Chapter 478: First Volume, Chapter 478: Fierce Onslaught

First Volume, Chapter 478: Fierce Onslaught

After one incense stick time, all key members of Beixi County arrived, learning that the Northern Di army was about to return with full force; everyone's expressions grew grim.

Although they had previously united to repel the Northern Di army, they had also witnessed the Northern Di's strength.

Everyone knew clearly that to defeat the Northern Di again, they must fight to the death—and fighting to the death meant casualties; not just among ordinary soldiers, but even those in this room might die on the battlefield.

After all, defending home and country was no empty phrase; everyone must be prepared to bleed and sacrifice.

After witnessing Qin Feng's military talent firsthand, Li Zhang had hidden his own prideful talents and asked humbly: "Brother Qin, I heard from Xu Mo that you've already sent word to the Border Army to hold the city at all costs. Logically, after their first crushing defeat, the Northern Di should be more cautious—could they really launch another siege?"

Qin Feng stood with his hands behind his back; though he appeared relaxed, his eyes were utterly resolute.

"The Northern Di have strong troops and abundant numbers; even after losing over half their forces, they remain an immense threat to Liang's Northern Border. Moreover, in the last battle, the Northern Di merely failed to take the city—their losses were still within acceptable limits."

"To crush the Northern Di militarily is pure fantasy; the only wise strategy is to delay, wait until their grain and forage run out, and starve them to death."

"The Northern Di know this perfectly well, so this battle's offensive will be their full strength—more furious than any previous one."

"They won't just attack the Border Army—they'll also strike at Piaoqi, Che Ji, and even Beixi County. Clearly, what we face next isn't a localized clash, but a full-scale war!"

Learning that this battle would determine the fate of both Liang and Northern Di, the atmosphere in the Yamen grew even heavier.

Since Liang's forces remained outnumbered, the most practical strategy remained the same: Defensive Counterattack—first hold the cities, ensure no major ZhuZhen falls, then gradually block the Northern Di advance.

The more the Northern Di pressured Liang to fight a decisive battle in the open, the less they must take the bait.

Just as Qin Feng and Li Zhang and others were urgently coordinating their pre-battle preparations, the Northern Di army had already marched southward, with the Bian Jun Zhong Zhen taking the first and fiercest blows.

But the battle didn't last long—only slightly more than an hour in total—its assault was swift and brief, primarily a probe.

After meeting fierce resistance from the Border Army, the Northern Di withdrew immediately, without forcing a full assault; they left behind ten thousand infantry and three thousand cavalry to garrison the Bian Jun Zhong Zhen, while the rest of their forces pressed forward without pause into Liang's interior.

Chen Si's strategic goal was crystal clear: no longer aiming to destroy Liang, but to plunder the grain of Liang's rear at all costs.

As the army advanced, it continually split off detachments, charging fiercely toward Liang's major ZhuZhen. As Chen Si predicted, whether the Piaoqi General or Beixi County, all retreated behind city walls, refusing to sortie.

In less than two days, the army had crossed the midpoint; the Chanshi region was now within reach.

As expected, the Che Ji Army guarding the Chanshi region immediately engaged, continuously blocking Chen Si's advance. Initially, based on his understanding of the Che Ji General, Chen Si expected him to conserve strength—afraid of losing influence in the Northern Border after the war—and would only make a token effort before retreating.

But the outcome was nothing like Chen Si had anticipated.

The Che Ji General had gone mad—his assault was ferocious and relentless, even reckless. In just two days, Chen Si's army suffered over ten thousand casualties; the Che Ji Army fared worse, losing a full twenty thousand men.

Yet even facing this one-to-two casualty ratio, the Che Ji General showed no intention of retreating.

At this rate, if the fighting continued, the Che Ji Army would be annihilated within three days.

Yet undeniably, the Che Ji General had successfully halted Chen Si's advance—entirely for two days, Chen Si's army could not move forward an inch; Chen Si was forced to temporarily camp at San Die Pass.

San Die Pass, nearly at the center of Liang's Northern Border, was named for the three low hills on its eastern side.

Besides the six thousand troops besieging the Border Army, Beixi, and Piaoqi, and the ten thousand vanguard constantly attacking the Che Ji General's DefensiveLine, Chen Si still had one hundred thousand troops at his side.

The total invasion force of seventeen thousand into Liang's Northern Border was the largest since the two kingdoms fell into hostility.

Yongshou County, less than thirty Li from San Die Pass, had become a hellish scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

The Che Ji Army, totaling fifty thousand troops, had one thousand fully occupied helping civilians harvest grain; the remaining forty thousand had lost over half in just two days.

Normally, even after ten or fifteen days of battle, losses would never be this severe.

This alone revealed the ferocity of the Northern Di army had surpassed Liang soldiers' comprehension.

The Che Ji General's remaining twenty thousand troops had collapsed in morale several times; earlier, he had used iron-fisted measures—sending Supervisors of the Army to execute deserters and forcibly stabilize military morale.

Later, casualties became so heavy that even the Che Ji General was powerless; he retreated two Li, seized Yongshou County, and used it as a base to continue blocking the Northern Di army.

The war raged without end; the brutal battle had lasted two days and two nights.

In Yongshou County Yamen, messengers ran nonstop.

"General, the Front Line is in dire straits—the Northern Di vanguard attacks fiercely; seven thousand infantry keep breaking through our lines, three thousand cavalry harass us constantly—we've suffered heavy losses. Since the seventeenth engagement, barely two hours have passed, and over two thousand soldiers have fallen!"

"General, the Deputy General on the right flank, leading three thousand cavalry, murdered the Supervisor of the Army and has defected."

"Grand General! Another five thousand Northern Di reinforcements are heading toward Yongshou County!"

Hearing one disaster after another, the Che Ji General's face turned ashen, his eyes blazing with boundless fury.

Excluding the ten thousand troops helping civilians harvest, his entire forty-thousand-strong force had been shattered by the Northern Di vanguard in three days—on the verge of collapse.

A disgrace beyond endurance!

Even forty thousand pigs, the Northern Di couldn't slaughter in three days.

The Che Ji General knew well that many reports were lies—but there was no time now to punish subordinate officers; holding the last defensive line was the top priority.

If Yongshou County fell, the Chanshi region would be fully exposed to the Northern Di army—then the consequences would be unimaginable.

"Qin Feng! You bastard, when the hell are you going to act!"

The Che Ji General's roar echoed throughout the Yongshou County Yamen.

It was precisely because he believed Qin Feng's lie of "full support" that he had unhesitatingly blocked the Northern Di advance.