Yu Changsi stepped forward, glanced at the generals in the tent, and said, "According to Liu Ling's intelligence, Zhao Huan has been holding back his troops in the rear and has been building camps and strengthening fortifications every day, indicating that he intends to wage a protracted war."
"We all know that Zhao Huan's strength is defense over offense. He has stationed his rear guard in the rear for a long time, hoping to wait for our rear guard."
"The loser is often the one who reveals their hand first. If General Wang's rear guard doesn't arrive, Zhao Huan won't easily send his rear guard into battle."
As he spoke, Yu Changsi looked at Wang Ren and said, "In that case, we don't need to test the waters with Zhao Jun anymore and let them lead us by the nose."
Wang Rendao: "Mr. Yu means to launch a general offensive?"
Yu Changsi nodded and said, "Let General Wang march slowly, while the vanguard launches a general offensive. Also, have Liu Ling closely monitor the movements of Zhao Huan's rear guard. If their rear guard doesn't move, our vanguard has 200,000 troops. Surely we can defeat Zhao Cheng's 100,000 new recruits?"
"Once we've wiped out Zhao Cheng's vanguard, what chance do Zhao Huan's remaining men have against us? Even if his camp is fortified, we can still surround and kill him. If he retreats to Yanchuan City, then we can report back to the Emperor."
"Mr. Yu is indeed the foremost strategist of the Great Jing Dynasty. I admire him greatly!"
Wang Ren waved his hand and said, "All generals, listen to my command! This evening, let the soldiers have a full meal. The 200,000 vanguard troops will set off at 7:00 PM and launch a general attack on the Zhao army at midnight!"
"promise!!!"
...
In spring, it gets dark early, and it was already dark when Wang Jun set off at 7 PM.
This time, the entire army advanced. Zhang Dalian followed Wang Ren, and Liu Ling's scouts reported every half hour.
At the hour of Hai (9-11 PM), a scout reported: "The vanguard of the Zhao army has discovered our movements and is forming ranks."
Wang Ren asked, "Where is Zhao Huan's rear guard?"
"There was no movement."
"Keep exploring!"
Zhang Dalian asked suspiciously, "What is Zhao Huan up to? He hasn't made a move yet. Does he think Zhao Cheng's 100,000 new recruits can handle our 200,000 troops?"
Wang Ren pondered for a moment and said, "He's getting old after all. You can tell from his appointment of Zhao Cheng as the young marshal that he not only has extreme trust in Zhao Cheng, but has also become dependent on this son."
Yu Changsi, who was also beside Wang Ren, said, "Zhao Cheng is indeed a talented man. In such a short time, he has gathered so many experts around him. It is only natural that Zhao Huan trusts him."
Wang Ren said, "We can't let the situation from the first battle happen again. After the battle starts, we shouldn't move too far forward. We need to be wary of the experts like Yang Taozhi."
The army continued its march.
Half an hour later, the scouts reported: "The rear guard of Zhao's army is still stationed at the camp and there is no movement."
"good!"
Wang Ren clenched his fist and said, "We're only half an hour's journey from Zhao Cheng's camp. Even if Zhao Huan sends troops now, it'll be too late. Order the entire army to speed up and charge straight at Zhao's army!!"
As midnight approached, the night grew even darker.
A howling night wind swept across the Suidong Plain.
Before the entire army set off, Wang Ren gave the soldiers a passionate pep talk. At his command, the soldiers rushed towards Zhao Cheng's camp like they were on steroids.
Zhao Cheng's vanguard and three armies had already lined up in front of the camp. It was not very clear at night; all that could be seen was a dark mass.
Wang Jun's iron cavalry charged at the forefront. Wang Ren intended to use the iron cavalry to break up Zhao Jun's formation and then use their numerical advantage to begin reaping the spoils.
Wang Jun was formed during the campaign against Yedan. He was mainly composed of cavalry, with both heavy and light cavalry. Although he was not as strong as Yuan Zhang's Northern Three Guards, he had the advantage of having more troops.
After Zhao Huan's Dragon Spear Guards and Ye Dan's Wolf Riders became history, Wang Ren's Great Jing Iron Cavalry naturally became the most powerful overlord on the battlefield.
This is almost a universally acknowledged fact in the East.
Wang Ren believed that although the number of participants in this battle was considerable, Zhao Cheng's vanguard would likely collapse before dawn.
Especially seeing the iron cavalry getting closer and closer to the Zhao army, while the Zhao army remained unmoved and did not change formation, he became even more certain of his judgment.
"They really are a bunch of new recruits. They must be terrified to death seeing tens of thousands of cavalry charging towards them."
"Zhao Cheng, you are very smart, but fighting a war is not like doing business. You're not cut out for it."
"Let's end this. If Zhao Huan can surrender after this battle, then some of the men of Dajing will have died in vain..."
Just as Wang Ren was thinking this, the iron cavalry at the forefront was already very close to the Zhao army.
Just then, Zhao Jun's front-line infantry suddenly retreated in an orderly fashion. Wang Ren, worried about being assassinated by Yang Taozhi, moved further away. He could only see Zhao Jun move, but not some details.
Only the closest cavalry could see that as the Zhao infantry retreated, sharp spears emerged one after another.
They were equally neat and orderly in their actions.
But by the time they saw it, it was too late.
The first wave of cavalrymen crashed into the spears, and those who were stabbed fell to the ground. The owners of these spears coordinated perfectly, withdrawing their spears in time, not lingering in the fight, and quickly retreating.
However, a second wave of spearmen stepped forward and met a second wave of iron cavalry.
The cavalry was moving too fast to stop. Even if some cavalry managed to stop in time, they would be rammed by the cavalry behind them.
Those iron cavalrymen who dismounted were trampled to death by the warhorses behind them. Some of the luckier ones were able to see the situation ahead clearly.
Under the moonlight.
Black armor, silver spear.
A scene flashed through their minds—the descriptions given by the veterans...
Dragonlance Guards!!!
The number of cavalry charging towards Zhao Jun was too great. In this single charge, tens of thousands of cavalrymen were either killed or wounded. What was even more deadly was that the cavalrymen behind them collided and trampled each other. Instead of breaking apart Zhao Jun's formation, the cavalrymen completely destroyed their own formation.
Zhao Cheng, who was standing on the watchtower in the camp, saw this and immediately gave the order: "Attack."
The messenger beside him blew a horn.
Yang Taozhi: "Attack!!"
Yue Jiti: "Attack!!"
Xiao Luofeng: "Attack!!"
Lian Zhongyi, clad in full armor, stepped out from the ranks of the Dragon Spear Guards and ordered, "Dragon Spear Guards, change formation! Spread out and kill the enemy cavalry!!!"
"Dragon Spear Guards!"
"It's the Dragonlance Guard!!"
"Wow, so many Dragonlance Guards!!!"
One of Wang Jun's iron cavalrymen shouted, and the message spread like wildfire throughout the army. The once well-trained cavalrymen were thrown into chaos, as if a link in the food chain had suddenly encountered its natural enemy.
"Run!!"
"The Dragonlance Guards are attacking!!!"
Most of the cavalrymen began to turn and flee, some even dismounting and mingling with the infantry. They saw that the Dragon Spear Guards only attacked the cavalry, and this fear was deeply ingrained in their bones.
They had heard the rumors about the Dragon Spear Guards. The Dragon Spear Guards were not only the nemesis of cavalry, but those who could become Dragon Spear Guards were all second-rate experts!
The moon is bright and the stars are few; crows and magpies fly south.
On the watchtower, Zhao Cheng exclaimed to Yan Zheng, "Father's secret weapon is truly formidable. Five thousand Dragon Spear Guards can be worth a hundred thousand enemy cavalry!"
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