On the day when the Turks got into the ambush circle of the Zhenjiang Army, heavy rain poured down on the Weinan Plain.
It rained continuously for three days and three nights, and the Turkic soldiers and horses were surrounded for three days and three nights.
On the fourth day, the rain finally stopped, and Ronya and Helianxiong were together again.
Whether heading east or west, they failed to break through the blockade of the Suppressing Army.
The old marshal He Lianxiong was so angry that he cursed repeatedly and couldn't understand why the cavalry could not break through the infantry phalanx.
Ronya told him helplessly: Standing opposite was the heavy armored infantry corps that Li Jiangyao had spent a lot of effort and money to build specially. This powerful army made of gold has long surpassed the concept of traditional infantry. Wherever they are, there is a mobile fortress.
Cavalry can easily defeat infantry, but it can never defeat a fortress.
"In that case, what do you think we should do?" He Lianxiong asked depressedly.
Ronya looked at the exhausted Turkic warriors around him and gave his own advice: rest.
Have a good night's rest first and wait until you feel refreshed!
However, the Prince of the Temple wanted to rest, but Li Jiangyao refused.
Three days of heavy rain have caused the water level of the Wei River to rise rapidly, and the waves on the river are almost level with the embankment.
Li Jiangyao ordered the Second Army, which was best at civil engineering work, to send seven teams that night to dig embankments along the Weishui River. Overnight, the Weishui River was cut off, and the torrential floods rushed directly to the Turks' camps.
Although the flow of the Wei River was not as large as that of the Jinhe River, and the power of its flood discharge was not enough to drown people, the knee-deep yellow mud soup still made the Turkic army miserable.
Looking at the soldiers soaking in the water, Ronya felt like crying. The Prince of the Temple, who has been traversing the Western Continent for decades and has defeated invincible opponents in the world, has never been so useless as he is today.
At midnight, He Lianxiong and Duke Druhan waded through the water to find him, and asked him how he could sleep, crawling in the water to sleep? Ronia, filled with grief and anger, suddenly thought: Damn it, I won’t sleep anymore! Breakout!
He Lianxiong rolled his eyes at him helplessly: Your Highness, you speak lightly. A war horse can't run in water, so why should it charge?
Ronya couldn't help but be startled when she heard the words. Thinking about it, it was indeed true. She was completely confused just now and said such reckless words. He nodded awkwardly and thought for a long time but couldn't come up with an idea. He had to let the soldiers mount their horses and rest for the night. It was better than soaking in the water all the time.
In this way, the Turkic army suffered in the flood all night, and finally waited until dawn before the water gradually drained away along the trenches to the south. However, the ground became even muddier than before, and the horses' hooves slipped on it.
Ronya looked at it, and an ominous omen surged in her heart: How could Li Jiangyao miss this situation so easily?
He was right. Of course Li Jiangyao would not miss such a good opportunity.
War drums were beating, bugles were melodious, and the uniform steps shook the earth. The entire 400,000-strong Xinjiang Army was mobilized to encircle the Turks.
Seeing the powerful legions like mountains and seas constantly approaching towards them, the exhausted Turkic tribes quickly shrank, and finally they were all squeezed into a small area with a radius of five or six miles, barely forming more than a dozen cavalry formations of different sizes.
To be honest, the once arrogant Turks were really panicking now.
Xu Youchang rode in front of the formation and used his inner strength to spread his voice far away: "Where is the Prince of the Temple? The Chief Protector of the Zhenjiang Army wants you to come out and answer!"
Hearing this, Ronya couldn't help but hesitate for a moment, then said hello to He Lianxiong and others beside him, and rode out of the formation alone.
At the same time, Li Jiangyao also appeared in front of the two armies on horseback. He and Ronya walked towards each other, getting closer and closer, and finally met at the same place.
Facing her old rival, Ronya felt mixed feelings in her heart, including resentment and admiration. Maintaining the usual demeanor and pride of a Turkic soldier, he was the first to speak: "Protector Li, if you have anything to say, please speak up."
Li Jiangyuan sat on the horse, looked at the opponent calmly, and said loudly: "Your Highness, you lose."
"I'm afraid it's too early to tell whether we will win or lose." Ronya looked arrogant: "We, the Turkic cavalry, haven't fought with all our strength, so how can we claim defeat?"
Li Jiangyao smiled casually and said: "Your Highness is a famous general who has been on the battlefield for a long time. When the two armies confront each other, you know best in your heart how to win and how to defeat. The Turkic army suffered successive setbacks and was trapped in a small place by me. , too tired to be happy, and already defeated. Is there anything to argue about?"
Ronya looked up to the sky and laughed: "Everything you say before the victory or defeat is decided is false! Don't you know the truth about how to survive from a desperate situation and turn defeat into victory? What on earth do you want to say to me? Hurry up!"
Li Jiangyao said word by word: "I hope you can recognize the situation clearly and surrender."
"It's ridiculous!" Ronya waved his hand: "I have been on the battlefield for decades, and I have never considered such a thing! Turkic warriors will die without surrender!"
Li Jiangyao turned his head and looked at the battlefields in all directions, and said calmly: "I am giving you the last chance to survive. Ronya, you are not in the Western Continent, and this is not a glorious battle to defend the Turkic Empire. As an invader , knowing clearly that there is no hope of victory, but still asking his men to die in vain, is it necessary to be so stubborn?"
A few simple words directly hit Ronya's weakness. Li Jiangyao is right. The Turks traveled thousands of miles to conquer the Holy Tang Dynasty just to plunder land and wealth and enslave the people of the Eastern Continent. For this purpose, it would be fine if the war went smoothly, and they seemed invincible and mighty, but once they fell into despair with no chance of winning, it would be difficult for the soldiers to have the determination to fight to the death.
Although the loyalty to the Great Khan and the honor of the Turkic soldiers can also inspire the fighting spirit of many people, it is just self-deception and fanaticism, and it is difficult to achieve true momentum.
The Prince of the Temple was silent for a moment, then suddenly smiled bitterly and said coldly: "When things have come to this point, what else is there to say? Our hands are stained with the blood of Shengtang people, and the two sides have been bonded for generations. The hatred that cannot be resolved, how can you expect to continue living? Stop joking."
He raised his head and stared at Li Jiangyao with sharp eyes: "Dadu Protector, thank you for still thinking about letting the soldiers on both sides shed some blood at this time. However, I need your respect even more."
Of course Li Jiangyao knew what the other party meant by "respect", so he nodded gently: "In that case, I will meet His Highness's request. In a quarter of an hour, our army will launch a general attack. Please be prepared!" "
After that, he pulled the reins and ran towards the main formation without looking back.
Ronya looked at Li Jiangyao's back, and suddenly felt a little lost in her heart. She didn't know whether it was because she regretted refusing the opportunity to put down her arms, or because she felt confused about the next fate of the Turkic army.
-
The final decisive battle began with the earth-shattering sound of war drums.
The Zhenjiang Army brought in dozens of giant drums, and the sound of the drums sounded loudly, instantly spreading throughout the entire battlefield within a radius of fifteen miles.
Amidst the rumbling drums, 400,000 troops formed hundreds of square formations, advancing towards the core area from three directions: east, west, and south. The strong sense of oppression could not help but destroy the nerves of the Turkic cavalry.
Ronya knew very well that if he remained in this passive state, his troops would collapse first without the Zhenjiang Army charging. So, he passed the order, and the Turkic cavalry was divided into three directions, tit for tat, and took the lead in fighting.
However, the Turks did not expect that the first thing to greet them was not the rock-solid heavy armored infantry, but 600 giant ballistae that could be flexibly moved!
The giant crossbows equipped for the mixed infantry and cavalry corps launched a ruthless shooting at the surging cavalry. The loud sound of the bowstring machine was endless, and hundreds of "javelins" flew into the cavalry group in an instant.
A thousand steps away and three rounds of attacks, the Turks suffered heavy casualties.
Immediately afterwards, one hundred thousand heavy armored infantry formed "iron walls" to block the cavalry, and behind the iron walls were countless archers and crossbowmen.
Dense arrows flew into the sky, just like the heavy rain a few days ago, overwhelmingly covering the rapidly advancing Turkic cavalry.
For a moment, people were on their backs and their horses were on their backs, it was so miserable.
In comparison, the Turkic cavalry archers have better skills. Every arrow is shot at a tricky angle, fast and accurate. However, the arrows hit the thick iron armor and made a jingling noise, but it was difficult to cause much damage to the Zhenjiang Army.
The heavy infantry protected by three layers of iron armor not only didn't care about arrow attacks, but also had no fear at all from the Turkic cavalry rushing forward. They were holding huge shields and waving the long swords and axes in their hands like farmers harvesting rice and wheat, constantly cutting down the enemy troops in front of them.
After several rounds of death-like shocks, the Turks finally became honest.
Ronya commanded all the troops to huddle up again, switch from offense to defense, and began a defensive battle.
He believed that the effectiveness of his formation of war horses in resisting the impact would not be much worse than that of the heavy infantry of the Zhenjiang Army. But it is a pity that Li Jiangyao, the sixth man, has no intention of sending his men to charge.
The Zhenjiang Army is playing long-range strikes!
After the heavy infantry defense line advanced eight hundred steps, they firmly established their position on the spot. The mobile giant crossbows and archers were closely protected by the shield formation and fired wildly at the opposite side.
In the unobstructed plain wilderness, thousands of Turkic cavalry suddenly became living targets.
You want to rush, but you can't; you want to defend, but you can only get beaten on the spot. This situation could not help but make the Turkic generals feel deep despair.
"Oh, let me tell you, I should have brought the trebuchet before." Li Jiangyao looked at the enemy soldiers on the other side holding their heads and screaming, and couldn't help but muttered: "If we get a bunch of kerosene bombs now, How nice would it be to give him a solid blow?"
Xu Youchang couldn't help laughing: "You are too cruel. Isn't this enough? I think Ronya can hardly hold on anymore."
Li Jiangyao sneered: "Where are you? Since they only want to be heroic and unwilling to surrender, then satisfy them! Go and tell the troops that there are enough arrows, shoot them during the day, and continue at night!"
