Jiuxi

Chapter 729 Chapter 727 [Leading the snake out of its hole]

Under the rising sun, the flags are fluttering.

On the open ground southwest of Yaoshan Pass, the armies of Qi and Jing were ready to confront each other.

Over the past half month, the Qi army's offensive focus has always been on Yaoshan Pass, and it has only adopted a defensive and deterrent posture towards the Jing army's infantry and cavalry stationed on the flanks.

This choice is easy to understand. As long as the Qi army can break through Yaoshan Pass, the Jing army on the periphery will become a tree without roots, and they can only choose to retreat.

However, Yaoshan Pass was impregnable, forcing the Qi army to change its target.

If he could first deal with the Jing army supporting from the outside, Lu Chen could naturally repeat the same trick and attack Yaoshan Pass from the front and back.

Near the flag of the central commander of the Jing army, Pucha and Chelimu stood side by side on the lookout car, and they had a clear view of the Qi army's formation in the distance.

The Qi army was seen forming a very common formation of three armies on the left, center and right. Each formation consisted of about 10,000 people, with spearmen holding the foot of the formation, archers ready to strike at the back, and sword and shield soldiers protecting the flanks.

The formation was very strict, and a murderous aura rose to the sky.

The Jing army relied on the camp and set up a large formation with a round outside and a square inside in front of the camp.

Pucha moved his gaze to the southeastern Qi cavalry and said slowly, "I didn't expect Lu Chen to dare to bring the Feiyu Army here. In the battle that day, nearly half of the main force of this cavalry was lost. Could it be that within just a few months, their strength can be restored to its heyday?"

Che Limu shook his head and said, "How can there be such an easy thing in this world? I guess Lu Chen just let the Feiyu Army do something to contain the elite cavalry under the general's command."

Pucha nodded slightly, then turned to look in the direction of Yaoshan Pass and said, "Just now Wu Yantuo sent someone to report that the Southern Qi Lai'an Army is waiting outside the pass. It seems that Lu Chen wants to kill his enemy in one fell swoop."

Che Limu's eyes flashed, and he said in a deep voice: "General, I suggest you hold on for a while and see what the other party can do."

"As it should be."

As the battle was imminent, Pu Cha calmed down and said slowly, "Lu Chen is cunning by nature. He will definitely reveal his flaws to lure our army. You must not be fooled. When he loses his patience, it will be our chance to counterattack."

Chelimu said respectfully: "I will obey your orders!"

As they were talking, the Qi army's formation changed in the distance, and the left army began to advance slowly forward.

Pucha said no more and handed over all 20,000 infantrymen on the position to Chelimu's command. He continued to observe the overall situation like an extremely patient hunter.

When a large army fights in the wild, the most important thing is who can keep the formation neat and tidy at all times.

Chelimu may seem rough and reckless, but he is actually very cautious and careful, otherwise Wuyanshu would not have entrusted him with such an important task.

Facing the aggressive left wing of the Qi army, Chelimu remained calm and made slight adjustments to his own flank formation, making the forward soldiers more compact and giving the Qi army no chance to tear open space.

As the sound of war drums resounded between heaven and earth, after the rain of arrows, the first contact between the Qi and Jing armies officially began.

In the Qi army formation, Liu Jiangdong stood on a high place and looked at the battle situation on the front line.

The Ningyuan Army under his command has been watching from the sidelines during this period, and the soldiers naturally feel a little aggrieved. If not properly guided, such emotions will do more harm than good on the battlefield, and it will be difficult to enforce discipline and maintain unity at critical moments.

After the military meeting ended yesterday, Liu Jiangdong summoned all the captains and colonels and conveyed Lu Chen's order to them in an extremely solemn manner.

This army, formed with the original Ruishi Battalion infantry as its skeleton, finally made its first appearance after more than two years of obscurity.

The vanguards of the two armies gradually approached each other, and then engaged in close combat and fierce hand-to-hand combat.

The Qi army's attack was fierce, while the Jing army stood firm like a rock. The two sides fought repeatedly in an area of ​​several hundred feet in radius, and it was difficult to determine the winner in a short period of time.

The rest of the battlefield seemed quiet and solemn, with only the sound of the soldiers' breathing, which was either smooth or rough.

Under the flag of the Qi army's central commander, Lu Chen looked solemnly as he looked at the battle situation in the southwest direction.

Just as he had speculated before the war, this Jing army infantry was quite powerful. Although they did not display an obvious banner, they should be the elite of the Jing Kingdom's Xiejie Army.

Everyone knows that among the nine armies of the Jing Kingdom, the Loyal Army and the Xiejie Army are both the emperor's personal armies and are the foundation of the royal family Alihe.

The Loyal Army is mainly composed of cavalry, and has the largest number of war horses among all the Jing Army units, while the Xiejie Army is mainly composed of infantry, among which there are many veteran soldiers who have served in the army for more than ten years. They are at the peak age for a soldier and are stronger than ordinary armies in terms of both experience in facing enemies and killing ability.

After observing for a while, Huo Zhen said, "Sir, the Jing army's formation is very stable and cannot be easily shaken."

"It's natural."

Lu Chen said calmly: "Since Pucha dared to fight instead of leading his troops to retreat, it is enough to prove that he has sufficient confidence in this battle."

Huo Zhen agreed with this judgment and became more curious.

At yesterday's military meeting, Lu Chen made very detailed arrangements for this battlefield. All the generals under his command knew clearly what someone should do at a certain time point. However, there was one point he did not explain, which was how to ensure that during the critical period of the battle between the two armies, the Lai'an Army in the north could pose a threat to Yaoshan Pass.

Huo Zhen did not ask rashly, he just watched calmly.

At the beginning, under Li Tianrun's instruction, the three generals of Jingzhou switched to Lu Chen's command. Xu Gui was appointed as the deputy commander of Zhenbei Army by Lu Chen because of his bravery in battle, and Huangfu Yu was appointed as Li Bingxue's deputy because he still needed experience. The reason why Huo Zhen stayed with Lu Chen was not because the armies of Dingzhou could not even take out a deputy commander's position, but because Lu Chen felt that Huo Zhen was calm and cautious, so he wanted to observe him for a while and entrust him with important tasks in the future.

For Huo Zhen, this was actually the placement he wanted.

As Li Tianrun's right-hand men, he and Fan Wendi have very high popularity and status within the Jingzhou Army, and can influence the opinions of many middle and lower-level generals.

Li Tianrun had been very kind to him, so he would not resist the other party's arrangement, but he needed to see with his own eyes whether this young Duke of Shanyang was worth following.

Over the past year, he had great respect for Lu Chen's character, but he was a general in the army after all, and what mattered most was still his ability and skills on the battlefield.

Can this battle be won?

Huo Zhen didn't dare to conclude. Looking at the calm faces of the young and powerful people around him, he hoped that Da Qi would be the final winner.

In the distance, the battle situation became increasingly intense.

Under the command of Liu Jiangdong, the soldiers of the Ningyuan Army continued to attack the flank positions of the Jing Army. They were extremely eager to prove themselves.

In terms of closeness, the Dingbei Army and the Ningyuan Army, which were split from the first Sharp Warriors Battalion, can be regarded as Lu Chen's true direct lineage. However, in the past two years, only the Dingbei Army has shined in several major battles, while the Ningyuan Army has never been able to show its prowess.

"Kill!"

Countless roars burst out from the chest, filling this battlefield of iron and blood.

The sudden rise of the Ningyuan army finally caused the Jing army's formation to begin to waver. Chelimu did not hesitate to dispatch 3,000 elite troops to assist in the defense, and quickly stabilized the loosened position. The two armies once again fell into a brutal bloody battle.

The situation seemed safe, but Chelimu did not let down his guard, because he knew that this was just a prelude and the other party had not put in his all.

Standing on the observation car, looking at the Qi army's flag in the distance, Chelimu muttered to himself: "You are really able to keep your composure."

Of course Lu Chen kept his composure.

He had been planning this battle a long time ago, and when the Western Route Army won the first victory, he had already begun to speculate on the subsequent situation.

Pu Cha certainly could not have imagined how long Lu Chen had been preparing for the battle of Yaoshan Pass. "Send a message to Pei Sui and Xu Gui, ordering them to lead the Zhenbei Army to advance and cooperate with the Ningyuan Army to attack the enemy's main position."

Lu Chen's military order was quickly delivered to the Zhenbei Army.

Pei Sui and Xu Gui turned their heads almost at the same time to look at the central army commander's flag. The latter grinned and said, "General, I will fight you!"

The two men have completely different personalities and styles of doing things.

Pei Sui and Chen Lanyu are quite similar. They are always calm and introverted, and they are cautious in using troops. However, Xu Gui, as the most powerful general under Li Tianrun, likes to lead his troops into battle personally.

Contrary to outsiders' expectations, they have gotten along quite well over the past year and have never had any discordant conflicts.

Pei Sui did not hesitate and nodded, saying: "Please ask General Xu to be the vanguard and lead 4,000 troops to push forward. I will personally cover your rear!"

"Thank you!"

Xu Gui bowed and then gave orders and strode forward.

He took the spear from his personal soldier, flexed his wrist, and said loudly: "Brothers, follow me to kill the enemy!"

"kill!"

The warriors of the Zhenbei Army responded in unison.

The wind and clouds surged between heaven and earth, and the situation on the battlefield changed again.

When the Zhenbei Army entered the battlefield, the Jing Army felt the pressure suddenly increase.

These are the ace elite troops under Xiao Wangzhi's command. With the joining of a powerful general like Xu Gui, they are even more powerful.

In the Jing army formation.

"Order Tang Kuo to stop the enemy's attack at all costs, otherwise you will be punished by military law!"

Chelimu's previous calmness changed and his tone became quite stern.

With his long experience in the battlefield, he could naturally see that the Zhenbei Army had ill intentions. Once the enemy made a breakthrough, the Jing Army's formation would most likely be dispersed.

The tide is rolling in.

The joining of the Zhenbei Army immediately boosted the morale of the Ningyuan Army on the flank. They were like two hard fists, hammering hard at the Jing Army.

Tang Kuo, the vanguard general of the Jing army, roared loudly and ordered his infantrymen to defend their positions to the death.

But there are some things in this world that cannot be changed by human will.

As nearly 20,000 Qi army's tiger soldiers advanced in unison, the casualties of Jing's army began to increase.

Chelimu took a deep breath and resisted the urge to turn around and look at Pucha. Although he felt sorry for the loss of his subordinates, he also knew that now was the crucial moment to test whether one's resolve was firm.

If Pucha wants to complete his established plan, he must grit his teeth and persevere until the turning point comes.

Under the Qi army's flag, Lu Chen narrowed his eyes slightly and said slowly: "Did you notice anything unusual?"

Huo Zhen thought for a moment and said cautiously, "Sir, I feel that the Jing army's response seems too passive."

"Yes, they have been passively beaten."

Lu Chen raised his eyebrows slightly and said meaningfully: "This reminds me of the battle report I read before. In the battle of Kaocheng, Wu Yanshu chose to fight to the death with our Western Army despite being at a disadvantage in terms of military strength and Kaocheng was not lost, thus luring our army into a quagmire step by step. Yongyi Hou obviously did not notice the trap early. By the time he found out, our army could no longer escape smoothly, and was eventually overwhelmed by the heavy cavalry that Wu Yanshu had been hiding."

Huo Zhen's heart was moved, and he said nervously: "Could it be that Pucha also has a similar conspiracy?"

Lu Chen said: "Whether the Jing army has set traps depends on their performance on the battlefield. In terms of manpower, our army is clearly at an advantage. Once the Jing army loses the protection of the camp, it will be at a natural disadvantage. Pucha could have used the camp as a support and used cavalry to flank and support. I'm afraid our army could only watch and sigh. But he didn't do that. Instead, he couldn't wait to fight, and now he is blindly adopting a passive strategy. Do you think this is very similar to the trap that Wu Yanshu set for Yongyi Hou?"

Huo Zhen looked at the battle in the distance and said in a daze, "It is indeed very similar."

"Pucha's behavior before and after is contradictory."

Lu Chen flexed his fingers and said calmly, "In the past half month, the Jing army has been defending impeccably, which has given him some confidence. In this way, he should be more proactive and not be as timid as he is now. If the shadow of the battle of Luwu Mountain has not dissipated, he should continue to guard the camp honestly. Therefore, he wants to imitate Wu Yanshu, or go a step further."

"Go further?"

Huo Zhen's expression was slightly solemn.

Lu Chen nodded and said, "For example, take off my head."

Huo Zhen was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice: "What a big ambition."

"I always like to help others achieve their goals."

Lu Chen spoke in a steady tone, and said loudly: "Send a message to Liu Yin, and ask him to send half of his troops to attack the enemy's left wing."

The herald shouted in response.

A moment later, the Guangling Army on the right wing of the Qi Army moved forward, and more than 6,000 soldiers roared and rushed towards the Jing Army's position.

At this point, the Qi army entered a full-scale offensive.

The Ningyuan Army, Zhenbei Army and Guangling Army lined up from south to north. The three elite troops advanced in unison, constantly tearing apart the Jing Army's defense line.

The battle line was getting longer and longer, and the offensive of the Qi army was getting more fierce. Chelimu was already feeling great pressure at this time. You know, he was not facing a weak army, but the most powerful elite Tiger Guards under Lu Chen.

Under normal circumstances, a rational commander must consider retreating in time, otherwise it would be very difficult to retreat if the two armies continue to be entangled. However, Chelimu just looked ahead with a grim face and gave orders to his subordinates to stabilize the formation and fight hard.

The sound of fighting spread and rose with the wind.

Pucha was also observing the situation. When he saw the Qi army pressing forward in large numbers, there was no panic on his face. Instead, there was a long-lost passion and excitement.

"Send a message to Yan Zhan and Bi Lan, order them to lead 5,000 cavalry each, bypass from the north and south sides, and attack the rear positions of the Qi army!"

"Follow the order!"

Pucha's order soon reached the ears of the two generals. They grabbed the reins without hesitation and shouted to the densely packed Jing army cavalry behind them: "Follow me to kill the enemy!"

"kill!"

Amid the roars, the cavalrymen who had been gathering their strength in the open area behind the Jing army's formation rode out.

But they were seen like two torrents, bypassing the main battlefield where the two armies were fighting in front of them, and rushing towards the flanks of the Qi army's rear positions!

……

(Today there is only this chapter with 4,000 words, because I am impotent and the back pain is really unbearable. I forced myself to write a chapter. Please forgive me, book friends. I know I haven’t written much this month due to physical reasons. I promise to write more in September. I kowtow to apologize to everyone. Forgive me! This paragraph is not charged.)
(End of this chapter)