bookcurios Chapter 278: Trumpet Mouth Ambush
Chapter 278: Trumpet Mouth Ambush
The Yan army anticipated the Murong army's prediction and stationed troops five miles away from Houcheng and Fengning in advance. They also sent spies to investigate.
Both the enemy and our side had many spies. Compared with the frequent deployment of soldiers in Yanzhou City, the number of soldiers entering and leaving was comparable. To outsiders, it seemed like just an ordinary rotation of guards.
Zhao Hui and Qin Lian each led 150,000 troops, with 100,000 set up an ambush and 50,000 kept as mobile forces ready at all times.
The spies sent out by Murong Bai would report back every ten miles. If they had not discovered the ambush after four or five miles, they would return.
Seeing this, the ambush troops of the Yanzhou army, who had been monitoring these previous spies, quickly surrounded these people, annihilated them on the spot, and then rushed to the pre-arranged ambush point.
Zhao Hui had fought many battles in Yanzhou, both large and small, against the barbarians who had come south to plunder from the north. However, this was his first time engaging in such a large-scale ambush. At this moment, his expression was solemn, and his mood was slightly peculiar.
"Your Highness, this time we have deployed an ambush of 20,000 troops behind the enemy, with 40,000 on each side, leaving a pocket for advancement, and then we will launch a charge with 50,000 troops to kill them." Liu Xiang, the deputy general in the army who cooperated with Zhao Hui, whispered in the ear of Prince Yan.
Liu Xiang frowned, his eyes filled with determination and courage. "It seems we must cut off the enemy's retreat. We must first strike them hard from behind, and then attack them from both sides, forcing them to make the wrong decision in their panic."
"Indeed, Your Highness has indeed predicted the direction of the Murong army's march." Liu Xiang looked admiring.
"Have you found out how many people are in the team coming to Fengning?" Zhao Hui stared intently at the front.
"Your Highness, the last time we checked, Fengning had a 150,000-man army last night. They marched along the southern slopes and passed through the stone cave."
"Stone cave?" Zhao Hui thought for a moment and said, "The terrain here is not conducive to the army's advancement."
"Yes, this is what you and General Qin predicted, so you chose Labagou as the ambush site. There are two routes for charging here."
"Tanghekou is where the Murong army resupply, and it's indeed the place most likely to be overlooked by them."
According to the army's marching route, once they reached Labagou, the enemy would split into two groups. Both the front and rear sections of this place had maneuverable intersections that could be used for ambushes, making it an ideal location to attack the enemy.
The sun was high in the sky, and the April weather made people a little sleepy. Liu Xiang, who was beside Zhao Hui, had gone to block the enemy's rear camp, while he himself stayed on the top of the mountain, overlooking the enemy troops marching down the mountain.
He was waiting for news that the enemy was being blocked in the rear. Once the army in the rear began to attack, they would launch attacks on the mountains on both sides.
Soon, the enemy troops began to fall into chaos. Some people stopped and tried to retreat, but were forced to move forward due to the command of the enemy general.
"Report, Your Highness, the attack from the rear has begun." The one who came to deliver the message was Zhao Hui's guard. The blocking troops in the rear conveyed the message through flag signals, and it finally reached him.
Zhao Hui looked at the ambush team behind him, which had already begun a step-by-step attack.
First, dense arrows were shot down the mountain, and then huge rocks rolled down the mountain.
Such an attack may not be able to completely eliminate the enemy, but the rocks rolling down the mountain do create a terrifying atmosphere.
"Archers, start attacking!" Zhao Hui gave an order, and thousands of arrows from the mountain flew down the mountain. The enemy troops at the foot of the mountain raised their shields for defense, and some people hid among the rocks and trees at the foot of the mountain.
"Boom..." Huge rocks began to roll down, scaring some people who wanted to escape and forcing them to run forward.
Due to the large number of people, the team was once congested and many people were injured by arrows and stones.
The valleys were already filled with widespread wailing, mixed with the neighing of war horses, which involuntarily gave rise to an emotion in people's hearts - war weariness.
At this moment, everyone at the foot of the mountain was racking their brains to think about how to escape from here as quickly as possible and how to survive.
At this time, there were many spherical objects made of branches rolling down the hillside.
"What on earth do these Yan soldiers want to do? Can these branches crush us to death?"
"Well, at least these branches can help us block the arrows. These Yan soldiers are really stupid."
The allied forces of Murong and Duan burst into laughter, mocking the Yan army on the mountain.
"Why do I smell kerosene on the branches?" an experienced veteran suddenly asked.
"Oh no, the Yan army will launch rockets soon!" An enemy general suddenly remembered something and shouted in panic.
"Run..." Countless shouts rang out, and the enemies ran desperately in one direction, while a few people fled to the rear.
However, those who go against the current will always be pushed back by the powerful downstream, and some people lose their lives tragically under the trampling of the downstream.
"Swish, swish, swish... Whoosh... Whoosh..." The sound seemed a little unusual. As the red dots gradually enlarged, it could be found that these arrows were all burning with flames.
"Ah..." An enemy soldier was hit by a rocket. Although his life was not in danger, the flames burned on his body and he screamed in extreme pain.
Someone wanted to go forward to help him put out the fire, but the kerosene on the ball of branches that had just rolled down would instantly burn on the other person's body once it touched his arms and body.
The burning seemed to be contagious, and wherever the rocket landed, a scorching flame would ignite.
In fact, there are not many such fireballs, but they burn very quickly, giving people a visual impact as if the entire valley will be swallowed up by the fire.
Of course, there is another possibility, that is, there will be balls made of branches rolling down the mountain continuously.
In this way, tens of thousands of people were driven by fireballs and fled in panic towards the front.
"Pass the order down, charge them in and don't let them retreat!" Liu Xiang, who was responsible for blocking the rear, shouted at the top of his lungs, commanding the troops to charge with all their might.
The Yan army archers on both sides of the mountain moved towards the bottom of the valley, using bows and arrows to assist Liu Xiang's troops in driving away the enemy.
"General, the spies behind us report that there are 50,000 enemy troops on the way. We just drove away only about 100,000."
"What?" Liu Xiang stared at the centurion who came to report with wide eyes. After thinking quickly in his mind, he said:
"Send out two riders. One will tell the troops ahead to drive the enemy chieftain into the valley and then retreat up the mountain, waiting for them to come and help us kill them. The other will report to the prince and request that he send troops to help repel the troops behind."
The military situation was extremely urgent and there was no time for excessive thinking. Liu Xiang ordered 10,000 men to retreat towards a mountain road behind. The 10,000 men left behind were enough to intimidate the fleeing enemies.
This enemy army coming out of Fengning marched along the valley in a formation of 2332332, but Liu Xiang mistakenly judged it as a formation of 333333.
It happened that the team following behind was carrying food and supplies, and its speed of movement was becoming increasingly slower, resulting in a considerable distance between the teams.