My father Liu Xuande

Chapter 348 Solid as a Rock
When Huang Gai and Rui Liang got closer, they discovered that Gao Shun's circular formation was like a tortoise shell, and when combined with the halberds extending from between the shields, it immediately evolved into a hedgehog.

Huang Gai frowned. The best way to deal with this tortoise-and-porcupine formation is naturally to use artillery to smash it. Just a few hits would be enough to knock them down and shatter their formation.

Sun Ce's army did have artillery pieces; not only were there some in Guling City, but there were also more than a dozen in the main force of Sun Ce's army.

Sun Ce's army had already arrived at the battlefield and had been building a lot of war machines, including artillery pieces.

Their artillery was naturally far less powerful than that of the Southern Expeditionary Army, but it could still throw stones weighing ten to thirty pounds between sixty and one hundred meters.

If we can bring the artillery pieces here, we should be confident in breaking through the enemy lines.

The problem was that after the battle was called, Sun Ce's artillery followed the main force and retreated five miles.

Bringing those artillery pieces over wouldn't be something that could be done in a short time. Not to mention cavalry, even infantry would be much faster than those artillery pieces.

After discussing the matter with Rui Liang and Rui Xuan, Huang Gai made two preparations: on the one hand, he prepared to launch an attack, and on the other hand, he sent someone back to report to Sun Ce and request that the artillery be moved forward as reinforcements.

"Wenluan, the only option now is to attack from all sides."

Huang Gai looked at the circular formation that resembled a hedgehog and discussed it with Rui Liang.

Rui Liang also frowned. Although he had never heard of Gao Shun, as the vanguard of the Southern Expeditionary Army and the first person to cross the river, he was certainly not an easy opponent.

But seeing Huang Gai's worried expression, Rui Liang realized that he had underestimated his opponent.

Rui Liang's fighting skills were mediocre. While he couldn't be called a complete waste, he was just average and far inferior to Huang Gai.

However, Rui Liang has one advantage: he is good at listening to others' opinions.

He immediately declared to Huang Gai, "I will follow Gongfu's words. In this battle, I will assist him and obey his orders."

Rui Liang's statement invigorated Huang Gai: "Excellent! Wen Luan is indeed a son of a renowned scholar, very sensible."

Afterwards, Huang Gai arranged the battle plan and reviewed it with the brothers Rui Liang and Rui Xuan. Meanwhile, the troops of the Huang and Rui families had already surrounded Gao Shun, and then they sat down to rest.

"First battle, let's go."

Huang Gai waved his hand, causing the flag to flutter and the ox horn to sound.

Sun Ce's soldiers launched an attack from all four directions around Gao Shun, advancing step by step towards Gao Shun's position.

When the two sides were less than seventy meters apart, a gong suddenly sounded in Gao Shun's army. The first row of tower shield bearers suddenly raised their hands to put away their shields and then turned their bodies to the side.

In the gaps between the tower shield bearers, crossbowmen, who had been preparing for some time, pulled their triggers almost simultaneously.

The effective range of a crossbow is 80 to 120 meters, and a distance of 30 meters naturally maximizes the killing power of the crossbow.

This barrage of heavy crossbow bolts was so powerful that even though Huang Gai and Rui Liang's army were led by shield bearers, many shields were pierced directly, injuring the shield bearers themselves.

Immediately afterwards, another gong sounded from Gao Shun's formation, and the archers who had retreated into the formation raised their bows and fired indiscriminately at the enemies in all directions.

The four waves of arrows, like raindrops, were launched high into the air before falling into Huang Gai and Rui Liang's battle formation.

"Pfft."

A series of tearing sounds rang out as sharp arrows ripped through clothing and skin, piercing deep into flesh.

Many of Sun's soldiers immediately cried out in pain and fell to the ground, either from arrow wounds to vital organs or to the legs.

Even if these people don't die, they've lost their fighting ability.

Huang Gai and Rui Liang's army formation began to fluctuate, but they quickly calmed down under the pressure of their officers. Soldiers in the back row stepped forward to replace the wounded on the ground and continued to press towards Gao Shun's army formation.

Meanwhile, the archers of Sun Ce's army in the rear also entered firing range and began their counterattack.

However, Gao Shun's troops carried a large number of shields, with tower shields protecting not only the first rank but also the heads of those behind them, which severely weakened Sun Ce's archer attacks.

In just a dozen breaths, the two sides had exchanged blows twice, both ending with Sun Ce's army at a disadvantage.

Fortunately, Sun Ce's army currently has a numerical advantage. Crossbows are difficult to reload, but bows and arrows can inflict massive damage in a short period of time.

Gao Shunjun fired four volleys of arrows in quick succession, only ceasing fire when the front lines made contact.

Huang Gai and Rui Liang's soldiers did not carry extra shields, so they had no choice but to charge forward despite the enemy's firepower.

Fortunately, the short seventy meters were quickly covered. The first rank of Sun Ce's army, carrying large shields, charged forward like wild boars, crashing into the Southern Expeditionary Army's formation.

At the moment of impact, Sun Ce's army suffered heavy casualties. Many of Sun Ce's soldiers were unable to dodge the halberds and were pierced through the heart. Some were grazed by the smaller halberds, which cut open and caused them to bleed profusely.

Some of Sun Ce's shield-bearing soldiers even bumped into the halberds, the halberds piercing the shields without initially injuring anyone. However, because the soldiers behind couldn't stop in time, they crashed into the halberds, forcefully pushing the shield-bearers onto the blades.

In just the initial contact, coupled with the recent exchange of long-range firepower, Sun Ce's army had already suffered more than 20% casualties, while the Southern Expeditionary Army had only a dozen or so casualties. Apart from those who were extremely unlucky and died from being hit in vital areas by arrows, there were no other casualties.

However, the casualties suffered by Sun Ce's army also brought considerable rewards. The hedgehog shell of the Southern Expeditionary Army was undoubtedly broken, and the soldiers of both sides clashed, and a fierce battle broke out immediately.

Looking into the distance, Rui Liang shouted, "Well done!"

Huang Gai, without a word, immediately issued an order, commanding the second formation to advance rapidly and be ready to take over from the first formation at any time.

Although the first wave of attacks has broken through the enemy's formation and engaged in fierce fighting, they had already suffered more than 20% casualties, making them a spent force.

Without reinforcements, if they were to retreat, they would give the enemy the opportunity and time to regroup. Then, the troops that followed would be subjected to another round of long-range fire.

Just as Huang Gai had predicted, the Sun army soldiers in the first wave began to show obvious signs of weakness after only the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and were only holding on by sheer willpower.

Fortunately, the second wave of reinforcements from Sun Jun arrived in time, which prevented the soldiers of the first wave from fleeing.

When the first wave was on the verge of collapse, Sun Jun's second wave stepped forward to take over from the first wave, replacing them.

The first wave of troops originally numbered five hundred, but by the time they retreated, excluding the wounded, there were fewer than two hundred men left.

In comparison, the Southern Expeditionary Army suffered only over fifty casualties, most of which were from close-quarters hand-to-hand combat.

Just before the handover was about to be completed, a loud gong rang out in Gao Shun's army. With the pressure greatly reduced, the front rank of Gao Shun's troops immediately crouched down, and then hundreds of crossbow bolts were fired at once, instantly inflicting heavy damage on Sun Ce's troops.

But that wasn't the end of it. Amidst the fierce clanging of gongs, two hundred armored warriors, clad in iron armor and wielding weapons, charged out of the formation and rushed straight into Sun's camp. Taking advantage of the gaps in Sun's battle formation, they killed one of the enemy soldiers who was not yet on his feet and was forced back dozens of meters.

The armored soldiers, without lingering in battle, supported each other and retreated back to their own lines. Meanwhile, the shield bearers on this side replaced their damaged tower shields with fresh troops and resumed their defensive posture. The Sun Ce army attacking from the other three sides, except for those directly opposite them who couldn't see them, were greatly alarmed by their allies on the left and right flanks.

As Rui Liang watched his troops being driven back, the situation he had fought so hard to achieve with so many lives slipped away in the blink of an eye. His heart was breaking, and he cried out in anguish, "The commander of this force should be executed!"

Huang Gai glanced at the other party, sighed inwardly, and said to comfort them, "They did their best. They fought bravely and were quite courageous. Why not let them atone for their crimes by performing meritorious service?"

Rui Liang remained silent for a moment before nodding: "Since Gongfu has pleaded for them, let's do it that way."

After calming Rui Liang down, Huang Gai continued to observe the battlefield.

At this time, the south side was breached by Gao Shun's armored soldiers, and the enemy's armored soldiers could be clearly seen at a glance.

However, the situation on the other three fronts was still acceptable; at least the second wave stabilized the battle lines.

If we continue like this and maintain the offensive, we can wipe out Gao Shun's entire force even if we have to change commanders.

Huang Gai's lips curled up slightly, and then he began to issue orders, organizing a new wave of attacks, including the southern army that had just retreated.

********
At this moment, Gao Shun's army was in formation.

While giving instructions, Gao Shun asked, "What time is it?"

The question seemed abrupt, but his close aides understood it perfectly and immediately replied, "Reporting to the general, half an hour has passed. At most another quarter of an hour or two, our reinforcements will be able to cross the river and land."

Gao Shun nodded slowly. He had indeed miscalculated. Sun Ce's army was so ruthless to him. Huang Gai and Rui Liang seemed to have gone mad, showing no mercy to their troops and launching a desperate attack on him.

Although it was only two short waves of attacks, it had already caused Gao Shun a lot of trouble.

Fortunately, the follow-up troops on the other side have almost all boarded the ships. Once they cross the Qiantang River and find a landing point, they can provide support to their own troops.

"General, look!"

Suddenly, his flag bearer pointed to a spot, reminding Gao Shun.

Although Gao Shun's expression did not change, he shifted his gaze very quickly.

It turned out that a troop of soldiers bearing Song Qian's banner had appeared in the opposing formation.

Clearly, when Sun Ce saw Huang Gai's first wave of attacks, he realized that the forces he had sent were simply not enough to defeat Gao Shun. He dared not hold back any longer and immediately sent Song Qian over as well.

Before leaving, he instructed Song Qian that if Huang Gai and his men were capable of defeating Gao Shun, he should not try to claim credit; if not, he must help Huang Gai and his men quickly deal with Gao Shun and absolutely not allow the enemy to land the second wave of troops smoothly.

Song Qian's arrival greatly increased Huang Gai's available troops.

At this point, he couldn't care less about whether Song Qian was trying to steal credit or not. If he were to still be concerned about such things at this point, he might end up contributing to the Southern Expeditionary Army's success.

Without allowing the previous troops to rest, Huang Gai immediately deployed the third wave of troops, even drawing five hundred of Song Qian's elite elite soldiers.

Huang Gai glanced at the Southern Expeditionary Army on the distant river, gritted his teeth, and played all the cards in his hand.

With one hundred armored soldiers and four hundred of his most elite troops, Huang Gai planned to choose a point to launch a decisive attack, crush Gao Shun in one fell swoop, and complete Sun Ce's orders.

However, whether out of heartache or tactical necessity, Huang Gai was unwilling to let this unit withstand the powerful long-range firepower of the Southern Expeditionary Army.

In their direction, they not only arranged this wave of troops in the fourth formation, but also waited for the third formation to charge before following up.

At the same time, in order to guard against Gao Shun's powerful bows and crossbows, they were also given an extra number of shields.

Huang Gai directly addressed his clansman, who had followed him for many years, saying, "Huang An, you go yourself!"

Huang An immediately accepted the order, donned his armor, spurred his horse into the formation, and then dismounted to await battle.

Just as Huang Gai was about to make a desperate gamble, Sun Ce was watching the battle from afar.

Under Sun Ce's command, the army was actually advancing, but not as fast as Song Qian.

Sun Ce did not advance with the main army, but remained on the watchtower to observe the battle, occasionally inquiring about the situation from those below.

"Any news from Chadu Village?"

After seeing that Huang Gai was about to fight to the death, Sun Ce did not continue watching. Instead, he went down from the watchtower and inquired about the situation on the flanks.

At this time, Chadu Village only had a thousand men. Although they could use the terrain advantage to hold off a force several times their size for some time, their more important role was to deliver messages.

Yuan Xiong immediately replied, "A quarter of an hour ago, someone from Chadu Village came on horseback to report that everything is normal."

Sun Ce nodded and made the decision to have Chadu Village report its safety every hour. For this, Sun Ce went so far as to provide them with more than a dozen galloping horses.

Although this type of horse can no longer be used on the battlefield, it can still carry people around.

Hearing that Chadu Village was still safe, Sun Ce's brows relaxed slightly, but he still had a strong sense of foreboding, not knowing where things had gone wrong.

However, as long as there are no problems with the Chadu Ancient Road and the Southern Expeditionary Army does not cross the river from there and directly attack Gaoqiantun, their retreat route and supply lines will not be threatened.

But that's precisely the problem. The reason Sun Ce was so worried was that he felt the Southern Expeditionary Army was trying to lure him into a decisive battle, and that there must be some conspiracy lurking in the shadows.

Sun Ce's sixth sense kept sounding the alarm, but he just couldn't figure out where the problem lay.

This feeling was particularly unpleasant, but as long as there was no problem with Chadu Village, could Liu Feng really fly over?

Of course, Liu Feng could also come by sea.

But if that's really what the other party thinks, then Sun Ce would be laughing so hard he'd squeal like a pig.

Although Qiantang was already a land of fish and rice at this time, it was still far from being as prosperous as it would be in later times. The biggest difference was along the river.

At that time, the north bank of the Yangtze River was protected by the Qiantang River, so the land became arable fields, but the south bank of the Yangtze River did not have a dike like the Qiantang River.

Therefore, along the coastline on the south bank of the Qiantang River, there are mudflats everywhere. These are murky areas where you will sink in with every step, and for quite a long distance at that.

If Liu Feng were truly willing to waste transport resources and send his army to land in the mud, then Sun Ce would really have to thank him.

(End of this chapter)