Chapter 31 of 100
Chapter 31
13 min read3,159 words
Large-scale cavalry was undoubtedly the king of ancient battlefields. Without a large number of bows, crossbows, and firearms, and without any effective defense, they were the eternal nightmare of infantry.
However, for Xu Hao, Li Jinglong's hundred light cavalry did not pose much of a threat. The reason was simple: this was a brawl, not a real battlefield slaughter. Could they really ride their horses over him? At most, they could only create a psychological deterrent.
To reduce the fear of his servants, Xu Hao took the stableman's suggestion and prepared a lot of roasted black beans. When the bags of fragrant "delicacies" were scattered on the ground, the horses immediately became agitated.
During battles, warhorses were usually kept half-fed, just like how people would run slower if they were too full. Moreover, these hundred horses were not strictly trained warhorses. They were from wealthy families, pampered and precious. After a whole day of hard work, they had only eaten some wild grass. How could they resist the temptation? No matter how their riders urged them, they all slowed down their hooves.
As the horses began to eat, Xu Hao's servants saw that the plan was effective, and their morale soared. With the huge temptation of the reward, they all seemed to be injected with adrenaline, charging forward with a roar, afraid of falling behind.
Like a sharp blade, they didn't care about the gradually forming encirclement, and Xu Jingqin and Zhu Gaohu, who were full of anger, led the charge fiercely.
The most interesting part was the boundless wisdom of the people. To get more rewards, the servants spontaneously formed pairs or groups of three, working together with great默契 (coordination).
Some were responsible for pulling the riders off their horses, while others raised their clubs to knock them down, then took the waistbands as proof. Of course, they also had to lightly cut the pants with a knife before moving on to the next target.
Li Jinglong watched helplessly as his most proud cavalry, like being trapped in a muddy swamp, lost their fighting ability after a few struggles. What made him want to bleed was that they awkwardly held their pants with both hands, looking as helpless as women who had been raped.
"Order the entire army to tighten the encirclement, make sure not to let anyone escape, and hit them hard."
After saying this through gritted teeth, he suddenly heard the Xu family burst into excited cheers. Li Jinglong quickly turned his head to look back, and his eyes widened.
He saw that the camp on the hillside had been taken over at some point. His battle flag was lowered, and the flag that now fluttered in the wind bore a large Zhu character.
"How is this possible?" Li Jinglong cried in disbelief. How could Zhu Gaochi, that fat pig, suddenly occupy my camp?
In fact, Li Jinglong was right. The leader was not Zhu Gaochi, but a trump card in Xu Hao's hand, Zhu Neng, the left arm and right hand of Prince Yan Zhu Di.
Zhu Neng was brave and skilled in battle, having repeatedly achieved great feats in campaigns against the northern desert. As the first fierce general under Prince Yan, he naturally accompanied Zhu Di to the capital, and Zhu Gaochi did not forget him.
This morning, after Li Jinglong set up camp, Zhu Neng gladly accepted the mission and led fifty subordinates to quietly ambush behind the camp through a mountain path. Zhu Neng did not take this trivial matter seriously and did not report it to Zhu Di.
After Li Jinglong ordered the entire army to attack, the camp was left empty. Faced with a fierce general like Zhu Neng, the dozens of stable boys and servants left behind were no match and were easily captured, without even managing to send an alarm.
The loss of the base greatly demoralized the troops, causing the advancing units to unconsciously slow down. The young masters and generals were in a panic, waiting for orders from their commander.
But at this moment, Li Jinglong was already losing confidence. He did not know how many troops were on the mountain, and if he could not quickly defeat the enemy, he would easily be caught in a pincer attack.
At this moment, Li Jinglong's greatest flaw was exposed: he was never a soldier and did not possess the courage, responsibility, belief, and honor of a soldier.
What should I do? What should I do? Li Jinglong's eyes were lifeless, and he repeatedly muttered to himself. As he hesitated, the people below naturally became uncertain.
On the Green Mountain, the old man praised, "Well done. Even without the ambush on the mountain, the children's courage is commendable, and they have the courage and spirit to defeat an enemy many times their size. Good!"
Zhu Di smiled and said, "I admire Xu Hao even more. This brilliant move has completely demoralized the enemy, greatly reducing our casualties and boosting our morale. This boy is truly a military talent."
The old man disagreed, "You are overestimating him. He is merely relying on Gaochi. I don't see any real talent in him. He is just more flexible in his thinking, and Li Jinglong is too superficial, giving him an opportunity. Xu Hao will at most be a strategist."
"My son-in-law is in need of such a strategist, hehe!" Zhu Di could not hide his admiration for talent, pointing to the battlefield, "If it were Gaohu, he would surely lead the army straight to the Dragon Gate. The outcome would be uncertain, perhaps a great victory, perhaps being surrounded. How will Xu Hao decide?"
The old man smiled lightly, "This boy is cunning and wise. Throughout the process, he likes to play with his opponents bit by bit. In such a favorable situation, he will never choose to bet everything on one throw."
Zhu Di nodded, "This is not a matter of life and death. Betting everything on one throw can easily provoke the enemy's anger. Since they won't lose their lives, a cornered beast is the most dangerous. It seems Xu Hao's counterattack will be just enough."
Below, with Li Jinglong's hesitation, the entire situation was reversed. Just as Li Jinglong was indecisive, through the intelligence of Zhang De, Xu Hao made a decisive decision and ordered everyone to charge the left flank of the enemy.
"Brother, give the order quickly! If we pursue now, it won't be hard to win," Wang Tong urgently shouted in Li Jinglong's ear.
Li Jinglong came to his senses and said without thinking, "Order the right and center armies to merge and form a defensive formation, then slowly retreat."
"What?" Wang Tong shouted, "You are just letting our brothers be beaten and killed?"
"Shut up," Li Jinglong was furious, "On the battlefield, there is no room for a woman's heart. Now that we have lost the camp and the cavalry, and our morale is low, we have become an isolated force. We must immediately cut off the limb to save the body. Only then can we preserve our strength and fight another day."
As Li Jinglong slowly gathered his forces, the more than two hundred people from the Xu family, like tigers descending from the mountain, charged at the left flank, which numbered only a hundred. This left flank had nothing to do with yesterday's conflict; they were purely there to help and vent their anger, a group of loyalists.
Hunger, thirst, fatigue, and exhaustion made them see a large group of ferocious men wielding clubs charging at them. Their allies did not come to help but retreated instead.
To hell with it, loyalty be damned, the hundred men scattered and ran for their lives.
"Chase, chase to the death," Xu Hao ordered with a smile.
Who wouldn't want to beat a fallen dog? The servants charged forward with a roar, determined to earn the silver. Such a good opportunity to make money couldn't be missed.
Li Jinglong's subordinates watched in shock as the Xu family's two hundred men chased the hundred unfortunate brothers across the hills, occasionally knocking someone down, taking their waistbands, and cutting their pants, determined to chase them to the ends of the earth.
Li Jinglong breathed a heavy sigh of relief and said coldly to Wang Tong, "See that? Those useless men are not worth rescuing. We can't sacrifice all our brothers for them."
Wang Tong dared not speak out, thinking to himself, if you hadn't ignored them, how could they have run away? This isn't a real battlefield; who would be afraid of death?
At this moment, Young Master Cao suddenly exclaimed, "Brother, look over there."
Li Jinglong looked and saw that the Xu family's castle was full of people waving at them. Upon closer inspection, they seemed to be his men.
"It's Zhang De, Brother, Zhang De has taken the castle," Young Master Cao shouted excitedly.
"Good."
Li Jinglong didn't have time to think much. There was no time to cut trees or dig trenches, and even if he ordered it, the thirsty men below would drink him first.
He immediately ordered the entire army to move toward the castle, while the Xu family was still chasing the fleeing soldiers, and it would take some time for them to return.
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