The way of war was ever-changing. The so-called morale of an army was often not so easy to grasp. However, if one really wanted to quantify and summarize, there were actually many things that were sufficiently universal.
Since ancient times, in battles between armies, what truly caused an army to collapse was never a physical attack. It was a person's consciousness being suppressed by the will of tens of thousands of people. What he thought was never the main point. What truly determined victory or defeat was often each person's view of the entire group. If one could sum up all of these views and take an average, that would be the strength of the army.
Strict training, everyone around him had a strong physique, and there was no reason for him to retreat. Strict military rules, and every drill was carried out with strict obedience. In the end, all of these things added a bargaining chip in people's hearts. "We are very strong". "We will never retreat." The heavier the bargaining chip, the stronger the army. In the end, the so-called morale of an army was such a simple matter. To achieve it, it needed to be tempered and tempered.
When the people of Liangshan left the mountain, they were originally an army with such beliefs. However, their perception of "very strong" did not come from things like training or military rules. Instead, it gradually formed when they saw the enemy's fear during every robbery and killing. When the Wu dynasty was plagued with internal and external aggression, and friends from all over the world gathered, it gave everyone an even greater sense of confidence. Unfortunately, this kind of confidence that they were invincible in Shandong suppressed too many hidden dangers.
When these things were detonated in a few days and the killing began on the battlefield, not many people thought they would retreat. They still longed for victory. Unfortunately, the so-called morale of an army was never about this. Instead, it was about whether people would feel "impossible" or "possible" when the other side shouted such a rumor.
When the morale of an army was formed by a thin line of mentality, it would decide the fate of thousands of lives.
The sun shone on the clouds, rendering the afternoon scene bright and beautiful. On top of the Zhu Manor, the cries of killing continued without stopping. The shouting inside the manor still continued excitedly. Wave after wave of people rushed up the stone wall, only to be killed back down. Only the high-ranking generals of Liangshan knew that the casualties on their side were increasing, and as time went by, the morale of the soldiers of Liangshan was decreasing.
In just two hours, the number of casualties on Liangshan's side was probably close to three thousand. This was the huge damage caused by the desperate attacks of the many leaders on Liangshan. Countless flags rushed over, but were pressed back. In the eyes of the people of Liangshan, the stone walls of Zhu Jia Village were continuously becoming sturdier and taller.
At this time, the rate of casualties on Liangshan's side had begun to slow down. After the initial frenzy had passed, the soldiers' morale was shaken and the soldiers' morale dropped amidst the incessant shouts. Waves after waves of their brothers who had charged up the stone wall were drowned out. The soldiers who were charging at the front were more or less hesitant. Even some of the middle and lower ranked leaders began to weigh the pros and cons of retreating. No one had thought that 15,000 men would have to fight a battle of attrition against 3,000 men.
"What's there to say? Didn't they already know about this from the beginning? If we can't take down this village, we won't be able to go back! " On one side of the battlefield, Lu Zhishen bandaged his wounds, raised his Buddhist staff, and began to organize the next wave of attacks. At this moment, his eyes were bloodshot from the killing. "If you have the guts, then charge with me again!"
On the other side, Lin Chong and the other generals were also continuing to encourage their subordinates. When the brothers or subordinates who were familiar with each other hesitantly came over to ask if they should preserve their strength and if the higher-ups would want to retreat after fighting like this. But it was also these leaders, who had opposed a forceful attack before Song Jiang's mobilization, who now chose the most resolute attack.
The morale of the soldiers was in chaos. If someone came to ask them, they might be able to suppress it. But in such a battle formation, who knew how many people might already have such thoughts in their hearts but were unwilling to voice them out? That would be the real problem.
But now that the bow had been fired, there was no turning back.
For the people of Liangshan, enduring the huge number of casualties that continued to accumulate, feeling the collapse of the soldiers' morale and the wavering of their morale, was an incomparably great pressure. But to the people of Zhu Jia Village, even if the Mount Liang Army's battle prowess was so low that it made one's hair stand on end, they would still be under pressure to defend against wave after wave of attacks with a mere three thousand men. The number of casualties was also accumulating above their heads. No matter what, the attacking side still had tens of thousands of people and could continue to maintain a saturated attack. But the defending side also had to be saturated.
When they could no longer maintain a saturated defense, the real opportunity would come.
Inside Zhu Village, Ning Yi, who had always been protected by a shield, could also clearly feel this. The wounded and the dead that were constantly being carried down, and the crying of the women and children in the village similarly spread anxiety in everyone's hearts. There were even people who rushed over and cried, "Where is the army of the imperial court! Where is the army of the imperial court! "
Zhu Biao and the others kept encouraging the people in the village, "You see! The bastards of Liangshan are getting weaker and weaker! They will soon be unable to continue fighting! Today, if we hold on, they will die — "
It was true that the people of Liangshan were getting weaker and weaker, but the charge led by the leader was still not to be underestimated. Ning Yi had long split the crossbows around him into two groups to specifically deal with these elite vanguards. At the same time, the various shouting orders that had been arranged beforehand were constantly being put into effect. But as for how the battle would develop and how far the people of Liangshan would go before they would collapse, he, who lacked actual combat experience, could not tell.
The fact that there were many mountain peaks on Liangshan was the biggest weakness. But while the many leaders on the other side still retained their rationality, they were able to maintain control over their opponents at a certain level, constantly using their own charisma to command a portion of their subordinates to launch attacks.
At this time, if there was really a big leader who switched sides on the battlefield, it might be able to determine the direction of the battle. Unfortunately, even though many people could see that Liangshan might be defeated, he still could not give the other party such confidence to simply switch sides. At most, they would choose to preserve their strength and retreat.
All the tricks that could be played had already been played. Ning Yi led his men around the village, trying his best to fill in the gaps that he could see and killing wave after wave of attacks. At the same time, at this moment when the battle had reached its climax, something was also happening quietly in the prison cells of the Zhu Village. A few men who were imprisoned here had already used the tools that they had prepared to unlock the cell door.
Over the past few days, Ning Yi had assigned tasks to the prisoners that had been released. After they completed their tasks, they could return to the Zhu Village to receive protection. Of course, such protection would not immediately be treated as a distinguished guest. Instead, they would still be imprisoned in the prison cells and given good food and drinks. They would be dealt with after the battle to avoid any accidents. It was also because of this that Wu Yong deliberately chose some people to return to the Zhu Village to prepare for dissension before this. At this moment, when the Zhu Village could not even take care of themselves and there were not enough guards in the prison cells, they cleared the obstacles and quietly rushed out of the prison cells.
What greeted them was chaos and smoke from all directions. The village was like a lone island in a storm, constantly shaking under the huge attack …
*****
The burning firewood was knocked down from the stone wall with a loud crash.
Zhang Shun rolled on the ground, passed over a half-burnt corpse, and rushed to the side of the crowd.
"Big Brother Zhang …"
"Go —"
During the attack, he shouted at the top of his lungs. He also knew the leader of the small group that led the attack. As Zhang Shun shouted, he grabbed a ladder and rushed up. Zhang Shun followed closely behind. However, before he could climb up the stone wall, blood spurted out from above. A long spear had pierced through the body of the small leader, causing him to fall down. A few villagers of the Zhu Family Village appeared above. One of them held a blood-stained spear and stabbed down. Zhang Shun brandished his saber to block, but seeing that even more people were coming, he could only retreat.
The sea of soldiers intertwined, and the point that Liangshan chose to attack was constantly changing. Zhang Shun ran in the battle formation, and not long after, he met up with Yang Zhi. Seizing an opportunity, he used three long ladders and led his subordinates to attack from the front. They killed a few people on the wall, and after gathering a dozen or so brothers, they saw Zhu Biao and his men charging over. They immediately gave up on this small spot on the wall and rushed into the village with a dozen or so men.
The wave-like attacks had already overwhelmed the Zhu Jia Village's defenses. As long as they caused chaos in the village, the other party would definitely send more people to surround them, and they would be able to charge at any point on the stone wall. Although Zhang Shun's nickname was "White Stripe in the Waves", he was skilled in martial arts and had a fierce personality. Working with Yang Zhi, they were not afraid even if there were only a dozen or so people. In the blink of an eye, they rushed to the other side of the stone wall. They rushed past a few houses and killed two passing farmers. Suddenly, they saw an iron shield flash past on the other side of the road that was parallel to this side of the house.
"Haha, Mixed Element Thunderbolt Hand!"
Yang Zhi ran all the way, pointing in that direction and whispering to Zhang Shun, "Kill him."
The dozen or so people rushed over. When they reached the crossroads in front, they turned and rushed in that direction. On the other side of the road, a figure finally appeared. The person with the iron shield, the person with the crossbow, and the nobleman who was surrounded in the center turned his head in this direction.
"Kill —" Yang Zhi gripped his saber with both hands and madly rushed forward. Zhang Shun did the same. The crossbow on the other side was already raised and aimed in this direction. There was really no time for hesitation. However, suddenly, Zhang Shun saw that face. The person stood there and tilted his head.
"Primordial Thunderclap Hand". Before this, even though Liangshan had been in chaos, he also felt that the other party was a big trouble. But to be honest, he didn't feel much about this person. When Yang Zhi said to kill him, he also felt that it was only natural that he would kill him.
But at this moment, complicated feelings rose in his heart along with the person's appearance. This person is … this person is …
Thinking of the blood and fire that day …
The other party let out a sigh and said calmly, "Ah … Zhang Shun."
*****
On the other side of the stone wall, a portion of the people attacking the manor suddenly heard a hoarse cry, "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh —
They often heard such shouts when they charged at the stone wall with courage and fear. However, outside the stone wall, there were a few people who could tell who these shouts belonged to.
They just didn't understand why Zhang Shun would shout like that in the manor.
This side was the closest to the slope where Song Jiang and the others were watching the battle. Xi Junyu and the rest looked at the stone wall. Originally, they were still saying, "Brother Zhang Shun and Brother Yang Zhi have already killed their way in. Once they create chaos, perhaps there will be a chance …" Indistinctly, the shouts could be heard. Everyone held their breath as they listened. Then, some commotion could be heard from the stone wall. There was fighting going on inside.
"Attack! Call the nearby brothers to attack! " Xi Junyu pointed and shouted. He had the soldiers send out the signal. Lin Chong led the nearby leaders to surround the stone wall. Before the ladder could be set up, figures suddenly appeared on the stone wall. They were the backs of a few people who were being pushed back frantically. They were forced onto the stone wall and then stabbed down. Zhang Shun's figure was among them. They had been pierced by several crossbow bolts. At this moment, several iron shields were being pushed forward and spears were constantly stabbing at them from behind. Zhang Shun's body was pierced through by two or three spears in the air and then fell down.
A few iron shields were erected by the wall, and the crossbow bolts behind them began to shoot down the wall. Song Jiang's eyes were filled with tears as he watched. At this moment, another unforeseen event suddenly occurred on the stone wall.
A few men snuck over from the side and suddenly charged into the shield formation on the stone wall.
Wu Yong stood up under the tree. "Haha, they've made their move! They've made their move! My arrangements worked! Kill him! Kill him! "
The sudden attack caused a small area of chaos on the stone wall. Everyone watched attentively. Even a scout quickly came over from behind and reported something to Song Jiang and Wu Yong. Wu Yong waved his hand forcefully to stop him from making any noise. Xi Junyu looked at Wu Yong's performance and understood something. "Continue to attack! Cooperate and continue to attack! "
The battle on the stone wall was violent and fierce. The people that Wu Yong had arranged were quite experienced in assassination. In the blink of an eye, they charged in. The soldiers guarding the side couldn't react in time. Two of them were killed, and one of the iron shields fell. Song Jiang, Wu Yong, and the others watched attentively. Xi Junyu also watched attentively. Finally, the two of them charged towards the Primeval Thunderclap Hand. After a few simple exchanges, the Primeval Thunderclap Hand flew back in a sorry state and even knocked down the person next to him. The two assassins followed closely behind. One of them was pierced by a flying spear while the other brandished his steel saber and chopped down.
Xi Junyu and Wu Yong clenched their teeth and took a step forward.
A bang sounded on the stone wall, and blood spurted out from behind the assassin.
Suddenly, the surroundings seemed to have become empty. The words that Xi Junyu had originally wanted to say were stuck in his throat because he suddenly realized something and couldn't say it.
Not far away, Li Kui, who was lifting his axe and preparing to rush forward, was stunned when he heard the sound. There were two people near the slope, each with different reactions. They were the injured "Sick Rope" Yang Xiong and "Brocade Tiger" Yan Shun, who happened to come over.
On the stone wall, the nobleman pushed the assassin's corpse away. Under the tree, Wu Yong's hand slowly patted the trunk. "Still … failed …" He murmured and sighed, but at this time, he didn't feel as frustrated as before. Thinking of the spy who came to report just now, he seemed to say "Wu Ruiying" anxiously. When he turned around to ask, he suddenly found that some of his brothers looked strange. "What's wrong?"
Yan Shun looked over there, stretched out his hand, and opened his mouth. After subconsciously glancing at Xi Junyu, his lips seemed to be a little dry as he said, "That is … that is …"
Song Jiang turned his head. "Unfortunately, we still couldn't kill the Mixed Element Thunderbolt Hand …"
"But that is … the bloody-handed butcher …"
"The one in Jiangning …" Yang Xiong murmured.
Song Jiang was stunned. "What bloody-handed butcher?" Everyone more or less had the same question. After all, their brains couldn't process it for a while. But after a moment, when everyone suddenly remembered something, an extremely complicated and somewhat gloomy feeling silently descended.
"… He, he is … Ah?"
Smoke rose, and the battle continued. Blood and lives were constantly flowing away. On the continuous battlefield, a strange feeling, along with the continuous frustration and pressure of the past few days, descended here.
*****
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