novelSusiti Chapter 78 Shooting Down the Roaring Soldiers, Helan's Defeat
Chapter 78 Shooting Down the Roaring Soldiers, Helan's Defeat
Outside the tent, the chaotic sounds were already clearly audible. It was the desperate cries of countless people, crashing against the camp's fences and sentry posts like a tide approaching from afar.
Helan Cangfeng jolted awake, forcibly breaking free from his initial shock and panic.
He was able to rise to the position of Grand Marshal, certainly because of the emperor's favor, but he was not entirely ignorant of military affairs.
He knew that once the fleeing soldiers rushed into the camp and mixed with the garrison, panic would spread like a plague, and the entire army would be completely out of control. At that time, not only would he not be able to fight back, but even his own life would be in danger!
A hint of ruthlessness and selfish resolve replaced his panic. He abruptly straightened up, his face contorted, and he roared hoarsely:
"Quickly! Pass on my orders!"
All archers and crossbowmen at the camp gate immediately stepped forward, relying on the fences and watchtowers, to block my way!
Not a single defeated soldier is allowed to enter the camp! Anyone who dares to storm the camp gates, no matter who they are, will be executed on the spot! The supervisory team is in position; anyone who dares to retreat or refuse to advance will be beheaded!
Upon receiving this order, the Dongyi archers at the camp gate immediately looked at each other, their faces showing disbelief and struggle.
Many of the fleeing soldiers surging forward were his fellow villagers, clansmen, even relatives and comrades. Raise your bows and arrows at them…
"Marshal's strict order! Shoot down the fleeing soldiers! Anyone who disobeys will be subject to military law, and the entire unit will be implicated!"
The messenger, holding a tiger-head token representing Helan Cangfeng's authority, shouted sternly, followed by dozens of guards with cold eyes and drawn swords, exuding a murderous aura.
Under the threat of death, the archers gritted their teeth and wept, nocking their arrows with trembling hands, aiming at the increasingly close, familiar yet terrified faces.
"Release the arrows!"
Arrows flew out of the camp like locusts.
"Pfft pfft pfft..."
The fleeing soldiers at the forefront were caught off guard and were shot down in droves.
Screams, curses, and wails filled the air.
"Why did you shoot at us?!"
"Helan Cangfeng! You cold-blooded butcher!"
"Brothers, they don't treat us like human beings! We've rebelled!"
Bloodshed and betrayal ignited the fury of the routed soldiers and some of the guards at the camp gate.
Many archers, after firing an arrow, were unable to pull the bowstring a second time, and threw down their bows in tears.
Even worse, some turned their arrows on the ground with bloodshot eyes, or drew their swords and charged at the supervising officers who were pressuring them.
"A marshal like this doesn't deserve our loyalty!"
"Fighting the Xia army is certain death, and being shot by our own people is also death, so we might as well fight!"
The defensive line at the camp gate collapsed instantly due to attacks from both inside and outside the camp and the loss of morale.
The routed soldiers and the defecting defenders mingled together, frantically attacking the camp's palisades. The entire perimeter of the Dongyi camp descended into extreme chaos, infighting, and utter disorder.
Surrounded by his personal guards, Helan Cangfeng ascended the watchtower at the camp gate, gazing upon the horrific scene of infighting below and the ever-approaching tide of chaos.
Seeing the Xia army's battle flags waving and the Dragon Cavalry's iron torrents crisscrossing the river on the other side, his face turned ashen, and the last glimmer of hope in his eyes was extinguished.
Regret, fear, and despair intertwined. He regretted underestimating the Great Xia, regretted letting Huli Changsheng cross the river alone, and regretted issuing that order to kill at the last moment, which completely destroyed the morale of the army... However, everything was beyond redemption.
Just then—
"Thump! Thump! Thump!"
Three heavy, far-reaching arrows, as if coming from the clouds, exploded one after another over the Onon River!
This is the signal for the final assault! The decisive moment agreed upon by Tian Heng and Huangfu Gong!
Almost as soon as the echoes of the cannon fire faded, a deafening roar of battle cries erupted from the dense primeval forest upstream of the Onon River, to the side and rear of the Dongyi camp!
"The Great Xia Emperor's Palace is here! Barbarians, prepare to die!"
A clear, hate-filled roar echoed through the forest. A streak of silver lightning leaped out from between the trees!
Huangfu Gong was dressed in a bright silver Qilin armor, his Dragon Gallant Silver Spear gleaming coldly, and his mount, the Jade Lion Shining at Night, was exceptionally majestic, as if a celestial being had descended to earth.
The iron cavalry behind him, which had been resting and preparing for a long time, burst out of the mountains and forests like a long-dormant torrent!
Like a red-hot dagger, they took advantage of the weakened defenses and panicked morale of the Eastern Yi camp, which was left vulnerable due to the defeat at the front and the chaos at the camp gates.
With lightning speed, they stabbed deep into the back of the Dongyi camp!
Iron cavalry galloped forward, their hooves thundering, their blades flashing.
The Dongyi soldiers in the rear camp, who were hastily engaged in battle, were unable to mount any effective resistance and were quickly routed.
The tents were overturned, the supply wagons were set on fire, flames shot into the sky from the piles of supplies, and thick smoke billowed up.
Huangfu Gong took the lead, and none could withstand his spear. He specifically targeted the Dongyi generals and the flags that were trying to organize resistance, pushing the chaos and panic to the extreme.
With defeated soldiers turning against them and a surprise attack from behind, the camp of the 300,000-strong Dongyi army was completely plunged into the abyss of collapse!
Helan Cangfeng stood atop the watchtower, gazing at the flames raging everywhere, the shouts of battle echoing from all directions, and the utter chaos of the routed army. His face was ashen.
He knew that the Eastern Barbarians' southern expedition had ended in utter defeat, and his fate, too, was drifting with the disintegrating tide into the unknown darkness...
The aftershocks of Huli Changsheng's defeat in battle swept through the Dongyi army like the most violent storm.
The raging tide of fleeing, crying, and trampling soldiers mingled with the deafening cheers and roars of the Xia army, turning the banks of the Onon River into a boiling sea of despair.
However, in this chaotic and desperate heartland, a group of people maintained an unusually solemn and calm demeanor.
Wanyan Aguda stood on a slightly higher earthen slope, his dark leather armor stained with blood and dust.
But his eyes were sharp as an eagle's, fixed on the Dongyi commander's flag that was swaying precariously in the wind not far ahead, and the Helan Cangfeng personal guards' tents that were vaguely visible under the flag, panicked and disoriented.
The anger and humiliation that had been suppressed in his chest for far too long, along with this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, erupted like a raging fire from the ground!
Helan Cangfeng! This commander, who came from the noble family of the Eastern Yi royal court and was arrogant, never took the Wanyan tribe, a remote border tribe, seriously.
They withheld provisions, demanded horses, and used the worst quality weapons as a pretext, yet repeatedly burdened the Wanyan tribe's men with the most dangerous vanguard assault missions.
The blood of countless Wanyan warriors stained the land of foreign tribes, but what they received in return was not compensation and honors, but rather the contemptuous mockery and intensified exploitation by Helan Cangfeng.
They even threatened the survival of the tribe, frequently threatening to disband the Wanyan tribe and incorporate them into other tribes as slaves!
"If this continues, the Wanyan tribe will only be drained dry and swallowed up." Wanyan Aguda knew this perfectly well.
The laws of the grasslands are cruel; only by attaching oneself to the strong can one survive. The Dongyi people before us, under the leadership of Helan Cangfeng, are clearly no longer wise rulers, but rather a sinking ship.
To preserve their ancestral heritage and protect the tribe's thousands of people, they had no choice but to find another way to survive.
Their gaze had already been turned to the south.
The sincerity and promises conveyed by Tian Heng, the third prince of the Great Xia Dynasty, a young prince known for his composure and decisiveness, through secret channels carried far more weight than Helan Cangfeng's vague threats.
By submitting to the Great Xia, they could preserve their entire tribe and perhaps even gain better pastures and status.
At this moment, Hulü Changsheng was beheaded, the spirit of the Dongyi army had dissipated, and the echoes of the three command arrows seemed to still reverberate in the sky. The time had come!