The Demon Lords

Chapter 435 - 50: Dare Not_2

Presumably, this rabble had been rallied by him. Their spirit was admirable, even somewhat awe-inspiring, but their combat effectiveness, alas, was practically nonexistent.

Zheng Fan merely glanced at the old man; in the next moment, the old man was nowhere to be seen. He had probably fallen off his donkey or been cut down by a Yan Army soldier.

In any case, amid such a devastating rout, the odds of the old man surviving were slim to none.

This was a battlefield, offering no room for respecting the old or cherishing the young. Any sentiments for enemy heroes were a luxury to be indulged in only after the fighting was done and the field was being cleared.

The enemy had arrived quickly and collapsed just as fast. However, Liang Cheng did not order a relentless pursuit. Instead, he decisively ordered his troops to regroup. As the vanguard, their utmost priority was to secure the river crossing. Any accidental losses due to overzealous advancement would simply not be worth it.

Even if charging further south might have brought the imperial capital of Qian State into view, and a monumental achievement lay within reach, they still had to exercise restraint.

When the troops had regrouped, Liang Cheng approached Zheng Fan to report, "My lord, the force was organized by the local county magistrate. They were mostly government servants, routed soldiers, and prisoners, along with a band of local braves."

Zheng Fan nodded upon hearing this.

He said nothing more, nor did he ask if the old man’s body had been recovered for burial. Journeying south, they had witnessed many similar incidents and had grown somewhat numb to them.

It was quite normal for a state as large as Qian State to have such individuals. However, their very appearance signified that the Qian State’s power was in steep decline.

Just then, a North Army detachment galloped over from the direction Zheng Fan had come. Leading them was indeed Li Fusheng, with Sun Guyi close behind.

"Let others guard the crossing and wait for the main army to cross! Chief Zheng, take your men and come with me!"

"Yes, Commander!"

Zheng Fan had initially thought that Li Fusheng, having crossed the river first, planned to head to the imperial capital of Qian State to "greet" the Qian sovereign, thereby making good on the jest he had made earlier.

However, contrary to expectations, Li Fusheng led his troops straight east, not south.

Zheng Fan’s Green Willow Fortress cavalry, combined with Sun Guyi’s men, numbered less than five thousand horsemen in total. The follow-up forces were still crossing the river, but Li Fusheng was clearly too impatient to wait.

Heading east, the force galloped nonstop for seventy or eighty miles. Ahead, a military encampment of Qian people appeared.

Externally, this military encampment looked well-organized and strategically layered. Across the Bian River, there was another military encampment, larger and garrisoned with more soldiers than the one before them.

The arrival of such a large cavalry force naturally couldn’t be concealed. Soon, figures of Qian soldiers could be seen in the military encampments on both banks of the river.

Truth be told, Zheng Fan was quite disoriented by now; his map-reading proficiency in his previous life was roughly equivalent to having Sister Zhiling provide navigation.

Now that he was fighting wars in this life, his sense of direction often became muddled, especially during battles.

In fact, it wasn’t just Chief Zheng who was muddled. Currently, in the not particularly large area stretching from West Mountain County to Bianzhou County, with the Bian River as the dividing line, the positions of the North Army and the Qian army on either side were incredibly convoluted, like interlocking teeth. It was no exaggeration to say they were thoroughly entangled, each within the other’s territory.

Li Bao, heedless of the casualties among his men, had launched a series of frenzied assaults over the past few days, completely stirring up the Qian State forces.

This was a chaotic battle, and only truly exceptional commanders possessed the ability to cut through the confusion and forge an opening.

Without the slightest hesitation, Li Fusheng raised his long saber and bellowed, "Our will: To break their formation!"

Behind him, the North Army cavalrymen roared in response, "We fight to the death!"

There was no pre-battle speech, not even a moment’s rest after such a long, hard gallop. It was as if they were critically short on time. Most formalities were skipped; only the charge remained!

Li Fusheng led the charge, with Sun Guyi close behind. The North Army soldiers, showing no regard for their already overtaxed mounts, began to wring out the very last dregs of stamina from their trusted equine companions.

Liang Cheng turned and glanced at Zheng Fan. Honestly, this was quite considerate of him; for unless one wished to be utterly ostracized by Yan, attempting to preserve one’s strength by not charging at this juncture was tantamount to suicide.

Besides, could one realistically defect to the Qian State, already beaten black and blue, at a time like this?

Zheng Fan gritted his teeth and roared, "Charge!"

When Liang Cheng gave the order to charge, the Green Willow Fortress cavalrymen hesitated no longer, surging forward behind the North Army knights without any other consideration.

Arrows rained down from within the Qian army encampment. Ahead, Yan Army cavalrymen were continuously struck by arrows and fell from their warhorses, but the riders beside and behind them pressed on relentlessly.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

Some warhorses crashed directly into the wooden barricades; others had their bellies pierced by sharp wooden stakes hidden below, spilling blood and entrails onto the ground.

Knights unhorsed in the fall grabbed their sabers, rallied a few nearby fellow soldiers, and continued to charge the enemy lines on foot.

Meanwhile, the cavalrymen on the flanks began to throw grappling hooks, using their horses’ strength to tear at the encampment’s outer walls.

Li Fusheng led the way. Clenching his saber in his teeth, he dismounted, then used both hands and feet to clamber up the encampment wall with the agility of a monkey.

Behind him, batch after batch of North Army soldiers emulated him, scaling the wall barehanded.