novelSusiti Chapter 55 The plan is set, only the right opportunity is needed.
Chapter 55 The plan is set, only the right opportunity is needed.
"Huangfu Palace!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Huangfu Gong responded and stepped forward, his silver armor gleaming.
"I hereby order you to lead your five thousand Imperial Guards cavalry to set off immediately, lightly armed, with men gagged and horses' hooves wrapped, and under the cover of night, secretly travel to a point twenty miles upstream on the Onon River!"
Carry five days' worth of dry rations. Without my order, you are strictly forbidden from lighting fires and from revealing your whereabouts!
Once half of the Eastern Yi army has crossed the river, light a fire as a signal, and your unit will launch a sudden attack from the flank, striking directly at the crossing point and ensuring the complete severing of the enemy's retreat!
Huangfu Gong saw the flames of war raging in his eyes, clenched his fists tightly, and spoke with unwavering resolve:
"Your subordinate obeys! Even if the entire Eastern Barbarian army turns back, your subordinate and your eight thousand men will defend the crossing to the death, and will not allow a single enemy to escape north!"
"Wanyan Gao!"
"I am here!" Wanyan Gao hurriedly stepped forward.
"You shall immediately return to the Dongyi camp and meet with Chief Wanyan Aguda! Tell him that everything shall proceed as planned."
Once our army launches its frontal offensive, signaled by the smoke of war, your 5,000 iron cavalry must immediately defect to the enemy's left flank and charge towards the central army at all costs, with their target being the banner of Commander Helan Cangfeng!
If we can slay or capture this barbarian alive, that will be the greatest achievement! I promise that after the deed is done, I will report to the Emperor that the Wanyan tribe will be rewarded and granted grazing land!
Upon hearing this, Wanyan Gao trembled with emotion and prostrated himself, kowtowing heavily.
"Your Highness's grace is boundless! The entire Wanyan tribe will repay Your Highness with our lives! I will return immediately and convey Your Highness's decree to the clan chief in detail!"
After saying this, he rose, bowed again, and hurriedly left.
Tian Heng surveyed the remaining generals in the hall one last time, his voice steady and powerful:
"The rest of you generals, return to your respective camps, reorganize your troops and equipment, comfort your soldiers, and ensure your horses are well-fed! Once reinforcements arrive tomorrow, you will move camp with me to the selected high ground on the south bank of the Onon River to ambush them! This battle is crucial to the defense of Youzhou's borders; I urge you all to fight bravely and achieve unparalleled merit!"
"We obey His Highness King Qin's command! We will fight bravely to defeat the enemy and uphold our nation's might!" the generals replied in unison.
After the military council concluded, the generals filed out, their footsteps hurried and firm, carrying a chilling aura of killing intent.
The large council hall quickly emptied, leaving only Tian Heng standing alone before the enormous map of the northern frontier. Outside the window, the sky had completely darkened, and the scattered lights within the pass merged with the campfires in the distant camp.
His gaze lingered on the blue curve representing the Onon River on the map, his fingertips brushing across it lightly, as if he could already hear the deafening battle cries and surging waves that would soon resound there.
Once the military order was issued, the war machine of Beique Pass immediately began to operate efficiently.
On the city wall, Tian Rangju personally supervised the battle. Seven thousand regular troops and five thousand reorganized defeated soldiers were busy as worker ants.
Reinforcing the crenellations, moving stones, inspecting crossbows, boiling oil... Squads of soldiers patrolled back and forth on the city wall, their armor clanging.
More and more exaggerated red-based, black-bordered "Xia" flags and various colored general flags were raised, fluttering wildly in the twilight and cold wind.
As night fell, the fortress was brightly lit, with dozens of huge bonfires lit, turning half the sky red. Smoke curled up continuously, and the sounds of drums and horns could be heard from near and far, creating the impression of a heavily armed force gathering and holding a tight defensive position.
Huangfu Gong's actions were even more secretive and swift. Five thousand imperial cavalry were already prepared and quickly assembled after receiving orders.
The horses' hooves were wrapped in thick cloth, and the soldiers had gags in their mouths and bells around their necks. At Huangfu Gong's deep command of "Depart!",
Like a silent black torrent of iron, it quietly surged out of Beique Pass from the side gate, merging into the thick night, and sped towards the upper reaches of the Onon River. Soon it disappeared into the outline of the mountains and darkness, leaving only a faint dust and a chilling atmosphere.
At the commander's headquarters inside the pass, Tian Heng also did not rest. He summoned the quartermaster overnight to take stock of the remaining grain, arrows, and medicines, and issued allocation documents.
And then they checked the reports that kept coming in from the scouts:
Due to poor coordination among its various units, the Dongyi army was marching slower than expected, still about two days' journey from the main crossing point on the Onon River. Furthermore, the column was stretched thin, with the vanguard and rearguard severely separated. Although Helan Cangfeng repeatedly dispatched supervisory teams to urge them on, the efforts had little effect.
On the other hand, good news also arrived from Dingzhou. The vanguard messenger sent by General Wang Kong confirmed that the Dragon Cavalry and the main force of 50,000 Southern Army had passed through the last mountain pass and entered the plains of Youzhou. They were only half a day's journey from Beique Pass and would arrive at the pass by noon the next day at the latest.
The next day, at dusk.
The blood-red setting sun poured down on the majestic city walls of Beique Pass and the vast plains, dyeing everything in the world a magnificent golden-red.
On the distant horizon beyond the Great Wall, a sound like muffled thunder suddenly came, initially faint, then growing louder and closer, eventually turning into a roar that swept across the heavens and the earth!
Dust billowed into the sky, like a yellow dragon churning. Amidst the billowing dust, an endless black wave slowly emerged and drew closer.
The first thing that catches the eye is the rows of red dragon flags and banners with the characters "Xia" and "Qin" fluttering high, which look like burning flames in the setting sun.
Immediately following was a forest of spears and halberds, like a moving steel jungle, their cold light piercing the twilight.
The soldiers' black armor reflected a blood-red glow, their steps were perfectly synchronized, and the sound of their footsteps shook the earth.
What's even more awe-inspiring is the "steel monster" dragon rider battalion in the center of the formation, which is exceptionally heavy, moves slightly slower, yet exudes a suffocating sense of oppression!
Both men and horses were covered in heavy armor, with only their eye openings visible. The extra-long lances in their hands pointed diagonally to the sky, like the fangs of a giant beast. They were silent, yet exuded an aura of destruction.
The black torrent rolled in and finally came to a stop at the designated camp three miles outside Beique Pass.
Banners obscured the sky, armor gleamed, and a chilling aura rose to the heavens, even causing veteran soldiers from within the pass, who had been through countless battles, to feel a tremor in their hearts and an unprecedented surge of heroism.
The reinforcements have finally arrived.
The atmosphere of a decisive battle instantly permeated the air before the impending bloodshed on the Onon River.
Inside and outside Beique Pass, countless eyes looked towards the powerful new force in the south, and then turned to the north where the faint neighing of enemy cavalry could be heard.
Everyone's heartbeat quickened with the approaching war drums. As the black torrent that had shaken the earth gradually stopped three miles outside the pass and the dust settled, two generals stepped forward and rode straight towards the foot of Beique Pass.
The leader was about forty years old, wearing black iron mountain-patterned armor, with a scarlet cloak hanging down to the side of his horse, and a green-edged longsword hanging at his waist.
He had a square face, dark skin, a neatly trimmed short beard, and a pair of tiger-like eyes that gleamed with a restrained sharpness. He exuded a profound aura of someone who had been through many battles.
It was General Tiger Might, Qin Lin, commander of 50,000 Southern troops.
Half a horse's length to his left, another general stood out.
This man was even more robust and imposing than Qin Lin, his entire body covered in jet-black, gleaming fish-scale heavy armor, reinforced at the joints with steel beast-head gussets, and wearing a ferocious lion-head helmet. Although his face mask was not lowered, his cold and stern face, as if carved from ice, was already intimidating enough.
His eyes were sharp, like those of an eagle or a wolf. He sat on an exceptionally tall black horse, both man and horse standing still, yet naturally exuding a chilling and oppressive aura.
It was none other than Yuchi Wei, the commander of the Great Xia Dragon Cavalry, known for his iron-blooded ruthlessness.
When the two reached a point ten paces from the gate, they simultaneously reined in their warhorses, their movements clean and swift.
As he dismounted, the heavy armor clanged, yet his steps were steady and powerful, each stomp resounding.
They quickly stepped forward, cupped their hands, and bowed to King Tian Heng of Qin, who was already waiting at the city gate.
Qin Lin's voice was deep and resonant, like a bell, while Yuchi Wei's voice was cold and hard like iron; together they were remarkably harmonious, piercing through the wind at the pass.
"Your humble generals Qin Lin and Yuchi Wei, by order of Marshal Wang Kong, have led the Dragon Cavalry and 50,000 elite Southern troops, marching day and night to reinforce the Northern Capital! We pay our respects to Your Highness, the Prince of Qin! Due to our armor, we are unable to perform the full ceremony!"