Chapter 90: Battle of Luancheng (2)

Under the night sky, by the banks of the Xiao River, the heavy stillness of the Liao camp stretching over a dozen li was utterly shattered, filled with blazing cries of slaughter and dazzling firelight that stretched on without end.

Viewed from a panoramic perspective, the entire Liao camp was like a long black serpent, severed at its waist, with the section from there south to north gradually being lit up and stirred into motion, transforming into a "candle" dragon.

Only deep within the enemy formation could one appreciate the sheer scale of a camp of over a hundred thousand troops. Charging northward for five or six li in one breath, as far as the eye could see, there were still endless camps ahead. The Liao army's fortifications were crude and loose, but with sheer numbers piled up, they remained dense and crowded.

Fortunately, the county town of Luancheng by the Xiao River was clearly growing closer. The Longqi Army's cavalry ultimately lacked sufficient numbers to achieve the goal of piercing through the enemy camp. After this wave of assault, the cavalry's impact had diminished, and Liu Chengyou decisively halted to regroup his formation. To the north, many Khitan had already reacted—evident from the organized Khitan soldiers beginning to offer resistance.

Liu Chengyou remained surrounded by his protective troops, breathing somewhat heavily. Fierce flames rose all around, and the rising temperature made a thin layer of sweat break out on his forehead.

Gazing at his surroundings—crowds of bobbing heads, enemy soldiers running about shouting—this scene of chaos brought Liu Chengyou a measure of satisfaction. In this charge, they had thrown over twenty camps into disorder; as for how many they had killed, it was truly impossible to count, and there was some sense of exhilaration. The enemy camp was finally in chaos, his confidence multiplied—but this was not enough!

"Your Highness, we've charged too fast!" Xiang Xun was equally excited but maintained his composure, continuing to offer Liu Chengyou advice as he pointed to the northeast: "That area is a 'Jin camp.' We can send a detachment there to incite the surrendered troops to rise up! Your Highness can personally lead the rest to strike back, rendezvous with the infantry, then gather our strength to assault the 'Yan camp.' If the Han completely descend into chaos, the Khitan army is sure to be defeated!"

"Luo Yangui, take your men and charge straight for the northeast 'Jin camp'!" Without a moment's hesitation, Liu Chengyou nearly shouted as he summoned Luo Yangui to his side and gave the order.

"As commanded!" Luo Yangui wasted no words either. Accepting the order, he immediately led his command of over five hundred riders galloping away. Luo Yangui was himself a former surrendered soldier, so with his status, the chances of successfully inciting them were high.

Liu Chengyou, for his part, swiftly led the remaining men in a "U"-shaped turn, reversing direction to attack southward, preparing to plow through the middle section of the Liao camp.

The central army's imperial camp was on the southeastern edge of Luancheng, where Yelu Ruan personally held command. He had been sleeping deeply and was woken by someone. At first he paid it no mind, assuming it was just those local "bandits" causing trouble again—such incidents were not their first on this journey, and he had even personally led troops to suppress a fairly large band of rebels.

But when he stepped out of his tent and climbed the camp's watchtower, looking south, his expression visibly turned grave. Sudden crises always sharpened the mind; his original drowsiness completely faded.

The camps to the south were already filled with smoke and fire everywhere, continuously spreading northward. Almost right before Yelu Ruan's eyes, the flames grew into a towering blaze. Though alarmed, it had not yet reached the point of panic—his mental fortitude was quite good. What truly infuriated him was the chaos on the central army's side.

Amid the clamor and noise, among the shifting shadows of people, Khitan soldiers could be seen running about like headless flies, utterly disordered. The situation in the south had not yet fully spread northward, yet here they were already showing signs of falling into disarray—hardly resembling elite Khitan troops at all.

In truth, the entire Khitan army's journey north had been far from stable. Add to that the Liao emperor's sudden death and the internal strife of the past two days—everyone from top to bottom was under immense pressure. The slightest disturbance set it all off, let alone a night raid.

"Pass orders to all commanders: immediately suppress any disorder in the camps, hold the central army steady. Anyone who dares to act up or disturb morale—kill them!" Yelu Ruan set aside everything else and first issued a stern command, seeking to stabilize the imperial camp.

Orderlies immediately acknowledged and departed.

"Where did the enemy come from, and how many are there? To raise such a commotion, their numbers must be considerable!" Only then did Yelu Ruan turn to the Khitan general who had come to report.

Asked this, the general answered crisply with three words: "I don't know."

"Useless! The enemy has already stepped on our faces, and you don't even know who they are?" Yelu Ruan flew into a rage for the first time.

Seeing the Prince of Yongkang angered, the general lowered his head.

"Immediately send orders to the commanders of the other camps—each officer is to organize his men on the spot, hold the fortifications, and resist the enemy!" With no time to dwell on it, Yelu Ruan took a deep breath and issued further orders.

"Great King, are you alright!" Yelu Anbo arrived with his men, finding Yelu Ruan with a face full of worry. Seeing him unharmed, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Yelu Ruan shook his head, brows furrowed, still lost in thought: "The enemy's numbers must be small. To dare charge our army like this, with such fighting capability, they are certainly no ordinary bandits—they must be elite Jin soldiers!"

"The Hedong army!" At this, both men exclaimed simultaneously: "It's that Longqi Army!"

"Didn't they withdraw? How could they attack so stealthily?" Yelu Anbo could hardly contain his shock.

"No time to ponder that now!" said Yelu Ruan.

Yelu Anbo: "Great King, we must stabilize the army's morale as quickly as possible. The enemy's charge is not what's frightening—what's frightening is us falling into disorder ourselves. If it causes a camp stampede, the entire army will be finished!"

His words gave Yelu Ruan a thought: "If the enemy launched a surprise attack seeking a single decisive blow, they should have struck directly at the central imperial camp. Why would they choose the southern camps?"

"They must not have been able to locate the central army's position!"

"No!" A flash of alarm crossed Yelu Ruan's face, and then he glared at Yelu Anbo, commanding sternly: "Personally arrange men to pass orders to all the generals—have them keep watch over the Jin and Yan people, especially Yelu Jieli; tell him to be careful of the Yan army! And those Han laborers and able-bodied men—if any of them dare to make a move, kill them outright!"

"Yes!"

In his pupils flickered the flames rising ever higher in the south. Yelu Ruan's expression was terrifyingly dark, his fingernails nearly digging into his flesh. He knew that the surrendered Jin soldiers had long harbored treacherous intentions, that the Yan army was unstable from suspicion and oppression, and the Han commoners forcibly taken as slaves in the camps needed no mention at all. If these people seized the opportunity to stir up trouble in coordination with the "enemy," the consequences would be simply unimaginable.

While Yelu Ruan frantically issued orders and actively responded to the crisis, Liu Chengyou led his troops in the south, having already thoroughly built up the "momentum."

The camp stampede materialized very smoothly and was completely uncontrollable. Fear, panic, and rage spread like plague, with masses of mutinous soldiers colliding in all directions, cutting each other down, and trampling one another.

Only in the north, near the central imperial camp, had Yelu Ruan's timely and forceful measures barely managed to hold things steady. But this was built upon a foundation of extensive internal suppression and slaughter. Every Khitan's nerves were stretched to the breaking point, just one "touch" away from snapping entirely.

The Khitan cavalry also lost its combat effectiveness in this process. Two horse camps scattered outright, warhorses fleeing in every direction, charging about wildly. When men were in chaos, how could beasts be any different?

Chaos—utter chaos!