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On the snow-covered Yuegu Slope, the two armies clashed.
Tang Yueshan"s forces were outnumbered by the enemy, and archers were more suited for long-range combat. They were simply unable to make full use of their advantage in close-quarters fighting. Therefore, Tang Yueshan chose not to engage in a direct confrontation with the State of Chen"s army.
After a few feigned attacks, he ordered a full-scale retreat.
However, their feet could not outrun the cavalry, and no matter how the army retreated, they were gradually overtaken by the State of Chen cavalrymen.
They found themselves trapped in a narrow gorge with only one way out. Ahead lay 15,000 State of Chen infantry, while behind them was the relentless pursuit of 5,000 cavalry.
Their only option was to attempt to break through at one end of the gorge or they could only be trapped and die in the gorge.
Tang Yueshan, atop his horse, looked back and forth, considering their grim predicament. In reality, with their current military strength, whether they faced 5,000 cavalry or 15,000 infantry, the difference wasn"t significant. It was merely a matter of lasting a little shorter or a little longer in the struggle, but ultimately, the result would be the complete annihilation of their entire army.
One of the archers spoke up, "General, we"ll clear a path for you to escape. You need to break through!" [T/N: TYS official position is the Supreme Commander of the whole army, but he is also a General, especially of the Tang Archers.]
They might not survive, but if they could give everything to protect Tang Yueshan and create a b.l.o.o.d.y path to escape, they would have fulfilled their duty.
"General, break through and escape! When the reinforcements from the court arrive, make sure to avenge us!"
"That’s right, General! We will protect you and create a path for you to escape!"
Not a single person dissented.
Tang Yueshan had risked his life to rescue them from Ye City, so they were more than willing to risk their lives to ensure his escape.
"Am I, Tang Yueshan, someone who would seek to save my own life in such a cowardly manner? Even if I die today——"
Before he could finish his statement, a State of Chen cavalryman fired an arrow, and it struck the first archer who had proposed Tang Yueshan"s escape.
Tang Yueshan abruptly turned and glared at the approaching State of Chen cavalry. "Archers, prepare!"
The five hundred archers quickly formed their formation and drew their bows and arrows in unison.
With the cavalry rapidly closing in, they had little time to prepare for the attack.
Tang Yueshan raised his arm and bellowed, "Release the arrows!"
The first volley of arrows was unleashed. The archers in front swiftly crouched down and readied their next arrows while the archers behind them seamlessly stood up and shot the second round of arrows.
The Tang Family archers were known for their extraordinary marksmanship, and not a single arrow went astray.
However, they didn"t have enough arrows.
Before the State of Chen cavalry reached their optimal firing range, the Tang Family archers had exhausted all their arrows. 108 arrows, 108 direct hits.
They had done their best.
They were true to their t.i.tle as Tang Family archers, and they had not brought disgrace upon Supreme Commander Tang.
The archers pulled out the short sword from their waists, ready to face death!
The moment to descend to h.e.l.l together with the soldiers of the State of Chen had come!
Kill one, get even; kill two, make a profit!
It was the moment when they were about to charge headlong into battle to perish together with the State of Chen cavalry, that they heard a loud noise from above. All eyes turned upwards, and from the towering mountain ridges on one side of the gorge came a huge rock tumbling down.
The rock rumbled loudly and crashed into the ranks of the State of Chen cavalry with a kind of explosive noise.
A series of thunderous explosions could be heard as the surrounding State of Chen cavalry were blasted away!
Tang Yueshan also raised his head.
Beneath the vast sky and atop the mountain, he saw a youth in green attire holding a red-ta.s.seled spear. With one foot proudly planted on a rock, she arrogantly looked down upon the chaotic cavalry of the State of Chen, which had been thrown into disarray by the explosion.
On the towering mountain ridge, her figure appeared very small.
However, her presence was overwhelmingly powerful. For an instant, Tang Yueshan felt as if he was witnessing a battle deity, born solely for the battlefield.
Not all the soldiers were familiar with gunpowder, and many hadn"t even heard of it. Even those who had heard about it hadn"t seen it in action.
The State of Chen soldiers were utterly dumbfounded by the explosion!
The originally well-organized cavalry formation suddenly fell into chaos. This time, the cavalry was led by a general from the Rong Family, who also shared the surname Rong and was named Rong Can.
Rong Can was one of the few people who had seen black gunpowder. When he accompanied Rong Yao on a visit to the State of Liang, they encountered people from the State of Yan demonstrating their black gunpowder. However, he stood at a distance and only heard the noise, without witnessing its actual power in action.
Rong Yao had later described the experience to him, but he couldn"t have imagined it would be this terrifying in practice.
Therefore, even Rong Can was momentarily stunned.
But he made a great effort to suppress his shock, not wanting the soldiers to see his confusion. He tightened his reins and shouted, "Don"t panic, it"s just a falling rock. Nothing to worry about——"
Rumble! Rumble!
Before he could finish, another huge rock came crashing down. His words were drowned out by the terrifying noise.
Rong Can had very limited knowledge of gunpowder, or perhaps it was his first time witnessing such devastating power. He didn"t immediately consider what he should do at that moment.
To rea.s.sure the soldiers that this thing wasn"t so frightening, he decided to take action. He unsheathed his sword and swung at the huge rock that was rolling toward him.
With a resounding explosion, Rong Can was sent flying!
To maximize the intimidation factor, Gu Jiao had used all the black gunpowder b.a.l.l.s she had at her disposal. In reality, there was no possibility of a third attempt.
This kind of black gunpowder mixture had significant power, but compared to the explosives she had known in her previous life, it fell short in terms of lethality. To put it simply, its lethality was secondary, and the main purpose was intimidation.
Tang Yueshan and his army were also a bit bewildered. They couldn"t understand what had just happened. Was it fireworks? It didn"t quite seem like it…
Tang Yueshan was the first to regain his senses. He knew that the battlefield"s dynamics changed in the blink of an eye. The morale of the soldiers could be at its lowest or highest in an instant.
He didn"t concern himself with understanding this new weapon. He withdrew his gaze and unsheathed his longsword, pointing forward and shouting, "Reinforcements from the imperial court have arrived! The Gu Family Army is here! Everyone, follow me and fight!"
The explosion of the black gunpowder b.a.l.l.s had left everyone momentarily stunned, with no one thinking about whether Tang Yueshan"s words were true or not.
The State of Chen"s cavalry, without a leader, began to lose their formation. Seeing this, Tang Yueshan"s army"s morale surged. Even after three days and nights of hunger, they seemed to be suddenly filled with strength. Everyone raised the tips of their blades and charged fearlessly toward The State of Chen cavalry!
The State of Zhao might be weaker, but its people were far from lacking in courage.
Tang Yueshan led the charge, taking the frontlines!
This time, it was Gu Jiao who paved the way for him.
Gu Jiao drew her bow, and wherever Tang Yueshan went, Gu Jiao"s arrows followed.
He also completely handed over his back to Gu Jiao.
Tang Yueshan discovered that Gu Jiao had astonishing talent in archery. However, Gu Jiao had only recently started practicing archery, and she was nowhere near as accurate as Tang Yueshan. Several times, she came close to hitting Tang Yueshan"s b.u.t.tocks.
Tang Yueshan burst into cold sweat!
Girl, I suspect you’re doing it on purpose!
Tang Yueshan found himself caught in a three-way ambush and was eventually forced off his horse, an arrow flying through his crotch.
Tang Yueshan who was only half an inch short of being shot: "..."
The arrow pa.s.sed between his legs, piercing straight through and hitting the foot of a soldier from the State of Chen who was trying to ambush him from behind. The soldier let out a scream and fell to the ground!Raz P."s Thoughts
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