Chapter 151: The Decisive Battle

“Charge! Our family is right behind us!”

 “Charge, protect our homeland, and drive the invaders from Zhongshan County out!”

“My daughter just started school, and you bastards show up! Go to hell!”

……

The soldiers of Anyang and those of Zhongshan County had completely different mindsets.

The soldiers of Anyang were fighting to protect their homeland, fighting for their hometown; while the soldiers of Zhongshan County were being used! After almost three days of battle, the soldiers who had initially been deceived had mostly seen the truth. Naturally, many soldiers no longer wanted to continue fighting.

Under the influence of these thoughts, Anyang’s first charge unexpectedly shattered the vanguard of Zhongshan County; afterward, Anyang carefully pushed the retreating soldiers forward, skillfully controlling the broken troops to form their own vanguard and shield.

It’s easy to imagine that under such circumstances, the vanguard of Zhongshan County was completely devastated.

However, the situation was not optimistic. The vanguard of Zhongshan County only numbered around thirty thousand, but Zhongshan County itself had two hundred thousand soldiers. Later, many strong men were recruited, and a considerable number of refugees were attracted by money. Now, the fighting force definitely exceeded two hundred thousand.

As expected, after the vanguard was defeated, the main force of Zhongshan County, the central army as it is commonly called, immediately took the lead. The governor of Zhongshan County, Shi Chengsong, personally commanded the central army camp.

The central army camp was not at the front line, but it was close behind, around seven to eight miles from the front. This distance was definitely beyond the attack range of Anyang’s current (land-based) artillery. After several days of fighting, combined with Anyang’s earlier performances, the governor of Zhongshan County had grasped some patterns; and the attack range was one of those patterns.

As for the secret that naval artillery could fire for over ten kilometers, Gu Songfeng did not live to bring it back. Of course, even if he had, it would have been useless, as naval artillery was too heavy to be used on land; it would have been better to just add more regular artillery.

However, Anyang’s sudden all-out offensive still made Shi Chengsong, the governor of Zhongshan County, and Ye Mingquan, the Minister of Rites from the Cai Kingdom, feel something unusual.

“Deciding to fight now is meaningless!” Shi Chengsong frowned, carefully analyzing every bit of information. Zhongshan County could not afford to make a single mistake now, so Shi Chengsong was cautious—yet, bold when necessary, after all, they had already rebelled.

Ye Mingquan was also puzzled, “For Anyang, actively attacking is not a good idea. Defending and waiting for an opportunity would be the correct strategy. A full-scale attack like this must have some issue.”

Shi Chengsong thought for a moment, “I think there might be a possibility—Anyang is running out of resources! The artillery from Anyang hasn’t stopped firing for the past few days. But Anyang is ultimately too small, with almost no potential for war! Considering their surprise attack force, it might be enough to prove this point.”

“That makes sense! But could there be another reason?” Ye Mingquan was also puzzled; Anyang’s proactive strike this time truly caught both of them by surprise, and they couldn’t make sense of it!

Shi Chengsong suddenly thought of a possibility, “Could it be a tactic—an all-out assault to cause panic among our soldiers, and then continue with defense? If that’s the case, it would make sense!”

“Xu Ren is no ordinary person. If this plan was devised by Xu Ren, it makes sense. Continuous passive defense has put Anyang under immense pressure. Anyang desperately needs a victory, even if it’s just a temporary one.”

“And once they get that victory, they would return to their original defensive stance. Besides, such a sudden attack has caught us off guard, causing significant losses…”

“Yes, that’s it!” Ye Mingquan agreed, feeling that the explanation was perfect—perfect meaning correct! Because there is only one truth, and only the truth is perfect.

With this conclusion, Shi Chengsong immediately gave the order, “Bring the central army forward! Anyang’s vanguard only has over twenty thousand men, while Zhongshan County’s central army has enough troops—seventy to eighty thousand—drown Anyang’s forces with our spit!”

On the flank, Shi Chongxin, who had not yet succeeded in his mission, was killed before he could even start. Shi Chengsong dared not hesitate or mourn; he quickly arranged for one of his junior officers to take his place. Many generals or commanders have personal soldiers who, in crucial moments, can step up and act as generals.

But soon, a problem arose. As soon as the general’s flag appeared, it would be targeted by artillery fire. The personal bodyguard commander who had just gone out was bombarded before he could reach the front line. A volley of artillery shells rained down, and even if a Golden Core expert was hit directly, they would surely perish. Without magical treasures or armor, a Golden Core expert could barely display one-tenth of their combat ability.

In a flash of inspiration, Shi Chengsong devised a plan. Since generals are easy targets for bombardment, and the current warfare requires flags such as the general’s flag, combined with the intensity of the battle, he decided to plant a dozen flags in the central army camp. The commanders and generals would stand on the flagpoles, directing operations remotely through flag signals; orders would be supervised through personal soldiers or battle supervisors.

Surprisingly, this strategy not only worked but proved to be unexpectedly effective! As the saying goes, standing higher allows you to see farther, and with the added advantage of a detached perspective, the commanders at the top of the flagpoles were able to quickly seize opportunities in the war!

Moreover, with many generals gathered together, they were able to discuss and exchange ideas, and with their seamless coordination, they not only blocked Anyang’s attack but had even begun to counterattack.

Encirclement, ambush, pretending to retreat, luring the enemy in, sudden assaults… all these military strategies were interconnected. Anyang, despite having powerful firepower, was being steadily defeated! After all, this was a world of cultivation, where soldiers had cultivation levels, and the power of flying swords, magical tools, and talismans could not be underestimated.

By evening, the advantage of Anyang’s surprise attack began to gradually fade. The front lines could no longer be maintained and started to retreat instead. By sunset, Anyang’s defenders were pushed back to their previous border defenses.

Meanwhile, Bei Chen Yuqing, Yan Zhengqing, and Liu Leigang had lost over two thousand soldiers and were forced to flee in disgrace. After wandering through the mountains and forests for a long time, they finally managed to shake off their pursuers.

However, Bei Chen Yuqing’s group wouldn’t truly retreat; instead, they kept moving around, launching constant sneak attacks and firing artillery indiscriminately. This tactic caused great headaches for Zhongshan County. A single artillery shell could take several lives! Moreover, artillery had a strong psychological impact, which was significant even in this cultivation world.

On Anyang’s border defenses, they used the pre-prepared firepower to temporarily fend off the enemy’s pursuit. However, the war was far from over! Anyang would not back down so easily!

And Zhongshan County, having been caught off guard but now holding the upper hand, would also not stop here!

Seeing Anyang’s forces crumble, Shi Chengsong grew more confident in his earlier predictions and immediately issued another order: “Central army, continue the assault! The right wing must prevent any ambushes, and the left wing must push forward to the front line! Push with everything you’ve got to break Anyang’s defenses. By tomorrow morning, we will be celebrating in Anyang’s city lord’s mansion!”

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