As midnight approached, the north wind grew increasingly fierce, and the swirling sand and dust stung our faces.
Inside the Fengtian Army camp, apart from the sound of the wind and the heavy footsteps of the patrol team, there was a deathly silence.
The standoff and high alert over the past few days have left most of the soldiers exhausted. Many are dozing off in their tents, clutching their weapons, praying that the damned sandstorm will stop soon.
Inside the central command tent, candlelight flickered.
Ma Zongliang did not rest. He stood in front of the map, wearing a cloak, his brows furrowed.
The military advisor had just finished reporting on the situation of each battalion, and his tone was heavy: "...Marshal, the soldiers of each battalion are exhausted, and the arrows have been consumed in great quantities. In particular, the sandstorm today has greatly reduced the effectiveness of the bows and crossbows."
General Niu Desheng sent someone to report that many of his men were complaining, saying that instead of being trapped in this siege, they should have a good fight.
Ma Zongliang sneered, "What a fool's courage! Wuzhu is just hoping we get out."
"Order all battalions to strengthen their vigilance tonight, deploy more double posts, and send out scouts ten miles out! Tell Niu Desheng to keep his men in check, and anyone who dares to act without authorization will be dealt with according to military law!"
He felt a vague unease; this awful weather seemed tailor-made for the Northern Di cavalry.
However, he still harbored a sliver of hope, believing that Wuzhu would not dare to launch a large-scale attack under such adverse conditions.
However, just as the Fengtian Army camp was slightly less vigilant due to exhaustion and sandstorms, death was already quietly approaching.
The Northern Barbarian camp stood in stark contrast to the silence of the Fengtian Army.
Although no one was making a sound, there was an overwhelming sense of bloodthirsty excitement.
Tens of thousands of cavalrymen, their horses and men gagged and their hooves wrapped in thick cloth, were like a pack of wolves poised to pounce in the dark, their eyes fixed intently on the south.
Wuzhu himself stood at the very front of the procession. He had removed his heavy royal robes and put on a set of ordinary general's armor that was easy to move in, and he held a heavy spiked club in his hand.
He surveyed his loyal and valiant men, his voice deep yet carrying the power of a volcano:
"My comrades! The sandstorms rising from the Eternal Sky are shielding us from the enemy's eyes! The southern barbarians must be like turtles hiding in their shells, cold and afraid! This is the opportunity we've been waiting for!"
He suddenly raised his spiked club, pointing it towards the southern Fengtian Army camp, his voice rising abruptly, drowning out the wind:
"Use your scimitars to tear their camps apart! Wash away our past shame with the blood and cries of the enemy! Let the Southerners remember who the true masters are on this grassland and this land!"
"Tonight, follow me—and raze the enemy camp to the ground!"
"Raze the enemy camp! Raze the enemy camp!"
A low, suppressed roar gathered in the darkness; though not loud, it was filled with destructive power.
The third quarter of the hour of Zi (11:45 PM) is the time when people are most tired during the day.
The wind and sand remain, and the moonlight is dim.
"Attack!"
With Wuzhu's command, it was as if the chains binding a ferocious beast had been loosened!
There were no bugles, no war drums.
Only the sudden, tsunami-like sound of horses' hooves and shouts of battle erupted simultaneously from the north, east, and west directions of the Fengtian Army camp!
The Northern Di cavalry gave the Fengtian Army sentries no time to react, and like a black tide, they surged to the edge of the camp in an instant.
The cavalry in the front row threw out lassos with iron hooks and pulled hard on the wooden fence; the cavalry in the rear row used bows and arrows to accurately shoot down the bewildered Fengtian soldiers who rushed out of the camp.
"Enemy attack! Enemy..."
A Fengtian Army sentry had barely uttered a half-scream when he was pierced by several arrows at the same time, his voice abruptly cut short.
The fences collapsed in pieces with a sickening cracking sound, and the trenches were quickly filled with sand and corpses by the frenzied charging warhorses and their follow-up mercenaries.
The Northern Di cavalry poured into the Fengtian Army camp from multiple breaches, like a flood bursting its banks!
The interior of the camp instantly transformed into a battlefield.
Niu Desheng's forward camp was the first to be hit.
Many soldiers, just awakened from their sleep, their armor disheveled, some even unarmed, were chopped down by the charging Northern Di cavalry.
The flames spread rapidly under the torches deliberately thrown by the Northern Di cavalry, igniting tents and supplies. Thick smoke mixed with sand and dust, further exacerbating the chaos.
"Don't panic! Form a battle formation with me!"
Niu Desheng was both shocked and furious. He only had time to put on his breastplate, and didn't even have time to put on his helmet. He brandished his phoenix-beak knife and rushed out of the command tent.
His personal guards fought desperately to protect him and try to rally the fleeing soldiers.
He saw a Northern Barbarian centurion grinning as he cleaved a young Fengtian soldier in two. With a roar, he charged forward, his cleaver whistling through the air, smashing the centurion and his horse together, breaking their bones and tendons!
"It's Commander Niu! Let's move closer to Commander Niu!"
Soldiers recognized him and rushed over as if they had found their pillar of support.
Niu Desheng fought desperately, trying to stabilize the situation, but there were too many Northern Di cavalry pouring in. They did not engage in direct combat with the Fengtian Army that had formed a battle formation, but instead used their speed to continuously charge and divide the troops, scattering the troops that were trying to regroup once again.
Niu Desheng watched helplessly as his hard-trained boys collapsed like straws, his eyes bloodshot, his heart filled with endless regret and rage.
These were his old brothers who had come all the way from Xiazhou. They hadn't enjoyed their wealth and honor for long before becoming innocent victims on the battlefield.
If it were a fair and square battle in broad daylight, it wouldn't have come to this!
Li Biao and Li Bao's left and right flank camps were also subjected to fierce attacks.
The Northern Di cavalry seemed to know their defenses inside and out, targeting the junctions of the camps and the command center.
Li Biao had just organized a squad of spearmen when a dense rain of arrows felled most of them.
Li Bao attempted to lead his personal guards in a counterattack, but was entangled by a group of heavily armored cavalry, unable to break free despite his attempts to charge left and right.
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