Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors-Chapter 504 - 267: Three Days Without Removing Armor! (8300 words)

Chapter 504: Chapter 267: Three Days Without Removing Armor! (8300 words)

Looking down from high above, the entire area surrounding Moutuo Ridge had become the most brutal battlefield.

This region just outside the capital city of Qi wasn’t very large, yet it had gathered an army of nearly four to five hundred thousand troops.

The elite forces of both the Qi and Jin nations had all converged here!

To say that this battle would determine the fortunes of Qi and Jin for the next hundred years was by no means an exaggeration.

Among them, the Jin elite made up about one hundred and fifty thousand, with the remainder being from the Qi Army.

However, though the Qi Army had greater numbers, many of them were untrained palace guards, nowhere near the caliber of elite troops. Emperor Taizu of Sheng’s only real hope in a head-to-head confrontation with Jin were the forces of the Western Army he commanded.

And the Western Army could not afford to be divided.

Dividing forces was a grave taboo; once troops were scattered, it became all too easy for the enemy to defeat them in detail. Especially against such a determined Jin Army, taking this risk was out of the question.

Thus, in this battle, the greatest problem faced by the Qi Army was: How could they hold back the Jin soldiers?

These Jin people had already decided to abandon the plundered wealth and supplies and had chosen to fiercely attack a relatively weaker palace guard unit. Emperor Taizu and Liu Fa’s own Western Army could not sprout wings and fly over to hold them back instantly.

As for trailing and striking from behind, the extent of the success that might achieve was uncertain.

...

"General Wang! The Jin soldiers! The Jin soldiers are coming over!"

Upon hearing this news, Wang Jianxiong immediately got up; he hadn’t taken off his armor for several days.

In his command were the original eight thousand palace guards, plus another two thousand summoned from the Western Army.

All together, they numbered no more than ten thousand.

Wang Jianxiong had already led these men to support other friendly forces several times and had fought against Jin soldiers on a few occasions.

But this was the first time the Jin really took the initiative to attack this place.

Because the spot where Wang Jianxiong was stationed was an inconspicuous little mound with a narrow path beside it, much narrower than the main road.

While still passable for troops, the large quantity of baggage could not be transported quickly.

The location of the Qi capital was a vast plain, and though it relied on the Yellow River and was protected by a broad moat, there were no particularly dangerous terrains around it.

The reason the Jin had stationed themselves at Moutuo Ridge was simply that this small mound was considered a vantage point in the area, and it also had lush grass and water, suitable for feeding horses.

Apart from Moutuo Ridge, the largest mound nearby, there were over a hundred other mounds of varying sizes, with Wang Jianxiong on one of the less noticeable ones.

A high slope and a small path together made this a strategic location.

Wang Jianxiong quickly left the camp, mounted his horse, and looked down from above.

Then, he sharply inhaled.

So many Jin soldiers!

Although he had fought against Jin soldiers before, those were as a supporting force for allied troops. Moreover, the previous few assaults by the Jin had been towards the north, far from Wang Jianxiong’s position.

And most of the Jin soldiers around Wang Jianxiong had only been probing for weaknesses and had not genuinely amassed a large force of elite troops hell-bent on creating a breakthrough.

But now, countless Jin soldiers were sweeping over the hillside!

Innumerable, as far as the eye could see, almost everywhere one looked there were men, all fierce and terrifying, brandishing various weapons with murderous intent. Those at the forefront rode tall, sturdy horses and wore armor, clearly designating this as the main direction of attack.

Wang Jianxiong’s heart suddenly turned cold.

Is my luck really this rotten?

He had thought that the Jin would most likely continue to choose the northern main road as a breakthrough point, as it was the most spacious and could facilitate the transport of all the baggage.

But now it seemed that the northern approach was too strongly defended by the thirty thousand palace guards, and after the Jin had unsuccessfully tried to force it several times, they had shifted their direction of attack to avoid being flanked and fiercely assaulted by the Western Army, hoping to break out at the fastest speed!

His soldiers were already visibly trembling.

They had fought against the Jin soldiers before, but nothing like the situation before them.

It was clear to anyone that to stay here meant only a one-way path to death.

Yet just as someone considered suggesting a retreat, they saw Wang Jianxiong’s face turn iron blue as he unsheathed his sword.

"General Liu said, at all costs, hold for an hour!

"If we let the Jin escape and waste the efforts of all the soldiers over the past month, then we shall be the everlasting sinners, cursed for eternity in the annals of history!

"Any who dare to retreat will face military justice, with no mercy in execution!"

Observing Wang Jianxiong’s somewhat twisted face, the soldiers also understood that there would be no retreat from this battle.

To hold for an hour... freёwebnoѵel.com

No one knew if it was possible, even though they had set up some defensive works around the small mound and path, but the numbers of the Jin were just too overwhelming, and those leading the charge were all battle-hardened elites.

Now, all they could do was support each other with this belief and grit their teeth to hold on!

...

Meanwhile, Liu Fa was also riding his horse, closely following behind Fan Cun.

They were leading the elite forces of the Western Army in a fierce assault on the Jin soldiers stationed at Moutuo Ridge to cover the rear, hoping to break through the Jin ranks as much as possible!

Wanyan Sheng, of course, anticipated the Western Army’s pursuit and deliberately left behind elite troops to block them.

And the contest was merely a matter of time.

If the Jin broke through the encirclement first, they could retreat at leisure, and even if the Western Army continued their fierce chase and inflicted certain losses, it would be difficult to achieve any decisive outcome.

But if the Western Army managed to breach the Jin’s rearguard before the Jin could break out of the Qi encirclement... then the annihilation of this Jin force was just a matter of when.

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