Chapter 590: Enemy at the Gate
Moreover, before going into battle, Meng Hua asked for permission to transfer all the eight-ox crossbows from various armies to his own army. Therefore, the number of these eight-ox crossbows was as many as several hundred.
A small Eight Ox Crossbow only requires a dozen soldiers to pull it, but a large Eight Ox Crossbow may even require nearly a hundred people to operate it.
Such a terrifying weapon of war cannot be defended by human power...
The enemy's central army was charging in a hurry, but suddenly, the enemy's cavalry and shield soldiers all dispersed to both sides, revealing a row of eight-ox crossbows ready to be fired. The enemy's soldiers had no time to react or retreat, and huge arrows flew towards them with the sound of breaking through the air.
It's called an arrow, but it's nearly six or seven feet long, not much shorter than even a spear. Coupled with its immense force, it's unstoppable wherever it passes! There's a saying that goes, "If you touch it, you die; if you touch it, you die." This description of the Eight Ox Crossbow's power is absolutely accurate.
Hundreds of massive, snake-like crossbow bolts were fired at unimaginable speed, piercing the densely packed center of the enemy army with them. Each bolt pierced at least several soldiers before stopping. In an instant, over a thousand soldiers were killed.
Moreover, the number of casualties was still acceptable, but the psychological pressure that the Eight Ox Crossbows brought to the enemy soldiers was unparalleled!
At this moment, not only did the opponent's offensive stop, but it also caused great chaos in the opponent's formation.
"Brothers, follow me and kill!" Meng Hua's eyes lit up. Although the Eight Ox Crossbow was powerful, it would take a long time to launch a second wave of attack. By then, the opponent would have reacted. Moreover, he could not wait that long, so he immediately mounted his horse and led the cavalry to charge directly towards the opponent's central army.
Originally, the enemy's formation was tight, so the rangers could only harass. But now, the front of the main formation was in chaos, and it was difficult to re-form the formation. Meng Hua led the rangers directly through the gap and charged in. The troops behind him, led by their respective officers, also rushed forward!
When Meng Hua rushed into the enemy's formation, the troops on both wings also tightened their encirclement, trying to keep more soldiers.
Shen Tumou's face was grim. He had deliberately chosen the right battlefield for this battle. Given the surrounding terrain, deploying more troops would have been cumbersome; an army of around ten thousand was the most appropriate. Therefore, relatively speaking, this was a fairly even battle. Unexpectedly, the enemy's use of troops was even more formidable than his own. From the outset, his side had fallen into their trap.
"Sound the retreat!" Shentu Mou said gritting his teeth. There was no chance of winning if they continued fighting now, and they would even lose more soldiers.
The shrill sound of a bugle sounded. The commander in the formation below was trying to fight back, but his troops were already in disarray. Upon hearing the order to withdraw, he immediately gritted his teeth, abandoned the front army, and led the troops in the rear to rush out at the fastest speed in the direction that had not been blocked.
…
"General, I have returned victorious!" Meng Hua, covered in blood, stood excitedly in front of Jia Cong. He had beheaded more than ten people in this battle, which really gave him a chance to vent his anger.
Moreover, according to statistics, in the previous battle, their side only lost nearly 2,000 soldiers, but the enemy only escaped with more than 3,000 soldiers. Most of the remaining soldiers were killed, and a small number surrendered and became prisoners.
"General Meng, you have worked hard!" Jia Cong said with a smile.
Meng Hua chuckled, "It's all thanks to the Marshal's guidance. I fought bravely, and this battle has reduced the previous bad blood."
"Clean up the battlefield and set up camp for repairs!"
…
"Elder, I did not fight well. Please punish me!" In the Southern Xinjiang military camp, Shen Tumou sat in the first seat with a grim face, and the general who had just fought knelt on the ground to apologize.
His expression changed for a moment before Shen Tumou said, "Get up. This is not your fault. I'll forgive you this time!"
"Thank you, Elder!" The commander hurriedly expressed his gratitude, then stood up and sat down with the others.
"Elder, what should we do next? The Daqian army is powerful, and their commander should not be underestimated. If we continue fighting like this, there won't be many men left in our tribe."
In this battle, the troops advanced deep into the enemy lines and were immediately surrounded. Only the commander escaped with some of his troops. With such a huge loss, how many more troops could they have held out? Furthermore, what shocked them even more was the commander of the Daqian army, who commanded his troops with ease. During the battle, the enemy's rapid changes in formation far exceeded their imagination, making them difficult to cope with.
Moreover, these soldiers are no less powerful than their own tribesmen. In this situation, they really don't have much chance of winning.
"Set up camp and don't go into battle for now!" Shen Tu Mou said gritting his teeth.
…
"Starting tomorrow, each unit will take turns attacking the enemy camp. I don't think they 'll fight easily, so all you need to do is set up a battle formation. Send a message to Hou Jing and his men: continue their harassment. They're now in disarray, and I doubt they can hold out for much longer."
All the generals gathered in Jia Cong's tent. The great victory in this battle made everyone happy.
"General, there is no need for a feint attack. Let me lead my men to capture their camp directly!" Meng Hua said with a big laugh.
Jia Cong waved his hand. "Although the enemy has suffered considerable damage in this battle, they haven't sustained any serious losses . Forcibly attacking the main camp now will only lead to casualties. Even if we capture them, it won't be worth it. Just follow my orders. Don't worry, they won't hold out for long."
"When their patience is almost exhausted, I will give them a chance to break out!"
…
Outside Hongya City, the coalition forces of the Xishan and Yechuan tribes had been attacking for a full four days. Sun Ze had been wounded in over ten places, and the original two thousand soldiers had already been completely destroyed. Even with the additional two thousand soldiers sent from the city, they were almost completely destroyed! However, the enemy's active attack also caused heavy casualties, with at least tens of thousands of casualties.
On the second day of the battle, the allied forces arrived, their catapults joining the fray, and they focused their efforts on the arrow towers outside the city. It was precisely because of the destruction of these towers over the next two days that Daqian's advantage diminished, and both trench lines fell. Sun Ze had already retreated back into the city .
The enemy is at the gate!
Despite achieving such a victory, the coalition forces were not at all happy. After all, they had already lost thousands of soldiers and horses to capture the small city of Hongya, and over ten thousand soldiers had been injured and damaged. And now, they were still outside the city. This was truly beyond their ability to endure.
If the current situation continues, by the time they capture Hongya, how many of their 50,000 troops will be able to fight? Therefore, a huge dispute broke out among the coalition forces as to whether to continue advancing eastward.
