Chapter 981 – Battle of the Northern Frontier (18)
Halencha was clueless about what was going wrong, which was totally understandable.
Could Wu Libai, the sage of the Northern Frontier and seasoned veteran, really be unaware?
After two hours of teasing and last night’s failed ambush, the morale on the Northern Frontier side was at rock bottom.
At this moment, to suddenly order the soldiers to retreat several miles to clear the way for Liu Xi’s army – did they really expect to maintain their formation?
Once the army’s formation collapsed, they couldn’t organize an effective counterattack or defense, allowing the enemy to land first and launch a fierce assault.
In such a scenario, even if the opposing side had only thirty thousand vanguard troops, they could still win against a larger force.
Did the Dai Wang really think he could ambush Jiang Pengji while she was halfway landing? Did he genuinely believe Jiang Pengji would just fall into his trap?
It was blatantly a deception!
After being dazed for a moment, Wu Libai slowly regained his breath, forcing himself to send someone to remind the Dai Wang.
Though the Dai Wang had shown him disrespect, Wu Libai couldn’t let personal grievances affect the greater situation of the Northern Frontier.
The soldier attending to Wu Libai gritted his teeth and had no choice but to comply.
They could see that Wu Libai was kindly warning him, but the Dai Wang might not be appreciative.
Not only would he not be grateful, he might even double the humiliation.
Before the soldier could deliver the message, the battlefield situation took a dramatic turn; it was already too late.
Just as Wu Libai had anticipated, the Northern Frontier had a large number of troops. Besides the ninety thousand elite soldiers, the other eighty thousand were hastily conscripted militiamen. The elite could still hold their composure and maintain a rough formation, but the untrained militiamen were an entirely different matter.
Once the order to retreat was given to clear space, the militiamen panicked first and lost control.
People were jostling, feet were trampling over others, and the situation quickly descended into chaos.
Seeing this, the Northern Frontier General rushed out to direct operations, hoping to control the escalating disorder.
At that moment, the soldiers lingering on the Zhuoshui River seized the opportunity to cross the river and launched a fierce attack against the chaotic army.
Upon witnessing this, the Dai Wang’s eyes widened in shock as he shouted from his sedan chair, “Quick, prepare to meet the enemy—”
The militiamen, upon discovering the enemy crossing Zhuoshui, became even more panicked, making the situation even harder to control.
To make matters worse, horrifying shouts of slaughter rose from the rear of the army—
The Dai Wang’s face turned pale, as if he couldn’t believe what was happening before him.
Liu Xi’s thirty thousand troops were right under his nose; where did this extra force come from to ambush his rear?
“Talk about timing—”
Li Yun shouted, bursting into cheerful laughter.
Fu Wang’s main force had arrived, stealthily sneaking up on the Northern Frontier’s rear and catching them completely off guard.
Feng Zhen sent people to toy with the Northern Frontier, not only to deflate their morale but also to draw their attention.
An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.
Wu Libai had tried to use a feinting tactic for a night raid on their camp, never imagining they’d return the favor the next day!
“Better late than never—if we can achieve a great victory, we must reward the entire army handsomely!”
As Jiang Pengji declared this, her overbearing arrogance was on full display.
Feng Zhen replied, “My Lord, you have to keep your word; we’re counting on it.”
Though he wasn’t Xu Ke, he knew his lord was a ridiculously wealthy noble.
It would be inappropriate to miss such a golden opportunity to crush their enemy.
The landing army of Jiang Pengji launched a vigorous assault on the Northern Frontier troops, hitting them hard to the point of bewilderment.
The Northern Frontier’s surprise troops were no pushovers either, quickly organizing an effective counterattack. A brutal battle erupted between them and Jiang Pengji’s elite vanguard at the riverbank. However, this slight advantage was soon overshadowed by the losses incurred at the Northern Frontier’s rear—
Fu Wang, leading the main force, ambushed the rear camp of the Northern Frontier like a sharp blade thrusting through flesh, causing chaos.
The Northern Frontier could not maintain coordination between the front and rear, erupting into utter disarray.
The vice general, taking over from Wu Libai, rode forward, trying to stabilize the formation, but the impact of the disordered soldiers was more ferocious than a flood. His horse was knocked down, causing him to fall to the ground, and before he could get back up, countless feet trampled over him.
Amid the chaos, how many were trampled into pulp?
Some didn’t even have time to scream before losing their breath.
Seeing the situation turning dire, the Dai Wang retreated early under the protection of his guards.
If the Dai Wang himself fled, how could the other ministers and generals remain seated? The soldiers below had no will to fight!
In an instant, the Northern Frontier army fled in disarray, their defeat tumbling like a house of cards.
Wu Libai was deeply worried, contemplating how to persuade the Dai Wang to salvage the situation, when a soldier rushed into his tent.
“General, our army is in rout! You should escape with us!”
Wu Libai sprang up from his cot, his eyes wide as saucers.
“What? What do you mean ‘our army is in rout’?”
Listening to the death cries rising outside, Wu Libai felt as if he’d fallen into an ice pit.
“Suddenly, a batch of enemy troops surged from the rear, with enemies crossing the river, and we can’t manage both fronts—”
Wu Libai felt as if an invisible hammer had struck him, staggering back a step.
His face turned ashen!
“General, let’s flee while there’s still time—”
The soldier hurriedly urged Wu Libai, as the Dai Wang had already fled with the ministers. If they didn’t escape now, they would be left behind.
They fled at breakneck speed, showing no concern for the wounded Wu Libai, not even sending someone to notify him, clearly indicating their intention to abandon him.
In fact, the Dai Wang just fled too hastily and had temporarily forgotten about Wu Libai.
Wu Libai gritted his teeth tightly, squeezing out a single word, “Go—”
As long as there are mountains to be found, he wouldn’t worry about firewood; he couldn’t perish here, and he couldn’t bear to watch the Northern Frontier he’d dedicated his life to ruin.
The Northern Frontier cavalry escaped quickly, heading north, but the infantry in cloth armor and hastily conscripted militiamen weren’t so fortunate.
On the battlefield, even in fleeing, one cannot turn their back to the enemy.
The Northern Frontier army fled in a panic, like headless flies.
Fu Wang ordered the cavalry and light infantry to pursue the remnants, killing and capturing as many as they could, further expanding their victory.
The Northern Frontier couldn’t care about their supply trains, fleeing north in a state of sheer terror, like startled birds, panicking at the slightest rustle.
“Hahaha—this feels so good—it’s been too long since I’ve enjoyed myself like this!”
By dusk, covered in blood, Fu Wang finally returned on his majestic steed, while Li Yun rode in on his prized white horse.
Seeing Jiang Pengji, Fu Wang immediately dismounted, not daring to act haughty in the slightest.
“I pay my respects to my Lord.”
“Thank you for your hard work, we will discuss rewards later,” Jiang Pengji said as she helped Fu Wang up, addressing the others, “We’ve routed the Northern Frontier and captured countless prisoners; you shall all be recorded in history. To celebrate our great victory, today we feast on beef and pork to reward the entire army!”
According to the usual marching pace, the main force would still take another two or three days to arrive.
To coordinate the ambush, Fu Wang had pushed ahead.
Not only was the Northern Frontier fatigued, but Jiang Pengji’s side was also weary, the hastily arrived main army pouring their morale into crashing the enemy.
If the Northern Frontier had played it safe and engaged them in a war of attrition, it might have been them who collapsed first.
