to defeat the Konghe Army, Li Baochen has made the worst plan.

The brutal fight was unbearable to watch.

The soldiers of the Control Crane Army were covered in blood, and the original color of their uniforms could no longer be seen. It was effortless to find them. Anyone covered in blood must be from the Control Crane Army.

However, these "little blood men" kept falling down because they were outnumbered, and their numbers were getting smaller and smaller.

Finally, they moved closer to each other and formed a circle. In this circle, people were constantly hacked to death by Li Baochen's soldiers, and the scope of the circle became smaller and smaller.

"I heard that Fang Youde has retired now. I wonder what he would think if he heard that the Konghe Army was destroyed."

Li Weicheng said to himself.

After a long time, a path opened up in the middle of the road.

Li Baochen stepped forward and looked at Li Huaiguang, who was leading the circle, and asked solemnly, "Li Huaiguang, do you admit your guilt?"

"When a person dies, the bird flies up to the sky. What crime has Li committed?"

Li Huaiguang, covered in blood, asked with disdain. He had killed enough people today, and even if he died now, he would have no regrets.

"Back then, the Crane Control Army massacred Chang'an, which was your sin. Today you must be brought to justice, but I can spare the soldiers under your command."

Li Baochen said with his head held high, looking righteous.

He really wanted to see the soldiers of the Konghe Army kill Li Huaiguang with their own hands in order to save their lives.

However, Li Huaiguang seemed to have seen the funniest thing in the world. He couldn't help laughing out loud, and tears came out of his eyes.

"You, a former lackey of Huangfu Weiming, a shameless bandit who rose up and burned, killed and looted, actually told me about legal principles and justice.

Do you believe in this? Do you have it?

If you want to kill, just kill. What the hell is this bullshit morality?
Marshal Fang is the only one in this world who is righteous. Are you worthy of that?"

The soldiers behind Li Huaiguang also laughed loudly, with no fear on their faces.

Obviously, Li Baochen's clumsy division tactics had no effect at all. How many lives had these remaining Crane Controlling Army soldiers harvested?
Isn't it ridiculous to talk about guilt or innocence at this time?

Li Baochen originally wanted to kill the person and destroy his heart, but he was rejected in the end. His face turned red and white, feeling very embarrassed.

He turned away dejectedly, never daring to look back at Li Huaiguang and the others.

"The general died in a hundred battles, and returned wrapped in his horsehide.

Li Baochen, Ye Ye is waiting for you to fight underground!"

Li Huaiguang shouted loudly in the direction where Li Baochen left, rushed towards the Guanzhong soldiers who surrounded them, and fought with them.

(End of this chapter)