kingnovel Chapter 393 The Breaking Wind Army arrives to ambush and kill, and the Marquis of Zhenxi kills three
Chapter 393 The Breaking Wind Army arrives to ambush and kill, and the Marquis of Zhenxi kills three
Beneath the West Gate, the ground was littered with severed limbs and broken armor, clearly indicating the defeat of the Yunzhou army. Even with Lu Ting'en's exceptional military skills, he could no longer exert any of them at this moment.
Looking at Baili Dongjun standing against the wind on the city wall, Lu Ting'en wiped the blood off his breastplate, knowing that the battle was lost and could not be recovered.
His gaze swept over the corpses of the Divine Steed Camp cavalry scattered across the ground, and he felt an overwhelming sense of regret. However, fighting again now would only increase the casualties.
Even with numerous warriors in Snowmoon City, wiping out Lu Ting'en's retinue in one fell swoop is not an easy task.
After pondering this, Lu Ting'en looked again at Baili Dongjun standing on the city tower and sighed deeply:
"I shouldn't have marched so rashly. If I had listened to my subordinate and held Yunzhou City, relying on the territory of just one city and one prefecture, I wouldn't be in this predicament today!"
"Baili Dongjun, I admit I am inferior to you in failing to conquer your Snow Moon City today. However, I still have over ten thousand border cavalry under my command. No matter how strong your martial arts are, if I want to leave, you cannot stop me!"
Before Baili Dongjun could speak, Lu Ting'en unfurled his banner and issued his command:
"Pass on my order: the rear guard will become the front guard. Where is the flag officer? Quickly inform the soldiers of the Jumping Army and the Old Guard Battalion who have captured the four gates to retreat immediately!"
Upon hearing that Lu Ting'en was going to withdraw his troops, Baili Dongjun and Sikong Changfeng exchanged a glance, each twitching their lips and muttering to themselves, "Everyone says that Lu Ting'en of Yunzhou is a skilled and courageous general, but now he hasn't even captured a single gate of Xueyue City, and he's already running away?"
"Boring!"
Baili Dongjun was the first to leap down from the city wall, landing on the wind in front of the Luo brothers, Luo Nianse and Luo Fengzhong, raising his eyebrows and saying:
Hey! You surnamed Lu! You're such a spineless coward!
"When I was a child, my grandfather told me that among the great generals of our time, apart from the military genius Ye Yu who was framed, you were the only one who could be considered a great general. How can you desert after just meeting me today? You're so boring."
Sikong Changfeng also flew down, his spear poised beside him, and said mockingly, "Dongjun, have you ever heard the saying—'A great reputation is often undeserved'? I think this Yunzhou army is just a makeshift bunch, utterly vulnerable!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ting'en was filled with rage. As a pure soldier, he could not bear such humiliation.
But preserving their strength was the top priority right now, so they had no choice but to suppress their anger and clasp their hands in greeting to Baili Dongjun and the others:
"The outcome is uncertain. I, Lu Ting'en, underestimated your Snow Moon City. But Baili Dongjun, don't be arrogant. We will meet again someday!"
After saying this, he turned his horse around and led the remaining thousand or so Divine Steeds cavalrymen southeast.
The horses' hooves kicked up clouds of dust, and in the blink of an eye, the Yunzhou army had already galloped two or three hundred paces away.
The large banner embroidered with the character "Lu" was already tattered and mottled. The officer carrying the banner struggled to straighten his body, trying to make the banner stand upright.
Before he could run a few steps, a whoosh came from afar and an arrow shot out, snapping the arm-thick flagpole in half!
The arrow, its power undiminished, pierced through two more infantrymen who had caught up behind the banners, and was pinned to the ground, covered in blood!
"Crack!"
The large banner bearing the character "Lu" crashed to the ground with a loud thud. The officer cried out in surprise and looked in the direction from which the arrow had been fired.
Lu Ting'en also saw the banner being shot down and looked in that direction.
Smoke and dust rose from the southeast, and the leader, holding a carved bow, was galloping towards him on horseback.
The man put away his carved bow, his cloak billowing wildly in the wind, his beard streaked with white, and his battle robes burning like a blazing flame in the fierce wind.
"Bai Li... Luo Chen?!"
Lu Ting'en could hardly believe his eyes. His pupils trembled. There was only one person in the world who wore this outfit, and that was the God of Slaughter who made everyone in the world tremble with fear—Bai Li Luo Chen!
The flame in his eyes drew closer and closer, with two generals in strikingly different armor following on either side of him!
One was a middle-aged general with a dignified face and iron-like eyes;
One was a handsome young man with sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, exuding a spirited and carefree air!
Baili Dongjun and Sikong Changfeng were also taken aback. Seeing that the Yunzhou army's banner had been broken by an arrow and that the arrowhead had pierced through several infantrymen, they were both secretly amazed by the profound skill of the person holding the bow.
Are there any skilled archers in our Snowmoon City?
When Sikong Changfeng heard Baili Dongjun's question, he pondered for a moment and then shook his head: "There are quite a few who use swords, spears, and halberds, but I have never seen anyone who is good at using bows and arrows!"
While the two were still wondering, Baili Luochen had already led his army to within half a mile of Lu Ting'en!
"stop!"
In his fear, Lu Ting'en could only wave his command flag and order the entire army to stop retreating. After his shout, the cavalry of the Divine Steed Camp reined in their horses and stopped.
Seeing that the Yunzhou army had stopped advancing, Baili Luochen turned to Baili Chengfeng and said, "Feng'er, Dingzhi, Lu Ting'en looks defeated. You two quickly lead a force to flank the enemy from the left and right wings respectively. Do not let a single Yunzhou soldier escape!"
Upon receiving the order, Baili Chengfeng and Ye Dingzhi simultaneously clasped their hands in a fist salute: "Yes, sir!"
He then reined in his troops and turned around to direct several hundred of his Breaking Wind Army soldiers to flank the Yunzhou Army from both sides.
Seeing that the two had left on their orders, Baili Luochen rode alone on horseback towards Lu Ting'en.
When the Yunzhou army saw that Baili Luochen's Pofeng Army had blocked their retreat route, they immediately fell into chaos. Some terrified soldiers even took advantage of the chaos to secretly escape from the army to the east or west.
Fortunately, the deputy commanders of each battalion quickly ordered their respective units to execute those who deserted in the face of battle; otherwise, the retreating remnants of the Jumping Army and the Old Guard Battalion would probably have become scattered soldiers.
Seeing Baili Luochen leisurely walking towards him, Lu Ting'en gripped the fine steel lance in his hand and pointed it at Baili Luochen, saying:
"Baili Luochen, do you want to fight me?"
Baili Luochen rode his horse and stopped about forty or fifty paces in front of Lu Ting'en. He glanced up and down at Lu Ting'en, whose armor was stained with blood, and laughed, "Lu Ting'en, do you still have the qualifications to fight with this Marquis?"
Before Lu Ting'en could answer, a burly cavalry captain beside him raised his lance and said:
"Baili Luochen, your family has received imperial favor, why do you rebel against Dali and become a traitor despised by all! My Yunzhou army still has more than ten thousand men, while your ragtag force has less than two thousand. How dare you utter such arrogant words!?"
Lu Ting'en held his lance horizontally, shielding the captain behind him, and said:
"Baili Luochen, you underestimate me. My subordinate is right. No matter how brave and skilled your Pofeng Army is, if my army fights to the death, the outcome is hard to say!"
Upon hearing this, Baili Luochen burst into laughter: "Hehehe... Lu Ting'en, Lu Ting'en, I once praised you to others for your skillful command of the army, but today it seems you are no different from those good-for-nothings in Beili!"
"I've fought hundreds of battles, how could I fight an unprepared one? Take a look at the hills to the east and west, and if you dismount now and surrender, I might still give you some face!"
Lu Ting'en was startled by his words and immediately looked towards the eastern and western hills of Snowmoon City—
On the eastern hillside, banners fluttered, and an infantry force was advancing in orderly formation to surround and attack them.
Looking to the west, Chen Dunru, the deputy general of the Pofeng Army, was leading a thousand cavalrymen towards him in a grand procession!
Seeing this, Lu Ting'en felt a chill run down his spine. He had misjudged Baili Luochen. He was now trapped like a turtle in a jar. Even if he broke through, he would probably lose all of his remaining troops of more than 10,000!
Baili Luochen laughed and said, "How about it? I knew you would cause trouble for my grandson and try to besiege the city and attack the reinforcements, so I rushed to Snow Moon City under the cover of night!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Ting'en sighed, "Baili Luochen... I lost, but I want to tell you that even if you take the Yunzhou army and kill me, Lu Ting'en, the Great Li still has thousands of troops. His Majesty will not stand by and watch you cause trouble!"
"But before that, I want to ask you for one thing: take only my head, Lu Ting'en's head. I hope you can let the rest of the Yunzhou army go back. Please don't let the general's mistake implicate these soldiers. What do you say?"
Baili Luochen shook his head and laughed, "This old man is too lazy to waste words with you. I will bring my army to the gates of Tianqi City sooner or later. I will not kill you. I will make you watch as I ride my horse across the imperial steps and capture my incompetent and weak sworn brother, the emperor!"
……