At the crucial moment, Zhao Kuo personally led a thousand cavalry to stop Shanhai County's second brigade.
In the eyes of the riders of the Second Brigade, the Zhao army's winged cavalry were like the drifting clouds in the sky. Just as they were about to pass by, they would disappear with a swing of their Tang sabers. When they retracted their sabers and turned around, the Zhao army would follow them like a shadow and attack them. If they did not have well-practiced coordination in actual combat, it would be difficult to defend against this dazzling and powerful cavalry and archery unit.
Luckily, with Er holding them back, the second brigade formed a defensive formation and could protect themselves for a while.
After all, the mutant cavalry was limited in strength. Even if they pierced through the forty thousand Zhao cavalry, they would not be able to reinforce the second brigade in time. Instead, they were held back by the Zhao cavalry.
The Zhao cavalry were not to be trifled with. When they reacted, they immediately counterattacked, trying to use their advantage in numbers to surround the enemy.
At the end of the day, the twenty thousand mutant cavalry, other than a portion of the elite cavalry, could not compare to the Zhao cavalry. Especially the allied cavalry, they were even worse.
Now that the second brigade was held back, only the Imperial Guard Brigade could act as the spearhead, charging left and right among the Zhao cavalry to break the encirclement.
Shi Wansui took the lead and replaced Er as the arrowhead. Even Zhao Zhuang could not compare to such a fierce general, not to mention the other generals of the Zhao army.
The battle was once again at a stalemate.
With this delay, the remnants of Wang Ling's troops finally reached their end under the fierce attack of the Guguan army.
Wang Ling looked around and said solemnly, "Brothers, let us sing 'Without Clothes' for the last time!" In the dead silence, Wang Ling's hoarse voice floated across the battlefield.
How can it be said to be without clothes? Robe with my son.
The king sends troops to repair my spears and spears. Hate with my son!
How can it be said to be without clothes? Robe with my son.
The king sends troops to repair my spears and halberds. Fight with my son!
How can it be said to be without clothes? Robe with my son.
The king sends troops to repair my armor and soldiers. Walk with my son!
The solemn and stirring Qin was sung passionately by Wang Ling. Under the influence of their general, the soldiers started humming together. United against the enemy, valiant Qin, facing the national calamity together.
Singing 'Without Clothes', the remnants of Wang Ling's troops charged towards the Guguan army, facing death with equanimity.
The war wolves on the opposite side were also affected by the Qin army's bravery and solemnness and were speechless.
But, this is war. Zhan Lang threw away his personal feelings and said coldly, "Kill!"
If the remnants of the royal mausoleum were a reef, representing the unyielding and stubborn nature of the old Qin people, then the red and black mixed army was like a raging wave, slamming against the reef with the power of the world.
The already damaged reef immediately shattered into pieces and exploded, causing countless blossoms of blood to splatter everywhere.
At this moment, one of the Lord of Martial Peace Bai Qi's six generals, General Wang Ling, died on the battlefield.
"Royal tomb!" Huan Qi cried out in grief.
When Huan Qi heard Qin Feng's 《Unclothed》, he had a bad feeling. In the end, he was unable to change the fate of the royal tomb and could only watch as his brother died on the battlefield.
For a moment, the Qin army emitted a fearless and sorrowful voice that struck fear into the hearts of those who looked at it.
At this moment, the thirty to forty thousand cavalrymen led by Valiant General Wang Bei arrived. Hearing Huan Qi's sorrowful cry, Wang Bei's heart trembled as a bad premonition crept into his heart.
Wang Bei led his troops to meet up with Huan Qi's army. Seeing the sorrowful air coming from Huan Qi's troops, he felt even more uneasy and asked in a trembling voice, "Huan Qi, how is the royal tomb's troops?"
Wang Bei's question pulled Huan Qi back to reality. His voice was as cold as nine feet of ice, striking fear into those who heard it. He said through gritted teeth, "Wang Ling is dead, we must avenge him!"
"What?!" Wang Bei paled in shock. In the end, he had come a step too late and couldn't help but blame himself.
Compared to Huan Qi's loss of composure, Zhao Kuo was much more composed. He ordered the General of Thousand Cavalry to replace him in commanding the thousand cavalry while he led the white cavalry back to the headquarters on the hill.
Zhao Kuo knew that Huan Qi's fierce attack had already caused the Zhao army to suffer greatly. Now that Wang Bei's troops had arrived, the Zhao army was in a precarious situation.
Fortunately, at the crucial moment, the army of Guguan had fought hard and destroyed the remnants of the royal tomb's troops. Zhao Kuo immediately ordered the army of Guguan to cross the camp and meet up with the main force of the army to defend against Huan Qi and Wang Bei's troops.
"Great General, should we retreat to Guguan first?" The major in the army suggested to Zhao Kuo.
According to the major in the army, now that the passage between the main force and Guguan had been reopened, they should retreat to Guguan first before making any other plans.
"No!" Zhao Kuo refused decisively. It wasn't that he was conceited, but as the commander-in-chief of the army, Zhao Kuo thought further. Although Wang Ling's army had been destroyed, the main force of the Qin army was still there.
If they retreated to Guguan now, then the army of Zhao Zhuang, who was responsible for blocking the Qin army on the southern front, would be caught in a pincer attack. It could be imagined that they would end up like Wang Ling's army.
And once Zhao Zhuang's army was crippled, the state of Zhao would be powerless to reverse the situation. One had to know that within the state of Zhao, there was no longer a single soldier that could be deployed.
In this case, the state of Zhao would still lose this great war. This was something that Zhao Kuo didn't want to see.
"Order the entire army to persevere a little longer. All the army will move south and must meet up with Zhao Zhuang's army." Zhao Kuo ordered decisively. "Also, order Zhao Zhuang to pull back the defensive line and wait for reinforcements."
"Yes, sir!" The major in the army immediately waved a flag and conveyed Zhao Kuo's order.
Under Zhao Kuo's command, the entire Changping Valley, the armies of Qin and Zhao, from the north to the south, intertwined with each other. It was a magnificent sight to behold.
At the furthest north was Zhao Kuo's army that had joined up with Guguan's army. After a series of fierce battles, there were still 120,000 infantry and 35,000 cavalry left.
Opposite Zhao Kuo's army was the allied army of Wang Bei and Huan Qi. All of them were cavalry. Together with the mutant army, there were more than 100,000 cavalry.
Behind the allied army was Zhao Zhuang's army that was still entangled with the Qin army. After a series of battles, Zhao Zhuang's army was left with more than 200,000 infantry and cavalry. They were the other main force of the Zhao army.
Facing Zhao Zhuang's army was Meng Ao's army and the remaining troops of Wang Bei. Meng Ao's army, including the mutant infantry, still had about 120,000 men. A portion of Wang Bei's army had been transferred away. Together with the losses incurred during the breakout, there were only about 120,000 left. Adding the two together, it was estimated to be 250,000 men.
To the north of the Hundred Mile Stone Wall, Ying Bao's 35,000 men were stationed. Similarly, the Zhao army had 70,000 men stationed at the Guguan specifically to keep an eye on Ying Bao's army.
Therefore, in terms of military strength, both sides were evenly matched.
Six armies intertwined with each other. It was a spectacle that had never been seen before.
At this moment, it was a great test of the commander's ability. In this aspect, Bai Qi was clearly superior.
The Lord of Martial Peace Bai Qi had been observing the battle from the watchtower of Wolf Mountain. Even the slightest change in the battle situation did not escape his eyes. The only variable was that he did not expect the sudden appearance of 40,000 elite mutant soldiers at the Guguan. They caught him off guard and caused Wang Bei's army to be annihilated.
Looking at the current battle situation, both sides seemed to be evenly matched. Either side had the opportunity to surround and annihilate the other's army.
Zhao Kuo could coordinate with Zhao Zhuang's army to attack Wang Bei's and Huan Qi's armies from the north and south. Similarly, Bai Qi could attack Zhao Zhuang's army from the north and south. It all depended on who was more skilled.
In reality, the Qin army still had the advantage.
Firstly, Wang Bei's and Huan Qi's armies had not experienced consecutive battles. Their soldiers were full of stamina. They were also the only army on the battlefield that had not experienced a major battle.
Secondly, Wang Bei's and Huan Qi's armies were all cavalry. In terms of mobility and agility, they were much stronger than the Zhao army. In contrast, Zhao Kuo's army, other than the 30,000-odd cavalry, the rest were all infantry. How could they keep up with Wang Bei's and Huan Qi's cavalry?
Thirdly, the Zhao army was afraid. After experiencing the despair of being surrounded, the Zhao army did not dare to advance rashly. They went south with all their might to fight the Qin army to the death. If their retreat route was cut off again, they would really want to cry but have no tears.
Zhao Kuo was not a mediocre person. He saw this and did not seek to annihilate the enemy. He only wanted to receive Zhao Zhuang's army and retreat to the Guguan together.
The commanders of the two armies were not ordinary people. What Zhao Kuo lacked was battle experience. The recent series of battles were enough to teach him a lesson and improve rapidly.
What kind of person was Bai Qi? When he saw the situation clearly, he decisively ordered Wang Bei's and Huan Qi's armies to gather together. They turned their horses around and headed south to attack Zhao Zhuang's army.
When Huan Qi received the order, he looked at the opposite side unwillingly and said fiercely, "Retreat!"
When they received the order to retreat, the 2nd Brigade stopped tangling with the Zhao cavalry and quickly moved their horses south. At this time, the Forbidden Brigade and the other divisions appeared to receive the 2nd Brigade. With the help of Wang Bei's army, the mutant army successfully retreated from the Zhao cavalry.
The two armies were entangled together. If they were to suddenly separate now, it would be a great test of the commanders' abilities. Especially Huan Qi's army and the mutant cavalry. If they retreated now, it would be equivalent to leaving their backs to the enemy.
Therefore, the army could not retreat together. Otherwise, they would become easy targets for the enemy.
Fortunately, whether it was Wang Ci, Huan Qi, Shi Wansui, or Zhang Liao, they were all very experienced generals. They knew how to arrange the rearguard troops, how to arrange the flanks, and how to arrange the frontline troops.
In addition, Zhao Kuo's army was already exhausted from attacking the royal tomb's camp. After that, they had to grit their teeth and block Huan Qi's army.
Now, under the strict arrangements of the Qin commanders, seeing that they could not find a suitable opportunity to launch a surprise attack, they naturally went with the flow and allowed Huan Qi's army to retreat smoothly.
Seeing the 100,000 Qin cavalry charging murderously towards Zhao Zhuang's army, Zhao Kuo could only raise his spirits. He ordered the Guguan army to change from the rear to the front. He led the troops south to receive Zhao Zhuang's army.
The Guguan army had been conserving their strength and only charged out at the critical moment. Facing the already shaky royal tomb army, they still had some strength left. (To be continued.)
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