usatvline Chapter 17 Qilian Night Roar
Chapter 17 Qilian Night Roar
"General!!! Enemy attack!!! Unidentified cavalry have launched a surprise attack outside the camp!!! The camp gates have been breached!!! Enemy attack—!!!"
The hoarse, piercing roars of the guards still echoed in the tent. Before the words had even finished, a battle cry that shook the valley resounded like thunder throughout the camp, instantly shattering the peace and warmth that should have been present on New Year's Eve.
"Qilian! Qilian!"
The rough, fierce shouts, accompanied by the thunderous roar of horses' hooves crushing the thick snow, surged in from the direction of the camp gate like a black tide. It was the battle cry of the Xiongnu cavalry charging, a sound of conquest etched into their bones and blood, each sound carrying a chilling stench of blood and an overwhelming killing intent, making one's eardrums ache and one's heart tremble.
Immediately following was the thunderous pounding of hooves, the clanging of metal against metal, the screams of soldiers pierced by arrows, and the deafening explosions of felt tents ignited by fire arrows. Countless torches shot into the sky, illuminating most of the night sky and turning the snow-covered camp as bright as day, instantly turning the faces of Zhou Bo and Gao Zidan inside the tent deathly pale.
The central command tent, which had been warm and cozy just moments before, filled with the peaceful glow of lights and the fervor of discussing important matters, was instantly filled with a chilling atmosphere of killing intent and panic. The charcoal fire in the bronze stove still crackled, but the temperature inside the tent seemed to have plummeted to freezing. A biting wind rushed in through the tent's gaps, causing the candlelight to flicker wildly. The light and shadow swayed violently against the tent walls, making the two figures appear like a lone boat tossed about in a raging storm.
Gao Zidan abruptly stood up from his seat, his ring-pommel sword flashing half an inch from its sheath with a clang, its cold gleam disappearing in an instant. Having transmigrated for only a little over a month, from a life-or-death escape to taking refuge in the Yongming tribe, he was no longer the modern man who couldn't bear to see even a drop of blood. Yet, this sudden, close-quarters night raid and bloody battle still made his heart pound wildly, his blood rush to his head, and his fingertips tremble uncontrollably.
He subconsciously turned his head to look at Zhou Bo beside him, and Zhou Bo was also turning his head to look at him. The moment their eyes met, both of them were caught off guard and stunned. Just as a thought had barely formed in their minds, the curtain was violently ripped open by a fierce external force.
Another guard stumbled in, his helmet tossed aside, his hair disheveled, his face a mixture of snow, dust, and blood, looking utterly wretched. His voice trembled uncontrollably, as if he were screaming with all his might:
"General!!! Look closely!!! It's the Yuanhai tribe!!! The Xiongnu Yuanhai tribe's cavalry!!! They're carrying the Yuanhai tribe's wolf-head banners, and they've already broken through the camp gates and stormed into the heart of the camp!!!"
Yuanhai Division!
Upon hearing these three words, Zhou Bo's whole body trembled violently, his pupils suddenly contracted to needle size, and it felt as if a thunderclap had exploded in his mind, causing all the blood in his body to rush to his head at that moment.
The Yuanhai tribe was the most powerful and fiercest Xiongnu tribe in Yunzhou. Three years ago, the entire tribe submitted to Li Longji, the governor of Yunzhou, and was officially appointed as the Yuanhai Zhonglang General, guarding the northern border of Yunzhou. They were the most elite and bloodthirsty Xiongnu cavalry force under Li Longji. This was a well-known fact throughout the northern border region.
Li Longji!
Upon thinking of this, Zhou Bo felt a cold sweat instantly break out on his back, soaking through his inner armor.
He suddenly looked down at the open, urgent letter on the table, detailing the upheaval in Luoyang. All the scattered clues instantly connected, weaving a clear and terrifying web.
Zhao Ren is dead! The court has collapsed! Two emperors stand side by side! The Central Plains are in chaos!
Li Longji had long held sway over Yunzhou, maintaining a separatist regime and ignoring imperial orders—practically a rebellion. Now, with Zhao Ren dead, the Song Dynasty's central government completely collapsed, and morale on the northern frontier wavering, how could he possibly let go of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for expansion?!
He must have immediately ordered the elite troops of the Yuanhai tribe to march south overnight and launch a surprise attack upon learning of the upheaval in Luojing!
Zhou Bo clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white. The landscape of the northern frontier flashed through his mind, and in an instant, he saw through Li Longji's entire scheme. Cold sweat seeped down his back, and the chill penetrated to his very bones.
Yunzhou, located north of Yanmen Pass, has been a strategically important location on the frontier since ancient times, controlling the natural barrier of Yanmen Pass. However, amidst the dramatic changes in the situation over the past six months, Ji Guang, the governor of Bingzhou, has deployed a large number of troops within Yanmen Pass to guard against Li Longji. Although Li Longji has Yanmen Pass to rely on, it is difficult for him to easily advance south and enter the heart of the Central Plains. But what if he bypassed Yanmen Pass and instead traveled south along the east bank of the Yellow River, bypassing the towering mountains of Lüliang and heading straight for the border river mouth?
Jiehekou is the strategic choke point between Xihe County and Jinyang County. It is a crucial flat passage between the Lüliang Mountains and the Yellow River, and also the core area where Zhou Bo's border troops are stationed!
As long as Yuan Hai's troops swallow up his border army and take Jiehekou, Li Longji's Yunzhou army can advance unimpeded and easily annex the entire Xihe County!
Prefect Xiang Xu of Xihe was nothing more than a pedantic scholar who spent his days burning incense and reciting the Classic of Filial Piety. He possessed absolutely no talent for governing or defending the territory. The prefecture's defenses, scouts, and passes had long since fallen into disrepair and were practically useless. The fact that Yuan Hai's cavalry could sneak up on the Jiehekou camp undetected must have been due to Xiang Xu's incompetence and negligence, allowing them to quietly infiltrate through gaps in the northern defenses of Xihe Prefecture! If Xiang Xu had shown even a modicum of responsibility, deploying scouts and guarding the passes, the Yunzhou army, even with wings, could not have outmaneuvered his camp so silently!
Once the Yunzhou army occupies Xihe County, they will be in a commanding position, and the entire Jinyang Basin and the fertile heartland of Bingzhou will be completely exposed to the iron hooves of the Yunzhou cavalry, with no natural defenses!
Bingzhou is in grave danger!
Thinking of this, Zhou Bo no longer hesitated. He suddenly raised his hand, ripped off the cloak hanging on the table, and threw it hard on the ground. The ring-pommel sword at his waist was fully drawn, its cold light reflecting on his resolute and stern face. In an instant, he transformed from the middle-aged general who was worried about his old friend and preoccupied with the current situation back into the border army commander who had fought on the border for more than ten years, decisive in killing, and calm in the face of danger.
"Han Xin! Protect your young lord! Stay in the central command tent and do not move!" Zhou Bo commanded sternly, his voice booming like a bell, forcefully drowning out the deafening shouts of battle outside the tent. "All guards, listen to my order! Don your armor and take your shields! Follow me out of the tent to meet the enemy!"
The guards outside the tent responded in unison, the clanging of their armor like pearls falling onto a jade plate.
It's easy to give orders, but difficult to gather troops.
The moment Zhou Bo rushed out of the central command tent with his sword in hand, he truly saw the horrific state of the camp, and his heart sank to the bottom of an icy abyss.
Today is Lunar New Year's Eve, and we are not on high alert as usual. According to the border army's system, one-third of the soldiers in the camp have already taken leave to return home and reunite with their families for the New Year, leaving the camp with very little manpower. The remaining soldiers have mostly disarmed and gathered in their tents tonight to drink and celebrate the New Year. Many are already quite drunk and can't even remember where they put their weapons.
Even more fatally, during this time he was preoccupied with the whereabouts of the Gao family's orphan and the predicament of the Liao Duke, and had become much lax in the daily discipline of the camp. Tonight was also New Year's Eve, and many sentry soldiers secretly slipped back to their tents to drink and warm themselves, making the camp gates virtually non-existent. Otherwise, the Yuan Hai cavalry would never have been able to reach the camp gates, let alone break through them and invade the heart of the camp before the central command tent belatedly received the alarm.
It was already late at night, and the entire military camp had just settled down for the night. Most of the soldiers were still fast asleep when they were startled awake by the sudden shouts of battle. They were disheveled, with their hair in disarray, and had not even had time to put on their armor. They hurriedly grabbed their weapons and rushed out of their tents, only to be met by the Hun cavalry who were already riding their horses, brandishing their swords, and slaughtering indiscriminately.
The main camp completely collapsed.
Everywhere were fleeing soldiers and burning tents. Rockets streaked across the night sky like locusts, whistling as they landed on the crowds and felt tents. The sounds of horses' hooves, shouts of battle, screams of agony, cries of agony, and the crackling of burning felt mingled together. The once solemn and disciplined border army camp had now become a living hell.
Under the cover of night and with the advantage of a surprise attack, the Xiongnu cavalry split into dozens of elite squads, galloping across the camp, cutting through everything in their path. Their iron hooves trampled the snow, the fleeing soldiers, and the pools of blood; their sabers drew deathly arcs in the firelight, each swing raising a cloud of blood mist. Wherever they went, corpses littered the ground, blood flowed like rivers, and the thick snow was stained a glaring dark red, freezing into slippery ice.
"Shieldbearers in front! Form ranks!!! Spearmen, protect the flanks!!! Hold steady!!! Everyone, hold steady!!!"
Zhou Bo swung his sword, deflecting an incoming arrow, and stood on the open ground in front of the central command tent, roaring out his orders with all his might. His voice, carrying the unique penetrating power of a veteran general, tore a hole in the cacophony, causing many panicked and terrified soldiers to stop in their tracks and gather in his direction in a daze.
No matter how strict the military discipline was on ordinary days, it couldn't withstand a sudden night attack on New Year's Eve, nor could it stop the laxity and chaos from top to bottom. Zhou Bo looked at the disastrous scene of the army's rout before him, his eyes bloodshot with rage, but he also knew that at this moment, trying to gather the entire battalion into formation for a counterattack was a pipe dream. He gritted his teeth, turned to his personal guards behind him and the few remaining conscious soldiers who had rushed over upon hearing the commotion, and shouted again in a stern voice:
"All you lads who can still wield a sword and raise a shield, come to me!!! Raise my banner!"
His guards, shields in hand and swords in hand, quickly surrounded Zhou Bo, forming a thin but resolute human wall. Soldiers from nearby garrisons also stumbled over, some infantrymen wielding long spears, others archers with bows and crossbows, and still others ordinary soldiers in only thin clothing and short swords. Scattered and disheveled, they gradually coalesced into a simple defensive formation—this was all the force he could muster at that moment. The banners were also taking effect; many of the scattered soldiers, seeing the banners, unconsciously drew closer, and their numbers grew larger and larger.
"General! The brothers have all gathered! The formation can be set up!" The commander of the personal guards, holding a shield, rushed to Zhou Bo's side and roared to report.
Zhou Bo nodded emphatically, took the two-foot-thick iron shield handed to him by his personal guard, held the shield in his left hand to protect himself, gripped the ring-pommel sword tightly in his right hand, and strode to the front of the formation.
He was the commander-in-chief of the army and the backbone of all the soldiers. The greater the disparity in troop strength and the more imminent defeat, the less he could retreat. He had to stand at the forefront and use his own example to give these terrified soldiers a sliver of confidence to fight to the death.
He glanced back at the soldiers behind him. Their faces were filled with panic, their hands gripping their weapons trembling slightly, but when their eyes fell on him, there was a hint of dependence, a resolute determination that there was no turning back. He then looked towards the central command tent—Gao Zidan and Han Xin were standing at the tent entrance, watching him with solemn expressions.
In truth, Gao Zidan was trembling uncontrollably. He had the clearest view from the tent entrance: the slaughter by the Xiongnu cavalry, the screams of the Han soldiers, the dismembered limbs and flowing blood. Frankly, Gao Zidan desperately wanted to cover his eyes, crouch down, turn away, and go inside. He knew that regardless of victory or defeat, unless Zhou Bo died, his uncle would likely come and take him away. He couldn't offer any real help anyway; he could simply wait for the outcome in the tent.
But another voice in Gao Zidan's mind told her, "This is the era we live in. You're already here. Where can you escape to? You must stand here and watch, enduring the discomfort, nausea, and all the cowardly thoughts of wanting to run away. In this situation, you should draw your sword, join the soldiers, and charge forward!"
Even though the desire to rush forward had surged to his chest, threatening to burst forth, Gao Zidan still couldn't take that step. His trembling hands still couldn't draw the ring-pommel sword from his waist. Gao Zidan knew that if he took one step, his legs would probably give way and he would fall. At this moment, Gao Zidan could only watch from afar.
Zhou Bo took a deep breath, the cold air filling his lungs, yet making his mind even clearer. Facing the surging Xiongnu cavalry, he raised his ring-pommel sword high and roared with all his might, his voice echoing through the snowy night:
"My comrades! Behind us lies our camp! Behind us lies Bingzhou! Behind us lies our homeland! There is no turning back! Follow me and fight!!! Drive the Xiongnu dogs out of our camp!!!"
As soon as he finished speaking, he pressed his iron shield forward with his left hand, stomped his foot heavily, and charged out into the dark torrent of cavalry!
Seeing their commander leading the charge and showing no fear despite being outnumbered, the Han soldiers behind them were instantly ignited with righteous indignation. They let out a mournful and resolute roar, holding their shields and spears, forming a dense formation, like a stubborn wedge, firmly holding back the charging cavalry.
The sound of metal clashing against metal exploded with a deafening roar.
The dull thud of a ring-pommel sword piercing flesh, the crisp sound of an iron shield deflecting a saber, the agonizing neigh of a long spear piercing a horse's belly, the sharp whistling of arrows cutting through the air—the sounds of bones cracking, gasps for breath, and dying screams mingled together, utterly jarring. This small infantry formation, before the Xiongnu cavalry who outnumbered them several times over, was like a lone reef in a raging sea, the waves crashing against them time and again, yet it never crumbled.
On New Year's Eve, the Jiehekou camp was completely transformed into a bloodbath.
The snow was still falling, the wind was still howling, flames soared into the sky, and blood covered the ground.
On one side were the fierce and determined Xiongnu cavalry, and on the other side were the Han border troops who launched a desperate counterattack and fought to the death.
Horse hooves crush the snow, and they crush people's hearts; swords flash and cut through the long night, but they cannot sever the struggle of trapped beasts.
Zhou Bo swung his sword and cut down a Xiongnu cavalryman who was charging at the front. Blood splattered all over his armor, but he was completely unaware. He just stared intently at the wolf-head banner that was getting closer and closer, his eyes burning with fighting spirit.
He knew very well that if the border river breached that night, Bingzhou would never have peace again.
He can only win, not lose.
We have no choice but to fight to the death; we cannot retreat.