Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 113: Pinglu Army's Defeat

Using Mo Dao and powerful crossbows to directly kill the fleeing soldiers who are attacking the main camp is the most effective way to prevent the spread of chaos.

The soldiers of the Yanshuai Army had no choice but to kill their comrades.

However, it could not stop the troops from entering the city, and they were defeated step by step under the attack of the armored cavalry composed of the remnants of the Persian people.

The Cao army's ambushes in the civilian houses also rushed out and launched a full-scale attack on Yan Shuai's army from both sides.

Rather, this kind of retreat was exactly what the government troops needed. Once they withdrew from the city gates, the armored cavalry would find it difficult to unleash their devastating power on the relatively open terrain.

But one after another, the elite soldiers fell like mowed wheat under the charge of the enemy cavalry, and some were even killed by their comrades because they wanted to attack the main camp; this still made the officers and soldiers of the three armies feel sad and sigh.

Elite warriors need many years of hard training in the coldest days of winter and the hottest days of summer, and are honed through repeated battles with real weapons. But it only takes a moment for them to be killed by the enemy.

As Zhen Ranyu's Red Flame Burning Heaven Blade spun, severing the head of a charging armored cavalryman's horse, sending him sprawling and dying, Huang Chao, clad in a golden helmet and armor, sword in hand, and on horseback, approached Zhen Ranyu's formation. The sunlight shone on his armor, making him look like a golden-armored god of war.

"The sun rises ten feet high above the Fusang tree, while all matters in the world are as insignificant as a hair. A wild man sees injustice and sharpens the sword in his chest!" Huang Chao glared and shouted, "Woman, today is the day you pay for the death of your brother Xianzhi and the 30,000 wronged souls of the Cao army!"

The Seven-Star Mountain-Chopping Knife in his hand shone brightly, and its color changed rapidly, turning from frosty white to azure green in an instant. This was the unique Qingdi Sword Technique that Huang Jutian usually used.

The long sword swept across, the rays of light sparkled, and the green wood energy suddenly roared and surged, turning into the image of Jianmu, as if it could tear through the clouds in an instant, supporting the sky and pressing down the earth.

Above the vast sky, there is an arc of light that is so beautiful and shocking that it is still magnificent and incomparable even under the broad daylight!
Jianmu Aurora Sword.

This is another deadly killing move in the Green Emperor's swordsmanship, in addition to the "Green Fire and Golden Light Sword".

Zhen Ranyu quickly swung the Blade of Burning Heaven, and the sharp blade, carrying a blazing flame from the void, collided with Huang Chao's sword style. The red and green auras collided like two meteors hitting each other, and the aftermath splashed out a torrent of light rain, dazzling the eyes.

When the blurred light and shadows fell one after another, the soldiers of both armies saw Zhen Ranyu and his horse being forced to retreat several steps.

During the Battle of Songzhou, Qi Kerang, known as "Qilian Snow Clearing", fought with Huang Chao for dozens of rounds, but the winner was still undecided.

Unexpectedly, as soon as Huang Chao and Zhen Ranyu fought, Zhen Ranyu was at a disadvantage.

"Huang, driven by a desire to avenge a dear friend, has come to kill you today. However, Marshal Yan was distracted during the exchange, which was disrespectful to me."

Huang Chao's words were filled with an overwhelming and unstoppable heroic spirit.

Zhen Ranyu did not answer, but held up the Red Flame Burning Sky Blade and fought back, fighting and retreating.

Even though she was at a disadvantage at the beginning, she remained fearless and tried her best to fight Huang Chao to cover the army's retreat.

Under the hard work of their commander, the government troops gradually reorganized their formation, relying on spear and shield formations to resist the charge of the armored cavalry.

They finally retreated outside the city gate.

Huang Chao did not chase after them, apparently because he found no opportunity to exploit, and once the armored cavalry left the city, they would not be able to exert such great power.

But when Zhen Ranyu returned to the carriage, his slender body suddenly trembled, and then a stream of blood spurted out from the window, falling to the ground in drops as bright as peach blossoms.

Several female warriors were horrified and rushed forward to help Zhen Ranyu up. "General Yan, what's wrong?"

"It's just a minor injury." Zhen Ranyu wiped the blood from his mouth and said calmly, "First, retreat steadily, and then try to counterattack."

Only she knew that she had just fought Huang Chao for over thirty rounds, repeatedly retreating and fighting, and had been oppressed by the overwhelming momentum of Huang Chao's Blue Emperor Sword Technique, which had injured her heart meridians. Horseback combat was not a weakness for either Yan Shuai or Huang Chao, but it was not their forte either. Neither of them was renowned as a cavalry commander like Feng Shuai.

Huang Chao came with a sharp edge, but his desire for revenge pushed his edge to the extreme.

In this fight, she was completely defeated. Not only did she lose more than a thousand soldiers, but she was also seriously injured by Huang Chao's heavy hand. Her physical strength was weak, and her combat power was probably reduced by more than half compared to her normal state.

"Bravest among the three armies, wisest in the world", the four generals' invincible military force is their important support in battle.

Zhen Ranyu knew that the news of his serious injury must not be spread, so as not to shake the morale of the army.

However, Huang Chao had fought with her for more than thirty rounds. Didn't he realize that Yan Shuai had been severely injured by him and was just struggling to hold on?
As if things weren't bad enough, when General Yan's army suffered a setback in their attack on Muling Pass and was retreating, a scout suddenly came to report.

"A large number of enemies are pouring out of the south gate of Muling Pass, pursuing our army. There are at least 5,000 of them, and their morale is high!"

"Impossible!" Bo Chulong exclaimed, "Huang Jutian shouldn't have many soldiers left."

Zhen Ranyu put his hand on his forehead and finally sighed softly.

"Nothing is impossible. Shang Rang Meng Kai led 5,000 men to defeat An Shiru and Wang Jingwu's 12,000 Pinglu troops. He can directly march south through the pass and join in the pursuit of our army."

Bo Chulong was surprised and said, "Twelve thousand men! That's twelve thousand men! Could they have been completely wiped out like that? If they could have regrouped, Meng Kai wouldn't have had the guts to march south so leisurely..."

"The imperial rewards haven't arrived yet, and if the Pinglu Army is defeated, they'll completely disintegrate. They've been following Song Wei for too long, and this is how they behave." Zhen Ranyu sighed, "I don't know whether to say that An Shiru, Wang Jingwu, and Liu Xun are so incompetent that they're beyond my imagination, or that these bandits are united in purpose, each of them exerting abilities far beyond their limits..."

The situation was clear. Even without the two hundred armored cavalrymen that descended from the sky like gods, Huang Chao could still defeat General Yan at Muling Pass. It was just that the armored cavalrymen could attack suddenly enough to cause greater casualties.

"Shang Rang and Meng Kai arrived at the Linqu battlefield ahead of time and built a stronghold, giving them the home-field advantage. Wang Jingwu and An Shiru outnumber their opponents by more than double. If challenged, they would undoubtedly mobilize their entire army for a decisive battle. This way, Shang and Meng could precisely time the defeat of the Pinglu army before our army reaches Muling Pass."

Lu Qingchen asked, "If the Pinglu Army is defeated too early, we will definitely get the news and will not attack Muling Pass again..."

Zhen Ranyu endured the severe pain in her chest and showed approval to Lu Qingchen.

The other party has followed me for so many years and has indeed learned a lot.

"The premise is that Shang Rang and Meng Kai can indeed defeat the Pinglu army with a small force and crush it."

Hearing Marshal Yan's words, Bo Chulong could not help but grit his teeth and curse, "Those Pinglu soldiers are a bunch of idiots. They can't be relied upon at all. Shang Rang was just a stray dog ​​who escaped from our swords, but now he's become like a god of war in their place!"

Although the "Pinglu Prodigy" Liu Xun must be much smarter than him, it did not stop Bo Chulong from cursing here.

However, the eldest of the "Five Burning Heaven Swords," Zhao Qianye, flashed his bright red eyes and gave a fair assessment: "Fifth brother, do you really think Shang Rang is weak? The blitz attack on the three passes of Yiyang, the descent into Handong on a snowy night, the crossing of Jiaqian by the Yangtze River, the direct march to capture Jiangling, and the on-the-spot command of the Qizhou battlefield—each of these wasn't the work of a skilled general?"

"It's only because he ran into Marshal Yan that Shang Rang seems to have calculated everything perfectly. Even if a rookie like Liu Xun doesn't make any mistakes, he has no chance of winning against Meng Kai's bravery and Shang Rang's cunning."

As Zhao Qianye had said, a duel of wits is all about superior skill. Shang Rang's crushing defeat at the hands of Yan Shuai in Qizhou was due to his inferior skills, and Liu Xun's crushing defeat at the hands of Shang Rang this time was also due to the same reason.

The collapse of the Pinglu Army on the northern battlefield greatly strengthened Huang Chao's army on the front.

The ambushing troops on both wings will surely strangle the government troops stretched out in the mountains like a noose.

(End of this chapter)