novelSusiti Chapter 58 Dragon King Beach: Dragon Soars Against Dragon Soars
Chapter 58 Dragon King Beach: Dragon Soars Against Dragon Soars
The safety and smooth operation of water transport are crucial to the speed of the march. The Dragon King is dissatisfied, isn't he? Commander-in-Chief Wang Tiedang's solution is simple and brutal: today, he'll hold an even grander sacrificial ceremony.
Dragon King Beach is just around the corner, only four or five miles away. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can prepare. Battles on the battlefield are matters of life and death, and luck is often more important than hard work.
The officers and soldiers of Fu Hailongxiang Army were well-fed and well-trained, and their physical strength was quite abundant. After the order to march was given, each unit began to jog and speed up in an orderly manner, making the already noticeable dust in the air even more conspicuous and abundant.
Even from four or five miles away, standing on Longwangtan, one could see the billowing dust kicked up by the advancing army to the east. In the vast reed beds, something seemed to be brewing. The reeds swayed back and forth in the cold wind, making many strange sounds, as if mysterious animals were moving inside, pressing down on some grass clumps and reeds. Was it a giant snake or a giant dragon?
The vast majority of the logistical supplies for the Fu Hailong Army, such as tents for setting up camp, barricades, food, arrows, and even some firewood and technical personnel such as military doctors, were on the ships.
During daily marches, the soldiers only needed to help each other. Some carried the armor of their brothers on shoulder poles, while others took the long and short weapons from the brothers carrying the loads and carried them on their backs or shoulders.
The brothers who carried the load had the hardest time. The armor of the two men weighed a hundred pounds. Fortunately, the carrying pole could distribute the weight well, and after getting used to it, they did not feel tired. If they could not take it anymore, they could take turns with their companions who were carrying weapons.
This greatly reduced the burden of marching, so they were often able to march at a faster speed, as long as the fleet could keep up.
As for what to do with the supplies for camping in the fleet after the forced march? Aren't there still more than 10,000 laborers pulling ropes? They will bring the supplies before nightfall. It's only a four or five li away; people can endure the hardship.
Half an hour later, the vanguard of the Fuhai Longxiang Army, consisting of four thousand officers and soldiers, arrived at Longwangtan. They did not stop, but continued to advance westward along the official road. As the vanguard of the main army, their camp was located on the mudflats further west, separated from Longwangtan by a river.
Not long after the vanguard passed Longwangtan, the 10,000-strong central army followed in an orderly fashion. The fully armed soldiers had marched four or five li (approximately 2-2.5 kilometers) in a rapid march of nearly fifteen minutes, leaving the Fuhai Longxiang Army soldiers quite exhausted. Upon arriving at their designated encampments, the first thing each unit did was sit down and gasp for breath.
Some officers were quite responsible. While catching their breath, they assigned tasks for the camp, such as fetching water or cutting dry reeds that could be used as firewood. However, the soldiers were too exhausted and needed to rest before they could work. Moreover, the brothers behind them were still entering the camp, and running around would disrupt the layout and incur military law.
Wang Tiedang, the commander of the Fuhai Longxiang Army, stood on the embankment with his personal guards. He ordered the accompanying warships (after the shipwreck in the river, several naval warships that were ahead of the main force were not blocked and still followed the army to the destination; these ships were always equipped with various sacrificial items) to quickly deliver the necessary items for the sacrifice, such as offering tables, offerings of fruit, paper money, and so on.
The commander of the capital city specifically instructed that no one should be stingy and that all tributes should be brought out, as this time they were going to give the Dragon King a special set meal.
After giving instructions regarding the sacrificial ceremony, Wang Tiedang turned to look at the boundless reed marshes surrounding Dragon King Beach, and unconsciously uttered a sigh: "What a magnificent Dragon King Beach, what magnificent reed marshes! If an army were to ambush us here, our current forces would be no match for them."
The commander's personal guard laughed and said, "General, you're overthinking it. The reed marshes are not a safe place. They look like soil, but they're actually swamps. People have to be very careful when they go in. In the summer, they'll feed the mosquitoes, and in the winter, it's so dry that a single fire can burn all the chickens, ducks, and geese inside. Who would hide their troops there? Even if it's a thousand troops, a volley of fire arrows will send them all away."
For some reason, Wang Tiedang felt uneasy. He looked back at the opposite bank of the river, upstream and downstream. Finally, staring at the reeds in front of him, he said with lingering concern, "If you think this way, the scouts will think the same way. They probably only shallowly searched the edge of the reeds before sending someone in to check deeper."
The commander-in-chief gave the order, and the personal guards had no choice but to obey. They ordered their men to find the commander of the scout battalion to receive further orders. The personal guards had just sent the men out and were about to return to Wang Tiedang's side, still trying to offer some words of comfort, when a loud and conspicuous signal flare shot up from the reeds with a piercing whistle.
As if some mechanism had been activated, a series of smoke signals rose one after another from east to west from the reeds. Some even formed plumes of smoke that rose into the air.
Wang Tiedang immediately understood everything. He shouted in terror, "Form ranks! Engage the enemy! Hold the outer perimeter with weapons, hold them off at all costs! The inner perimeter, don your armor immediately! Don your armor immediately!"
It takes time for the command to be transmitted. Most of the officers and soldiers of Fu Hailong's army did not react as quickly as Wang Tiedang. After a forced march of four or five miles fully armed, they suddenly got a rest, and their energy had long since dissipated. When faced with an emergency, they were almost all in a daze, and every part of their body was sending signals to their brains: I am so tired.
In the reeds, when the signal was raised, large swathes of reeds were uniformly felled. The camouflage of grass and wood covering the heads and bodies of the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry soldiers was also torn off at this moment.
The Yu army in front were unarmored, making them easy targets for everyone. Our ambush was a success!
Li Xuan and Li Chang exchanged a glance, their dark faces beaming with uncontrollable smiles. Li Xuan put down the reeds, stood up, raised the military command flag, and roared until his voice was distorted and his movements were jerky: "Longxiang Army, be the vanguard!"
More than a thousand officers and soldiers of the Second Army shouted in unison: "Dragon Cavalry, vanguard! Kill!"
Under the cover of a dense barrage of arrows, the soldiers grabbed their weapons and charged out of the reeds, shouting as they fought their way out. Now, both sides were racing against time; whoever could gain the upper hand before the Yu army could complete their armor-wearing would win.
Emerging from the reeds were not only infantrymen, but also a thousand skilled cavalrymen personally selected by Han Kun, who were temporarily assigned to serve as cavalrymen.
The enemy was unprepared, while our army was prepared; the enemy was unarmored, while our army was armored. If we still can't seize this opportunity and go all in, Han Kun might as well kill himself.
Han Kun removed the cloth binding the horse's hooves, took off the muzzle, leaped onto the horse, raised his long spear, and waved it forward, shouting, "Dragon Cavalry, lead the vanguard!"
A thousand makeshift cavalrymen echoed their commander's battle cry: "Dragon Soaring Army, vanguard!"
The cavalrymen trotted out of the reeds following the deafening shouts of their allies, then gradually picked up speed, their hooves thundering on the ground, growing fiercer and louder.
Wherever a thousand long spears and muskets went, the unsuspecting Fu Hailongxiang army ranks crumbled instantly, like plowed earth. No one dared to confront the charging cavalry at such a time, dressed in plain clothes and armed only with their own weapons.
The cavalry successfully breached the breach, and Zhou's army, including Li Xuan, charged in through the opening, howling as they went.
The Fuhai Longxiang Army, as expected of the elite troops of the Yu Kingdom, faced such a sudden and fierce attack. Even without orders from superiors or armor protection, a large number of junior officers still organized their troops into formation to resist. However, they did not have time to put on armor, and they did not have enough shields.
When Li Xuan encountered this newly organized battle formation, he simply ordered the archers to serve, and then he and Li Chang, relying on their sturdy armor, used their two long spears to fly up and down and work together to smash into the enemy.
Even a formation of a hundred or several hundred men would be shattered after three rounds of attacks from bows, crossbows, javelins, and throwing axes. If they were then relentlessly charged and attacked by Li Xuan and Li Chang, they would all collapse on the spot.
In modern warfare, without proper protection, there is no chance to even go into battle. No matter how well the battle formation is arranged, without armor, one is completely defenseless.
Li Xuan was working hard, and his fellow Black Spear Dragon Cavalry soldiers around him were also working hard, striving to reap merits and seize as much time as possible to inflict as much devastating damage on the enemy.
Han Kun's lance, like an extremely strong and hard chisel, struck the rear ranks of the Yu army who were still nervously putting on their armor. These Yu soldiers, who had just been bending down to put on their armor, looked up and saw Han Kun's lance. Terrified, their minds went blank, and they fled in a panic, driven by instinct. Their formation was naturally thrown into disarray.
Han Kun, charging at high speed, sought not to inflict casualties, but only to disrupt the rear ranks of the Yu army. He led a thousand cavalrymen, rampaging through the heart of the Yu forces, charging and killing repeatedly. Wang Tiedang watched, gritting his teeth. He had dominated the battlefield for years, and today, merely by a single misstep, he was destined for such a fate?
Because they were on the dike, Wang Tiedang's personal guards had time to change into their armor. Once fully dressed, Wang Tiedang shouted, "The enemy forces are few. As long as we hold off that cavalry and buy time for the main army, we still have a chance. Order the vanguard and rearguard to converge on me and launch a combined attack on the Northern Army! The Fuhai Longxiang Army will surely win! Personal guards, follow me!"
His personal guard grabbed his arm and said, "Commander-in-Chief, I will take the troops. You must stay here to command the overall situation; the entire army is counting on you."
After speaking, the personal guard saluted the commander-in-chief and led most of the personal guard battalion down the dike to cover the scattered brothers as they regrouped and donned their uniforms. "Dragon Soaring Army, move closer to me!"
The efforts of the personal guard battalion could only cover one corner of the battlefield. Han Kun did not entangle with them, but instead divided his thousand cavalry into two groups, bypassing the personal guard battalion that moved on foot, and used the speed advantage of the cavalry to tear at the hearts of the Yu soldiers again and again.
The Dragon King Beach's ambush force numbered ten thousand, while the Zhou army ambushed them with seven thousand. When all seven thousand of Zhou's Black Spear Dragon Kings charged into the battlefield, the outcome of the battle was already decided.
Despite their fierce resistance, the hastily assembled Fu Hailong army, with many scattered and divided units struggling to regroup and fight back, could not effectively stop the Zhou army's desperate breakthrough due to their dilapidated formations and almost non-existent defenses.
Looking around, the white-clad elite soldiers of the Yu Kingdom, under the attack of the red-clad, black-armored elite troops of the Zhou Kingdom, were like snow meeting lava, instantly turning into nothingness in large swaths.
The soldiers of the 4,000-volt Hailongxiang Army, who had just crossed the bridge and were resting at the forward camp, also saw a series of signal flares rising high in the direction of Longwangtan. The forward commander immediately reacted: "An ambush! Quickly don your armor and prepare to support the central army!"
It was too late; the beach was smaller and the reeds denser. From within the reeds, a group of Xiangjun commanders previously appointed by Han Kun, leading four thousand soldiers under the command of some Black Spear Dragon Cavalry officers, unleashed a fierce barrage of arrows at the equally unprepared vanguard.
Of the four thousand men, more than two thousand were archers. Although their shooting accuracy was poor, the enemy was so densely packed and the beach was so small. As long as they fired out all twenty arrows as quickly as possible, they would be fine.
In just a few dozen breaths, a rain of 50,000 arrows fell upon the unprepared vanguard, causing nearly two thousand casualties.
Such intense and sudden casualties caused the vanguard soldiers to lose their composure, instinctively fleeing in disarray to find shelter. Li Ji, who was in command of the entire battlefield, did not waste the opportunity. He led his five hundred armored soldiers to be the first to break out of the reeds and plunge into the chaotic Southern army.
The vanguard of the Fuhailongxiang Army, whose formation had been completely broken, could only temporarily form small groups of three to five men to barely resist, and had no time to put on their armor. Seeing that there was an opportunity to strike a defeated enemy, the "Xiangjun" (local militia) also became more courageous, and more than three thousand men, carrying various weapons, followed behind Li Ji's troops into the battlefield in a chaotic formation.
These people were skilled in teamwork and melee combat in the countryside. Now that the Fu Hailong Army's organization has been destroyed, only small detachments at the grassroots level remain, making them evenly matched with the Fu Hailong Army, exchanging blows in a chaotic exchange.
Li Ji ignored the "friendly forces" behind him who were taking advantage of the situation and throwing wild punches. He was now focused on making a great contribution, and from the very beginning, he charged towards the banner of the Yu army's vanguard.
Before long, the Yu army's central force, who had only managed to put on their breastplates, appeared before them. The commander of the vanguard of Fu Hailong's army, seeing the chaotic situation, knew that all was lost.
He grabbed a large axe and addressed the guards protecting the general's banner and the soldiers in the central army: "Men are rewarded with their lives for their country. Although we have suffered a defeat today, we will show the Northern army the might of the Southern men. Otherwise, they will say that we Southerners have no heroes. Brothers, follow me! We shall meet again in the next life!"
Inspired by their valiant commander, the hundreds of soldiers in the central army who had just donned their breastplates showed no fear. They picked up various weapons and roared as they charged head-on at the oncoming Zhou army.
Li Ji's main force consisted of men from the Huai River region in the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry, while the Hidden Sea Dragon Cavalry included both people from the Huai River region and those from the Jiangnan region. When these two powerful armies, both originating from the south, clashed, countless sparks and blood were shed.
The general of Fuhailongxiang Army encountered Li Ji on the battlefield and laughed loudly, "You northern bumpkin, take this axe!"
Li Ji responded loudly: "Northern my ass! Prepare to die!"
The general of Fuhailongxiang Army was momentarily stunned by Li Ji's pure Guangling accent. With a loud bang, the intense metallic collision caused both him and Li Ji to feel a sharp pain in their hands.
The Yu army general asked incredulously, "You're actually a southerner? Why did you betray us? Why did you lead the northern army into the Jianghuai region, ravaging your own homeland!"
Li Ji sneered, "Do we need the Northern Army to wreak havoc on our hometowns? When has our Huai River region not been ravaged in a year? Judging from your accent, you're from Huai River too. Tell me, how have the people of Huai River fared these past few years?"
The Yu army general was speechless, but simply brandished his long axe again: "Further words are useless. Let fate decide our fate."
Li Ji laughed heartily, brandishing his long-handled heavy sword as he charged forward once more. In this battle, he was determined to slay the enemy generals and seize the flag!
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After only half an hour of fierce fighting, the situation on the main battlefield of Longwangtan was irreversible. The Yu army, which had never been able to regroup, was repeatedly divided and annihilated by the Zhou army in its attacks. Command flags were swallowed up by the blood-red tide of the Zhou imperial guards.
Countless waves gradually converged in one direction, layer upon layer, the crimson sea of fire surrounding the remaining snow from all sides.
After the bloody battle, only about a thousand men remained of the Yu Kingdom's Fuhai Longxiang Army, gathered near the dike, tightly guarding their commander, Commander-in-Chief Wang Tiedang.
Wang Tiedang watched with heartache as these elite soldiers who had followed him for many years were thus humiliated and wasted on Dragon King Beach.
He laughed loudly, "Hahaha, Dragon King Beach, what a Dragon King Beach! We, the Subduing Sea Dragon Army, fear not even the Sea Dragon King, yet we'd die on the territory of a River Dragon King. Which Zhou army is on the other side? Dare to show your banners and let this old man die knowing why?"
Wang Tiedang was from Tianchang, and only generals from Huai River region like Li Xuan could understand his words.
Han Kun, mounted on his horse, soothed his weary warhorse and ordered Li Xuan to go forward and speak with the enemy commander, hoping to persuade him to surrender.
Li Xuan, having been ordered to lead the troops, addressed Wang Tiedang, saying, "Our army is the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry of the Imperial Guards of the Great Zhou Dynasty, under the command of the Infantry Division. General, you have already fought to the utmost. Further fighting will only result in more casualties. I urge you not to hesitate and to submit to our dynasty. Our Emperor is a man of great talent and ambition, and welcomes all talented individuals. Even those who do not wish to serve in the military will have a chance to return home alive. Please reconsider."
Looking at Li Xuan's youthful face, Wang Tiedang seemed to see himself twenty years ago. Tianchang wasn't far from Guangling, and he recognized the distinct Guangling accent in Li Xuan's voice. He couldn't help but ask, "Hahaha, the Great Zhou Imperial Guards, the elite of the land, truly live up to their reputation. The Black Spear Dragon Cavalry and my Fuhai Dragon Cavalry fought a great battle at Dragon King Beach—wasn't that fate? Who are you, and where is your home?"
Li Xuan replied with a stern face, "I am the commander of the Second Army of the Left Wing of the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry. I come from, from Guangling."
Wang Tiedang asked the same question: "Guangling is the eastern capital of our country. Since you are from Guangling, why do you help the Northern army wreak havoc on your hometown? Aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"
Li Xuan sneered, "That King Qi has been wreaking havoc on his neighbors in Guangling for years. Where is the divine retribution? Where is God? The Great Zhou Emperor lightens corvée labor, saves money, distributes land equally, emphasizes land reclamation, fights corruption, and employs virtuous ministers. Yet he himself is very aggrieved, wearing only eight sets of clothes for four seasons, patching and mending them year after year."
The spoils were distributed equally among all the soldiers, ensuring that every soldier was well-fed and clothed. If such a ruler could not rule the world, would the people agree? I helped the people of Huai escape from the state of Yu and join the state of Zhou; was this not right, was this not bringing benefit to my homeland?”
Upon hearing the name of King Qi, Wang Tiedang understood many things. King Qi had been committing atrocities in Guangling for years without being punished, inevitably leading to a loss of popular support. The decline of King Qi's popularity was not only a loss for King Qi himself, but also a loss for the prestige of the Yu royal family and the Yu court.
Wang Tiedang sighed, bowed three times towards the south, and said, "Further words are useless. It is regrettable that I cannot defeat the enemy for my lord. My lord is in the south; how can there be a subject who would surrender to the north? I, Wang Tiedang, swear to die rather than surrender. Please execute me quickly!"
After saying this, Wang Tiedang commanded the few hundred remaining soldiers of the Fuhailongxiang Army beside him to launch a final charge against the Heishaolongxiang Army.
Wang Tiedang, the commander of the Yu Kingdom's Fuhai Longxiang Army, refused to surrender at Longwangtan and died facing south, sacrificing his life for his country.
While the fierce battle raged on land, dozens of swift boats appeared upstream, all piloted by newly formed auxiliary troops attached to the Zhou army. They swept across the chaotic battlefield of the vanguard and headed straight for Dragon King Beach. The first dozen or so small boats, loaded with flammable firewood, transformed into fire ships and crashed into the anchorage of the Yu Kingdom's naval warships.
These naval warships were instantly engulfed in flames, capsizing and sinking one after another amidst the inferno. The efforts of the local garrison provided powerful support to the Longwangtan battlefield.
Seeing their navy destroyed and the river engulfed in flames, the morale of the Fuhai Longxiang army collapsed even further. The Zhou Kingdom's Black Spear Longxiang officers and soldiers, fighting alongside them, shouted with delight, "Divine intervention! Heavenly soldiers have descended! The Nine Heavens and Nine Earths Formation is here! Kill!"
After Wang Tiedang and his last few hundred men were killed in battle, the entire battle was essentially coming to an end. First, news of victory came from the front lines. Li Ji led his newly formed garrison troops to a great victory over the enemy. Their battle ended even earlier than that of the main battlefield.
The Yu Kingdom's rear army numbered six thousand, including three thousand Fuhai Longxiang soldiers and three thousand Haizhou soldiers. However, these troops were located just across a bridge from Longwangtan. After the Zhou army quickly seized the bridgehead, the six thousand men were unable to exert their strength effectively, and their repeated attacks were ineffective.
Only after the Black Spear Dragon Cavalry, having reorganized, used their superior mobility as cavalry and infantry to charge across the bridge and into the rear of the Yu army, did they finally arrive. Han Kun ordered his men to carry Wang Tiedang's command flag and other central military honors to loudly proclaim that the Yu army had been defeated and that Wang Tiedang had been killed in action.
The troops drawn from Haizhou were the first to collapse and flee, leaving only the remnants of Fu Hailongxiang's army to resist alone. By evening, the battle was over, and the last remaining remnants of Fu Hailongxiang's army laid down their weapons and surrendered.
Han Kun looked at the Salt River under the setting sun, took a deep breath, and said, "Damn it, we finally won! We won! Hahaha!"
Although all three battles were decisive victories, the fierce resistance of the Fu Hai Long Xiang Army inflicted heavy losses on the Hei Shuo Long Xiang Army. Over a thousand men were killed and more than three thousand wounded. In addition, over a thousand Xiang Army soldiers were killed or wounded. Seeing the heavy casualties, Han Kun summoned Li Xuan and said, "Go find that manor lord Tian and see how he plans to surrender Haizhou."