The next morning.
On the plains of eastern Suiyuan, the two armies faced each other.
After Zhao Cheng expanded the army, the three armies of the vanguard had each expanded to eight thousand cavalry and twenty thousand infantry, totaling about thirty thousand men.
Xiao Luofeng reorganized the formation, with the infantry in front and the cavalry divided into three columns behind the infantry. He himself and Captain Gan Lang sat in the middle, watching the Wang army led by Zhang Dalian from afar.
The weather was overcast today, which was perfect for the upcoming spring season, neither too hot nor too cold, and did not hinder the soldiers' movements.
Zhang Dalian sat on his horse, also sizing up Zhao Jun opposite him.
Beside him was a young man who looked somewhat like him; he was his nephew, Zhang Cheng.
Although the two are uncle and nephew, Zhang Dalian is not even forty years old, and they look more like brothers.
Zhang Dalian asked, "Can you tell how many people are on the other side?"
Zhang Cheng said with arrogance and confidence, "I am the one who followed you, Uncle, to destroy the Night Pill. Uncle, you can't test me like this. There are about 30,000 people on the other side."
Zhang Dalian said, "You're reciting the military report from memory, right?"
“I’ve read the military newspaper, but even without reading it, I can tell by sight.” Zhang Cheng spoke honestly, but this honesty made him seem overly confident.
Zhang Dalian tightened his grip on the reins and said, "You will lead the vanguard, but remember, once the attack begins, you must not be reckless; you can only advance steadily."
Zhang Cheng frowned and said, "Uncle, this is the first battle against Zhao Jun. We must win quickly to boost morale. Not to mention we have 50,000 men, giving us a numerical advantage, take Uncle and Xiao Luofeng for example. What is Xiao Luofeng? His only notable achievements are the Battle of Lingshan and the Battle of Jingdong Gorge. And what about you, Uncle? You destroyed Ye Dan! Suppressed the rioters! Expelled the Atkin Alliance! Even just one of those achievements overshadows Xiao Luofeng's brilliance. Why be so timid in fighting him?"
Zhang Dalian's face darkened, and he said, "These three things you mentioned are all General Wang's achievements."
Zhang Cheng curled his lip in disdain and said, "Without Uncle, would Wang Jun's actions be so effective? Wang Jun relies on Uncle, not that brat Wang Yuluan. But the court, instead of rewarding Uncle, appointed Wang Yuluan as one of the Four Supreme Junior Generals, leaving Uncle out in the cold and only giving him the title of Valiant General..."
“Zhang Cheng, have I been too lenient with you?” Zhang Dalian suddenly looked at Zhang Cheng sternly and said, “Just for the things you said in the army, I could kill you.”
Zhang Cheng looked unconvinced and said, "I'm just telling the truth."
Zhang Dalian said in a deep voice, "Remember this: I can't stop you from secretly criticizing the court, but you are not allowed to have any complaints about the Wang family. What kind of situation is our family? Without General Wang, there would be no me, and certainly no you!"
Seeing that his uncle was really angry, Zhang Cheng stopped arguing and mumbled, "I know..."
"If you think a steady, gradual approach is inappropriate, then how do you plan to fight?" Zhang Dalian suddenly changed the subject.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng said with great enthusiasm, "On the surface, we're making steady progress, but we can send a team to launch a surprise attack on Xiao Luofeng!"
Zhang Dalian sighed and said, "What I'm most worried about is that you have this kind of thought!"
"Why?" Zhang Cheng asked suspiciously.
Zhang Dalian said, "Although Xiao Luofeng has fewer men than us, his captain is a top-notch expert, and his vanguard is Heng Wenhao! I don't need to explain who Heng Wenhao is to you, do I? If you launch a surprise attack and rush in, getting close to Heng Wenhao, you will give him the opportunity to kill you. You are the vanguard. If you fall, our army's morale and fighting spirit will be greatly affected, and our formation will be thrown into chaos, which will give Xiao Luofeng the opportunity for nothing."
Zhang Cheng explained, "I know Heng Wenhao, and I'll be wary of him."
"Are you wary of him?"
Zhang Dalian sneered and said, "He used to be the princess's imperial guard! He looks like a bodyguard, but he's actually an assassin. Even I couldn't guard against him, so what makes you think you can?"
"Advance steadily, step by step. This is the first battle; victory is all that matters, but defeat is absolutely unacceptable!"
Zhang Dalian made the final decision.
Zhang Cheng said unhappily, "I know..."
"Don't try to fool me. If your parents hadn't died young, I would have killed you to apologize to General Wang during the suppression of the rioters in the three counties of New Taipei City!"
Upon hearing this, Zhang Cheng's expression changed.
Zhang Da continued, "I'm telling you this now, if you don't listen to me and dare to act on your own, I'll chop you up!"
"yes……"
"Speak louder!"
"Your subordinate obeys!!" Zhang Cheng shouted.
Zhang Dalian glared at Zhang Cheng, drew his sword, raised it high, and shouted, "On command! Advance!!"
As soon as Zhang Dalian made a move, Xiao Luofeng's side also reacted. The vanguards of both sides took the lead and moved forward, with Zhang Dalian and Xiao Luofeng following closely behind.
The first battle between Wang Jun and Zhao Jun is about to break out, and the great war between the Dajing Dynasty and the Zhao family army has begun!
Wang Jun's uniforms were all of the Da Jing style, with silver and brown stripes. Zhao Jun's uniforms, on the other hand, were modified. Apart from those made entirely in Lingshan, the others purchased were also made in the same way as those made in Lingshan, all of them being predominantly black, just like the Dragon Spear Guards.
After the soldiers from both sides clashed, it was as if a black torrent and a silver giant wave collided on the Suidong Plain. Shouts of battle filled the sky, frightening the local people who had been living nearby to keep their distance.
Zhao Cheng's vanguard consisted mostly of new recruits with limited training time and no real combat experience, clearly putting them at a disadvantage from the outset. Xiao Luofeng kept an eye on the Eighth Route Army, constantly making adjustments, and military orders were relayed between him and Gan Lang.
Seeing that Zhao Jun was exhausted, Zhang Cheng immediately began to despise him.
After the victory of the Northern Expedition, he attended the state banquet with Zhang Dalian to receive rewards and met Xiao Luofeng once, but he had never met Heng Wenhao and Gan Lang, so he did not know who he was fighting now.
But none of that matters anymore.
Zhao Jun is no match for them; victory is within reach.
Recalling Zhang Dalian's vigilance, Zhang Cheng felt it was unnecessary.
Recalling Zhang Dalian's final warning, Zhang Cheng even felt angry.
During the suppression of rioters in the three counties of New Taipei City, Wang Yuluan's troops were cut off due to Zhang Cheng's recklessness. Wang Yuluan, who was left behind, was ambushed, while Zhang Cheng, who was reckless, escaped the rioters' encirclement.
Later, Wang Yuluan was arrested, suffered torture, and nearly died at the hands of a mob.
Wang Ren and Zhang Dalian both blamed Zhang Cheng for the incident, but Zhang Cheng did not think so.
You, Wang Yuluan, were ambushed and captured because you were cowardly and dared not march quickly!
If you listen to me, will you get arrested?
Blame me? ?
Zhang Cheng became increasingly angry as he thought about it. He believed that his uncle's abilities were no less than Wang Ren's, and that he himself was stronger than Wang Yuluan!
Wang Yuluan's meteoric rise in rank was solely due to his father, Wang Ren!
"War is a pivotal moment that can change one's destiny, and I must not miss this opportunity..."
Zhang Cheng already had a plan in mind.
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