Tang Dynasty Mingyue Song Dynasty Pass

Chapter 800: Two Armies Confronted

Three days later, at dawn, the two armies faced each other at the foot of Lotus Peak in the southeast of Shaozhou. Each side had deployed 60,000 to 70,000 main forces to line up and wait for the opportunity, with a magnificent momentum.

On the battlefield, flags fluttered in the breeze, and armor shone brightly in the morning light. The morale of both sides was high, like a rainbow piercing the sun, and their fighting spirit was high.

Whether it was the Wu army soldiers, wearing iron armor, holding sharp blades, with determination and courage in their eyes, or the Southern Han army, wearing armor, carrying bows and arrows, and full of murderous intent. Both armies were determined to win and vowed to defeat their opponents and win the victory in this decisive battle.

The Southern Han army was even more powerful than the others. At the front were rows of war elephants. Thousands of giant elephants stood tall, clad in heavy armor, like a moving steel wall, indestructible.

On the elephant's back, archers and spearmen stood steadily, like eagles in the sky, ready to strike.

Once the drums of war sound, these war elephants will charge forward like a storm. Their impact force combined with the precise shooting of the soldiers above will surely make them invincible and unstoppable.

This unparalleled might was the source of confidence for the Southern Han soldiers. They firmly believed that the Wu army would be terrified by this sight and their morale would be frustrated. Once the war elephants rushed past, the Wu army would lose their armor and be routed.

By then, they only need to pursue the victory and go up to finish off the enemy, and they will surely kill countless enemy soldiers.

In addition, the Southern Han army arranged infantry and archers on the two wings, and deployed limited cavalry as mobile forces behind the elephant formation, all in order to cooperate with the war elephant army.

Li Chengwu sat on the back of a majestic elephant, looking like an ancient king on a tour. This elephant was not included in the charge, but was specially used as his command platform, allowing him to look down from a high place, overlooking the overall situation, giving orders at any time, and controlling the situation.

He sat steadily on the elephant's back, surrounded by heralds and generals. Everyone concentrated and held their breath, waiting for his orders.

Li Chengwo scanned the battlefield with his sharp eyes. He had already made plans in his mind. As long as he gave the order, the war would begin.

"The Wu army certainly never expected that our army actually had a unique force called the War Elephant Unit," Li Chengwo raised his lips slightly, revealing a confident smile, "Later, let them witness with their own eyes the extraordinary combat power of our army!"

"In this battle, the 100,000 Wu troops will surely be defeated and die on this land!"

"Haha, that's right!"

A deputy general at the side echoed, "I heard that the Wu army is brave and good at fighting on the water, but on land, how can they withstand the shocking impact of our war elephants - the king of the land!"

Upon hearing this, all the generals were excited and full of confidence.

.........

At the rear of the Wu army camp, Su Chen stood quietly in the square formation, watching the situation on the battlefield coldly.

In this battle, he specifically gave the command power to Pan Mei, and he himself retreated behind the scenes to observe the overall situation.

Facing the Southern Han Army's majestic war elephant troops, Su Chen had his own plans in mind.

He knew very well that if he used black powder and artillery, he would be able to easily destroy this force and achieve immediate results. However, he did not intend to waste these advanced weapons on the Southern Han, not to mention wasting them, so as not to expose his secret weapons too early.

Su Chen's eyes were always fixed on a more ambitious goal. He planned to use these secret weapons when he was fighting against the elite troops of the Song army, such as Zhao Kuangyin, Cao Bin, Shi Shouxin and other Northern Song emperors and generals. By then, he would be able to catch the enemy off guard and achieve a shocking result.

This time, the battle was handed over to Pan Mei, who was able to restrain the enemy by using crossbow cannons. After all, this was the case in history. Pan Mei, as the main general, also defeated Li Chengwo.

Su Chen gave Pan Mei the power of command this time, not only to give him the opportunity to make great military achievements, but also to improve Pan Mei's prestige and status in the Wu army. He knew that the prestige of a general was the key to mobilizing the army and commanding with confidence. Through this battle with the Southern Han army, if Pan Mei could show his outstanding command ability and tactical wisdom and successfully defeat the enemy, then his status in the hearts of the Wu army soldiers would surely rise. In the future, when Pan Mei led the Wu army to fight against the elite Song army, he would be able to use this prestige to better mobilize the army and inspire the fighting spirit of the soldiers, thereby ensuring the smooth progress of the war.

In front of the Wu army, there were hundreds of crossbow carts, which were specially designed to counter the powerful armor protection of the Southern Han heavy armored elephant formation, and were equipped with a large number of heavy three-bow crossbow cannons and individual crossbows.

In the Northern Song Dynasty, the Song army developed the heavy three-bow crossbow based on the heavy chariot crossbow. On the Wu side, Su Chen was also sending craftsmen to manufacture these, as well as the Shenbi crossbow, which were more advanced than those of the Song army.

The bed crossbow is a large long-range crossbow that looks like an enlarged crossbow. This weapon appeared very early, and related records can be traced back to the Eastern Han Dynasty. By the Song Dynasty, ancient Chinese technology was highly developed, so the performance of this heavy bed crossbow was greatly improved compared to previous dynasties.

According to the "Wu Jing Zong Yao", the size of the Northern Song Dynasty crossbow was smaller than that of the previous generation and the design was sophisticated. Although it was smaller in size, the range was greatly improved due to the use of multiple large composite bows and anti-bow technology. The back of the three-bow crossbow cannon is made of a variety of materials. It is a typical composite bow with strong explosive power.

In addition, in order to increase the range, the Wu army also installed three strong bows on a crossbow cannon. The last one was designed to be installed in the opposite direction. Therefore, the bed crossbow is also called a three-bow bed crossbow cannon. The bowstring is made of animal tendons, and the combined force of multiple bows is used to launch arrows.

The structure of the three-bow crossbow cannon is very ingenious. There are two windlasses at the rear, which pull the bowstring through the pulley. The crossbow body is made of solid sandalwood, which is light and strong. The barrel is made of iron and the crossbow trigger is made of steel. It is fired with a wooden hammer, which has stronger explosive power.

There are two types of arrows: one is a heavy arrowhead nearly two meters long. It is recorded in historical books as "wooden iron feathers", and is known as "one spear and three swords". It is similar in shape to a javelin, with three iron feathers like three swords, and the arrowhead is a steel three-edged armor-piercing arrow. It is mainly used to strike targets with heavy armor at long range, and its function is similar to today's artillery armor-piercing projectiles.

The other type is light arrowheads, which are about one meter long and shaped like a smaller version of heavy arrows, and are mainly used for intensive shooting. A crossbow can fire multiple light arrowheads at a time. Compared with the 400-meter maximum range of the most advanced large Greek crossbows in Europe at the time, the maximum range of the Song Dynasty three-bow crossbow cannon was 1600 meters. The two are not at the same level at all.

This was the limit of what human direct-fire weapons could achieve before the advent of artillery. It was the most powerful heavy long-range weapon in the world at the time, and was more than enough to deal with the heavily armored war elephants of the Southern Han Dynasty.

In response to the needs of war, especially the need for mobility in large-scale field battles, the Wu army installed four wheels on the bottom of the heavy three-bow crossbow cannon. It was pulled by livestock during the march and became a heavy chariot crossbow cannon that could be widely used in sieges, naval battles and field battles.

Pan Mei deployed the most powerful heavy chariot crossbows in the front, followed by crossbowmen and archers, and cavalry and infantry on both wings.

He stared ahead with a calm expression, without joy or worry. His face showed no emotion, but his heart was as firm as a rock. He quietly watched the enemy's army formation, but in his mind he kept thinking about the battle plan. Every detail, every possible variable, flashed through his mind.

He knew very well that this battle was not only a test of his command ability, but also a test of the morale and field combat capabilities of the Wu army, as they would face a more powerful Song army in the future.

.........

At this moment, on the top of Shaozhou City, the soldiers of the Southern Han army stood densely, their eyes cast on the battlefield in the distance where a fierce battle was about to begin. The governor Dou Feng, as well as the county lieutenants and captains stationed in this local city, were also among them, watching from the sidelines, staring at their own army with full of expectations.

Because the number of Southern Han troops was not inferior to that of Wu troops, and they had thousands of war elephants as a powerful support.

Especially the roars of these war elephants were like thunder, with amazing power, as if they had overwhelmed the opponent's momentum. Seeing this scene, the soldiers on the top of the city finally put their minds at ease, and a look of relief appeared on their faces.

"This time, Wu Jun will definitely suffer a great loss." Someone said confidently.

"Sir Governor, the Wu army will definitely be defeated this time, so you can rest assured." Another person also echoed.

However, Dou Feng was not completely relieved. He nodded slightly, but there was a hint of worry between his brows.

Dou Feng sighed and said slowly: "I don't know why, but I feel uneasy and always feel that something bad is going to happen. You all think that General Li can win, but I am a little worried. I hope General Li will not underestimate the enemy. On the battlefield, things change rapidly and any negligence may lead to failure."