https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-807-Confrontation-on-the-Battlefield/13043346/
Chapter 808: The Might of the Broken Cloud Crossbow
Chapter 808: The Might of the Broken Cloud Crossbow
September 25, 2017
If not for the Emperor Ling's order, Huangfu Song would have continued his preparations.
After all, Lu Hai Kong's strength was evident, even though he only had around three thousand troops. But these three thousand were not to be taken lightly, and Huangfu Song needed more preparation to have a chance against Lu Hai Kong.
However, Emperor Ling did not grant him the time he needed. With the imperial decree from the palace, Huangfu Song had no choice but to march his troops.
Upon receiving the edict, Huangfu Song did not make a righteous speech like Yuan Shao. Instead, he directly sounded the horns and commenced the attack.
Huangfu Song's Northern Army was a composite legion with infantry, cavalry, and archers.
But Huangfu Song did not send his cavalry to engage Lu Hai Kong's cavalry head-on, as he was well aware that his cavalry was no match for the enemy's. Although his cavalry was considered elite, they were not on the same level as Lu Hai Kong's, so Huangfu Song did not want to embarrass himself.
He consolidated his troops, adopting a defensive formation resembling a turtle shell, inching towards Lu Hai Kong's position.
In the formation, shield-bearers led the way, followed by spearmen, with broadsword-wielding guards protecting the archers at the rear. Cavalry flanked the wings, and as the army gradually advanced towards Lu Hai Kong, they slowly unfolded, assuming an encircling posture.
Huangfu Song's formation was specifically designed to counter Lu Hai Kong's cavalry charge. It had decent defensive capabilities and excellent adaptability and mobility to deal with cavalry charges, making it suitable for facing Lu Hai Kong's cavalry.
Of course, the effectiveness of this formation also depended on who was using it. After all, this formation was relatively complex, and without a certain level of control, employing it might not only fail to provide defense but also backfire.
Naturally, this was not an issue for Huangfu Song, who was renowned as the top general of the Great Han. His command over his troops was unmatched by most warlords, and even Lu Hai Kong paled in comparison. Among Lu Hai Kong's subordinates, perhaps only Zhang Mancheng could barely match him.
As Huangfu Song's army advanced, the people on the Luoyang city walls clearly saw Lu Hai Kong's cavalry in action. In this battle, Lu Hai Kong still did not personally engage, leaving the command to Zhao Er.
Although Zhao Er had not fought against Huangfu Song before, he had heard of his reputation, as Lu Hai Kong held Huangfu Song in high regard, and Zhang Mancheng shared this opinion.
Confronted by Huangfu Song's advancing army, Zhao Er did not choose to directly charge.
Zhao Er had previously served as the leader of the Black Wind Legion for a long time, and he was highly proficient in their tactics. Seeing Huangfu Song's army approaching, he directly employed the tactics of the Black Wind Legion.
Although the Bloodbath Legion was inferior to the Black Wind Legion in speed and flexibility, it was still far superior to the mostly infantry-based army they faced. Under Zhao Er's command, the Bloodbath Legion swiftly sprang into action.
As Lu Hai Kong's elite legion, the Bloodbath Legion was well-equipped, and for this campaign, Lu Hai Kong had equipped them with the Broken Cloud Crossbows.
These were Elite-grade weapons with immense power. Under Zhao Er's command, the Bloodbath Legion unleashed a volley of crossbow bolts at Huangfu Song's Northern Army before they even made contact.
The Broken Cloud Crossbows, as Elite-grade equipment, not only possessed terrifying attack power but were also incredibly expensive.
While ordinary crossbow bolts could be used, they couldn't fully unleash the potential of the Broken Cloud Crossbows. Special Broken Cloud Bolts were required, and each of these unique bolts was extremely costly, even after certain improvements. The price of a single bolt remained around fifty gold.
This meant that Zhao Er's initial volley of crossbow bolts cost a staggering fifteen thousand gold. This was still a relatively affordable price, as Lu Hai Kong produced these bolts himself; otherwise, the cost would have been at least five times higher.
There's a saying that war is fought with money.
Compared to Lu Hai Kong's Bloodbath Legion, the Northern Army, despite being the most powerful legion of the Great Han, was nothing more than a poor bunch. After the first wave of bolts costing fifteen thousand gold, the effect was immediately apparent.
Even with Huangfu Song's meticulous formation and his soldiers' thick armor and heavy iron shields, it was to no avail. Under the rain of arrows, Huangfu Song's Northern Army suffered heavy casualties, with at least a thousand injured and over a hundred killed in that first wave.
Fortunately, when Huangfu Song saw the bolts piercing through his soldiers' armor and shields like paper, he anticipated the situation and had prepared accordingly. After the initial volley, he swiftly responded.
Under Huang Fusong's command, his legions did not panic despite the barrage of arrows from Zhao Er. The gaps in their formation were swiftly filled, and Huang Fusong calmly directed the battle, organizing the defense while withdrawing the injured soldiers and tightening their formation to minimize the impact of the crossbow attack.
Huang Fusong's leadership was remarkable, demonstrating a high level of military prowess as he smoothly countered Zhao Er's assault.
However, Zhao Er's offensive continued relentlessly, leaving no time for Huang Fusong's troops were encircled, and another wave of arrows rained down, followed by a new volley from a different location, all within the blink of an eye.
In an instant, Zhao Er unleashed ten waves of crossbow arrows, each wave consisting of the devastating Po Yun arrows worth 1.5 million gold each. Such a lavish and reckless style of warfare could only be executed by a wealthy force like Lu Hai Kong's legion.
The power of wealth was indeed formidable, even on the battlefield. With 1.5 million gold spent, the once disciplined and tight formation of Huang Fusong's Northern Army began to show cracks and disarray.
Huang Fusong had performed admirably, quickly adapting to Zhao Er's continuous arrow attacks and initiating some defensive maneuvers. After the fifth wave, Zhao Er's effectiveness had diminished, but even so, ten waves of arrows took a toll on Huang Fusong's forces, causing their formation to falter.
With the enemy showing weakness, it was time to seize the opportunity and strike hard, ideally defeating them outright. Zhao Er abandoned the arrow attack and launched a direct assault with his over three thousand Bloodbath Legion charging towards Huang Fusong's main formation.
Zhao Er and Dian Wei led the charge, activating their ultimate abilities during the onslaught.
"Fight with blood, invincible with me!"
Two ferocious roars echoed, and two terrifying auras soared into the sky.
Behind Dian Wei, a colossal shadow resembling a ghostly god emerged, while a vague fire sea seemed to protect Zhao Er.
In the 1619th chapter, a bar, and a book, there was no mistake in this version!
The two top-tier warriors unleashed their full power, charging into Huang Fusong's formation like two war machines.
Their momentum was unstoppable, reminiscent of their battle against the Western Garden's Eight Schools.
Huang Fusong's legion, first battered by arrows, now faced the onslaught of the Bloodbath Legion. They had no resistance and were easily breached by the relentless assault.
The ministers atop Luoyang's walls watched in shock. Wang Yun, in particular, slammed his fist against the wall in front of him.
"What is Huang Fusong doing? How could he be defeated so easily? Isn't he the top general of the Great Han?" Wang Yun exclaimed.
Just as everyone thought Huang Fusong was about to lose, he pointed his longsword towards the sky, and the once chaotic and disorganized army quickly stabilized.
A hint of a smile appeared in Huang Fusong's eyes, and he began issuing a series of commands.
Under Huang Fusong's leadership, the scattered troops were reorganized into a tight formation within a mere ten minutes.
This new formation, in addition to its precision, exerted a greater sense of oppression, pushing towards the Bloodbath Legion as if to drive them towards the city walls. Simultaneously, the Northern Army atop the walls began to mobilize, activating various defensive mechanisms.
Over the past few decades, the Great Han's military strength had declined, but its true treasure lay in the city defense system of Luoyang.
Crafted by master-level artisans, some even by grandmasters, these defenses had withstood the test of centuries without any signs of damage, retaining their full power. Once activated, the Bloodbath Legion, if driven to the foot of Luoyang's walls by Huang Fusong, would face certain annihilation.
The ministers witnessing this understood Huang Fusong's plan, but could he really force the Bloodbath Legion to the city walls? It seemed unlikely.
Given the Bloodbath Legion's recent overwhelming offensive, many ministers feared they might easily breach the defenses again.
While everyone's attention was focused on the Bloodbath Legion and Huang Fusong's infantry, few noticed that Huang Fusong's cavalry had quietly left the formation...
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
