Chapter 836: The Turning Point of the Battle

The cruelty of this battle exceeded everyone's expectations.

Wasn't it said that the Andong people and the Heishuicheng army were both average in combat strength, and this battle was just two weaklings pecking at each other?

Why did it feel like flesh and blood were flying, and everyone was fighting to the death?

However, the losses among the ragtag army were very small; only one person from the Baling team was injured, and that was because he was careless and wounded by a stray arrow; the Tiangong and Jianyang Sect teams were both completely unscathed.

Those sent to the Panlong Desert to hunt for treasure were all elites among elites. Fighting for Heishuicheng this time, they wouldn't exert their full strength, so of course, they would slack off if they could.

At this moment, a cannon sounded from the flank, and over three hundred more enemy troops rushed out! Liao Shan was uneasy and had sent out his reserve of three hundred men.

At this, the pressure on the Nanmen army suddenly increased.

By count, the Heishuicheng army hadn't gained any advantage on any of the three battlefields.

Liao Shan had already seen through He Chunhua's trick; since the Heishuicheng army had come out in full force, there was no need to go back.

Zhang Lianhai's attendant squeezed to his side and hissed: "My lord, the Baling people are preparing to slip away!"

"How do you know?" Zhang Lianhai controlled the lamp spirit, knocking away a stray arrow. Battlefield weapons had no eyes, and even he had to be extremely careful. Once the battle situation reversed, they would inevitably have to withdraw as soon as possible.

"They keep moving north!" The attendant gestured with his chin toward the north. "Look, they are almost at the edge of the battlefield!"

Their goal was the Panlong ruins in the desert; why would they risk their lives here helping the Heishuicheng people?

If the Baling people were leaving, why should their side stay here and be the fools?

Zhang Lianhai decisively said: "We're heading north too!"

Heading north might provide an opportunity to escape the battlefield.

The Tiangong group was just about to move when the eastern sky was illuminated by several bouquets of fireworks.

With a few "whoosh" sounds, red, blue, yellow, and green appeared.

Those were real fireworks, the kind Heishuicheng people asked craftsmen to make for every wedding or funeral; exploding in the sky at this time, they were particularly festive and eye-catching.

Most importantly, the location where they exploded—

Was right at the foot of Mount Hulu, the Andong people's logistics camp!

The Andong army was startled, and their formation fell into chaos:

Had their home been raided?

The main general immediately sent hundreds of men back to reinforce. But He Chunhua's subordinates were no pushovers; seeing this, they roared: "The Andong main camp is lost! Attack! Advance!"

Countless people shouted together.

The number of Heishuicheng troops was less than their opponents, and they had originally been at a disadvantage, being pressed back step by step. Suddenly encountering such a reversal, the Heishuicheng army was invigorated, while the Andong people were shocked; morale rose and fell, and even their Yuan power showed a difference in strength.

Just as the situation reversed, another team rushed out from the Dongmen of Heishuicheng, clad in sturdy armor and sharp weapons, their horses and men invigorated, charging straight at the enemy troops.

This team held high a banner with the character "He," and it was He Chunhua himself leading the battle!

With the commander-in-chief present, the Heishuicheng army was even more invigorated, pushing the battle line to the east in one go.

At this time, no one noticed that the "He" banner fluttering in the wind was actually a bit old.

This was an old item He Chunhua had ordered people to find in the Heishuicheng warehouse; the last time it was used was nearly ten years ago.

He Lingchuan and the others crawled out of the secret passage, bypassed the Andong encirclement, and headed toward Mount Hulu in the dark.

Thanks to his intimate knowledge of the surrounding terrain, he wouldn't have gone wrong even with his eyes closed, which allowed him to lead everyone through twists and turns to sneak into the enemy's rear camp.

At this time, the Andong camp was still brightly lit, with people coming and going.

He Lingchuan and the others lay in ambush in the wilderness.

They lay there for three hours.

During this time, they had to avoid sentry patrols, couldn't run around, couldn't make a sound, couldn't urinate randomly, and couldn't even fart against the wind.

He Lingchuan observed the two groups of people beside him; the Rongshan people led by Qiu Hu were as quiet as stones, and other than occasionally moving their hands and feet or shifting positions with He Lingchuan, they made no extra movements.

The Yuan army elites had many small bad habits. One soldier didn't even set his long spear down steadily, almost letting it roll down the hillside and hit a rock.

And in the eyes of Qiu Hu and the others, He Lingchuan's performance was even more natural; staying in the damp, snake-and-ant-infested mountains, he seemed as comfortable as if he were sitting in his own bedroom.

But every time he led everyone to change locations, it was very precise and safe.

This "Young Master He" had plenty of composure and patience.

Just as everyone was waiting until they were yawning, the war drums sounded in the east, and the Andong camp was in a flurry.

Heishuicheng's counterattack had finally begun.

He Lingchuan waited for the Andong troops to go out in batches, the last batch being over a thousand people.

Only three hundred and forty people remained in the camp.

Qiu Hu asked him: "Take it?"

Raiding an enemy's logistics camp didn't necessarily require an overwhelming numerical advantage.

He Lingchuan had just returned from the front of the mountain, avoiding sentries all the way. The Andong people's choice to camp at Mount Hulu was a correct one; climbing halfway up the mountain allowed them to overlook the battle situation at the East and South Gates of Heishuicheng.

Now, it was equally convenient for He Lingchuan to observe the battle situation.

"No rush. I see that the foreign reinforcements like the Tiangong and the Jianyang Sect are fighting well, and the camp guards can't suppress them."

The task He Chunhua gave him was to raid the Andong rear camp; as for how to sneak in and how to time it, He Lingchuan had to make his own decisions.

As if to confirm his words, not long after, the three hundred Andong people left in the camp were also called out.

Now, the empty main camp had less than fifty people left, looking like fat sheep in the eyes of He Lingchuan and the others.

Only then did He Lingchuan wave his hand: "Charge!"

He loved fighting many with few, bullying the weak with the strong! First, several camp soldiers holding spears were pierced through the throat by arrows, and then seventy people leaped down from the hillside, focusing on a fierce tiger descending the mountain to gain the upper hand; seventy people had to charge out with the momentum of two hundred.

The opponent intercepted urgently, but He Lingchuan and Qiu Hu charged at the front, their blades falling, knocking down four or five in the blink of an eye.

Qiu Hu even grabbed an Andong soldier by the collar, threw him two zhang away, "bang" hitting a big tree, then reached out to grab the arrow that was sneaking an attack on him, and stabbed it directly into the chest of another Andong person rushing up.

That unlucky guy slid out headfirst, and by the time his feet touched the ground, he was already dead.

Not to mention the enemy, even the Heishuicheng soldiers were terrified when they saw it.

He Lingchuan was more efficient than him in fighting the enemy, but far less fierce and brutal.

When Qiu Hu moved, he was like a fierce tiger wearing a human skin; no one dared to block him.

With their few sharp knives in front, the Andong people's interception team was immediately cut to pieces.

The rest took out the prepared oil, threw it on important tents and carriage supplies, and turned around to set a fire.

Before long, the camp was roaring with flames.

Only then did He Lingchuan fire several fireworks into the sky, exploding in a full bloom.

It was unknown who found several large copper gongs and started beating them, the sound carrying very far in the night.

With the main camp raided, the panicked Andong people found that they were instantly surrounded on the southeast and west sides.

It seemed like there were enemies in all directions, and the shouts of battle shook the sky.

This team was not a battle-hardened force and couldn't avoid collapsing when in chaos. He Chunhua seized the opportunity and directed the Heishuicheng army to cut through several times, tearing the Andong army's formation to shreds.

The battle instantly crossed the turning point.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 837 =====