lcionline Chapter 273: The Smoke Rising from the Desert, the Sun Setting over the Long River
Chapter 273: The Smoke Rising from the Desert, the Sun Setting over the Long River
A melee broke out among all the troops. The Yan army gave priority to dealing with the enemy troops that dared to leave the camp. Some of them adopted encirclement tactics, intending to wipe out part of the enemy troops.
Some used conventional methods of warfare, confronting two enemy armies and pushing each other's fronts forward.
The gates of the central army camp were open, and scouts came in one after another, reporting the situation, shouting and then running away immediately.
Tu Queling stood beside the sand table, holding a long pair of tweezers, and adjusted the flags on the sand table according to the continuous reports of the battle situation.
Shen Changgong and Ma Ling stood in front of the sand table, observing the battle situation and issuing various orders.
"Report, the Tianyu Army has taken down an enemy camp first. The enemy troops in the camp are fleeing to the west. General Yu is leading his troops in pursuit."
"Yu Huatian wants to gather everyone together for a decisive battle. Don't worry about him for now."
"Report! The Changning Army's Second Corps' attack has been blocked."
"Dispatch the Confederate Third Corps to provide support."
"Report! The Fifth Corps of the Pingnan Army has conquered the enemy's square formation, and the enemy line has shrunk by one mile."
"Tell the Fifth Corps not to pursue too deeply, lest they become surrounded, and to coordinate with the other corps to advance in an orderly manner."
"Report! The Tiger Army has surrounded 30,000 enemy troops and is engaged in a fierce battle."
"Tell Guan Shouchang to leave at least 30,000 troops to guard against surprise attacks from other large armies in the east of Kunjun."
"Report, the 20,000 troops of Kun's army in the east are attacking General Guan's left wing. The left wing is engaged."
"Can you block it?"
"can."
"Probe again and report again!"
There was fighting everywhere in an area of hundreds of square kilometers, and the battlefield was everywhere.
The Kun army's melee tactics made the Yan army's artillery almost useless.
Although the Kun army was retreating step by step, it also effectively caused considerable casualties to the Yan army.
In such a desperate situation, Nie Bei was still able to make such an excellent tactical deployment, which shows how outstanding he is.
In other words, the Kun Kingdom’s court was timid and cowardly, which restricted Nie Bei’s performance.
A group of martial artists brought by Fairy Mei Yan, wearing soldier armor, stood behind Shen Changgong and others.
Shen Changgong asked them to stay in the city, but they insisted on coming, saying that they had never seen a national war or a large army fighting, and they wanted to take a good look.
It didn't matter that they saw it, they were like Granny Liu entering the Grand View Garden, shocked beyond words.
They even rode their horses out for a stroll, and when they came back after running for a long time, all they saw was a battlefield of fierce fighting.
By noon, the fighting was not so intense, and the armies began to take turns eating. The cooks of the Yan army also pulled carts to deliver food and water to the front line so that the soldiers who were fighting could eat.
The Yan army and the Kun army retreated tacitly and sat on the battlefield covered with corpses and blood to eat.
Steaming hot meals were also delivered to the commander-in-chief of the central military camp. Shen Changgong and the King of the South sat on chairs with their bowls of meat porridge placed next to the sand table and steamed buns in their hands.
"Are you used to eating this?"
Shen Changgong asked Fairy Meiyan beside him.
Fairy Meiyan was wearing guard armor but no helmet and was sitting next to him.
"What's there to be unaccustomed to? Do you think I'm some spoiled girl? When I was learning martial arts, I suffered all kinds of hardships."
"Oh? You've also learned dancing?"
"Of course, how could I not know martial arts?"
"Alright, dance for me someday."
Fairy Meiyan was stunned when she heard this.
Then he glared at him fiercely.
"I've really broadened my horizons this time. I've learned that this is how wars are fought. The commander sits in the central tent, constantly adjusting the troops to fight according to the battle situation. Although he can't see the battlefield, he can control everything."
Hearing this, Shen Changgong smiled and said,
"To be able to plan and win battles from afar is the highest quality of a commander.
What do you think a battlefield looks like?"
"Why should I tell you? So you'll laugh at me if I tell you?"
"Just say it, we're all family, so what's wrong with a few jokes?"
Fairy Meiyan thought for a moment and said,
"I thought a battle between two armies was just a battlefield, with the generals of both sides leading their soldiers and charging forward, hacking at each other until one side could no longer fight and then ran away, while the other side proudly shouted victory..."
"That's called a gang fight, not a legion battle."
Shen Changgong could hardly suppress his smile.
"But come to think of it, isn't that how you gangs fight? It's like two gangs hacking at each other, each fighting their own way, and then after killing the opponent, they go to help the others.
But legion battles are different. On a battlefield involving tens or hundreds of thousands of people, any detail can determine success or failure.
Only the outstanding generals recorded in history books have left their names in history books. No one will record how high the martial arts skills of anyone in the world are.
This king knows that many people in the martial arts world either disdain the battlefield of the officers and soldiers, or are fascinated by it, fantasizing about how brave and invincible they would be on the battlefield, fighting from beginning to end and making immortal military achievements.
But in reality, that is all just an illusion. The enemy is not a weakling, they will also kill you.
The mountains of corpses and seas of blood, the severed limbs and arms, the bloodthirsty eyes of the enemies, filled with deep hatred, seeing these, if you can't be frightened to the point of weakness, you are a hero, and if you can pick up a weapon and fight back, you are a hero.
"Don't underestimate us Jianghu people. We also have our own battlefields."
"Ah, yes, yes, you guys are amazing too."
Shen Changgong sighed deeply and said,
"A lone smoke rises straight from the vast desert, the sun sets round over the long river. I met a scout at Xiaoguan, and he announced that the Protector General was at Yanran.
The long road to the pass is as hard as iron. Many people imagine the desolate beauty of the battlefield, reciting poems and composing couplets to praise these scenes.
But no one wants to fight. Everyone who has been to the battlefield has a natural aversion to killing, especially many veterans, who have often woken up in the middle of the night, thinking they are still on the battlefield.
"That makes sense. Many people have no idea what a battlefield is like. When I return this time, I'm going to have to explain the cruelty of the battlefield to everyone in the martial arts world."
Fairy Meiyan said this, smiled and asked,
"Why are you so good at fighting?"
"How can I fight a war? Didn't you see that most of the tactical commands were done by the Southern King?
I am not as good as the Southern King in this kind of meticulous control over the battlefield.
I am better at deploying and planning grand strategies, as well as charging into battle.
When it comes to local control, the Southern King is still better."
The Southern King snorted coldly.
"You're just trying to find ways to brag about yourself, aren't you? You're a loyal minister, and I'm just a warrior who knows how to fight."
"Hahahaha, Brother Nan Wang, don't be discouraged. It's really rare to find a man as talented as me in both civil and military affairs."
On the battlefield, soldiers from both armies were eating, the desert was littered with corpses and wounded, groans and wails could be heard continuously, and the camps bombarded by artillery fire were set on fire, which truly vividly interpreted the phrase "a lone smoke rises in the desert".
After the soldiers finished their meal, they looked at each other and started cursing at each other.