bookrandom Chapter 114 Between Victory and Defeat
Chapter 114 Between Victory and Defeat
The Tang soldiers were busy at their posts; some were bending over, sharpening their swords, while others were gently patting their warhorses to soothe their nervousness.
"Brothers, are you ready?" Guo Ziyi stepped forward, his gaze sweeping firmly over each soldier.
His generals stood in silent agreement, awaiting his orders.
"We are ready! For the glory of the Tang Dynasty!" a young soldier shouted in response, his voice trembling slightly.
“Very good. Remember, we must seek victory through stability and strike first. The enemy is already amassing forces; we must not underestimate them.” Li Mao stood to the side, surveying the surroundings.
"Your Highness, what if the enemy launches a sudden attack?" a soldier couldn't help but ask.
"No matter how fierce the enemy is, we must remain calm and composed," Guo Ziyi replied, his tone carrying a hint of composure.
As the battle horns pierced the frigid air, the majority of the Tang army completed their formations and moved towards the battlefield.
Each soldier held a weapon, shoulder to shoulder, moving in unison.
The war drums sounded, and the rising fighting spirit swirled in the air, just as an invisible layer of gunpowder smoke filled the battlefield.
On the opposite side, the banners of the Wolf Army began to flutter, and their shadows gradually appeared on the horizon.
"They're here! The Wolf Army is here!" a soldier reported nervously to the rear.
"Stay calm. They are only human beings, don't be frightened by appearances," Li Jingqing said calmly, though his heart was racing.
The vanguard of the wolf army launched the first attack, their footsteps thundering as they rapidly approached the Tang army's positions.
Guo Ziyi squinted, carefully observing the enemy's formation.
"Archers, target directly ahead!" At Guo Ziyi's command, hundreds and thousands of arrows shot out, piercing the sky and heading straight for the enemy's front line.
Arrows rained down, forcing the wolf army to slow down.
"Maintain formation, launch another wave!" Guo Ziyi turned and signaled, slowing down the enemy's advance once again.
The Tang army was in high spirits and, under Guo Ziyi's command, they were like a neat and uniform blade, piercing straight into the enemy camp.
Li Mao, mounted on his horse, had an invisible killing intent in his eyes.
"This is a critical moment, hold your ground!" Li Mao shouted, and morale soared once again.
"Their numbers are increasing. Can we hold them off?" A soldier couldn't hide the tremor in his voice.
“We can hold on, we’ve never lost,” his companion whispered in response.
On the battlefield, the Wolf Army's reinforcements gradually revealed their strength.
Under the enemy's relentless offensive, the various legions constantly changed formations, disguising themselves as retreating to demonstrate the superiority of the enemy over themselves.
"Mobilize reinforcements and stabilize the rear!" Guo Ziyi quickly dispatched the already deployed ambush troops to the center of the battlefield to disrupt the enemy's rhythm.
However, the battlefield situation changes rapidly.
The wolf army quickly adjusted, attempting to shift its focus to the flanks and outflank the Tang army's defenses.
"General, they are mobilizing troops to try and separate us!" a soldier reminded Guo Ziyi.
"It's alright, this is the opportunity we've been waiting for." Guo Ziyi ordered the flank troops to wait for the right moment and ride out to meet the enemy.
The morale of the Tang soldiers on the flank was immediately ignited; they raised their weapons and charged forward.
At that very moment, Guo Ziyi and his small detachment of soldiers, who had been lying in ambush, appeared behind enemy lines and cut off their supply lines.
"Good! They're tied down." Li Jingqing clenched his fist, his face beaming with undisguised joy.
"Continue to apply pressure, don't give them a chance to breathe!" Guo Ziyi swiftly accelerated the counterattack, forcing the Wolf Army to be attacked from both sides.
At this moment, Li Mao led the reinforcements into the wolf army's formation, quickly adjusted their formation, and formed a three-sided encirclement, trapping the enemy at the bottom of the valley.
"Your Highness, this is an excellent opportunity! We should press our advantage and pursue them!" Li Jingqing excitedly shouted to Li Mao.
"Alright, now, give it your all!" Li Mao brandished his sword, his voice like rolling thunder, inspiring every Tang soldier.
Faced with the increasingly fierce attacks of the Tang army, the Wolf Army continued to put up a stubborn resistance. The generals frequently ordered to hold the defensive line and strive for the opportunity to join forces with the allied forces.
"Reinforcements haven't arrived yet, and we might not be able to hold out much longer," a wolf army general reported to his leader with a look of fear on his face.
"Keep fighting, they can't hold out for long." The Wolf Army General steadied the enemy.
However, as time went by, the wolf army was already in chaos and unable to resist.
Finally, when Li Mao and Guo Ziyi launched their final all-out attack, the Wolf Army was routed, and its remnants scattered in all directions, ultimately unable to organize an effective counterattack.
After the battle, Tang soldiers helped each other to transport emergency supplies to the wounded.
Li Mao summoned all his generals to analyze the battle results.
"Today is our victory, but this will not be the last attack. We still have enemies," Guo Ziyi reminded everyone.
Li Mao nodded and said slowly, "We have not yet fully cracked the enemy's plot, and we still need to continue searching for traces of that hidden tribe."
At this moment, Guo Ziyi thought of some new clues and said, "Your Highness, I think we can try to extract some intelligence from the captured enemy soldiers. Perhaps we can find some clues that will help us in our future actions."
“Good, that’s exactly what I wanted to say. We cannot let our guard down, and we must not be blinded by temporary victories,” Li Mao said solemnly.
"Although we won this battle, the enemy's undercurrents remain," Guo Ziyi said softly.
“Yes, the enemy must have more tricks up their sleeve, especially that hidden tribe.” Li Mao nodded.
At this moment, a deputy general hurried over, his expression slightly grave. "Your Highness, General Guo, according to the confessions of the captured wolf soldiers, they did indeed have contact with an unknown tribe. It seems that the tribe provided them with considerable weapons and supplies."
Upon hearing this news, Li Mao's expression shifted slightly. "As expected. Then we need to be even more cautious, not only guarding against overt enemies but also being wary of covert attacks."
“Yes, Your Highness. I suggest we intensify the infiltration of intelligence agents to thoroughly investigate the tribe’s inner workings. Only by truly understanding their intentions can we completely thwart the enemy’s plot,” Guo Ziyi offered his suggestion.
“Very good, this requires careful planning. We must concentrate all our intelligence resources on this,” Li Mao said in a low voice.
“Your Highness, General Guo, there is one more thing,” the deputy continued, “Some soldiers are exhausted from the battle and need to rest.”
“I will personally go and deliver the news of our victory.” Li Mao took a deep breath.
So Li Mao and Guo Ziyi went into the camp to visit all the wounded who had survived the battle.
Many soldiers had bandages wrapped around their arms or chests, and upon seeing Li Mao, their pain seemed to lessen somewhat.