Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 366 Death

Unable to break through from the front, Murong Chao planned to use his cavalry advantage to outflank the enemy from both sides.

But the formation of vehicles is not a static object; it can be moved.

With the command flags waved in unison, Hu Fan and Zhu Lin directed the right flank chariot formation to move laterally, blocking the Yan army cavalry's attack route in advance.

Without cavalry support, the Yan infantry on the main battlefield became lambs to the slaughter.

"Clear the northern battlefield!" Liu Daogui seized the opportunity.

Liu Zun and He Wuji led their elite armored soldiers out, wielding spears and heavy axes, hacking down wildly, and screams of agony rang out one after another.

The Yan army's two infantry formations were instantly breached by the elite Beifu troops.

However, because there were cavalrymen supervising them from behind, they did not collapse and continued to grit their teeth and persevere.

"The enemy's two cavalry forces are converging on the south side!" the scout on the watchtower shouted.

Without Liu Daogui's order, the chariot formation moved to the south.

The cavalry came from the outer lines, making a long detour, while the wagon formation only needed to adjust its inner lines, making it much faster than the cavalry.

"Oh no! A heavy cavalry force is charging from the north!" the scout exclaimed.

Liu Daogui asked calmly, "How many men?"

"Three thousand cavalry, but five hundred of them are linked heavy cavalry!"

At this moment, the chariot formation was facing south, while the north side was flat and there wasn't even a single deer antler. Murong Chao first used human lives to deplete his own strength and crossbow bolts, and then used cavalry to flank the chariot formation and draw it back, all to facilitate his chain of heavy cavalry charges.

The Murong family members are quite skilled in warfare.

Once the heavy cavalry charged into the infantry formation, the situation was essentially hopeless, especially since this heavy cavalry force was not isolated.

Liu Daogui looked north and saw that the Yan army's infantry had already retreated, and dust was billowing. Hundreds of heavy cavalry dragged long iron chains as they charged in with a clanging sound.

More than two thousand elite cavalry followed behind. Although the horses were not armored, the cavalrymen were clad in iron armor.

Those Yan infantrymen who couldn't escape were hooked by the iron chains and fell to the ground. Warhorses trampled them from behind, and several shrill screams rang out as blood and flesh flew everywhere...

Liu Zun and He Wuji had no premonition of something bad, so they quickly stood on the pile of corpses and formed a battle formation.

However, their forces were too small, numbering only about two thousand.

Murong Chao's brilliance lies in the fact that if Liu Daogui were to switch his chariot formation back to defend at this moment, the 20,000 elite cavalry from the south would break through the rear lines, and Liu Daogui would be unable to defend against it.

The advantage of cavalry lies in its mobility.

Murong Chao's skill in using cavalry was quite good.

"Please, elder brother, head south and join the main force. I will defend the central army to the death!" Liu Huaimo said resolutely.

To prevent the two cavalry forces from outflanking them, the main force was concentrated in the rear.

Liu Daogui took out a spear and laughed, "It hasn't come to that yet. Issue the order: the central army will follow me to the north to meet the enemy and wipe out this chain-armored cavalry!"

"Yes, sir!" the surrounding Tiger Warriors and retainers roared.

More than three thousand people followed Liu Daogui forward.

A loud bang came from the north, and the piles of corpses were scattered by the flying iron chains, throwing the Northern Army soldiers on top of them off.

A dozen men roared and leaped down at the enemy cavalry, wielding large axes and long spears. As they were pierced by the enemy's spears, they also killed the enemy soldiers.

Blood splattered everywhere.

But the enemy soldiers who were being slain did not fall off their horses; their legs were already bound to the saddles, and they continued to charge forward.

The Northern Army soldiers who rushed forward were trampled into a bloody pulp by the heavy hooves of the horses.

He Wuji quickly led his troops to meet them, but they were defeated by the chain of heavy cavalry in a single encounter.

Under the impact of the iron chains and armor, the formation became useless.

Having routed He Wuji's troops, this cavalry became even more arrogant, declaring, "Today is the day you all die!"

Having consecutively routed two Northern Army formations, there was no further resistance from the north. On this plain terrain, the power of the chain-armored cavalry was indeed astonishing, charging ahead with utter disregard for everything.

Among the Yan army, some were already cheering in victory: "Die, you Jin dogs!"

"Cut off the horses' legs! Ignore the cavalry on horseback!" Liu Zun roared, grabbing his great axe and charging forward with two hundred armored soldiers.

"No!" Liu Daogui exclaimed, but as soon as he spoke, Liu Zun had already rushed forward.

A mere two hundred armored soldiers charged towards two or three thousand cavalry.

The sound of horns from the south filled the air as Murong Chao's cavalry charged towards the wagon formation.

The cries of warhorses filled the air.

Rumbling--

The sound of warhorses' iron hooves thundered as they approached from afar.

"Kill!" Liu Zun roared, swinging his great axe, and the armored soldiers behind him also raised their axes.

A flash of light, and the warhorse cried out in agony.

The first row of linked horses fell down.

But the second rank of linked horses followed, tripping dozens of armored soldiers. Then, long spears stabbed wildly, and blood flowed everywhere. But these veteran soldiers of the Northern Army did not give up. They reached out and grabbed the long spears tightly, and pulled the warhorses over...

However, following the chain of cavalry, there were also elite cavalrymen who swarmed forward and instantly overwhelmed Liu Zun and his hundred or so armored soldiers...

"Ah Zun!" Liu Daogui was shocked and hurriedly led his troops to charge forward.

The Yan army's chain of armored cavalry charges had been neutralized by these armored soldiers, losing their speed and being easily cut down by the central army.

Even the elite cavalry charging from behind were shot down. After a fierce battle, three thousand enemy cavalrymen were scattered.

Liu Daogui searched everywhere for Liu Zun, but the ground was covered with a blur of blood and flesh.

“Here…” Liu Elang, the Marquis of Qu, shouted, his voice trembling.

Liu Daogui felt as if an invisible hand was clenching his heart. He wiped the blood from his face and rushed over. When he saw Liu Zun lying on the ground, barely recognizable as a human, he was struck dumb. "Ah Zun..."

Liu Zun still had a smile on his face. He wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, a mouthful of black blood flowed out.

Then, without uttering a single word, the smile froze on his face...

Liu Daogui sat in the blood and mud, staring blankly at him.

I never imagined that he, who was always so brave, would fall down.

Since the uprising began, he has always been at the forefront, facing numerous hardships and dangers.

Although he can be a bit sharp-tongued, he's not a bad person at heart.

The sounds of wind, fighting, clashing metal, and the screams of men and horses rushed into his ears, yet they seemed so distant. Liu Daogui felt as if a layer of mist had veiled his vision, making everything appear blurry and unreal...

"Brother!"

"General!"

Liu Huaimo and his men were already in tears.

The man was gone, but the war continued, and the survivors were still fighting. Liu Daogui didn't have much time to grieve, otherwise even more people would have perished. He reached out and closed the man's eyes, then hoisted the body onto his shoulders, letting the man's blood stain his own clothes.

"After I avenge you, I will take you home."

In truth, he was a man of misfortune. He lost both his parents and never had a good life. He followed me through countless battles and fights, and just when we finally carved out our own place in the world, we were separated by death...

Liu Daogui looked up at the bleak sky; perhaps this was the fate of a soldier.

He picked up a ring-pommel sword and walked towards the chain-armored horse that had collapsed to the ground, unable to continue its charge.

Of the more than 500 chain-armored cavalry, most were killed or wounded. Because they were linked together by iron chains, the others could not move. Their warhorses neighed and struggled in the blood-soaked ground.

Liu Daogui stepped forward, swung his sword, and slashed down; he swung his sword again, and slashed down again…

One head after another rolled down the ground. He had gone through seven different ring-pommel swords and had cut off countless heads.

What's infuriating is that the enemy seems to be impossible to eradicate.

The fighting continued on the south side. The crossbow bolts were almost exhausted, and close-quarters combat ensued. After suffering some casualties, the Yan cavalry charged into the enemy lines.

But Zhu Lin, Fu Hongzhi, Mao Xiuzhi, and others will fight to the death, never retreating an inch.

"General..." Hu Fan arrived with his personal guards, only to be stunned by Liu Daogui's appearance.

"What is it?" Liu Daogui asked calmly.

Hu Fan said, "The elite troops of the Yan army are all concentrated on the battlefield, and Linqu must be vulnerable. I am willing to lead an army to launch a surprise attack on Linqu City."

The main force of the Yan army was in the south, entangled with the chariot formation, and it was impossible for them to return to reinforce Linqu City at this time.

“Go ahead,” Liu Daogui agreed to his request.

Hu Fan bowed and led over a thousand troops toward Linqu City.

"We are willing to go together!" The brothers Tan Shao and Tan Zhi, along with Liu Xuanzhi and Xu Kuizhi's four thousand volunteer soldiers, arrived.

Liu Daogui nodded, sighing inwardly. If they had arrived a moment earlier, Liu Zun wouldn't have died in battle...

Thousands of troops marched towards Linqu City.

Liu Daogui sat on the highest pile of corpses, laid Liu Zun's body flat, and looked at the soldiers fighting on the battlefield. His mood gradually calmed down.

Since we have chosen this path, sacrifice and bloodshed are inevitable.

The Northern Expedition was no child's play, and the Hu people were no rabble; they were full of heroes, and defeating them was no easy task.

The Northern Expeditions led by generations of heroes, including Zu Ti, Huan Wen, Xie Xuan, and Liu Laozhi, despite internal obstacles, ultimately failed on the main battlefields, especially in some key battles, resulting in heavy casualties.

Before I knew it, the spring rain began to fall softly, landing on my face as gently as a woman's hand.

The murderous aura on the battlefield has subsided considerably.

"Report! Linqu City has been breached by Military Advisor Hu and his men!" a scout rushed in to report.

"Brother, we won." Liu Daogui sighed softly.

Liu Zun's smile remained unchanged.

Although Linqu has been captured, it will be difficult to capture Murong Chao. He has cavalrymen, each with two horses. The fighting has lasted for nearly three hours. Although the casualties of the Jin army are not very high, they are already exhausted.

Moreover, it is difficult for chariot formations to catch up with cavalry.

Sure enough, Murong Chao soon received the news. Horns sounded one after another, and the Yan cavalry quickly left the battlefield, heading northwest towards Guanggu.

Zhu Lin and Fu Hongzhi led their infantry in pursuit, managing to leave behind several hundred cavalrymen, but they were unable to stop Murong Chao.

When cavalry faces infantry, they can come and go as they please; the initiative is in their hands.

However, after this battle, even if Murong Chao escaped back to Guanggu, it would not change the outcome.

He has already lost the battle for the fate of the nation.

"Long live the General! Long live the General!"

The soldiers' cheers were deafening, easing the sadness in Liu Daogui's heart.

(End of this chapter)