The Bad Guys: Everyone, let’s revive the Tang Dynasty together!

Chapter 471 Powerless
With the conclusion of negotiations between the King of Qin and the King of Jin, and the issuance of war orders by both sides, the great war broke out almost suddenly.

The banks of the Liu River naturally bore the brunt of the attack. Arrows flew wildly from both sides, and some brave warriors even attempted to force their way across the pontoon bridge and directly attack the Qin King's central army, intending to finish the job in one battle.

Unfortunately, let alone touching the King of Qin, their horses' hooves didn't even make it onto the pontoon bridge before they were smashed into a bloody mist by Zhu Youwen, who had just appeared.

For some unknown reason, despite Xiao Yan being so close, the fearsome military genius of Jing Xinmo was not drawn into the fray. Jing Xinmo simply protected Prince Jin, Li Cunxu, and decisively commanded the elite central army to advance northward. The battle situation was changing rapidly, allowing no room for hesitation.

Therefore, in the camp between the two rivers, a thousand cavalrymen, led by Zhu Youwen, crossed the river and were the first to engage in battle with the Yi'er Army of Li Cunxu's central army. In an instant, men and horses fell, and Han and Hu soldiers were mixed together and rushed about, which can be described as a chaotic battle.

But this was only the beginning. As the orders of the commanders on both sides were conveyed to their troops through flags, drums, and horns, more than 50,000 cavalry units from both sides went into battle along a battle line that stretched for more than ten miles. This brought the entire battle to a fever pitch right from the start.

One side encircled the enemy from all sides, aiming to outflank, encircle, divide, and annihilate them as much as possible. The other side tried its best to avoid entanglement. The chariot formation was still used to delay the troops of Wang Yanzhang and Yuan Xingqin to the east and south, while the remaining cavalry group fought hard to the north, trying to break through Zhao Siwen's royal army and escape.

The vast plains between the Eason and Willow Rivers were instantly engulfed in thunderous hooves. Both sides' warhorses galloped left and right, waiting for an opportunity to ambush the other's flanks or rear, searching for a chance to deliver a fatal blow.

In such intense combat, where weapons clash, life or death is decided in an instant. In that instant, first, everyone's roars soared into the sky, then quickly replaced by the ear-piercing clang of metal clashing and parrying, and in the next instant, all sound was replaced by the muffled thuds of spears piercing human bodies.

From a high vantage point, the two massive cavalry waves first approached slowly, then suddenly accelerated, maneuvering at high speed. From orderly ranks to chaotic disarray, it took only a short time. The various cavalry formations on both sides quickly shifted from clearly defined lines to interlocking, relentlessly charging against Zhao Siwen's infantry formation and the cavalry's interception on both flanks, disregarding casualties.

Thus, despite being a cavalry battle, the density of the battle lines did not loosen as a result; instead, they became increasingly tight and entangled under intense clashes and pressure.

At this point, with battles raging on all sides, Xiao Yan and Li Cunxu instantly lost command of most of the participating troops. After all, it would be a pipe dream to micromanage troops already engaged in combat during a major battle of this scale.

However, as the commanders-in-chief of both sides and even the highest rulers of the two regimes, they could not do nothing. They could not easily intervene in the battle unless necessary, because once they did, it would mean that all information about the entire battle situation would be irrelevant to them.

As the commander-in-chief, one must try to extract information favorable to oneself from the overall battle situation, and then make timely overall adjustments. From the perspective of large-scale troops, one must convey macro-level orders to the front-line leaders: continue the siege, or divide and annihilate? Should the defense be consolidated, or the breakthrough point be expanded? Every decision concerns the life and death of tens of thousands of soldiers and the course of the entire battle.

Of course, if the commander-in-chief intervenes in the battle, there will be corresponding effects, such as boosting morale, intimidating the enemy, and even disrupting the enemy's central army's deployment and intentions to some extent by attracting the enemy's attention. However, unless the battle has reached a critical point where the commander-in-chief needs to personally take to the field, or when the battle is nearing its end and a pursuit is launched, such effects will always be more harmful than beneficial.

Therefore, at the start of the battle, both Xiao Yan and Li Cunxu avoided the main battle areas, trying to expose themselves to the sight of their own soldiers as much as possible, and then each did their own thing.

Li Cunxu donned a bright red cloak and personally led the royal banner to reinforce the enemy lines, his figure standing out conspicuously amidst the chaos, thus inspiring the soldiers who were breaking through to the north. Meanwhile, Xiao Yan stood steadily atop the towering watchtower of the camp, an umbrella spread out, his hand on his sword, observing the various armies defeat the enemy.

Ultimately, however, the key to victory often lies in the contest of details and underlying strength.

Both sides are undoubtedly battle-hardened elites, with the most experienced and skilled soldiers in the world. However, ultimately, the difference in their core driving forces leads to a multifaceted and potentially fatal impact.

One side was deeply surrounded and dragged down by the demoralized northern army. It had the motivation to break out and return home and had the advantage of manpower, but after days of rushing and advancing, it was finally exhausted and fearful.

Although one side had lost nearly 10,000 troops and was exhausted from days of pursuit, their morale was high and everyone was eager to fight. They all knew that if this battle was won, it would completely determine the fate of the Central Plains. They also knew that the King of Qin was personally watching the battle, which was the achievement of the founding of the new dynasty. The north had just been pacified and the south of the Yangtze River already had imperial guards. In the future, major battles would become less frequent, and the opportunities for the troops present to make contributions would become increasingly rare. How could they dare not strive for complete victory?
Therefore, the balance of the battle had already quietly shifted the moment Xiao Yan arrived.

The Jin army suffered heavy casualties in its vanguard as it struggled to open the northern passage. Furthermore, it faced varying degrees of pressure from three sides, and it was uncertain whether Xiao Yan would have any backup plans or reinforcements from Youzhou… Certainly, he would. Wang Yanzhang had only led a little over ten thousand troops out of the pass; how could Youzhou not have reinforcements?

Therefore, based on his assessment, Li Cunxu immediately ordered Yelü Lage to lead his main force of the Northern Desert Army to advance, and directly instructed Li Siyuan and Li Cunli to strictly supervise the Northern Desert Army to advance, and to execute anyone who retreated without permission.

Yelü Lage, the self-proclaimed Great Khan of the Northern Desert, was nothing more than a stray dog. He was well aware of his current situation, so in a fit of rage, he not only urged the Yishi and Diela tribes to send troops to break through the enemy lines, but also directly dispatched his trusted main force. This battle was critical, to the point where even their lives and property were at stake. It was a matter of life or death, so even Yelü Lage was prepared to fight to the death.

On the watchtower, Xiao Yan, who had been silently observing the battle with a furrowed brow, immediately noticed the change in the Jin army's formation and promptly issued a new order to Zhong Xiao Kui beside him.

"Send orders to Zhao Siwen, instructing him to exert all his strength and disregard everything to press southwards, and to hold back Yelü Lage's northern army, preventing them from escaping, so as to coordinate with my next deployment."

Zhong Xiaokui solemnly accepted the order, turned around, and hurried downstairs. A moment later, a lithe gyrfalcon soared into the sky from below the watchtower and flew towards the northern battlefield.

"Also, let Gongyang Zuo be deployed."

Standing behind Xiao Yan with his hands tied, Shi Jingtang cautiously glanced at Li Cunren beside him. He saw that the latter was just biting his lower lip and watching the battle with a complicated look in his eyes, as if he had not heard the order. However, Shi Jingtang bowed and quickly relayed the order.

Moments later, the 5,000 Youzhou cavalrymen, led by Gongyang Zuo and previously dispatched by Li Ting to the border regions, who had been hiding in the camp, immediately rushed out. However, instead of heading directly for the pontoon bridge battlefield to the east, they unexpectedly crossed the Yixun River at breakneck speed to the west. Then, like arrows released from a bow, they sped northward along the west bank of the river, several miles away from the main battlefield. Almost simultaneously with Gongyang Zuo's departure, Li Cunxu, alerted by his central army advisors, immediately felt an inexplicable and immense pressure. He knew, of course, that Xiao Yan must have reserve troops; otherwise, Xiao Yan's mere thousand men would not have been able to capture the Liuhe camp, which was already well-defended by Zhu Shouyin and Li Zhou. But he hadn't expected that Xiao Yan had been keeping a full 5,000 cavalrymen hidden away!
If these 5,000 cavalry were used immediately, the strength of both sides would be quickly equalized. Zhao Siwen's troops, who were responsible for blocking the Jin army in the north, and Wang Yanzhang and Yuan Xingqin's troops, who were divided and encircled from the east and south, would not have any difficulty in the short term.
However, with battles raging on all sides and several generals dispatched, Li Cunxu was sweating profusely and unable to come up with a deployment plan, even though he had guessed Xiao Yan's intentions.

However, even if he personally led the central army out, or ordered Li Siyuan and Li Cunli to immediately lead the Mobei army back south, the battles on all sides were in full swing, and the generals of each region had already been deployed to the front lines, so the transmission of orders was already slow.

Even more critically, after receiving Xiao Yan's strict orders, Zhao Siwen's troops launched a relentless attack on the vanguard of the Mobei army, regardless of casualties, trapping them in a quagmire from which they could not extricate themselves. Meanwhile, Gongyang Zuo's well-rested 5,000-strong cavalry, with their astonishing speed, had already begun crossing the pontoon bridge that had been erected in advance at the confluence of the Yixun and Liu rivers, and were advancing eastward.

Time was running out. Any remedial orders from Li Cunxu could not reach the Mobei army in time to change its fate.

Therefore, Li Cunxu immediately made a second decision. He then watched from afar as the iron cavalry surged forward like a torrent, directly and forcefully severing the connection between the advancing Mobei army and the Jin army. With the sharp momentum of the Youzhou cavalry, he fiercely penetrated the flank and rear of the Mobei army, which was entangled with Zhao Siwen's troops.

This fresh force was unstoppable, repeatedly charging, cutting through, and encircling the enemy. The already demoralized and disorganized Northern Army collapsed instantly, like a sandbar shattered by a giant wave, with soldiers crying out and fleeing in all directions.

With the pressure on the north suddenly reduced, Zhao Siwen's troops seized the opportunity to counterattack, dividing and encircling several of the still-resisting main forces of the Northern Desert. On the blood-stained grassland, desperate Northern Desert soldiers knelt down in droves, discarding their weapons and kowtowing repeatedly towards the Qin army camp, shouting incoherently, "King Xiao, spare our lives!" "We are willing to surrender to the Central Plains..."

In this situation, Li Siyuan and Li Cunli were powerless to reverse the situation. They could only desperately rescue the distraught Yelü Lage and flee in panic amidst the chaos of battle.

Several miles away, Li Cunxu saw this scene from afar. After remaining silent, he directly ordered his men to abandon the Mobei army and turn around. Taking advantage of the gap in the encirclement and annihilation of the Mobei army by Zhao Siwen and Gongyang Zuo, they moved westward along the riverbank and made a full-scale breakout to meet at the foot of Tanshan.

Li Yazi made a decisive move, immediately leading the central army away. After all, the battle had progressed to this point and was no longer relevant to the overall situation in the northern desert.

Before this, Li Cunxu could still turn the tide by personally leading the army. This is why he ordered his men to block his access to information at the beginning of the campaign, in order to fight quickly and make a long-distance advance, giving Xiao Yan no time to react.

But with Li Maozhen's defection, the battle at Wangting deteriorated; with the surrendered officials issuing warnings, Youzhou reacted swiftly; and with Xiao Yan's personal arrival...

No one would have imagined that Xiao Yan would personally travel to the northern desert.

This fellow is in Bianliang, in the heart of the Central Plains, more than two thousand li away from this northern desert. No matter what, it would take at least half a month to arrive!
If it were only the first two, Li Cunxu would have had a way to deal with them. However, Xiao Yan's sudden arrival became the biggest unexpected variable, because as a human, Xiao Yan should not have been able to catch up with this war in the northern desert!
But that's the truth, so what can Li Cunxu say?

He had already personally led an expedition thousands of miles, he had already accepted the title of God of War, he had done his best to maintain the overall situation, and he had already spurred Zhu Youwen and Wang Yanzhang to break through the encirclement with the Northern Desert Army...

As the Jin army surged northward, Li Cunxu suddenly reined in his horse and looked back.

Because Gongyang Zuo had captured the entire main force of the Mobei army, and the Jin army had withdrawn, except for Shi Jiantang's troops who were responsible for covering the rear and were still using their chariot formations to delay, Wang Yanzhang and Yuan Xingqin's cavalry group was now rolling forward without any hindrance, stirring up more and more things. On the battlefield, tens of thousands of defeated Mobei soldiers were like bubbles being slapped against the left and right banks by the rolling cavalry of tens of thousands of soldiers, and then they took away the Jin army that had been divided and surrounded, until they slowly swallowed up Shi Jiantang's hundreds of chariot formations...

Li Cunxu and his generals in the central army were all veterans of cavalry warfare. Over the years, they had fought in the east and west and witnessed countless hordes of iron cavalry. They all knew that once the cavalry formed a powerful, unstoppable force, whether on their own or the enemy's side, they would be unstoppable.

We are powerless; no one can do anything about it.

Even that God of War would be doomed if thrown in.

Powerless.

"Prince Jin, let's go." Li Jianji was silent for a moment, then clasped his hands in a gesture of respect, holding his spear. "My men still have some remaining strength and are willing to die for Prince Jin. Please allow me to stay. After General Shi has fulfilled his loyalty, I may still be able to stop him for a while. From now on, please take care, Prince Jin..."

Having said that, the man clasped his hands in a fist salute on horseback again, but without turning his head, he led his troops and headed south.

Li Cunxu looked up at the sky, closed his eyes for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbed, but ultimately he didn't utter a word, and reined in his horse to head north.

On the watchtower, Xiao Yan, who had been standing with his hand on his sword for nearly half a day, saw about seven or eight thousand Jin soldiers guarding the royal banner as they broke through the encirclement and headed north, but he remained silent throughout.

Standing behind Xiao Yan, Shi Jingtang watched as the steel beast swept northward with the force of a sweeping invasion, first surrounding Shi Jiantang, who numbered four or five thousand, and then crushing Li Jianji, who numbered another thousand. He was already dazzled and trembling uncontrollably. At the same time, a surge of emotions, including relief, lingering fear, and terror, welled up within him, causing him to bow down involuntarily, his voice filled with uncontrollable awe and respect.

"In this battle, the King of Qin annihilated the elite cavalry of Hedong, won over the hearts of those in the northern deserts, and the world... was at peace."

(End of this chapter)