His words were earnest, and all the soldiers listening to his admonition were moved. Dai happy himself was mean and ungrateful and was not supported by the soldiers, while Dong Cheng was a famous general of the Su Kingdom after Lu Xiang, so most of the soldiers were willing to help Dong Cheng.
Seeing the soldiers' reaction, Dong Cheng felt slightly relieved. But he knew that while his words had moved the soldiers, the enemy could also retaliate with words. The Peace Army, under the banner of avenging Lu Xiang and eliminating treacherous officials in the court, already had great appeal within the Soviet army.
"There is no time to lose. We should seize this opportunity when everyone is still wavering and do everything we can to drive the rebel army out of Xizhou." Dong Cheng drew his sword and shouted, "Now that the rebel army has entered the city, Xizhou is in danger, Canghai is in danger, and the Great Su is in danger! A true man would rather die than suffer national humiliation. I am going to lead the charge and drive the rebel army out of Xizhou. Those of you who are willing to help me, please follow me!"
Thousands of people shouted in unison: "We are willing to help the general drive away the enemy soldiers! We are willing to help the general drive away the enemy soldiers!"
Dong Cheng whispered to Mo Zidu beside him, "You go and take command of our main force and attack the enemy from the west street. I will lead the Xizhou troops to attack from the north. We must drive the enemy out of Xizhou today!"
Xizhou's main street was fairly spacious, but the originally straight street was now blocked by temporary barricades erected by both sides. Although no civilians were harmed, Dong Chengjun did not hesitate to demolish civilian houses to build barricades. In contrast, the Peace Army, which only used seized supplies as barricades, at least on the surface did not harass the civilians.
The advancing Canghai garrison, led by armored infantry, marched street by street. The heavy footsteps and the clanging of weapons and armor intensified the fear of the terrified civilians huddled in their homes. The fighting of the day had already shattered their spirits.
"They've arrived, but unfortunately, they're still a step too late!"
Meng Yuan shielded his eyes from the sunlight, calmly watching the approaching troops. The vanguard should be the soldiers of Canghai County. Although their momentum was impressive, their training seemed lacking. It was likely that Dai Xi was too complacent, which had led to the Canghai garrison being undisciplined and the soldiers having limited combat capabilities. They were outwardly strong but inwardly weak. If it weren't for Dong Cheng's elite troops backing them up, a single charge would have been enough to terrify them.
"No illness!" Meng Yuan shouted as the enemy troops approached.
"Is this your unit?" Wubing asked Daixi, who had changed into a suit of armor. Although he was wearing armor, Daixi had no imposing presence whatsoever. The grim atmosphere between the two armies made him feel like he could hardly breathe.
"It is...it is...a garrison commander of the county." He frantically tried to identify them, and finally breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that they were his subordinates.
"Alright, I'll go with you to the front lines. You must order your men not to act rashly!"
Protected by a small squad of soldiers, Wubing and a terrified Daixi spurred their horses forward. From a distance, Daixi shouted at the top of his lungs, "Don't shoot arrows! Don't shoot arrows! It's me! It's the Prefect!"
Dong Cheng took the lead at the head of the group. Hearing Dai Xi's call, the muscles on his face twitched slightly. The key now was whether the Canghai County garrison would listen to him or Dai Xi.
“Dai Xi has already joined forces with the rebel army.” He said solemnly, “Now that you have seen it with your own eyes, you should know who is loyal and who is treacherous. Whether you follow the traitor and leave behind a lasting infamy, or follow me and make a name for yourself in history, it all depends on your choice.”
Although his voice was not loud, the soldiers on both sides could hear him clearly. The Su army, whose morale had been dampened by Dai Xi's appearance, regained its fighting spirit.
"Don't listen to Dong Cheng! He's the real traitor! He disregarded the imperial decree, arbitrarily detained ministers, abandoned his post and fled, and even attacked friendly forces. Do you think he'll bring you fame in history?" Although Dai Xi wasn't particularly skilled in military strategy, he was used to the intrigue and power struggles of officialdom, and his verbal arguments were no less impressive than Dong Cheng's. His words hit the nail on the head, and every statement was true. He deliberately avoided discussing why he was in the Peace Army, instead focusing on Dong Cheng's abandonment of duty, his escape to Canghai County, and even his order to detain ministers—actions that left Dong Cheng speechless.
Dong Cheng had no desire to argue with such a petty person. He raised his spear, pointed it at Dai Xi, and said, "Fire the arrows!"
Seeing his men drawing their bows and aiming at the small squad of Peace Army soldiers, Dai Xi panicked and shouted, "None of my men are to fire! Let Dong Cheng and the Peace Army fight! The soldiers of Canghai County will remain neutral and will not fight for either side!"
Upon hearing this, Dong Cheng's heart sank. No one in the world is unafraid of death, and in the clash between two armies, it is impossible for people not to die in battle. If Dai Xi uses the lure of remaining neutral and not participating in the war, the soldiers of Canghai County might indeed remain neutral.
"Fire!" he commanded again. If Dai Xi were allowed to continue his enticements, the consequences would be unimaginable. But only a few dozen men obeyed his command and fired their arrows, and their aim was completely off target.
"As long as you remain neutral, you can live to see your parents, wives, and children after the war," Lü Wubing said at the right time, deeply moving the hearts of these officers and soldiers. Under Dai Xi's command, they originally had little loyalty to the emperor or patriotism. The Peace Army's pretext of avenging Lu Xiang made them think that even someone as loyal as Lu Xiang would only end up being executed by his own people. Therefore, most of them had no intention of fighting anymore.
"I will not force those who are unwilling to fight." Dong Cheng sighed inwardly. Military strategy says, "When two armies clash, attacking the mind is the best policy." The Peace Army's psychological warfare tactics were like a continuous sword technique, each move striking the vital points of the Canghai County soldiers. If he were to force them into battle, it would likely backfire.
As soon as he spoke, more than half of the soldiers from Canghai County left their originally orderly ranks and slipped into the side streets. Looking at the remaining three or four thousand soldiers, Dong Cheng sighed again, lamenting that loyalty and righteousness had been completely lost in this era.
Just then, the sound of drums suddenly rang out in the west street, and a troop of men charged in with shouts. The previously low morale was immediately boosted again, and Dong Cheng's spirits lifted. He calculated that he still had more than ten thousand troops, enough to annihilate the Peace Army.
In the street, both sides' view was obstructed by the houses, making it impossible to see what the other side was planning or to command their own troops. Meng Yuan, sword in hand, rode up to Wu Bing's side and said, "Wu Bing, you settle this prefecture governor and lead three thousand men to meet the enemy coming from the west. I'll take care of things here."
Wu Bing followed orders and, watching the enemy army approach step by step, Meng Yuan raised his sword and roared, "Red Dragon Formation, form ranks!"
Although those who accompanied him were light cavalry from the Peace Army, half of them were recruited from among the Rong people and were skilled in mounted warfare. However, Li Jun believed that cavalry should be combat-effective both on and off horseback; otherwise, without their horses, they would be helpless and await death. Therefore, the training of cavalry over the past two years had been extremely rigorous. The Peace Army's light cavalry typically carried three weapons: a spear, a saber, and a bow and arrow. They used spears when arrayed to meet enemy cavalry charges, sabers when launching their own surprise attacks, and bows and arrows when the two armies were engaged in open battle. The Rong people were originally extremely skilled in mounted archery, so the focus of their training was on how to skillfully utilize the Crimson Dragon Formation.
At this time, the Red Dragon Formation's requirements for weaponry were far less stringent than before. The ability to compensate for the weaknesses of various weapons was much lower, but the formation itself was more flexible. The street fortifications prevented large-scale deployment, making small-scale combat ideal. Seeing that the two armies hadn't yet clashed, and arrows were raining down, Dong Cheng realized the Peace Army was dispersing into groups of ten or so, understanding that the enemy was taking advantage of the terrain. He immediately ordered his own troops to disperse, but his troops, all under Dai Xi's command, were poorly trained and far less agile than the Peace Army. Before they could even approach the Peace Army, they were forced to retreat in disarray under the Rong's sharp arrow barrage.
"The enemy outnumbers us! If you are afraid of death, you will be stigmatized!" Dong Cheng roared. "If you are men, follow me and charge!" He spurred his horse and broke apart from his own troops, charging towards the enemy formation.
While the streets were not conducive to large-scale cavalry charges, they were not a major obstacle for solo riders. Encouraged by him, the Soviet defenders launched another attack.
"Fifty feet, forty feet, thirty feet..." Meng Yuan silently calculated the enemy's approach in his mind. When they were twenty feet away, he suddenly shouted, "Discard your bow!"
The soldiers of the Peace Army threw down their bows and arrows, picking up their spears and sabers. The two armies clashed fiercely. At this moment, even a coward knew that not killing the enemy meant certain death. Human flesh became as fragile as tofu under the weapons they themselves had created. A sharp spear pierced a throat, the gushing blood turning the once crimson tassel black. The curved, slender saber shattered with the clang of metal against metal. The saber's owner watched in horror as the enemy's goose-feathered saber fell. After that instant of pain, he saw the head of the one who had severed his head fly up as well.
"This is the battlefield!" Meng Yuan's body seemed to be burning with blood. He dismounted, drew his sword, and with a cascade of light, cleaved an enemy soldier in two. Then, he kicked another enemy soldier's head into a pile of broken bones.
"Die!" an enemy soldier shouted, his goose-feather saber whistling as it slashed down. Meng Yuan parried with his own blade. The enemy soldier felt a sudden burning heat in his right hand, and before he could even drop his saber, his right arm flew off his shoulder. In that split second of life and death, he forgot that he was facing an enemy who could take his life at any moment, and instinctively reached out his left hand to grab his right, crying out and desperately trying to pull his arm back. But what's severed cannot be restored, what's lost can never be regained. Meng Yuan showed no mercy; on this battlefield, the weak only face death. After knocking down another enemy soldier with the back of his blade, he easily cut down the kneeling, wailing enemy guard.
"Hit!" With a whooshing sound, he ducked sharply, a hand halberd flying over his head and knocking off the red tassel from his helmet. He clutched his helmet, his tiger-like eyes blazing, searching for the one who had thrown the halberd. Seeing his bloodshot eyes and the overwhelming killing intent emanating from him, the opponent was startled and took a step back, turning to flee. Meng Yuan snatched a spear from a nearby man and hurled it with all his might. The spear pierced the enemy's heart, the powerful force sending the enemy flying forward, embedding him in the wooden planks of the barricade. The enemy soldier cried and struggled to pull the spear from his back, but no matter how hard he tried, it only increased his pain. Soon, the immense pain overwhelmed him, and he slumped helplessly onto the wooden plank.
Dong Cheng's eyes were bloodshot with rage. The scene before him reminded him of the fierce battle at Wakou Pass—the same bloodshed, the same cries of agony, only the location was different. He leaped from the warhorse pierced by two spears. With a flick of his wrist, even on the ground, the weapon on horseback remained agile in his hands. Before the owners of the two spears could even pull them out, they felt a chill in their hearts as the spears pierced their armor.
The battle was extremely fierce; in a single charge, nearly a thousand corpses lay strewn across the battlefield. The Soviet defenders were not strong fighters. Although they faced the Peace Army's light cavalry, who were superior on horseback, they still had no advantage in one-on-one duels. Moreover, in the street fighting where large forces could not deploy, the Peace Army used its small and agile Red Dragon Formation to maneuver back and forth, scattered like ants and gathered like locusts, taking advantage of the terrain to create local numerical superiority. The vast majority of the corpses on the ground were left by the Soviet defenders.
The morale boosted by Dong Cheng was quickly shattered by this one-sided fighting. The defending troops, who had retreated into the side streets, watched the bloody scene unscathed, all secretly pleased with their earlier decision. Meanwhile, the Soviet soldiers, still on the battlefield facing the increasingly fierce attacks of the Peace Army, saw the Peace Army leisurely watching the spectacle and couldn't help but doubt their own desperate efforts.
"This is your last chance. Just step aside and you can go back alive. We, the Peace Army, are not treacherous!" Meng Yuan shouted, brandishing his sword. This shout was like a sharp arrow that shattered the last bit of fighting spirit in the hearts of the Soviet defenders. Those who were farther away turned into bystanders, while those who were closer simply abandoned their weapons and raised their hands.
"Enough, enough!" Dong Cheng swung his spear, knocking down a Peace Army soldier. Seeing his own troops collapsing like a house of cards, the only thing he could rely on was his own elite troops attacking from the west. However, the two sides were locked in a stalemate on the western flank, while his Peace Army had gained an absolute advantage. Although they still numbered in the thousands, they were all indifferent bystanders.
"Who is Dong Cheng?" The Peace Army general's booming voice snapped him out of his defeat-induced confusion. The incredibly brave Peace Army general, wielding a single sword, asked the question, but his eyes remained fixed on him. Dong Cheng braced his spear against the ground, leaped up, kicked a Peace Army soldier away, and roared, "I am Dong Cheng! State your name!"
Dong Cheng felt a mixture of resentment and admiration for this young general who had led him to the brink of defeat. Meng Yuan glanced at him; he vaguely remembered seeing Dong Cheng once when they were under Lu Xiang's command. Now, it seemed that the trials and tribulations of the past five years had greatly changed both of them.
"Peace Army Meng Yuan!" Meng Yuan strode towards Dong Cheng, each step he took like a mountain moving. The surrounding enemy troops had already scattered, and no one dared to stop him.
"You must be Meng Yuan. We've met once before!" Dong Cheng was startled to see that there was a peculiar rhythm in every gesture of Meng Yuan's. Back in Lu Xiang's army, Meng Yuan was already famous. Now it seemed that his martial arts skills had made great progress.
"Now that we have surrendered, we will not fail to treat you with the respect due to an honored guest," Meng Yuan said in a low voice. "General Dong, whether to fight or make peace is entirely up to you!"
Without saying much, Dong Cheng simply raised his spear and made a feint towards Meng Yuan, their killing intent clashing fiercely. Meng Yuan dodged Dong Cheng's spear, which followed his killing intent, and slashed upwards along the spear shaft with his waist knife, intending to cut off Dong Cheng's fingers. Dong Cheng twisted his wrist and body, thrusting his spear upwards towards Meng Yuan's throat.
In an instant, the two engaged in fierce combat. Although Dong Cheng was valiant, he had to admit that he was still slightly inferior to Meng Yuan. When their weapons clashed, although Dong Cheng used a long spear, he was the one whose arms were mostly numb from the impact. However, Meng Yuan also realized that Dong Cheng's spear technique was highly skilled and his spiritual power was abundant, making it difficult for him to defeat him in a short time.
Dong Cheng inwardly groaned. He was now the only one still fighting a bitter battle in the entire north. Meng Yuan seemed intent on a one-on-one duel, not ordering the Peace Army to swarm him. Therefore, the Peace Army soldiers stood leisurely by, cheering and shouting when Meng Yuan attacked, but booing loudly when Dong Cheng attacked, showing no signs of being in the thick of battle. Some Peace Army soldiers had even begun cleaning up the battlefield, collecting their flags and ceremonial items. Dong Cheng knew they were taking these to the still-stalemate battlefield in the west, but there was nothing he could do.