Wang Ben's troops whizzed past the top of the mountain, completely crushing the first wave of enemies.
The real test had just begun.
"Halt!"
With a command, the charging cavalrymen pulled the reins tightly and clamped their horses' bellies. Even so, it took more than ten minutes before the high-speed charging army finally came to a halt.
"Back to the front! Continue the charge!"
The terrain at the top of the mountain was narrow and precipitous. The cavalrymen did not have the ability to make a detour and could only use the most primitive method to change direction. It was inevitable that they would be delayed for some time.
Moreover, this way, the cavalry's momentum would have to be built up again.
When the army changed direction, what awaited them was the Ashoka army that had completed their formation. They were densely packed along the top of the mountain, with no end in sight.
On the slope below the mountain peak, there was a dense group of archers crawling on the slope.
"Charge!"
Wang Ben's troops had no other choice. They had to kill their way back and retreat along the path they had come from. That was the only way down the mountain.
Taking advantage of the gap in their formation, the cavalrymen shook off the pieces of flesh, heads, and even intact corpses hanging on the tip of their spears. With a shake of the spear tip, blood sprayed into the sky, and the cold glint once again blossomed.
This was all the soldiers could do. They did not even have time to tidy up their armor. They slapped their warhorses and charged forward again.
As they accelerated, they adjusted to the best attacking position.
All their energy was concentrated on the spears in their hands. Anyone who was pierced by the spear would have no chance of survival. This was because the tip of the spear had already accumulated an unparalleled acceleration, and it would kill upon contact.
"Kill!"
The Qin soldiers roared in unison. They exhaled the turbid air in their mouths and condensed their aura into one.
The Ashoka army at the front felt a mountain-like pressure pressing down on them. Within the pressure, there was a surging killing intent. It was as though they were in a surging sea of blood, suffocating them.
In just a month of fighting, this Qin army had already formed the soul of an iron-blooded army. It was terrifying.
The Ashoka soldiers at the front nervously shifted their shields on the ground. Their right hand that held the saber was already sweating. Their eyes were fixed on the front, their nervousness evident in their words.
"Steady! Steady! "
Fortunately, the officers were still calm and kept comforting the army.
"Ready!"
The officer raised his hand. He could already vaguely smell the pungent breath of the warhorses in front of him, as well as the unripe smell of the grass being trampled by the warhorses.
"Fire!"
The officer swung his arm forward forcefully, and a rain of arrows filled the sky.
They were all made of flesh and blood, and no one was invincible in the face of a rain of arrows. Wang Ben's troops, who were charging at high speed, were constantly hit by arrows and fell to the ground.
At this moment, no matter how skilled a knight was at riding, he would not be able to dodge. Moreover, if he dodged, he might collide with the cavalry beside him. It was too dangerous.
Thus, they could only remain expressionless, ignoring the cries of their warhorses and the cries of their companions. They did not stop to rest and directly galloped past them, taking away the last of their cries.
The battlefield had always been merciless.
The only thing they could do was to brave the rain of arrows and continue to charge.
In the blink of an eye, Wang Ben's troops had rushed to the front of the enemy. Facing the rows of shields and the lever spears that pierced through the gaps of the shields, the cavalry did not even blink.
The warhorses charged into the enemy's ranks, and the cavalry stabbed and flicked their spears, killing the enemy.
The enemy soldiers on both flanks were pushed and shoved, and they tumbled down from the top of the hill in a sorry state. They crashed into the archers who were crouching on the hillside, causing even more chaos. Curses rang out incessantly.
The commander of the Ashoka army looked embarrassed when he saw this from afar. Ambushing the archers on the hillside was truly a stinky move.
"Withdraw the archers and let the saber and shield soldiers take over!" The commander decisively ordered.
"Yes!"
The archers withdrew like a receding tide, while the saber and shield soldiers roared and charged forward. When the two troops passed each other, the saber and shield soldiers couldn't help but mock them, making them blush in embarrassment.
In the time it took for the Ashoka army to change formations, Wang Ben's troops had already charged through. Because the hilltop was narrow, when the two armies clashed, the infantry would either be knocked away by the cavalry, or the cavalry would be mercilessly killed by the infantry.
There was no third possibility.
The two sides were like two colliding wheat sticks, wearing each other down and becoming shorter. It all depended on who could last until the end.
For Wang Ben's troops, their goal was clear. They wanted to charge all the way back to the starting point. No matter what price they had to pay, they couldn't change this order.
But the price was heavy.
By the time the army reached the starting point, although they had killed a large number of enemy soldiers, Wang Ben's troops of 70,000 were left with less than 50,000 men. Even Wang Ben's deputy general had been defeated in this battle.
Fortunately, they had won in the end.
Looking back at the mountain of corpses and sea of blood behind him, as well as the chaotic scene on the hillside and foot, Wang Ben nodded in satisfaction. He stopped fighting and decisively ordered, "Retreat!"
The rest of the army whizzed past the other side of the hilltop and disappeared from the enemy's sight.
…
Wang Ben's troops had retreated, but the Ashoka army had only just begun to clean up the mess.
Although they hadn't counted the casualties yet, the Ashoka army's face darkened when they saw the corpses all over the hill, especially on the mountain path in front of them.
Based on his experience, they had lost at least 100,000 soldiers in this battle.
Apart from the casualties of the soldiers, a large number of rations and supplies were scattered on the ground, mixed with mud and blood. It was obvious that they were no longer needed.
The commander wanted to cry but had no tears. He ordered fiercely, "Find traces of the enemy. If we don't kill them, how can we face the king?"
"Yes, sir!" The surviving Ashoka army was equally indignant.
…
In fact, there was no need for the Ashoka army to find them. In the following week, Wang Ben commanded the army to constantly harass and attack the enemy's rations, either on a large scale or in small groups.
Almost every day, there was a huge battle.
The Ashoka army couldn't stand the harassment, but there was nothing they could do. The Tubo mountain roads were rugged and there were few wide roads. There was only one rations route, so it was impossible to hide them even if they wanted to.
Moreover, they were responsible for escorting the rations, so the battle line was inevitably stretched out. Faced with the harassment of Wang Ben's troops, the Ashoka army often couldn't take care of both the front and the back.
Every time they managed to organize a large battle formation, the enemy had already left.
After a week of fierce fighting, the Ashoka army lost another 50,000 men, and the rations they escorted were also heavily damaged. The commander of the army realized that if this continued, they would be overwhelmed by the enemy.
…
21st of October.
Since the harassment had basically been achieved, Wang Ben decided to launch the last attack today and retreat to the Tangfan Ancient Road.
After a week of fierce fighting, they had lost another 10,000 men. The rest were exhausted.
Another mountain road, another surprise attack.
The last attack was unusually successful. The Ashoka army was in a state of disarray by the Qin army. They were almost defenseless and could only run around, not knowing how to fight back.
But the more it was like this, the more uneasy Wang Ben felt.
"Young Marshal, something's not right!" The newly appointed deputy general said worriedly.
"It's a little strange."
Wang Ben was also very decisive. "Pass down the order, don't continue fighting. Retreat immediately!"
"Yes, Sir!"
The deputy general was about to pass down the order, but it was too late.
A large number of enemy troops suddenly appeared on the path they had come from, blocking their way.
It turned out that the commander of the Ashoka army had set up an 'empty city stratagem', gathering the army in advance and trailing far behind the rations team, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
When the Qin army arrived, the army moved quickly and blocked their path of retreat.
"We've fallen into a trap!"
Wang Ben's eyes narrowed, and for the first time, he thought highly of the enemy's commander. It was also because the attacks had been too successful that Wang Ben had subconsciously let down his guard against the enemy, resulting in today's defeat.
This was not the end. At this moment, battle cries came from the rear of the rations team as well. The Ashoka army that had gathered at the rear had also rushed over, forming a pincer attack on the Qin army.
"Young Marshal, we're surrounded!" The deputy general was a little worried.
Wang Ben was calm and even showed a trace of a smile. "Heh, we are an army that has already perished. We should have followed His Majesty long ago. Why should we be afraid of death?"
Even now, Wang Ben could not let go of the death of Qin Shihuang.
Hearing this, the surrounding Qin soldiers fell silent. Clearly, the deepest emotions in their hearts had been stirred.
"My sons, let's fight our way out. We're lucky to be alive, and we're destined to die!"
"We're lucky to be alive, and we're destined to die!"
The Qin soldiers were instantly fired up, bursting with a shocking determination to fight to the death.
The remaining Qin soldiers all turned into death warriors.
"Kill!"
Wang Ben was the first to turn his horse and charge back the way he came.
That figure was exceptionally imposing.
The Qin soldiers silently turned around and followed the young marshal, swearing to start another massacre.
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