Chapter 124: Second Battle Of Yongshui
On July 13th, the large army under Emperor Shu launched five-pronged attacks, along with the localities that surrendered without a fight, capturing a total of seven cities in all.
Wei Guan, who had been in rebellion for two years, scattered in panic with the tens of thousands of conscripted troops that arrived. In the center of Wei Guan, Fei Long City, many rebel ministers began to waver, even dispatching envoys to the Yao Army’s military tent, expressing that Prince Bo was willing to surrender, hoping Emperor Shu would consider their father-son bond and punish only him alone, without harming the lives of the common people.
However, Emperor Shu waved his hand at this Wei Guan envoy. The envoy had his tongue cut out and was sent back to Fei Long City. Thus, a great war was inevitable, and Da Yao’s troops sharpened their blades, preparing to pursue the fleeing enemy.
But Da Yao’s generals seemed to have forgotten something.—That is, where was the main force of False Hao?
The big shots around Emperor Shu subtly came to believe that False Hao’s troops, under the pressure of their large army’s advance, were trembling in fear, holding their positions without moving, cowering inside the cities.
The nature of feudal troops was precisely this: when the wind was in their favor, they could seize cities and territory; when the dynasty was at a disadvantage, even if the records showed hundreds of thousands of troops on paper, their mobile field combat capability had already vanished. Such as in the late Great Ming, where the capital’s relief armies gathered hundreds of thousands, yet they were all just camp-building shit machines.
But—had False Hao’s morale really been broken to the point of “cowering” right now?
…Ignored dividing line…
Under Shadow Mountain, Zhao Cheng, who was camped, looked at the map. At this time, on the map, Da Yao’s original five-pronged army gathered together had spread out like a palm. Heading to envelop Xingzhou, the stubbornly defended “fist” of Guan Kingdom.
And at this moment, Zhao Cheng pointed out the two southern advance routes on the map. Hmm, it was time to bring out the “scissors.”
On July 15th, Zhao Cheng learned of intelligence that “Da Yao corps had stretched their rear lines during the forward advance,” and immediately began a large-scale forced march, quickly passing through the dangerous terrain of the Military Strategist choke points.
This kind of dangerous terrain, in historical novels, were all perfect ambush sites like “Falling Phoenix Slope” or “Upper Fang Valley.” In the eyes of many Military Strategists, they were routes to avoid if possible.
However, for a veteran like Zhao Cheng, infiltrating through “Ziwu Valley”-type terrain was routine. There were two reasons.
First: The scouts he trained were of extremely high caliber, able to quickly assess the safety of these treacherous terrains and report back in time. Now, after exiting the dangerous terrain, Zhao Cheng dispatched “agents” to understand Da Yao’s military defenses there.
Second: His ability to organize troops was very strong, allowing quick passage through such dangerous channels. Other large armies took over three days to pass through dangerous terrain, but he could do it in one day. This greatly reduced the enemy’s reaction time; and once the army exited the channel, they had clear combat objectives. Whether to fight, defend, or retreat, they were all at ease.
Narration: Decades before Xuan Chong was born in his previous life, for General Jiang, those tens of thousands of “Red Bandits” were so hard to catch; even Wing King managed to fly across the treacherous Dadu River; this was the generational lead that the above two advantages gave over warlord troops: one, strong intelligence analysis capability; two, rapid organizational ability.
In this world so far, Zhao Cheng had only seen signs of such Military Strategist level in one general, though still very immature now, but given time, he would absolutely be a threat.
So he had Pu E keep an eye on that guy. To prevent him from counter-infiltrating during his own long-distance insertion, creating variables.
On July 16th, Zhao Cheng’s two-pronged army was fully in position. From the silk book map, as long as his southern route army cut to the flank, at that time the three nearby Da Yao army towns would have no choice but to engage him in a decisive battle. Otherwise, Emperor Shu’s army encircling the rebels would face the embarrassment of “losing Jieting.”
As for why the three northern fiefdoms didn’t intercept in advance and defend by attacking? Over the past two years, Zhao Cheng’s ferocious reputation was overwhelming; Da Yao generals didn’t dare to go head-to-head with him.
Actually, it wasn’t just these three fiefdom routes; almost all northern route fiefdoms were the same, and Zhu Dali on Wu Fei’s side was likewise.
For these so-called Military Strategists of the fiefdoms, they were all people in their forties or fifties, with their own ennobled titles and land, and clans needing their protection. Bearing too much, they dared not gamble, dared not break through to higher-end, more intense soldier deployment systems of the Military Strategist. And the more they dared not, the more they fell into disadvantage.
On July 18th, Zhao Cheng’s army surrounded Qu Wo City. Fiefdom Hao Nai urgently dispatched troops to relieve the siege, but they were ambushed halfway, suffering heavy losses. After Zhao Cheng appeared at Qu Wo City in armor, Qu Wo City was taken.
On July 20th, Zhao Cheng feigned an attack on Bu Chan City to lure another fiefdom lord to rescue, but instead took Heng Pass, which was lax in defense but strategically equally important, directly sealing off and cutting the army’s food and grass supply.
The three fiefdoms had no coordination between them, played like dogs chasing a thrown ball back and forth.
Meanwhile, Zhao Cheng, who steadily held the initiative, did not continue seizing cities and territory. In the main camp, he watched intelligence from the west, especially paying attention to previous movements around Yongshui.
Zhao Cheng muttered: “Aren’t you going to move? Did I misjudge you?”
…Perspective switch to Yongshui…
Pu E and Wu Hengyu’s two army corps faced off. But actually, beyond the Military Strategists, the geographical advantages of mountains and rivers between both sides were also in confrontation.
This was a national war. While Emperor Shu besieged the Wei Guan main base, he also mobilized fiefdoms everywhere; as for Yongzhou here, since they couldn’t fight due to the Yongshui standoff? Then make Yongshui run dry.
The emperor’s will was so reckless. As imperial flags were issued one by one to the prefectures, during the day the prefects received orders and began mobilizing Yao Calculation yang energy at the earth veins, while city gods everywhere also began mobilizing yin energy, jointly pushing the mountains. Thus, all mountain and water tamed beasts south of Yongshui uniformly turned northward and leaned forward, just like collectively harnessed and pulled north.
And on the Yongshui side, anomalies appeared! Cracks appeared on the Yongshui riverbed, the river water rapidly dried up, and it began to dry at a depth of three feet disappearing per day.
Thus, the standoff across the river between Wu Family Army’s northern route army and Pu E vanished. Before the river water disappeared, both armies withdrew five li respectively.—Just like dogs barking madly at each other across a railing, retreating before the railing vanished.
This was of course not cowardice, but rushing up to bite each other the moment the river water disappeared would be too stupid.
The victories Pu E and Wu Hengyu sought were wars where both sides’ losses were “minimal,” namely, after Xuan Chong reached his thirties in his previous life, the frequent “win-win” situations between medium powers. Wars were often lose-lose, but why “win-win” at that time?
The reason: That era was under the confrontation of superpowers. The second-rate nations at war each aimed to demonstrate their value within their own camp, offering superpowers a price to buy them out! The national power of superpowers was generationally higher than second-rate powers, even than the original traditional first-rate powers of Europe. So as long as a superpower leaked a bit of military aid, it already exceeded the level of old European traditional first-rates, and such huge benefits for just fighting for a dozen days and losing a few hundred civilian houses—wasn’t that a win?
Pu E and Wu Hengyu’s current situation was the same; Da Yao Kingdom’s national power wasn’t exhausted yet, neither side could afford massive losses.
After Yongshui vanished, it formed a dry valley. Both armies camped around it respectively. Wu Hengyu’s cavalry raised dust on both flanks attempting to bypass the valley for a flanking attack, but three groups of sky lanterns uniformly turned in the sky, aiming guns and cannons at their flank formations.
Both sides unable to impact. No one descended the high ground to attack first, no one willing for the army to fully cross the river, all deadlocked staring at the opposite side. It seemed blocking the opponent was victory. Both sides froze, armies on both flanks motionless.
Wu Hengyu often rode his horse over to shoot an arrow at the sky boat, while Pu E dispatched a sharp-eared descendant general (elf hero) riding a giant bird radiating cold air (frost phoenix) to intercept Wu Hengyu. Both grand formations tugged back and forth.
…Human-induced killing intent, heaven-generated killing intent…
Such peace was not infinite. Yongshui was swallowed by the earth under earth killing intent pressure, but did not disappear; the river water rolling down daily accumulated continuously in the underground soil layers. From space, the upstream area’s banks now bulged slightly like big blisters after a mosquito bite.
This height was half a meter to two meters, breadth from hundreds of meters to several kilometers, temporary hills. Just like huge water bubbles lifting turf on a rainy day.
This massive amount of water bubbles gathered in the earth, gradually accumulating killing intent.
This killing intent was felt by the cultivators in both armies, and they precisely deduced that between the armies’ interlocking positions, there were five points. Only by controlling these five points could such killing intent be released toward the opponent’s human domain.
Which side the upstream “water bubble hills” would create flood disaster on? It was now decided in Pu E and Wu Hengyu’s hands.
Trolley problem, but both sides can pull the switch.
…With contention points, the war moved…
Wu Hengyu’s cavalry seized a killing intent point first, the center of a river pebble beach. But just upon arrival, a horse flew out, then its broken body appeared three zhang away, a one-meter steel spear impaled in it.
Far away, Shu Wang Chong Tang was drawing his Wind-Shaking Bow. The cavalry squad leader watched his brother with broken legs, eyes nearly splitting.
Wu Hengyu, riding Wuzhui patrolling the battlefield to observe the situation, also saw Shu Wang Chong Tang about to draw again, immediately ordering troops to press forward across the line, and cavalry to maneuver in place to dodge arrow shots.
On the other side, Pu E also saw the full-scale war situation, took a deep breath, and moved.
After orders were issued, a team of Jade Brave and two teams of laborers, or a team of Jade Brave halberds matched with a team of Jade Brave crossbowmen maintaining serene aura, began advancing toward the key points.
Soon, at the eastern point, both sides about 150 paces apart, both sides’ arrow rain could reach each other, but both archers did not eagerly shoot the frontline armored soldiers; after armored soldiers engaged at the front, both archers adjusted positions, attempting side shots, of course some directly shot the opposite.
At this time, each paired killing group urgently needed fresh troops to join, so under both sides feeling short on troops, groups of formations under command flags began rushing to the front.
The frontline began to stalemate, killing intent collisions also shook the upstream hills, countless animals sensed the heaven and earth killing intent release and began fleeing madly.
Both sides accumulated killing intent on the mountains and rivers, as the saying goes “when man generates killing intent, heaven and earth reverse.”
A calamity was evidently about to arrive. The calamity was inevitable, but the two armies could master the killing intent through confrontation, infuse killing intent to alter earth vein paths, deciding where the calamity would erupt in the prefectures and counties behind either side.
Ordinary soldiers began fighting for their lives, masters also began locking onto each other.
Bai Renfeng and his senior and junior brothers watched the blood and flesh flying battlefield ahead, took a deep breath, hesitating whether to join, but before he could react, on the battlefield’s left wing, five fire tornadoes formed a wall sweeping their own troop formations, over fifty Wu Family Army unable to dodge were engulfed in flames, some armored soldiers’ armor plates heated red-hot, forced to peel them off and wail on the battlefield; False Hao’s soldiers also momentarily didn’t follow up, watching the fire tornadoes in horror as they passed.
“Wind Fire Art,” this was a common war magic False Hao used on the battlefield. After Bai Renfeng confirmed that alchemist was the culprit of the battlefield magic, he immediately controlled his sword over.
He stepped on sword light in the air, penetrating thick killing intent, finally closing to 50 paces, the range for magic, and casually flung a sword talisman. The masked female alchemist in Hao Army couldn’t dodge, hit directly by the sword talisman, protected by killing intent she spat blood but didn’t dare slack, hurriedly withdrawing.
Bai Renfeng in pursuit closed to close range, gave her another sword, this one split her mask, nearly finishing her; but a team of laborer cavalry charged over, forcing him to counter the army impact. By the time he cleaved through three laborer cavalry teams and escaped, that female alchemist had run far away, and on the subsequent battlefield, his junior brothers and sisters also began using magic.
First, Qing Lin with one hand “Return Spring Art,” soldiers’ blood on the battlefield rapidly clotted and scabbed, large areas of fatal burns were restored at this time.
On the other side, Zhu Yanming couldn’t hold back, his left hand manifesting a red lotus, right hand a green lotus, the two lotuses merged, petals intermeshing like gears, thrown at the pottery figurine giant soldier charging into the battlefield 70 paces away.
With a loud bang, the lotus exploded on the three-story-high pottery figurine, the green lotus with extreme penetration like thermite, melting through the pottery brave, erupting to burn the core; the red lotus petals bounced off, landing on the Jade Brave group shielding the pottery brave beside, instantly exploding like cluster munitions enveloping all Jade Brave.
After the firelight ended, the strike effect appeared: the pottery giant soldier’s armor fell off mostly, still stepping forward but trembling unsteadily, like a 21st-century newly emerged robot, about to topple anytime.
The elite Jade Brave assisting the pottery giant soldier’s offense suffered a third casualties; after flames extinguished, Jade Brave rolling on the ground extinguished burning spots, finally climbed up, but when raising the flag again, this Hao Army’s squad flag was burned ragged.
After both sides exchanged a wave of magic, over half the spiritual energy locked by killing intent in heaven and earth was consumed, then they began clashing directly.
…Perspective to the focal point…
While this 5,000-man great battle raged inseparably, Wu Hengyu commanded cavalry to circle from the left, himself charging ahead at Shu Wang Chong Tang. This large giant with spread wings shot three arrows at Wu Hengyu, missing all, could only watch Wu Hengyu’s mount turn into a giant beast charging at him.
On the other side, Yu Li blocked Pu E on another battlefield.
When Pu E transformed into a dragon with black-iron sheen and white mane, Yu Li also changed into a giant dragon, tail still crescent-shaped flood dragon form (shark tail fin), head though sprouting dragon horns but still big-headed fish appearance, of course both giant beasts.
Pu E was topped by a water splash leap, then fiercely dragon tail sweep flipped Yu Li to the ground.
Yu Li’s ten-zhang body fell from the sky, scales shedding, Pu E low roared once, disdainfully glancing at this copy of herself, then about to leave. But Yu Li gritted teeth, coiled up from the ground again, water waves flowing from earth veins helping her take to the air again to entangle Pu E.
Pu E annoyed, twisted dragon body back, a dragon tail swing slapping at Yu Li’s face, and summoned thunder to strike Yu Li.
Within a stick of incense, Pu E thoroughly thrashed Yu Li, scattering scales on this little sister, but realizing her own formation couldn’t hold, summoned a batch of “Immortal Soul Army” from the netherworld to entangle Wu Hengyu, then issued order for Shu Wang Chong Tang to withdraw from the battlefield.
At the same time preparing to deliver the final blow to Yu Li, pull her reverse scale, but dragon horses chased from the horizon, forced to stop.
Pu E viciously tail whipped Yu Li’s abdomen again, roared at her in dragon speech; humans couldn’t clearly hear the meaning, but roughly “bitch,” “traitor,” “slut,” “retribution.”
…Fighting a battle, but outputting emotions…
In this battle, Pu E fought bloody but narrowly lost, yet successfully completed Zhao Cheng’s order to “block Wu Family divine troops from inserting into Yongzhou.”
Her troops withdrew to high ground; the subsequent flood sweeping Yongzhou did not affect her troops. And this was Wei Guan territory, flooding it wasn’t heartbreaking.
However, Pu E from hundreds of li away, looking at Wu Hengyu Army’s killing intent, still felt she had lost.
