Chapter 220: The Great War Begins

"Report—"

"Young Master, the Yanqi main force has set out!"

"Report—"

"The two-hundred-thousand-strong Yanqi army is divided into four divisions of fifty thousand each, advancing in a diamond formation!"

"Report—"

"General Qin, the enemy cavalry is only forty li away from Cheshi!"

On this day.

The sky was cloudless, a clear, washed-clean blue.

The Western Regions remained so scorching that one could barely find a place to set foot. Liu Zheng estimated the surface temperature was soaring toward sixty degrees... Who could have imagined that just last night, they were still sleeping under quilts?

To be honest.

The Yinzhou soldiers were not accustomed to this kind of weather.

The phenomenon of failing to acclimatize was still present in the army. This was unavoidable, but fortunately, before coming, Liu Zheng had prepared plenty of his homemade—Huo Xiang Zheng Qi Water!

That's right.

The existence that made those physicians exclaim in wonder.

Tangerine peel, magnolia bark, dahurian angelica, perilla leaf, agastache, atractylodes, poria, areca peel, and so on and so forth... Then, mixed with white liquor of over sixty-five degrees, and processed through various steps, it became the number one essential medicine for the Yinzhou army on the march: Agastache Qi-Rectifying Water!

This alleviated the lack of acclimatization and heatstroke symptoms for many people.

It's difficult!

Liu Zheng sighed.

Fighting a war is truly difficult!

He felt as if his knowledge base was about to be emptied.

"Report—the Yanqi army has assumed a siege formation!"

In the military tent, everyone's spirits lifted.

It had finally come.

This battle was, after all, unavoidable, so then let us fight!

Everyone walked up to the watchtower and could see the vast expanse in the distance, where heaven and earth were the same color; the Northern Western Regions army was connected into one piece, banners and gray clouds unfurling together, the horses appearing as if they were treading on the horizon.

Two hundred thousand troops.

Appearing on such a flat plain, it gave one a very shocking visual effect.

Just looking at it gave one a powerful sense of pressure in their heart.

"Boom!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

These soldiers of the Northern Western Regions displayed the characteristic of Western Regions people being able to sing and dance, singing and dancing all the way as they walked; although the formation was astonishing, it also gave one a feeling of being incongruous.

Liu Zheng laughed: "The momentum is still quite strong; it seems our Yinzhou army should also have a military song."

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Young Master, it's just that you let that Empress Dowager of Loulan act as cannon fodder..."

Qingyang Shuo couldn't help but laugh when he thought of it.

Liu Zheng frowned and said: "If you want to follow along to eat meat, how can there be no price to pay? Doesn't Mister think that by placing them at Sanlinpo, this Empty City Strategy looks even more convincing?"

"Hahahaha!"

"Report—"

"Eighty thousand of the enemy's main force are raiding Sanlinpo!"

Everyone was overjoyed.

"It's here!"

Reguli, leading a group of Loulan generals, was lying in ambush within the fortifications at Sanlinpo.

"Empress Dowager, why do we still have to fight?"

"Exactly, that Qiuci Army is very formidable!"

"But this Sanlinpo should be the safest place, hahahaha!"

Reguli, hearing this, felt frustrated by their lack of resolve and shouted angrily: "Safe my foot! Everyone pull yourselves together! Wasn't being slaughtered by that Qiuci Army last time enough? This time we must display the might of our Loulan, do you hear me?"

"Otherwise, how can I follow the Protector of the State to eat meat?"

Upon hearing this, the Loulan generals were all greatly invigorated.

"The Empress Dowager is right!"

"Do they really think our Loulan Army doesn't know how to fight?"

"Let that Qiuci Army come at me..."

"Oh my, they're actually coming!"

Everyone panicked.

Reguli also looked back, and her face turned pale instantly.

A vast expanse of fifty thousand Northern Western Regions cavalry, their horse hooves kicking up rolling dust; fifty thousand people—this was equivalent to a group army of later generations. Charging like this, it seemed as if the earth itself was shaking.

Why?

Why did these people attack Sanlinpo as soon as they started fighting?

This wasn't playing by the rules!

Reguli's eyes turned cold, and seeing the soldiers starting to panic again, she immediately encouraged them: "Hold the line for me, do you hear me, hold it! If you can't hold it, I'll have your heads!"

Everyone was startled.

The Loulan Army had originally lost ten thousand men while attacking Qiuci, leaving forty thousand remaining; this time, Liu Zheng had them defend Sanlinpo and also allocated ten thousand Langxian Soldiers and ten thousand Spearmen to them, all to help them counter the enemy's Cavalry.

Therefore.

The troop strength at Sanlinpo at this moment was also sixty thousand!

Sixty thousand against eighty thousand, slightly at a disadvantage.

Liu Zheng thought that with Loulan's combat effectiveness, they would be unable to hold out no matter what.

So he had not given Reguli any instructions, fearing she would feel he was using her as cannon fodder...

It was just to distract the enemy.

Who would have thought he had oversimplified the matter.

The two sides thus began the first battle at Sanlinpo. And under the leadership of Reguli, the Loulan Army this time displayed a courage that was truly admirable and surpassed all others.

How can I let Young Master Liu look down on us!

We are not here to freeload!

We Loulan are the number one great nation of the Southern Western Regions!

Reguli issued a military order on the spot: anyone who retreats without fighting shall be killed!

When the Yanqi Army launched its first wave of charges, they were met with the fierce resistance of the Loulan Army.

"Kill!"

"Raise the prestige of our Loulan Army!"

"Kill!"

"Kill these barbarians from the Northern Western Regions!"

For a time, the Loulan Army was no longer flashy; who isn't afraid of a unit fighting for their lives? Everyone realized that the Yanqi Army's first wave of attacks had not only been blocked by the Loulan Army, but the Loulan Army had actually killed their way several miles out against the Yanqi Cavalry!

"Pfft!"

Liu Zheng sprayed a mouthful of Agastache Qi-Rectifying liquid onto Qin Zhangfeng's face: "What did you say? Blocked them back?"

Qin Zhangfeng wiped his face and smiled bitterly: "Young Master, this Loulan Army is too fierce today; it's practically a death-defying style of fighting. Also, also that... that Empress Dowager of yours actually joined the battle herself."

Upon hearing this, the corners of everyone's mouths twitched.

These Loulan soldiers actually killed their way until the eighty-thousand-strong Yanqi Army fled back?

Jiang Xuan said anxiously: "Young Master, what should we do now!"

Before Liu Zheng could speak, Qingyang Shuo laughed: "It's a good thing. Originally, we hadn't counted this Loulan Army in. Now that the Loulan Army is showing its might, it will make the Yanqi Army feel even more that Sanlinpo is the focus of our defenses. Just as the Young Master predicted, Jiulong will definitely make Sanlinpo the first battle!"

"In this way, even more military force will be committed!"

Everyone was overjoyed to hear this.

Liu Zheng also smiled: "Regardless, Loulan is an allied force. Zhangfeng, when the situation becomes critical, take five thousand reinforcements into Sanlinpo and lead the Loulan Army in a retreat!"

"Yes!"

"What are you saying?"

Over here, Jiulong in the military tent also stood up abruptly, his eyes flashing with a murderous glint: "Defeated? An army of eighty thousand, and you can't even open a gap in a single Sanlinpo?"

"Great General, the Loulan Army's resistance is extremely stubborn!"

"We weren't exactly defeated, it's just that we couldn't take it after a long attack..."

Jiulong was so angry he slapped the table and rose: "If you can't take it in one wave, to me, that is a defeat!"

"A bunch of good-for-nothings!"

"Trash!"

He turned his head and glared coldly at the Qiuci Governor, shouting: "Aizezi, is this the invincible army of your Qiuci? Bullshit!"

Aizezi looked annoyed: "That Loulan was originally a defeated opponent of my Qiuci Army; who knew that today, today..."

At this time, the Jingjue Governor stood up and laughed: "Great General, the Jingjue warriors request to fight!"

At this, even Jiulong felt that this battle would not be so easy, and he nodded: "Jingjue will send twenty thousand troops to reinforce Sanlinpo!"

"The rest of you, do not stop the siege!"

"Yes!"

Sanlinpo was one battlefield.

The siege battle was still another battlefield.

With these hundreds of thousands of troops, multi-front operations unfolded on the very first day. Although the situation at Sanlinpo was not optimistic, the Yanqi Army's grand momentum was originally intended to retake Cheshi; who would give you a chance to catch your breath?

Attack!

And Cheshi here was to defend!

Defensive fortifications still played a decisive role at this time.

The Yinzhou Army itself, combined with the Loulan Army, did not have a large gap in numbers compared to the Yanqi Army. Defending a city was naturally simpler than attacking one.

For a time.

Arrows rained down, siege engines charged, and wolf-dung smoke rose everywhere.

Qin Zhangfeng, Jiang Xuan, Pei Qianyun, and other generals all began to fight.

At this moment, what made Liu Zheng quite surprised was that this Western Regions army was actually clever enough to use the strategy of burning large amounts of weeds at the corners of the city walls.

Which was simply a fire attack!

If this were in the Longyan Dynasty, it would be fine; one could just extinguish it with water.

But in the Western Regions, this would not do.

The Western Regions were already short on water, the weather was dry and parched, and the sun was so intense that one could imagine dry grass catching fire just by being left there. With these piles upon piles of massive fires, who could withstand it?

Smoke swirled, extremely pungent.

It also, to a great extent, increased the difficulty for the Yinzhou army to defend the city.

"Use sand!"

"Use sand to put out the fire!"

Liu Zheng immediately gave the order.

There was no water here, but there was plenty of sand!

However...

The things that followed still exceeded his imagination.

The sand.

Was actually ignited as well.

"What the—!"

Liu Zheng widened his eyes, staring blankly.

These people of the Western Regions were actually starting to splash some black oil onto the dry grass!

Petroleum!

Damn it!

Liu Zheng almost jumped up.

Quelehuoduo!

Oh my!

He had almost forgotten about this. This Western Region originally had large reserves of petroleum. In the later generation's "The Longest Day in Chang'an," that Quelehuoduo was precisely this petroleum. Regarding the records of petroleum, the "Book of Changes" already had it: "There is fire in the marsh." By the time of the Tang Dynasty, the army even used petroleum to make fire-thunder, using it when defending cities.

Although the refining of petroleum was not yet mature...

But, this was enough!

Billowing smoke rose, smelling extremely foul.

Some Yinzhou soldiers even felt uncomfortable, nauseous, and vomited from smelling the odor of this unrefined petroleum burning.

Toxins!

Liu Zheng frowned deeply.

It seemed he had still underestimated this Western Regions army.