The sun rises in the east, but is obscured by clouds. The sky is gloomy and the biting north wind, wrapped in snowflakes, blows across the north bank of the Cangjiang River, bringing bone-chilling cold.
This fierce battle lasted from late night to early morning.
Nearly 2,000 enemy soldiers from the Northern Qiong region crossed the river and launched a surprise attack, intending to plunder and kill the villagers. The Heqin border troops discovered this and quickly reported it. Upon learning of the enemy's situation, Commander Dou Yong ordered two thousand soldiers to lead their troops to encircle and suppress them.
"Your Excellency, I have searched all night and found enemy ships in the river bay twenty miles upstream. We have burned them all!"
Wu Hai commanded the battle from the rear, riding a majestic horse, surrounded by numerous guardsmen bearing shields. He nodded in satisfaction and shouted, "Well done! We must cut off the enemy's retreat, trap them in Xicang, and capture them all. Immediately lead your men to set up an ambush five miles upstream and intercept the fleeing remnants."
"yes!"
Another captain, Mao Zhen, a man in his late forties, closely watched the battle. He said, his gaze fixed on the enemy, "In my opinion, the boats are probably a deception. The Mu River is shallow in winter, and it would be extremely inconvenient for a large group of enemy soldiers to cross the river by boat. It would be easier for them to find a shallower part of the river to cross."
Wu Hai smiled and said, "I expected this. As early as last night, I sent a team of people to patrol the Mu River."
"Oh? That's good. Alas, we were on the front lines last night, so busy that we didn't have time to talk to Brother Wu." Mao Zhen also smiled, then changed the subject and sighed solemnly, "We wiped out most of the enemy, but we suffered heavy casualties."
"The Northern Anglers have lived a nomadic life since ancient times. They are big and strong and good at riding and shooting. In terms of physique, they are indeed difficult to deal with." Wu Hai was deeply afraid.
Mao Zhen scoffed at this and said coldly, "Hmph, you raw, blood-eating brute, a bunch of rabble. They've occupied Yongzhou so long now, and I'm afraid they've eaten up all the food and fodder. They're starving and freezing, so they're desperate, so they're constantly crossing the river to burn, kill, and loot. Yongzhou is Dagan's territory, so what are the Beijiao? Sooner or later, they'll have to go back to their old nest on the grasslands!"
"Of course," Wu Hai agreed, but he thought to himself: A mob? It was that mob that not only broke through Yongzhou but also massacred a hundred thousand innocent people. Their brutality and violence were appalling.
The two armies were fighting in front, horses were neighing and stamping the ground, weapons were clashing violently, swords and spears were scraping sharply, roars were shaking the sky, wailing and groaning were one after another, and everyone was fighting for their lives.
"What's going on?"
"The young master was always rushing in the front, and I couldn't get away. I watched him being besieged by the enemy, and he fell off his horse while dodging because of the injury. I'm afraid he hit his head." Peng Changrong and Lin Qin worked together to support the unconscious wounded, intending to mount their horses and retreat.
Snow was falling and the north wind was swirling. Snowflakes drifted into the torn collar of his military uniform and gradually melted. The icy water made Guo Honglei tremble and slowly open his eyes.
As soon as he opened his eyes, he subconsciously clenched his right hand - during the moment of unconsciousness, he still held the saber.
"Sir?" Peng Changrong's eyes lit up and he asked nervously, "What do you think?"
"Thankfully, your shoulder isn't broken!" Lin Qin asked with concern, "But do you have any other injuries?"
Guo Honglei shook his head, staring intently at the enemy not far away. He replied simply, "They have armor. I just felt dizzy for a moment, nothing serious. Don't stand there, get on your horses!" As he spoke, he tilted his head to check his bandaged left shoulder and adjusted his helmet. His throat was dry, so he stuffed a handful of snow into his mouth to clear his mind and quickly mount his horse.
"Then you must be careful."
"If you're injured, don't rush to lead the charge." Lin Qin couldn't help but dissuade him.
Guo Honglei's face was stern, his gaze sharp. He pointed his long sword at a small group of enemy soldiers not far away and warned sternly, "Be careful of those ten or so enemy soldiers on the left wing! The ones who use spears among them are very skilled. I was just rushing to rescue the captain, but they intercepted me halfway. I was caught off guard and nearly lost my life."
"Left wing?" Peng Changrong surveyed them, wondering, "How skilled can a group of ordinary soldiers be?"
"Don't underestimate the enemy. Don't judge a man by his appearance!" Guo Honglei gripped the reins tightly, his gaze focused, a blood-red scene before his eyes. He leaned forward, spurring his horse forward, charging into the fray like a gust of wind. His sharp blade, driven by the powerful momentum, slashed across, unstoppable, instantly decapitating an enemy's head!
"good!"
Pan Kui roared in a voice like a bell, "My men, follow me!" He led the charge, his tall and strong body slightly bent, and he was accustomed to using a horse spear. His strength was amazing, and he looked so powerful that ordinary enemies did not dare to get within a few feet of him.
After several months of enlistment, Guo Honglei had become a centurion's personal soldier. He was brave and fearless, following Pan Kui into battle. The flash of his sword splattered the enemy's blood.
"Boy, are you hurt? I lost my sight just now and couldn't find you." Pan Kui's eyes widened with anger, and he swept his lance across, knocking two enemy soldiers off their horses. Immediately, the personal guards first slashed and killed them, then pursued the leader, their horses' hooves trampling over countless broken arms and limbs as they bravely advanced.
Guo Honglei gritted his teeth and replied, "Just a flesh wound." He pulled out the long knife that had pierced the enemy soldier's heart. After a moment's thought, he moved closer and said, "Sir, there's something suspicious about the enemy group on the left wing. Over a dozen strong men with great skills are moving hastily, protecting a middle-aged man. They seem to be planning to escape during the chaos. I believe the middle-aged man holds a high position."
"Oh? Could it be the leader disguised as a soldier?"
"There are only a few hundred people on the left wing, who are you talking about?" Pan Kui's armor was soaked with sweat, and he frowned, looking at the left wing from afar: nearly two thousand people were fighting, and although it was not chaotic, it was extremely noisy. Being in the formation, he was surrounded by dangers and had no time to take a closer look at the overall situation.
Guo Honglei knew it by heart and answered loudly, "Among them was a bearded man wielding a spear. He had incredible arm strength. He attacked me from behind with a fierce sweep, and I barely managed to dodge it."
"A sneak attack from behind? Humph, sneaky villain, I'll go and meet him!" Pan Kui was fierce and brave, and immediately turned his head and shouted, "Lao Luo?"
"how?"
"Call your men, let's go to the left flank and outflank the enemy to prevent them from fleeing!"
The centurion swordsman named Lao Luo, half of his face splattered with blood, roared, "Let's clean up this area first? Clean it up."
The two men had a life-or-death relationship. Pan Kui shouted carelessly, "Hey, we'll lead the charge. Hurry up and bring the others along. I'll take care of your back, brother." He then brandished his lance and roared majestically, "Follow closely!"
"Yes!" Guo Honglei and others rushed forward fearlessly and worked together.
"Eh? Wait a minute!"
Lao Luo was helpless. He turned his horse and cursed with a smile: "That old fellow Pan Kui is getting as fierce as a bull again. Brothers, let's go and outflank the left wing."
"Yes!" After a long and fierce battle, the soldiers were exhausted, but the gleam of swords and the shadow of blood did not allow them to relax. They could only try their best to follow and avoid being left alone.
Once left alone, they are likely to be besieged by enemy soldiers and killed by swords or horses' hooves.
Unless they are ordered to retreat, they cannot retreat and must move forward.
The two centurions led their respective men and, like sharp arrows, cut their way through the blood and penetrated the enemy's left wing.
When they met again, their eyes met, and Guo Honglei instantly understood and said firmly, "As expected, they just want to protect the leader and escape!"
"Don't even think about it!" Pan Kui's eyes were red with anger. He brandished his lance with great vigor and galloped straight towards the enemy spearman's head. "Accept my life!"
The enemy man cursed viciously and raised his gun to fight.
In an instant, the horse lance faced the long spear, and the two burly iron towers were evenly matched. The fight was so fierce that no one could get close to them within a radius of more than ten feet.
"Kill!" The man wielding the knife couldn't get involved at all. Lao Luo's voice was hoarse and cracked as he led his men to kill the surrounding enemies.
The centurions fought against the enemy masters, and the soldiers were also busy fighting. In the winter snow, everyone was sweating profusely.
Perhaps because he was so tense and focused on the enemy, the pain in his left shoulder gradually subsided. Guo Honglei gripped the hilt of the knife and felt his palm wet, whether from sweat or blood.
Fortunately, the handle of the knife was wrapped with cloth, so it didn't slip.
Lin Qin and the Peng brothers rushed over. He leaned against his companions and tried his best to kill the enemy who rushed forward.
Suddenly, there was a "bang" sound in my ears, followed by a "crack". In the fierce fight, the spear and the lance collided head-on, and the wooden poles broke at the same time.
Pan Kui's face darkened. He drew his sword and angrily shouted, "How dare you destroy my weapon? You're dead!"
The other party was also furious. He drew his sword and rushed forward on his horse. The two men fought again.
In the chaos, Guo Honglei glanced and saw three soldiers protecting the middle-aged man, quietly retreating and moving towards the dense forest on the river bank.
"Everyone, stop them quickly!" He guessed that the other party was important, so he resolutely picked up a knife and chased after them. Lin Qin and others naturally followed him.
When the soldiers who were familiar with each other heard this, they quickly followed without hesitation - after all, it was a matter of killing the enemy, so they had no objection and chose to trust Guo Honglei.
A moment later
"stop!"
"Little thief, leave your life to grandpa!"
"Don't even think about escaping!"
Guo Honglei led his comrades, brazenly blocking the enemy's way and forcing them to stop. He raised his sword and chopped off several enemy heads.
"Ah--" In an instant, the enemy soldiers around screamed in grief, talking at once, and their panic was obvious.
When two armies faced each other, morale dropped, people became timid and panicked.
Peng Changrong was stunned for a moment, then laughed in surprise, "Hahaha, could that be an enemy general?"
"Most likely."
"The general is dead, let's see what they will do now!"
"We'll check again later when we're clearing the battlefield." Guo Honglei turned his horse and urged, "Let's go."
"Let's go." Several soldiers happily returned to the formation and continued fighting.
Meanwhile, in the rear
"Catch the leader first, good!" Mao Zhen was quite surprised. He stared intently and asked with great interest, "I know Pan Kui. He's naturally strong and always brave and skilled in battle. But I wonder who this alert guy who's been following him around is?"
"Which one are you referring to?" Wu Hai asked knowingly.
Mao Zhen raised his hand and pointed, "That handsome guy. He looks like a scholar, but his skills are very skillful."
"Oh? Him." Wu Hai smiled and said with his hands behind his back, "His surname is Guo, and he was originally the second son of the Marquis of Jingyang's mansion."
"What?"
Mao Zhen's expression suddenly changed, his smile vanishing. He said regretfully, "Tsk, he's a pretty good young man, but it's a pity his surname is Guo. General Dou wanted to select some personal soldiers, and I originally thought—never mind, his surname is Guo."
Wu Hai frowned, feeling unhappy. He narrowed his puffy eyes and asked calmly, "Why? Are you planning to recommend him to the general?"
The author has something to say:
Dear little angels, because this chapter involves war, weapons, long guns, and bloody scenes, it was reviewed and re-reviewed by the website, so I had to modify a few sensitive words. Other than that, please consider it a bug fix (?ω?)
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Well, the war scene is difficult to grasp, but I can't skip it, I have to come up with a wave
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