Chapter 471: Han Xin's Shocking One Shot
Translator: ryangohsf
Editor: Nora
If one said that the fire that Asura Baiqi ignited in Cangcheng County created a nightmare for Di Qing and South Alliance, one had to say that their nightmare was far from over.
8th month, 23rd day, Genglou County.
Early in the morning, before nature had awakened and the wilderness was still utterly silent. Dew gathered on the branches and formed small droplets, which shone like crystals under the morning light.
The camp of the left road troops of the alliance army was similarly silent. Yesterday afternoon, the news of the victory had spread to the camp, and the entire left road troops relaxed.
The only shocker was probably the flames that rose up from Cangcheng County's direction at night.
However, because the two cities were too far away, they did not know what had happened in Cangcheng County. They might even think that the people there were starting a campfire to celebrate the victory.
Suddenly, the thunderous sounds of horse hooves and birds scared from their tree perches shattered the tranquil atmosphere.
Large quantities of morning dew splattered around, as the warhorses trampled over them. It was like a vivid and peaceful ink painting had suddenly transformed into a boisterous troupe.
The smell of smoke rose in the air.
Han Xin, who had not moved his troops yet, finally showed his claws. He struck the enemy at their weakest moment.
This was Han Xin, the assassin that no one could predict. Facing a prey, Han Xin had enough patience. Moreover, he had unrivalled decisiveness and insight.
It was okay if he did not strike, but if he did, his one strike would be deadly.
When he received Baiqi's letter last night, Han Xin had already planned for this stunning strike.
The 1st division of the Leopard Legion that stayed in Genglou County rushed out, working with the 2nd division of the Dragon Legion outside of the city to suddenly assault the left route troops of the alliance army.
Two divisions, one north and one south, pincering the enemy completely.
The enemy camp was just a temporary base, and they did not even have wooden walls. Numerous tents were scattered around, and it was like a refugee camp.
The two huge armies were like knives. At their fastest speeds, they charged into the camp.
The camp, which was silent moments ago, suddenly became boisterous. The shouts of the patrolling soldiers, the sounds of the officers asking them to gather, and the neighs of the horses. When all these noises combined together, it would make one annoyed.
The left route army, which were deep in slumber moments ago, hurriedly put on their ice cold armor under the scolding of their officers. They picked up their spears and walked out of the tent, ready to face their enemy.
The entire camp became a hot mess.
The soldiers could not find their horses, and the soldiers could not find their officers.
The left route army, who hurriedly tried to put up a resistance upon facing the elites of Shanhai City, had no retaliation ability. The Shanhai City Army chased away the entire eighty thousand men alliance army like sheep.
The war horses neighed, and blood boiled on the battlefield.
Luo Shixin led the Cavalry Division, the elite force that was only second to the Guards Division. The tens of thousands of golden armored cavalry were like gods, as they unleashed all the anger that had pent up over these past few days.
Spears struck out, and the blades glinted under the light.
The godly troops had descended!
Under Luo Shixin's command, the cavalry split up and attacked, slicing the entire camp into pieces. The alliance army could not even gather together.
The golden armored cavalry would quickly disperse any group that managed to gather into groups of above a thousand.
The light armored infantry cavalry mixed division were not to be outshone. In the camp, they proceeded calmly and attacked together, dragging numerous enemies into the depths of hell.
When the battle reached such a situation, the alliance army was unable to form up any form of retaliation. Even if Di Qing was present, he would not be able to do anything. Much less the current general, who was just a normal general.
He did not have the ability to obtain victory from this chaos, nor did he possess the prestige necessary to help the army regain their footing.
Over ten armies originally formed up this entire army. In such a negative situation, this weakness was exposed, and they instantly became a bunch of scattered dirt.
Each army started to fight for themselves.
In the chaos, the soldiers subconsciously grouped up with the other soldiers from their territory.
The more such events occurred, the more chaotic the situation grew.
The General was unable to gain a grasp of the situation, and he was unable to command the troops. The moment an army lost contact with the commanding core, it would just collapse.
In the end, it was a full-scale collapse.
Tens of thousands of soldiers cried out, as they were utterly crushed. Some even threw down their helmets and armor to try and escape.
Just like that, they completely defeated the left side of the alliance army.
Han Xin's knife was fast and accurate.
During this battle, the Shanhai City Army had killed fifteen thousand men and captured over forty thousand. The entire left side of the alliance army was only left with twenty thousand cavalry, who had escaped to Yun An County battered and bruised.
It was not over yet.
Han Xin ordered Wei Zhang's division to take charge of cleaning up the battlefield and collecting prisoners. Luo Shixin's division would continue to give chase. If possible, they would take down Yun An County in one fell swoop.
One must know that the current Yun An County did not have a single soldier. The moment the Shanhai City Army broke the left side of the alliance army, a straight road to victory laid before them.
Han Xin wanted to treat them like how they tried to treat him. He desired to take away all their hope.
Luo Shixin led the Cavalry Division and chased. Just like how one would peel an onion, they took down the twenty thousand alliance army layer by layer.
Numerous soldiers fell off their horses and formed a road similar to hell.
The cavalry of the alliance army could only blame their warhorses for being too slow. They did not even think about the fact that their remaining numbers were much more than Luo Shixin's division.
They had completely lost their fight and determination, so they did not dare to retaliate.
Their only thought was to run and to run with all their life.
As long as they ran faster than their associates, they would have the chance to survive.
Along the way, many tragedies played out. On some narrow roads, for the numerous cavalry to quickly pass, they kicked their friends and partners down from their horses.
Turning on one's brothers....
When they had reached the outskirts of Yun An County, they only had half their numbers left.
If Di Qing did not lead the remnants of the middle troops and return in the nick of time to Yun An County, it would have probably fallen.
Han Xin's strike had pushed the alliance army to the end of the road.
Luo Shixin led his men and did a round around the city. Upon seeing that there was no chance to lay siege, he led his men and left.
He had finally vented the anger and frustration in his heart
On the city wall, members of South Alliance heaved a sigh of relief when they saw the cavalry leave. They immediately ordered the right side troops to return to Yun An County.
Yun An County, Lord's Manor.
Dead silence.
An atmosphere filled with despair and a sense of defeat permeated the hall, bearing heavily down on them.
Members of South Alliance, including the Lords in the north of Zhaoqing Prefecture, had finally experienced the feeling of dropping down from heaven to hell. The higher you climb, the harder you fall.
Yesterday afternoon, they were still celebrating their historical victory, dancing and singing away. The moment they woke, they found out that the entire world had turned on its head, and they were now stuck in dire straits.
Thinking about how they told their men to prepare to brag about their victory on the forums, the Lords felt utterly embarrassed.
Loss of face, a huge loss of face!
This time, South Alliance had truly gained 'fame' in the China region.
If one said that the loss of the middle troops broke their wings; then the lost of the left side troops had pushed them down into hell.
In just one day, the 280 thousand alliance army troops were reduced to less than 110 thousand, less than half of their original numbers.
Victory could cover up embarrassment.
However, the moment they lost, these embarrassing moments would jump out to the forefront.
The first people to create problems were the members of South Alliance.
Under Yuan Ping's instructions, his cronies stepped up and openly chided the commander, Di Qing.
"The loss of Cangcheng County is all because of the army's misjudgment. After victory, the commander let down his guard. The enemy had set up such a trap, and the middle troops completely failed to notice. Truly an unforgivable mistake."
"That's right. This time, as the commander, Di Qing, needs to step up and take responsibility."
"I agree!"
"He must be heavily punished!"
"The army losing its advantage, the commander is useless!"
All of a sudden, voices that scolded Di Qing filled the hall.
Everyone knew that just yesterday afternoon, in the same place, the same bunch of people had praised Di Qing up to the heavens. They even said that he was a god general better than Baiqi.
In the blink of an eye, he became the target of everyone's insults.
Scolding Di Qing was in fact also scolding Hefu, who stood behind him. Yuan Ping wanted to take the chance to drag down Hefu from the leader spot.
Hefu sat at the main seat, completely expressionless. He only used his gaze to stop Di Qing from talking. He knew that at this time, whatever he said was wrong, so he might as well just not say anything.
Within the alliance, Hefu also had his aides. Some people might go against him, but some would support him.
"Who would have thought that Asura Baiqi would be so cold and merciless, killing an entire county of people? Hence, this defeat is just an accident. General Di Qing's strategy was correct. The only problem was that we underestimated the thinking of Baiqi."
"That's right."
"How is he not to blame? At the very least, he should be blamed for misjudging the situation, right?"
All of a sudden, the entire hall fell into a mess.
The alliance was merely inches away from collapse.
No matter what one did, this defeat had cause Hefu to lose all his say in the alliance.
After Yuan Ping observed the situation, he did not say anything more. After all, his goal was to pull Hefu down, not for the alliance to collapse.
If that was the case, it would be a loss-loss situation, and no one would benefit.
One had to mention that Yuan Ping, this descendant of an aristocratic family, was much better than Song Wen. His actions and knowledge were much better than a normal person.
If he had the chance, rising up to the top was not completely impossible.