Chapter 565 "Engaging in Battle"

It's chaos, chaos! The entire Xiaoliao River plain has turned into a mess.
The scene is filled with fights everywhere, each side fighting their own battles, teeth clashing against each other, and both sides tangled in chaos.
Not to mention the Liaodong Army, various camps continuously send calls for reinforcements to the central command tent located in the eastern hills, but all of them sink without a trace.
Let's talk about the Taishan Army as well, the situation is the same. Each army attacks in units of their own subordinate teams, and their only military order from the camp is to annihilate and defeat every enemy encountered.
The Tai Shan army, more than the Han army, inherently possesses a stronger subjectivity. Their military commanders are either seasoned veterans or have undergone systematic military education.
When these individuals are fully empowered, they all display their unique military style. The Tai Shan army at this time is like an amoeba without a center, where each commander can make decisions independently.
This is a decentralized blow to centralized organizations.
However, benefits and risks always coexist. After Zhang Chong sent out most of the horizontal and central guards, he now only has about two hundred central guards left by his side.
And no one had expected that Zhang Chong and his men would actually encounter a infiltrated cavalry troop from Liaodong. An unexpected crisis is looming.
……
At this moment, downstream of the Xiaoliao River, various conch shells and flags are constantly waving.
As the Marshal of the Central Guards, Yu Jin personally stood on the chariot, continuously dispatching the remaining two hundred armored soldiers to form a circular formation.
Yu Jin, who had always remained calm and composed, was now sweating. He couldn't help but say to Zhang Chong, who was sitting on the chariot: Please note that the translation might not make complete sense as the original text seems to be fictional or lacking context.
"Your Majesty, the situation is too critical. It would be better to have the cavalry ahead turn back," said Zhang Chong, still laughing and pointing at Yu Jin indifferently.
"Yu Jin, with you in command of the troops, what danger do I have? Rest assured, this time it's not them surrounding us, but us surrounding them."

After speaking, Zhang Chong continued to gaze at the enemy cavalry in front of him with an interested look. There, a flag with the character "Xu" was flying high and prominently above the cavalry corps. Translated content:
But Yu Jin couldn't laugh, because there were about five hundred elite cavalry waiting outside their formation, eyes fixed on them.
Although the enemy's cavalry wasn't numerous, they held overwhelming superiority over them.
And Yu Jin also noticed that the opposing cavalry general was very experienced and didn't rush to attack. Instead, they applied pressure and continuously wore down their stamina.
Of course, Yu Jin also speculates that the enemy general does not immediately launch an attack because they may not know that Zhang Chong's royal banner is located here, otherwise they would have shown some reaction.
As time passed little by little, the sun still shining high in the sky, the enemy's actions indeed verified Yu Jin's conjecture.
Despite having a superior force, the enemy troops were unexpectedly continuing to call for nearby reinforcements, revealing that they had not yet lost all confidence.
At this moment, Yu Jin understood that the current opportunity for his side is now. No matter how many allied forces the enemy calls for, they will have no way out when that time comes.
So he first asked Zhang Chong, who was sitting high, for permission:
“My king, I will now take charge of coordinating the war!”
Zhang Chong waved his hand, full of trust:
“You have full authority over all matters, go and do it.”
Then Yu Jin started shouting loudly:
"Boom!"
After Yu Qian issued the order, the wrestlers on the drum carriage suddenly began to beat the war drums.
With the booming sound of the drums, the two hundred guards who had formed a circular formation under Cai Que's command quickly changed into a horizontal formation. Note: The translated content below should be a reply to the above translation. "Excellent coordination! The change in formation displays their agility and adaptability on the battlefield."
In the midst of a rhythmic drumbeat, these loyal and brave infantry soldiers carry their halberds and advance like a dense forest, resembling waves closing in on the opposing Liaodong cavalry.
The Liaodong cavalry on the other side is also somewhat chaotic, clearly caught off guard by the proactive attack from the infantry, which goes against the traditional infantry resisting cavalry.
At this moment, under the banner of the character "Xu," Xu Rong sat on his horse, watching the approaching Taishan army infantry with hesitation and uncertainty.
He speculated who the prominent figure could be on the other side.
From his position, there is a complete display of flags and military formations across from him. It is evident that there is at least a ranking officer present. Furthermore, when looking at the formation of soldiers in armor, it appears to be a minimum of a captain.
So Xu Rong was very sure that he caught a big fish.
However, Xu Rong also had his own troubles, that is, despite having five hundred riders under his command, he still lacks the ability to break through enemy lines.
In Liaodong, the cavalry can be roughly divided into scattered troops and assault troops. The battlefield tasks they carry are also different.
The scattered troops are generally light cavalry, focusing on infiltrating and penetrating the enemy's rear supply lines, conducting nearby raids on these important transportation routes.
I specialize in taking down enemies with a single strike, and if I miss, I swiftly move to a different position.
However, the cavalry unit is different. They don't usually operate separately from the main army and are typically stationed near the commander's tent. They wear iron armor, wield lances, and some even have their own personal attendants accompanying them.
Their role is to be the deciding factor on the battlefield.
For example, in a situation where the opposing soldiers are heavily armored and form a solid formation, and time is pressing, it would be impossible to continue to wear them down indefinitely.
At this time, what is needed is a cavalry charge capable of breaking through enemy lines with an unmatched offensive. Although the losses may be significant, it can achieve crucial strategic gains.
However, it is a pity that the cavalry led by Xu Rong is only a scattered light cavalry, capable of only raiding but not breaking the enemy's formation.
That's why he keeps sending signals to nearby friendly forces, especially to the heavy cavalry of the Gongsun family, asking them to claim credit for this military achievement.
In fact, Xu Rong's position in the Liaodong Army is also quite awkward.
As one of the military commanders who went to battle with Xiangping's Li Min and Gongsun Du, Xu Rong lost most of his troops in the battle, causing his influence in the army to plummet.
Later, although he vaguely aligned himself with Gongsun Du, compared to the decisive actions of other remnants of the Zhenbei Army, he seemed a little hesitant.
This was originally a kind of self-conceit in Xu Rong's heart, feeling that he was also a high-ranking military officer and could stand on equal footing with Gongsun Du.
However, this sense of shame and self-importance became somewhat untimely in Liaodong.
Therefore, Xu Rong is now just a small cavalry commander, even if he has extraordinary abilities, but who cares?
After thinking for a moment, Xu Rong clamped the horse's belly and swiftly rode to the front of the cavalry team, watching the approaching Tai Shan infantry.
突然，他猛然拔出环首刀，对后面的骑从大呼：
"Draw your swords!"
Five hundred light cavalry swiftly unsheathe their curved swords, gripping them in reverse, ready to charge.
The enemy infantry is still in motion, approximately five hundred paces away from our side.
My breathing became rapid.
The enemy started moving slowly towards a distance of four hundred steps.
Xu Rong began to grip the horse's belly, and the group of cavalry behind him started moving, gradually picking up speed, covering the four hundred steps in no time.
Just at this moment, Yu Jin, who had been observing the enemy's cavalry movements, felt a great sense of joy and suddenly issued the command:
"Fire the bed crossbows!"
Immediately, behind Xu Rong's line of sight, Sergeant Sima Qian appeared with forty men, operating ten bed crossbows, revealing the cold arrows.
The target is aimed at Xu Rong, who is approaching.
……
About ten miles downstream from where Zhang Chong is. Li Hu, Zhao Yun, Xu Huang, and the two lieutenant colonels Chen Huan and Zhao Jian of the central guards are joining forces to fight a battle in this wilderness.
This was the first large-scale battle that the Taishan Army fought after crossing the Xiaoliao River.
On the side of the Taishan Army, Li Hu and his troops assembled a massive force of 2,000 cavalry and 3,000 infantry. On the other side, the Liao Dong Army organized an even larger army. Translation:
Two thousand Liaodong border soldiers and over five thousand remaining soldiers of the Jin North Garrison have gathered here.
Obviously, after a chaotic battle that lasted most of the day, these elite warriors from Liaodong are not ordinary soldiers. They quickly found a way to deal with the situation. Translation:
That means cooperating and fighting together.
As the elite vanguard of the Liaodong army began to converge, the Taishan army could only join forces and gather their troops in order to achieve fruitful results.
So, at this point, the two sides inevitably gather their military forces here for a decisive battle.
They are currently located in the middle reaches of the Xiao Liao River, which is the widest plain between Xuanfu and Xiangping, making it ideal for cavalry to gallop.
In this battle, Zhao Yun takes the initiative as the vanguard and leads five hundred cavalry knights from Heji to launch a probing attack against the border troops of the Liao Dong army.
Although these three thousand border troops of the Liao Dong army are called "border troops," they are actually newly trained recruits.
Because Lu Zhi had almost emptied the border walls of border troops in order to go south. These three thousand soldiers were newly trained using the money and provisions from the county according to the combat methods of the border troops after Gongsun Du took control of Liaodong.
However, despite their short training, the combat capabilities of these individuals should not be underestimated.
These three thousand people were arranged in front of the Liaodong Army, with war chariots and spears positioned on the outskirts. They even dug trenches and set up camps directly on the battlefield.
Before Zhao Yun launched an attack on the vanguard army of Liu Yi on the north bank of Xiaoliaoshui, he had suffered losses from this type of wagon camp. Therefore, he adjusted his strategy and began repeatedly harassing the wagon camp from the outside using bows and arrows.
This level of arrow rain certainly cannot shake the Liaodong border army, especially considering their newly formed elite camp, they have no psychological burden against the Taishan army, so they fought stubbornly.
They used long-range crossbows, and close-range they used staffs and ring-headed swords. Their armor coverage is also extensive, and combined with the fearless determination of each camp's commanders, they are relentless in their pursuit of victory.
So, even though Zhao Yun, Xu Huang, Li Hu, and Xi Shen led their cavalry to repeatedly attack and harass, they were able to achieve certain results. However, until the sun was about to set in the west, the outcome was still undecided.
At this time, Li Hu was already very anxious. Just as he was preparing to lead the team for another round of killing, a sudden unexpected change occurred.
At this time, the 5,000 Zhenbei Army, originally positioned behind the border troops, had advanced even deeper than the border troops.
Originally, they witnessed the impressive performance of the border army in combat, which inspired them to muster courage and actively engage in combat with the Tai Shan army's infantry.
As expected, the enemy forces immediately collapsed upon contact, greatly boosting the morale of the remaining troops from the Zhenbei army. Subsequently, they fell into the trap set by the Tai Shan army and directly influenced the outcome of this battle.