Daqin arrests alchemists, what does it matter to me as a qi refiner?

"You must immediately send orders to the generals of each unit to closely monitor the enemy's movements. If they really land from the north bank, they must be prevented from crossing the river and must not be allowed to capture our city. At the same time, tell all the soldiers that no enemy can be let go tonight under any circumstances. They are only allowed to die in battle and are not allowed to surrender. Kill!" Liu Wenzhen ordered gritting his teeth.

"Yes, sir!" everyone answered in unison, and then hurriedly left the hall to carry out the order.

"Report~" At this moment, the scout sent by the county magistrate to check the situation came back and ran into the hall in a panic, saying, "Sir, it's not good. The enemy's cavalry has arrived at the east bank of the Cheongcheon River. We are surrounded!"

"Bastard!"

After listening to the scout's report, Liu Wenzheng was furious. He immediately drew his sword, pointed at the scout and shouted, "Useless bastard, you actually let Yang Ling, that villain, trick us to the riverside. Why don't you lead your men to charge out!"

Although Liu Wen Zheng had some martial arts skills, what he liked to do most on a daily basis was to enjoy life. Because every time he went to war, he needed nearly a million silver coins as military expenses, so he didn't want to participate in any war of conquest at all.

Liu Wen Zheng was certain that the cavalry on the east bank of the Qingchuan River must be the main force under Yang Ling's command, because when he fought with Yang Ling outside the city, the other side only dispatched 4,000 infantry and 2,000 cavalry, but now the other side dispatched more than 6,000 cavalry to appear here, which must be no simple task.

Therefore, Liu Wenzhen was eager to get rid of Yang Ling's pursuit and return to the county government to take command. However, he was tricked by Yang Ling and went to the east bank of the Cheongcheon River.

Only at this time did Liu Wen Zheng realize that he had underestimated Yang Ling. Not only was he a capable general, but he was also a cunning and treacherous person like a fox.

"kill!"

Liu Wenzhen led the servants in the county government office to guard the courtyard, holding torches and heading towards Yang Ling's troops on the riverside, attempting to use their flesh and blood to stop the advance of Yang Ling's troops.

"Kill!"

When the two armies met, shouts of killing resounded through the sky, and the waves on the Cheongcheon River surged up, rolling up huge waves.

Yang Ling's troops on the east bank of the Cheongcheon River were divided into the Left Army, the Right Army and the Central Army. The Left Army was composed of 8,000 light cavalry and the Right Army's 20,000 heavy cavalry, while the Central Army was composed of 6,000 elite infantry, led by Yang Ling. Further ahead was the infantry's artillery, commanded by Zhao Erniu, with a total strength of more than 7,000 men. All of the troops were steel-armed crossbowmen with sufficient gunpowder bombs, and could launch a strong and effective offensive at any time.

Yang Ling's troops did not arrange many scouts on the south bank of the Qingchuan River because of the difference caused by the different defense systems of the north and south. The north bank was the Qingshui County garrison and Liu Wenzhen's reinforcements, and the south bank was the garrison of Yang Ling's troops. Both sides did not have too many scouts left on the west bank of the Qingchuan River.

It was precisely based on this wrong judgment that Yang Ling was harassed by the Qingshui County garrison at the beginning of crossing the river, resulting in heavy losses in the process. However, this is also a characteristic of the Qingchuan River. On the way across the river, there were not only the tough bandits in the Qingchuan River basin, but also the Qingshui County garrison.

Fortunately, the cavalry led by Yang Ling crossed the east bank of the Cheongcheon River in time, otherwise they would have suffered a great loss. This is why Yang Ling crossed the east bank of the Cheongcheon River at all costs.

On the east bank of the Qingchuan River, due to the presence of bandits and Qingshui County garrison, Yang Ling's troops suffered heavy losses when crossing the river.

Fortunately, Yang Ling's cavalry were equipped with sharp cavalry blades and were not afraid of the enemy's bows and arrows, otherwise the losses would have been even greater.

Yang Ling stood at the side of the boat and looked at the east bank of the Qingchuan River. His eyes were fixed on Qingshui County on the east bank of the Qingchuan River, and his eyes became more and more indifferent. He finally understood that Liu Wenzheng was indeed a smart man and knew where his advantages lay.

On the west bank of the Qingchuan River, the narrow terrain and lack of dangerous rapids made it difficult for cavalry to gallop across the area, so here Yang Ling could only rely on infantry to make up for this disadvantage.

Yang Ling took a deep breath and looked forward.

About three miles away from the Cheongcheon River, there are several lonely peaks. These peaks are towering into the clouds and stand out like a crane among chickens from a distance.

Yang Ling looked at the towering mountains and said, "We have now reached the east bank of the Qingchuan River, less than five miles away from the enemy's city wall. As long as we take Qingshui County, we will win! Send an order, order the left wing and the center army to advance northward, try to shorten the distance, and launch a charge after the enemy reacts!"

At the sound of the horn, Yang Ling's 6,000 cavalry quickly changed their formation and slowly advanced along the east bank of the Cheongcheon River.

"Is the enemy going to raid our camp?"

Looking at the enemy troops slowly advancing, Liu Wen Zheng suddenly had an ominous premonition. He knew that the cavalry under Yang Ling's command were highly mobile and good at raids.

The defenders on the west bank of the Cheongcheon River were puzzled to see that the enemy was advancing very slowly, but they relaxed. After all, the enemy was only cavalry, and it would not be easy to sneak into the camp because the terrain on the east bank of the Cheongcheon River was too wide and not suitable for cavalry deployment.

"No! Stop them quickly!"

Then at this moment, a hurried warning sounded from behind Liu Wen Zheng.

Liu Wen Zheng turned his head and saw two dark shadows rushing towards him from behind.

"Enemy attack!" Liu Wen Zheng was so frightened that he screamed and turned his horse to flee.

Although the defenders of Qingshui County on the south bank of the Qingchuan River were veterans of many battles, they were still frightened when they saw the two cavalry groups suddenly attacking them. They turned around and fled, and were unable to organize an effective resistance.

The cavalry members jumped off their horses and followed Yang Ling in chasing the retreating enemy troops.

Yang Ling personally led two thousand cavalrymen and followed closely behind, continuously shooting arrows in their hands, knocking down or stabbing the defenders who tried to escape.

"Kill!"

With the desperate fighting of Yang Ling's personal guards, the fleeing enemy troops were quickly wiped out, leaving only a few remnants fleeing northward.

Liu Wenzhen fled with his few remaining confidants over two hills, and climbed over two valleys along the steep rock walls on both sides. Finally, he managed to escape the pursuit of Yang Ling's troops and fled back to Qingshui County.

The cavalry under Yang Ling's command stopped the pursuit near the official road outside Qingshui City, then organized their troops and began to set up camp.

Yang Ling had just rested for a short while when he received a report from the scouts saying that Liu Wenzhen from Qingshui County had sent someone to ask for a meeting.

"Haha, it's here as expected!"

Yang Ling stood up with a smile, and then said to Han Zhong and Guo Sheng beside him: "General Han, General Guo, since he has come to our door to ask for our help in the fight, how can we refuse? Let's go and take a look and see what he wants to say to us!"

Qingshui County is located on the west bank of the Qingchuan River. The city was built very solidly, with arrows inserted into the city gates, several cannons erected around the city walls, and dense garrisons deployed on the city towers.

When Yang Ling and his companions arrived outside Qingshui County, they found that the defenders had already been on high alert, waiting for them with strict vigilance. It was obvious that they had expected Yang Ling and his companions to attack Qingshui County.

"General Yang! General Yang! You are finally willing to come and save my life!"

When Liu Wenzhen, the magistrate of Qingchuan County, saw Yang Ling coming, he hurried forward and excitedly grabbed Yang Ling's arm, like a drowning man grabbing at the last straw.

"Don't worry, County Magistrate Liu, I will never break my promise to you!" Yang Ling smiled and patted the other's shoulder to comfort him, but his mood was a bit complicated. The reason why Yang Ling agreed to Liu Wenzheng's request was mainly because Yang Ling felt that it was not difficult to deal with the enemy troops on the south bank of Qingchuan River, because he had more than 40,000 infantry, plus more than 20,000 cavalry and cavalry horses, which could completely surround the defenders of Qingshui County. This time, he only needed to consume most of the enemy's food and grass, because he planned to use the people of Qingshui County as bait to lure the defenders out of the city and then ambush them.

However, they did not expect that there would be an ambush on the east bank of the Cheongcheon River. The infantry under Yang Ling had the advantage when fighting against the cavalry on the plains, not to mention being ambushed in the wilderness. The result was naturally tragic. More than three-quarters of Yang Ling's 6,000 cavalry were lost.

"General Yang, what should I do now to save the bridge on the south bank of the Cheongcheon River?" Liu Wenzhen looked at the Cheongcheon River in front of him, his brows furrowed into the shape of a "川" character.

After Yang Ling pondered for a moment, he ordered: "County Magistrate Liu, I think you should lead your troops to cross the river tonight and then join me!"

"What about you, General Yang?"

Yang Ling smiled slightly and said, "Tonight I will lead the remaining 2,000 cavalry to bypass you and cross the river from the west bank, and then head straight for Qingshui County!"

Yang Ling's words made Liu Wen Zheng open his eyes wide in surprise, "Are you planning to attack Qingshui County at night?"

"That's right!" Yang Ling nodded: "County Magistrate Liu, don't worry. I have my own way."

Yang Ling did not want to tell anyone about his plan because that would expose his secret weapon. He planned to sneak into the east bank of the Qingchuan River under the moonlight, seize the commanding heights on the east bank of the Qingchuan River when the enemy was unprepared, and then give the enemy a fatal blow from behind, while also tying down the defenders of Qingshui County.

Seeing that Yang Ling was confident, Liu Wen Zheng knew that he must be fully certain, so he stopped asking questions.

Liu Wenzhen quickly summoned all the soldiers in Qingshui County, loaded all the food, gold, silver and livestock in the city onto trucks and transported them to the riverside. At the same time, he sent people to notify Yang Ling and other leaders of the rebel forces.

After receiving the news, Yang Ling rushed to the Qingshui River with two thousand cavalrymen, and then ordered his subordinates to set up camp on the north bank of the Qingshui River.

"Pass the order down. Except for the cavalry on guard duty, everyone else should go back to sleep."

The cavalrymen were stunned when they heard this, not knowing what Yang Ling was up to.

Yang Ling ignored their thoughts and continued, "Do as we said yesterday. Tonight, everyone should conserve their energy. Do you understand?"

Yang Ling's eyes swept over the crowd, and everyone suddenly felt a great deal of pressure, so they all nodded.

"Okay, we'll follow General Yang's instructions!"

Yang Ling then nodded in satisfaction and waved his hand to let everyone leave. As for the cavalry on duty, they stayed where they were and did not dare to leave the team without permission.

The scenery on the north bank of the Cheongcheon River is very beautiful, especially in the evening, when the sky is as blue as the water, the waves are rippling, the mountains are towering in the distance, and the clouds are misty, like a fairyland.

Yang Ling looked at this beautiful picture, a faint smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, and he gently stroked the mane on his mount's neck.

Although this cavalry unit only has 3,000 people, each of them is a carefully selected strong soldier, well-trained and disciplined. Yang Ling believes that they can break through the enemy's lines flexibly and quickly, and tear the enemy's fragile throat like a wolf pack hunting.

Suddenly, a horn sounded in the front, followed by smoke rising from the Qingchuan River. Yang Ling looked up and saw two huge ships floating on the river.

"Oh no! This is a pirate warship. It is here to block our retreat route!" Deputy Commander Liu Zilong's face changed drastically. He shouted, "Brothers, grab your weapons and prepare to meet the enemy!"

Upon hearing this, the generals stood up with their bows and crossbows in hand, looking nervous.

Then everyone discovered that the two Japanese pirate warships were getting closer and closer, and soon they were only about fifty feet away from the bank of the Qingchuan River.

"Crossbow shooting!"

Yang Ling raised his sword and gestured forward.

Following Yang Ling's order, dense crossbow arrows flew to the center of the river like locusts, smashed heavily on the deck of the Japanese pirate warship, and shot and killed several Japanese pirate soldiers on the ship.

The Japanese pirates were shot by arrows and fell to the ground.

The Japanese pirates began to counterattack, and a dense rain of arrows flew towards Yang Ling, but the cavalry under Yang Ling's command reacted very quickly and immediately took a defensive stance to block the Japanese pirates' counterattack.

The Japanese archers kept pouring arrows at Yang Ling and his men. Although the cavalry on Yang Ling's side tried their best to block them, many of them were still shot off their horses.

Yang Ling could not help but roar: "Release your arrows, shoot these sons of bitches to death for me!"

Upon receiving the order, the cavalry under Yang Ling's command immediately bent down, picked up the bows and arrows at their feet, put arrows on them, pulled the strings, and launched a counterattack against the enemy.

"Ah!" Screams continued to ring out.

Yang Ling specially brought a large number of matchlock crossbows, kerosene barrels, rockets and other supplies with him on this expedition. These were the weapons Yang Ling prepared for this war, and they came in handy now.

Yang Ling personally took two rockets, aimed at the archers on the Japanese pirate warships, and suddenly released the bowstring. The rockets immediately flew out and then turned into two red rays, shooting towards the two Japanese pirate warships in the middle of the river.

After two muffled sounds, the two Japanese pirates' ships immediately caught fire and then billowed black smoke.

The two ships of the Japanese pirates were burned. The archers on the warships were unable to resist the sharp attack of the cavalry and were shot off their horses one after another. The warships lost control and slowly slid towards the Cheongcheon River basin, and finally sank into the Cheongcheon River.

The archers on the Japanese pirates' warships were basically wiped out, and the remaining soldiers hurriedly jumped into the Cheongcheon River to escape.

"Haha, so happy!"

Yang Ling couldn't help but roar to the sky. He had never shot so many arrows as he did just now.

"Report, General Yang, we have wiped out all the Japanese pirates on the east bank of the Cheongcheon River. We have seized thousands of tons of money, including 420 kilograms of gold and silver, and more than 800 cattle and sheep."

Yang Ling couldn't help but secretly rejoice when he heard this. He estimated that he would definitely make a lot of money from this attack. After all, the Qingchuan River was a tributary of the Yellow River, and it was very convenient for ships to travel back and forth. He could plunder a lot of wealth along the way.

Then he turned to his adjutant and said, "Immediately organize the laborers to carry as much wealth and goods as possible. Remember, take away all the valuables first, and then store the food and other supplies in different categories." (End of this chapter)