Jinting Han people

Chapter 746 Before the Bridge in Qingxi

The Han army was able to successfully breach the Qi army's Zhongshan camp, partly due to their unparalleled bravery, but more so due to the Qi army's inadequate preparation.

Because the tactics employed by the Han army were completely unconventional, the Qi garrison at Zhongshan camp was caught completely off guard. However, they also underestimated the Han army due to its small numbers and the fact that the enemy had penetrated deep into their encirclement.

The Qi people naturally assumed that, with their superior numbers, annihilating the enemy would be a piece of cake. However, the result was quite the opposite. The fall of Fenglu Pavilion was too swift, leaving no time for the hastily assembled reinforcements to form ranks. Furthermore, the ferocity of the Han army far exceeded their expectations. Caught off guard, the Qi people quickly lost their will to fight and scattered under the onslaught of the Han army. Liu Lang and his men were able to quickly break through the four lines of reinforcements and directly advance to the eastern side of Zhongshan.

At this moment, the Han cavalry looked back at the road they had come from. Dust rose all around Zhongshan Mountain. As the north wind gradually weakened, the dust swirled in the air. Under this pervasive dust, the defeated Qi army barely managed to stop their rout.

Some were swept by the Han army to the frigid shores of Yanque Lake to the south, while others were pushed into the rugged stone forests of Zhongshan Mountain to the north. They were in a sorry state, but they survived. Those wounded who couldn't escape were mostly trampled and broken, lying on the ground groaning and howling, futilely awaiting their final moments. And among them lay a visible path of death. Corpses littered the ground, blood flowed like streams, and severed limbs lay scattered on the ground; the scene was so gruesome and terrifying that it chilled all who beheld it.

Faced with this situation, even though the Qi people still had a large number of fresh troops in their camp, they dared not rush forward to pursue them. Instead, they watched helplessly as the Han cavalry took a detour, directly shaking off the majority of the Qi army, and headed towards the south bank of Yanque Lake.

This relieved Liu Lang and his men. They rested briefly, eating and preparing, changing their exhausted warhorses for grooms, and waiting for the rest of the cavalry to arrive. But this time was very short, because Liu Lang and his men's ultimate goal was to storm Taicheng. They had only completed the first phase of their mission, and the battles to come would certainly not be easy.

Taking advantage of this brief moment, Dai Yuan recounted the terrain to his generals: "Now that our army has broken through the encirclement, the only obstacle blocking our path to enter the city is Qingxi. Although Qingxi is called a stream, it is actually a large river that is difficult to cross by wading. There are seven bridges across the stream, and behind each bridge is the Limen Gate. The Limen Gate is not a concern. In other words, as long as we seize one of the bridges and cross Qingxi, we can enter the city and reunite with Brother Xuanpei."

Upon hearing this news, the generals' expressions turned slightly serious, for they knew that Taicheng, located in the heart of Jianye, held an extremely important geographical position, and therefore the Qi forces besieging Taicheng must be the elite of the elite. Although the breakout of the formation had been extremely smooth just now, seizing the bridge now would certainly be another fierce battle.

However, having already made a good start, everyone's morale remained extremely high. Liu Lang was also very excited. After glancing at everyone's faces, he smiled at Dai Yuan and said, "Commander Dai, which bridge do you think is the best to attack? With our army's current momentum, the enemy will surely be terrified. What is there to fear?"

Having just witnessed Liu Lang easily break through the enemy lines, Dai Yuan was already deeply impressed by the eldest prince. He said, "Your Highness, didn't you say you wanted to enter the city from the south? But I think that going too far south is not good either. The Qi people have already captured Yuecheng and Danyang County in the south. When we seize the bridge, we will probably be besieged by them. Now the Qi people in the north need to regroup. We might as well cross the Qingxi Bridge in the middle. This bridge can accommodate more than ten riders to ride side by side. Your Highness can take it in one fell swoop!"

Liu Lang nodded repeatedly and said, "Alright, let's act quickly and decisively!"

He was indeed making the most of the time; the time it took for everyone to assemble and discuss was only the time it takes for two incense sticks to burn. The soldiers discarded their broken weapons on the ground, removed the arrows from their armor one by one, and changed their horse armor from the mounts they had used when they landed to spare horses. Some people even threw their water jugs on the ground after drinking to lighten their load.

The group set off again, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves echoing once more over Jianye City, like rolling spring thunder moving from east to west. As they rode, the true form of Jianye City gradually revealed itself before them.

The first thing that caught their eye was a scene of ruins. They hadn't noticed it during their charge at Zhongshan, but after the ravages of fire, Jianye City was now devoid of its former walls and gates, and few intact buildings remained. Yet, amidst the scarred land, many broken walls and stumps could still be faintly seen, like tree stumps after being felled, their remains silently telling the story of the past like the rings of a tree. Besides these, on the flat ground east of the Qingxi River, there was a large, abrupt mound. Those with some military experience guessed that this was probably the burial mound for the Jianye people who perished in the fire.

But the Han cavalry had no time to pay attention to these things, because they could clearly see that the Qi army had already formed a battle formation in front of the city. Just as expected, the Qi people in front of the city had already received the news and were now arrayed in neat formation in front of Qingxi. Moreover, judging from their armor, these Qi people were very well-equipped, far superior to the Qi people who had hastily moved from Zhongshan.

The Qi people before them were divided into specialized shield bearers and halberd bearers. They stood in several staggered formations, one foot in front and one foot behind. Even when facing cavalry that charged like the wind and broke through several enemy lines, no one retreated.

This was a symbol of elite troops. Liu Lang and the others also knew that breaking through this current siege would likely result in significant casualties.

Huo Biao, of course, wouldn't let the King of Longxi take such a risk. Just as they were about to enter the arrow's range, he led over a hundred cavalrymen in a sudden burst of speed, charging ahead of the enemy formation. Facing the so-called obstruction of the shield bearers, he showed no intention of backing down. He led his soldiers in a leap forward, their hooves striking the shields, sending screams of agony echoing below. At the same time, he thrust downwards with all his might in mid-air, using the momentum of the horse to pierce the chest of a man with a thud, instantly killing the Qi halberdier who was preparing to counterattack. He thus managed to open an opening.

However, it can be seen that the Qi army did not panic. Faced with the gap, they did not force their way in, but consciously left the gap open to allow the Han cavalry to continue forward. However, the formation around the gap became more and more rigorous to prevent the other Han troops from opening a second gap. It was clear that they planned to concentrate their forces to besiege the Han cavalry who entered the formation first, and then gradually encircle and trap them.

This tactic proved effective, as the Han army's speed inevitably decreased after entering the enemy lines. Once they lost their speed advantage, the advancing infantry began to inflict casualties. Horses would knock down shields and continue trampling the Qi soldiers; halberds would pierce the horses, sending them tumbling to their deaths. In an instant, a chaotic scene of horses clashing, limbs flying, some dying instantly, others crying out in pain from their wounds, and still others, though fallen, quickly rising to fight back with less severe injuries. Amidst the fighting, Huo Biao galloped at the forefront, gradually penetrating deeper into the enemy ranks, until he could see the Qingxi Bridge behind the Qi army's lines.

The Qi forces deployed on the east bank numbered only about two thousand. After all, the Qi troops here were preoccupied with keeping an eye on Zhou Qi's forces inside the palace, so they couldn't spare many soldiers to stop them. Therefore, even though these Qi troops were relatively elite, once they were defeated and the Qingxi Bridge was seized, there would be no further obstacles. Thinking of this, Huo Biao felt a surge of excitement and prepared to force his men onto the bridge, regardless of casualties.

With Huo Biao's bravery, he wielded a halberd in his left hand and a spear in his right, sweeping back and forth. The Qi men before him could indeed not stop him. Although some of his cavalry behind him suffered losses, those Qi men who dared to approach him were all knocked down or wounded. Huo Biao himself was only hit by a few arrows, none of which had even pierced his armor. He could almost see in his mind the scene of him making the greatest contribution.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, several riders emerged from Qingxi Bridge. The leader, clad in white iron armor and riding a white horse, saw Huo Biao charging ahead and the Qi men unable to withstand him. He suddenly spurred his horse forward, appearing as if from nowhere. He first produced three arrows in a flash, then drew his bow and fired them at Huo Biao. In an instant, all three were released. Huo Biao dodged, one arrow narrowly missing his iron armor, while the other two struck two of his attendants.

Enraged, Huo Biao threw his short halberd aside, then lowered his helmet with one hand and charged towards the knight with his long spear in the other. The two were already close, and Huo Biao was about to collide with the knight's tall, handsome white horse. Huo Biao swung his spear downwards with force, attempting to gain the upper hand and defeat the enemy rider in one blow. But the knight remained calm, raising his spear in a backhand motion to parry, subtly deflecting the blow and blocking it without a sound!

Seeing his opponent's nonchalant demeanor, Huo Biao was startled, realizing he had encountered an unprecedentedly formidable foe. He immediately prepared to launch another attack with his long spear. However, his opponent gave him no chance. Realizing Huo Biao's strength was exhausted, the enemy rider suddenly raised his hand and exerted force outwards. His strength was immense, and the point of force was perfectly timed, instantly disrupting Huo Biao's balance with the spear. Huo Biao was forced to lean back, and the spear nearly slipped from his grasp.

Before Huo Biao could even adjust his posture, the man had already swung his long spear in a half-circle, then with lightning speed retracted it. He then flicked the shaft to the right, and the spear, like a tiger entering its den, struck Huo Biao's right waist. The blow was powerful and heavy; Huo Biao felt a wave of dizziness and nearly coughed up blood. His opponent had already thrust the spear again, piercing Huo Biao's warhorse with perfect accuracy. The warhorse, in pain, neighed and reared up, throwing Huo Biao from his saddle.

Huo Biao fell flat on his back. Although he tried his best to hold onto the long spear to support himself, his right waist was in unbearable pain, and his body felt like lead, making it difficult for him to get up. This allowed his enemy to leisurely ride up to Huo Biao, raising the long spear high in his hand, ready to stab him to end his life.

In that fleeting instant, a sharp whistling sound came from behind, alarming the man. He immediately changed his posture, then lowered his body, the shaft of his spear blocking a flying white-feathered armor-piercing arrow. The arrow passed through the shaft, narrowly missing the man's face.

The Qi man put down his long spear and looked toward the source of the arrow. He saw a tall Han knight riding a red horse and wearing red armor, standing a few dozen paces away, holding a longbow with imposing presence. He couldn't help but praise him, "Your archery skills are excellent. I am Su Jun, the Prince of Xing of the Great Han Dynasty. Would you dare to state your name?"

It turned out that this person was none other than Su Jun, the King of Qi and Han. However, after nearly two years of not seeing each other, Su Jun could no longer recognize that the archer in front of him was Liu Lang, the King of Longxi, who had made a name for himself on the Huainan battlefield and whom he had met several times. Knowing that he had changed a lot, Liu Lang took off his helmet, revealing his true appearance, and slowly said, "It has been many days since we last met, and General Su is still as radiant as ever."

Su Jun was surprised to see that the visitor was Liu Lang. Then he suddenly realized and said, "So it is Liu Jingming, the King of Longxi, who is charging into battle. No wonder your troops are so excited."

He paused, raised his eyebrows, and then smiled, "Last time, you were saved by Du Zeng's help, Da Lang. Do you still want to challenge him this time?"

This was a provocation, but Liu Lang was more than happy to accept Su Jun's challenge. Ever since his previous defeat against Su Jun, Liu Lang had wanted to fight him again. Moreover, Su Jun was now blocking the way into the city, and if he couldn't defeat him, it would be extremely difficult to capture Qingxi Bridge.

Liu Lang immediately sheathed his longbow back over his left shoulder, then raised his lance high and shouted, "Why bother with your words, General? I'm going to fight you for a full hundred rounds!"

Having said that, he spurred his horse on, and the Crimson Dragon Steed neighed loudly, galloping towards Su Jun like a tidal wave.

Behind Liu Lang, and with the valiant fighting of Qiao Deng, Yuan Sui, Lu Rong, and others, the battle between the Han and Qi armies had reached a fever pitch. It was past noon, and under the winter sun, thousands of cavalry and armored soldiers clashed fiercely, their armor gleaming in the air, men fighting with unwavering resolve. Everyone still able-bodied was stirred by the life-or-death battle cries; their blood boiled, and they were drenched in sweat, oblivious to the biting winter wind. They were engaged in a contest of wills, and once it began, only a complete victory could end it.

Meanwhile, on the battlefield stretching for over ten miles at Stone Mountain and White Stone Slope, the fighting between the two armies was even more intense. Tens of thousands of soldiers roared and howled on different battlefields, the clanging of weapons echoing endlessly like strange waves, attracting the Yangtze River dolphins to surface curiously to investigate. Firelight, dust, and arrows mingled together, creating a palpable atmosphere of killing intent. This palpable killing intent, rising in a cacophony, completely enveloped the city of Jianye.

Zhou Qi, inside the palace, naturally sensed the danger. He climbed the watchtower and surveyed the surrounding battle, and couldn't help but be surprised. However, he wasn't the kind of person who would stand idly by just because the battle was fierce. Now, standing in the center of the battlefield, even though he hadn't participated in Liu Xian's previous plans, he realized it was time for him to step in. (End of Chapter)