Soon, the main force of the First Banner of the Suzaku Legion set up two lines of defense on the north and northwest of Jiulong Mountain. Their strength ranges from 30,000 to 40,000, so it would be unwise to launch an offensive rashly against Xie Bao's Xuanjia Army. Therefore, the commander of the First Banner decided to postpone the action and wait for the arrival of reinforcements.
Xie Bao, who was in the distance, saw this and knew that the Suzaku Army was feeling timid and did not dare to act rashly anymore. Instead, he stayed in place and waited for the follow-up troops to arrive before attacking again.
If it continues like this and the soldiers and horses of the second banner of the Suzaku Army arrive here, the opponent's strength will rise to about 70,000, and it will become even more difficult to deal with.
Therefore, remaining stalemate will only be detrimental to the Xuanjia Army.
Although Xie Bao is arrogant and domineering, after all, he is a battle-hardened general with extremely rich combat experience, so he will never make such a mistake and obediently follow the rhythm of the Suzaku Army.
On the contrary, he must take the initiative on the battlefield.
Not long after, the Xuanjia cavalry who had taken a break moved again. Xie Bao's cousin Cui Junchen led 15,000 cavalry to attack the northwest defense line of the first banner of the Suzaku Army. Xie Bao personally commanded 20,000 elite troops to attack the northern front. Line of defense.
The sound of hooves roared and the earth trembled.
The Xuanjia Army, whose combat power was no less than that of the Turks, began to fully attack the Suzaku Army.
Although the Suzaku Army, which was mainly composed of light infantry, had high morale and was well prepared, their system and equipment were still unable to effectively resist cavalry suppression. The unfavorable situation of the original Battle of Tongguan was repeated again in the Jiangnan battlefield.
Facing the wave after wave of cavalry charges, the first few infantry phalanxes collapsed one after another, and a large number of defeated soldiers retreated behind the second line of defense to continue resisting.
However, the second line of defense did not last long and could not escape the fate of being ruthlessly overwhelmed.
The battle only lasted less than two hours, and more than one-third of the 35,000 troops and horses of the First Banner were lost in battle. The general tried his best to maintain the condition of the troops, and before they completely collapsed, he issued the order for a full retreat. Order.
Xie Bao was unyielding when he gained the upper hand, and immediately called Cui Junchen to join forces with him, and continued to pursue the first banner of the Suzaku Legion. Using the mobility of the cavalry, he fought for more than 20 miles and killed more than 4,000 of the opponent's people.
Near Niulang Lake, the remnants of the First Banner encountered the Second Banner crossing the river. They finally breathed a sigh of relief and were not completely wiped out by Xie Bao. However, after the two banners' troops and horses joined forces, the situation did not get any better.
At this time, the sky was completely dark, and the armies of both sides were in formation by the Niulang Lake. Countless lamps and torches were spread out at a distance of one or two thousand steps. As far as the eye could see, the mountains and fields were all over the place, and you couldn't even see the edge.
Xie Bao waved his hammers and galloped back and forth in front of the formation, quite imposing. After the previous battle with the First Banner, he had completely let go of his worries at this time. He felt that the Suzaku Army was just mediocre and there was nothing to worry about.
He shouted at his men repeatedly, constantly encouraging and boosting their morale. The cavalry of the Xuanjia Legion raised their spears and sabers and responded loudly. Their fighting spirit soared into the sky, and they seemed to overwhelm the Suzaku Army on the opposite side.
Although the number of pure cavalry is nearly half that of pure infantry, their real combat effectiveness is much higher than that of their opponents.
This is also the origin of Xie Bao's confidence.
Cui Junchen rode his horse to the side and asked loudly: "Brother Bao, do you want to fight? The brothers are all anxious."
Xie Bao laughed when he heard this: "Hit! Beat them hard! Beat those weaklings to death, so that they know how powerful we are! Junchen, order all the troops to form a fish scale formation. You will be the vanguard and start the assault!"
"Yes!" Cui Junchen agreed excitedly, drew out his sword, ordered the teams to assemble, and galloped away.
In a moment, the Xuanjia rebels began to take full action. The soldiers and horses of each battalion were well-trained and well coordinated. In almost the blink of an eye, they formed a large fish-scale formation covering a wide area and steadily advanced towards the Suzaku Army on the opposite side.
Seeing the rebels moving, the Suzaku Army couldn't help but become nervous again. The soldiers of the First Banner and the Second Banner cooperated with each other to form twenty large square formations, which were deployed in three rows, alternating front and back, and covering in steps.
To be honest, their formation seemed to be well-organized and in line with the gist of the art of war. Basically, there were no faults or omissions to be found. However, everyone standing in the array knows very well that a well-arranged array does not mean it is indestructible.
Facing the fierce charge of thousands of armored cavalry, only the heavy infantry like the Zhenjiang Army could withstand it. The light infantry had no chance except to die in vain.
The oar shield of the Zhenjiang Army was made of solid wood as tall as a person. The outside of the shield was covered with iron sheets. After the pointed bottom was inserted into the ground, it looked like a rooted iron wall. With the densely packed iron spears, it was almost indestructible.
On the other hand, the Suzaku Legion's oar shields were just ordinary wooden boards, thin and brittle, and the number of spears used to resist cavalry charges was also pitiful.
This is only the first layer of protection, and the armor as the core of protection is even more different between the two sides. The Sixth Army, the Seventh Army, and the Eighth Army in Zhenjiang are heavily armed units that Li Jiangyao spent a lot of money to build. The soldiers have layers of iron armor, helmets and masks. When they are crowded together, they are like a pile of iron lumps. At that time, the Turkic cavalry tried their best but could not destroy the heavy infantry phalanx on the plains.
In comparison, the Suzaku Legion was almost completely defenseless. The vast majority of soldiers wear iron armor vests or light leather armor. Protective equipment such as neck shawls, shoulder shawls, arm guards, and skirts are completely out of the question. Many troops even wear bamboo helmets unique to the south. , wearing straw sandals or cloth shoes.
With this kind of defense level, it is no problem to fight against a dozen bandits and bandits, and it is also passable against ordinary rebel infantry. However, against Xie Bao's Xuanjia Legion, all that is left is to be beaten.
It's no wonder that the Xuanjia Legion was originally the leader among the main forces of the Holy Tang Dynasty. At its peak, they didn't even pay attention to the Qilin, Longdao, Lieblade and other legions. Although they rebelled in recent years, A lot of elite power has been lost, but the skeleton is still there and the combat power is still there. How could it be possible to take the second-rate army composed of ordinary soldiers in the eyes?
In the blink of an eye, more than 30,000 cavalry rolled in and launched a group charge towards the Suzaku Army under the vast darkness.
The fish scale formation faced the square formation, the iron cavalry faced the light infantry, and the deafening shouts of killing resounded by the Niulang Lake. Torches were flying, people were moving, arrows pierced the night sky, and swords and guns were as dense as a jungle.
The 70,000 soldiers of the Suzaku Legion risked their lives and relied on their own flesh and blood to resist the fierce attack of the Xuanjia rebels.
However, it is a pity that combat power cannot be fake at all, and war is the most objective and cruel game in the world. The Confederate light infantry, which was at an absolute disadvantage in terms of equipment system and training level, was like a rice field ravaged by a hurricane, falling down row after row, with flesh and blood flying everywhere.
Soon, the rebel cavalry, under the command of Xie Bao and Cui Junchen, successfully penetrated the two lines of defense of the Suzaku Army and were about to break out of the formation. Under the crisis, the Confederate Army concentrated its forces and fought tooth and nail to hold on to the last line of defense, trapping the rebels at the forefront of their position.
The Suzaku Army's desperate tactics finally worked.
Xie Bao and others rushed three times in a row, but still failed to defeat the four square formations with the second flag placed in the back row. More and more soldiers who had been scattered before gathered again, and the positions became denser and stronger. In the end, they were almost filling the gaps with their lives, making it difficult for the rebel cavalry to break through.
After all, the physical strength of soldiers and the endurance of war horses have their limits. After a long march and a whole day of fierce fighting, the Xuanjia Legion was at the end of its tether. If they continue to fight, they will also run the risk of being unable to hold on and on the verge of collapse.
In desperation, Xie Bao had no choice but to give up the tempting idea of defeating the Suzaku Legion's landing force in one fell swoop. With his side occupying the advantage on the battlefield, he calmly ceased fighting and retreated to a safe area to rest and recuperate.
The rebels' retreat also gave the Suzaku Legion a precious respite. In order to prevent the other side from catching their breath and charging forward again, the generals of the First and Second Banners discussed and unanimously decided to immediately lead their troops to leave the battlefield. Withdrew to the beachhead on the south bank of the river and relied on fortifications to compete with the enemy.
At dawn the next day, half of the soldiers of the Suzaku Legion were no longer visible on the banks of Niulang Lake. The vigorous landing raid was completely repulsed by the rebels' elite troops overnight, and they returned to almost the beginning. status at the time.
Ma Hongjie, who was on the north bank, couldn't help but be shocked when he received news of the battle ahead. Especially when he heard that nearly half of the first flag was destroyed and the casualties of the second flag exceeded 10,000 people. It became even more difficult to judge the strength of the rebels on the other side. Condition.
He even doubted for a time whether Ye Rongcheng's main force had arrived near Li County.
In this case, Ma Hongjie and his staff immediately fell into a dilemma: What to do next? Should the third and fourth flags follow suit and cross the river to join the two flags in front? Or should we quickly coordinate with the Yiling Navy and ask them to cover the troops crossing the river and withdraw to the north of the Yangtze River?
Two different opinions caused a huge quarrel in the headquarters of the Suzaku Legion.
Those who support allowing the main force to continue fighting across the river insist that the main force of the rebels must be firmly contained in the downstream area by the Xinjiang Army. It is impossible and not possible for Ye Rongcheng to have the courage to march westward and leave his hometown Hangzhou alone to stop him. Suzaku Army.
Those who suggested retreating were worried that Ye Rongcheng was deceiving. On the surface, he was hoarding heavy troops in Changzhou, Huzhou, and Suzhou to guard against Li Jiangyao, but in fact, he secretly sent elite troops here to defeat the Suzaku Army first and relieve the upper reaches. Threat, and then concentrate all efforts to resist the attack of the Zhenjiang Army.
Ma Hongjie was so confused by these two groups that he couldn't help but feel more and more irritable. He kicked out all his men and sat alone in the tent thinking for a long time.
In the end, with a conservative personality, he was still worried that his legion would suffer huge losses, and decided to temporarily order the first and second flags to retreat in order to preserve their strength.
