Chapter 67: Taking Huazhou
“Kill!”
Li Rong pressed his spear forward and shouted sternly, “Team A, wedge formation, follow me to break the formation! Team B, clear the obstacles, move that junk aside for me! Team C, spread out on the flanks, provide mounted archery cover, suppress their archers!”
Before he finished speaking, the flag bearer beside him vigorously waved a red triangular flag and blew two short, one long urgent horn calls. The guards under his command quickly changed formation, closing into a wedge and charging forward.
Although the Huazhou infantry outnumbered them, there were not many archers behind the abatis. Seeing the northern troops’ momentum, they lost their formation, and most of the arrows they shot were scattered and weak, with some hiding under the bridge.
The abatis had been breached.
Three hundred cavalry surged like a breached dam, their hooves making the riverbank tremble.
On the bridge, the Huazhou soldiers had already formed a line of defense.
“Charge across!”
“Kill!”
Li Rong, protected by his Bright Light Armor, charged directly ahead.
The Huazhou infantry were merely regional troops, not comparable to the elite Tianxiong Army. Seeing the fierce cavalry charge, they immediately fell into chaos. Some on the bridge wanted to fight, others wanted to retreat, and they fell into the river with splashes, like dumplings being dropped into water.
In one engagement, Team A had already crossed the bridge and reached the other side.
Xiao Yi, however, found that Team B had completely dispersed. Chen Guang Sui had already charged to the south bank, but Lu You was still on the north bank, hacking away at people.
“Fan Si, take your men and skirmish!”
“Yes!”
Xiao Yi put away his bow, drew his saber, and charged towards Lu You, shouting, “Why haven’t you formed up yet?!”
“Yes.”
“Cross the bridge first, then charge with me.”
As soon as he stepped onto the bridge, two infantry soldiers wielding axes hacked at him. Xiao Yi swept his saber downwards with his right hand, and with a flash of steel, one infantry soldier’s arm, along with his axe, tumbled off the bridge.
“Ah!”
At the same time, Zhang Mantun stepped forward and immediately killed the other infantry soldier with his short spear.
Several of the wooden beams of the bridge had been broken. Although horses could still cross, their hooves made a groaning sound as they stepped on them, as if they might break at any moment.
The Wuzhui horse pawed its hooves nervously. Xiao Yi quickly soothed it. The horse, with its innate intelligence, leaped to the other side with a flurry of hooves, its nostrils expelling white steam.
Xiao Yi reined in his horse, not charging blindly, but reforming his troops.
Behind them, the sound of the wooden bridge swaying grew louder, and comrades were shouting loudly.
“If it shakes any more, the bridge will collapse.”
Xiao Yi glanced back and shouted, “Control your horses, two men cross the bridge at a time, pull on the reins and walk slowly, watch your footing… and clear away all the corpses!”
“Reinforcements are here! Quickly!”
Ahead, Chen Guang Sui was shouting continuously.
Xiao Yi looked and saw that the large banner of the Nian Battalion commander had been swallowed by the enemy tide.
Chen Guang Sui was fighting with an enemy captain, not noticing another enemy soldier raising a spear to stab his horse’s belly.
“Thwack.”
Xiao Yi charged forward, parrying the spear with his saber, and with his left hand, drew the short spear from beside his saddle, stabbing it fiercely into the enemy captain’s chest, piercing his armor.
Hot blood seeped through the gaps in the armor into the lining, sticking to his waist and abdomen.
Chen Guang Sui’s immediate danger lessened. He exchanged a look with Xiao Yi and gritted his teeth, “I’m injured! You lead the troops to earn merit, I’ll guard the bridge.”
“Alright.”
Xiao Yi looked and saw that the right side of Chen Guang Sui’s armor was cracked, and his military robe was soaked with blood.
He immediately took over command.
“Tie Ya, form up and defend the bridge, cover our brothers crossing!”
“You few, follow me to reform the troops and charge!”
Finally, they had a firm footing on the south bank.
Xiao Yi raised his hand and pointed towards Li Rong’s large banner not far away. There, Li Rong had already led his troops in a frontal assault on the enemy general.
This was the most crucial blow of the battle.
“Nian Battalion! Charge with me!”
“Kill!”
Xiao Yi charged forward on his horse, with Zhang Mantun on his left, his short spear dancing, and Guo Xin on his right, his saber flashing.
They were like a sharp blade, piercing directly into the enemy general’s flank.
“Whoosh—”
With a sharp whistle, the enemy commander, facing attacks from both sides, hastily ordered a retreat, and the Huazhou infantry turned and fled.
“Kill!”
The northern cavalry immediately pursued, after all, each head was worth five strings of cash, so why let them go?
Li Rong knew he couldn’t suppress the pursuit, so he left a hundred men behind and led his own troops in pursuit.
Thus, the thousand-plus Huazhou soldiers were immediately routed and chased by two hundred cavalry.
“Xiao Yi, follow General Li in pursuit.” Chen Guang Sui shouted loudly, clutching his wound, “The rest of you, occupy the high ground on both banks, repair the bridge, and await General He’s main force!”
Xiao Yi looked around and saw that his own unit had also dispersed. He issued a series of orders.
“Hua Nong, wave the flag signal, have the uninjured of the Nian Battalion follow me.”
“Yes.”
“Old Pan, reform the troops.”
“Yes.”
“Xi Hou, Hu Deng, advance and scout. If you encounter enemy reinforcements, report immediately.”
“Yes!”
Looking south, Zhang Mantun and Guo Xin were joyfully engaged in battle behind Li Rong’s large banner. They quickly urged their horses to catch up.
They pursued and cut down enemies all the way.
In less than half an hour, the sun had completely set, leaving only the last sliver of light to illuminate the silhouettes of the fleeing soldiers.
The cavalry rode at varying speeds, and many had fallen behind to collect heads or spoils of war.
Xiao Yi did not care about the heads. As he was on the battlefield for the first time, it was enough for him to gain experience and protect his subordinates as much as possible.
Suddenly, he saw the outline of a city gradually appear on the horizon ahead, with torches flickering on the city walls.
They had unknowingly pursued to the outskirts of Huazhou City.
Counting them, including himself, there were only about fifty riders left beside Li Rong. He couldn’t help but recall the saying “Don’t pursue a cornered enemy.” At the same time, he was calmly analyzing whether they could take Huazhou with the fleeing troops.
Although this plan was risky, judging by today’s situation, Huazhou was not on guard. If successful, the army could save several days of siege and directly approach the Yellow River crossing.
“Look!”
Li Rong turned his head, his face full of excitement. He raised his hand and pointed towards the Huazhou Gate, shouting, “The city gate is not closed! The drawbridge has not been raised!”
There was no need for more words. Through his arrogant and unrestrained demeanor, Xiao Yi knew what Li Rong intended to do.
As expected.
“Drive the fleeing troops and charge into Huazhou!”
“Kill!”
Guo Xin was the first to respond, galloping his horse.
At this moment, Xiao Yi had no time to think further. He simply put away his thoughts and, following orders, attacked the city with the fleeing troops.
Looking up, he saw the characters “Wanghe Gate” inscribed on the city wall. Behind the battlements, the glint of enemy arrows could be vaguely seen.
The Huazhou defenders were clearly caught off guard and were not yet prepared to defend the city. The fleeing troops had already swarmed onto the drawbridge and were crowding into the city gate tunnel.
Inside the city gate, the defending general roared furiously.
“Close the city gate quickly!”
“No entry! Turn around and fight the enemy!”
“Fight back and kill the enemy!”
Li Rong and Guo Xin were the first to pursue, charging across the drawbridge, slashing their sabers at the retreating soldiers blocking their way, and shouting that they would capture the city gate.
Xiao Yi did not pay much attention to Li Rong, who was wearing Bright Light Armor, but kept his eyes fixed on Guo Xin.
Several arrows shot out from behind the battlements. Guo Xin parried one with his saber, but another arrow suddenly pierced his warhorse’s neck.
“Neigh—”
The warhorse cried out in pain and fell heavily.
Guo Xin, caught off guard, was thrown violently by the momentum, falling at the feet of the fleeing soldiers at the city gate. His saber also flew out of his hand.
At the same time, several of the fleeing Huazhou soldiers, seeing an opportunity, lunged at the fallen Guo Xin with their sabers.
“Whoosh.”
Xiao Yi shot an arrow.
One fleeing soldier fell with a thud.
At the same time, he shouted, “Tie Ya! Fan Si!”
Zhang Mantun leaped off his horse, toppled another fleeing soldier, snatched a spear, and wielded it with great skill.
“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh.”
Xiao Yi and Fan Si fired several arrows in rapid succession, specifically targeting the faces of the enemy soldiers who dared to turn back, aiming accurately and ferociously, suppressing them so they dared not easily approach Guo Xin.
Finally, the immediate crisis was eased.
Xiao Yi galloped his horse across the drawbridge, quickly pulled Guo Xin up, and they exchanged a look. There was no time for further words, and they immediately followed Li Rong in charging towards the city gate.
“Seize the city gate!”
Li Rong seized the opportunity and, commanding the remaining thirty-odd riders, charged fearlessly, scattering the remnants of the fleeing troops and defenders in the city gate tunnel.
The Huazhou defenders were shocked by their ferocity, daring to storm the gate with merely a few dozen riders, causing a moment of confusion.
The fighting was fierce, and people were falling constantly.
Li Rong continued to command, leading Xiao Yi, Zhang Mantun, Guo Xin, and others in formation. Using the narrow terrain of the city gate tunnel, they prevented the defenders from deploying their superior numbers.
Xiao Yi knew that the defenders were caught off guard and must be panicking. He shouted, “The Tianxiong Army is right behind us and will arrive shortly! Why do you bother to fight for your high officials? Those who surrender will not be killed!”
“Exactly!”
This shout reminded Li Rong, who also roared, his voice like thunder.
“Huazhou defenders, listen up! Our Tianxiong Army’s Great General Li Rong and Marshal Guo have arrived at the city! If you dare to resist, your entire families will be slaughtered after the city falls!”
“Marshal Guo has achieved great merit and wishes to share prosperity with us. Those who kill enemy generals and present the city will be richly rewarded!”
The defenders in the city were already in a panic, and after hearing these harsh words, their morale clearly weakened.
Just then.
“Clang—”
A rapid clang of gongs sounded from within the city.
The sound of dense hoofbeats and footsteps could be heard from afar within the city.
On the other side of the city tunnel, the firelight dispersed the newly fallen night curtain, and teams of guards in shining armor surged forward, their numbers unknown.
“Damn it,” Zhang Mantun spat, “we’ll never finish killing all of them…”
“Stop!”
Suddenly, a startled cry came from within the city, followed by shouts.
“I am Wang Chongwen, Acting Military Governor of the Yi Cheng Army. I respectfully represent the Acting Grand Commandant, Duke of Guangping County, and Military Governor of the Yi Cheng Army, Song Yanwo, in expressing our intention to surrender.”
The Huazhou defenders parted to make way.
Xiao Yi looked and saw a man in a scarlet official robe holding a seal wrapped in yellow silk with both hands. Escorted by ten guards who had disarmed themselves, he stumbled towards them.
As he neared, Wang Chongwen met Xiao Yi’s gaze, was startled, and quickly lowered his head, kneeling on the ground and holding the seal aloft.
“The Military Governor is willing to lead the civil and military officials of Huazhou to respectfully welcome Duke Guo’s heavenly army. Today, the imperial court is muddle-headed, and traitors are in power, framing loyal officials, a sin that angers both gods and men. Huazhou’s officials and people cannot bear to be enemies with the loyal and righteous army. We only beg Duke Guo to have mercy on the common people and not harm them. Then, the entire city’s military and civilians will be eternally grateful…”
Xiao Yi was still observing Wang Chongwen’s demeanor when Li Rong suddenly grabbed his wrist and raised it high.
The soldiers behind them immediately cheered.
“Victory! Victory!”
The army had marched for less than three days and had directly taken Huazhou. This would allow them to cross the Yellow River at their leisure, with no further formidable obstacles between them and Kaifeng.
