Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 365 War

Murong Chao opened the door himself, so Liu Daogui had no reason not to go in.

Crossing the Daxian Mountain, the land is vast and flat, and the howling wind is not so cold anymore, carrying a fresh earthy scent. Green grass has already sprouted on the ground.

During the Warring States period, the State of Qi was the wealthiest in the world because of this.

He Wuji said, "Our army only has 20,000 elite troops. We should first defend Daxian Mountain and wait for the government troops and volunteer soldiers to arrive from the rear before launching a joint attack on Linqi."

Murong Chao retreated all the way without losing his main force. After entering Linqi, he instead reduced his troops and even transferred 20,000 infantry and cavalry from Licheng under Duan Hui and Gongsun Gui.

Clearly, he intended to concentrate his cavalry advantage in Linqi for a decisive battle.

"Our army has come from afar, which is advantageous for a swift battle. Moreover, we have been pursuing them all the way, and the morale of our soldiers is high. We should not build deep trenches and high walls, but instead bravely advance!" Liu Daogui rejected He Wuji's suggestion.

The main reason is that with the increase in manpower and the protracted battle lines, the supply of food and provisions will become a major problem.

The battle involved nearly 60,000 troops and 30,000 laborers. Now it is the lean season between winter and spring, and there are still five or six months until the autumn harvest.

After such a long battle, the grain supplies for Jiankang, Xiapi, and Pengcheng have been mostly used up.

If this drags on any longer, we'll have to transfer them from Jiangling.

Murong Chao wanted a decisive battle, which Liu Daogui was more than happy to oblige.

After leaving Liu Huaijing with 1,000 men to defend Muling Pass, Liu Daogui led his army northwest, heading straight for Linqu.

Although they were infantry, they had more than 1,600 crossbow carts that could counter cavalry.

Nearly 7,000 donkeys, mules, cattle, and horses were used to transport logistical supplies, saving the soldiers a lot of physical exertion.

Liu Daogui divided the crossbow carts into left and right wings, with two crossbowmen on each cart and eight soldiers below, each equipped with a bow and crossbow and a long spear.

Armor, shields, and arrows were piled up in the carts and hung on the livestock.

As it moves, it resembles a moving city.

Each vehicle was equipped with chains and hooks, allowing them to be linked together instantly to form a chariot formation when encountering Yan cavalry.

Even if the Yan cavalry destroyed one of the crossbow carts, it would not affect the other vehicles.

Qingzhou is flat and open, which is advantageous for cavalry and chariot formations.

Two long lines of crossbow carts snaked across the land of Qingzhou. After two days of marching, Linqi City appeared on the northern horizon.

But a black line appeared in front of the city.

Banners, warhorses, swords and spears, as numerous as mountains and as vast as the sea.

"How can there be so many Xianbei people? They killed no less than 10,000 people in Langya, and there are still so many after entering Qingzhou!" Liu Zun couldn't help but exclaim.

He Wuji said, "The barbarians have always been soldiers. Qingzhou is prosperous and wealthy. If Murong Chao raises his arm, he can raise an army of 100,000 men."

Liu Daogui silently counted the general's flags in his mind; there were about twenty-five of them, and the Yan army numbered no less than fifty thousand.

There were at least 20,000 cavalrymen, each with two horses, a vast and mighty force that covered the mountains and plains.

Another cavalry force of 5,000 men circled around to the flank from the east.

"It seems Murong Chao has laid bare his entire strength. If we win this battle, the Yan Kingdom will surely be destroyed!" Liu Daogui leaped onto his horse and charged forward.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" The soldiers were filled with murderous intent, showing no fear of an enemy force twice their size.

dong dong dong...

The strongmen on the drum cart vigorously pounded the war drum, and the command flag waved.

The crossbow carts were arranged in two wings, east and west, forming a wedge formation. Each cart was connected by iron chains, resembling a city wall.

The bugle call from the opposite side also sounded.

The infantry and cavalry moved slowly forward, the clanging of their armor echoing like a tidal wave, even the earth trembled with their footsteps.

Murong Chao positioned his elite cavalry in the center of the formation. The four or five hundred riders at the front were all clad in iron armor and wielded long spears. Like the crossbow carts, they were also linked together with iron chains.

"Chain cavalry!" He Wuji recognized the cavalry.

"No wonder he dared to open the gates wide to lure us in. Murong Chao has some skills. It's just a pity that he ran into our Northern Army. A chain of horses against a chain of horses, interesting."

Liu Daogui, on the contrary, was full of anticipation.

More than forty years ago, the Former Yan and Ran Wei vied for control of Hebei. Ran Min led 8,000 infantry and cavalry against 100,000 Yan troops, winning ten battles in a row. In the eleventh battle, Murong Ke defeated Ran Min with 5,000 linked horses, thus gaining control of the Central Plains.

The Southern Yan originated from the Later Yan, which succeeded the Former Yan.

Murong Chao would imitate Murong Chui's strategy of luring the enemy deep into his territory, and naturally he would also imitate Murong Ke's strategy of using linked horses.

Although there were only four or five hundred riders, their appearance on the battlefield was overwhelming, like a black torrent of iron rolling down.

If it were ordinary infantrymen, they would have been terrified by them long ago. But today they were facing the Northern Army.

From the day it was founded, the destiny of the Northern Army was to fight against the barbarian cavalry.

Today's battle is not only the destiny of the Northern Army, but also Liu Daogui's destiny battle!

The Yan army's infantry and cavalry surged in like a tidal wave.

The infantry on the left and right flanks quickened their pace, raising their large shields and advancing. At a distance of one hundred paces, the enemy had already unleashed a hail of arrows, shooting towards the Jin army's chariot formation.

There were also many rockets mixed in, intended to burn the ballistae.

However, the front of the crossbow carts was covered with raw cowhide, making the rockets ineffective. After two volleys of arrows, they only created a grove of reeds in front of the battle line and did not cause any casualties to the Jin army.

Even the best archer in the army couldn't hit him at a distance of one hundred paces.

The Yan army relied more on intimidation than actual combat.

The Jin army remained silent throughout, not firing a single arrow; their silence was terrifying.

"Hold on!"

Hu Fan, Fu Hongzhi, Mao Xiuzhi, Zhu Lin and others will reassure the soldiers on the battlefield.

The soldiers from the Northern and Western armies who participated in the battle were all veterans who had been through countless battles. They were unmoved by the Yan army's momentum and quietly hid behind their crossbow carts.

On the contrary, seeing that the crossbow carts had not retaliated for a long time, the Yan army mustered up their courage and charged forward.

One hundred steps, eighty steps, fifty steps, thirty steps...

Until they are within twenty paces, "Release—"

With a roar, over a thousand guards unleashed a volley of arrows, blotting out the sky.

The Yan army fired a drizzle, while the Jin army fired a torrential downpour.

In an instant, the heavens and earth changed color.

The heavy arrow, as thick as a spear shaft, emitted a terrifying whistling sound, directly knocking down two Yan soldiers in armor and pinning them to the ground.

The other Yan soldiers fared no better. A dense rain of arrows covered their entire bodies. At a distance of twenty paces, even iron plates would be difficult to defend against, let alone armor.

The Yan soldiers who charged forward were instantly riddled with arrows.

Suddenly, a "forest of arrows" appeared on the flat ground, and the corpses of the Yan army piled up into mounds.

Liu Daogui had little else at his disposal, but arrows were inexhaustible.

The most effective weapons against cavalry are crossbows and arrows. They are easy to operate. On the front line, a concentrated volley of arrows from the soldiers will kill any number of cavalry charging at you.

The northern kingdoms were constantly developing heavy cavalry and updating their armor, while the southern kingdoms were not idle either, with their warships and crossbows reaching their pinnacle. The repeating crossbows created by Zhuge Liang of Shu Han were also found in Jiangzuo.

The arrows used were armor-piercing arrows specially made by Chishan Iron Workshop. A single triangular arrow was worth sixty coins, while the large arrows used for heavy crossbows cost more than six hundred coins each.

This single volley of arrows cost Liu Daogui at least 40,000 strings of cash…

A war is essentially a process of burning through money.

However, since these arrows could be recycled and reused, Liu Daogui wasn't too upset.

This is not the time to be stingy with money.

Arrows rained down relentlessly, and the Yan army fell in droves.

Before they even reached the wagon formation, they had already suffered heavy casualties, with the routed soldiers being brutally cut down by the cavalry supervising the battle.

However, Murong Chao's methods did not stop there. The 5,000-strong cavalry force in the northeast flank bypassed the left wing of the wagon formation and attacked the rear.

Liu Daogui waved his hand, and the command flag was waved to the east. More than 400 vehicles were separated from the left flank of the vehicle formation and blocked the east side.

Call——

The Yan army's warhorses were startled by the protruding fangs of the crossbow carts and let out a mournful cry.

However, this cavalry was experienced, and when they were fifty paces away from the ballista, they turned around and continued south.

On the northern battlefield, Yan infantrymen charged in like moths to a flame.

Judging from their desperate eyes and tattered clothes, it's easy to guess that they were just conscripted laborers.

Murong Chao was essentially throwing human lives into the enemy's trap, and he would win as long as he could create a gap in the chariot formation.

However, the chariot formation remained as solid as a rock, unmoved by the Yan army's infantry assault.

As long as the crossbow bolts haven't run out, this chariot formation is invincible on the front lines!
Just then, the scout on the watchtower shouted loudly, "The central army of the Yan army is moving west!"

(End of this chapter)