In early winter, the Hebei Plain is bathed in clear skies and gentle breezes, and the cold winds have already begun to show their power.
Wu Shangzhi led three thousand cavalrymen, carrying some of the equipment of the Shenji Battalion, and marched straight towards Yizhou.
Yizhou City is located on the north bank of the Yi River. The city walls are not very high, but after being reinforced by the Northern Di army, they appear quite sturdy.
The garrison commander was Nianbahu, a cousin of Nianmeihe. He was fierce and had about three thousand soldiers under his command.
Upon learning that the Xijing army was coming to attack the city, Nianbahu was not afraid at all, but rather extremely excited.
He was confident in his strength and believed that the southerners were weak and vulnerable. He had previously achieved many victories against the Fengtian Army, which further fueled his arrogance.
"My men! Those southern barbarians are coming to their deaths! Follow me out of the city and slaughter them all!"
Nianbahu, fully armored and brandishing a long sword, was about to muster his troops for a field battle outside the city.
A Han Chinese advisor standing nearby quickly tried to dissuade him:
"General, you mustn't! The army coming from here is Zhao Muyun's troops from Hedong. This man has repeatedly defeated our clan and is not someone to be trifled with."
"Judging from their disciplined military bearing, the best course of action is to defend the city and await General Nianmohe's reinforcements!"
"Pah!" Nianba Hu spat almost onto his advisor's face. "What is Zhao Muyun anyway! He just managed to win against that good-for-nothing Bald Wu Hu by sheer luck and some trickery!"
"Our Northern Di warriors are invincible in open battle! How can we cower in the city and become a laughingstock! Enough talk! If you dare to disturb the morale of the army again, I'll chop off your dog's head!"
The staff remained silent, too terrified to offer any further advice.
Nianbahu mustered two thousand cavalry and one thousand infantry, opened the city gates wide, and took the initiative to meet the Western Capital army head-on. In his view, only by defeating fifteen thousand in open battle could he demonstrate his martial prowess.
The two armies met in an open area on the south bank of the Yi River.
Looking at the Northern Di cavalry charging towards them with a roar, Wu Shangzhi revealed a cold smile: "Just as the Grand Commander predicted, they are arrogant and overbearing. General Xi, form ranks!"
"The will to charge into battle is one of certain death!"
With a shout, Xi Sheng's heavy infantry charged forward, their giant shields slamming heavily into the ground, forming a wall of steel shields. Spears, like a forest, emerged from the gaps in the shields, gleaming coldly.
Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Shenji Battalion quietly set up their weapon—the third-generation composite bow—behind the lines.
This bow uses a composite structure of sinew, horn, and wood, has strong draw and extremely long range, and is equipped with a simple aiming mechanism, making it far more accurate than ordinary bows and arrows.
At this moment, they were still using ordinary arrows and had not yet used the specially made armor-piercing arrows.
The Northern Di cavalry were extremely fast, and in the blink of an eye they were within an arrow's reach.
They habitually drew their bows and prepared for the first round of mounted archery harassment.
However, before they could even release the bowstring—
"Buzz—!"
A chilling twang of bowstrings erupted from the Hedong army ranks!
Hundreds of dark arrows, like falcons pouncing on their prey, pierced the air with speed and power far exceeding that of ordinary arrows.
"Puff puff puff puff—!"
The sounds of arrows piercing flesh, warhorses neighing in agony, and soldiers screaming filled the air in an instant.
The Northern Di cavalry at the forefront seemed to have crashed into an invisible wall, and both men and horses fell to the ground.
The arrows fired from the third-generation composite bow easily pierced their leather armor, and some arrows, still carrying considerable force, even impaled men and horses together.
With just one volley of shots, a large number of the Northern Di's forwards fell.
Nianbahu was at the front of the group when an arrow whizzed past his helmet, the force of the wind stinging his cheek and sending a chill down his spine.
"How is this possible?! How could their arrows shoot so far and so powerfully?!"
Nianba was both surprised and angry.
But once the arrow is released, there's no turning back; once the cavalry charge begins, it cannot be stopped.
He had no choice but to grit his teeth and brandish his longsword: "Charge! Once we get close, there's nothing we can do! Kill!"
The Northern Di cavalry, fearless of death, braved a dense rain of arrows and finally charged to within a hundred paces of the Western Capital army's formation.
However, they were met with an even more terrifying blow.
"Hold on!"
"Boom!" The shield wall remained unmoved.
"Spear, thrust!"
"Kill!" The forest of spears suddenly thrust forward, piercing through the Northern Di cavalrymen and their horses who were unable to stop in time!
"Cut off the horse's legs!"
Countless soldiers rolled out from behind their shields like agile monkeys, their gleaming swords aimed specifically at the horses' legs.
The warhorse neighed and fell to the ground, throwing the knight heavily off its back. The knight was then killed by the swordsmen and shieldmen who came to its aid.
Relying on his martial prowess, Nianbahu cleaved two Hedong soldiers in succession, attempting to create an opening, but was immediately forced back by several spears, and even suffered a cut on his arm.
He looked around and saw his men suffering heavy casualties, their heads bleeding profusely, as they were battered and bruised by the enemy's tight formation, while the enemy's formation remained completely unshaken.
Only then did he realize how correct his advisors' advice was, but it was too late.
"Retreat! Retreat back to the city!" Nianbahu shouted hoarsely, turning his horse and riding away.
With their commander retreating, the already heavily damaged and demoralized Northern Di army collapsed and fled to Yizhou City in a panic.
"Want to leave? Not so easy!" Murong Chunhua, who had been circling on both flanks, made her move.
"Brothers, follow me and kill!"
Murong Chunhua calmly gave the order, and three thousand light cavalrymen, like two sharp scimitars, fiercely cut into the fleeing Northern Di army from the flank, hacking and slashing at them indiscriminately.
"Hahaha! That's great! That's great! Die!"
The defeat turned into a massacre.
Under the desperate protection of his personal guards, Nianbahu fled back to Yizhou City with only a hundred or so cavalrymen.
After recounting the numbers, of the three thousand soldiers who went out of the city, less than five hundred returned, and their morale had completely collapsed.
Taking advantage of the situation, Xi Sheng and Murong Chunhua led their troops in a surprise attack, reaching the walls of Yizhou.
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