Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 207 The Mist Disperses
During the Battle of Nanling in Xuanzhou, the Cao army had already witnessed the power of the Wudang Flying Army under General Lei Gao Pian.

Qian Liu dispersed the Wudang Flying Army, and the rebel army, unable to distinguish the various barbarian formations, listened to the howls echoing across the mountains and fields. They perceived the endless barbarian army in the mist as the Wudang Flying Army trained by Lei Shuai Gao Pian. They charged forward relentlessly, like demons and hungry ghosts emerging from hell!
"Brothers, hold him steady!"

Zhu Wen mounted his horse and rode through the ranks.

He kept shouting and directing the soldiers to set up the wooden ox and flowing horse carts and build defensive fortifications.

As the enemy charged down the western hillside, the marching column quickly changed course from heading north to heading west to meet the enemy attack.

Taking advantage of a lull in the enemy's attack, the engineers used shovels to dig and bury the wheels of the wheelbarrows in the ground.

The soldiers then used ropes to connect the carts, providing effective cover for the enemy's position in a short period of time.

The pikemen sat in the front row, thrusting their spears out from between the wagons. This conserved their energy and demonstrated their determination to fight to the death.

The archers are positioned behind the spearmen. Because the spearmen are in a crouching position, the archers do not need to launch a projectile attack to meet the charging enemy, and they do not have to worry about hurting their comrades in front.

Swordsmen and shieldmen, serving as mobile fighting forces, were responsible for filling gaps in the formation and responding to emergencies.

The troops were surrounded by a chariot formation, with sheer cliffs and deep ravines behind them. The soldiers had no way to escape and could only fight desperately.

Zhu Wen's deployment drew inspiration from Wang Jian's defensive formation during the Battle of Muling Pass, and also referenced Huang Chao's chariot warfare tactics.

Considering that the number of barbarian tribesmen seems to be extremely large, the enemy can launch continuous attacks in waves, and the enemy situation is unclear in the thick fog.

By making this arrangement, Zhu Wen effectively abandoned any initiative to launch an attack and opted for a completely defensive posture, essentially camping out in trenches.

His main force first contracted, forming an impenetrable defense along the mountain path. Zhu Wen then dispatched his personal guards to order the other troops to change formation as soon as possible.

"It's the height of summer, the fog will dissipate sooner or later." Zhu Wen fanned himself on horseback: "Before the fog clears, we must not cause any trouble."

In the thick fog, the barbarian chieftains had no idea how many casualties they had suffered. These barbarians, incited by Gao Yan, would surely charge forward with bloodshot eyes.

But when the thick fog dissipates and they see the corpses of their people scattered all over the mountains, these barbarians feel a sense of dread.

As the saying goes, "One should strike while the iron is hot, but the momentum will wane after a second attempt, and be completely exhausted after a third." By then, the barbarians' fierce energy will have been nearly depleted.

Zhu Wen judged that that was the best time to counterattack.

Zhu Cun, who was in the latter part of the formation, mounted his horse and, relying on his intuition, reorganized his own defenses before leading his troops to the left.

"Zhu Jia Erlang is here just in time!" Wang Chongba was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

Wang Chongba's battalion was far less elite than Zhu Wen's Luoyandu and Duan Hongyan's Qingyudu.

Faced with the sudden and fierce attack, Wang Chongba's formation was quickly brought to the brink of collapse. A squad of fifty soldiers was driven directly into the Han River. Their figures plummeted off the high cliffs, screaming as they fell into the rapids like dumplings, turning into tiny black dots, and then disappeared in their futile struggles.

If Zhu Cun had not arrived in time and driven back and cut off Wang Chongba's barbarians with a fierce counterattack, Wang Chongba's army might not have been able to withstand the attack and would have collapsed entirely.

"It's my duty, no need for thanks." Zhu Cun grinned: "General Chongba, quickly regroup and hold your ground against the enemy."

Wang Chongba was of average skill but had excellent luck, always managing to turn misfortune into good fortune and adversity into blessing, making him a lucky general in the bandit army.

He was about to mess up this time, but Zhu Cun came to his rescue just in time.

As the sun rose higher, the air grew hotter and hotter, and the thick, humid heat, like mud, filled the air, making it hard for the soldiers to breathe.

Someone gasped for breath, then suddenly collapsed, only to be stabbed to death by the charging barbarians.

Although the fog prevents the sun from scorching the skin, the heavy humidity also severely affects the evaporation of sweat.

The army was mainly composed of northerners, whose heat tolerance was not as good as that of the native barbarians. After a long battle, cases of heatstroke occurred.

"Hold on, everyone! The fog is thinning!" Zhu Wen shouted, and sent messengers to other formations to boost morale. During the Battle of Linqu, Cao Shixiong led light cavalry, repeatedly pulling and harassing the Pinglu cavalry, causing many of them to suffer from heatstroke under the scorching sun. He made a great contribution to Shang Rang and Meng Kai's victory in this battle.

Zhu Wen never imagined that one day, heatstroke would cause such a great problem for his own troops.

Being outnumbered meant the enemy could launch repeated attacks, allowing most of the troops to rest. Meanwhile, the rebels, engaged in continuous combat, were more susceptible to heatstroke and collapse, even if they conserved some energy through defensive maneuvers.

The heat resistance of the two sides is not on the same level, and the humid heat in Lingnan is much more intense than the dry heat in the north.

"This weather is like a fucking sauna! I'd rather be killed by the barbarians than die of heatstroke on the battlefield!"

Some of the soldiers cursed and swore.

Zhu Wen was also sweating profusely. In order to direct the soldiers to plug the gaps in the formation, he was busy sending reinforcements from all directions and didn't even have time to wipe his sweat.

But he longed for the sun to rise even higher.

The stronger heat will completely evaporate the fog. When the enemy is clearly visible, it is the best opportunity to counterattack.

In such a grueling and bloody battle, time seemed to pass exceptionally slowly.

The soldiers persevered because of their trust in Zhu Wen.

Zhu Wen knew that he must not let them down.

When sweat completely soaked through Zhu Wen's battle robe, the view ahead finally became clear.

The thick fog had quietly dissipated, and the bodies of the barbarian who had been shot and killed were scattered on the hillside, their blood soaking the soil into a crimson mud.

Just as Zhu Wen had predicted, even the notoriously fierce and brave barbarian barbarians paled upon seeing the staggering number of corpses.

Military strategy states: "The general's business is to remain calm and secluded, and to govern with righteousness, so as to keep the soldiers' ears and eyes ignorant."

These barbarian tribesmen, incited by Gao Yan to fight, had no clear allegiance to him and were not capable of suffering heavy casualties.

The dense fog had the effect of "fooling their eyes and ears," so that the survivors did not know how many casualties they had suffered, which gave them the courage to continue their assault and prevented them from losing morale and becoming unable to fight anymore.

"Soldiers, follow me to kill the enemy!"

Zhu Wen felt that he had already reached his limit, so he drew the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword and galloped off on his horse.

The soldiers pushed aside the fortifications and launched a fierce charge up the mountain through the gaps.

They had been suppressing their anger for a long time, and although the heat was unbearable, they gritted their teeth, wanting nothing more than to devour the enemy alive.

The barbarians all looked frightened.

The arrow lodged in Gao Yan's leg had been severed and hastily bandaged. To avoid excessive blood loss, the arrowhead embedded in the flesh was not removed for the time being.

He suddenly glared, revealing a rare expression of anger: "The success or failure of this battle hinges on this one move. If we swallow up Zhu Wen's brat forces, Huang Jutian will surely perish. The future of Lingnan will be yours to enjoy. At this time, there is no room for retreat!"

In line with his words, the Zhenhai reserve team that Gao Yan had arranged in advance, armed with crossbows and long-handled swords, killed more than a dozen barbarians who turned to flee on the spot.

Despite his injuries, Gao Yan led his cavalry in a charge against the enemy forces.

When two armies clash, it's like two meteorites colliding in the sky, destined to unleash the most brilliant rain of fire.

The victor takes all, the vanquished are condemned; this is the final battle.

(End of this chapter)