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Chapter 731: Night Raid
Chapter 731: Night Raid
September 25, 2017
Whether Xu Zifu's understanding of war surpasses that of Lu Hai Kong is still a mystery, but one clear fact is that his preparation for this battle is indeed more thorough than Lu Hai Kong's.
Yuwen Kuo's three-hundred-thousand-strong army is the backbone of the Uxian twin tribes, and being entirely composed of native NPCs, their average combat strength is above 25, with a significant portion even reaching 30.
However, if we solely compare the strength of the legions, Yuwen Kuo's forces do not hold a significant advantage.
Wang Ti's legion, with its numerous formidable warriors, is already impressive, but even their weakest Hun cavalry soldiers possess individual combat strengths above 30, and their numbers far surpass those of the Xianbei tribes.
But their strategy was one of ambush and surprise, and they had prepared meticulously. It wasn't until the enemy was within a hundred meters of their camp that Wang Ti's forces realized what was happening.
At that moment, one side was tightly clenched like a fist, while the other was scattered like sand. Wang Ti's forces were inevitably overwhelmed and beaten down.
It was evident that the enemy had made thorough preparations for this night raid.
As they stormed in, the enemy's first action was not to kill, but to throw large cloth bags the size of fists towards the area where Wang Ti's legion's horses were gathered.
Upon landing, these cloth bags quickly exploded, emitting a pungent yellow smoke. The horses affected by the smoke had their eyes turn red, and chaos ensued in the entire camp as the horses started running wildly.
After disrupting Wang Ti's camp, the enemy launched their assault, brandishing their butcher knives and charging into the camp with lightning speed.
By this time, the camp was in complete disarray, making it impossible to organize any effective resistance, and they had no time to do so.
Under these circumstances, Yuwen Kuo led his soldiers in a swift and unstoppable advance.
It must be said that Yuwen Kuo, with his towering stature, possessed formidable strength. Wielding a pair of heavy hammers, he was a powerful tiger general who favored brute force, and although his combat strength had not broken through 90, it wasn't far off.
As he swung his heavy hammers, they were deadly, leaving death and injury in their wake. However, despite his ferocity, he showed no inclination to prolong the fight.
This night raid was meticulously planned, and their primary objective from the start was not to annihilate the cavalry. After thoroughly disrupting Wang Ti's legion, they charged into the camp and headed straight for Wang Ti's supply and logistics.
Before Wang Ti's forces could organize any resistance, they reached the supply and logistics area of Wang Ti's legion and set fire to the provisions.
After burning the supplies, Yuwen Kuo led his legion back out of the chaotic camp.
In reality, during this brief foray, many of Wang Ti's warriors had already reacted, including formidable generals like Dian Wei, Gao Lan, Yan Liang, and Zhao Er. Those who managed to find horses immediately mounted them and pursued Yuwen Kuo.
Each of these fearsome generals possessed astonishing strength, and although Yuwen Kuo was no pushover, if any one of them intercepted him, he would surely be doomed to a bloody end.
Fortunately, Yuwen Kuo had no intention of engaging them in a contest of strength.
After completing his mission, Yuwen Kuo discarded his temporary iron hammer and kept a low profile, hiding among his three-hundred-thousand-strong army and escaping the camp with them.
This move by Yuwen Kuo left Lu Hai Kong's group of generals, eager for a beheading, utterly frustrated. In the chaos of tens of thousands of soldiers, finding and eliminating a single hidden general was an extremely challenging task.
In the end, even after the entire army had fled the camp, Dian Wei and the others were unable to capture and eliminate Yuwen Kuo.
With Wang Ti's intervention, they could only watch helplessly as the enemy legion wreaked havoc within their camp and then departed without a care.
This battle erupted suddenly and concluded swiftly, lasting less than half an hour.
Half an hour was the latest time Xu Zifu had set for this night raid, and he had sternly instructed Yuwen Kuo to never exceed this time limit.
Xu Zifu had calculated this timing meticulously. If the night raid extended beyond half an hour, Yuwen Kuo would face significant danger, as the enemy could mobilize a powerful cavalry force to intercept them within that time frame.
Even Yuwen Kuo's decision to abandon his weapon and feign cowardice was at Xu Zifu's behest, and initially, Yuwen Kuo had refused this request.
As the de facto ruler of the Xianbei tribe, Yuwen Kuo held great respect for Xu Zifu and had warrior pride, believing himself to be no less capable than Lu Hai Kong's generals.
However, out of respect and trust in Xu Zifu, he replaced his legendary-grade war hammers with ordinary temporary ones before setting out.
At that moment, Uwen Kuo was grateful for his earlier decision.
After successfully completing his night raid mission, Uwen Kuo's confidence grew, believing that Lu HaiKong's elite forces were not as formidable as rumored.
However, just as his arrogance began to swell, a terrifying aura akin to a ghost's presence, a ferocious thunderous force, a profound and righteous energy, and a volcanic eruption of fury simultaneously erupted within the entire military camp.
Each of these auras was awe-inspiring, and any one of them could easily crush him.
As these four auras, filled with rage and madness, surged towards him, Uwen Kuo immediately cowered, handing over his war hammer to a body double who had been prepared in advance, while he himself hid cautiously within the military formation, no longer harboring any trace of contempt for Lu HaiKong's forces.
Especially after witnessing the body double holding his own hammers being violently split in half by a spear-wielding graceful warrior, Uwen Kuo's respect for Xu Zifu grew even further.
He was well aware that if he encountered that fiery martial artist, his body would likely be cold by now. At this moment, he felt fortunate for strictly adhering to Xu Zifu's battle plan.
Thanks to Xu Zifu's strategy, the night raid, despite lasting only half an hour, yielded astonishing results.
Wang Ti's forces barely managed to restore order after the half-hour night raid, requiring an entire day to clean up the aftermath.
Wang Ti's assessment revealed that the casualties among the soldiers were not significant, given that the night raid lasted only half an hour.
The Black Wind, Blood Bath, and Golden Legions suffered minimal losses, while a few thousand Hun soldiers perished, which was not considered a major casualty.
However, these casualties did not imply that the night raid was inconsequential for Wang Ti's forces. In fact, it dealt a significant blow, as the enemy's initial target was their food and supply stores.
In the 1619 book, there is no mistake!
The specially made medicine packs they used caused chaos among the military horses, with at least several thousand horses disappearing without a trace in the confusion. As for the food supplies set ablaze, despite Wang Ti's efforts to save them throughout the night, very little could be salvaged.
Currently, Wang Ti's remaining food supplies were insufficient for five days, which was a rather dire situation for them.
From a certain perspective, Wang Ti's actions could be considered a failure.
Not only were their identities exposed, but their food supplies were burned, leaving them in a precarious situation.
Moreover, due to the state of war, the long-distance communication tools they could use during peacetime were locked by the system, meaning Lu HaiKong was unaware of Wang Ti's predicament.
This was a critical situation, as once Wang Ti's forces were dealt with, Lu HaiKong could easily be defeated upon their return.
Wang Ti's forces naturally did not want this outcome, so after their setback, they began devising ways to inform Lu HaiKong.
However, by the time they decided to notify Lu HaiKong, it was already too late. Xu Zifu had already concentrated most of his forces to counter them.
At this point, Wang Ti's forces were under Xu Zifu's tight surveillance, and he did not allow even a shred of information to be transmitted.
After the night raid, Xu Zifu's actions did not cease. He continued with a series of small maneuvers, dividing his legions into numerous cavalry squads that repeatedly harassed Wang Ti's forces.
It wasn't a direct assault, as they never confronted Wang Ti's forces head-on. Instead, they employed various tactics, one after another, to keep Wang Ti's forces off-balance.
Feints, luring the tiger away from the mountain, surrounding the point and attacking the reinforcements—Xu Zifu's forces relentlessly wore down Wang Ti's troops.
Within just three days of the night raid, Xu Zifu had completely demoralized Wang Ti's forces.
Xu Zifu, like an experienced and steady matador, controlled the situation, while Wang Ti's forces were like a raging bull. Although Xu Zifu's strength was not superior, he held the advantage in terms of intelligence and timing.
Leveraging his slight advantage, Xu Zifu pushed Wang Ti's forces into a continuous retreat.
Lacking food supplies and constantly harassed day and night, Wang Ti's forces had no choice but to fight and retreat.
Xu Zifu did not let up on the retreating Wang Ti's forces; instead, he pursued them relentlessly.
For Xu Zifu, it was imperative to sever the powerful hand that Lu HaiKong had extended.
As Xu Zifu tightened his grip, Wang Ti's forces were also brewing a counterattack!
(End of Chapter)
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