Chapter 109: Landslide "The terrain and the sky are the aids to the army."...
King Qiu Di personally led a coalition of 100,000 troops from five small countries and headed straight for Lugu. The army was so powerful that even the heaven and earth trembled, as if the mountains, rivers, sun and moon were also intimidated by the iron cavalry. King Qiu Di was very proud and satisfied. With such a powerful army, why should he worry about not accomplishing his great cause?
After he has razed Ying State and looted Ying Palace, he will then slowly march towards Dala and lead the various tribes and small nations to submit...
The iron cavalry rolled like thunder, stirring up gravel in the mountains and ravines, and the wind and sand blinded the eyes. As the sky and the earth gradually darkened, a narrow valley opened up before their eyes. King Qiu Di led a hundred thousand soldiers to stop, but saw yellow sand rolling wildly in the valley, and the sound of chariots piercing the dust and haze, reaching the ears of the coalition forces.
A hundred thousand cavalrymen were stationed, yet the very valley itself shook at the sound of their march... Was the young man's words true? Did Dala Chiying's reinforcements truly lie within Lugu?
King Qiu Di was extremely anxious, but he also knew that success was imminent and he had to be extremely cautious. He first ordered the archers to line up in front, pointing directly into the valley. Each arrow was equipped with a rolling fireball. Tens of thousands of arrows were fired at the same time like meteors falling to the ground. The sound could be heard, some of them sank into flesh and blood, some into earth and wood, and the miserable howls of the Ying army resounded throughout the Deer Valley.
Chariots studded with spears and sharp blades rumbled forward from behind the archers. At the command of King Qiu Di and the waving of the royal flag, 50,000 vanguards followed the chariots into the valley, and the remaining 50,000 elite soldiers lined up outside the valley to prevent an ambush.
King Qiu Di never forgot this scene until his death.
The army marched straight in, the narrow valley gradually widened, and on the flat hills, the Ying army's chariots ran in the wind and sand, sweeping up huge waves of dust wherever they passed, making it impossible to distinguish the four directions of heaven and earth.
King Qiu Di's mind raced. Aside from the relentless chariots, even obscured by the wind and sand, all he could see were twos and threes of old, weak, and disabled soldiers! And how could the Ying army be so determined to fight to the death? They were all evasive, their movements treacherous and unpredictable.
Where did the reinforcements from Dara come from? Where did the main force from Ying come from?
The sound of gongs and drums used by the Ying army to issue orders echoed on the valley bank, crushing the eardrums with the force of a tidal wave.
King Qiudi knew he had been tricked and was about to withdraw his troops when a sudden earthquake destroyed the road ahead. It turned out that this was not a march from the beginning to the end, but rather -
Landslide.
Huge rocks rolled down from the rock walls on both sides of the valley, and the towering ancient pines were inevitably bent under the weight and fell down with the falling rocks. The old, weak and disabled soldiers who were still dodging just now disappeared like rats, ants, insects and snakes. A strong wind poured in from the valley mouth. King Qiu Di squinted his eyes and followed a wisp of tail wind, and finally saw through the cunning plan of the Ying army.
On the flat hills of the valley, there are several canopies made of iron shields, and the galloping chariots are all covered with fine iron armor, with the drivers hiding in the sturdy sheds. The reason why the wind and sand blocked the sun just now is because there are branches tied to the rear of the chariots. When the chariots move, they will raise clouds of dust to block the view, making it look like a huge army!
In the blink of an eye, the wind stopped, rocks and ancient trees fell down with a loud bang, and the allied soldiers were buried by the landslide before they could even scream. King Qiu Di hurriedly gathered the remaining troops and beat drums to give orders. When they had retreated halfway, the 50,000 soldiers stationed outside the valley rushed into the valley like crazy.
Outside Lu Valley, the Ying army's flags were waving, and flaming chevaux de frise blocked the coalition forces' retreat. There were also slingers attacking with fire, forcing the five coalition forces outside the valley to neither advance nor retreat. In an instant, the originally well-trained coalition formation was in chaos. Moreover, the so-called coalition forces each had its own king and each was responsible for its own affairs. It was difficult for the various forces to be of one mind, and now they were in disarray, each fending for their own fate.
Suddenly, a clearing opened up ahead, and the fleeing soldiers rushed forward without hesitation. But then they felt a sense of weightlessness—the valley was backed by a cliff! The men on the cliff edge tried to retreat, but the fleeing soldiers behind them came crashing down like waves, pushing them all down.
The earth shook and the mountains collapsed, the rocks rolled down like thunder—
At the same time, a bunch of gorgeous flag flowers rose on the other side of Huajiang River. General Yun Wei led the remaining troops to build a pontoon bridge and went straight to Qiudi's granary.
…
The whole world was horrified by the landslide. The Deer Valley was in ruins. No human voices were heard for a long time. No animals were seen and no birds were flying. Only dead silence enveloped the whole area.
The scorching midday sun passed over the valley and gradually sank to the west, and the dusk dyed the sky blood-red.
The main force of the Ying army has occupied the Qiudi granary and returned to support Lugu.
More than 10,000 soldiers either took shovels or dug the ground with their bare hands, vowing to rescue their brothers buried underground. Fortunately, trenches and ceilings had been built in the valley before, and the chariots were all equipped with fine iron armor. Although the companions who were dug out were inevitably injured, they could save their lives. On the other hand, most of the five coalition forces were silent, and there were piles of corpses under the cliff. The Qiudi camp had changed to the Ying army flag. The coalition forces that fled from Lu Valley in the chaos had nowhere to return to. It was unknown whether King Qiudi or the kings of other tribes and countries were alive. Even if they were to escape from the tiger's mouth, it would take a long time to gather the scattered troops.
Mei Lianjun stood still in the valley, tears filling her eyes.
In order to confuse the enemy a few days ago, most of the food grains were lost. If we are defeated today, there will be no grain left in the army.
Therefore, while the main force of the enemy army was invading Lugu, she personally led the remaining troops to attack Qiu Di's grain camp. Even if she didn't encounter the opportunity of a landslide, she could still take advantage of the emptiness of the enemy camp to rob the grain.
Of course, there is another possibility, that is, King Qiu Di is afraid of the "Dara reinforcements" and voluntarily retreats to Xiayang. If so, it would be a good idea for the Ying army. If Qiu Di retreats, Xiayang can wait for the support of Qing Kingdom, and the food and grass from Yingdu will arrive soon.
However, King Qiu Di was stubborn and self-willed, and chose a valley to attack, which led to his end.
Great victory in Ying.
But……
Mei Lianjun was devastated. The valley was like purgatory, with corpses, broken limbs, and blood covering the soil. She shed her first tear since she took command of the battle.
But, what about Pianpian?
…
Zhu Hao was not familiar with military tactics, but he forced himself to read a few volumes in Dexian Pavilion.
"The heavens and the earth's terrain are the aids to our military."
She searched through ancient books on disasters and carefully examined the records of natural disasters during the Ying Dynasty.
On August 23rd of the third year of Jiarui, there was a major collapse in Lugu.
Lugu is located to the east of Xiayang, and the landslide coincided with the battle of Xiayang. If the army is defeated, perhaps we can borrow the Heavenly Blade.
To be on the safe side, she went to Lugu to investigate in person. The sky collapsed and the earth shook, birds disappeared, beasts fled, all living things avoided, the running water suddenly rose or fell, muddy foam surged, and the taste was bitter and astringent.
She held her life tightly in her hand and gambled with the world.
When the mountain collapsed, Zhu Hao curled up under the ceiling.
The rocks were crushing her, and everywhere she looked was like falling into a dark cave. The suffocating pressure almost broke her bones.
It was unknown how long it took before Zhu Hao finally breathed a sigh of relief. She fell asleep in a daze in her small corner and woke up in a daze again until she heard the shouts of the Ying army's great victory outside the black cave.
She hunched over, forced a smile, and tried to knock on the iron plate above her head with all her might. Perhaps it was buried too deep, blocking the sound, and no one responded. She sighed softly, took out the dry food she had prepared in her sleeve, and stuffed it into her mouth one mouthful after another, no matter how choked she was, determined to gather enough strength to wait for the Ying army to come to her aid.
Someone would definitely find her.
She ate half a piece of dry food and fell into a coma again. When she woke up, she felt her body getting heavier and her breathing was difficult. Zhu Haoqing knew that she could not continue to sleep without a beginning or an end. Unable to bear the dizziness and unclear mind, she had to make up her mind, slap herself in the face, and use the burning pain on her cheek to force herself to wake up.
A calling voice came from far away and Zhu Hao recognized it. It was Wang Dian calling her. Zhu Hao coughed dryly a few times, and no longer cared about the pain that felt like her bones were breaking, she just kept slapping the iron plate on top of her head and shouting hoarsely.
The ground shook in all directions, footsteps gathered, and the clanging of iron above hit Zhu Hao's eardrums. In a moment, the long night above his head retreated step by step, and the dark cave was pried open a crack, and the sky light suddenly came in, dazzling but gorgeous.
The soldiers moved rocks and dug soil, dragging Zhu Hao out of the dark cave. She collapsed to the ground, as if her bones and muscles had been pulled out, and she could only lie on her back and gasp for breath.
"Madam, you really... scared me to death..."
Zhu Hao looked in the direction of the voice, and his gradually clear gaze fell on the handsome young man's face. Zhu Hao was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses.
"Xiang Yu...?" Her voice was hoarse, but she burst out laughing.
Yes, if Wang adds a little bit, wouldn’t it be a jade?
At this moment, Xiangyu was shocked to realize that the black scarf covering his face had been completely removed in the chaos. His face turned slightly red and he coughed twice to hide his embarrassment.
Seeing Zhu Hao collapsed in the pile of earth and gasping for breath, Xiangyu hurriedly took off the water bag.
He had indeed sent Song Xieqing away, but Xiangyu was unwilling to accept this, constantly thinking about doing his best for the young master. However, if he stayed around the young master, he would definitely notice within a day. So, he unknowingly followed Zhu Hao all the way and blended into the group. He thought, since she was the young master's favorite... protecting her was the same as protecting the young master. Although... he had once harbored a grudge against this woman and sneered at her, but...
Now, he was completely impressed by the young master's wife who suddenly appeared.
The soldier Xiangyu called to dig and rescue Zhu Hao had already picked up his weapons and went to rescue others. He gently helped Zhu Hao up. His body had been buried for a long time, so wouldn't his muscles and bones be loosened up?
At that time, dusk was falling.
The collapse of the sky has stopped, the noise of the dust has settled, and the mountain ridges are covered with clouds and flowing light, pouring down on the new life.
Then there was a horse neighing, and Zhu Hao and Xiang Yu were both startled.
In the distance, there was something that intoxicated her more than the clouds.
Zhu Hao completely ignored his paralyzed legs and ran forward over the broken rocks and wood. After taking only a few steps, he almost stumbled and rolled to the bottom of the slope.
Fortunately, a long arm came across and protected her.
Zhu Hao raised his wet eyes and raised his lips: "Am I awesome?"
Song Xieqing was so angry that he laughed.
The person in his arms was covered in blood, with mud on his head, face and clothes. There was a small swollen hill on his forehead, his ears were wrapped in blood-soaked cloth, and his face was as pale as paper.
He knew she would never return to Huaicheng peacefully, but he never expected her to be so bold?!
Song Xie's eyebrows were cold and stern, and his voice was stern: "You want to die, right?"
Zhu Hao said stubbornly, "I didn't."
"Still trying to trick me?" Song Xieqing's eyes and nose were filled with sourness. He looked at her, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "If this plan fails, completely fails, then I wish you the best! Are you planning to be buried with this valley?!"
Whether it was a hundred years ago or a hundred years later, when had he ever lost his temper with her like this?
Zhu Hao felt wronged, but he bit back his tears, "...we won."
"Crazy..." Seeing her tearful eyes and drooping eyebrows, Song Xieqing was shocked. He finally softened his tone and hugged her tightly in his arms, half coaxing and half begging: "Can you...can you be nicer to yourself?"
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The author said: "The terrain and the sky are the aids to the military." - "The Art of War"
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