Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 402 Contest of Titans (Part Two)

After a slap that was anything but polite, there was also a big sweet treat.

After feeling ashamed, Lü Feng was instead filled with fighting spirit and ambition. He straightened his chest and accepted the order: "In this battle, I will definitely train the Fanyang army into an elite force."

Damn it, this feeling of always being inferior to others is too unbearable!

Lu Feng, enraged, returned to his tent and summoned more than a dozen of his trusted men. With a ferocious expression, he said, "Today's military meeting was a disgrace to the Fanyang army. As their commander, I can't even hold my head up in front of Meng Liu, Li Chi, and Yang Hu."

"You all go and select the best soldiers, and tell them that when the battle begins, anyone who dares to desert will be chopped off!"

Seeing Lü Feng gritting his teeth, the confidants were all filled with trepidation and loudly agreed.

Compared to the Guangning Army, which suffered repeated defeats, the Liaoxi Army, which was badly defeated last year, and the Beiping Army, whose veterans had mostly died, the Fanyang Army had the highest proportion of veterans, at least 70% of whom were veterans.

However, these veteran soldiers were the most cunning and difficult to manage. They would agree readily to your face, but turn around and betray you completely. They were fine when the battle was going well, but once they suffered heavy casualties, they would become fearful and turn to flee. It could be said that the Fanyang army lacked genuine morale and had the most unstable morale.

For more than a year, Lü Feng had been trying his best to discipline the troops, but no matter how hard he tried, the morale of the army had not been truly changed.

Three days later, a large army of three thousand cavalry and ten thousand elite infantry marched out of the city to besiege a Xiongnu cavalry force.

This Xiongnu cavalry force numbered about three thousand men. The leader was a young warrior under Punu's command named Balu.

Balu, thirty years old this year, is one of the best young generals among the Xiongnu and a true confidant of Punu. He leads his troops to indiscriminately slaughter villages without any attempt to conceal it.

Luring the enemy out of the city for a field battle is ideal, but if they refuse to send troops, then loot and plunder extensively. Not only should you kill and rob, but you should also set fire to the village.

Amidst the raging flames, the screams and wails of women, children, and the elderly could be heard. Balu listened with satisfaction, grinning maliciously.

"General Balu," a personal guard rode up to report, "the Liaoxi army has left the city and is already twenty li away. According to scouts, they are mainly infantry, but also have some cavalry."

Balu, confident in his strength, sneered, "These cowardly Han dogs have finally come out."

The guard reminded him, "They've already fought two battles and won both. General Balu, the Han people seem to have grown a backbone and stood up since General Pei joined them. General Punu instructed us not to underestimate them. We only have three thousand cavalry, while they, though all infantry, number over ten thousand, about four times our strength..."

Balu glared impatiently at his personal guard: "Nonsense! Pass on my orders to immediately muster the troops and prepare for attack."

The guards had no choice but to obey and ride off to deliver the military order.

After two days of unbridled revelry, the Xiongnu barbarians finally encountered their enemy. They donned their soft armor, mounted their warhorses, and brandished their weapons with ferocious grins, shouting that they would slaughter all the Han dogs.

Despite his boastful words, Balu was not reckless in his battle preparations. He deployed his troops according to the habits of cavalry charges.

When the scouts reported that the enemy was five miles away, Balu ordered his men to wave a large banner, and the Xiongnu barbarians spurred their horses forward. The sound of their hooves was like muffled thunder, and the ground began to tremble.

"The Xiongnu barbarians are here!"

"Five li at most! We'll be there in a moment!" Lü Feng roared loudly among the Fanyang army. Perhaps due to the exertion, his face was distorted in the spring breeze: "Take a deep breath and stop the cavalry charge! No one is allowed to retreat. I will personally supervise the battle here. Anyone who dares to retreat behind me, I will cut him down with one stroke!"

This elite infantry force, comprised of four garrison units from Youzhou, was arranged in four ranks according to Yang Hu's strategy. The first rank consisted of archers. Given the speed of a cavalry charge, they only had time for a single volley. After firing their arrows, they quickly dispersed and retreated.

The second rank held long spears made of bamboo, with iron spikes only at the tips. These spears were light and sharp; when thrown with force, they could pierce a warhorse, and a strong spear could even pierce two men in succession. Their lethality surpassed that of bows and crossbows.

The only pity is that spears are not easy to make, and there are not many infantrymen with such strength. Only the Guangning army has two hundred spearmen.

The spearmen's appearance today was truly stunning. A charging warhorse was suddenly pierced in the belly by a sharp spear, its shrill neigh piercing the ground. The horse fell abruptly, and the rider was thrown from its saddle, either breaking its neck or being trampled to death by the hooves of the horses behind. The horses galloping behind also fell, and more riders tumbled from their saddles.

Two hundred spears flew out, causing enormous chaos.

The Xiongnu cavalry charge was first blocked by arrows, then stopped by spears. Amidst the chaos and casualties, their morale was completely shattered.

Balu was furious and roared from the rear. The Xiongnu barbarians, as expected of a people on horseback, regrouped after the chaos and charged again from the left and right.

Meng Liulang was prepared. He waved his military flag with a cold smile and ordered three thousand cavalrymen to charge to the right to meet the cavalry on one side.

As for the cavalry on the other side, they would have to be dealt with by Lü Feng, who had hastily changed his formation.

There was nothing that could be done about it. Both had three thousand cavalry, but Jingchao's cavalry was of mediocre strength and couldn't compare to the Xiongnu cavalry at all. Only by using a two- or three-on-one advantage, overwhelming them with sheer numbers, could they ensure their formation wouldn't collapse.

Besides archers and spearmen, there are now sword formations wielding longswords, shield-bearers carrying iron shields, and chain-wielding soldiers specializing in cutting off horses' legs, among other things.

Lü Feng had never fought such a lucrative battle in his life. He waved his flag, ordered the shield bearers to hold their ground, and the longsword soldiers drew their swords, using chain swords to slash the horses' legs.

In an instant, roars, shouts of killing, screams of agony, and the teeth-grinding sound of blades cutting flesh mingled together, weaving together a battle song unique to the battlefield.

Lu Feng's hands were trembling, and his voice was already hoarse from shouting. In the end, he himself didn't even know what he was shouting anymore.

Fortunately, the pre-battle morale boost was effective. It's also possible that Yang Hu's strategy was truly effective. In any case, after suffering heavy casualties, this infantry force managed to halt the cavalry charge.

The Xiongnu barbarians didn't charge the marching phalanx; as usual, they rode off on horseback, running for a while before launching their final charge. Little did they expect that today they wouldn't be able to escape at all.

The infantrymen went berserk, disregarding casualties, and surrounded them. One was cut down, and another charged in.

Another group of infantrymen, terrified by the Xiongnu barbarians, turned and fled. One of them was a military officer from the Fanyang army, and also a trusted confidant who had followed Lü Feng in the mutiny.

Before he could run more than a few steps, the general was slashed down by a tall, ferocious man.

"Anyone who dares to retreat, I'll chop them down!" Lü Feng's face was splattered with the crimson blood of his trusted men, and his eyes were even redder: "Go kill those Xiongnu barbarians! Charge with me!"

(End of this chapter)