Chapter 340: Rout
Chapter 340: Rout
September 25, 2017
Lu HaiKong had been anticipating the impending battle, but his focus wasn't on surviving the onslaught of tens of thousands of troops. From the very beginning, he aimed to win this war!
Over the past while, Lu HaiKong had been preparing for two things, the most crucial of which was getting ready for tonight's night raid.
The Black Gale Legion and the Third Battalion had been assembled by him long ago and had been hiding behind Zhang Yan's main force, while the Vanguard Legion and the Bodyguard Regiment on Lu HaiKong's side were ready to go as soon as the Black Gale Legion created chaos in the enemy's main camp.
As flames erupted from Zhang Yan's camp, Lu HaiKong didn't hesitate to launch his attack.
Lu HaiKong had been observing the day's battle, and he knew that the hastily assembled soldiers hadn't bonded through the day's fighting.
Instead, the brutal and bloody battle had sown seeds of unease among the soldiers, and the massive loss of officers during the day's fight had left many of their insecurities unaddressed.
Under these circumstances, the Black Gale Legion's night raid, accompanied by flames, completely ignited the soldiers' unease.
As the flames rose, Lu HaiKong knew the enemy camp was in chaos, and his opportunity had arrived.
A thousand Black Gale Legion troops, along with three thousand Third Battalion bandits, simultaneously attacked, riding their horses and shooting arrows from outside the camp.
The thousands of bandit archers wreaked havoc with their bows, and the already chaotic camp became even more like a boiling pot, completely disarrayed.
At this moment, among this vast army, the only ones capable of rallying combat strength, aside from the Zhang Family Army, were few and far between. What's more, the Zhang Family Army had been split into two by Zhang Yan, with one part driving out the Black Gale Legion and the other maintaining order in the camp.
Now, in this situation, the portion of the Zhang Family Army tasked with maintaining order was scattered by the panicked soldiers, unable to form any cohesive fighting force. Meanwhile, the other part of the Zhang Family Army was facing the Black Gale Legion and the Third Battalion, a total of four thousand cavalry, attempting to block them outside the camp.
The title of the strongest army in Bingzhou, bestowed upon the Zhang Family Army, was likely exaggerated, and during this peaceful period of the Greater Han, there weren't many truly powerful legions. Nonetheless, the Zhang Family Army's strength was still worthy of the elite title.
Zhang Family Army
Strength: 30
Equipment: Light Iron Armor, Light Iron Helmet, Light Iron Spear, Light Iron Boots
Unit Trait: Defense Enhancement
Defense Enhancement: Passive Trait. When engaging in combat, defense capability is increased by ten percent.
It was evident that this version of the Zhang Family Army was a downgraded version of the Zhang Family Elite Guard that Zhang Yang had led.
This version of the Zhang Family Army, while slightly inferior in strength and equipment, made up for it with a significantly larger number of troops.
This time, Zhang Yan had brought over five thousand Zhang Family Army soldiers, and since they were divided into two groups, the ones blocking the Black Gale Legion and the Third Battalion numbered around two thousand five hundred to three thousand.
With infantry facing cavalry, one side numbering less than three thousand and the other over four thousand, the outcome of this battle was quite predictable.
This was a battle they were bound to lose, something everyone knew, but Zhang Yan intended to use these two thousand five hundred Zhang Family Army soldiers to hold off the Black Gale Legion and the Third Battalion, buying himself time.
As long as he could gain some time, he was confident that the Zhang Family Legion could stabilize the situation with the county troops and reunite them.
In the current situation, Zhang Yan could only stabilize the battle by doing this; otherwise, he was destined to lose tonight.
It's quite ironic. Before this battle began, Zhang Yan's goal was simple: to capture this mountain bandit stronghold within half a day and return to his family as a victor. However, as the battle progressed, when he halted the siege, his goal had changed to just capturing the stronghold at any time. By the time the Darkwind Legion launched their night raid, Zhang Yan's only thought was to stabilize the situation and not lose to Lu Hai Kong's assault.
This significant shift marked the turning point of the battle.
On the other side, facing the Zhang Family Army's resistance, the Darkwind Legion simply rode around them, unleashing a wave of arrows as they passed. The Darkwind Legion was now equipped with Elite bows, which, combined with their cavalry archery trait, were extremely powerful. Even the thick armor of the Zhang Family Army struggled to withstand the arrow shower.
One wave was enough to cause significant casualties among the Zhang Family Army, but the Darkwind Legion only fired once before moving on.
Their initial tactical objective was clear: to attack the county troops and create chaos in the enemy camp. They would not be deterred by the Zhang Family Army.
Following the Darkwind Legion, the Third Battalion made the same choice, bypassing the Zhang Family Army to attack the county troops inside the camp!
The terrain outside the stronghold had been leveled during the initial development, making it wide and flat. In such conditions, the Zhang Family Army, numbering less than three thousand, stood no chance against the speed advantage of the Darkwind Legion and the Third Battalion.
The moment the two cavalry units charged into the main camp, the outcome of the battle was almost certain.
The tens of thousands of county troops collapsed in chaos, causing widespread trampling and fleeing. The two thousand Zhang Family Army soldiers tasked with holding them back were also trampled and killed in the process.
"The battle is lost! We have been defeated!"
Looking at the scene before him, the forty-year-old Zhang Yan seemed to have aged twenty years in an instant. Despite not being undefeated in his over a decade of battlefield experience, he had always been honored.
All that glory would be shattered today, right outside this stronghold he had initially deemed insignificant!
The flashes of fire and blades danced in the main camp like a dazzling and spectacular light show, accompanied by the symphony of hoof beats, horse whinnies, and screams, creating a symphony of death and defeat.
On the other side, Lu Hai Kong led the Vanguard Legion and the Bodyguard Regiment into the camp, charging in like tigers and slaughtering anyone who dared to stand in their way.
This was no longer a battle; it was a massacre.
The slaughter lasted for over an hour. Only when Lu Hai Kong and his forces fully controlled the situation did it finally stop.
"Those who lay down their weapons and surrender will not be killed!"
The authoritative announcement echoed through the camp, spreading from one bandit and bandit to another. A large number of county troops knelt down at once.
Moments later, the only ones still standing in the camp, besides Lu Hai Kong's own soldiers, were a thousand Zhang Family Elite Guards and Zhang Yan, who was dejected but still proud among them.
………………
Thank you for reading!
(End of Chapter)
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