kingnovel Chapter 2265 Encirclement!
Chapter 2265 Encirclement!
Feng Mulan quickly made a decision in her mind, and then her eyes flashed with a sharp light, without the slightest hesitation.
She turned abruptly and issued a stern order to the messengers and generals waiting beside her, her voice clear and resolute, filled with unwavering determination:
"Send word to the entire army! The rebels from Youzhou have fled north in panic and are no longer a threat! Our primary enemy now is this isolated Scorpion Clan force that has penetrated deep into enemy territory!"
"General Zhang Shijie's troops should immediately intensify their pressure from behind enemy lines and cut off their retreat to the northeast!"
"General Liu Shijie's troops are pressing the enemy formation from the left flank, coordinating with the central army's offensive!"
"I will personally lead the central army and all available troops on the city walls in a frontal assault!"
"Surround them from three sides and defeat Gongsun Yi in the shortest possible time, annihilating his entire force! Do not allow a single soldier to escape!"
She paused, glanced up in the direction of Changting Slope, and said firmly:
"Your Majesty is mighty! Generals Ma Chao and Zhao Yu are both renowned generals of our time. Changting Slope is safe for the time being!"
"Let us first lift the siege here, annihilate the stubborn enemy before us, then gather our victorious troops, turn eastward, and join forces with Your Majesty and the generals to defeat the remaining enemy!"
The order was quickly relayed, and the morale of all units of the Chu army was greatly boosted upon hearing it!
The withdrawal of the Youzhou army greatly reduced their pressure, while the order to concentrate their forces to annihilate the isolated enemy boosted everyone's morale.
Zhang Shijie and Liu Shijie immediately adjusted their deployment according to orders, and Feng Mulan also drew her twin swords, preparing to personally lead the main force to launch a general offensive.
The battle situation at Jianghuai City became clear instantly thanks to Feng Mulan's decisive and accurate decision.
The Chu army abandoned the options of splitting its forces to pursue or immediately support Changtingpo, and instead concentrated its overwhelming force to launch the final and most deadly annihilation operation against Gongsun Yi's troops, who were now trapped!
Feng Mulan's optimistic prediction of the Battle of Changtingpo and her keen grasp of the opportunities at hand also demonstrate her outstanding strategic vision and decisiveness as a commander.
The midday sun completely illuminated the fields outside Jianghuai City, and also the battlefield that had been turned into a bloody grinder.
When the routed soldiers of Youzhou fled in panic under Zhou Dashou's command, abandoning their allies without hesitation, Feng Mulan keenly seized this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
Without further hesitation, she instantly focused all her strategic attention on the main force of the Scorpion Clan—Gongsun Yi's tribe—which was surrounded and isolated.
Once the order was given, the Chu army, a war machine that had been fighting all night and was already somewhat exhausted, once again unleashed astonishing efficiency and killing intent, inspired by the clear objective of annihilation and the superior strength of its troops.
The three armies of Feng Mulan, Zhang Shijie, and Liu Shijie were like three sharpened knives.
From three directions, with clear division of labor and tacit understanding, they began a deadly encirclement and annihilation of the Scorpion Clan cavalry.
On the front, the main force of the central army, personally led by Feng Mulan, launched the most resolute and fierce frontal attack, like a red steel torrent.
She knew that although the Scorpion Clan cavalry were in dire straits, they would fight like cornered beasts, and their core "Blood Wolf Guard" were exceptionally brave.
We must use the strongest force to crush their fighting spirit head-on and disrupt their formation.
Feng Mulan took the lead, drawing her heavy iron sword and nimble sword once again.
She no longer pursued personal bravery in battle, but instead sat firmly in the center of the army to command and constantly mobilize troops.
"Heavily armored infantrymen lead the way, spears like a forest, advancing steadily! Archers unleash volleys, covering the enemy's rear!"
"The cavalry will flank the enemy, seeking opportunities to cut in and disrupt their formation!"
"Use all 'armor-piercing spikes' and 'hook-and-sickle spears' in a concentrated attack on enemy cavalry and warhorses!"
In the Chu army formation, heavy equipment specifically designed to counter cavalry was pushed to the front lines.
Long, barbed hook-like spears protruded from the gaps in the shields, specifically designed to sweep the horses' legs.
The specially designed armor-piercing crossbow bolts, when fired from powerful crossbows, can inflict considerable damage even on Scorpion Clan cavalrymen wearing leather armor or simple iron armor.
Commanded by Feng Mulan, the Chu army infantry line moved like a mobile steel hedgehog, slowly but steadily pressing towards the core of the Scorpion Clan's army formation.
Every step forward was accompanied by fierce close combat and the loss of countless lives, but the Chu army gradually gained the upper hand thanks to its well-organized formation and superior, targeted weaponry.
From the flanks and rear, Zhang Shijie's elite naval forces transformed into the deadliest "bonecrushers," carrying out brutal harassment, cutting, and breakthroughs from the rear.
Naval soldiers are not good at frontal charges, but they are extremely skilled at small-scale infiltration, close-quarters combat, and utilizing terrain.
Zhang Shijie broke his troops into smaller units, numbering in the hundreds or even fifty, using piles of corpses, wreckage, and burning vehicles on the battlefield as cover.
Like mercury spilling onto the ground, they continuously infiltrated and broke through the gaps in the scorpion army's formation and its weak rear defenses.
They wielded short-handled battle axes, thick-backed machetes, multi-toothed spears resembling harpoons, and even grappling hooks and lassos specifically designed for boarding operations in naval warfare.
These weapons are incredibly powerful in the narrow, chaotic battlefield.
Instead of aiming to rout the entire enemy force, they specifically targeted isolated Scorpion Clan cavalrymen, those whose formations were disorganized, or those who were engaged in direct combat with the Chu army.
The grappling hook was thrown out, dragging the cavalryman off his horse; the lasso was swung out, strangling the enemy's neck.
The short axe-blade then slashed at the horse's belly and the rider's back from unexpected angles.
Zhang Shijie himself was a fierce warrior, wielding a specially made two-handed longsword with a blood groove, specializing in taking on tough challenges.
Wherever the Scorpion Clan resisted most fiercely, he led his personal guard to attack, using a fearless fighting style to force open a breach, and then let the subsequent naval squads pour in to expand the victory.
Their attacks were like a persistent ailment, leaving the Scorpion Clan cavalry defenseless, with small gaps constantly being torn open at their rear and flanks.
The increasing number of localized breakdowns has severely disrupted the overall defense deployment and morale.
On the left, Liu Shijie led the city's reinforcements and some of the troops that had been gathered together, tasked with stabilizing the flanks, squeezing out space, and preventing the enemy from fleeing northeast.
Liu Shijie's military tactics were relatively prudent.
He commanded his troops to form a solid square formation, not rushing forward, but steadily and cautiously encroaching on the left side of the Scorpion Clan's army formation.
The archers continued their suppressive fire, while the spearmen and swordsmen, like a slowly closing iron wall, repeatedly repelled the Scorpion Clan cavalry attempting to break out or relocate in this direction.
His presence completely thwarted Gongsun Yi's attempt to move towards Changtingpo or find a weak point to break through.
He was forced to allocate more and more troops to deal with the pressure from this direction, which further weakened his ability to confront Feng Mulan head-on and defend against Zhang Shijie's harassment.
Under the fierce attack of being surrounded on three sides with a clear division of labor, the Scorpion Clan cavalry under Gongsun Yi's command, an elite force that had once roamed the grasslands and made numerous achievements since the invasion of the south, began to suffer rapid and tragic losses.