223: Keep the enemy out of the country! The war begins!

Chapter 221: Repel the Enemy Beyond the Border! The Great Battle Begins!

Tai'an City.

Zhao Chun, upon receiving the intelligence, finally breathed a sigh of relief. "Northern Liang has finally sent out troops!"

His plan to 'drive a wolf to swallow a tiger', conceived with Imperial Tutor Yuan Benxi, had reached its final stage.

However, for two years, he had repeatedly urged King of Northern Liang Xu Xiao to send troops to suppress Li Chang'an, but Xu Xiao remained inactive.

The arrogant King of Northern Liang could tolerate Li Chang'an growing powerful behind his back; Emperor Zhao Chun was truly baffled.

Yuan Benxi speculated that Li Chang'an and Xu Xiao must have reached some kind of agreement, hence their tacit state of peace.

But even Yuan Benxi couldn't figure out where Li Chang'an got the leverage to negotiate with Xu Xiao.

It wasn't until Xu Fengnian returned to Northern Liang, and Li Chang'an released the news that he had imprisoned Xu Fengnian for three years, that the Li Yang Dynasty finally understood.

Yuan Benxi also gasped, taking a cold breath. Li Chang'an could hide such a major piece of news, and the Fushui Bureau was completely helpless.

It was imaginable that Li Chang'an had truly developed into a behemoth.

Although his territory was not large, and his army only numbered over a hundred thousand, his strength could not be underestimated!

"Teacher, Xu Xiao has actually deployed the Great Snow Dragon Riders and Iron Pagoda, which are his strongest cavalry."

Yuan Benxi's expression also relaxed considerably. "Li Chang'an's army is not weak, but he probably can't stop Northern Liang."

"However, for Northern Liang to completely eliminate Li Chang'an, its military strength will undoubtedly be greatly depleted."

"Your Majesty is brilliant; this grand plan of 'driving a tiger to swallow a wolf' has finally succeeded!"

Zhao Chun, however, said, "I hope Li Chang'an is crippled, but not swallowed by Xu Xiao. Otherwise, Xu Xiao will occupy four provinces."

Yuan Benxi said, "This old subject will have Intelligence Agency intensify their investigations, and if necessary, we can fan the flames and profit from it."

"Li Chang'an reclaiming the three commanderies of Sha Province can be considered contributing to the Li Yang Dynasty, and our Li Yang's territory has expanded again."

"As long as Northern Liang is severely weakened, it will then certainly follow the Li Yang Dynasty's lead!"

Northern Mang Capital.

In the mansion of Tuoba Pusa, the Great King of the Northern Court, General Zhong Shentong and Spider Web leader Li Mibi came to pay their respects.

Zhong Shentong excitedly said, "Great King, scouts in the army have sent a pigeon message! Northern Liang has deployed 110,000 troops and has already exited Jiayu Pass!"

"Now is a rare opportunity. If we send troops to northern Sha Province, we can definitely wipe out Li Chang'an in one fell swoop!"

The deaths of Hong Jingyan and Zhong Liang in Northern Liang had always been a thorn in Zhong Shentong's heart, and he had been constantly thinking about it for the past two years.

Li Mibi, the head of the Spider Web, remained silent, clearly disagreeing with Zhong Shentong's view.

The existence of Sha Province could both contain Northern Liang and split the Li Yang Dynasty, so it seemed that sending troops to Sha Province was not a good idea.

A single province was insignificant to the behemoth that was Northern Mang.

Indeed, Tuoba Pusa said in a deep voice, "Your Majesty has already made a decision on this matter."

"Personal grievances are not worth mentioning, Great General. You must consider the bigger picture. Our long-cherished wish is to flatten Li Yang and unify the world!"

"Isn't Li Chang'an's bloody battle with the Northern Liang Army our best chance to break through Northern Liang?"

"Li Chang'an is confined to a corner, irrelevant. Keeping him can still contain Xu Xiao. How can we help the Li Yang Dynasty eliminate Sha Province?"

This principle was so simple, but Zhong Shentong was blinded by personal feelings, intent on avenging his brothers.

"But Great King, Xu Xiao is a man of such cunning and skill. He began clearing border tribes two years ago, which is why he can now draw out 100,000 elite troops."

"Now, along the Liang-Mang border, there are still strong armies guarding it. It might not be easy to profit from their conflict."

At this moment, Li Mibi said sinisterly, "Xu Xiao's capabilities are known throughout the world; he is a man who has emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood."

"His weakness is this son. If Xu Fengnian dies in Sha Province, what will Xu Xiao do?"

Tuoba Pusa's face showed appreciation. "If Xu Fengnian dies, Xu Xiao will definitely send more troops to avenge his son, and then our opportunity will come."

"Great General, do not hesitate any longer. Gather your troops first; your chance to achieve meritorious deeds in the south has arrived!"

"Mr. Li, the matter of Xu Fengnian dying in Sha Province is entrusted to you!"

Outside Jiayu Pass.

Xu Fengnian, leading a massive army, finally stepped onto the land of Sha Province.

His idea was simple: first, slaughter a few counties in Sha Province to let the Sha Province soldiers and common people know the might of the Northern Liang Army.

Cavalry on both flanks, infantry in the center, with Qi Dangguo and Yuan ZuoZong present, the entire army's advance was orderly.

On the first night, Xu Fengnian received unexpected news.

Inside the central army tent, a scout reported, "Your Highness, Li Chang'an personally leads 80,000 troops and is already five hundred li away!"

Upon hearing this news, Xu Fengnian immediately sneered, "The Northern Liang Army has come to attack, yet Li Chang'an doesn't hold fast to strong cities. Does he intend to directly engage us in a decisive battle?"

Many generals in the tent were amused by this news.

"Not defending the city, daring to fight us in a decisive battle, does Li Chang'an think he has the Western Chu Great Halberdiers?"

"He truly doesn't know the immensity of heaven and earth; the Iron Pagoda can crush him in one charge!"

"Your Highness, this humble general is willing to lead the charge!"

These arrogant and fierce generals were all seasoned veterans, and they greatly underestimated Li Chang'an, who had only risen in the past two or three years.

However, Yuan ZuoZong and Qi Dangguo dared not be careless at all. Firstly, they knew the importance of this battle, and secondly, they knew Li Chang'an's formidable nature.

To maintain the army's combat effectiveness, Xu Xiao had not allowed the entire army to know some news unfavorable to Northern Liang.

But Yuan ZuoZong and Qi Dangguo were very clear that the Xuanjia Army and the White Horse Volunteers were by no means ordinary.

Of course, even in the eyes of these two, the Northern Liang Army was bound to win!

Because the current Northern Liang Army was developed on the foundation of veterans who had swept through six kingdoms, with more mature tactics and more complete combat capabilities.

Especially the world-renowned Iron Pagoda and Great Snow Dragon Riders, this was their first time dealing with an enemy faction simultaneously!

But this atmosphere of overconfidence among the arrogant and fierce generals was absolutely not a good thing.

Yuan ZuoZong snorted coldly and said, "An arrogant army is bound to be defeated! This battle must be won, but we must never underestimate the enemy."

With Yuan ZuoZong's prestige in the army, as soon as he spoke to reprimand, the generals in the tent immediately fell silent.

The steady Qi Dangguo interjected, "Li Chang'an, who swept through Western Barbarians and Western Rong, is by no means an easy opponent."

"Moreover, he also has five thousand monk soldiers and ten thousand Western Rong barbarian soldiers assisting him; he absolutely cannot be underestimated."

The two old generals suppressed the restless and arrogant atmosphere, and Xu Fengnian continued, "All of you should understand the importance of this battle to Northern Liang."

"If anything goes wrong, Northern Liang will face immense pressure from Northern Mang and the Li Yang Dynasty."

"Therefore, for the great cause of Northern Liang, please put aside your arrogance and strive for absolute certainty."

Yuan ZuoZong and Qi Dangguo both nodded. Xu Fengnian had indeed grown a lot; although eager for revenge, he was still steady and understood what was important.

This, for those who supported Xu Fengnian, was naturally a great blessing.

Xu Fengnian then said, "Since Li Chang'an dares to engage in a direct decisive battle, it saves us the trouble of besieging the city and fighting a turtle."

"All armies, get some rest. We will choose a day to have a decisive battle with Li Chang'an!"

Northern Liang had finally sent troops, and Li Chang'an was also waiting for this day.

As early as a year ago, Li Chang'an had begun preparations.

This operation was a direct confrontation between Sha Province and Northern Liang. It could no longer be like before, waiting for the enemy to reach Jinchang City.

Li Chang'an had painstakingly developed Sha Province, and with Xu Fengnian's style and the Northern Liang Army's discipline, the Northern Liang soldiers would surely cause widespread destruction along the way.

Therefore, Li Chang'an's idea this time was to repel the enemy beyond the national gate.

One-third of the four elite martial artist units—the Xuanjia Army, Modao Soldiers, Bai Er Soldiers, and White Horse Volunteers—had already broken through to the third rank.

Especially the Xuanjia Army and Modao Soldiers, these two formidable forces that had integrated templates four years ago, half of them were third-rank, and the rest were all at the Peak of the fourth rank.

And Northern Liang's strongest army was also a mix of martial artists and ordinary people.

The morning after Li Chang'an arrived at the battlefield, Xu Fengnian received a declaration of war.

Inside the central army tent, Xu Fengnian opened Li Chang'an's declaration of war, which contained only a few simple words.

"Useless man, this King will capture you again."

Xu Fengnian gritted his teeth, suppressing the anger in his chest, and agreed on a decisive battle time with Li Chang'an's envoy.

Yuan ZuoZong and Qi Dangguo were relieved to see Xu Fengnian so composed.

They certainly didn't expect Xu Fengnian to truly arrange troops and formations; as long as he didn't cause trouble and steadily held the central army position, keeping morale stable, that would be good enough.

Three days later.

On the vast plains outside the pass, the Sha Province Army and the Northern Liang Army faced each other from a distance. True strong army combat didn't involve too many flashy calculations.

Because both sides were armies that had fought countless battles, they wouldn't be caught with too many loopholes by the other side; it was a head-on clash of pure strength.

On the Sha Province Army's side, the main infantry force was composed of refugees, plus the Bai Er Soldiers, Xuanjia Army, and the monk soldiers of the Wala Tribe, totaling over forty thousand.

The refugees were inherently warlike and harbored deep hatred for Northern Liang. After more than a year of training and actual combat with the Fan People, these infantrymen's combat power was already not inferior to that of Northern Liang veterans.

Infantry charging face-to-face had no frills. The outcome of the battle depended on the flanking cavalry's encirclement.

Whichever side's cavalry gained an advantage and successfully charged into the side or rear of the opposing infantry formation, it would essentially be a one-sided slaughter.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The war drums of both sides had sounded. Nearly a hundred thousand people were spread across several miles of the great plain, and after a few rounds of arrow rain, they began to charge.

"Kill the Liang dogs, capture Xu Fengnian alive!"

"Charge! Drive the Northern Liang people out of Sha Province!"

"Let the Northern Liang soldiers go but never return!"

Before long, both sides engaged in close combat, long spears and great halberds intertwined, and blood splattered along the extended battle line.

The Great Tang infantry, composed of refugees, harbored pent-up anger. For years, whenever they encountered Northern Liang soldiers, they were passively beaten, only for the Northern Liang soldiers to withdraw when they were satisfied.

Now, these refugees were finally armed, with bright armor and sharp weapons. How could they not seek revenge?

The Northern Liang infantry were also veterans, each one fierce and formidable, becoming even stronger when facing a powerful enemy.

At one end of the battle line, a group of black-clad Modao Soldiers were very conspicuous. These men were inflicting a one-sided slaughter on the Northern Liang soldiers.

Although their primary role was to guard against cavalry, it didn't prevent them from harvesting the lives of the opposing infantry before the cavalry arrived.

The cold, sharp Modao easily pierced through the Northern Liang soldiers' breastplates. Even with burning passion, the opponents could only die with regret on the battlefield.

Gradually, the Bai Er Soldiers and Modao Soldiers at both ends of the battle formation easily changed the local situation, forming an overwhelming advantage.

These third and fourth-rank martial artists, with one strike, could break through five or six layers of armor, making killing incredibly easy.

Northern Liang's right flank.

Qi Dangguo watched the battlefield with anxious eyes. The enemy cavalry had not yet moved, but the Tang Army's infantry, despite being numerically inferior, was gradually gaining the upper hand.

Both sides fought fearlessly, making the war even more brutal, with severed limbs scattered everywhere on the battlefield.

He couldn't wait any longer. Qi Dangguo knew the importance of battlefield Aura.

He looked at the six thousand Iron Pagoda behind him, and the twenty thousand Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, and a surge of heroic Aura ignited in his chest.

"Brothers, Northern Liang hasn't fought a major battle in many years!"

"Some people are already saying that Northern Liang's Sharpness (sharpness/vigor) is completely gone, and they can no longer fight!"

"What do you say we should do?!"

The Iron Pagoda had their helmets covering their faces, and muffled voices converged like rumbling thunder.

"Kill! Kill! Kill! Leave no one!"

Subsequently, the entire cavalry unit was ignited with passion, and the atmosphere of the great war of national destruction seemed to return.

The Iron Pagoda's predecessor was the Full Armor Camp, the true military soul of Northern Liang.

Qi Dangguo looked at the large banner with the character 'Xu' not far away and said with surging emotion, "Gentlemen!"

"The Full Armor Camp is fully armored, what should be done?!"

These words carried immense Aura, and the pride and heroism of the Iron Pagoda were instantly ignited.

Six thousand men shouted in unison, "Fight to the death! Fight to the death! Fight to the death!"

Qi Dangguo raised his voice to the highest with True Qi, shouting to the cavalry behind him, totaling over thirty thousand men, "The day of fighting to the death has arrived!"

As he spoke, he turned his horse, holding a silver spear, and galloped out first!

"Iron Pagoda, Northern Liang Iron Cavalry, charge!"

In an instant, the thundering sound of hooves echoed for several li. On the right side of the Northern Liang Army, dust obscured the sky, and shouts of battle shook the clouds!

Almost simultaneously, the sound of hooves rang out from all four sides of the battlefield!

The Great Snow Dragon Riders, Xuanjia Army, and White Horse Volunteers all began to charge.

Xuanjia Army against Great Snow Dragon Riders, heavy cavalry charging head-on!

The White Horse Volunteers, along with ten thousand Huyan Tribe grassland light cavalry and twenty thousand Great Tang Iron Cavalry, charged towards the Iron Pagoda.

Watching the speed of the opposing charge, Qi Dangguo couldn't help but feel his blood boil.

"Brothers, Li Chang'an actually used light cavalry to charge the Iron Pagoda! He truly deserves a terrible end!"

Galloping on his horse, Qi Dangguo used True Qi to transmit these words throughout the cavalry.

The six thousand Iron Pagoda instantly erupted in fierce shouts, "Crush the Sha Province Army!"

"Ram them to death!"

"Kill! Slaughter Sha Province!"

The thundering sound of hooves rang out, and the White Horse Volunteers also saw the Iron Pagoda.

Huo Qubing licked his lips and shouted loudly, "My lads, completely destroy the Iron Pagoda! Success is today!"

As his voice fell, another volley of arrows was shot from the White Horse Volunteers' formation!

At such high speed, yet still able to ride and shoot steadily, only the White Horse Volunteers could achieve this.

"Swish swish swish swish..."

Watching the sky full of arrows, Qi Dangguo sneered in his heart. When had the Iron Pagoda ever feared arrows!

The Iron Pagoda were even more unconcerned, continuously whipping their sturdy horses, charging into the arrow rain!

"Pfft!"

An arrow shot by a third-rank martial artist easily pierced through the skull of a Iron Pagoda soldier!

"Hiss!"

Another arrow shot into the chest of a Iron Pagoda soldier!

"Crack!"

The thick iron armor of the Iron Pagoda was actually pierced by arrows!

In an instant, the Iron Pagoda formation was in chaos, men and horses falling. Under one wave of arrow rain, hundreds of Iron Pagoda warriors were lost!

"Charge! Charge through the arrows!"

Although Qi Dangguo's attack speed did not decrease, his heart was filled with incomparable horror!

How was this possible!

Mere bows and arrows, how could they pierce the Iron Pagoda?!

Having fought his entire life, he had never seen such a thing!