Chapter 509: The Battle of Baimu City Begins |
Woo! Woo! Woooo!
The cold wind howled, and war horns blared in competition.
Following the order issued by Xia Chuan from within the main tent, the officers from each battalion received their commands and exited. The entire encampment area of the Great Xia army began to stir into motion.
The Dongchuan Allied Forces originally numbered only thirty thousand. However, at the outset of the war, Xia Chuan had hastily conscripted another thirty thousand soldiers of the Warmth Realm from Dongchuan City, bringing the total force to sixty thousand. He left ten thousand to garrison Dongchuan City, another ten thousand to hold the newly captured Dongchuan Camp, and dispatched ten thousand with Mu Longhe to attack Zhongyang. Therefore, by the time his forces actually reached the foot of Baimu City, the troops in his hand numbered just over thirty thousand.
Using the words "only" to describe an army of thirty thousand was clearly inaccurate; "a full" would be more appropriate.
"Cloud Python Army, assemble!"
"Left Route Army, First Battalion, assemble!"
"Second Battalion, assemble!"
"Third Battalion, assemble!"
"Fifth Battalion, assemble!"
"Dragon Garrison Captains, assemble!"
Liu Yuan, Yue Feng, Zhou Yuan, Meng Yi, Zhao Long, Hou Tong—the six great generals of the allied forces—plus Tie Xinchuang, the Commander-in-Chief of the Dragon Garrison Captains. With the issuance of these seven commands, from the thirty black tents outside the main tent, Great Xia soldiers clad in armor and bearing weapons noisily and densely surged out like a tide, swiftly forming battle formations on the south side of the encampment.
The Cloud Python Army occupied the center among the seven forces. All its soldiers wore Thunder Kui Gold Armor, their imposing aura clearly surpassing the other six armies by a significant margin. The three armies on the left were the First, Second, and Third Battalions of the Left Route Army. The three armies on the right were the one thousand Dragon Garrison Captains, plus the Fourth and Fifth Battalions of the Left Route Army.
Great Xia had a total of nine designated armies stationed in Dongchuan City. The Yellow Armor, Chiyang, and Xiaoshan armies were assigned to Mu Longhe's unit. The six designated armies Xia Chuan had with him were the Cloud Python, Shanhe, Longyuan, Xiongwu, Hunting Eagle, and Beizhao armies.
Under the Great Xia military system, an eighth-level corps had a full strength of five thousand, exactly corresponding to the size of an allied forces battalion. Therefore, among the six armies, only the Cloud Python Army stood alone as a complete corps. The remaining five armies, totaling ten thousand men, were divided into the First and Second Battalions of the Left Route Army.
Woooooo...
The originally urgent blare of the horns suddenly became drawn-out and prolonged. Below, six of the seven armies had already finished assembling in orderly formation. Only the Dragon Garrison Captains on the right flank of the Cloud Python Army were a step slower, taking over ten breaths after the horn call ended to barely achieve the same level of readiness as the other six armies.
Tie Xinchuang, Commander-in-Chief of the Dragon Garrison Captains, watched the performance of his troops. His already unpleasant expression grew even more gloomy. He took a few steps forward and roared at his soldiers, "A major battle is imminent, and you can't even form up properly? With trash like you, are you even worthy of calling yourselves the Lord Leader's personal guard? Wearing this set of Black Scale Silver Armor on you is a complete waste..."
Tie Xinchuang's roar naturally drew sidelong glances from many officers and soldiers of the surrounding six armies. From the battalion commanders like Zhou Yalong, Yuan Bai, Lu Yang, and Luo An down to the ordinary soldiers, the entire Dragon Garrison Captains' faces flushed red. They then clenched their fists tightly, their hearts filled with shame and self-reproach.
The events in Xia City two days ago were still vivid in their minds. Currently, they had joined the Northern Expedition's Left Route Army bearing the status of those atoning for their crimes.
Young members of the new generation of Great Xia like Lu Yang, Luo An, Yuan Bai, and others had, since joining the Dragon Garrison Captains, always considered themselves the elite among elites of Great Xia. At most, they held the Cloud Python and Dragon Slayer armies in slightly higher regard. As for the remaining 28 designated armies, they had always looked down on them with disdain.
Yet, even before the fighting started, during this pre-battle assembly, signs were already visible.
It was normal not to compare to the Cloud Python Army. The First and Second Battalions of the Left Route Army were composed of elite designated armies from Great Xia; it was somewhat acceptable not to match them, given the Dragon Garrison Captains' short history as a military unit.
But failing to match even the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Battalions of the Left Route Army was simply inexcusable.
Those fifteen thousand men in the Third, Fourth, and Fifth Battalions were not elite designated army troops. Their unit's formation time wasn't long either—just these past two years. If even they couldn't be surpassed, it could only mean the Dragon Garrison Captains were truly lacking in battlefield training. Now, on the battlefield, leaving aside combat effectiveness, just in terms of military discipline and bearing, they seemed even somewhat inferior to ordinary Town Garrison Armies.
Zhou Yalong, Lu Yang, Luo An, Yuan Bai, Zou Ping, and others—this batch of Great Xia's most outstanding new-generation members—all realized this now. They finally understood how laughable their past arrogance and complacency had been.
They all lowered their heads in unison, their faces filled with shame.
Huuu...
Seeing his soldiers' reaction, although Tie Xinchuang's expression remained dark, he couldn't help but inwardly heave a huge sigh of relief.
"Feeling shame means there's still hope for you!"
Unlike Yuan Bai and his group, Tie Xinchuang had served in Xu Ning's Black Arrow Army for over a year, even rising to the rank of scout battalion commander. This was also why he was appointed Commander-in-Chief of the Dragon Garrison Captains.
He had an understanding of military affairs. Therefore, from the very beginning of the Dragon Garrison Captains' formation, he was well aware of this unit's biggest problem.
The new-generation members of the Dragon Garrison Captains had two most important characteristics.
First, their backgrounds were too high. Second, their aptitudes were too strong.
Think about it: in Ice Abyss cultivation, the importance of resources and talent was almost equal. Those who could stand out from Great Xia's millions were no simple characters.
Either they were like Luo An and Lu Yang, with astonishingly high backgrounds; or they were like Yuan Bai and Zhou Yalong, with outrageously high talent. These two characteristics led to the Dragon Garrison Captains being almost universally arrogant, looking down on everyone, holding no one in regard. While openly defying military orders wasn't quite the case, feigning compliance while acting contrary was a common occurrence.
Since the unit's establishment in March this year, Tie Xinchuang had been constantly racking his brains on how to tame this group. He had tried soft methods, hard methods, but none had the slightest effect. Finding no way to govern the army effectively, he had even considered resigning from his post as Commander-in-Chief of the Dragon Garrison Captains.
Han Yue's death was probably the punishment for his ineffective military governance over the past half year.
Thinking of his wife's agonized, contorted face before her death, Tie Xinchuang turned his head to look at the densely surging Beishuo army emerging from Baimu City to the south. He tightly gripped the large blade in his hand, his pupils almost blazing with fire.
"Flag officers, step forward! Everyone else, draw bows and prepare for battle!"
Whoosh...
High above the army, following Xia Chuan's order, a five-man flag officer squad quickly ran out from the seven armies. All the remaining soldiers uniformly took down their powerful bows, nocked arrows, drew strings, and aimed in the direction of the Beishuo army.
"Chencang's reinforcements haven't arrived, yet they dare to take the initiative to attack... Lu Yang has really given me a big surprise..."
Mid-air, Xia Chuan watched the Beishuo army rapidly exiting the city. Although his face showed no expression, his tone was filled with clear and profound disbelief.
Xu Ning stood behind him and said solemnly, "Could it be that Caiqiu has secretly sent people? Yuan Cheng, Luo Yuan, and Yuwen Tao's three armies currently show no movement. Caiqiu sent so many Sun Manifestation Level experts; perhaps they split off a portion to help here."
Xia Chuan had a good idea about whether the two major feudal towns had sent people.
The reason was simple: the Bone-Erosion Path and the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor were currently under Great Xia's control. Although they lacked the ability to prevent the two major feudal towns from sending people, monitoring whether their people had come, and how many, was not a problem.
At the beginning of the war, he and Yuwen Tao had separately deployed large numbers of Warmth Realm soldiers to secretly monitor the northern areas of Dongchuan and Jinyang cities, near the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor and the Bone-Erosion Path. Therefore, when Caiqiu's hundred-plus Sun Manifestation Level experts came over, Yuwen Tao received the news immediately and quickly relayed it to the other three armies.
As for the Dongchuan City side, no news had come, which naturally meant Chencang had not yet sent anyone.
"That Caiqiu would be willing to split off people to help Beishuo... I don't believe it..."
Xia Chuan directly dismissed Xu Ning's speculation. There was friction between the two major feudal towns of Chencang and Caiqiu; it was unlikely they would cooperate so intimately and seamlessly.
He pondered for a moment, then shook his head with a smile and continued, "Beishuo was never submissive to our Great Xia in the first place. Now that Yang Zun has returned from Chencang, they probably feel qualified to engage us in a head-on battle. Plus, considering Lu Yang's ten-thousand-strong army as their trump card, choosing to exit the city and take the initiative to fight isn't too outrageous an action!"
After speaking, a smile appeared on Xia Chuan's face. He looked down at the already assembled Beishuo army outside the city, a trace of contempt rising in his pupils.
"Fine. A single Baimu City is nothing much. Let the three Yang brothers see clearly just how big the gap is between Beishuo and our Great Xia!"
After saying this, Xia Chuan took a slight breath, gathered energy in his throat, and spoke down to the forces below in a deep voice, "Beat the war drums! The entire army will advance two hundred paces! Prepare to loose arrows!"
The Great Xia camp was positioned 500 meters from Baimu City. The seven armies, after fully deploying their formations, had closed the distance by roughly 100 meters. Advancing another two hundred paces would close the distance by another 150 meters. Thus, if the enemy remained stationary, the distance between the two armies would be about 200 meters—just within the maximum effective range of bows and crossbows.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
Following Xia Chuan's order, the commanders of the seven armies immediately relayed the command. All soldiers, still maintaining their posture of drawn bows and nocked arrows, began to advance slowly forward like a torrent of steel.
It was indeed a slow pace, discernible from the frequency of footsteps hitting the ground. Yet, with over thirty thousand people advancing simultaneously, even at a slow pace, the momentum was utterly staggering.
"All troops, draw bows! Prepare to loose arrows!"
Just as the Great Xia forces began to move, Yang Jian, high above the Beishuo army, also began issuing commands. Ten thousand Beishuo elites plus fifteen thousand Beishuo Town Garrison Army soldiers all drew their bows, nocked arrows, and aimed at the opposing Great Xia army.
Thud... Thud... Thud...
The Great Xia army did not slow their pace due to the Beishuo army's actions. They continued their steady advance forward. Two hundred paces were soon covered.
"Xia Chuan, you..."
"Loose arrows!"
Yang Jian seemed to want to deliver an opening statement, but Xia Chuan gave him no opportunity.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
With the command to loose arrows issued, the seven Great Xia armies directly unleashed their first wave of arrow rain.
"Loose arrows!"
Although Yang Jian's expression was ugly, his reaction was not slow at all. After being interrupted, he immediately issued the order right after Xia Chuan, their speeds almost synchronized.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Two waves of arrow rain—no, rather than arrow rain, it was more like two pitch-black curtains of arrows—shot directly toward the opposing army formations.
BOOM...
The number of arrows shot by both sides was simply too vast. The arrowheads disturbed the airflow for hundreds of meters around. The sound produced was no longer a sharp whistle, but more like the sound of an air explosion.
Hum!
The two arrow curtains collided fiercely mid-air. Although two to three-tenths of the arrows were knocked down, more arrows pierced through the air currents, shooting toward the front ranks of the opposing army formations.
Clang... Clang...
Exchanging fire at 200 meters distance, with no city walls for cover, and neither side raising shields—clearly, both commanders had strong confidence in the armor worn by their own soldiers.
The result fully proved that both men's confidence was justified.
Arrows carrying tremendous force struck the soldiers in the front ranks, instantly sparking countless flashes of fire. Shockingly, not a single person in the front ranks of either side retreated.
"Beishuo elites... They are all wearing Hundred-Forged Silver Armor. After nearly a century of heritage, their foundation is indeed thick..."
Looking at the front ranks of the Beishuo army, all clad in silver armor, a trace of admiration flashed in Xia Chuan's pupils. Great Xia's foundation today was also quite good, but the vast majority of its soldiers were equipped with Thousand-Forged Iron Armor mixed with Thunder Kui skull bones.
They also had silver-forged armor, but currently, only the soldiers of the Cloud Python Army, Dragon Slayer Army, and the newly established Dragon Garrison Captains possessed it.
Consider this: these three armies combined, at full strength, numbered only 11,000. The Beishuo army, however, had a full 20,000.
"Cloud Python Army, Dragon Garrison Captains—all personnel, abandon bows and advance! The remaining five armies will fire arrows in alternating volleys, covering both flanks!"
Xia Chuan pushed aside the pointless thoughts in his mind and directly issued his second command.
"Boom..."
Five thousand men of the Cloud Python Army, along with the thousand Dragon Garrison Captains—six thousand men in total—simultaneously released their vital energy. The entire battlefield shook violently for an instant.
"Follow this general, and slay the enemy!"
With a furious roar, Liu Yuan, Commander-in-Chief of the Cloud Python Army, drew the large blade from his waist. Despite possessing Sun Manifestation Level cultivation, he did not take to the air. Instead, he stood at the very front of the Cloud Python Army, taking the lead and charging straight out.
"Charge!!!"
The five thousand Cloud Python Army soldiers clad in Thunder Kui Gold Armor slightly lowered their heads and followed behind Liu Yuan. Like tigers pouncing on prey, like mountains collapsing, they covered over ten meters in an instant, roaring and bellowing as they charged toward the Beishuo army.
"Beishuo army, follow this commander to defend against the enemy! All others, continue loosing arrows!"
Facing the Great Xia army's onslaught, not a trace of panic showed on Yang Jian's face. He gave a fierce flick of the long spear in his hand, looked down, and bellowed. Then, his body transformed into a streak of intense light, heading straight for Liu Yuan on the ground.
The level of bows and crossbows equipped by the Great Xia army and the Beishuo defenders of Baimu City were clearly comparable in power. The armor worn by the Beishuo army was also not much inferior to that of the Cloud Python Army. Therefore, bows and crossbows lost their significance here.
With ranged weapons ineffective, a direct, close-quarters clash became inevitable.
"First and Second Battalions, abandon bows! Attack from the left and right flanks! Third, Fourth, Fifth Battalions, continue shooting!"
The soldiers of the First and Second Battalions who were shooting heard Xia Chuan's command from above and immediately put down their bows and crossbows. They drew their blades and weapons, raised their shields, and charged toward the Beishuo army from the left and right flanks respectively.
The remaining three battalions—fifteen thousand men—continued shooting arrows at the Beishuo army, their positions unmoving.
Boom...
The long spear thrust toward his temple. Although he knew it was Yang Jian, not a hint of fear showed on Liu Yuan's face. He didn't even attempt to block it, focusing solely on the Beishuo Sun Manifestation Level general charging fastest toward him. Watching the opponent's twin blades, his gaze sharp as lightning, Liu Yuan swung his long blade in a full circle around his body, chopping directly at that man.
Clang...
Just as Yang Jian's long spear was less than five meters from Liu Yuan's face, a black blade suddenly appeared, blocking in front of Liu Yuan.
"Third Brother Yang, your opponent is me!"
When two armies clash, the first to engage are inevitably the strongest.
How could Xia Chuan possibly sit back and watch Yang Jian deal with Liu Yuan?
Liu Yuan was also well aware that his opponent was not Yang Jian. That's why he had the confidence not to make any blocking move, focusing entirely on the enemy Sun Manifestation Level general wielding twin blades.
As Xia Chuan and Yang Jian engaged each other, and Liu Yuan led the Cloud Python Army into a fierce collision with the Beishuo army—like thunder meeting fire—the largest-scale battle in the history of the Southern Foothills region thus far had officially erupted.