Chapter 821

First Volume, Chapter 821: The Battle of Taishan

The news of the right flank's collapse reached Li Yuxiu quickly; he sat frozen, stunned, his shock swiftly turning to fear.

Even if the enemy had cavalry, how could they break through the right defensive line in such a short time, against a five-thousand-man formation of heavy infantry and bow infantry? This Relief Army for the King's combat effectiveness had utterly shattered Li Yuxiu's understanding.

And throughout Shedynasty, the only army possessing such combat effectiveness was the Northern Border Troops—troops who had fought the northern barbarians year after year and amassed tremendous real‑world battle experience!

"Qin Feng! It's Qin Feng!"

Li Yuxiu cried out, eyes wide: "This Relief Army for the King is sent by Qin Feng! Quickly, transmit my command—deploy the main force to hold them!"

Seeing their Main General so panicked, Ma Chu feared morale would collapse and quickly whispered: "General! Qin Feng is currently in Di Royal Capital, and not a single soldier from the Northern Border Troops has been moved—this Relief Army for the King cannot possibly be under Qin Feng's command!"

Ma Chu had served in the Northern Border and fought the Di; in his view, whether or not this Relief Army for the King was Qin Feng's, they must show not the slightest sign of panic.

This thirty-thousand-man army was cobbled together from various factions—though numerous and well-equipped, both morale and cohesion were barely adequate.

Just to assault Taishan and fight the five-thousand Imperial Guard this long, they had already lost nearly three thousand men!

Thirty thousand against five thousand—and their casualties were nearly equal! Without absolute numerical superiority, they would have collapsed long ago.

Now facing this Relief Army for the King, whose combat effectiveness is even greater, they must hold their ground—otherwise, once morale breaks, these thirty thousand will crumble in the blink of an eye, without the enemy even needing to strike.

Li Yuxiu was no fool—he held the rank of Colonel in East Camp and was a mid-level officer in the Jingji Garrison; he had seen countless scenes. But the moment "Qin Feng" was mentioned, he lost all composure.

That fear had sunk deep into his bones.

Ma Chu would never know the terrifying scene when Qin Feng led the Tianji Camp Guards and slaughtered the Imperial Guard and Palace Guards, forcibly seizing Xie Bi.

But Li Yuxiu had witnessed it firsthand—he knew better than anyone how powerful Qin Feng truly was.

"In Heaven and Earth, the only army with this level of combat effectiveness is the Northern Border Troops—there is no second!"

"This Relief Army for the King is unquestionably under Qin Feng's command!"

"Only by deploying the main force can we stop their advance—sending small units repeatedly will only become a tactic of pouring in reinforcements, accelerating our morale's collapse!"

Li Yuxiu knew well: once he moved the main force, he could not possibly breach the Taishan DefensiveLine in the short term. But the Imperial Guard surrounding the Liang Emperor were Dead Soldiers— to capture the Liang Emperor, he must kill every single one.

This alone was no simple task.

Then, fighting on two fronts would leave him even more vulnerable.

First, concentrate main strength to deal with the Relief Army for the King—once this reinforcement is destroyed, he could methodically resume the assault on Taishan.

One side is spent, the other surging—when weighing two evils, choose the heavier one!

Seeing Li Yuxiu's firm resolve, Ma Chu no longer argued; he immediately issued orders to mobilize fifteen thousand men, advancing toward the right flank to intercept the Relief Army for the King.

Fifteen thousand men—no matter where, such a force could not be ignored.

Its advantage was undeniable: sheer numbers could crush most enemies. But its weakness was equally clear: it was rushed into battle, orders changed abruptly, and the massive army could not adjust its tactical objective quickly—there was no speed at all.

All of this was within Xu Zhangqing's control.

After smashing the right flank's vanguard line, Xu Zhangqing withdrew from the First Line to the Second Line—he no longer charged recklessly into battle, but observed the entire battlefield and commanded carefully.

"General, the enemy main force is advancing toward us!"

The messenger ran up to Xu Zhangqing and reported urgently.

Xu Zhangqing nodded casually, showing no panic despite facing three times his own numbers: "Hmph. This Li Yuxiu moved his main force at once—somewhat clever."

"But pity—this seemingly powerful army has a fatal flaw: its composition is too chaotic, cobbled together from disparate forces with zero coordination."

"The heavy infantry that blocked our cavalry earlier were likely their entire heavy infantry force—what comes next will mostly be light infantry."

"Beidi War Command: four thousand infantry, advance steadily, solidify the formation—any man who breaks formation, behead him on the spot!"

"Cavalry, rest and await my command!"

As the order was issued, the four-thousand-man infantry formation—three thousand light infantry and one thousand heavy armor infantry—formed a dense array and advanced methodically toward the enemy, who outnumbered them several times over.

The core command was simple: hold the line—no part of the formation may loosen!

Xu Zhangqing watched the advancing formation, a hint of pride in his eyes: "My elder brother Xu Mo is now County Commander of Beixi County, deeply trusted by the Marquis Qin, even called the anchor of Beixi County."

"What a fortune! What glorious military merit!"

"Without my brother's connection, I would have spent my life as a lowly soldier—how could I have achieved what I have today?"

"Tonight's Relief Army for the King battle is the Marquis Qin's first task assigned to me—I must give him a worthy report!"

In Beixi County, Xu Zhangqing was not even mid-level, let alone high-ranking—he and Xu Mo were worlds apart. But among Beixi County soldiers, there was no hierarchy—anyone who earned military merit could be promoted.

Xu Zhangqing silently vowed: he too would bring glory to the Xu Family, just like Xu Mo.

Under Xu Zhangqing's sharp gaze, the infantry formation made contact with the enemy.

The front-line thousand heavy infantry, armored in thick helmets and wielding step spears, slammed directly into the enemy line.

The front-line soldiers of both armies immediately engaged in close combat—and the result of light armor against heavy armor was one-sided slaughter.

Heart-rending screams echoed endlessly beneath Taishan, like a hellish realm.

The front-line Chaotic Faction soldiers suffered heavy losses; many began retreating, while those behind pushed forward—though the formation held, internal chaos had already begun.

In contrast, the Relief Army for the King maintained an unshakable line.

The front-line thousand heavy infantry pressed forward relentlessly; behind them, the three thousand light armor infantry followed closely, maintaining formation, advancing steadily.