novelhk Chapter 43 Catching a turtle in a urn
Chapter 43 Catching a turtle in a urn
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
A heavy thud suddenly rang out, and the immense force made the entire gate of the village tremble like a sieve.
Hu Xu and the others, who were desperately holding onto the gate, felt as if their bodies would be thrown away at any moment, and their bodies and arms were numb and sore.
"These traitors are truly stubborn fools!"
Liu Zhizhong stood not far away and cursed viciously, "Cut down another tree, and I don't believe they can hold out!"
"General, they're already beheading them. These rebels are doomed," a general said with a fawning smile.
Liu Zhizhong nodded in satisfaction: "Remember, the first thing to do after you break in is to seize all the grain and supplies."
"You will finally understand."
The general nodded in understanding and turned to urge the soldiers to speed up the felling of trees.
These are spoils of war, and since they don't need to be reported to the imperial court, they must be seized immediately.
"call out!"
Suddenly, a whooshing sound rang out, and Liu Zhizhong instinctively shrank back in fright. But this time, he was surprised to find that the arrow was not aimed at him.
He felt slightly relieved and was about to speak when he saw that the general who had just been flattering him had an arrow between his eyebrows and had fallen straight down.
This scene may seem slow to describe, but it actually happens in the blink of an eye.
The next second, a series of "whoosh whoosh whoosh" sounds rang out.
Each whooshing sound that pierces the air takes the life of a Great Qi soldier.
"Archers! It's archers!"
"Quickly, protect the general!"
"Enemy attack!"
"..."
The Daqi army instantly descended into chaos, shouting and yelling.
But the rain of arrows overhead grew denser and faster.
One by one, the soldiers of the Great Qi fell to the ground like lambs to the slaughter.
They were like frightened deer, frantically trying to find cover.
But this is the gate of the mountain stronghold. Apart from the gate and walls behind it, everything else is completely open and as empty as a wilderness.
Inside the village gate, Hu Xu and the others, who had already prepared to die, were also taken aback, and then became excited one by one.
"It's the Prince! The Prince has come to save us!"
Hu Xu's voice choked with emotion, and his eyes were red.
The other Shence Army soldiers were also deeply moved, their blood boiling, and they even forgot about their own injuries and fatigue.
"You bunch of useless trash, why are you running? Fight back!"
Surrounded and protected by several personal guards, Liu Zhizhong roared angrily.
It was this roar that finally awakened the other Daqi soldiers, who then launched a counterattack.
But just as they turned to fire their arrows, they saw that the Shence Army had already found trees to use as cover.
The arrows shot out, but they all thudded and embedded themselves in the trees.
"Don't stop! There are many of us, take turns shooting arrows."
Although Liu Zhizhong was not very capable, he was still a man well-versed in military strategy. This alternating barrage immediately suppressed the Shence Army.
Many Shence Army soldiers were unable to withstand the attack and were shot down.
The morale of the Daqi army was immediately boosted, and their counterattack became even more organized and methodical.
Liu Zhizhong was overjoyed, as if he could already see the hope of victory.
What the Daqi soldiers didn't realize was that at the same time as their attack, a large number of Shence Army soldiers were quietly approaching from the woods behind them.
Qin Xuan had already led the Shence Army to the vicinity when the Daqi Army launched its attack.
Instead of rushing to rescue people, he had the monkey quietly scout out the terrain around the mountain stronghold.
The entire stronghold is shaped like a hillside. If they were to launch a strong attack from the lower slope to rescue people, they would inevitably be suppressed. Therefore, the previous sneak attack was only to force the Daqi army to disrupt their formation.
"what……"
A scream suddenly rang out from the Daqi army, followed by a rain of arrows that swept past the Daqi army from behind like dark clouds pressing down on the city.
This time, the Daqi soldiers didn't even have a chance to react before they were all killed by a hail of arrows.
The Daqi army was thrown into chaos again, and they fled down the slope like madmen.
However, the Shence Army on the lower slope had been lying in wait for a long time.
Arrows, gleaming with a cold light, swiftly and mercilessly claimed the lives of the Great Qi soldiers.
In just one or two minutes, more than two thousand soldiers of the Great Qi had been killed or wounded.
The fear of death spread through everyone's hearts. No matter what orders Liu Zhizhong gave, these Daqi soldiers only wanted to escape from this gate of hell.
Defeat is inevitable!
"General, let's retreat quickly, or the Shence Army will attack."
The personal guards who had been protecting Liu Zhizhong urgently advised him.
Liu Zhizhong was pale, but he was unwilling to accept the situation. However, the Daqi army had lost its fighting spirit, and if they tried to hold on, they might be wiped out.
He gritted his teeth: "Retreat! At the same time, order the 10,000 cavalry on the outer perimeter to guard all the exits. I want the Shence Army to have no way back."
"Your Highness, the Great Qi army has retreated."
The short monkey, half-hanging from a large tree, reported with a stern expression.
Qin Xuan's gaze sharpened, his killing intent palpable: "Execute according to the original plan."
"Subordinates take orders."
The monkey nodded slightly, swung its arms, and leaped out like an ape, quickly darting and bounding between the trees, even faster than the fleeing soldiers of the Great Qi Dynasty.
Half an hour later, nearly seven thousand Qi soldiers finally arrived at the foot of the mountain in a panic.
Liu Zhizhong hid in the crowd, looking extremely disheveled.
Before he could catch his breath, the thunderous sound of hooves came from ahead.
Upon seeing this, Liu Zhizhong was immediately overjoyed.
He saw the banners of the Northwest Army; his cavalry had finally come to his aid.
At this moment, Liu Zhizhong felt that he once again had the power to command the troops, and he couldn't help but excitedly say: "Everyone, get ready where you are and follow the cavalry battalion back to fight."
"Yes!"
The soldiers readily agreed, their killing intent rising within them.
But gradually, some people noticed something was wrong.
Their own cavalry seemed to never slow down, and even seemed to be charging fiercely.
"Stop! Stop! Stop right now!"
One of the generals couldn't help but shout loudly.
But before he could finish speaking, one of the leading cavalrymen suddenly drew his bow and shot an arrow, killing him instantly in the throat.
At that moment, Liu Zhizhong felt his scalp tingle and his soul tremble.
Before he could react, the cavalry battalion had already stormed into his camp like a steel torrent.
The Daqi soldiers at the very front were the first to suffer, with many having their sternums broken by the impact of their warhorses and being sent flying backwards.
Those who managed to escape had their heads chopped off by the cavalry's swords.
A cavalry charge against infantry is inherently a crushing massacre, especially since Liu Zhizhong had just ordered his soldiers to stand by and prepare for battle, making them easy targets.
"It's the enemy! It's the enemy!"
"Everyone run away!"
"..."
Finally, someone realized what was happening and started yelling at the top of their lungs.
But by then the cavalry had already charged into the camp, and any further warnings would only become death wails.
"Whoa, whoa, whoa..."
What terrified the Daqi soldiers even more was that a hail of arrows came down from the hillside once again.
Caught in a pincer movement, the Northwest Army was instantly trapped.