Early Tang Dynasty: forge ahead

Chapter 369: Charge into battle and show off your power
Chen Qingsi was leading the troops to advance slowly when he suddenly received news from Cheng Wuting.

He did not respond immediately, but took out the map and observed it carefully.

In an instant, I understood what Cheng Wuting was thinking. Baekje was familiar with the terrain, so this on-the-spot investigation was significantly different from their analysis and judgment based on maps.

Since we have found out the enemy's whereabouts in advance and guessed their intentions, we can strike first.

Chen Qingsi still has confidence in Cheng Wuting's judgment.

After sorting out the overall situation, Chen Qingsi immediately issued the order.

"Captain Du, lead the cavalry immediately to support Colonel Cheng."

Du Min, the captain of Zhiguo School, immediately promised loudly and shouted, and the three thousand cavalry moved quickly.

"Send an order to General He. All soldiers should finish their rest and lead the troops to Qingshikou. They should set up formations to the east to protect our right wing."

"Send an order to General Gu and lead the troops to go around the right side of Crow Ridge. There is a piece of forest there. You go and occupy it. If there are enemies here, attack directly and the battle must be ended within two hours."

"Send an order to Lieutenant Xu and ask him to follow as soon as possible. Collect artillery stones along the way and use wood as a backup."

The real battlefield rarely gathers together, soldiers fight against soldiers, generals fight against each other.

There are about 50,000 Baekje rebels, so it is impossible for them all to gather together and act together.

When a large army gathers in one place, it cannot spread its power and it is easy for others to overpower them.

Therefore, there are also divisions into the vanguard, the central army, the left wing, and the right wing.

What Cheng Wuting discovered was the opponent's central army, but there must be a left and right wing, but he didn't know where.

But it is certain that if the Chinese army is attacked, they will definitely come to the rescue of the Chinese army.

Chen Qingsi's arrangement was to intercept the reinforcements on the opponent's left and right wings to prevent them from surrounding Cheng Wuting and Du Min.

He paused and then said: "Zhao Youyi, you immediately lead your troops to attack Crow Ridge. Regardless of casualties, you must capture this place in the shortest possible time."

Chen Qingsi dispatched troops and horses in an orderly manner and commanded calmly, showing the style of a Confucian general.

Li Hongqing looked at the white moonlight in his heart from a close distance, standing high above the war horse, wearing a gorgeous and handsome Mingguang armor, giving instructions to thousands of troops. He couldn't help but look at it a few more times, but he felt shy and a little guilty, and looked left and right. , found that no one was paying attention, and breathed a sigh of relief, but couldn't help but peek secretly.

The most complicated thing at the moment is Hei Te Changzhi. He is somewhat looking forward to getting Chen Qingsi's command, but also a little scared. He doesn't know how to deal with it if it really happens.

Seeing that Chen Qingsi had no mission for him, he couldn't help but feel relieved.

Just when Chen Qingsi issued the order, the commander of the Baekje Restoration Army, Jeongmu, also made up his mind to attack.

The Tang army had a large number of cavalry units. The small group of more than a thousand cavalry units in front of them took the initiative to attack, obviously intending to prevent them from leaving.

If they choose to retreat now, they will give the opponent a chance to cover up the enemy, and they will have no choice but to fight.

Zhengwu knew that the Tang army was famous for its bravery and proficiency in battle, but no matter how good it was in fighting, it would be too much to hope that we, Zhengwu, could be defeated by such a small number of troops.

Thinking of all General Jiebo's plans, Zhengwu thought to himself: "It's time to take advantage of this God-given opportunity to win a small victory and prepare for the next bloody battle."

Zhengwu looked at his formation. He divided the front into three square formations.

In the front row are three rows of well-trained spearmen. These spears are all specially made and are two or three feet longer than ordinary thrusting spears. They are stacked in five rows. The person behind them carries the spears. Resting on the shoulders of the previous person, it formed an insurmountable steel jungle. The Tang army was about to have the courage to launch a frontal charge, and it was guaranteed that they would die horribly.

In the middle of the phalanx are archers for long-range killing.

The Baekje rebels were short of supplies. Most of their weapons were simple spears. They killed the enemy in mid-range combat, which had a certain suppressive effect against cavalry.

Zhengwu stared at the Tang Army cavalry galloping in the distance. He raised the flag high, ordered the archers on the left and right to cock their bows, and asked the spearmen in the front row to set up a spear array.

Bang da, bang da!
The sound of horse hooves on the ground got closer and closer.

The Tang army was small in number, but the thousands of cavalry charging into the formation and the galloping war horses brought a shock that this group of Baekje people living on the Haidong Peninsula had never seen before.

Many soldiers looked at the Baekje recruits rushing towards them like a torrent in the distance and even felt a little turbulent and confused.

Originally, they were mostly new recruits in the Restoration Army, and most of them were going into battle for the first time. They were naturally frightened when they saw such a large number of cavalry rushing into battle.

Buyeo Fong of Baekje didn't pay attention to the more than a thousand men of the Tang army. He only thought that the 30,000 men in his hands could trample the opponent's thousand men into pulp as long as they swarmed forward.

It can be seen that Tang Jun's charging posture at this moment, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes, and his body couldn't help but shrink back.

This momentum is really terrifying...

The cavalry of the Tang Army were getting closer and closer, and the noisy hoofbeats almost sounded in their ears.

Zhengwu could hardly breathe, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

Although he has rich combat experience, Haidong's three-thirds of land is not suitable for raising horses. In the three countries of Haidong, except for Goguryeo, which has cavalry, Baekje and Silla do not have cavalry. Therefore, I have no experience in dealing with cavalry, and I just learned how to deal with them from books.

Originally having the numerical advantage, they thought victory would not be a problem, but seeing the Tang army's momentum, they couldn't help but feel a beat in their hearts.

But he reacted very quickly, shouting loudly to boost morale, and at the same time giving orders to the archers to prepare to shoot.

Seeing that the Tang Army's cavalry was about to get within an arrow's reach, Cheng Wuting suddenly whistled.

They were a hundred steps away, and suddenly one after another, a line like rushing forward changed from left to right, passing by the front of the formation. They walked non-stop and formed a neat "one" formation in front of them.

"What's happening here?"

Zhengwu's eyes widened and he was amazed by the superb riding skills of the Tang army's cavalry.

He suddenly discovered that none of the Tang troops a hundred steps away were holding swords or guns. They held the reins in one hand and took out a crossbow from the side of the horse with the other hand.

"not good!"

He blurted out, feeling cold all over. He had indeed heard of a crossbow that could be fired immediately, but he had never seen it and had not taken any precautions against it.

"Quick!" He wanted to move the sword and shield hand to the front line to raise the shield to resist the crossbow bolts.

But before the order was spoken, the sound of bow strings sounded more urgent than the hoofbeats of horses!

The crossbow arrow flew through the air and hit the center square of the Baekje rebels!
Hundreds of spearmen screamed and fell to the ground after being hit by arrows. The power of the horse crossbow was not as powerful as the infant crossbow, but it still had huge lethality against flesh and blood bodies protected only by leather armor.

The Tang army was well-trained, and their shooting direction was directed in a certain direction.

A deep "V" shape was shot directly into the Baekje rebels' square formation, straight into the formation.

The chaotic fluctuations expanded, and the center of the phalanx collapsed instantly!
The cavalry of the Tang Army did not stop. After firing the crossbow bolts at the front of the formation, they turned in a small circle, quickly adjusted and launched a real charge against the phalanx that had not yet recovered from the chaos.

Cheng Wu rushed to the gap of collapse and led the way into the collapsed formation.

Cheng Wuting waved his spear and shouted for a fierce battle. The fan phalanx, which was already in turmoil, became even more unorganized after such a charge.

Zhengwu saw Cheng Wuting in his own formation as if he was in a deserted place. He had no time to feel distressed and quickly mobilized the left and right square formations to move closer to the center, intending to encircle Cheng Wuting.

Zhengwu held the command flag tightly and waited with a sullen face.

The Tang army had few soldiers, so as long as they surrounded him, they could grind him to death.

However, just as the left and right phalanxes moved closer to the center, Cheng Wuting led his troops to attack suddenly from the left side of the middle phalanx.

He charged towards the Baekje Army's right phalanx that was moving towards the middle phalanx.

Under the command of noon, the right phalanx had withdrawn its gun array and supported the middle phalanx.

Cheng Wuting didn't give Baekje's right phalanx any time to set up a spear formation. He urged his horse to rush towards the right phalanx, the wind whistling past his ears.

The young general once again jumped on his horse and rushed into the enemy formation, forcibly breaking through a wave of human flesh and blood, cutting into the enemy formation, leading the cavalry to attack left and right, as if he was entering an uninhabited land.

Zhengwu looked dumbfounded and at a loss.

At this moment, in order to deal with the three square formations deployed by the Tang Army's cavalry, the Chinese square formation was no longer organized, the right square formation had no power to fight back, and the left square formation was blocked by the turbulent square formation in the middle and could not support the right square formation in time.

Zhengwu felt fear in his heart.

The combat effectiveness of the Tang army was terrifying, and the Tang general's ability to command on the battlefield was even more terrifying.

He reacted very quickly and quickly ordered the supervising team to come forward to maintain order. He killed more than 60 soldiers in a row, and then barely restored the collapsed formation.

As for Fu Yufeng, who was going into battle for the first time, his face was even more pale. He was stunned by the tragic battle situation. When he came to his senses, he actually vomited while holding the horse's neck.

"Your Majesty!"

Zhengwu came to Fu Yufeng's side.

Fu Yufeng's face was miserable, and he didn't even have time to wipe away the stains at the corners of his mouth. He suppressed the feeling of vomiting and said, "General Zhengwu, what is the situation now?"

The situation on the battlefield was completely different from what he thought.

He thought that he had the advantage. With ten times the strength, each of them could swamp the Tang army with just a drop of saliva.

After watching and vomiting for a long time, I found that their army had been being slaughtered, and the Tang army had almost no damage.

Zhengwu's face was livid and helpless, and he said: "The terrain here is very suitable for cavalry fighting. We will suffer too much here."

Fu Yufeng said in fear: "What should we do?"

Zhengwu said: "The whole army is pressing forward, and General Chi Shouxin and General Zhenxingzhi immediately withdraw to support us. We forcefully ascend Crow Ridge. As long as we reach Crow Ridge, the Tang army will not be able to do anything to us."

Fu Yufeng looked at the Tang army who was like a god of death on the battlefield, and said in a trembling voice: "Is this method feasible?"

Zhengwu said: "After all, the Tang army has few troops. Let's attack together. As long as we jump over the three miles of wilderness in front of us, we can get the support of General Yanping. As long as we reach Crow Ridge, the situation can be reversed."

He figured it out. This was a rare wilderness in Baekje. It would be stupid to fight the Tang army's cavalry here.

It is better to break the siege together, forcefully rush through the interception of the Tang Army's cavalry, and rush directly to Crow Ridge.

The other party only has 1,400 to 500 people. As long as they are ignored, how many of them can be killed in this short distance of three miles?
Fu Yufeng looked at the ghosts next to him, Fuxin and Daochen, as if asking for help.

Historically, when the Baekje Restoration Army was heading towards victory, there were many internal conflicts. However, because of the emergence of Chen Qingsi, their hope of restoration was slim.

At the critical moment, several people who were originally at odds with each other were extremely harmonious.

Monk Daochen said: "General Zhengwu's method is feasible."

Onimuro Fukunobu drew out the sword from his waist and said loudly: "Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will use the sword to protect Your Majesty's safety."

With his mind made up, Zhengwu immediately ordered, "The entire army will ignore Tang Qi, fight while advancing, and march towards Crow Ridge."

As Zhengmu's order was issued, the 30,000 Baekje troops marched together towards Crow Ridge.

Cheng Wuting, who was fighting fiercely with the Baekje right formation, immediately noticed the situation of the Baekje army. He bit his lip and shouted: "Let's go!"

This was the last thing he wanted to see.

He was not afraid that the Baekje Army would fight him, but he was afraid that they would not fight and force their way to Crow Ridge.

They have few soldiers, and even though they have mobility, they don't have the power to kill the opponent here.

Cheng Wuting was so anxious that he got a little angry. He stood out from the phalanx and looked at the Baekje army who ignored him and advanced rapidly. He pointed his spear and took the lead and charged towards the enemy formation.

For the current plan, the only option is to delay as long as possible and wait for the army to come for reinforcements.

Crow Ridge.

Yan Ping stood at a high place and looked down silently. Densely packed figures swarmed upward like ants.

In front of the complex terrain, the team-based organization dispersed into hundreds of small teams, climbing in all directions over the mountains and plains.

"General Yan!"

A bloody soldier came to Yan Ping and knelt down in front of Yan Ping. He said loudly: "General, we have been strongly blocked by the Tang Army's cavalry. Your Majesty, please ask General Yan for quick support."

Yan Ping didn't look back and continued to look at the Tang army at the foot of the mountain, shaking his head and saying, "Support? How to support?"

Crow Ridge is connected to a mountain. If the Tang army wanted to support Cheng Wuting, they had to ride their horses around a mountain. But the infantry are different. They can directly climb the mountain and fight.

Therefore, compared with Du Min, He Qinghao, and Gu Lan who were dispatched, the first to fight against the Tang army were the infantry, the mountain-attacking infantry led by Zhao Chiman.

Crow Ridge is the most strategically valuable place in this area. Yanping's mission is to seize this place and plan to build a defense line here to fight the Tang army and trap the main force of the Tang army here so that the Japanese can surprise Xiongjin City.

Yanping is a descendant of the Yan family, one of the eight major clans in Baekje. He has been familiar with military books since he was a child and is well aware of the strategic value of Crow Ridge.

After occupying this place, we did not dare to neglect anything, built fortifications and arranged secret sentries.

He was at a high place and had already discovered that Cheng Wu Ting was blocking their central army. He originally planned to go down the mountain to support him, attack Cheng Wu Ting from both front and back, and escort his central army up to Crow Ridge.

But before taking action, they learned that the Tang Army had appeared at the north end of Crow Ridge. They came in a hurry, without taking any time to rest, and went straight into battle with the intention of climbing the mountain.

If I retreat to support the Chinese army at this moment, wouldn't that mean that I will give up my advantage to others?
Besides, if the Tang army really seizes Crow Ridge, I will cooperate with the Chinese army to repel the Tang army's cavalry and pick up the Chinese army up the mountain.

That was because the Tang army occupied Crow Ridge. Wouldn't it trap themselves halfway up the mountain?

Don't lose Crow Ridge no matter what. If you lose this place, everything will be ruined.

(End of this chapter)