High up in the sky, birds were flying and the haze of clouds flowed across the land. In the northwest, thousands of soldiers and horses were moving rapidly from east to west.
Sunlight occasionally shone through the cracks in the sky, pouring down like a river of light. Columns of smoke rose into the sky. The soldiers who were running would occasionally cross paths with each other. After a collision, they would scatter like waves, leaving the remains of corpses behind. Deserters fled in all directions.
For anyone, this was a race against time.
Sometimes, war didn't necessarily give people early warning.
By the time the smoke warning reached Yanzhou City, it was already past midnight. This was the fastest method of communication during wartime, but it wasn't accurate. The Western Xia general, Jalasele, who was in charge of this area, quickly gathered his subordinates and waited for further reports. At the same time, the army in the city began to assemble.
At noon, the first piece of news arrived at Yanzhou City on horseback. From the eastern mountains, a group of roughly eight hundred people charged out. They were extremely valiant and broke through Shattered Stone Manor's defensive line in the blink of an eye. Their flag was a black star.
The first message came from General Kui Hong, who had been dead for two hours, 30 li away. Not long ago, as the second Western Xia minor leader who had come into contact with the Black Flag Army for the first time, he had decisively chosen to escape after witnessing his subordinates' shocking collapse. However, a platoon led by Luo Ye had relentlessly chased him for five li and killed him. In the message before the formation collapsed, he had exaggerated the number of enemies, from two hundred to eight hundred. Of course, this kind of exaggeration did not change the overall situation.
According to the Western Xia's original plan, the most likely enemy to attack during the grain harvest period was the Zhe family in Fuzhou. Jalasele was puzzled for a long time before an aide reminded him that the black star flag was the flag of the wandering bandits in the mountains. But at this time, he couldn't be completely sure if it was the Zhe family's crafty plot.
More battle reports came in one after another, so fast that it was hard for people to keep up with them.
After Shattered Stone Manor, they encountered the enemy at the entrance of Lonely Mountain! Their side was routed! Dachuan encountered the enemy! Their side was routed! The Bassoon Tribe was attacked and routed! The enemy's main force attacked! Sang River encountered the enemy, routed! Half an hour after the arrival of the first battle report, the Western Xia army in Yanzhou City was in an uproar. Eight or nine reports of the army's defeat flew in front of Ji Lasele and a group of high-ranking military officers. According to the distribution of these military reports on the map, after leaping out of the mountains, a large army was currently in a five-kilometer formation. Following the direction of the beacons, they swept through the area as easily as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood. Following the direction of the beacon, they headed straight for Yanzhou City!
Bloodstone Manor was a checkpoint in the eastern direction of Yanzhou City. General Pu Da led 2,000 of his subordinates to guard this place. At noon, the news of his battle and the news of his defeat appeared in front of everyone at practically the same time. Of course, this was related to the speed and urgency of the messengers' horses, but the fact that they arrived at the same time was enough to prove that the other party's attack was so fast that it left everyone dumbfounded.
The steeds reporting for battle had just left, and Pu Da led 2,000 men to the side of Bloodstone Manor. According to the news reported by the defeated army, the other party quickly rushed out of the mountains. The main force assumed the posture of bypassing the checkpoint. Just as Pu Da was adjusting his army's formation, the other party charged straight for Bloodstone Manor. A moment later, the entire Bloodstone Manor's battle formation was penetrated. After the other party killed their way through the defensive line, they continued to rush towards Yanzhou!
The generals under Ji Lasele were in an uproar! No matter who the other party was, this kind of strategy of using speed to fight speed was aimed at the current situation in Yanzhou.
When the Western Xia army first came south, the entire army was around 100,000 men. After they conquered several cities and the Western Army was routed, even more soldiers were sent over. Ji Lasele was the general in charge of guarding Ganzhou and Gansu. He had more than 50,000 men under his command, and more than 40,000 of them had been transferred to the Yanzhou region to consolidate their garrison.
In order to guard the wheat fields, Ji Lasele had dispatched more than 20,000 Western Xia soldiers outside Yanzhou City. Another 20,000 elite soldiers were stationed in the city. At this time, it was time for the wheat fields to be harvested. A lot of wheat was still being transported to Yanzhou. At this time, when the battle started, the other party would kill their way to Yanzhou City at high speed. More than 20,000 Western Xia soldiers would be blocked by the other party along with their rations.
These rations were already in the Western Xia's pocket. When the other party killed their way into Yanzhou, regardless of whether it was the roving bandits or the She Family Army, they were all barefooted and did not fear wearing shoes. How to deal with this sudden situation was the most important task.
At the same time, in the southwest direction of Yanzhou City, the main force of the Black Flag Army that came from the Little Cang River was divided into three groups and was sweeping over. The distance between them had already shortened to less than 10 li!
Of these three groups of troops, the first group led by He Zhicheng and the fourth group led by Sun Ye took the left path. This was the group with the most people, around 4,500 men. The third group led by Li Yi, with 1,800 men, took the right path. They surrounded Pang Liu 'an's second group and Liu Chengzong's special forces group, which had a total of more than 3,500 men.
After these 9,000 men left the mountain, they did not stop in the slightest. Of course, killing more than 20 li in half a day's time was not the fastest speed of a forced march. However, when the other party was caught off guard, they killed and broke through. Moreover, they crossed the mountainous region. This was already an astonishing speed. Along the way, the Western Xia army that was guarding the vicinity would appear from time to time. These grain supervision teams assembled one by one. Occasionally, they would fiercely charge towards the army with the Black Flag Army. Then, they would be separated by a few companies. Corpses would be killed all over the mountain, and the deserters would scatter in all directions. If the higher-ups of the Black Flag Army hadn't given the order not to prolong the battle, the number of people who had died in the past four to six hours would have doubled.
This couldn't be blamed on these Western Xia troops. They had come here with the attitude of a conqueror. The Zhong Family Army had been routed, and the Wu dynasty was powerless. Even if there were some bandits and villagers who rebelled, the army would basically sweep them away. Under such circumstances, they naturally had a high morale. These grain supervision teams were made up of several hundred people. If they were to link up in the surroundings and gather one or two thousand people, how could they not dare to attack and harass an army of several thousand people?
The other party actually dared to divide into small teams to charge. This made them feel even more ridiculous. Only when the weapons clashed, the front line collapsed with astonishing speed, and the other party charged into the crowd with steel blades as if they were chopping melons and vegetables, did everyone feel that it was even somewhat absurd and terrifying.
This attacking army pulled closer to Yanzhou City. Reports of defeat after defeat also fluttered in the air like snowflakes. Because of the change in distance and the time difference, the frequency of this battle was even more urgent than the actual situation. On the Black Flag Army's path of advance, organized Western Xia soldiers came over in waves. Some provoked, some probed, and some resolutely blocked the path. Afterwards, they all scattered in all directions. The routed soldiers fled in all directions in the nearby wilderness and fields.
On the path of advance, there were quite a few commoners who were forced to collect grain. They were practically the first to see the army's swift advance and charge. After that astonishing slaughter, the wounded soldiers would be left behind and handed over to these people to look after and take care of.
Apart from these people, no one greeted them.
Until they approached the perimeter of Yanzhou City, the number of people in the Black Flag Army who had actually fought with the Western Xia army was less than a quarter. Under Qin Shaoqian's orders, the high-ranking officers in the army chose a few fixed battalions and companies to act as the vanguard against the Western Xia army. The rest of the people were to quickly walk while maintaining their strength. Even if the people in the formation couldn't bear it and wanted to take the initiative to ask to fight, they weren't allowed. Just like this, by the time the sun had risen, around two o 'clock in the afternoon, the majority of these battalions were already covered in blood from head to toe. In the direction they had come from, several thousand Western Xia soldiers were scattered and fleeing in all directions.
Starting from around ten in the morning from Shattered Stone Village, by half past two in the afternoon, this army had traversed twenty-five li in a straight line, walked about forty li, rolled over several checkpoints, and approached Yanzhou City. At the same time, Yanzhou City's nineteen thousand strong army attacked under the command of Jirasele, leaving five thousand people to defend the city. The first thing they faced was the three thousand strong central army.
For the Western Xia people, this was, in fact, the most correct choice. When they had the advantage, no one would tolerate the enemy wantonly coming and going in their own territory. Although this Black Flag Army advanced quickly, Jirasele was able to roughly determine the number of this army not long after. Each unit had several thousand people, adding up to less than ten thousand. Killing their way into a plate of loose sand would naturally be as easy as crushing dry weeds and smashing rotten wood, but why would his side be afraid of them?
No matter what, at this time, Yanzhou City would not tolerate an army of less than ten thousand people blocking the gate.
The sun, which had blazed a little fiercely at noon, was now hidden behind the clouds. Strange balls floated in the sky.
On a gloomy day, the two seemingly equally gloomy troops confronted each other for a moment. Li Yi led the Third Black Flag Army Regiment to appear on the hillside. They had a total of one thousand eight hundred people, and right now there were still one thousand two hundred or so people who had yet to participate in the battle. These people were in formation on the hillside, drawing their blades and breathing silently. Everyone's heartbeat had already sped up, the sound of blood flowing through their veins.
In the Western Xia army of nearly twenty thousand people, the soldiers and high-ranking officers were similarly proudly watching these two attacking troops. Soon after, the fierce generals Cha Yan, Gui Bian, and Xi Wang came to request to fight. Jirasele looked at them for a moment, then waved his hand and approved.
This was also an order that was so correct that it almost made people feel helpless. At this time in the Northwest, it was not like they were facing off against the Central Army. If twenty thousand people didn't dare to fight against five or six thousand people, then the morale of the troops under him would be ruined.
On the opposite side, the one-eyed high-ranking officer on the warhorse was talking. He stretched out his hand and pointed to the position of the Western Xia army's commander's flag. The Western Xia army separated into two formations and began to push forward. On this side, the thousands of people were silently changing their formation. Cavalry appeared, but a large portion of the cavalry went to the rear — some of them were carrying boxes on their backs, unexpectedly using the warhorses as beasts of burden. It seemed that they still did not intend to all participate in the battle. On the hillside, the front formation of more than a thousand people raised their shields and began to advance. Their pace was steady and silent. In front of them were the four thousand Western Xia soldiers led by Xi Wang.
Their pace became faster and faster.
A stone's throw away —
"Charge … for me —"
The thunder-like sound of footsteps suddenly exploded on the ground! Along with countless hysterical shouts, these two troops, which were not many in number, rushed into the embrace of the Western Xia army in front of them like a roaring tide! In this kind of head-on confrontation, strategy and tactics had already lost their meaning for a period of time. Ji Lasele's heart was not at ease, but when the two sides suddenly collided with each other, he still cursed, "Stupid."
After the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the two armies, which were made up of four or five thousand Western Xia soldiers, were forcibly chiseled and collapsed. Waves of blood and corpses were pushed apart like a river. Some of the defeated soldiers tried to escape to their own formation, while others ran in all directions.
Ji Lasele saw the soldiers who were crazily hacking their way through the obstacles in front of them. They shouted and raised their shields, but their pace didn't slow down at all. Instead, they rushed towards their own formation —
A loud rumble was heard. On this day, the monstrous waves on the seashore broke through the huge rocks.
In the city of Yanzhou, the common people had already noticed the strangeness of this day. They saw the Western Xia soldiers gathering and imposing martial law. Soon after, the army launched an attack. Just two hours after the army launched an attack, the defeated soldiers flooded into the city like a tide. They were covered in blood, and they were in a panic …
In the mountains.
In a desolate valley filled with rocks and soil, tents were set up and bonfires were lit.
As the sun set, Xu Qiang and a few companions beside him were eating. They were surrounded by people with swords and sabers. They were in groups of three to five. Some were preparing dinner, some were chatting with each other, and some were even sparring. Some people's sparring attracted a lot of onlookers. Some of them commented, and some of them showed off their unique skills.
In the past few days, Xu Qiang had met many martial arts heroes whom he had admired for a long time. After meeting and sparring, he had learned a lot from them. This was also a good atmosphere that he had never seen in the Lulin Forest. Many people were no longer stingy with their unique skills. They were exchanging pointers with each other to improve each other's strength. He had heard of the magnificent scene when Grandmaster Zhou Dong led dozens of Lulin Forest experts to assassinate Zong Wang. Before the assassination, Grandmaster Zhou had been like this every night, generously giving advice to his companions.
Now, Zhou Dong's feat of assassinating Gu Han had become an immortal legend in the Lulin Forest. Xu Qiang believed that the chivalrous actions of his group would also leave their names in history and be passed down to future generations!
Looking around, he saw that among these people, there were young and outstanding rookies of the Lulin Forest, as well as the famous heroes of the Lulin Forest: Li Yan Ni, who used to be invincible in the Jiangzhe region; He Longqian, the Chivalrous Bandit; Yu Lie, the White Fang Spear; Fan Zhong, the Head Arrester of the Ministry of Justice, who was known as the Golden-eyed Thousand Feathers; Guan Sheng, the Broadsword; Qin Ming, the Thunderbolt Fire; Lei Heng, the Winged Tiger; Li Jun, the Dragon of the River; Hao Siwen, the Wooden Dragon; Now, he was also one of them. He remembered this scene in his heart and couldn't help but stand up. His chest was puffing up and down with excitement.
Tomorrow, all of them would enter the Small Cang River and kill this great demon for the world! All of them had already disregarded life and death!
This was what he was thinking that evening.
The next day, at the foot of the mountain outside the Small Cang River, Xu Qiang's leg suddenly trembled. Everyone saw half of the White Fang Spear Yu Lie's body fly up. The lower half flew over Xu Qiang's head and dyed half of his body blood red.
On the 18th of the sixth month of the second year of Jingping, even after many years, people would still talk about the attack of the people of the Lulin Forest on the Small Cang River. The legend of the inner demon massacring the Lulin Forest was finally established and began in a tragic manner.
At the same time, Li Pin led dozens of people and walked into the forest further away. At this moment, he had truly disregarded life and death.
On the east side of Yanzhou City, three huge balloons flew into the sky. The Black Flag Army was lined up and facing the ancient city wall. Ji Lasele stood on top of the city wall. His face was a little pale after being injured. He looked at this terrifying army that he had almost never seen before.
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