He charged forward first, fighting until his battle robes were stained with blood and his heavy armor was soaked with sweat. When he turned around, he found that Yang Zhenfei was trapped by a group of Lan Kingdom soldiers.
Without a second thought, Lan Qiao turned his horse and charged back into the encirclement. A soldier from the Lan Kingdom brandished his sword to meet him, but Lan Qiao roared, "Who dares to stop me!" The Lan Kingdom soldier, sword and all, was cleaved in two. Lan Qiao cried out, "Who dares to stop me!" four more times, and with each shout, a Lan Kingdom soldier was cut in two. When he finally broke through the encirclement and escorted Yang Zhenfei out, the Lan Kingdom soldiers were almost all stunned by his ferocity, and no one dared to stand in his way.
Seeing that the surrounding Lan Kingdom soldiers were gradually dispersing, Lan Qiao felt somewhat relieved. Just then, with a soft thud, a cold arrow pierced Yang Zhenfei's waist. Yang Zhenfei cried out in pain, swaying on his horse and nearly falling off. Lan Qiao exclaimed in surprise, "Are you alright?"
“It’s alright.” Yang Zhenfei gritted his teeth; the arrow was embedded three inches deep in his lower back. He glanced back and saw the Lan soldier who had fired the arrow cowering behind an enemy general, preparing to nock a second arrow. Enraged, Yang Zhenfei spurred his horse and charged forward. The horse was indeed swift, and in a flash, he was behind the enemy general. Yang Zhenfei feinted with his left axe, then swung his right axe at the Lan general’s neck. Without even glancing at the fallen corpse, he switched the axe to his left hand, bent down, and lifted the Lan soldier who had fired the arrow, shouting, “Pull out the arrow for me!”
The soldier was terrified and didn't hear a word he said. He just flailing his arms and legs in mid-air. Yang Zhenfei roared again, and the soldier finally understood and pulled the feather from Yang Zhenfei's waist. Yang Zhenfei laughed loudly and threw the soldier onto a halberd held up by a Lan soldier. The halberd's fork pierced the soldier's body, and it was clear that the soldier was beyond saving.
"Good sir, let's go!" Seeing his bravery, Lan Qiao couldn't help but praise him. The two broke through the encirclement and fought their way back to their own lines. Dai Yang, however, was now stranded on the other side and could only watch helplessly as Yang Zhenfei escaped. Although his actions had resulted in the deaths of all the Peace Army soldiers around Yang Zhenfei, and more than half of the soldiers Lan Qiao had brought to rescue him had also been lost, and the rest of the Peace Army's vanguard had been surrounded, the escape of a fierce general like Yang Zhenfei would ultimately become a future threat.
Seeing Yang Zhenfei escape from the high ground at the rear, Li Jun felt slightly relieved. However, although Yang Zhenfei had temporarily broken away from the main battle, the collapse of the Peace Army's vanguard was inevitable. Li Jun was secretly anxious. In his view, although the enemy outnumbered them, the losses should not have been so heavy. He cast his gaze into the distance. Finding the enemy commander amidst thousands of troops was extremely difficult. Wu Wei, hidden behind the enemy ranks, was probably feeling smug at this moment.
Wu Wei was not complacent. In fact, the resistance of the Peace Army had far exceeded his expectations. He only breathed a sigh of relief after Dai Yang cut off the Peace Army's vanguard and encircled them. Li Jun had placed these weaker Peace Army soldiers at the forefront, intending to exhaust his elite troops with weaker forces. His intentions had been largely successful. However, these weaker soldiers were also unpredictable. If his prediction was correct, they were not the core members of the Peace Army but rather newly surrendered Soviet soldiers. If the Peace Army gained the upper hand, they would also demonstrate considerable fighting power. But if the Peace Army was at a disadvantage, they would either flee or surrender.
As expected, the nearly one thousand Peace Army soldiers, surrounded and finding no way to escape, and not knowing whether to prioritize sleep, all raised their weapons and knelt down to surrender. At this moment, the two armies were still fiercely fighting. Wu Wei ordered his men to confiscate the weapons of these Peace Army soldiers and drive them aside to surround them. He knew that if he were to kill the surrendered soldiers at this time, it would surely provoke the Peace Army soldiers to fight to the death. However, if he let these Peace Army soldiers go unchecked, there was no guarantee that they would not pick up their weapons and attack again. Therefore, he used this strategy to both eliminate this hidden danger and shake the morale of the Peace Army soldiers.
The elite force of the Five Tigers of Weimen had broken through the vanguard of the Peace Army's Crescent Moon Formation and penetrated into the central headquarters of the Peace Army. However, Wu Wei frowned slightly. Even if they won this battle, the losses would be heavy. If it weren't for his sufficient troops, the outcome would have been uncertain. It seemed that in the years since they had fought a major battle, his generals had become arrogant.
Unaware of their commander's discontent at the rear, the soldiers of Lan Kingdom steadily advanced towards Li Jun's purple dragon banner. Under their relentless assault, the Peace Army's ranks began to slowly retreat. This instability made it easier for the Lan Kingdom soldiers to charge, and gradually, they drove the Peace Army's central force back a full half-mile.
Wu Wei, with a clear view from his vantage point, suddenly frowned and ordered, "Sound the retreat!" The generals around him were all taken aback. The battle was currently developing in favor of the Lan army, and in a few moments, they would gain an overwhelming advantage. Why would Wu Wei order the retreat? Despite their questions, military orders were absolute, and the sound of gongs echoed across the battlefield from the Lan army's central camp.
"Damn it!" Even though the retreat signal had been sounded, Wu Wei couldn't help but mutter to himself. Xie Kun stared intently in the direction he was looking, and his expression changed drastically as well.
The cavalry on both flanks of the Peace Army were now galloping forward. The light cavalry on the right flank moved with incredible speed, quickly advancing towards the left rear of the Lan Kingdom's army under the guidance of a large purple banner bearing the character "纪" (Ji). The Peace Army's crescent-shaped formation, which would normally never have been able to outflank from the flanks, was now forced to retreat half a mile in the middle under this attack, while the two flanks remained stationary. The crescent-shaped formation had transformed into a goose-shaped formation!
Hearing the sudden sound of retreat from behind, the Lan Kingdom soldiers, who were about to press their advantage, snapped out of their daze and turned around to see the Peace Army rapidly flanking them. Already somewhat disoriented by the unexpected retreat, they were now terrified to see the Peace Army on their front, left, and right, with their cavalry rapidly encircling their rear. In their haste, unable to assess the Peace Army's remaining strength and worried about their commander's safety, they turned to try and rescue their central army. However, the Peace Army, which had been forced to retreat, began to surge forward, charging after them. In a matter of moments, the tide of battle turned.
Wu Wei felt a pang of regret. His decision to sound the retreat had only complicated the situation further. But since things had come to this, he had no choice but to withdraw his troops. The Peace Army was ultimately outnumbered. As long as he concentrated his forces, even if the Peace Army surrounded his army, he could still break through the blockade and turn the tide of battle.
But at this moment, the surrendered peace army suddenly drew their hidden short blades and launched a surprise attack on the surrounding Lan army, whose morale had been shaken by the chaos.
The Lan army hadn't expected that their soldiers concealed short blades in their boots or armor, and in the heat of battle, they hadn't had time to thoroughly search their bodies, leaving them vulnerable to a surprise attack. This group of Peace Army soldiers used the captured weapons to launch a fierce attack on the Lan army's rear, plunging the entire battlefield into further chaos. The Lan soldiers who had originally returned to reinforce their central army discovered the ensuing chaos, assuming their central army had been breached. Their morale plummeted. Li Jun, noticing this in the rear, immediately ordered, "Gan Ping!"
"Yes!" Gan Ping, who had been waiting impatiently, answered loudly. Li Jun was about to wave his hand, but suddenly stopped and said, "Wait a little longer. I think Wu Wei still has some brave generals to send."
Sure enough, one Lan army unit, led by a fierce general, charged out from the side, intending to support the Lan army that had lost its way to retreat, while another Lan army unit rushed down the hill to meet the oncoming Heping Army light cavalry. Li Jun laughed heartily: "It must be the so-called Mad and Cold Twin Dragons, but it's a pity they've run into Sister Ji Su. Gan Ping, it's your turn!"
Gan Ping laughed heartily and swaggered out. In this battle, Li Jun had assigned him to the reserve force, only to send him into battle when the outcome was decided. Although this was of paramount importance, and he was deeply grateful for Li Jun's trust in his loyalty and abilities, watching the battle unfold from this vantage point for so long had already ignited his fighting spirit. Back in the Lianfa army, he was a rising star among the younger generation, once highly regarded by the Lianfa sect leader. Over the years, following Meng Yuan and Li Jun, he had not only greatly improved his martial arts but also gained Li Jun's deep approval of his military strategies. Li Jun had once said that among his men capable of leading independently, besides Meng Yuan and Dong Cheng, were Fang Fengyi, Lü Wubing, and Gan Ping. Of the five, Fang Fengyi was the oldest, already forty, but resolute and steadfast, sharing the hardships of his soldiers and deeply loved by them. Dong Cheng was the second youngest, well-versed in military strategy, mature and steady; any strategic objective entrusted to him would be flawless. Meng Yuan, the second youngest, is generous and magnanimous. Although not skilled in cunning schemes, he is the kind of key figure who can turn the tide of battle. Gan Ping, the same age as himself, is studious and intelligent, adept at inspiring soldiers to deliver the decisive blow. Lü Wubing is mature beyond his years, appearing somewhat shy and timid, but in reality, one can rest assured that anything entrusted to him is safe and sound. In addition, Tu Long Ziyun is careless about small matters but meticulous about important ones. He commands the Peace Army's navy with ease and is invincible in battle. Even if I were to face his Dragon-Slaying Blade on the battlefield, I would have to give him some leeway.
With his beloved wife Ji Su by his side, each of them was a renowned general of their time. With their assistance, he had much less to do, and he could confidently carry out some bold and imaginative schemes.
When Gan Ping and his thousand well-rested warriors joined the battle, the Lan army, which had just caught its breath thanks to the support of Xu Longfei, one of the "Cold Dragons," was once again thrown into disarray. Gan Ping's thousand light cavalry moved swiftly through the battlefield, not lingering in one place, but charging towards the most crucial points. Like a master butcher, every strike landed on the weakest spot on the bull's body, every movement rhythmic and effortless. The Lan army was torn apart by him, and even Zhu Chunlai, one of the Five Tigers of the Wei Clan, was defeated and killed by Gan Ping's swift and fierce attacks. If it had been the arrogant and volatile Kuanglong Hu Hailong who came to support them instead of Xu Longfei, Gan Ping would have relentlessly pursued them. But Xu Longfei remained unmoved by Gan Ping, focusing on gathering his forces, and gradually Gan Ping found no opening to exploit.
Just then, thunderous shouts erupted from the left rear of the Lan army, with cheers of "Long live the King! Long live the King!" ringing out incessantly. The Lan soldiers, hearing this, knew they had suffered a heavy loss and, unaware of the details, panicked once more. Even Xu Longfei felt his heart pound. That should be where Zhu Chunlai was engaging the flanking light cavalry of the Peace Army. Could Zhu Chunlai have already fallen? If Zhu Chunlai had fallen and the Peace Army had successfully outflanked them, wouldn't their commander be in danger on higher ground? Thinking of this, Xu Longfei disregarded the Lan army still routed in the Peace Army's counterattack and led the troops he could muster to charge back.
Gan Ping didn't pursue relentlessly, but merely trailed behind, searching for weaknesses in the enemy forces. Xu Longfei returned to the high ground and saw Wu Wei, his face pale, pointing to his left and saying, "Spring is coming... Spring is coming!"
Xu Longfei looked around and saw Zhu Chunlai's head impaled on a long spear. The Peace Army cheered and surged towards the hill like a tidal wave. Xu Longfei ignored everything else, grabbed Wu Wei's reins, and fled. Wu Wei sighed deeply; this battle was a crushing defeat. He looked up to the sky and howled in grief. If he didn't still have a backup plan, he would have had no choice but to commit suicide to atone for his countrymen.
Ji Su was very close to Wu Wei at this moment, but Lan Jun was fighting desperately, and she was also injured when she narrowly defeated Zhu Chunlai. Therefore, although she tried her best to fight, she could no longer get close.
The battle raged from early morning until late afternoon. Li Jun commanded 60,000 troops, while Wu Wei had 90,000. However, Li Jun skillfully utilized cavalry and surrendered soldiers, and meticulously planned to lure Wu Wei into an encirclement. As a result, the Heping Army suffered over 10,000 casualties, while Wu Wei's 90,000 troops suffered over 40,000 casualties, with over 30,000 captured by the Heping Army. Only about 10,000 escaped. However, considering the overall situation, Wu Wei still had nearly 200,000 elite troops, while the Heping Army had less than 100,000, making it a case of the outnumbered defeating the superior force. More importantly, before Li Jun could even celebrate his victory, a new turn of events occurred.
The snow continued to fall in a misty, swirling drizzle, while the battlefield, once filled with the sounds of battle, had fallen silent. Li Jun, victorious, gazed at the vast, desolate land and sighed softly. Ten years ago, also on a snowy day, he lost his followers and embarked on this path of independence. The battlefield then too was littered with corpses, but the feelings he evoked upon seeing that horrific scene were entirely different.
As he was pondering, Wei Zhan hurriedly came to his side, his face somewhat grim, and whispered in his ear, "Lujiabao has fallen. The former officials of the dynasty opened the city gates to let the enemy in, and Tu Longziyun and Ren Qian fought to the death to escape."
"Oh?" Li Jun's mind went blank for a moment, and he suddenly understood. His original plan for this field battle was to deal with Wu Wei's entire army, but in today's battle, although Wu Wei's army was brave and fierce, its numbers were far fewer than 300,000. Even if Wu Wei, like himself, had left behind some reserves, those reserves were still far too numerous. It now seemed that Wu Wei had divided his forces into two groups: openly engaging him in the field battle, while secretly sending a general to launch a surprise attack on Lujia Fort. Li Jun had left relatively few troops at Lujia Fort, which had always lacked defensive fortifications. With the enemy army pressing in, Tu Longziyun and Ren Qian had no choice but to retreat if they didn't want the entire Peace Army's navy to be annihilated.
Although his great victory on the battlefield severely dampened Wu Wei's morale, Wu Wei's follow-up move reversed the entire situation. He originally wanted to use this battle to force Wu Wei to take a break and bring the war to a stalemate, but now it seems that he will have to come up with another surprise move to achieve this goal.
But the immediate problem to solve is the withdrawal of his own troops. Wu Wei captured Lujiabao, forcing him to detour back to Liuning.
Moreover, the retreat must be swift. If he cannot return to defend Liuning in time, whether Wu Wei seizes the opportunity to attack Liuning or cuts off his retreat, he will only face a crushing defeat. Although he still possesses the skillful hand, the prerequisite is that he can survive this winter. Once winter is over, the Lan Kingdom will be insignificant.
“Since you use the unconventional, then I will use the unconventional in return.” A cold glint appeared on Li Jun’s face. He turned to Wei Zhan and said, “Mr. Wei, I have a favor to ask of you.”
Wei Zhan nodded repeatedly and left after hearing his instructions. Li Jun raised his head and let out a long sigh towards the vast sky. When will this war end? Even a warlike person like his confidant is growing weary of it. These soldiers who fight to the death on the battlefield must feel the same way.
The one who seized Lujiabao was Li Chuanjin, known as the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox under Wu Wei's command, who was currently welcoming Wu Wei.
"The Grand Marshal actually lost in battle, and even with superior numbers, he still lost to Li Jun!" He smiled faintly. "It seems that my absence was indeed necessary. There were even two tigers who died in battle. If I hadn't captured Lu Family Fortress, the Grand Marshal would have truly suffered a complete defeat this time."
Although his words were arrogant, Li Chuanjin, known as the Heavenly Fox, was actually quite intelligent, and it was he who devised the plan to ambush Lu Family Fortress. Wu Wei knew that Li Chuanjin liked to boast, but he didn't mean any disrespect to him. He just glared at him and said, "If you hadn't taken half of my troops, I would have been able to capture Li Jun alive in battle. Enough with the nonsense, quickly reorganize your troops and prepare to march south."
Li Chuanjin's lips twitched slightly, as if he was suppressing a smile: "I've been prepared for this for a long time."
Wu Wei gave him a deep look, and finally a smile appeared on his face: "You're quite clever, kid."
"I wonder if the target is Liuzhou or cutting off Li Jun's retreat?" Li Chuanjin clearly took Wu Wei's words as praise, and his smug expression grew even more pronounced. If others judged him as frivolous and shallow because of this, they would be putting themselves in danger.
"Let's go to Liuzhou. Cut off Li Jun's retreat. There will inevitably be another fierce battle. If we can cross the river and capture Liuzhou, Li Jun will collapse without a fight." Wu Wei hesitated for a moment. The great battle the day before yesterday still made him feel scared. He was unwilling to have another head-on confrontation with the fighting power of the Peace Army.
Just one day after Li Chuanjin went south, something unexpected happened.
Suddenly, a large number of people gathered at the foot of Lujiabao City. They all claimed to be Lan soldiers who had been captured by the Peace Army during the great battle that day and had returned after being released by the Peace Army.
Wu Wei was greatly surprised. Given the Peace Army's past practices against the Lan Army, these prisoners should have been massacred. Why were they released instead? After confirming that they were indeed Lan Army prisoners of war, Wu Wei specially allocated a camp to settle them. Although he didn't know Li Jun's intentions in releasing them, he was certain that Li Jun would not do anything pointless.
"They said Li Jun threatened to attack Chunwu, where our army stored grain."
After carefully questioning the soldiers, Xie Kun hurriedly came to report: "Does the commander-in-chief think it's true or false?"
Wu Wei paced back and forth in the room a few times. The Lan Kingdom's army had penetrated more than two thousand li into the Su Kingdom, facing immense difficulties in resupply, which was indeed his Achilles' heel. For Li Jun, having lost the stronghold of Lujiabao, seizing his own supply lines was a brilliant plan to ease the situation.
But Li Jun let these prisoners know this news and then easily released them. Wasn't his intention to divert his attention to the supply route, reduce the pressure on Liuzhou, and at the same time make it easier to retreat?
"Send word to Chunwu to be on high alert. Chunwu has 30,000 soldiers. As long as they hold the city, Li Jun will be unable to do anything to them."