Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors-Chapter 502 - 266: Stand Firm_4

However, the vanguard of the Jin forces was struck head-on by a 20,000-strong loyalist army of the Qi Dynasty!

Though these loyalists had been stationed for only a short time, unable to dig trenches, build ramparts, or construct many defensive fortifications, they used only portable anti-cavalry obstacles, felled trees, and hastily dug trenches to repel the first wave of the Jin vanguard’s assault!

During this process, the Jin forces were shocked to discover that these loyalist soldiers seemed different somehow!

Originally, as soon as these loyalists engaged in battle, they would instantly disintegrate, but now they fought fiercely, refusing to retreat even in the face of death.

The Jins had thought it was just their bad luck to encounter an elite unit, so they had strictly ordered their soldiers to fight hard, thinking that over time the Qi Army would naturally collapse in morale. But unexpectedly, after fighting for over half an hour, although the loyalist army was shaking and appeared on the verge of collapse several times, the commanding general led from the front, fighting fiercely, saving the crumbling morale several times!

Then, two nearby loyalist forces rapidly arrived to reinforce.

While these two loyalist forces did not have large numbers, only a few thousand each, their arrival on the battlefield at that moment worsened the Jin’s situation, forcing them to abandon this approach.

Considering that the Qi Army continuously held advantageous terrain, Wanyan Sheng decided to switch to another direction to break through.

This time they had bad luck in encountering a strong loyalist force, but surely not every loyalist unit could be this strong.

Although the Jin had over a hundred thousand soldiers, the army indeed carried a large amount of baggage—precious goods plundered from the Qi Dynasty. Not to mention the women and slaves captured from Qi.

Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, the Jins preferred to take the more accessible main roads; otherwise, their march would inevitably slow down, possibly resulting in the loss of supplies and treasures.

There were only a few main roads near Moutuo Ridge, and by this time, each was already occupied by the loyalists who held the advantageous terrain.

As soon as the Jin’s main force made a move, the Western Army began their encircling pursuit. Wanyan Sheng had to use a large number of elites to resist the Western Army and cover the main force’s retreat, so he was unable to concentrate on a powerful attack on the obstructions made by the loyalist army.

Moreover, the fact that loyalist armies no longer sat idly by, but started to rescue each other, made the Jin’s breakout increasingly difficult.

After two unsuccessful breakout attempts in different directions, the Jin soldiers were exhausted, and considering the Western Army had not yet gone all out, Wanyan Sheng did not dare to be careless, and could only order the army to withdraw back into the camp at Moutuo Ridge.

There was an unexpected turn during the first breakout attempt, but no matter, they could choose an appropriate time for another attempt later on. After all, the Jin were bound to leave eventually, while these loyalist forces of the Qi Dynasty could not possibly maintain the high spirits they showed that day indefinitely.

However, what Wanyan Sheng did not expect was that each subsequent breakout attempt by the Jin would be less successful than the last!

In fact, during the first attempt, there was still some hesitation among the loyalist forces, and the rescues between them were not particularly timely. Even some loyalist units were unprepared psychologically and were just lucky not to become the main focus of the Jin’s attack.

It was purely the bravery of the Qi soldiers, inspired by Liu Fa and the Emperor during the skirmish, that barely held the line.

But after successfully holding off the first attack, the confidence of all the loyalist forces greatly increased!

They were shocked to find that they could indeed surround and contain the Jin forces!

Once General Liu Fa’s exciting blueprint seemed possible, these soldiers were instantly invigorated.

They saw the possibility of victory!

For an enemy that normally couldn’t be defeated, the first reaction of a normal person would be to run. But if they see that this enemy is bleeding, appearing vulnerable to a fatal blow, then their reaction is no longer to flee but to kill him at all costs!

Of course, the entire defense line wasn’t without flaws, but Emperor Taizu of Sheng was strategizing from behind the scenes, having sealed those gaps as effectively as possible.

At that moment, the Jins were relying solely on their bold courage, with no real tactics, and their intentions were transparently obvious, hardly requiring careful planning.

As long as the morale of the loyalist forces could be rallied, and they could be inspired to fight to the death, then the whole strategy was already halfway to success.

...

Outside the capital city.

Many civilians, either pushing wheelbarrows or driving ox carts, were heading to the Qi Army’s camps.

These were civilians spontaneously coming to transport food supplies.

Moreover, the garrison forces inside the capital city had also been reorganized and sent to support the various loyalist forces, replenishing their personnel losses.

And further away, such as in the south, even more loyalist forces were on their way.

Because the Emperor had declared to the world that the Jin were surrounded!

For the military and civilians of the Qi Dynasty, this was nothing short of exhilarating news.

The Jin’s two invasions from the north, marked by wanton killing, looting, and plundering, had long made the lives of the people in the Northern Land miserably unbearable, setting deep-seated enmity with the Jin. And the civilians within the capital city had suffered greatly from the Jin as well.

Now, the opportunity to encircle and annihilate the enemy they loathed arose, and how could they let it slip by?

The civilians were eagerly providing food and drink, thinking up all sorts of ways to support the frontline troops.

In the past, the Qi Dynasty’s army had never enjoyed such treatment.

An army that crumbled at the first sign of battle and only knew how to draw rations without fighting, why would they deserve the civilians’ support?

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