si-mexico Chapter 2242 Feng Mulan's Determination!
Chapter 2242 Feng Mulan's Determination!
The Canglang cavalry no longer easily approached the killing range of the spears, but instead used their precise mounted archery skills to continuously hurl arrows into the Chu army formation.
At the same time, small elite units were dispatched to continuously probe and attack different points of the circular formation.
The strategy is to strike and retreat immediately, without prolonging the battle, aiming to exhaust the defenders' strength and arrows, and to create continuous pressure.
This tactical shift immediately put Xue Dingshan's troops in a more passive and dangerous situation.
They can withstand a frontal assault, but they struggle to effectively counter the relentless barrage of arrows coming from all directions.
A shield can protect the front, but it cannot completely cover the top of the head and the sides and back.
Soldiers kept falling from arrows, and gaps began to appear in the circular formation, which were quickly filled by reserves, but the manpower was decreasing at a visible rate.
The archers' arrows were being depleted rapidly, and their counterattacks were becoming increasingly weak.
The sky was quietly changing amidst this cruel consumption and torment.
On the distant eastern horizon, the deep indigo began to fade, revealing a faint hint of pale white, which then tinged with a light bluish-gray.
The darkness was no longer complete; the outlines of objects gradually emerged from the chaos. The long night was coming to an end, and dawn was approaching.
However, this gradually approaching light did not bring hope to Xue Dingshan's struggling troops; instead, it made their situation even more precarious.
As the light intensifies, the arrows of the Azure Wolf Cavalry become more accurate, and every weakness and gap in the Chu army's formation will be exposed in the morning light.
After nearly an hour of fierce resistance, their numbers had dwindled to less than a thousand, and everyone was wounded, exhausted, and had almost run out of arrows.
The circular formation appeared even more frail and lonely in the dim morning light.
Xue Dingshan stood at the front of the formation, holding a halberd. Several arrows were stuck in his armor, and blood flowed down the armor plates.
He looked around at his increasingly sparse comrades, and then glanced in the direction his father had left, where the distant mountain outlines were already blurred against the gradually brightening sky.
He gripped the halberd tightly, knowing that the cruelest moment was about to arrive with the dawn.
In the brutal war of attrition, the sky slowly transitioned from the deepest inky black to a somber leaden gray, and finally, a sliver of blood-tinged pale light appeared on the eastern horizon.
The long night is coming to an end, but the dawn brings not hope, but a clearer sense of despair.
The two thousand soldiers under Xue Dingshan's command, who had once blocked the cavalry tide like reefs, had been reduced to less than a thousand after nearly two hours of hellish blocking and harassment.
The circular formation was thinner and more dilapidated than before dawn, like a fence repeatedly broken by a storm.
Everywhere there are gaps, everywhere there are weary, wounded figures who still grip their weapons tightly and lean on each other.
The battlefield was littered with the remains of fallen soldiers from both sides, broken arrows, shattered shields, and stray warhorses mingled in the mud and blood.
The air was thick with an overwhelming stench of blood and death.
Arrows were long gone, spears were mostly broken, and many soldiers could only fight with their dulled swords or even stones they had picked up.
Xue Dingshan himself was also wounded in several places. His helmet was missing at some point, his hair was disheveled, and his face was covered with blood and mud.
Only one pair of eyes still burned with an inextinguishable flame, fixedly staring at the Azure Wolf Riders who lurked around the perimeter like a pack of wolves, ready to launch a final, fatal attack at any moment.
This extremely tragic scene was witnessed by Feng Mulan, who was anxiously watching every subtle change in the battle from the top of Jianghuai City.
As the morning light grew brighter and her vision became clearer, the pain and anger in her heart intensified.
She could see Xue Dingshan's tattered yet unyielding banner, and the Chu soldiers falling one after another on the battlefield.
Furthermore, one can see the composure and malice of the Wolf Riders as they gradually tighten the encirclement, like a cat playing with a mouse.
"General Xue and the others... are about to collapse."
Beside him, a general whispered in a hoarse voice, filled with reluctance.
Feng Mulan bit her lower lip so hard it almost bled.
How could she not know?
She saw it more clearly than anyone else!
Xue Huaide and his son, one risked great danger to rush to the aid of His Majesty and was surrounded, while the other covered his father's retreat, almost using his own flesh and blood to buy time!
These two thousand soldiers were all loyal guardians of the Great Chu.
They should have been safely guarding the city walls, but because of Her Majesty's safety and her decisions, they have fallen into this desperate situation!
Reason screams: We cannot send troops! Gongsun Yi's main force is poised to strike; city defense is of paramount importance!
The sacrifice of Xue Dingshan's troops may buy precious time for Xue Huaide and His Majesty; this is the cruel price of war!
Leaving the city at this moment would likely play right into the enemy's hands, resulting in the needless loss of more troops and even endangering the city itself!
But emotions and conscience, like boiling lava, assaulted her defenses.
She could almost hear the cries of the dying soldiers and see Xue Dingshan's young and resolute eyes.
How could one stand idly by and watch these two thousand loyal and brave soldiers, especially key figures like the Xue family father and son, be devoured and crushed by the enemy army before one's very eyes?
She, Feng Mulan, couldn't do it!
This is not merely a military consideration, but also a matter of duty to one's comrades and a responsibility to one's loyal subjects for generals and rulers!
Her gaze swept across the outside of the city once more.
Gongsun Yi's Youzhou army and the Scorpion Clan camp seemed relatively calm, and the main force did not mobilize on a large scale to besiege Xue Dingshan.
As if waiting for something...
This thought set off alarm bells for her, but the precarious state of Xue Dingshan's forces overwhelmed everything else.
"We can't wait any longer!"
Feng Mulan suddenly looked up, the last trace of hesitation in her eyes replaced by a resolute determination to burn her bridges.
Her voice was firm and authoritative, carrying an unquestionable authority: "Issue my order! There are still 3,000 cavalry reserves in the city. Also, mobilize the First, Third, and Fifth Infantry Battalions, for a total of 20,000 troops, and assemble them immediately inside the West Gate!"
"I will personally lead the troops out of the city to escort Xue Dingshan's forces back to the city!"
"Your Majesty, please reconsider!"
Upon hearing this, all the surrounding generals paled in shock.
A seasoned and prudent lieutenant hurriedly advised, "The enemy forces outside the city are formidable, and Gongsun Yi is cunning and treacherous; there may be an ambush!"
"Your Majesty's safety rests on the shoulders of the entire city; how can you risk your life personally? The rescue can be entrusted to him..."
"No need for further words!"
Feng Mulan interrupted sharply; how could she not know the risks?
"Xue Dingshan's troops have fought so hard for Your Majesty and for the Jianghuai region. How can we abandon them? My mind is made up! General Liu!"
"Your subordinate is here!" Liu Shijie stepped forward.
"After I leave the city, you will temporarily take command of the city's defenses! Keep the four gates tightly closed and be on high alert. No one is allowed to open the city gates without my or His Majesty's explicit orders! You must defend the Jianghuai region!"
"Your subordinate obeys!"
Liu Shijie knew he couldn't change Feng Mulan's decision, so he could only clasp his hands in a heavy gesture.
Soon, the west gate opened again with a rumble, and the drawbridge was lowered.