Volume 5 Chapter 34: Changes in the Armpits (1)
Facing the Great Wall troops approaching from all directions, I personally covered the rear and covered my subordinates to retreat from the gap. Fortunately, since the Great Wall attaches great importance to defense, the equipment they choose must be heavy helmets and thick armor, which is extremely heavy, which will affect their speed. Moreover, in order to ensure that the defense line is neat and without flaws, the array dare not advance too fast, so the Nine Cities soldiers only slowly advance. Although the pressure is great, it is not a problem for us to escape. In a short while, the troops that have entered the garrison retreated completely, all the way to the gap, and returned to the stalemate.
From the reports of my subordinates, I learned that in this round of attack, we lost about 5,000 people. Although the casualties were not heavy, it was in vain. We failed to defeat the nine cities in one fell swoop. Moreover, the coalition forces were also forced to retreat from the other two gaps. Tactically, we have failed!
As a result, the two sides entered a war of attrition. The coalition forces were concerned that the Nine Cities magicians had not yet used the meteor shower, so they did not dare to commit a large number of troops at once. The Nine Cities had to use the elite Great Wall to plug the gap, and the coalition forces were attacking on multiple defense lines. The scale of our long-range troops far exceeded that of the Nine Cities. Although there were defensive walls to block them, a large number of arrows and magic shot into the garrison, constantly killing the Nine Cities' backup forces, making it difficult for their front-line troops to be well replenished. Both sides had their own strengths and weaknesses, and it seemed that the outcome would be difficult to decide in a short time.
But the coalition forces have one advantage, that is, the attacking troops can be rotated !
After about half an hour of fierce fighting , the troops of Fengchitianxia and Shewoqishui came up and replaced us to rest. Half an hour later, the 300,000 small gang troops that had been killed were resurrected and rushed over from various garrisons in Lianzhen City that we had captured. They gathered another large army and were sent to the front line to replace the coalition's third wave of attacking forces.
In other words, as the battle time was prolonged, the advantage of the Jiucheng gang members being able to resurrect nearby no longer existed. When the fallen coalition soldiers returned to the battlefield after resurrection, the attack never stopped. The Jiucheng soldiers had to fight on the front line all the time. Although their casualty rate was low, the loss of energy could not be ignored!
What's more serious is that the coalition's catapults have been working all the time - we can't make too many machines, but it's very easy to get ammunition. Because we have enough manpower, the stones we carry can ensure continuous shooting for more than a day. Of course, Jiucheng also sent craftsmen to repair the gaps at any time, but the craftsmen have no combat effectiveness and are often shot and killed by repressive long-range attacks. At the beginning, Jiucheng can still repair the gaps as they are broken, and try to ensure that there are no more than five gaps, but two hours later, with most of the craftsmen killed more than three times, Jiucheng's damage control personnel were seriously understaffed and the number of gaps increased greatly. After all, the elite troops like the Great Wall are limited in number and cannot be taken care of comprehensively, so they have to use ordinary troops. However, without the protection of fortifications, the casualty ratio of both sides suddenly rose from 1:4 or even 1:5 at the beginning to 1:2, and Jiucheng began to fall into crisis!
In fact, the coalition forces also suffered heavy casualties. The small gangs with the highest death rate have 200,000 people who can no longer go to the battlefield, and most of the main forces have also been killed once, and about 100,000 of them only have one last chance. But in comparison, we still have an absolute advantage in manpower, and the command center is considering transferring some troops back to the garrison to rotate and replace them with a group of fresh troops who have not been killed (the coalition gangs still have reserve troops at home)!
Jiucheng probably knew that this was a desperate fight, and he tried his best to draw reinforcements from his branches and subordinate gangs to defend the headquarters. His tenacity was admirable. Until noon, the coalition forces still failed to break through his defense line!
After noon, I prepared to lead my troops, who had rested sufficiently, into battle again. Actually, the troops of the Thunder Alliance suffered the least casualties, and most of the soldiers had only died once, so there was no need to transfer troops from the old nest. Moreover, the strong combat effectiveness of my troops was obvious to all. After three battles, a total of no less than 30,000 casualties were caused to the Nine Cities. Even though the morale of the Nine Cities is still high, they are exhausted. Under the attack of my elite troops, it is very likely that the defense line will collapse.
However, the war situation suddenly changed!
An order came from the headquarters: We have learned that Sheng Tang and Yun Tian have sent a large number of troops here, and ordered our troops to rush to the left wing behind the coalition forces and set up a formation to intercept the Sheng Tang army!
I sighed in my heart, what was supposed to come finally came. Late last night, the undercover agents of the Grand Alliance in Shengtang Yuntian Jiucheng all sent back intelligence that the three major gangs of Lianzhen had officially formed an alliance. The coalition had been prepared for this, but in today's siege, the troops of these two factions were nowhere to be seen. Now that the conquest of Jiucheng is imminent, these two factions rushed out at this critical moment, clearly determined to let the Grand Alliance and Jiucheng fight to a loss. They defeated the coalition at the last moment, and Jiucheng would be injured and disabled and unable to participate in the pursuit. They could then hunt down the defeated Grand Alliance army and take back the garrisons that originally belonged to Jiucheng and were captured by the Grand Alliance. These garrisons would naturally be taken into Shengtang Yuntian's arms. How could Jiucheng ask for them from the two factions that saved its life?
However, everyone has their own wishful thinking, but whether they have the strength or not has yet to be seen. As long as the interception force sent by the coalition forces can stop Sheng Tang Yuntian for a period of time, and the remaining troops can break through the Nine Cities in one fell swoop during this period, the two factions will be trapped in their own trap. It is better for them to join hands with the Nine Cities to fight the enemy wholeheartedly from the beginning.
Therefore, my responsibility can be said to be very heavy. The outcome of this battle for the coalition forces depends on the performance of the intercepting forces!
On Yuntian's side, Xuehai and Xiaoyao are in charge, while my partner is Stone Age.
The two factions together have a total of 70,000 troops, and according to intelligence, the Tang Dynasty has dispatched an army of 150,000. Our strength is less than half of the enemy's. Fortunately, we don't need to defeat the enemy. As long as we can hold off the enemy for as long as possible, victory will fall into the hands of the Big Alliance.
I discussed it with the "Big Chief", the boss who was the most capable person, and since the Thunder Alliance had stronger field combat capabilities, we agreed that he would be responsible for meeting the enemy head-on, while I would lead the troops in the assault.
Since they had considered guarding against Sheng Tang Yuntian's attack beforehand, the coalition forces formed an engineering corps composed entirely of thieves. The headquarters had ordered them to set up a large number of traps on the road that the two factions must take to rescue Jiucheng. Our army lined up behind the trap belt, waiting for the arrival of Sheng Tang's army.
Originally, we had deployed a large number of scouts, and we received intelligence as soon as the two armies moved. It would take at least forty minutes to rush from the assembly point of the two armies to Jiucheng, but there was a vast grassland to the south of Jiucheng headquarters, which was obviously not an ideal place to intercept the enemy. Therefore, the trap belts were arranged in a basin in a hilly area in front of the grassland . This basin was the only one in this hilly area with an open terrain, which was conducive to the passage of the army. Other places were relatively narrow valleys. If Sheng Tang chose to march through those valleys, we only had to block the valley entrance and stop them for ten or eight hours.
Therefore, it took us some time to cross the grassland. After we arrived in front of the basin and set up our battle formation, scouts kept coming to report that Sheng Tang had not changed its marching route and was getting closer and closer to us. In less than ten minutes, their vanguard troops appeared at the other end of the basin, facing our army from a distance!
Sheng Tang's army was very cautious, and they sent a large number of scouts to scout in all directions, so they found the traps early on. However, we didn't expect these traps to cause harm to Sheng Tang, but it would take time for them to destroy the traps, right? Our intention was to delay as much as possible.
As expected, the Sheng Tang army stopped, and they did not dare to send out thieves to dismantle the trap at close range - our army had already deployed an array, and if anyone came forward, there would be a volley of arrows, and the thieves who dared to come forward would only be seeking their own death.
The prosperous Tang Dynasty had no choice but to resort to violent destruction: the magician troops went forward and used magic to bombard sections of the way. Although it was a waste of magic potions, it was not a big deal.
The chief, his soldiers and I just watched the show. The gorgeous magical fireworks and lightning emitted by the prosperous Tang Dynasty were like a fireworks display. Someone was performing for us for free, so why not join in?
The distance between the two sides was getting closer and closer, and soon, the enemy magician troops were within the shooting range of our archer troops (the range of bows and arrows is slightly longer than that of magic)!
At the order of the great chief, a volley of arrows was fired. Although the distance was still far, the Tang Dynasty magicians suffered few casualties, but were forced to stop advancing. Their commander had to dispatch a group of shield infantry to provide cover and an archer unit to shoot back at us.
In terms of the number of troops, we are indeed inferior, so the Tang Dynasty magicians can still advance bravely in the rain of arrows with cover and suppressing fire, but the speed of progress is inevitably greatly affected. What's worse, they have entered the destroyed trap area, although most of the traps have been blown up, there are still occasional fish that slip through the net or the high-level traps are very strong and difficult to destroy. From time to time, one or two soldiers in the front row are unfortunately hit, and the soldiers fall down, and the covering formation has flaws. Our archers take the opportunity to fire a volley, which always kills some Tang Dynasty magicians.
However, with Sheng Tang's efforts, they suffered certain casualties and nearly half an hour before they finally cleared the trap. Then a large group of knights charged forward, trying to break through our army's formation!
Our army has about 60,000 troops in a defensive formation. Because the battle so far has been quite simple and neither side has any brilliant strategies to use, our army is arranged in a standard formation, with soldiers in the front, swordsmen in the back, followed by long-range troops, making it clear that they are defending to the death. Such a formation is indeed the most solid defense mode. The Jiucheng cavalry suffered a large number of long-range attacks during the charge, and when they rushed forward, they were greeted by a steel wall composed of soldiers, and the battle between spears and shields began!
In fact, in addition to its impact force, the more important thing about cavalry is its mobility. In this kind of field battle, the defensive party should form a square or circular formation with protective circles composed of soldiers on all four sides. Otherwise, the enemy cavalry can go around in other directions and attack your weak position, and there is a high possibility that they will break through your formation in one go.
Our army took advantage of the terrain. Although the basin is wide, it is not a plain after all. The exit can accommodate a large number of cavalry, but it is impossible to bypass it from both wings and attack our flanks. Therefore, the great chief boldly placed all the soldiers in the front to form an extremely solid line of defense. Although the cavalry of the prosperous Tang Dynasty reached a scale of 10,000, they only broke through three rows of our army's formation in their frenzy, and the enemy behind was still as majestic as Mount Tai.
The attack was fruitless, and the cavalry had no way to exert its power. Instead, they were surrounded by our army, and a large number of Tang Dynasty knights were killed off their horses. Seeing this, the enemy had to withdraw the remaining cavalry.
Then, the Tang Dynasty will send out infantry to defeat our intercepting force in a head-on attack with their superior military strength!
This is exactly what we want. This head-on confrontation is almost the same as a siege. Although there is no fortification cover, the casualty rate of both sides will not be too different, but it is impossible to defeat our army quickly. Once our army suffers all casualties, the prosperous Tang Dynasty will also suffer heavy losses, and the battle will last a very long time!
The fighters of both sides collided with each other, rows of soldiers fell down, and the following soldiers came up row after row. The battlefield was like a huge meat grinder, constantly devouring the lives of players on both sides!
The Stone Age originally had 30,000 men. The chief and I reorganized them. I gave my warriors and ranged troops to him. I led my own cavalry and all the cavalry of the Stone Age, as well as the high-level and agile swordsmen selected from the two factions, totaling about 10,000 people, hiding in the middle of the formation. The warriors of the Stone Age were in the front row, and when they were all killed, the warriors of the Thunder Alliance took over.
The difference in combat effectiveness between the two factions was immediately apparent. During the Stone Age attack, the Tang Dynasty was able to advance step by step relying on its superior military strength. However, once the Thunder Alliance soldiers came on the field, the Tang Dynasty's advance immediately came to a standstill, and it was clearly at a disadvantage in the battle. Our soldiers were skilled in cooperation, and could often achieve a casualty ratio of two for three or even one for two, and this was because we were outnumbered!
The commander of Sheng Tang was also anxious. The casualties of the soldiers were secondary. The key was that they could not afford to waste time! So Sheng Tang became ruthless. The long-range troops did not care about accidentally injuring the right army and increased the density of the attack. For a moment, the soldiers of Jinglei League and Sheng Tang were covered in blood and fell one after another!
I saw that the time was almost right, so I raised my hand and shot out a signal firework. The members of the Thunder Alliance were well-trained and immediately split into two sides according to the pre-arranged tactics.
Sheng Tang thought that they had broken through our army's formation, and cheers broke out everywhere. They tried hard to charge in through the gap that our army had voluntarily given up!
However, when the warriors of the Thunder Alliance separated to both sides like waves, a torrent rose in the center. I led the cavalry troops and charged head-on at the attacking Tang Dynasty army with a sharp formation!
The cavalry of the Sheng Tang Dynasty had suffered heavy losses before, and the knights were of little use in such close combat, having been transferred to the rear for rest. Therefore, I led the cavalry to break out from the center, and the Sheng Tang Dynasty had no soldiers to resist, so I pushed them back into the basin!
The most critical point of this tactic is the coordination of infantry and cavalry. If the cavalry launches too early, the infantry in front of them will not be dispersed, and they will not be able to charge. But if they launch too late, the entire formation may have collapsed, and the cavalry will be killed by the Tang Dynasty soldiers before they can charge! This timing must be grasped just right, and long-term training is necessary. Although I did not send out the Thunder Regiment this time, my troops are also the elite selection, so I can implement this tactic.
The six thousand cavalry were unstoppable and dealt a heavy blow to the front army of the Shengtang Dynasty, tearing the Shengtang formation into two halves. Four thousand swordsmen followed closely behind, using their deft sword skills to kill a large number of Shengtang soldiers in the chaos, and launched a counterattack against the 100,000 enemies with only ten thousand troops!
The failure of the prosperous Tang Dynasty was that it relied on its military advantage. In order to win quickly, it did not hesitate to move its long-range troops forward, trying to destroy our defense line with intensive long-range attacks. However, in doing so, its own formation was not solid enough, and the vanguard soldiers were only a few rows. Once they were broken through by our cavalry, they would face long-range troops with almost no close combat capability. Our cavalry was like a fish in water and launched a massacre!
I rode on Benlei, and with the swing of Tiger Soul, I reaped the lives of enemy archers or magicians one by one, as easy as picking up mustard seeds. The only frustrating thing was that the ferocious Tiger Soul would backfire from time to time, so I had to be extremely careful and replenish blood from time to time, otherwise I would die accidentally, which would be a joke.
The commander of Sheng Tang saw that the situation was unfavorable, but he was helpless. At this moment, the exit of the basin was crowded with troops from both sides. He wanted to mobilize the rear troops for support, but they could not squeeze in. In terms of military force, they were restrained by our side, so he had to order a retreat.
How could our army let the enemy escape so easily? They all chased after them closely. The soldiers who were originally the vanguard of the Great Tang Dynasty were first charged by the cavalry, and then killed by the swordsmen. They suffered heavy casualties. At this moment, they wanted to retreat, but their own long-range troops blocked their retreat. The remaining soldiers of the Thunder Alliance and the Stone Age pressed forward, and the soldiers of the Great Tang Dynasty had no choice but to engage in a melee with them. The long-range troops were charged by the cavalry and retreated in defeat. They tried their best to escape, but how could two legs outrun four legs? They were chased by the cavalry and their bodies were scattered all over the ground.
By the time Sheng Tang finally mobilized his cavalry to block my cavalry's way, his army had already retreated across the middle of the basin. Seeing that my tactical goal had been achieved, I did not engage in further entanglement with the enemy cavalry and led my army to retreat. Sheng Tang was frightened by the killing and did not dare to pursue.
When my cavalry returned and joined the encirclement and suppression of the Tang Dynasty soldiers, we wiped out their remaining soldiers in a short while and reorganized our troops. After counting, we found that more than 30,000 of our soldiers were killed. The rest were mainly cavalry and long-range troops, who did not suffer much damage, but there were only a few soldiers left.
The losses of Sheng Tang were even more severe, with no less than 60,000 casualties, especially in its long-range troops. However, we did not have many soldiers, and it was impossible for us to form a battle array to block their attacks. So when Sheng Tang reorganized its troops and attacked again, our army slowly retreated, and just kept using long-range attacks to block Sheng Tang's advance. At this moment, the number of long-range troops on both sides was almost the same. Although Sheng Tang launched a counterattack, it was difficult to gain the upper hand. If it wanted to attack with cavalry, the elite cavalry led by me was also ready for battle. Our army fought and retreated, and Sheng Tang had no choice but to follow suit. If we slowly wasted our time like this, by the time we passed the grassland area, the sun would have set.
The commander of Sheng Tang sighed in frustration, knowing that he had underestimated the strength of the Grand Alliance. Now there is no chance of rescuing the Nine Cities and defeating the coalition forces!
