Chapter 715: Lure with Oneself |
I don't understand!
Meng Shan Ming was taken to the mountain, personally surveying the enemy's disposition. Yet, even after seeing the enemy's formation, he remained baffled by what was happening.
Nevertheless, he remarked with encouragement, "The troop disposition is, in principle, quite good. Zi Ping Xu certainly knows how to pick sons-in-law."
Su Qi Tong said, "They say that in his younger years, Cheng Shao Tong was no less capable than Luo Zhao. It's just that he wasn't as fortunate as Luo Zhao. They say he had to endure some hardships because he lacked backing. That's why he agreed to become Zi Ping Xu's son-in-law. They also say that Zi Ping Xu liked him and even offered him his daughter. But Cheng Shao Tong refused. In the end, Zi Ping Xu set a trap for Cheng Shao Tong, causing him to suffer hardships and, facing reality, accept Zi Ping Xu's offer."
"They say there was another version of the story. After Cheng Shao Tong's refusal, Zi Ping Xu didn't press the matter. However, his daughter, upon learning that someone had refused to marry her, grew furious and raised a fuss. She demanded to see the insolent fellow who had rejected her and went to Cheng Shao Tong. But as soon as she saw him, she fell head over heels in love. She was captivated by his manly courage. In the end, she went to her father and declared that she would marry no one but Cheng Shao Tong. Zi Ping Xu had no choice but to force Cheng Shao Tong to yield."
Zhang Hu, standing nearby, looked surprised. "Su, so you actually pay attention to such nonsense?"
Su Qi Tong replied with a laugh, "After I found out he was commanding the army against us, I immediately began to inquire about him. And this was also recounted. Whether it's true or not, after Zi Ping Xu, Cheng Shao Tong's status changed and opportunities opened up for him. Though, it wasn't exactly great. His military career didn't progress swiftly. He was given posts that didn't require much effort, and consequently, few achievements. The Emperor of the Song Kingdom didn't want Zi Ping Xu to gain influence over military power. And of course, he naturally didn't allow his man to advance. I heard that if we hadn't attacked the capital, it wouldn't have been Cheng Shao Tong's turn to command the troops."
Zhang Hu, looking at the warriors, said, "The troop deployment isn't bad. But the men are weak, definitely not the skilled warriors who were by the river. A different breed altogether."
Su Qi Tong said to Meng Shan Ming, "Commander-in-Chief, I have everything prepared. We can launch the attack at any moment. Shall we probe them now?"
There was nothing for it; to learn something, one must do something. You couldn't keep deluding yourself.
"Commander-in-Chief, don't worry. If it turns out they were tricking us all this time, I will immediately wipe them out!" Su Qi Tong turned and instantly commanded his aide, "Relay the order. Begin the attack according to plan!"
"Yes, sir!" the aide replied. Very soon, a detachment of men began to push through the forest.
The Song Kingdom's forces were not blind either. They immediately noticed the strangeness and sounded their horn.
And the entirety of Bulao Mountain stirred. They began to organize their defenses.
Being in his tent, Cheng Shao Tong heard the signal and immediately stepped out. A commander rushed over and reported, "General, the Yan Kingdom's forces have begun their offensive."
Cheng Shao Tong immediately headed in the direction indicated. He saw a group of men pushing towards their troops.
Upon learning that the Song Kingdom's forces had noticed them, Su Qi Tong waved his hand: "Boom-boom-boom-boom..." The sounds of drumming could be heard in the forest.
"Kill!" A detachment of fifty thousand warriors began to shout. In front marched warriors with shields, behind them, those with wooden rafts. All headed into battle.
The Song Kingdom's forces had dug a trench, and inside the trench were sharpened stakes. Behind the trench, a group of Song Kingdom warriors drew their bows and began to shoot at the detachment Su Qi Tong had sent. A rain of arrows descended upon the detachment.
Arrows fell from the sky, their whistling grated on the ears. The Yan Kingdom warriors raised their shields and defended against the arrows. "Take cover!" the warriors shouted. After the arrows ceased falling, Yan Kingdom archers peeked out from behind their shields and returned fire. The detachment continued to advance. They held their shields and simultaneously shot their bows.
The Yan Kingdom warriors moved with considerable coordination. It was evident they were seasoned warriors.
Though not a few warriors fell to the arrows, the detachment as a whole advanced quickly. Seeing his fallen brethren, Su Qi Tong's cheeks tightened. Standing at the mountaintop, Cheng Shao Tong's cheeks also tightened, and he clenched his fists.
He immediately noticed that the difference between his warriors and the enemy's was vast. And the dead and wounded on his side were far more numerous.
His warriors simply couldn't hold the defense. Thus, the Yan Kingdom's forces reached the trench. The shields allowed them to force their way through the arrows, while the wooden rafts were needed for a bridge across the trench. The warriors threw down the rafts and then bound them together to cross to the opposite side of the trench.
Some rafts were immediately thrown off course, but the Yan Kingdom warriors understood that crossing the trench would require many rafts, and ignoring this, they threw down other rafts and tied them together. That's how they crossed: in front, they cleared and secured the path; behind, they dragged wooden shields forward.
"It won't be easy. The Yan Kingdom warriors are very good!" Seeing it all, Cheng Shao Tong said, bewildered.
In the end, the Song Kingdom cultivators moved forward and began to engage the warriors or cut the makeshift bridges. This caused many Yan Kingdom warriors to fall into the trench, where they were impaled by the stakes.
The Yan Kingdom cultivators didn't stand by idly either, and rushed forward. They either extended the bridge, or helped the Yan Kingdom warriors, or fought against the Song cultivators.
And the warriors on both sides couldn't be compared. It was immediately clear who was stronger. In the end, the Yan forces pushed forward.
Cheng Shao Tong's eyes nearly split open. His defense line had shattered so quickly and easily. After all, his men were far more numerous than the attackers. But they still couldn't withstand the assault. He couldn't help but exclaim, "A bunch of rubbish!"
His aide muttered, "General, perhaps you should issue an order!"
Cheng Shao Tong glared at the enemy's main tent and roared angrily, "What's the rush? Let's wait a bit longer. Several hundred thousand can't stop a few tens of thousands?"
The aide replied, "General, we merely have a mob; they cannot be compared to warriors at all!"
Cheng Shao Tong roared furiously, "Nonsense, shut your mouth! They know we are surrounded and can attack us from all sides. But first, they sent a probing detachment, they want to test us. Don't you understand? They want to know what the catch is. Can we possibly show them that now? In such a situation, don't think your opponent is a fool. Defend with all your might! If they die, let them die giving their all. We must not use our trump cards now!"
He jabbed a finger at his aide's nose. "I am the bait myself. Would I be worth a mere few tens of thousands of warriors? Let these rabble defend us well. Let them see blood for the first time. And let the attackers believe in themselves. Issue the order: resist with all your might. Those who flee shall be executed!" "Yes, sir!" The aide immediately obeyed the order and went to carry it out.
From the mountaintops, one could see over a hundred thousand people were fighting; one could say they were mere peasants.
However, an unorganized mob could hardly stop organized troops. Cheng Shao Tong, watching the Yan Kingdom forces advance, turned his head and asked, "Are you sure my men won't be attacked?"
Among the armored commanders, one man said slowly, "The General can rest assured. These days, we have been adding medicine to the warriors' diet. The medicine has already deeply permeated our men's bodies. A special Qi emanates from their bodies, which will prevent them from being attacked! The General has personally verified this already, so why such worry?"
Cheng Shao Tong nodded slightly and sighed. It wasn't that he was worried; he simply had to confirm everything several times. He could not afford to lose this battle!
He had tried to advance in his career for so many years, but he hadn't truly gotten a chance. And now, if he lost this battle, it would not only affect his standing but also his own future!
Zhang Hu, watching the battle, said, "Of the four hundred thousand warriors, likely half have already been routed by our detachment. This doesn't look like a trick. It seems Cheng Shao Tong was truly deceiving us!"
Su Qi Tong immediately said to Meng Shan Ming, "Commander-in-Chief, it seems there's no trick. The enemy forces are in the center. We have surrounded them and can wipe them out in one go. What can this unorganized mob do to us?"
He was anxious, for several thousand of his brethren were currently surrounded by the enemy. If he didn't send reinforcements, it could be said that even if his detachment won, many of his brethren would still perish. And at this moment, he couldn't send them back either. For if they were sent back, the purpose of their raid would be completely lost. And so many brethren would have died in vain.
Meng Shan Ming furrowed his brows.
Gong Ling Ze stood nearby and saw how the commander was troubled. He understood that Meng Shan Ming was worried about something.
"Commander-in-Chief, we can attack from all sides!" Zhang Hu added as well. Meng Shan Ming finally nodded and said with a sigh, "Advance!"
Though his heart was filled with doubts, at this moment, he finally had to definitively ascertain whether there was a trap or not. Su Qi Tong turned joyfully and announced the order: "All my men, begin attacking from all sides!"
"Yes, sir!" The aide immediately rushed off to carry it out.
Very soon, from all sides, the Haozhou forces along with the imperial troops began to emerge from the mountain forest. They numbered around five hundred thousand.
Drums around Bulao Mountain began to thunder. Massive armies attacked the mountain from all directions. The troops advanced like thunder.
"General, the Yan Kingdom's forces are attacking from all sides," the aide reported in haste.
"I'm not blind, I can see it myself!" A glint appeared in Cheng Shao Tong's eyes. He watched with a fierce expression as the Yan Kingdom forces had finally begun their large-scale assault on him. He said to the commander in light armor, "Commence!"