Tiantang Splendid

Chapter 5307 Bloodbath at the Military Stronghold

The rainy season in Linyi often means a continuous drizzle from May to October, sometimes heavy and sometimes light. This is a disaster for crops and roads. Therefore, crops such as rice in Linyi are usually just planted in the fields and then left to grow naturally. Firstly, they lack the technology, and secondly, they may be doing something futile. They just let them grow naturally and harvest them when it is time. When natural disasters occur, they accept their fate.

The roads were muddy and impassable due to the heavy rains, making transportation difficult and hindering the government's administration of the region.

Therefore, the most recorded phrase in the history of this country is "lying flat". Since human power is so insignificant in the face of nature, why struggle in vain?

Although it was not yet the rainy season, the high mountains had low air pressure and abundant moisture, resulting in several times more precipitation than the plains. Since the Tang army captured the Wuwenling military camp, the rain had been drizzling continuously.

Fortunately, the naval soldiers have spent most of their time operating in the East and South Seas in recent years. Although they rarely venture into islands or the interior of the country, they have gradually adapted to the humid climate.

In the light drizzle, the Zhenla army, which had crossed the mountain pass from the west, launched one attack after another against the military camp blocking the road. At first, they wanted to take the camp in one fell swoop with their superior numbers, but after encountering fierce resistance, they changed their strategy and hoped to drag the Tang army into the abyss by using the tactic of "exchanging pieces".

However, two days later, although the walls of the military camp were breached several times and the Zhenla army stormed into the camp several times, they were all defeated by the Tang army and had to retreat.

The small military camp, under the fierce attack of the Zhenla army, was like a reef in the sea, trembling and sometimes appearing and disappearing, yet it remained unmoved.

General Ishari of Zhenla, wearing armor and a straw hat, stood on the mountainside, looking up at the military camp. Corpses were piled up on the walls, and blood flowed and was washed by the rain, forming a red stream at the corner of the wall. Countless Zhenla warriors had lost their lives here.

He let out a long sigh and cursed angrily, "Linyi's stupid pigs are truly useless. How could such a strategic pass fall into the hands of the Tang people?"

Lin-yi and Zhenla have always been allies. When the Funan Kingdom was destroyed, Lin-yi also sent troops to help. Now, Lin-yi is under the pressure of the Tang army and is in danger of being destroyed. It has asked Zhenla for help. The Zhenla king, Jayavarman, who is far away in Tachu, sent an order to Brahtipa, and he had no choice but to lead his troops to Lin-yi to help.

However, Zhenla is no longer the monolithic entity it was when it swallowed Funan. It is severely divided internally, and the division between the north and south is becoming increasingly clear. But no matter how they confront each other, they have not truly split into two. They must respect the nominal king, Jayavarman, even though they know that this is a scheme by Jayavarman to weaken the southern Zhenla with the help of the Tang army.

Izari did not think that Zhenla would be a match for the Tang Dynasty. After all, even the invincible "elephant army" had suffered a great loss under the firearms of the Tang army in previous years. Now that the Tang Dynasty's invincible navy, which had swept across the ocean, was landing, how could Linyi, a mere town, possibly resist it?
Whether to save or not, the destruction of Linyi is a foregone conclusion.

But the king's orders cannot be disobeyed, otherwise it would give the king an excuse to send troops south...

"Continue the attack and give the Tang army no chance to regroup. We must capture Wuwenling before nightfall!"

Izali waved his hand and ordered another fierce attack.

Even though his troops were exhausted, their morale was extremely low, they dared not disobey orders. They organized another assault team to lead the charge towards the camp, with the remaining thousands of troops following closely behind, waiting for the assault team to break into the camp so they could all rush in and kill them.

Ishali gazed at the military camp, his face ashen.

The Tang army was too weak to protect the entire camp, so it was not difficult for the Zhenla army to break into the camp. However, every time the Zhenla army broke in, the Tang army immediately abandoned the wall defense and retreated to rely on the houses and buildings inside the camp to engage in street fighting with the Zhenla army.

Even though the Zhenla army was far more powerful than the Linyi army, it was still far inferior to the Tang army. In terms of individual soldier quality, weapon quality, and combat skills, the Zhenla army was far superior.

This was even with the Zhenla army having a numerical advantage and suppressing the Tang army. Moreover, due to continuous rain, the Tang army's bows, crossbows, and firearms were unusable. If the two armies clashed in open battle under clear skies, the Tang army could truly be "one against ten," invincible...

Why bother coming to reinforce Linyi and suffering unnecessary losses?

Judging from the Tang army's momentum, it was clear that they would not be content with merely destroying Linyi; they might even cross the Wuwen Pass and invade Zhenla territory to fulfill their promise of "maintaining the legitimacy of Funan Kingdom."

The king, who was stationed in the capital, could not be unaware of the Tang army's intentions, but compared to the Tang army, the powerful aristocratic forces that had become too influential in the south were his real concern...

More and more soldiers rushed into the military camp and engaged the Tang army in close combat, but the camp remained unmoved. The rain washed away the blood of the Zhenla soldiers, and soldiers kept falling from the walls and dying, their corpses lying piled up like pillows.

Ishakri's heart was bleeding and throbbing with pain. These were the very foundation upon which Shuizhenla relied to contend with the king. If they were all killed here, how could he return to Bharati and explain to "Kuluozhi"?
After patiently waiting for another half hour, seeing that although the military camp had not yet been captured, it had not been driven back as it had been before, Ishari gritted his teeth, drew his scimitar, raised it high, and shouted: "Reserves, follow me and charge! The time to attack the city and seize the camp is now!"

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The thousands of Zhenla troops, huddled below the military camp, roared wildly and surged towards the camp like an Ishak tide.

*****
Although the Zhenla army was numerous and powerful, always managing to find weak points in the walls to break through, its combat strength was far inferior to that of the Tang army. These naval soldiers were selected from the best of the best through a "recruitment system," possessing extremely high individual quality. Over the years, they had conquered the east and west, dominating the oceans without ever suffering a defeat. Even in times of peace, they never neglected their training. Their equipment, supplies, and tactical awareness were all top-notch in the world. How could the rabble of Zhenla and Linyi possibly compare?
Therefore, even if the Zhenla army broke into the camp, the Tang soldiers, in groups of three, coordinated with each other and relied on their own bravery and the advantage of their weapons to cut the enemy soldiers as easily as cutting melons and vegetables.

Although the soldiers of Zhenla were not strong, they were fearless and charged forward with great courage as if they had taken a tonic to the sound of the horn. They faced the horizontal swords with their bodies and let their flesh be cut open in order to create opportunities for their comrades to kill.

The rain was drizzling, and the fighting inside the military camp was raging fiercely.

Li Jinxing charged into battle and withdrew from the fray, taking command of the entire camp from the highest outpost. He continuously ordered the Tang army to charge left and right and provide support to each other, so as to avoid being surrounded and divided by the enemy with superior forces. Li Jingren personally led the reserve force to protect the outpost and provide support to the battlefield at any time.

Thanks to their excellent combat skills and precise pre-battle command, the Tang army continuously reaped the enemy's spoils, turning General's Village into a meat grinder, with enemy corpses strewn everywhere and blood flowing freely.

However, the enemy was simply too numerous, charging relentlessly as if their lives depended on it. The Tang army had no chance to catch their breath, and exhaustion was inevitable, making their position precarious...

Amidst the sounds of fighting, a silent shout suddenly rang out. Li Jinxing, standing on the sentry post, hurriedly looked through his binoculars and his heart sank.

On the western side of the military camp, near the mountain pass, the enemy's main force, which had remained unmoved, charged across the mountains and plains in the rain.

"Expand the defensive perimeter outwards to delay the time it takes for the enemy's main force to climb the walls, so that they cannot rely on their numerical superiority to quickly enter the battlefield."

"Stay close to each other, coordinate your actions, and advance and retreat together. When the enemy's main force rushes into the camp, form ranks to meet them!"

"The enemy commander has also attacked. Li Jingren, get ready and await orders. As soon as that scoundrel enters the camp, pounce on him. Capture the leader first!"

"Here!"

As orders were relayed, the Tang soldiers suddenly unleashed their power, forcing the enemy into a hasty retreat. The battle line was pushed to the vicinity of the wall, leaving the main enemy force, which was climbing, with insufficient space and unable to take advantage of the momentum of the charge to break into the camp in one fell swoop.

When Ishakri saw that his plan had been thwarted by the Tang army, he was furious. He leaped over the mountain of corpses and jumped onto the wall. His scimitar flashed with cold light as he slashed down and horizontally. His elite personal guards followed him as he charged into the Tang army's formation.

Caught off guard, the Tang army's well-organized formation was breached, and the enemy troops surged through the defenses like a tidal wave, leaving the military camp in grave danger.

"Li Jingren, it's up to you now. Follow my command and don't let the enemy commander escape!"

"Here!"

Li Jingren looked at the fifty fully armed heavy infantrymen beside him, put down his mask, swung his sword, and charged towards the left front.

This long-distance raid on Wuwenling was undertaken with the aim of maximizing speed. Instead of fully armored cavalry, they only carried fifty sets of heavy armor disassembled and carried separately. The Mo Dao formation, suitable for open field battles, was ineffective in the confined space of this military camp, but was perfectly suited for heavy infantry.

Although their numbers were fewer, these heavily armed and fierce soldiers were best suited to break through enemy lines and slay enemy generals...

Heavy infantrymen in black helmets and armor suddenly charged into the battlefield. The soldiers of Zhenla were horrified to find that when they slashed at them with their weapons, the enemy was completely unharmed. Such a powerful army that was impervious to swords and spears was simply a killing god on the battlefield!
Fortunately, the heavy infantry's strategic objective was not to participate in the melee, but to break through the enemy lines under the command of the sentry flags, and charge straight towards the enemy's commander. The Zhenla soldiers tried to intercept them, but they were routed as soon as they charged and could not be stopped. They could only watch helplessly as this small, godlike army broke through a bloody path and rushed straight to the rear.

Ishakli was in the midst of a fierce charge, the rain and blood soaking his body only fueling his excitement. The Damascus scimitar in his hand was incredibly sharp, and with each slash and thrust, he carved a gap in the Tang army's well-ordered formation, then charged through the gap.

No matter how fierce and skilled the Tang army was, they were still outnumbered. Even if they had to sacrifice lives, they could still level this military camp!

Just as he was charging into battle, darkness suddenly fell before him, and a group of heavily armored Tang soldiers charged out. Without thinking, Ishali rushed forward and slashed with his sword.

when!
With a crisp sound, the scimitar sprang up, and the enemy was unharmed.