The young and handsome Wu Danyu responded in a deep voice. He was not from the original team of the Southwest Town Government, but a soldier recruited by He Xiao and others later. He was once a famous bandit in the Helan Mountain area.
"My lord, if possible, I can also find a way to lead the enemy to the Thousand Ice Pond. I am familiar with the terrain. Once they step in, they will never return!"
Chu Qiao thought for a moment, then raised her head and said, "Let's see what happens. If there is any hope, I will let you take full responsibility."
Wu Danyu smiled, "Thank you, sir!"
"He Qi will lead the third team to defend the northern city wall, and will fully cooperate with the first team to defend Chidu during the war. Commander He Xiao, I will hand over the entire Chidu city wall to you brothers. The entire Yanbei will stand behind you and watch you."
He Xiao's eyes suddenly brightened, and he saluted in a standard military salute. He and his brother said loudly, "I will definitely live up to your expectations!"
"The focus of this battle is not to annihilate the enemy's forces, but to disrupt the enemy's morale through continuous small-scale attacks, harass the food and grass in the rear, and attack the enemy's combat awareness, so that the enemy has to run around and postpone the attack on Chidu. Everyone, time and patience are our only weapons. As long as we can hold out for seven days, your highness's reinforcements will arrive!"
Chu Qiao raised her head, the candlelight shining on her face, she felt as if she were in another world. The young soldiers looked at this girl who was younger than them with firm eyes, eagerly.
The room was small and brightly lit. Chu Qiao slowly stretched out her hand, placed it in front of her chest, and said in a deep voice: "Everyone, the war is imminent. We can no longer hesitate. When the country is in danger, people should be loyal and righteous. As soldiers, we must take it as our responsibility to defend the land and the people. Regardless of the outcome of this battle, we are worthy of the world of Yanbei, our conscience, and the flag above our heads! Life and death will all depend on this battle. Take care!"
"Take care, sir!" More than ten hands came up and clasped his hands.
The north wind was howling outside the door, fire was blazing inside the room, and not far outside the city wall, the enemy was sharpening their knives. At Chu Qiao's command, the soldiers turned around and walked out of the room, rushing to their respective battlefields. From then on, no one knew who would be able to turn back and who would survive. The war broke out that night, and the original garrison of Chidu was terrified. However, the initial battle was not as fierce as they had imagined. The enemy's reserve forces seemed to be tied down, forcing them to send a large number of troops back for defense. The formation in the rear was in chaos, and small-scale riots occurred from time to time.
Chu Qiao knew that it was Feng Ting's sniping near the Helan Mountains that took effect. The Xia army was in an unfamiliar environment, and at this point in the war, they had not received any news from Yan Xun and the Second Army. Given Zhao Yang's cautiousness, he would definitely be careful. The purpose of her sending out five guerrilla armies was to give the other side real and false concerns and constraints.
However, Zhao Yang was indeed an excellent general. Although Feng Ting had issued a military order and Chu Qiao had made careful plans and programs for the strategic offensive and defensive shifts, the offensive in Helan Mountain was still declared a failure in the early morning of the next day. The originally planned two-day defense did not even last one day. In just one night, all one thousand Southwestern Town Envoys were wiped out, and not a single one of them returned alive.
Because of Feng Ting's defeat, Murong and Amu encountered Daxia's full-scale attack in advance. The battle started at breakfast and lasted until noon, when it gradually quieted down. Amu's brother escaped back from a small road, announcing the end and failure of the war. Most of the 2,000 militiamen were killed or wounded, and the rest were dispersed and their whereabouts are unknown.
The Great Xia army was in high spirits and attacked the Chidu city gate with all its might, but encountered a sudden ambush near the pine forest. A team of fierce troops penetrated the flank of the Xia army like a sharp knife, but the team of 500 people took advantage of the terrain in the forest and moved back and forth among the Xia army on the flank three times, burned the central flag, and set fire to the Xia army's central tent. The leading young general shot an arrow through the temple of the deputy commander in chief. The arrow was attached to a rope, and when it was pulled back, it took off half of the head of the commander of the Xia army.
The Xia army was in an uproar. The commander's personal guards took the lead and chased after them. When Zhao Yang wanted to stop them, it was too late. As a result, on that day, Da Xia lost 8,000 elite guards, all of whom were drowned or frozen to death in the icy lake of Qianbingtan.
The Xia army was furious after suffering such a defeat with an army of 200,000. Even Zhao Yang could not control the voices for revenge in the army. He had no choice but to slow down and direct his spearhead at the guerrilla forces outside the city. However, Wudanyu had a small number of people, was flexible, and was well versed in the nearby terrain and environment. He led 500 people and carried out guerrilla warfare for two days under the carpet-style sweep of the Xia army without losing his combat effectiveness, thus winning precious time for the defense of Chidu City.
However, two days later, Zhao Yang suddenly stopped all his offensives. Just when the Yanbei Army was puzzled, the Xia Army suddenly ordered the entire army to cut down trees. Two hundred thousand troops were dispatched together. Within half a day, a large pine forest was completely cut down, and Wudanyu's 500 guerrilla troops were completely exposed to the enemy.
Chu Qiao stood on a high city wall, watching Wu Danyu and his five hundred men being swallowed up by the vast Xia army like a stone. The rumbling of horses' hooves calmed the small splash with just one charge.
"Fight for freedom!" Sporadic sounds of attacks were heard from afar, and the entire Chidu City was dead silent. The soldiers took off their helmets and watched their comrades fighting outside the city being killed. Many veterans shed tears silently.
The setting sun was like a scorching fire. After three full days, the Xia army finally completed the first encirclement of Chidu City. Situ Jing stood beside Zhao Yang and said respectfully, "Reporting to His Highness the Fourteenth Prince, we have already found out from the captured civilians that the defenders in the city are the traitors of the empire, the Southwest Town Envoy, and the general who leads them is a woman, also a traitor of the empire, named Chu Qiao."
"Chu Qiao?" These two words came out of his mouth very calmly. Zhao Yang slowly narrowed his eyes. It was only a year, but he felt as if so much time had passed. He still remembered what Zhao Che said while pointing at that figure on the night Yan Xun escaped from Zhenhuang. His seventh brother had great talent but did not know how to adapt and was not good at political tactics. Such a person could create an unprecedented foundation in troubled times, but would never have a foothold in the court. However, he had to admit that Zhao Che had an excellent eye. His words that day came true, leading to the current situation.
"Your Highness, Your Highness?" Situ Jing said in a low voice, "Please issue the military order."
The journey was difficult. During his many years in the palace, no one was willing to lend him a helping hand, even for a brief moment. He had seen and experienced too much, the warmth and coldness of the world.
The scene in his memory gradually faded away. Zhao Yang's eyes were deep as he slowly said, "Attack with all our strength. After we capture Chidu, we will massacre the whole city and sacrifice the flag."
With a whoosh, a strong wind arose and the military flags fluttered in the cold wind.
Everything that's standing in the way, get out of the way! Cities, armies, enemies, family, weakness, hesitation, and... conscience! Under the reflection of the setting sun, the Xia army finally launched its first all-out attack on Chidu City. Thousands of troops were spread out on the plain, the heads of people were so dense that they could not be counted, the horses' hooves were thundering, and they were galloping. The cavalry regiment was dressed in neat and uniform uniforms, with spurs shining, swords sharp, and armor flashing blood-red in the setting sun. Yanbei's war eagles howled in the sky. The cold wind was like a cold knife, blowing up heavy snow. A strange white fog suddenly formed between the sky and the earth. The huge army was hidden in the white fog, which made its mighty power even more prominent!
"Kill the enemy!" The sound of a charge that resounded through the heavens and the earth suddenly came. The buglers of Daxia blew the battle horn. The soldiers of the First Cavalry Regiment drew their swords, waved them above their heads, and ran towards the low city wall like wolves and tigers. The heavy cavalry regiment followed closely behind, with the infantry distributed on both sides. The archers rushed forward under the protection of the shield soldiers and lay in wait under the trenches ready to attack. Everywhere you look, there are enemy horse hooves and armor, and blades engraved with the names of the Great Xia military forges. Soldiers are roaring, and the earth is shaking uncontrollably.
Compared to Xia Bing's roar, there was dead silence on the top of Chidu City. The soldiers of the Southwest Town Government were guarding on the top of the city, holding their weapons, quietly waiting for the order to attack.
Commander He Xiao held a sharp arrow in his hand, slowly opened the crossbow, squinted one eye, and suddenly shot out the bow like a full moon!
With a whoosh sound, the front man of the Daxia cavalry was shot off his horse. The arrow was extremely powerful, and the man fell from his horse, tumbling four or five times before he stopped.
Xia Jun was stunned for a moment, frightened by He Xiao's terrifying physical strength, but he quickly realized that such a person is one in a million, and immediately he regained the courage to charge.
"Get ready!" He Xiao shouted coldly, raised his hand, "Shoot!"
The setting sun seemed to be covered suddenly, and the sky and the earth were dark. In the air, there was a dense rain of arrows like locusts, sweeping over, covering the sky and the sun, at an astonishing speed. The invincible imperial cavalry that roamed across the Simon continent suddenly fell into an endless nightmare. The soldiers in the front were pierced by arrows and rushed up from their horses like flying. They rushed all the way and even knocked down three or four cavalrymen behind them. The horses tumbled and there were screams and wails. The cavalrymen became real targets and hedgehogs, and their blood dyed the white snow on the ground red, a dazzling bright red.
Zhao Yang frowned and issued an urgent order, asking the heavy cavalry and shield soldiers to rush forward to provide protection. However, before they could get close, another round of arrow rain whistled over. The soldiers of Daxia laughed loudly, and the heavily armored soldiers waved their heavy armor, mocking the Yanbei Army for overestimating their own capabilities. However, before their laughter ended, arrows pierced their armor with terrifying force. In the ferocious metal frenzy, they didn't even have time to shout for help. The panicked men and horses trampled on each other. Death, screams, blood, corpses, no one dared to move forward in the face of such a fierce and terrifying attack, and the front team was immediately defeated. The officers of Daxia swung their swords and hacked at more than a dozen people before they could barely stop the soldiers from retreating and fleeing.
"Charge! Follow me!" A general rode on a horse, beating the iron armor on his chest fiercely with his sword. However, before he could finish shouting the exciting slogan, a sharp arrow pierced through his head with a whoosh, and blood gushed out, flowing along the lines on the iron armor like a stream.
"Those who retreat will die! Those who retreat will die! There are less than 10,000 people on the other side. If you can break through this post ahead, you will be heroes in this battle!"
The officers shouted loudly and the soldiers were aroused. After all, they were the regular troops of the empire. Under such a powerful offensive, they did not reduce their momentum and continued to gallop on horseback. The huge column surged forward like a mountain torrent, unstoppable.