svetikya Page 103
Page 103
The small musketeer squares at the corners of the main formation, after firing their final three volleys, saw that the Song army was already upon them, trampling over mountains of corpses and seas of blood. With no time to reload, they wisely retreated back into the main formation. The well-equipped soldiers of both sides roared, howled, and screamed, forming dense ranks, brandishing their sharp spears and fiercely thrusting at the enemy!
In an instant, the world seemed to consist only of the muffled thud of metal piercing flesh and the crisp cracking of bones shattering!
The soldiers at the front rank, their pupils reflecting the rapidly enlarging, chilling glint of the enemy spear tips, had no time to feel fear before being pierced simultaneously by several spears carrying immense force. The sharp spear tips, though torn open by their chest armor, easily ripped through flesh and clothing, embedding themselves deeply in their unprotected arms and thighs. Scalding blood gushed from countless wounds like punctured water sacs, instantly turning the front-ranking soldiers into blood-soaked figures!
The unfortunate soul, pierced by multiple spears, was even lifted off the ground and suspended in mid-air for a moment by the enormous impact, like a broken doll hanging on a meat hook, his limbs still twitching and trembling unconsciously.
And this was just the beginning. The front-line soldiers were pushed and shoved by the surging crowd, charging forward against their will! They roared, thrusting their spears forward with all their might! The spear shafts bent and trembled under the immense pressure, the spear tips repeatedly plunging in and out of the fallen corpses and dying wounded soldiers, each withdrawal bringing with it large chunks of mangled flesh and shattered organs. A thick, slippery pool of blood quickly formed on the ground, mixed with broken armor plates, broken spear shafts, and fragments of unknown internal organs.
The soldiers on both sides were as if they were trapped in a warm swamp of flesh and blood. The clash of the spear formations instantly turned into a death vortex where lives were stirred up! The soldiers on both sides were squeezed together by the pressure from the rear, leaving them no room to even fall.
The corpses in the front row, already pierced by spears, were pushed and shoved by the crowd behind them, becoming moving human shields. They were repeatedly pierced by spears from both sides. The dying soldiers were sandwiched in the middle, enduring the merciless squeezing and slaughter from all sides. Blood foam gushed from their mouths, making incoherent hoarse sounds. Their eyeballs bulged out due to the high pressure inside their skulls, and all they could see was splattered scarlet blood!
The air was thick with the pungent stench of rust and ruptured entrails. Spear shafts snapped after countless collisions and pierces, the broken pieces continuing to plunge into warm or cold flesh. The soldiers, crushed to death, had no room to wield their spears, so in desperation they scratched and bit their enemies with their bare hands, or even slammed their foreheads against each other and gnawed at the necks of their closest foes! Roars, screams, the cracking of bones, the scraping of metal, dying groans… countless sounds mingled together, forming a symphony of death that could drive anyone mad!
Han Tao stared indifferently at the two walls of spears, each composed of thousands upon thousands of lives, colliding and grinding against each other in a frenzy. With each advance, a layer of vibrant life was lost and a new layer of flesh and blood was laid out! Beneath the intertwined forest of spears, it was no longer a battlefield, but a blood hell built by broken limbs, viscous blood, twisted viscera, and desperate souls.
Chapter 276: Heavy Cavalrymen's Heads Bleeding
The large-scale charge between the two sides lasted only a few minutes before Han Tao sensed something was wrong. The reason was simple: the Song army was clearly twice the size of the Liangshan army, yet in a head-on battle between 10,000 Song soldiers and 5,000 Liangshan soldiers, they were actually at a disadvantage.
The Song army's greatest advantage lay in ranged combat, not close-quarters fighting. While the Imperial Guards were well-equipped, their fighting spirit was lacking. Having enjoyed a long period of peace, they were inexperienced; their last large-scale military operation was over a century ago during the Treaty of Shanyuan.
In contrast, the Liangshan soldiers were trained in archery and melee combat by the most outstanding instructors of the 800,000 Imperial Guards, and their organization and training were no less than that of the Imperial Guards. Their only difference was that their armor was slightly inferior.
However, their combat experience far surpassed that of the Imperial Guards. These five thousand men were Liu Hong's most trusted comrades, veterans who had been with him since the beginning of Liangshan, having fought in almost every battle. Each of them possessed a fervent spirit, fighting to protect their hard-won lives. The military band, composed of Iron Flute Immortal Ma Lin and Iron Whistle Le He, beat war drums and played suonas, completely overwhelming the Song army in terms of morale.
Engaged in this bloodthirsty battle, after the hand-to-hand combat, Liangshan's formation also shone brightly, with two spearmen using a forest of spears to keep the battle line from collapsing.
Two hook-and-sickle spearmen, using the small hooks on their spears, would pull the enemy's shields off course, exposing the Song army's shield bearers and allowing them to be successfully killed by their own spearmen.
Or they could raise this three-meter-long hook-and-sickle spear high and smash it down on the opponent's head! The tip of the hook-and-sickle is as sharp as a bird's beak, and with a full-force strike, it can even pierce through an iron helmet! With the kinetic energy of the three-meter-long wooden shaft, the power of this hook-and-sickle spear's strike even surpasses that of an ordinary armor-piercing hoe, and can even pierce through the helmets of the Imperial Guards! This would cause the Imperial Guards' legs to buckle, and they would fall to the ground, their brains spurting blood.
The strong and sturdy squad leaders roared and raised their giant axes, smashing them down on the Imperial Guards in front of them!
The first strike hit the Imperial Guard's heavy shield bearers, who felt an overwhelming force explode from their shields. The massive ironwood shields, strong enough to withstand powerful crossbow bolts, were shattered like inferior pottery. The exploding wood fragments, mixed with shards of iron, rained down like a storm of ironwood, slamming into the armor of the shield bearers and their comrades behind them! The shield bearers' arms, subjected to unimaginable force, cracked and twisted with a teeth-grinding sound.
The second strike slammed the axe into the Imperial Guard's standard breastplate, forged from fine iron and adorned with a bronze tiger-head breastplate. Sparks flew and iron filings scattered. Although it failed to pierce the armor, the terrifying force caused internal injuries to the Imperial Guard, who coughed up blood. His strong body was even knocked backward by the domineering axe blow, but he was unable to move due to being squeezed in the dense crowd. He could only watch helplessly as the giant axe launched a third fierce strike towards the crack in the armor!
This time, Liangshan Corporal, relying on his superior strength and the heavy giant axe, successfully cleaved a small gap in the armor. The shock caused the Imperial Guard's eyes to roll back, blood to be vomited, three of his ribs to be broken by the giant axe, and most of his internal organs to be ruptured.
Seeing that he was at a disadvantage in close combat, Han Tao's expression turned solemn. He took out his trump card – five hundred heavy cavalry. They had already circled around to the right flank of the Liangshan army and then moved to the rear, preparing to attack Liangshan from the rear and launch a tremendous cavalry charge.
But the next second, they were stunned—the five thousand men of Liangshan were arranged in five large square formations, each with 25 columns and 25 rows. Everyone was holding a spear and a sickle. Looking outside, they looked like a hedgehog curled up in a ball. Even if they went around to the back, they could not see any weak points. This square formation, which they had never seen before, did not distinguish between front, back, left, and right. Every side was the front!
There was no other way but for the five hundred heavy cavalry to charge forward despite the danger.
However, each of the four corners of the 25x25 large square formation had a smaller 33x3 square formation. The musket formations that had previously fired at the Song infantry had only targeted the front two corners of the large square formations, while the rear two corners remained untouched and on standby. Now, seeing the Imperial Guard heavy cavalry charging towards them, the muskets behind them stopped firing at the cavalry and instead aimed at the horses, which had a larger area to hit and were easier to hit, firing in three volleys. The volley caused men and horses to fall, and blood and flesh flew everywhere. More than a hundred warhorses died directly on the charge, and another hundred warhorses were terrified and confused by the terrifying explosions of the firearms. The speed of the entire cavalry slowed down.
However, these Imperial Guard heavy cavalry were not cowards. The remaining men continued their charge, and the tremors of the earth grew increasingly violent! On the horizon, hundreds of heavily armored cavalrymen, clad in gleaming plate armor, charged like a devastating torrent of steel, brandishing a forest of lances, with the force of an avalanche, launching a desperate charge against Liangshan's large square formation! The heavy breathing of the horses mingled with the muffled roars of the riders, creating an astonishing spectacle that even forced the arquebusiers at the four corners to retreat trembling into their ranks, as if they were about to completely flatten that thin line of defense at any moment!
However, just as the knights' eyes gleamed with the fervor of impending victory, and their horses' hooves reached the final charge distance, arquebusiers from nearby phalanxes launched a barrage of fire, opening fire from the flanks at a distance of three hundred meters! Dense smoke instantly enveloped the front ranks of spearmen, and deadly lead bullets swept through the charging cavalry like a whirlwind! The warhorses in front, propelled by immense inertia, had no way to dodge; dozens of tall horses were struck as if by an invisible hammer, crashing to their sides and tumbling to the ground! The riders screamed as they were thrown violently into the air.
But the knights behind them couldn't stop. Their hooves trampled over their corpses and bodies as they charged forward, charged, charged!
"Crack!!!"
In an instant, countless sharp lances pierced the chests of the Liangshan infantry with pinpoint accuracy. Countless sharp spears pierced the chests of the charging horses! Thousands of long-handled wooden poles on both sides bent and groaned under the immense force of the horses' impact. But then, even more lances and spears emerged from the bodies of the front-line soldiers, thrusting forth with deadly force.
All you could see were the steeds that the knights relied on to charge into battle, and the soldiers holding the line, instantly riddled with countless gaping, bloody holes, their scalding blood gushing down like waterfalls! The immense inertia caused the horse carcasses and the knights on them to continue sliding forward along the spear shafts. The cavalrymen's expensive, gleaming armor was dragged and rubbed against the spear tips, producing a deafening, teeth-grinding metallic scraping and tearing sound, with sparks flying everywhere.
In one charge, a full seventy heavy cavalrymen were killed on the spot. Even though they killed one hundred and forty Liangshan infantrymen, achieving a two-to-one casualty ratio, it was to no avail.
They couldn't break through. The sheer thickness of this phalanx was outrageous. No matter which angle they charged from, there were a full twenty-five ranks of heavy infantry defending them. These heavy infantrymen were shoulder to shoulder, densely packed, and with enough thickness and density, plus the counter-charge of spears and the high lethality of muskets, they managed to withstand the heavy cavalry charge head-on, even at the cost of twice the number of lives! They reduced the speed of these cavalrymen from a gallop of sixty kilometers per hour to zero.
"Kill them all!"
Inside the formation, the squad leaders roared! Spears, while maintaining the battle line, thrust forward wildly, tearing warhorses to shreds and throwing cavalrymen off balance.
The hook-and-sickle spears thrust towards the lower body, using the side-bladed hooks to sever the horses' legs, causing them to lose their hooves, lose their balance, and fall to the ground. Meanwhile, the corporals' giant axes cleaved through the thin leather horse armor, even chopping off the horses' heads! In an instant, the halted cavalry suffered heavy losses, and the casualty ratio quickly changed from one to two to one to one.
Such casualties are something Han Tao simply cannot accept.
Training a heavy cavalryman takes decades.
Training a spearman only takes a few months.
Trading one elite heavy cavalry for one Liangshan spearmen was absolutely unacceptable, even for the Song Dynasty, given its size. He could only order all heavy cavalry to retreat and abandon the rear charge.
For a moment, the battlefield was left with only cavalrymen hanging desperately from their spears, their bodies pierced and unable to move, groaning and struggling in agony; their remains convulsing in pools of blood, trampled into a bloody pulp by the iron hooves of their comrades; broken spears, shattered armor, and blood-stained long spears and sabers scattered everywhere; and ahead of the battlefield, the scorched earth soaked in blood, as if covered with a thick crimson carpet!
The Liangshan formation, like a blood-soaked yet unbreakable fortress of death, stood firm on the battlefield filled with smoke, desperate screams, and intense bloodshed, as immovable as a mountain.
Chapter 277: All-Out War in Jeju Island
The infantry on the front lines were at a disadvantage, and the cavalry charge on the flanks failed. At this moment, the Song army was already at a disadvantage.
At that moment, the sound of cannon fire rang out again on the water – the eight leaders of the Liangshan navy, leading five thousand elite and brave soldiers from Jizhou who, though they had not received formation training, were equally skilled and brave, launched a landing from another direction. Shouts and drums resounded as the massive Liangshan army surged onto the beach like a tsunami, fiercely attacking the Song army camp, which had exhausted its forces and was now completely empty.
Han Tao looked back and discovered that the commander of the five thousand Liangshan soldiers was Chao Gai! This two-pronged attack left Han Tao besieged on both sides, forcing him to retreat hastily.
The 10,000 Song infantrymen who were already at a disadvantage in close combat turned tail and ran after hearing Han Tao's order to retreat. They wished they had more legs to run away as far away from the fierce and terrifying Liangshan troops as possible! Not one of them was willing to hold the line.
Han Tao's order to retreat gradually turned into a rout, and the rout turned into a complete collapse! Taking advantage of the situation, Liu Hong commanded his army to launch a surprise attack, and in one fell swoop, he directly crushed the 10,000 imperial infantry! He even followed the chaotic army and attacked Huyan Zhuo's left camp, forcing all the soldiers in the camp to abandon their camp and flee.
Taking advantage of the chaos, Liu Hong seized the left camp, and the right camp was also on the verge of collapse under Chao Gai's fierce attack. After the remaining troops retreated, they were in complete disarray. Even Han Tao, who had rich experience in command, was flustered and had to do everything he could to stabilize the situation and launch a counterattack.
After Liu Hong's initial victory, having repelled five hundred heavy cavalry and then tens of thousands of heavy infantry on the main battlefield, the morale of the entire army soared. Under Liu Hong's command, they surged forward at breakneck speed. Except for the five thousand elite troops who had just fought a bloody battle and were exhausted, almost all of Liangshan's troops came out and launched wave after wave of fierce attacks on the main camp!
The morale of Han Tao's army could only be described as one of extreme paranoia. Had Han Tao not demonstrated exceptional command skills, accurately predicting every attack from Liangshan and deploying his troops to plug every gap, he wouldn't have been able to hold onto even his last two camps.
However, she only managed to hold on barely; she was completely unable to repel the Liangshan army. Left with no other option, Han Tao had to rely on the fortified camp she had spent several dozen days building, while simultaneously urgently requesting reinforcements from Huyan Zhuo.
When Hu Yanzhuo heard the news that the entire Liangshan army had been mobilized to attack the three main camps and even destroyed one of them, he immediately abandoned the plan to return to Tokyo, just as Wu Yong had thought. He led everyone back to defend the main camp. Even Hu Yanzhuo could not bear the huge defeat of the main camp falling and hundreds of thousands of people being wiped out by Liangshan in one fell swoop. He also quickly used magic to contact Han Tao.
"Han Tao! I'll be back at camp in four and a half hours! Hold on! Don't go out to fight! If we can hold out for four and a half hours, I'll be back!!!"
Subsequently, the people throughout Jeju quickly informed Liu Hong of Huyan Zhuo's return to defend the city.
Seeing Huyan Zhuo leading his troops back to defend, Liu Hong also became determined and issued the first-ever mobilization order: "Brothers and sisters of Jizhou! Our homeland has reached its most critical moment! Everyone, for your land, for your families, and to prevent those wealthy landowners from making a comeback, take up arms! Fight to protect our homeland!"
In an instant, all 80,000 households in Jeju were in an uproar. All the farmers picked up pitchforks, all the hunters took up short bows, and all the merchants drew their long clubs, all responding to the call of Liangshan!
This time, Zhang Shuye, the prefect of Jizhou, was horrified to discover just how much trouble Liangshan had planted in his own Jizhou. These common people at the bottom of society only secretly colluded with Liangshan, while outwardly obeying the government's rule.
Now, with Liu Hong raising his arm in a rallying cry, 80,000 households in Jizhou responded to the call, bringing their own provisions, as well as weapons such as bows and arrows, whistles, and axes, and rushed to Liangshan Marsh to join the battle!
Eighty thousand households, each contributing one male, and every three households contributing one ox or horse to carry provisions for three people. Eighty thousand people swarmed around Liangshan Marsh like ants, joining the battle of attack and defense. Han Tao was stunned, trembling with fear at the sudden appearance of eighty thousand militiamen. The two remaining camps were on the verge of collapse under the onslaught of such a massive human wave.
Liu Hong handed over the overall offensive of the main camp to Chao Gai, while he himself led 5,000 elite troops and the Liangshan All-Star Team to meet Hu Yanzhuo, who was returning to defend.
Although these militia were large in number and had high morale, they were no match for Huyan Zhuo's armored cavalry. If Huyan Zhuo launched a rapid and unstoppable charge, not to mention the 80,000 militia, even if the number doubled to 160,000, they could be wiped out in one fell swoop by these 3,000 elite cavalry.
Therefore, this force can only rely on its elite troops to withstand the attack. It cannot be suppressed by sheer numbers.
However, the situation is not particularly dire. Liu Hong does not seek to defeat Huyan Zhuo. He only wants to block Huyan Zhuo here so that she cannot return to defend the main camp. As long as Chao Gai breaks through the last two main camps, Huyan Zhuo's three thousand soldiers will be homeless, have no food to eat, and have nowhere to sleep. Sooner or later, they will be worn down and die in Jizhou!
Liu Hong made a tough decision, taking all his resources and the all-star lineup of Liangshan, and left the camp to fight Huyan Zhuo in the open field.
Four and a half hours later, Huyan Zhuo led his exhausted army back to the vicinity of Liangshan Marsh, where he immediately witnessed a heart-stopping scene: Liu Hong, with five thousand soldiers, had formed five large square formations and blocked the road.
Because of its proximity to Liangshan Marsh, this plain is crisscrossed by waterways and dotted with swamps, making it very difficult to get around; there is only one main road to travel on.
This main road has been blocked by Liu Hong. If I want to go back, I must defeat Liu Hong, otherwise the three camps and 120,000 troops will be devoured by Chao Gai at the front line!
Thinking of this, Huyan Zhuo also became determined, raised his command flag, and ordered all cavalry to deploy and prepare for attack!
In an instant, crowds surged and horses' hooves thundered.
Three thousand cavalrymen from the south, their riders clad in iron armor, their horses adorned with bronze bells. Red banners fluttered against the rosy sky, white swords gleamed like snow. The heavily armored cavalry were truly awe-inspiring and terrifying.
Five thousand infantrymen to the north, their armor as imposing as pagodas, their ranks as imposing as mountains. Spears and lances soared into the sky like a dense forest, muskets roared, smoke billowing like clouds. Their formation was impeccable, truly a testament to discipline and order.
Liu Hong and Hu Yanzhuo stared intently at each other, and almost simultaneously raised their command flags, issuing the final battle orders!
"For the Song Dynasty! Charge!!!"
"For Liangshan! Fire!!!"
Chapter 278: The Ultimate Showdown in the Swamp Forest (Bonus Chapter)
In an instant, blinding flames erupted continuously in front of the Liangshan formation, and deafening roars merged into a storm of death. Thick smoke, like a fog, instantly engulfed the front-line gunners.
Countless scorching lead bullets, accompanied by piercing screams, formed a metallic rainstorm symbolizing destruction and death, crashing headlong into the charging cavalry! The deadly barrage, capable of tearing through iron armor and piercing flesh, was about to rip the expensive armor, the powerful warhorses, and the riders on their backs into a bloody mess when a sudden change occurred.
Hu Yanzhu roared like a dragon, and seven layers of semi-transparent starlight suddenly erupted from his body! This light, like ripples on a calm lake where a boulder is thrown, spread rapidly from him, instantly enveloping the nearly one thousand heavy cavalry at the forefront.
In an instant, about 30% of the lead bullets distorted and deformed, crashing into the ethereal psionic aura as if they had struck an invisible steel barrier! One after another, the high-speed spinning bullets were forcibly changed direction. Some bullets were even squeezed and deformed by the enormous repulsive force the moment they came into contact with the aura, instantly exploding in the air in countless short, dazzling golden-red sparks.
However, 70% of the lead bullets still penetrated this invisible defensive net. Carrying the residual destructive force, they slammed into the cavalry outside the range of the dark gold halo, as well as the relatively weak areas inside the halo.
Then, another 30% of the heavy lead bullets fell into the empty space. After barely blasting through the thick armor of Huyan Zhuoju's armored cavalry, the remaining 30% of the lead bullets lost their power.
In the end, only ten percent of the lead bullets pierced the heads, necks, and chests of the warhorses, chunks of scorching metal tumbling and tearing through flesh and blood! One after another, the charging warhorses, as if tripped by invisible ropes, wailed and tumbled forward, violently throwing their riders off their backs! Heavy armor was pierced by lead bullets that tore through the chest and abdomen, ripping out internal organs; they pierced the thighs, breaking leg bones; they struck the gaps in the helmets, ripping open the skulls! Scalding blood splattered like fountains onto the cold armor of their comrades, emitting a strong, pungent stench! Corpses, their internal organs shredded by the lead bullets, slid off the saddles like tattered sacks.
"What the hell?"
Hu Yanzhuo and Liu Hong simultaneously exclaimed in disbelief. Liu Hong fired at the thousand musketeers, who were arrayed in three lines, but only a hundred lead bullets were successfully used to wound them, and fewer than forty cavalrymen were killed. They were puzzled and astonished.
Hu Yanzhuo was shocked and horrified that just one volley of fire had wiped out more than forty of his most elite cavalry.
What's even more troublesome is that Huyan Zhuo's cavalry, boosted by the Fanaticism Aura, are extremely fast. When Han Tao's heavy cavalry charges right up to them, they have to endure two volleys of fire.
Huyan Zhuo's heavy cavalry, after only one volley of fire, had already charged into the face of the Liangshan troops, forcing the musketeers to retreat back into their positions and engage in close combat, facing the heavy cavalry charge head-on.
"For the Great Song Dynasty! For the Emperor!!!"
Huyan Zhuo took the lead, his starlight radiating as he carried a torrent of iron cavalry behind him, crashing into the towering steel thorns of the Liangshan infantry with the force of conquering cities and fortresses! The world seemed to freeze for a moment, then erupted in an ultimate clamor that could tear your eardrums apart!
"boom!!!"
The armored cavalry's iron hooves swept through the air, a collision of flesh and steel that resembled a landslide and a devastating roar, a crushing and destruction under absolute force. The dense spears at the forefront bent and broke like fragile reeds under the terrifying full-speed impact of the armored cavalry.
The broken spear shaft fragments, mixed with splattered blood and mud, rained down like a storm! The immense impact instantly tore the hands of hundreds of Liangshan soldiers gripping their spear shafts, breaking their arms! Having just lost their balance and fallen to the ground, they were mercilessly trampled into a bloody pulp by thousands of hooves. Amidst the continuous screams of agony, the entire outermost spear formation was forcefully dented and deformed!
Although these armored cavalrymen were riddled with broken spears, the broken spearheads only managed to pierce the iron armor and did not cause much damage to the dragon horses and riders inside. After crushing through a layer of defense, Huyan Zhuo's armored cavalrymen, though slowed down, continued to gallop forward!
However, Liangshan's defense was not a thin wall of spears, but a dense square formation of twenty-five layers. Protected by seven layers of light, Huyan Zhuo was the first to break through the forest of spears. His heavy cavalry, like red-hot iron spikes, plunged deep into the infantry formation. What awaited them, however, was a barrage of spears from all directions, at tricky angles, from the second, third, and even fifth layers.
"Pfft! Pfft! Snap!"
The overwhelming barrage of spears, accompanied by the chilling sound of armor piercing, searched for gaps in the armor like venomous snakes. Sharp spearheads pierced the joints of the horse armor and the thin plates of the side armor, causing scalding blood to gush out.
Meanwhile, the hooks and sickles scraped the ground, reaching inside the warhorse's armor skirts, hooking and slashing at the horse's legs, severing the front legs of these dragon horses. One by one, the warhorses let out high-pitched and piercing cries, their massive bodies falling to the ground along with their riders. They were then swarmed by countless spears and giant axes, their bellies ripped open!
The hook-and-sickle spears behind them were used to hook the riders on horseback and pull them off their horses. As soon as these knights, clad in gleaming armor and impervious to swords and spears, fell to the ground, the Liangshan soldiers could find a way to roll up the visor of their helmets and smash their heads, or simply aim for their eyes! Even if they couldn't kill them with one blow, they could still blow their eyeballs.
Lin Chong and Xu Ning's training methods were simple, but effective.
Ultimately, it all comes down to relying on dense formations, heavy armor, and high morale to force a trade with the cavalry. Spears hold the line, scythes pull riders up and cut the horses' legs down, and finally, giant axes finish them off. It's a battle of ruthlessness, courage, and endurance against the enemy cavalry.
In an instant, the Liangshan soldiers roared "For Liangshan!" and the Song cavalry shouted "For the Great Song!" For their respective beliefs, they engaged in a fierce and bloody battle on the front lines. The core of the battle formation instantly turned into the most terrifying grinding wheel of flesh and blood, with layers upon layers of horse and human corpses.
The mournful neighing of warhorses, the wailing of soldiers, the cracking of bones, the shrill sound of metal breaking, the muffled thud of weapons piercing flesh, the curses of dying soldiers... countless sounds mingled into a hellish symphony.
Broken armor plates, shattered weapons, rolling heads, torn limbs, and steaming pieces of entrails. Together with the soldiers on both sides, their eyes bloodshot from standing amidst the mountains of corpses and seas of blood, they created a scene of utter hell!
Chapter 279: Summoning Yuchi Sunli's Fierce Fist
For a moment, Hu Yanzhuo looked at the mountain of corpses and sea of blood beside him with a look of utter dismay.
In her plan, her armored cavalry should crush Liangshan's strange twenty-five-layered square formation with overwhelming force, leaving them routed and in complete disarray.
Looking at the mountain of corpses and sea of blood at his feet, Liu Hong also gritted his teeth.
In his plan, his large square formation should be able to stop Huyan Zhuo's armored cavalry, using a dense formation and a forest of spears to keep the cavalry at bay. At most, only two or three of the twenty-five layers would be broken, five layers at most. Too many layers couldn't be broken, otherwise it would truly collapse.
The current situation is that Huyan Zhuo has torn through thirteen layers in one fell swoop! After breaking through half of the great square formation, he got stuck in the center and couldn't move. Only the giant dragon under Huyan Zhuo's horse, with its terrifying size and brute force, could tear through the Liangshan formation, knock away spears and sickles, and continue to advance! Tear through the remaining twelve layers of formation!
"Anyone who captures Huyan Zhuo alive will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces! And promoted three ranks!!!"
Liu Hong roared as he marked Huyan Zhuo's location and mobilized the elite troops of Liangshan to fight Huyan Zhuo!
Huyan Zhuo's first wave of attack was against the troops of Sun Li, the "Sickly General". Although she was a Di Sha in Water Margin, her combat performance in the book was comparable to that of the Tian Gang, and even the Eight Tiger Generals and Five Tiger Generals.
The blue dragon, carrying Huyan Zhuo, roared as it charged to the foot of Sun Li's banner. Raising its mountain-sized blue-scaled dragon claw, it slammed it down, intending to crush this insignificant mortal as easily as crushing an ant! The colossal dragon claw, as large as a mountain, was also accompanied by towering thunder, descending from the sky like divine punishment.
Faced with such terrifying power, the taciturn and unsmiling female general simply raised her right hand, which was burning with black flames, and slapped it hard against her face. The terrifying black flames instantly spread and covered her entire face. The dark spiritual energy flowed and condensed like ink seeping into the void, and in an instant, it transformed into a dark and gloomy mask with features as hard as black iron, covering Sun Li's face.
Huyan Zhuo was startled. The mask was none other than the one painted by the opera singer to depict Yuchi Gong, a fierce general from the early Tang Dynasty. Deep within the eye sockets of the mask were unfathomable vortexes of destruction, and its mouth and nose seemed poised to spew out destructive murmurs from an abyss at any moment!