bookrandom Chapter 2233 Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Inviting the Defender into the Trap!
Chapter 2233 Killing Two Birds with One Stone: Inviting the Defender into the Trap!
Under the rain of arrows, it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe. Clearly, Li Shiming was willing to pay the price of friendly fire to kill Chu Ning!
"Raise your shields! Form ranks!"
Chu Ning sensed the arrow rain the moment it ascended into the air. He deflected an enemy in front of him with his silver spear and gave the order without hesitation.
The well-trained elite Chu army reacted extremely quickly.
The soldiers on the outer perimeter quickly abandoned the pursuit and rapidly moved towards the center.
At the same time, the large rectangular shields that had remained unused and were held by two soldiers were suddenly raised.
Layer upon layer, they quickly built an impenetrable steel barrier above and around Chu Ning and the others!
"Knock knock knock knock...!"
Arrows rained down like a waterfall, crashing heavily against the shield wall, producing a muffled sound like a torrential downpour striking a tin roof.
However, shockingly, apart from a few stray arrows that entered from tricky angles and caused minor scratches,
The vast majority of powerful arrows were firmly blocked by this seemingly ordinary shield wall, and could not even penetrate the shield surface!
It turns out that the shields carried by these 500 elite Chu soldiers were not ordinary wooden shields covered with iron.
Instead, it was made by the top craftsmen of the Great Chu Dynasty through repeated forging and layering of refined steel, making it lightweight, sturdy, and incredibly defensive, specifically designed to withstand the barrage of powerful bows and crossbows.
Although Li Shimin's Tang army was elite, in their hasty pursuit, they carried mostly light cavalry bows or ordinary foot bows.
The arrows were not specially made armor-piercing heavy arrows, yet they were unable to penetrate this top-level equipment designed specifically to protect the emperor!
After a volley of arrows, the shield wall slightly opened up, but the Chu army's formation remained stable, with minimal casualties.
On the other hand, the Youzhou army and some Tang troops who charged at the forefront and failed to retreat in time fell in droves under the rain of arrows from their own side, their cries of agony filling the air, and their offensive completely collapsed.
"this……!"
Seeing that his arrow attack had failed, Li Shiming's face grew even uglier, and his fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
He hadn't expected that the guards around Chu Ning were so well-equipped.
Just as Li Shiming was burning with rage and preparing to order a full-scale attack at all costs, even using the few ballistae that accompanied his army, the sound of horses' hooves rang out.
Chu Xuan rode his horse to his chariot.
Unlike Li Shiming's fury, Chu Xuan wore a cold and confident smile.
He gazed down at the Chu army's circular formation below, which, though temporarily suppressed by the rain of arrows, remained as formidable as an iron hedgehog. Lowering his voice, he said to Li Shiming:
"Your Majesty, why are you so angry? Temporary gains and losses are insignificant to the overall situation."
His gaze was deep, as if he had already foreseen the situation before him: "The ultimate purpose of our gathering here today is not just to kill Chu Ning on this Changting Slope."
Upon hearing this, Li Shiming's heart skipped a beat, and he turned to look at Chu Xuan: "What does Prince Xuan mean?"
Chu Xuan's cold smile widened as he gazed at the distant horizon, at the Jianghuai City, its outline clearly defined in the sunlight, and slowly said:
"With Chu Ning here, Jianghuai City will inevitably be undefended."
"The reason he dared to leave the city with only five hundred men was simply because he relied on the fact that Jianghuai City was high and deeply fortified, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and thought that we couldn't do anything to him."
"And we will just turn the tables on them."
He withdrew his gaze, met Li Shiming's eyes, and gleamed with the satisfaction of a successful scheme:
"Now, Chu Ning is firmly tied up here, unable to advance or retreat, and unable to spare any attention."
"And the time is ripe for our backup plan under the city of Jianghuai."
A flicker of realization crossed Li Shiming's eyes, but it was quickly replaced by the same sinister ruthlessness and excitement.
Yes, from the very beginning, their goal was to completely destroy Chu Ning's forces, seize the strategic stronghold of Jianghuai, and open up a passage to the south!
Killing Chu Ning is the means; seizing Jianghuai is the key!
"Haha, good! What a brilliant two-birds-with-one-stone strategy, luring the enemy into the trap!"
Li Shimin clapped his hands and chuckled softly, the gloom on his face vanishing, replaced by a cold confidence of certain victory.
"Chu Ning thought he could outmaneuver us, but little did he know he had already fallen into our trap!"
"Today, he is destined to die here, and Jianghuai City will surely change hands!"
The two looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing.
Without further hesitation, Li Shiming took a deep breath and sternly ordered the messenger beside him:
"Someone! Fire the signal arrow!"
"Here!"
A burly Tang soldier immediately drew three specially made rockets from his quiver on his back. The rockets had thick shafts and long arrowheads with hemp balls soaked in oil attached to them, and he lit them with a tinderbox.
"Whoosh—!" "Whoosh—!" "Whoosh—!"
Three burning rockets, trailing orange-red flames and piercing whistles, shot one after another into the clear sky.
It traced three striking yet eerie arcs under the midday sun, rising to its highest point before slowly plummeting towards Jianghuai City.
The rocket launch was like a call from the Grim Reaper.
This not only foreshadows a new and more brutal phase in the battle at Changting Slope, but also signifies that a deadly surprise attack on Jianghuai City is about to be launched!
Chu Ning and his five hundred soldiers, along with the Chu army remaining in the city, were instantly caught in a deadly ambush!
Almost at the same time the signal arrow was launched, on the plains west and north of the city, the two armies that had been lying in wait, like lurking giants, were now at rest.
Chu Xuan's main force of Youzhou army and Gongsun Yi's scorpion cavalry suddenly began a large-scale and extremely oppressive mobilization.
"Waaaaah—waaaah—!"
The deep, drawn-out bugle call rang out from the enemy ranks, mingling with the alarm bells ringing from the city walls of Jianghuai, heralding the impending great battle.
Smoke and dust rolled up, covering the sky and the sun.
The infantry formation of the Youzhou army began to advance in an orderly fashion, the heavy footsteps turning into muffled thunder, and countless spears and shields forming a moving steel jungle, slowly pressing towards the city wall.
Even more chilling was the north, where Gongsun Yi's Scorpion Clan cavalry surged forth like a black flood bursting its banks, splitting into several streams.
They began to run along the outer perimeter of the city wall, using battlefield cover, and were clearly moving towards the relatively weaker flanks and junctions of the wall's defenses.
They are clearly looking for a breakthrough or creating pressure.
Further away, Helian Hui's remaining forces were also stirring, like hyenas waiting for their chance to strike.
On the city wall, Imperial Concubine Feng Mulan, who was ordered to stay behind and oversee the city's defenses, was already fully armed, dressed in red armor and a red cloak, standing at the highest point of the west gate tower.
A strong wind blew her hair and cloak, making them flutter.
Her usually bright and sharp phoenix eyes were now slightly narrowed, like the most keen eagle, rapidly scanning every subtle movement of the enemy troops outside the city, her face as solemn as iron.
"Sure enough, it's here!"
Feng Mulan thought to herself, "If His Majesty personally goes out to exchange hostages, how could the enemy let the city go when it is empty?"
This signal arrow is the order for the general offensive!
She took a deep breath, suppressing her intense worry and anxiety about Chu Ning's safety outside the city.
At this moment, she is the commander, and the fate of Jianghuai City and its soldiers rests on her shoulders.