The generals from various departments came to report.
In addition to these elite soldiers, there were nearly three thousand infantrymen on board.
A total of over 8,000 elite troops, having fought hundreds of battles, gathered on the north bank of the Wei River, their killing intent filling the air.
Hearing the faint sounds of battle coming from the direction of Xijing and seeing the dust rising in the sky, Wu Shangzhi's expression turned grave: "It seems we're still a step too late. The fighting has already broken out in Xijing! Judging from the noise, the battle is fierce!"
"General, should we attack immediately?" Guo Luo, clad in heavy armor, asked in a deep, resonant voice.
As one of the ten members of the Yanqingdun beacon tower, and a veteran who followed Zhao Muyun, Wang Tiezhu, and Tang Yanhai in the first battle of Heituo Mountain, Wu Shangzhi had more seniority and prestige in the army than Guo Luo, who was discovered later.
“No,” Wu Shangzhi shook his head, a shrewd glint in his eyes, a glint of a seasoned veteran. “Our army has just arrived; the enemy may not know. Yang Chao is attacking the city with great urgency; his rear guard must be lax. Murong Chunhua!”
"Your subordinate is here!"
"You will lead your 1,000 light cavalry to set off immediately, circle around to the south of Xijing City, and avoid engaging in battle. Instead, raise many flags and dust to create the appearance of a large army coming to reinforce, thus harassing the enemy's flanks and rear and diverting their attention!"
"Yes, sir!"
"Huanwu! Namtso!"
"Your subordinates are here!" Huan Wu, the leader of the Wuhuan cavalry, and Namtso, the leader of the Qiangrong cavalry, stepped forward.
"You two will lead your three thousand light cavalry and follow me to strike directly at the flank of the enemy's siege force from the center!"
"Guo Luo, your heavy cavalry, Xi Sheng's Mo Dao battalion, and infantry will follow up and charge straight at their main formation!"
Wu Shangzhi quickly made his deployment. He didn't just want to enter the city to help defend it; he wanted to take advantage of Yang Chao's fierce attack on the city and his unprepared rear to deliver a heavy blow!
Once the order was given, all departments acted swiftly.
Murong Chunhua led a thousand light cavalry, sweeping south like a whirlwind.
Wu Shangzhi personally led three thousand men, and after a brief reorganization, they shot off like arrows towards the battlefield to the west, where the sounds of battle were deafening!
The heavy hooves pounded the earth like the drumbeats of death.
On the walls of Xijing, the fierce battle has reached its most critical moment.
Yang Chaojun attacked the city wall several times, but was repelled each time by the desperate defenders. However, the defenders suffered heavy casualties, their reserves were almost exhausted, the city wall was damaged in many places, and the city gate creaked under the impact of the battering ram. The situation was extremely precarious.
With his armor stained with blood and sword in hand, Yinji personally fought on a dangerous section of the city wall, closely followed by the royal guards.
Civil officials such as Zhou Hong and Fan Nan have also taken up arms to inspire the soldiers.
Even Wang Tiezhu, sitting in a wheelchair, used his precise stone-throwing skills to attack the enemy.
Since his legs became paralyzed, Zhao Muyun appointed him as the commander of the night watchmen. He kept a low profile and rarely appeared in public, instead working quietly behind the scenes as Zhao Muyun's eyes and ears.
But his skill in throwing stones while herding sheep since childhood did not diminish; on the contrary, it became more and more amazing, hitting exactly where he pointed.
He struck the enemy soldiers with stones, causing them to bleed profusely from their heads. In their panic, the enemy soldiers seized the opportunity to kill them.
"Your Highness! Look! To the south! Smoke and dust!"
A sharp-eyed soldier suddenly pointed south of the city and shouted.
The group fought off the enemy in front of them with all their might. When they took a moment to look around, they saw a long line of dust rising up in the distance to the south of the city, with cavalry banners flashing in the distance!
"Reinforcements? Are they our reinforcements?" someone exclaimed in surprise.
Almost simultaneously, Yang Chao, who was directing the siege in the west of the city, also noticed the unusual dust cloud from the south and his heart skipped a beat: "Where did these troops come from? How could Zhao Muyun divide his forces so quickly?"
Just as he was wondering what was going on, from the northeast, in the direction of the Wei River, came a deafening roar of horses' hooves like a tsunami!
On the horizon, a dark torrent of cavalry, like a raging torrent bursting its banks, appeared on the flank and rear of his besieging army!
A large banner bearing the character "武" (martial arts) flutters proudly at the forefront!
"Damn it! We've fallen into a trap! There are reinforcements coming from behind!" Yang Chao's expression changed drastically. "Quick! The rear guard becomes the front guard, form a defensive formation! Cavalry, charge forward!"
But how easy is it to do something in such a rush?
The attacking forces are launching a full-scale uphill assault, making formation changes extremely difficult.
Meanwhile, three thousand light cavalry from other tribes had already crashed into the weak point of Yang Chao's army's siege formation!
The Qiang and Wuhuan cavalry skillfully unleashed a rain of arrows, disrupting their formation, while the Murong cavalry also approached from the south, diverting and scattering their forces.
Yang Chaojun's attacking troops were immediately thrown into chaos, unable to attend to both ends.
"The city gates are open!"
On the walls of Xijing, the defending troops were greatly encouraged when they saw the arrival of reinforcements.
At the same time, the West Gate, which had been tightly closed, suddenly opened, and Pei Lun led the last few hundred cavalry and elite infantrymen in the city who were still able to fight out, shouting and charging out to join the reinforcements outside the city in a pincer attack!
Yang Chaojun was attacked from both sides, and his offensive collapsed instantly.
The attacking troops hastily retreated, only to be trampled together by the troops behind them who had been thrown into disarray by the cavalry charge, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.
"Retreat! Retreat westward!"
Seeing that the situation was hopeless, Yang Chao glanced hatefully at the Xijing city wall, which was so close yet so far away, and gritted his teeth to give the order.
Wu Shangzhi would not allow him to escape so easily, and led his troops to attack.
Yang Chao fought and retreated, leaving behind a large number of corpses and siege equipment. He fled westward for more than 20 miles in a sorry state before finally gathering some of his defeated troops and setting up a temporary camp.
A headcount revealed that of the 10,000 elite troops who set out on the expedition, nearly half had been lost, and morale was low.
Beneath the walls of Xijing, the smoke of battle had not yet dissipated, and corpses littered the fields.
Wu Shangzhi and Pei Lun joined forces and then entered the city to pay their respects to Yin Ji.
When Wu Shangzhi's figure appeared on the devastated city wall, Yin Ji's tense nerves finally relaxed, and he almost lost his balance.
"General Wu... we've finally waited for you!" Yin Ji's voice was choked with emotion.
"Your Highness, I am late and have caused you alarm!"
Wu Shangzhi clasped his hands in a fist salute, looking at the tragic scene on the city wall, he was also moved, "Your Highness, rest assured, now that I have arrived, Xijing is safe! The commander's three thousand light cavalry should also be on their way and will arrive soon."
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