The Youzhou army led by Bai Xiaowen had marched for an entire day, fought for several hundred li, defeated the enemy nine times, and killed fifteen enemy generals.
Although Bai Xiaowen and the other Awakened still had the strength to continue fighting, the Youzhou army was mostly exhausted, especially the Son of Heaven's imperial carriage and the accompanying officials.
Logically speaking, they needed to rest and reorganize after nightfall and then set out again at daybreak.
However, Bai Xiaowen had ordered that the army could only rest for two hours.
Bai Xiaowen had given this two hours of rest after careful consideration.
First, although the Youzhou army had fought nine battles, they had only faced a weak army of one or two thousand men. They had won crushing victories, and the intensity of the battles had been very low.
Second, the Youzhou army's march had been carried out under Meng De Xin's' Speed is a Crucial Asset in War 'strategy, which had reduced their stamina consumption by fifty percent! Moreover, in consideration of the speed of the Son of Heaven's imperial carriage and the officials' carriages, the soldiers did not march very quickly and consumed very little stamina.
Coupled with the Youzhou army's own stamina recovery, it could be said that their stamina consumption was not very high.
The reason they felt so tired was because they were mentally exhausted and needed sleep.
However, the Youzhou army had won nine victories in a row and suffered very few casualties. Their morale was constantly on the rise, and even the exhaustion of marching did not lower their morale much.
In these circumstances, Bai Xiaowen dared to issue the strict order of 'only two hours of rest', and he did not need to worry about the soldiers mutiny and scatter.
As for the Son of Heaven and the officials, they were probably tired of sitting in the carriages. Bai Xiaowen naturally did not care.
Two hours later, Bai Xiaowen ordered the entire army to light torches and continue on their journey through the night.
The army that had only slept for two hours was still somewhat sleepy at first, but after walking for a while, they became energetic once more.
As for whether or not they would be ambushed by the enemy at night, Bai Xiaowen said that with his large-scale Psychic Perception and antennae, there was no need to worry.
After walking for most of the night, at dawn, the Youzhou army finally arrived at the ferry to the north of Mengjin. They saw the disorderly ranks of the Sizhou army busy digging ditches and setting up camp overnight.
In the darkness of the night, they could only rely on the light from the braziers and torches in the temporary camp opposite them. For a moment, they could not see clearly how many people there were.
Dong Zhao said with some admiration, "Young master's speed in marching the army caused the Si Zhou army to not have time to set up camp. If they waited until noon tomorrow, when the enemy had finished building their camp, the difficulty of attacking would at least double! If we take this opportunity to attack, the Si Zhou army will be defeated in a single blow. "
Bai Xiaowen narrowed his eyes. He first called Cecilia over and gave her a few instructions. The latter obeyed his orders and left.
Bai Xiaowen then ordered the Youzhou army to split into four groups and attack the temporary camp of the Sizhou army.
With the sound of a gong, the disorganized Si Zhou Army scattered in all directions without any fighting spirit.
The Youzhou army seized the opportunity and seized the ferry.
Bai Xiaowen probed the ice layer of the Yellow River.
The layer of ice was not thick, but it was enough to carry an army across the river.
Bai Xiaowen rode the Wrath Claw at the very front. The twenty thousand soldiers escorted the Emperor's imperial carriage and the carriages of the officials, forming a long line with ten people side by side.
This ferry was the narrowest part of the Yellow River and the riverbed was gentle. It was the most suitable place for an army to cross.
However, just as Bai Xiaowen was about to lead the Youzhou army to the opposite bank, he heard the sound of a clapper. On the opposite bank, a black mass of soldiers spread out in a line and rained down arrows!
From time to time, Youzhou soldiers would scream as they were struck by arrows.
On the opposite bank, where the torches were lit, a fully-armored general swaggered and jeered, "Little Yuan boy, you've been tricked!"
"Raise your shields."
Bai Xiaowen's voice was calm and spread out with the support of his Psychic Energy. He had long since prepared for this and had set up a long line. At the very front were sword and shield wielders. They stood at the very front with their shields raised to block the rain of arrows.
Bai Xiaowen used Insight on this general.
This was a third-rate general who could be considered a qualified leader. His name was Yan Ming.
"Zhong Yao is indeed smart. He should have started gathering the Sizhou army after receiving Cao Cao's order to set up an ambush on the north bank of the Yellow River! His goal was not to stop me from crossing the Yellow River but to ambush me halfway. As for the soldiers on the south bank, it was just a diversion. "
Fortunately, all of this was within the range of Bai Xiaowen's Psychic Energy.
Bai Xiaowen rode the Wrath Claw and charged at the front, being the first to step onto the dry riverbed on the opposite bank. In the cold cave, the silt on the exposed riverbed was also frozen hard.
Bai Xiaowen immediately unleashed a large-scale deterrence and gave the order for the Youzhou army to charge!
The moment the order was given, the Youzhou army was like an awakened snake, speeding up toward the north bank.
However, at this moment, something strange happened.
In the middle section of the Yellow River, a deafening explosion suddenly rang out on the frozen river surface! The sound of this explosion was even stronger than the high-explosive bombs of modern warfare. Moreover, it was accompanied by soaring flames.
Bai Xiaowen's Insight received information that this was a special tool that the Sizhou army had temporarily used — the Thunderfire Array!
It was actually black gunpowder.
In terms of advanced technology, black gunpowder was far inferior to modern explosives. However, this Thunderfire Array was a fusion of the Daoist techniques of the Three Kingdoms, making it even stronger and fiercer.
Of course, this was only the official explanation.
The real reason was that the power of the items in the spirit realm had nothing to do with the 'advanced craftsmanship'. It was only related to the strength of the psionic particles contained.
The strength of the psionic particles contained made wooden swords and bone spears much stronger than steel weapons.
And the strength of the psionic particles was directly related to the difficulty of the plane.
Bai Xiaowen frowned.
Although the Thunderfire Array was not weak, it only affected an area of ten meters. Six explosions in total was not a serious blow to the entire Youzhou army.
Moreover, the Yellow River was too cold for the Thunderfire Array to be effective. Many of the soldiers were injured but not killed. Only a few unlucky soldiers at the center of the explosion were blasted to death. In total, only several dozen people were killed.
However, Zhong Yao had not laid down the Thunderfire Array to use it to destroy the Youzhou army. Instead …
He wanted to blow up the ice of the Yellow River!
The ice was not thick to begin with, only enough to support the weight of a person crossing the river. Now that it had been blasted apart by the Thunderfire Array, large chunks of ice began to shatter, ultimately creating a region of ice several hundred meters in diameter!
More than one thousand Youzhou soldiers, along with the carriages of nearly ten Imperial Court officials, plunged into the icy river.
The cracks in the ice were still widening! The Youzhou army had been cut in two, like a snake that had been cut in two, its head and tail unable to care for each other.
"Calm down!"
Bai Xiaowen's Deterrence Psychic Forcefield maintained the output of Psychic Energy, controlling the enemy so that the archers would not continue to harass them and cause even greater panic. At the same time, he loudly said, "Protect the Son of Heaven's imperial carriage! Jiao Tan, Zhang Nan, lead your men to the left and right side of the ice cave, and go ashore to provide support!
Jiao Tan and Zhang Nan hurriedly replied.
Suddenly, the dull sound of a drum could be heard.
Along with the sound of the drum, there seemed to be a glaring white light, like lightning, that flashed and disappeared!
Bai Xiaowen groaned as his Psychic Forcefield was forced to end prematurely.
The laws of the Spirit Realm notified him:
"General Chunyu of the Zhong Yao Army has sounded the Flute Drum."
"You have been shaken by the Flute Drum. Deterrence's special effect: Psychic Forcefield Interruption!"
Bai Xiaowen's expression finally paled.
Even though Psychic Energy had revealed that there was an enemy ambush on the northern shore, Bai Xiaowen had still ordered the Youzhou army to force their way across the river. One of the major factors he was relying on was his Deterrence!
In the Three Kingdoms, Deterrence was a godly skill on a battlefield of medium scale and below. It could turn enemies in a large area into live targets and slaughter them for at least a minute.
Although this one minute battle was not very eye-catching in the entire battle, and if the soldiers under his command were to attack, they would only be able to kill a thousand or eight hundred enemies at most.
However, the main effect of Deterrence was to disrupt the enemy's formation! Once the enemy's formation was disrupted, they would not be far from being defeated.
And when faced with a surprise attack, Deterrence could also serve as a deterrent to the enemy and give the allies space to regroup.
It was definitely not an exaggeration to call it a godly skill!
However, Bai Xiaowen's Psychic Forcefield, which had been tested time and time again, had actually been broken by the Flute Drum.
"I still underestimated the native armies of the Three Kingdoms!"
Bai Xiaowen reflected on himself.
Zhong Yao must have understood Bai Xiaowen's combat characteristics and knew that he had a very powerful "Dao Technique" that could control him for a long period of time. Otherwise, he would not have prepared a tool like the Flute Drum in advance!
In the past, the native armies probably did not know Bai Xiaowen's background, which was why he had been able to succeed time and time again. However, in the future, it would not be so easy to rely on Psychic Forcefield to take advantage of him.
The only good news was that Bai Xiaowen's Deterrence did not have a long cooldown, only a few minutes. Even though the Flute Drum had interrupted his continuous Psychic Forcefield output, it had still preserved his Psychic Energy! Once the cooldown of Deterrence was over, it could be used again.
However, he did not know how rare the Flute Drum was … If it could be used continuously, it would be very troublesome.
Soon, Zhong Yao's troops on the north bank of the Yellow River recovered from their stunned state and once again drew their bows and arrows to harass the Youzhou troops and create even more chaos.
In the dark night, there were ice caves and arrow showers. It would be very easy for the Youzhou troops to retreat and retreat to the south bank.
In this way, the casualties of the soldiers were secondary. The delay was truly fatal!
Fortunately, Bai Xiaowen had another plan in mind.
On the north bank of the Yellow River, several miles away, at another narrow riverbed, a group of cavalry successfully reached the shore — it was the winged cavalry led by Cecilia!
When the Youzhou troops crossed the river, it seemed that they had been ambushed by Zhong Yao's troops and were in a sorry state. However, wasn't this also a pretense?
The winged cavalry led by Cecilia had successfully reached the shore. This was the first ray of hope.
Bai Xiaowen controlled it from afar and set up an airdrop.
The Death Knight and three Terror Knights appeared in front of the winged cavalry.
The army charged!
Blood-red arrows bloomed on the ground on the north bank of the Yellow River.
The archers commanded by Director Chunyu and Yanming were pierced through from the side by the winged cavalry who had Super Armor throughout the entire process!
These archers were the weak soldiers of the various cities in Sizhou that were temporarily put together. They could shoot arrows when the wind was favorable, but in a real hand-to-hand battle, once there were casualties, they would collapse at the first touch.
Especially when their opponents were the winged cavalry who had experienced many battles!
The pressure on the front immediately decreased. Anxious Zhang Nan hurriedly led his troops around the ice caves and crossed the Yellow River.
After all, the winged cavalry's first charge was the strongest. After the Super Armor state disappeared, the impact would definitely be much weaker.
"Heavy shield soldiers! Heavy shield soldiers, go forward and block the cavalry. Protect the archers! "General Yanming, who was still proud of himself and said that Bai Xiaowen had fallen into a trap, hurriedly shouted.
The heavy shield soldiers in black armor stepped out and formed a shield wall. Without the Super Armor, the winged cavalry would definitely pay a huge price if they wanted to break through this shield wall.
However, there was no need for that.
Because Bai Xiaowen had already crossed the river and reached the shore!
With the help of the enemy's arrow rain, Bai Xiaowen suffered hundreds of points of damage. His strength had quietly risen to 90 points.
He targeted the Death Knight again and activated symbiosis. Borrowing the strength of the Death Knight, his strength rose to 127 points!
Then, Bai Xiaowen took a deep breath and activated the huge Serpent Python!
The surging flames covered an area of hundreds of meters, enveloping the heavy shield soldiers, a large number of archers, and General Yanming.
If Bai Xiaowen's 100 points of Spirit brought about terrifying continuous burning magic damage, then what did 127 points of strength represent?
What a terrifying impact!
Yanming was the first to be "charged". His burly body was sent flying like a small stone. The man and horse were separated in mid-air. Then, the warhorse was turned into charcoal before it could even let out a sorrowful cry. Yanming himself flew dozens of meters and turned into a rolling gourd.
It was a charred gourd that was heavily burned and had its attributes halved.
Even the leader-level generals were like this, let alone the heavy shield soldiers and archers.
Bai Xiaowen's Serpent Python cleared an area of hundreds of meters. Everywhere it went, it was a mess.
This spectacular scene was almost no inferior to Zhang Jiao's Yellow Sky Lightning Pool!
Of course, in terms of power, there was still a difference.
Brother Jiao relied on his high Spirit and the additional lightning damage buff to form the scene of a lightning pool melting the enemy. The soldiers who were hit by it had no hope of surviving.
Bai Xiaowen, on the other hand, used the power of the Pain Potential and the power of the Death Knight to form a terrifying impact to send the enemy flying, creating the illusion of clearing the area. In fact, most of the soldiers who were hit were still at low HP and did not die. They would only be heavily burned and have their attributes halved.
Bai Xiaowen then added a shot and finished off the seriously injured Yanming.
The front of the Si Zhou army, which was not considered elite and was temporarily put together, was completely defeated by the wing cavalry's charge and Bai Xiaowen's huge Serpent Python. As soon as Yan Ming died, they "shouted" and fled in all directions!
Rumble …
The war drums sounded. The middle army of the Si Zhou army pressed over. Led by General Chunyu, they tried to drive the 800 wing cavalry and the vanguard of the Youzhou army back to the Yellow River.
However, Qiao Rui's soul rhythm sounded leisurely.
Just now, the soldiers under Qiao Rui's command rescued the soldiers and officials who had fallen into the water. After confirming that the Emperor's imperial carriage was fine, they rushed over to help.
Buzz!
The Serpent Drum sounded again. However, this time, it only made Qiao Rui pause for a second. She then continued playing the soul rhythm.
The attributes of the middle army of the Si Zhou army led by General Chunyu decreased rapidly. However, they waited at ease and had the advantage of numbers. They still suppressed Bai Xiaowen's vanguard troops to the riverbank.
Bai Xiaowen did not have a better idea. Now was the time to compete with the combat power of the army! He did not try to control General Chunyu with the Bewitching Spell Talisman. Instead, he controlled the rare elite generals under General Chunyu. It could be said that he controlled one of them accurately.
Although the controlled generals would be hacked to death by the people around them as soon as they betrayed him, the panic and impact on morale were real.
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