Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5301: The Suspicion Formation
After capturing the military camp, the Tang army quickly cleaned up the battlefield, leaving no prisoners alive. They were all killed and thrown into a nearby ditch. There was no time to deal with them, so they were simply abandoned, which attracted many wild animals that emerged from the forest and jumped into the ditch to devour them...

The military camp was completely cleared out, and fires were immediately lit to cook a meal.

Li Jinxing and Li Jingren were eating in a thatched hut. Li Jingren chewed his food and mumbled, "With the rain going on, our bows and crossbows and firearms are useless. Without long-range firepower, we can only engage in close combat. It will not be easy to defend this military camp."

Li Jinxing swallowed the last mouthful of rice, then poured hot water from the metal lunchbox and drank it sip by sip, his tone firm: "There is no easy or difficult matter; Wuwenling must be defended."

Whether Zhuge Di escaped to Zhenla from here, or Zhenla used this route to support Tuolupuluo City, it would have a huge impact on the Tang army's battle plan. Therefore, they had to stay in Wuwenling like a nail, completely severing the connection between Linyi and Zhenla.

Li Jingren put down his lunchbox, wiped his mouth, and said worriedly, "Linyi is alright, but with the capital besieged, they probably can't send many reinforcements. If Zhenla sends troops to support us, we'll be in a situation where we're attacked from both sides, which will put us in a very passive position."

Strategically, there is no room for error, and the entire army is united in its commitment.

However, tactically, we must face the difficulties head-on and avoid blind optimism...

Wuwenling is actually a strategic pass guarding the mountain pass. While its strategic location is very important, it does not have a good terrain advantage. Furthermore, due to the restriction on the use of bows, crossbows, and firearms, it can only allow the enemy to rush down to the walls for close-range combat.

If the Tang army's greatest advantage cannot be utilized, the battle will inevitably be fierce.

Li Jinxing patted his shoulder, stood up, and said with a smile, "Never experienced a battlefield like this before, have you? I often faced similar situations when I fought against Goguryeo in Liaodong a few years ago. The saying 'When two armies meet, the brave one wins' is not just a saying. Courage is extremely important on the battlefield. Many times, even when you are clearly on the defensive, as long as you have the will to win, you can often turn defeat into victory and defeat the strong with the weak. What's more, we now have the advantage of terrain. Whether it's Lin-yi or Zhenla, how can those rabble compare to our Great Tang's elite troops?"

Looking up at the soldiers around them who were eating and listening to their two superiors, he raised his fist and roared, "As long as we hold this place, we will be the heroes of this war! For the country, we will be meritorious and remembered in history; for ourselves, we will be rewarded with official titles and honors! We, the men of the Great Tang, are of lofty ambition, unyielding and indomitable, like mountains and peaks, unshakable!"

"As majestic as a mountain!"

"I'd rather break than bend!"

More than a thousand soldiers raised their arms and shouted, their voices shaking the mountains. Birds and wild beasts in the dense forest were terrified and fled in panic.

After a quick meal, Li Jinxing and Li Jingren led their soldiers to clear out the wall that had been destroyed by the "medicine pack". There was no time to rebuild it, but they could make do by cutting down trees and thorns to block the gap.

The scouts sent out ran swiftly from the foot of the mountain. When they reached the wall, they looked up and saw Li Jinxing standing on it. Catching their breath, they shouted, "Enemy reinforcements have arrived ten miles down the mountain. Judging by their strength, they number no less than three thousand!"

Li Jinxing waved his hand and said, "Monitor the enemy's movements and be careful of your own safety."

"Here!"

The scouts turned around and went down the mountain again.

Li Jinxing and Li Jingren stood about six or seven zhang apart on the wall. Li Jinxing shouted, "Linyi is a tiny country. Zhuge Di usurped the throne and seized power. Its total military strength is only a little over ten thousand, and most of them are rabble. Now it has actually sent three thousand people to guard Wuwenling. It can be seen that we have hit its weak spot!"

Li Jingren knew that the other party's intention was to boost morale, so he naturally cooperated loudly: "As long as we can gain a foothold here, the situation on General Liu Renyuan's side will become more and more relaxed. In fact, he should thank us!"

Li Jinxing laughed loudly: "Give me a break! You're thanking us? It's a wonder he didn't curse us out!"

Someone asked curiously, "Why is that?"

Li Jinxing said, "Liu Renyuan has always boasted that he is the 'most powerful general in the navy,' but in recent years he has hardly participated in any of the naval battles, which has made him feel very frustrated. This time, he thought that the commander-in-chief had entrusted him with the important task of conquering the capital of Linyi, so that he could show off his abilities. But the enemy has instead divided its forces and sent them to our side... What is there to be proud of in capturing an empty city with insufficient troops and no will to fight? He must be unwilling to accept it!"

"I see!"

"Haha! Isn't General Liu extremely envious of us now?"

Morale has been visibly boosted.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Jinxing said, "Brothers, our mission is to hold this place and cut off the Linyi people's retreat, and to guard against Zhenla's reinforcements. It's not about killing the enemy. So, while holding the first line of defense is important, we don't need to fight to the death. Once the enemy is about to break through this line, we will retreat and engage in street fighting using the buildings of the entire military camp! Our goal is to hold them back and wear them down, waiting for General Liu Renyuan to break through Tuolupuluo City and lead his army to reinforce us, so we can take the opportunity to march west!"

"Here!"

The Tang soldiers responded with a resounding roar.

Even without long-range weapons such as bows and crossbows and firearms, the sturdiness of their furniture and the quality of their weapons were still unparalleled in the world. Close combat was an ancestral skill of the Tang army. Without the restriction of guarding a certain defensive line, the entire army could move flexibly and advance and retreat freely, naturally making better use of its own combat advantages.

If they fought freely, where in the world could the Tang army stand against them?
It's an overwhelming victory against any army.

Li Jinxing and Li Jingren came down from the wall and entered a room that was temporarily serving as a "command post". Li Jinxing took a sip of hot water and asked, "The enemy is coming with great force and is determined to take Wuwenling. It is bound to be a fierce battle. Brother Li, do you have any good strategies to repel the enemy?"

Although he appeared confident and disregarded the enemy in front of his soldiers, Li Jinxing was by nature meticulous and would never be careless or underestimate the enemy.

Li Jingren thought for a moment and said, "Since the enemy has already approached, their scouts will probably come to spy on our military situation soon. The mountains and forests here are high and dense, making it easy to hide our tracks. It is almost impossible to completely cut off the news... Once the news that Wuwenling has been captured is sent out, the enemy commander may become wary and hold back his troops."

Li Jinxing's expression was serious. He understood Li Jingren's concerns: "You mean the enemy commander will be waiting at the foot of the mountain, either waiting for Zhuge Di to retreat here and join forces to launch a fierce attack on the camp, increasing the chances of victory, or waiting for the Zhenla army, which may come to reinforce them..."

If the Zhenla army were to come from the west and cross the mountain pass to reinforce Linyi, they would form a pincer movement with the Linyi army waiting in the east. The mere thousand Tang soldiers, without bows, crossbows, or firearms, would face an enemy several times or even ten times their size, and would be attacked from both sides. The situation would not be optimistic.

"What are your plans?"

“The reinforcements from Linyi will surely be cautious and advance slowly. Their scouts may not have reached the vicinity of the military camp at this moment.”

"You mean... this is a deliberate attempt to create a false impression?"

"That's right!"

Li Jingren took a sip of water and said, "We will create the illusion that we have already entered the military camp, but have not yet completely captured it, so that the enemy commander will have no choice but to come to our aid."

The best-case scenario is to defeat the Lin-yi and Zhenla reinforcements one by one, while the worst-case scenario is for the Lin-yi reinforcements to remain stationary at the foot of the mountain, waiting for the Zhenla reinforcements to arrive so that they can coordinate with each other and launch a pincer attack from the east and west.

Therefore, we cannot keep the Lin-yi reinforcements waiting.

The Tang army's charge into the camp and their fierce battle with the defenders presented an excellent opportunity to outflank the Tang army, which their commander could not possibly ignore.

While reinforcements from Linyi could be waited for, they certainly didn't want to.

*****
At the foot of the mountain, by the stream, a procession of several thousand people arrived in a long, winding line, noisy and full of complaints.

Although the city of Dharapura is not too far from here, the king's order was too urgent. The army and horses had been running wildly all the way here and were exhausted. The warhorses were stiff and refused to go any further despite being whipped, and the soldiers were staggering.

Prince Kendo, dressed in armor, rode on horseback, gazing at the camps and other items left behind in the mountain hollow on the other side of the stream, his heart heavy.

Looking up again, I gazed through the fine rain toward Wuwenling. It was all shrouded in mist and drizzle, and I couldn't see anything clearly.

The Tang army has already arrived ahead of us, but it is still unknown whether Wuwenling has fallen...

Jian Duomo asked his officers, "Have the scouts returned?"

"They haven't returned yet. Wuwenling is high and densely forested, making travel difficult. Also, Tang scouts may have set up an ambush beforehand, so it will take some time."

Jian Damo frowned and pondered, remaining silent for a long time.

"Ahem..." A general coughed and said, "Your Highness, the entire army has marched here from the capital. The men and horses are exhausted and weary. Would you allow us to set up camp for a while, have a hot meal, and rest?"

“That makes sense. We don’t know the situation on the ridge yet, so we dare not go up rashly. We have to wait here anyway, so why not let the soldiers rest for a while?”

"There's a lot of discontent in the army, and with the rain, morale is really low..."

Kendalmo snorted, his face cold: "We'll make a decision after the scouts return!"

How could he not know what these people were thinking?
Exhaustion was certain, but in addition, there was also a war-weariness mentality. They thought they could stall for as long as possible, and no one wanted to charge up Wuwenling and fight the Tang army to the death.

A sense of sadness welled up in my heart. With such a rabble, they might be able to run rampant in Linyi for a while, but how could they possibly win against the Tang army?

My father was out of his mind at the time, actually believing that the Tang army would not go to war with Lin-yi and would even back down, handing over a portion of the maritime trade profits to Lin-yi...

As a result, not only could the capital not be defended, but even the last escape route was cut off.

Ahead, the scouts rushed back.

"Your Highness, we approached the military camp from the dense forest, but were ambushed by the Tang army and many of our men died. Only I was fortunate enough to get close and saw many figures on the camp, with shouts of battle ringing out. Our comrades in the camp are putting up a fierce resistance!"

Jian Duomo made a decisive decision: "Immediately reorganize the army and ascend Wuwen Ridge to rescue our comrades! This will allow us to disrupt the rear of the Tang army and annihilate them all!"

Upon hearing the order, the officers and soldiers showed little excitement; instead, they wailed in despair.

Walking is exhausting, and then to be fighting before you can even rest—who could stand that…?

(End of this chapter)