The sound waves whistled. Around the valley on the banks of the Yellow River, the boiling voices of the people lit up the entire night.
It was dusk in the past, but the sky was already dark. The fire arrows were like fireflies flying in the night sky, one after another, illuminating the vision of the people in the snow. In the foothills on the west side, a large number of soldiers with shields raised rushed through the snow. Some of them carried ladders, and the arrows fell on their shields, bodies, and the snow around them. In the forest behind them, the fire was burning. The archers who had lit their arrows rushed out in batches, shot their arrows, and retreated back into the snow forest where the bonfire was burning. At this time, a large number of light spots fell on the walls of the Xia Village barracks like flying locusts.
The blanketing attacks fell on the high points of the wooden barracks walls. Too many fire arrows fell on the wood in this harsh winter, and some even burned.
On top of the walls of Xia Village, there was no sound of elm cannons being fired. As the Ever-Victorious Army charged all over the mountains and plains, there was always a rather large distance between the soldiers. They raised their shields and ran outside the walls, only suddenly launching fierce attacks at a few specific points. The ladders were set up, and the crowd swarmed up. Inside the Xia Village, the defenders poured boiling water out. The spear array that pierced out from the barracks walls was like a forest, and the elites of the Ever-Victorious Army who tried to climb in were stabbed to death on top of the walls. Spots of light spots rushed out from the distant forest, and when they tried to shoot at the top of the walls, the archers who rushed over from inside the barracks walls also shot fire arrows at the archers on the other side.
Sometimes, the Ever-Victorious Army shot faster, and sometimes, it was the defending army of the Xia Village. When the top of the walls and the ground inside and outside the barracks were covered with sparks, and the defending soldiers who couldn't dodge in time held their wounds and rolled on the ground, there was another wave of attack from the outside.
The wounded were still rolling on the ground, and the reinforcements were still in the distance. The soldiers behind the barracks walls rushed out from behind the cover, and started fighting with the elites of the Ever-Victorious Army who tried to force their way in.
The general in charge of defending the west side of the camp wall was called Xu Lingming. He had a short stature and his body was as sturdy as a black iron tower. He had more than five hundred men under him and they were defending the four hundred feet wide camp wall. At this time, under the repeated attacks of the Victorious Army, the originally abundant manpower was rapidly decreasing. As far as the eye could see, there were flickering flames, running figures, the shouts of the messengers, and the screams of the wounded. On the ground inside the camp, many arrows were stuck in the soil, and some were still burning. As Xia Village was a valley, it was impossible to see the outside from the inside from the lower ground. At this moment, he was standing on the lookout tower and looking out. On the slope outside the wall, the soldiers of the Ever-Victorious Army scattered and shouted. They ran like ants and only occasionally launched an attack on a certain section of the camp wall.
Even further away, there were countless specks of fire in the forest. It looked like they were about to rush out, but it was unknown where they were going.
"They're going to charge, they're going to charge … Xu Er, get your brothers ready! Fire the rockets when I tell you to. When I tell you to charge, all of you are to go up the wall! "
He suddenly shouted from the lookout tower. Below him, Xu Er, who was leading the archer team, was his younger brother. He immediately shouted as well. The surrounding hundreds of archers immediately picked up the arrows that were wrapped in oil cloth and poured more sticky kerosene on them. They rushed to the bonfire and waited for orders. Xu Lingming quickly rushed down the lookout tower and picked up his shield and long knife, "Xiao Zhuo! Brothers of the reserve team, follow me and charge! "
More than fifty of his most elite subordinates were waiting for orders in the bunker at the back. Under his command, they picked up their shields and long knives and rushed forward. As he ran, Xu Lingming was still paying attention to the colors in the sky. However, halfway through his run, a soldier who was in charge of observation on the wooden wall in front of him suddenly shouted something. His voice was drowned out by the shouts of killing. The soldier turned around and shouted while waving his hand. Xu Lingming opened his eyes wide and looked at the sky. It was still a patch of darkness, but the hairs on the back of his head stood up.
"Find cover! Be careful!"
Xu Lingming squatted down and raised his shield. He shouted with all his might. The soldiers behind him also hurriedly raised their shields. Then, a rain of arrows fell in the darkness. Some people were shot and fell to the ground. Near the wooden wall, there were people hiding behind bunkers. Some soldiers who could not dodge in time were shot and fell to the ground.
In the previous period of time, the Victorious Army had been suppressing the Xia Village Garrison with fire arrows. On one hand, the burns would indeed cause great harm to the soldiers. On the other hand, the elm cannons were able to stop the advance of the Victorious Army two days ago. As the highest commander of this army and one of the world's most famous generals, Guo Yaoshi did not show too much respect for this new weapon.
When he was in the north, he had come into contact with the immature firearms of the Wu dynasty. Now that he had rushed to Xia Village, the first thing he did was to deal with the existence of the elm cannons. He used a large number of fire arrows to concentrate on the high points of the camp wall where the elm cannons were originally placed.
He had originally made some cover for these positions. However, with the flying arrows, he did not dare to open the windows to fire the elm cannons. If the arrows really entered the muzzle, the gunpowder would be ignited. The consequences would be unimaginable. In front of the camp wall, when the soldiers were scattered as much as possible, the elm cannons could not cause much damage. Therefore, during this period of time, the Xia Village temporarily did not let the elm cannons fire. Instead, they sent people to remove as much gunpowder and artillery shells as possible.
As the sky gradually darkened, waves of fire arrows flew over. Basically, the soldiers behind the wooden wall formed a conditioned reflex. Once the arrows flew over, they immediately dodged. However, at this moment, it was not the fire arrows that fell.
The Xia Village immediately suffered a great loss.
"Xu Er! Light the fire! Go up the wall! Follow me and kill!"
Xu Lingming shook his head and suddenly shouted. Beside him, a few injured soldiers were screaming. Some of them were shot in the thigh and crawled on the snowy ground in front of them. Further away, the Female Enlightened Master's ladder was placed on the camp wall.
The soldier who had warned earlier grabbed his long saber and turned around to kill the enemy. A soldier from the resentful army had already rushed in and slashed at his body, sending his arm flying. The surrounding guards on top of the wall rose up and began to fight. Xu Lingming roared, "Ah!" and rushed to the top of the wall.
A soldier from the Ever-Victorious Army leaped into the wall and slashed down with his long saber. Xu Lingming raised his shield and swung it fiercely, smashing the steel saber away. His tower-like figure collided with the burly man from the northeast. The two crashed into the camp wall with a loud bang, their bodies entangled, and then suddenly smashed into the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
"Kill the enemy!"
In the shadows, the Resentful Army soldier fell down. Xu Lingming pulled out his knife and shouted. In front, the Ever-Victorious Army soldiers jumped over the wall and entered. Behind them, the elites under Xu Lingming and the archers with fire arrows also swarmed over. Everyone ran to the top of the wall and set off a wave of blood on the wooden wall. The archers rushed to the top of the wall on both sides and began to shoot a rain of arrows at the area where the Ever-Victorious Army was concentrated.
Similar scenes were happening in different places on this camp wall. In front of the main entrance of the camp, a few large carriages with shields were temporarily paralyzed due to the two ballistae on top of the wall and the shooting of the archers. In the east, heads and corpses were stepped on the snowy ground. The large-scale attacks on the defense of the camp did not stop for a moment.
Although Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren had temporarily broken away from Medicine Master Guo's control in the battle of Chaobai River, the option of surrender had been erased now. As soon as the commander of the Ever-Victorious Army arrived, he regained control of the entire army. Under his planning, Zhang Linghui and Liu Shunren had already raised their spirits and were fully supporting the enemy in this attack.
Medicine Master Guo's performance towards the wooden cannons and the hundred or so heavy cavalry that had previously achieved meritorious service was much sharper and more resolute than Zhang and Liu. This was also because he had more usable troops under his command. At this time, outside the valley of Xia Village, the Ever-Victorious Army's strength had reached thirty-six thousand people. They were all elite troops that had followed them south. However, in the entire Xia Village, the actual strength of the army was only about eighteen thousand people. More than a hundred heavy cavalry could expand the advantage in a small area, but on a battlefield where the enemy was determined to attack, once they attacked, Medicine Master Guo would firmly eat up the enemy. Even if he had to pay a price, as long as the enemy's trump card was destroyed, the enemy's morale would inevitably plummet.
As for the firearms, in the past, the firearms of the Wu Dynasty were flashy but impractical. They were almost unusable. Now, even if they had reached a level where they could be used, the newly appeared thing had a great momentum but little power. In a line of scattered soldiers, they might not even be able to kill a single person. Compared to bows and arrows, there was no difference. He let go of his courage and used fire arrows to suppress them. In the blink of an eye, he had restrained the weakness of this new type of weapon.
"Famous people live up to their reputation …"
During the attack of the Resentful Army, the valley of Xia Village was also noisy and noisy. The soldiers on the periphery had already entered the battle. The reserve troops were all tensed up. On the high platform in the center, they received all kinds of information and made plans. Looking at the killing outside and the arrows flying in the sky, Ning Yi could not help but sigh at Medicine Master Guo's strength.
His ability to control the battlefield was actually not strong. In this valley, the ones who were truly good at fighting and commanding were Qin Shaoqian, the generals of the Wu Rui Camp, and the embryonic famous generals like Yue Pengju. As for Hong Ti and Team Leader Han Jing who came from Luliang Mountain, in this kind of battle, they were not as good as these people who had professional training.
Not long after understanding this, he placed the heavy responsibility of commanding on Qin Shaoqian's shoulders and did not say anything else. As for the young general Yue Fei, he was not trained enough and was not as good as Qin Shaoqian when it came to the overall situation. However, when it came to dealing with small and medium scale situations, he was decisive and sharp. Ning Yi entrusted him to command the elite troops to respond to the battle around them and make up for the gaps.
At this time, there was not yet a large gap near the camp wall, but the pressure was gradually showing. In particular, the suppression of the elm cannons made Ning Yi understand that this new weapon, which was all bark and no bite, would not be able to confuse the real fighters for long. Although Ning Yi did not expect them to dominate the battle, he was still surprised by Medicine Master Guo's quick response and accuracy.
The opponent's strength meant that the Xia Village would soon face the most difficult future …
Of course, it was not as if they had no way to fight back.
In the midst of the chaotic battle, Yuwen Feidu and the other Takeshi members who were highly skilled in martial arts were running in the battle formation. Although the teenager's leg was limping, which affected his running, he still had his cultivation and was sharp enough. Ordinary stray arrows did not pose much of a threat to him. Although this batch of elm cannons was transported from Lv Liang, the people who were best at using them were among the Takeshi. The young Yuwen Feidu was one of them. During the Grandmaster Battle of Lv Liang Mountain, he had even threatened Lin Eechan with the elm cannons.
The teenager ran past the camp wall of Section B2. The battle on the outer wall was still going on. He shot an arrow and ran to the top of the wall where the elm cannons were placed. Most of these elm cannons were protected by the outer wall and the roof. The two Lv Liang elites who were responsible for operating the cannons did not dare to fire. They were also killing the enemy with arrows. They hid behind the camp wall and greeted the teenager who was running over.
Xu Lingming was fighting on top of the wall. As an officer leading five hundred men, he was wearing armor that was half iron and half leather. At this time, in the fierce battle, his shoulder was cut by a knife, and blood was dripping down. He was using his shield to smash away the spear tip of an Ever-Victorious Army soldier who was climbing up the ladder. He looked to the side and saw someone carrying the elm cannons to the top of the camp wall. Then, there was a loud bang.
The fire shot straight into the crowd gathered outside the camp walls and exploded with a loud bang. Sparks flew everywhere, dark red blood splattered, limbs flew in the air, it was a ghastly sight. After a while, sounds were heard from the other side, a few cannonballs fell into the crowd one after another. Amidst the boiling sounds of killing, the cannoneers moved the elm cannons down. After a while, there was another barrage of fire arrows.
On the huge battlefield, the sky was shaking. Thousands of people rushed together from all directions. Occasionally, there was the sound of cannonballs. Flames and snowflakes danced in the sky. People's blood boiled and flowed. From the night sky, the shape of the battlefield was constantly changing. Only in the valley in the center of the battlefield, more than a thousand people who were saved gathered together. They trembled because of the battle and cries. There were also a few people who put their palms together and murmured. In other places in the valley, most of the people ran forward or were ready to run forward at any time. In the wounded camp, screams, curses, cries, and shouts mixed together. There were also people who finally died. They were carried out from the back and placed on the snowy ground that had been cleared …
*****
The battle in the night gradually stopped. The smell of blood and burnt flesh filled the air. Mao Yishan sat down inside the camp wall. There was sticky blood on the wall, but it had basically started to freeze. He didn't care about it. His body only felt intense fatigue and a tearing pain. At first, he thought he had been slashed in the back, but then he realized that he had lost all his strength.
His nerves that had been stretched taut to the limit began to relax, but what followed was still intense pain. He grabbed a small piece of snow that had not been stepped on or stained by blood at the corner of the camp wall and subconsciously put it into his mouth, wanting to eat.
That night, he had killed three people. Fortunately, he was not injured. However, when he was concentrating, all the strength in his body seemed to be drained.
Near and far, there were brothers coming from the back. They quickly looked for and took care of the wounded. Mao Yishan felt that he should go and help, but he didn't have the strength to stand up. Not far from him, a middle-aged man was sitting on the side of a large rock. He tore off a piece of cloth from his clothes and bandaged the wound on his leg. There were many corpses and blood in that area. It was unknown whether his injury was serious or not. However, he just bandaged his leg and sat there panting.
The man glanced at Mao Yishan and then continued to sit and look around. After a while, he took out a steamed bun, broke it in half and threw it to Mao Yishan.
"Thank, thank you …"
Mao Yishan said. The man waved the steamed bun in his hand and then began to eat it.
After a while, people came over to look for the wounded. At the same time, they gave the resentful soldiers a knife and a half. Mao Yishan's superior also went over. "Are you okay?" He asked one by one. When he asked the middle-aged man, the middle-aged man shook his head. "I'm fine."
When the guard came up, the nearby companions retreated. Mao Yishan stood up forcefully. The man tried to get up but his thigh was injured. He waved his hand at Mao Yishan. "Brother, help me."
Mao Yishan went over and shakily helped him up. The man's body also shook. After that, he didn't need Mao Yishan's help. "Are you a new soldier?" He glanced at Mao Yishan.
"I've been a soldier for six years. The day before yesterday, I killed someone for the first time … "
"No wonder … you were too flustered and used too much strength. You can't fight for long like this …"
The middle-aged man staggered a few steps forward. He used his hands to support the things around him. Mao Yishan hurriedly followed and wanted to help him, but he was rejected.
"Big brother … you must be a veteran of the battlefield …"
"I can't be considered a veteran. It's just that I participated in the war against Fang La with Prince Tong. It wasn't as tragic as this … but at least I have seen blood." The middle-aged man sighed. "This battle … is very difficult."
During this period of time when they fought against the Women Zhenren, countless troops were defeated. The Xia Village also gathered all kinds of troops. Most of them were scattered, and some of them didn't even regain their status as officers. This middle-aged man was quite experienced. Mao Yishan said, "Big brother, is it difficult? Do you think we can win? The … the superiors I followed in the past weren't as powerful as this time. When we fought against the Women Zhenren, the battle formation collapsed before we even saw the enemy. I have never heard of us fighting against the Victorious Army like this. I think, I think we can win this time … "
"This is indeed the first time I've seen such superiors. It's also the first time we've fought like this. Maybe we can win …" The middle-aged man glanced around and said. After a while, he turned around and looked at the place where the battlefield used to be. "But this is just the beginning. Look over there …"
At this moment, they were already at a slightly higher place. Mao Yishan turned around and looked. Inside and outside of the barracks, corpses and blood spread out. Arrows stuck in the ground were like grass in autumn. Further away, flames extended between the foothills and snowy ridges. The silhouettes of the Victorious Army overlapped. The huge battle formation surrounded the entire valley. Mao Yishan took a deep breath. The smell of blood was still lingering in his nose.
Xia Village was suppressed by the enemy's entire battle formation in this valley. Other than the Yellow River, there was no other place to go. Anyone who looked out from here would feel a huge sense of oppression.
He glanced over, and his gaze was almost attracted by the light of the surrounding army formation. But then, a group walked past him, and the sounds of conversation rang in his ears. The middle-aged man patted him on the shoulder and asked him to look behind him. The entire valley was also filled with army formations and bonfires. There were people walking around, and the smell of porridge and vegetables had already drifted into the air.
"This is … the confrontation between two armies. It's a real life-and-death battle. Brother, you're right. In the past, we could only escape. Now, we can fight. " The middle-aged man walked forward and stretched out his hand. Finally, Mao Yishan came over to support him. "My surname is Qu. My name is Qu Qing.
"Mao Yishan."
"Good name. It's easy to remember." Walking past the flat ground in front of them, the two of them walked towards a small slope and stairs. Qu Qing walked forward with force and sighed softly. "Yes, who wouldn't want to win if they could? Even though … many people will die if they win … but a win is a win … Brother, you're right. I was wrong just now … the resentful army, Lady Zhenren, we're soldiers … if we don't win, what else can we do? If we don't win, we'll be slaughtered like pigs … Now the capital city is about to fall, the imperial court is about to fall … we must win, we must win …"
These words seemed to be said to Mao Yishan, but it was more like he was talking to himself. Mao Yishan didn't understand. After going up the stairs, the middle-aged man turned back to look at the Victorious Army's camp. When he turned back to walk, Mao Yishan felt him patting his shoulder. "Brother Mao, kill more people …" Mao Yishan nodded. Then, he heard him add in an even lighter tone, "Live …" Mao Yishan nodded again.
His brothers were all over the mountains and plains … of course they had to live … he thought.
At this moment, the soldier who had been running away hadn't thought about how difficult these two words were. At this moment, he wasn't too willing to think about the difficulties behind them. The enemies were all over the mountains and plains, and there were also comrades all over the mountains and plains. Everyone was fighting with their lives for the same thing.
After a day of fighting, Mao Yishan made friends with one of the few good brothers in the army. In the Victorious Army's camp outside the camp, Medicine Master Guo, who had rushed over at lightning speed, re-evaluated the battle prowess of the Wu dynasty's army in Xia Village. This famous general of the present age was calm and collected. While commanding the attack, he had arranged for the army to set up camp. At this moment, he was revising the attack plan on Xia Village's camp in a frightening silence.
After receiving the news of firearms, he already understood that the Wu dynasty's army in front of him was planning to breach the Yellow River. In the letter sent to Zong Wang, the plan to breach the Yellow River would use gunpowder.
On the other side, in the command center where the commanding generals of Xia Village had gathered, everyone had already realized the power of Medicine Master Guo and the Victorious Army. They realized the difficulty of this matter. The relaxed mood from the previous day's victory was swept away. Everyone was seriously revising and supplementing the defense plan.
On a higher platform, Ning Yi stood in the wind and snow, looking at the army's camp in the distance and the crowd in the valley below. Juan 'er's figure ran through the crowd, giving instructions to prepare and distribute food. When he saw this, he also smiled. Before long, someone passed the guards and came to his side, gently holding his hand.
It was Hong Ti. Because she was a woman, she looked a little frail in the wind and snow. The two of them stood together hand in hand, looking like a couple.
"What are you thinking about?" Hong Ti asked softly.
"I thought it would be difficult." Ning Yi smiled softly. He lowered his gaze slightly and then raised it again. "But when I really see them pressing down, I'm also a little scared."
After a while, Hong Ti finally said softly, "… I'm scared too."
Ning Yi turned to look at her plain face and smiled. "But it's useless to be scared." He then said, "I've been scared many times, but I have to get through it …"
Hong Ti only smiled. Her fear of the battlefield was not the fear of ordinary people, but it didn't stop her from having ordinary feelings. "I'm afraid the capital will be more difficult." She said. After a while, she said, "If we hold on and the capital falls, will you go back to Lu Liang with me?"
"I'll think about it." Ning Yi looked in the direction where Bianliang City might be. It was full of wind and snow and darkness. "At least I have to bring these brothers back for you."
"That's true. There's also Miss Tan 'er and the others …" Hong Ti smiled slightly. "Liheng, you promised me that you would give me peace and prosperity. You went to Lu Liang Mountain and helped me build a stockade. You came to help Prime Minister Qin and hoped to save Bianliang. I'm your wife now. I know how much you've done and how hard you've worked. You've actually given me what I want. Now, I want you to think for yourself. If Bianliang really falls, what will you do next? I … am your woman. No matter what you do, I'll follow you for the rest of my life. "
Ning Yi looked forward and raised his clasped hands. His gaze became serious. "… I haven't thought about it carefully. But if I really want to, there are two possibilities for Bianliang City to fall. Either the Emperor and all the ministers go to the south and defend the Yangtze River. Or, within a few years, the Female Zhenren will push back and the Wu dynasty will fall. If it's the latter, I'll consider taking Tan 'er and the others to Lu Liang Mountain … But no matter which possibility it is, Lu Liang Mountain will have a harder time in the future. I'm afraid we won't be able to enjoy the peaceful days now. "
He was silent for a moment. "No matter what, we can either hold on for now and fight with the Female Zhenren for a while. We can think about it later. Or … we'll fight for the rest of our lives." Then he waved his hand. "Actually, there's no need to think too much. You see, we can't escape. Maybe as I said, there will be rivers of blood here."
He pointed to the camp of the Ever-Victorious Army. Hong Ti nodded. Ning Yi then said, "However, I do have some selfish motives."
"What selfish motives?"
"Look below." Ning Yi gestured to the crowd below. A familiar figure walked through the crowd. He said softly, "I want to send Juan 'er away."
In the crowd, Juan 'er seemed to sense something and looked up. Hong Ti smiled. Not long after, Ning Yi also smiled. He reached out and pulled Hong Ti over, hugging her in front of him. In the wind and snow, the two of them leaned against each other. After a long time, Ning Yi closed his eyes and opened them. He exhaled a white breath. His gaze had completely recovered its calmness and rationality.
It was human nature. Everyone would be afraid. But in such a time, there was not much space for fear to stop. For Ning Yi, even if Hong Ti didn't come, he would quickly recover his mentality. But naturally, this warmth and not having it were two different concepts.
The wind and snow continued. The two armies that had just fought to the death faced each other under the night sky. In the distant Bianliang City, the Female Zhenren had already withdrawn her troops. On the ground, the entire battlefield was as cold as ice. In the north, it seemed to be on the verge of collapse. Taiyuan City had fallen into a state of isolation. During the entire winter, they couldn't get any resources. The people in the city had long lost contact with the outside world. No one knew when this long war would end.
On the fourth of December, the Ever-Victorious Army launched an all-out attack on the Xia Village's garrison. The battle to the death boiled and spread in the valley's snow. Inside and outside the camp walls, almost everything was soaked in blood. In such a battle of strength, it was almost impossible to use any conceptual tricks. The firing of elm cannons could only be converted into the power of a few arrows. The generals of the two sides fought back and forth on the highest level of the war. What appeared in front of them was only the tragic scarlet of the entire world.
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