It was the sunset glow again.
The evening glow filled the sky. Birds flew across the sky, leaving behind faint shadows.
The battlefield beneath the sky was in a mess. Smoke curled up in spirals, and the smell of blood rose into the air, condensing into blood-colored clouds in midair that didn't disperse for a long time, and they formed an extremely dazzling contrast with the orange glow of the sunset.
The trench in the middle of the camp had been completely covered by mountains of corpses and seas of blood. There was no longer a familiar figure. Looking across the long and narrow battlefield, all one could see were corpses and broken weapons.
The barricades had been smashed into smithereens, and the exquisite three-bow eight-bull bed crossbows and catapults had also been completely destroyed. They could no longer function and were abandoned on the battlefield, with no one paying any attention to them.
The arrow towers were either cut down directly or were still emitting wisps of smoke. The densely packed arrows were stuck all over the ground, and there was practically no space left.
Occasionally, there would be one or two survivors soaking in blood and moaning helplessly, waiting for death to come.
The battle in the afternoon had exhausted both sides.
Another forty to fifty thousand soldiers had completely fallen here, sacrificing themselves heroically and bidding farewell to their youth and passion.
The entire battlefield was like a huge slaughterhouse. The butchers were none other than the soldiers of both sides. While they were trying their best to kill the enemy, they had also become prey on the chopping board.
"Fortunately, we have finally taken it down!"
The allied commander looked at the messy battlefield and secretly heaved a sigh of relief. After paying a huge sacrifice, the allied forces finally defeated the defending troops of the enemy and completely took over the second line of defense.
The tenacity of the Third Army exceeded the commander's imagination.
"What kind of enemy is this?! They are not afraid of death and are capable in battle. They are truly an iron army! "
In this battle, the Second Army and Third Army of the Third Army had lost thirty percent of their forces, nearly eight thousand soldiers. If not for the cover of the trench, the number of casualties would have increased by at least twenty percent.
At the last moment, Fan Lihua ordered the two armies to abandon their positions and retreat to the second wooden wall.
For the Third Army, they had no way out.
The only thing they could do was to defend the second wooden wall to the death and endure the most difficult period of time.
As long as they could defend it, it would be the greatest victory.
In order to achieve this strategic goal, any sacrifice would be worth it.
...
"Pass down the order, continue the attack!"
The Allied commander looked up at the sky. Although the sky was already densely covered with sunset, the sky was not dark yet.
The mission given to him by the lords was not to take down the second line of defense of the enemy's camp, but to take down the entire camp. Therefore, the allied forces had to use the last bit of time they had to break through the second wooden wall in one go.
"Victory is at hand!"
The commander muttered to himself as if he wanted to strengthen his confidence.
The war horn sounded again.
The exhausted allied soldiers climbed up from the ground one by one, as if they were zombies.
When the war had just come to an end, the exhausted allied soldiers no longer had any scruples. They directly laid down on the pile of corpses and rested.
For the experienced veterans, making the most of their time to recover their stamina would increase their chances of survival. Compared to survival, mountains of corpses and seas of blood were nothing.
They had no time to think about it now.
Even the weakest soldier was used to the smell of blood on the battlefield.
Like zombies, the soldiers rose from the "graveyard" and gripped the weapons in their hands tightly. The bugle horn sounded, and their eyes shone with a bloodthirsty light.
"Kill!"
The vast allied forces once again charged to the front line.
In order to take down the second wooden wall, the allied commander could be said to have put in a lot of effort.
Outside the battlefield, there was a reserve force of thirty thousand people. They had not entered the battlefield since the beginning and had rested for an entire day.
At the crucial moment, the commander did not hesitate to send this reserve force into the battlefield, in order to launch the deadliest attack on the enemy camp.
As soon as the war began, the thirty thousand rested new soldiers charged at the front, trying to break through the third line of defense of the camp in one go with their abundant energy.
Unfortunately, the allied forces were facing the famous general Fan Lihua, a general who was many times more brilliant than the allied commander.
"In every major battle, reserve forces must be left behind, even if it is a thousand-man team. Grasping and using the reserve forces at the right time is very important to seize the initiative in battle and obtain victory. "
How could Fan Lihua not understand this simple logic that even the allied commander understood?
The first person in China to think about the reserve forces was the commander of the Stalwart Tiger Army, Sun Bin.
Sun Tzu said, "When using a formation, there are three parts. The sea formation has a front, the sea formation has a back, all move according to the order. Fight one, defend two. Attack the enemy with one, retreat with two. When the enemy is weak and confused, choose the soldiers first and take advantage of it. When the enemy is strong, use the soldiers first to lure them. "
What he meant was that the army should be distributed rationally, and not all the troops should be sent in at once.
In the battle in the afternoon, even at the most tragic time, Fan Lihua did not arrange for the fourth division, which was stationed at the second wooden wall, to go forward to help. Her purpose was to guard against the allied forces' surprise attack.
As it turned out, Fan Lihua's choice was very wise.
The soldiers of the fourth division had watched their brothers of the first division die in the morning, and in the afternoon, they had witnessed the bloody battle of the second and third divisions.
The soldiers had long been holding back their energy, and now it was finally their turn to go on the battlefield. They said to the soldiers of the three major divisions who had retreated, "Brothers, leave the next position to us!"
"We're counting on you!"
The short conversation reflected the invincible spirit of the army of Shanhai City.
… …
The last battle before nightfall slowly began.
This battle would not only determine the fate of the two sides, but also the fate of the entire Lingnan City, and even the structure of the entire Southern Border. It would change because of this battle.
Rows of torches lit up at the top of the White Stone City, illuminating the front of the city.
Ruan Ping and the other lords did not leave the city tower for the whole day, watching the progress of the battle uneasily.
"Can we still win?" Some lords began to waver.
The Fan Lihua Army in front of them was simply a monster with an immortal body.
Before the battle, no one could have imagined that the enemy would be able to block an army of two hundred and fifty thousand soldiers outside the plains with just a makeshift camp, rendering them unable to move.
No one would believe it if they said it.
But the bloody truth was placed in front of them, and they had no choice but to believe it.
Therefore, the lords were not confident that the allied forces could break through the last line of defense, at least not today. Seeing that night was approaching, the allied forces had less than two hours left.
"It's difficult!"
The lords' eyes began to flicker.
Some of the originally resolute lords were already secretly plotting a way out.
Ruan Ping noticed that five or six lords standing at the top of the city wall had unknowingly left. Some lords saw that their troops had been destroyed on the battlefield and were unwilling to stay any longer, so they left through the back mountain path in advance.
Some lords were purely cowardly and did not have any expectations for this battle at all, so they left with their personal guards in advance. After all, the path was just a path, and it was difficult. If everyone left like a swarm of bees, who knew what kind of nonsense would occur. Rather than that, it was better to leave early. At the very least, they did not have to line up.
Moreover, the earlier they left, the easier it would be for them to pack up after returning to their territories.
The lords who remained at the top of the city wall, apart from those with backbone and courage, were the "downtrodden people" whose territories had long since fallen under the iron hooves of the Shanhai City army.
These lords were the most miserable. They could not even pack up their belongings and go to the Royal City to become rich people. The only bargaining chip in their hands was the army outside the city.
As for the pitiful people who had lost their armies, they had long committed suicide.
...
Just as the various lords were lost in their thoughts, a rumbling sound suddenly came from the distant horizon.
Raising his head to look, he saw a vast and boundless army. Under the afterglow of the setting sun, they swiftly and firmly marched towards White Stone City with an invincible aura.
The huge golden dragon flag was dazzling.
"It's the Shanhai City army!" The lords recognized it at a glance.
It was the vanguard of the Ten Thousand Years Shi Army. They had finally arrived at White Stone City at the appointed time.
"It's over!"
Some lords closed their eyes, unable to bear to witness the tragedy that was about to happen.
Even more lords did not say a word and directly left the city wall, disappearing without a trace.
The Fan Lihua Army alone was enough to make the allied army suffer. With the addition of the Ten Thousand Years Shi Army, the allied army had no chance of breaking through.
It could be imagined that there would be even more armies converging on White Stone City.
There was no point in staying any longer. The lords did not want to stay and humiliate themselves.
Leaving was the best choice.
If they did not leave now, they would not be able to leave even if they wanted to.
For a moment, before the Ten Thousand Years Shi Army reached the frontlines, the huge city wall became empty. It was not just the lords who left, but also their personal guards.
In the end, Ruan Ping was the only one left in the city wall. He stood there alone, his face pale.
Ruan Ping did not want to leave. He had already deserted once in the battle of Zhaoqing. He did not want to desert in front of Shanhai City a second time. That was his last bit of dignity.
Perhaps there would be a miracle?
… …
The arrival of the Ten Thousand Years Shi Army did not only shock the lords on the city wall.
It was also a huge blow to the allied army. The attack on the second wooden wall was not going smoothly to begin with. Who would have thought that the enemy would send reinforcements at this critical juncture?
The allied army's commander had a pained expression. He raised his head and looked at the empty city wall. He sighed in his heart. In the end, he could not bear to send his soldiers to die for nothing.
This was the first time that the allied army's commander had ordered a retreat without receiving any orders.
The allied soldiers, whose morale had already been greatly reduced, did not hesitate at all when they heard the drums of retreat. They scrambled to leave the battlefield, afraid that they would not be able to run fast enough.
As for the soldiers of the 4th Division stationed on the wooden wall, they also tacitly stopped shooting.
Fan Lihua was very clear that the allied army had already lost the ability to resist. Since that was the case, it was better not to kill for no reason. It could also be considered as leaving some seeds for the future reorganization of the army.
None of the famous generals were truly bloodthirsty people.
Killing was only a means, not an end.
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