latelenovela Chapter 136 The Army Collapses
Chapter 136 The Army Collapses
Ju Yi expressed his strong agreement. He secretly dispatched 30,000 main troops to sneak out of the camp under the cover of night and set up an ambush outside the main camp. At dawn, Ju Yi ordered the remaining troops in the camp to pack up and prepare to break camp. He also instructed everyone to act as if they were in a great panic, and to make sure that the enemy did not notice any flaws.
Half an hour later, as the sky brightened, the enemy appeared in Ju Yi's binoculars. Ju Yi said to Shen Pei, "The fish has taken the bait."
“Since the enemy has come out of the city to fight, their artillery must not have caught up yet. In terms of firepower, the two armies are basically equal,” Shen Pei said.
"Hmm, without city walls and cannons, let's see what the autonomous region's army can use to fight me!"
Because the secret of the rifled caliber of the autonomous region's muskets had never been exposed, all factions knew that the autonomous region's muskets had a longer range and greater power than theirs, but they didn't know why. This led to Ju Yi's misjudgment that as long as the distance was reduced, they could return to a state of evenly matched strength.
However, Ju Yi was unaware that the rifling-equipped Qiuyu rifle was much faster at reloading than the flintlock muskets they were equipped with. Not to mention that the rifling-equipped flintlock muskets were more powerful, and the Qiuyu rifle, which used conical bullets, had greater penetrating power. In terms of actual kill ratio, the autonomous region's army definitely had the advantage.
However, Ju Yi didn't know much about these things. He used to think that the autonomous region's army relied on the sharpness of flintlock muskets. Now that he also had flintlock muskets, and the Seventh Army of Rencheng had even stepped out of the city walls, abandoning the advantages of artillery and city walls, Ju Yi was instantly filled with confidence. He was able to defeat the enemy in front of him. At the same time, he was also full of admiration for Shen Pei. Sure enough, it really happened. Fortunately, he believed in his teacher's advice. Otherwise, if he had been suddenly attacked by the enemy the moment he broke camp, the entire army would probably have collapsed.
"Sound the horn!" Ju Yi said to his soldiers. They were so close, and if they still didn't react, wouldn't that tell the enemy that there was a problem on their side?
“Blow the horn, and have the brothers act realistically to attract the enemy,” Shen Pei also said.
A few minutes later, a group of troops finally managed to organize themselves in the Yanzhou army camp and lined up outside the camp. Li Ji was a little surprised to see such a small number of people. However, the die was cast and he had no choice but to attack. Li Ji ordered the attack to begin!
"Bang! Bang! Bang!" A series of gunshots rang out!
Just as the Seventh Army approached the Yanzhou army camp, a large number of enemies suddenly appeared on both sides. Li Ji was shocked, realizing he had been tricked. However, he quickly realized that this was probably an ambush set up by Ju Yi for the safety of the pursuers during the retreat. With this in mind, Li Ji was no longer in a hurry. In any case, he had just received news that Gao Shun was only twenty miles away and could appear on the battlefield at any time. What he needed to do now was to hold off the enemy.
"Tighten formation! Defend and counterattack! Await reinforcements!" Li Ji ordered.
Knowing that reinforcements would arrive soon, the soldiers of the 7th Army calmly adjusted their formation, facing the enemy from three sides in a square formation. Soon, the 7th Army had created distance between themselves and the Yanzhou troops lying in ambush on both flanks. The Yanzhou musketeers' range was insufficient! Because they were now more than 150 meters away, the Yanzhou troops had no choice but to advance, leaving their ambush positions. The 7th Army's muskets, however, had ample range; this was their perfect opportunity to shine!
The distance of fifty meters was quickly closed, and the two sides continued to fire as they closed in. The advantage of Li Ji's stationary formation tactic became apparent at this time. The soldiers of the Seventh Army, who stood still, were much more stable in both shooting and reloading than the Yanzhou Army, who were moving and firing at the same time. Their firing rhythm was significantly better than that of the Yanzhou Army.
Ju Yi quickly noticed the problem and immediately ordered the advancing troops at the front to slow their advance. Simultaneously, he ordered the troops in the main camp to rapidly assemble and engage the Seventh Army. In Ju Yi's view, the Seventh Army's decision to remain stationary was tantamount to suicide; by standing still, they were giving him an opportunity to encircle them. How could Ju Yi not seize such an opportunity? However, Shen Pei, standing nearby, was not so optimistic. Shen Pei had not detected a trace of panic in the enemy. He suspected that even the most elite enemy soldiers would be somewhat panicked when ambushed. Moreover, given the size of the ambush, the enemy's initial reaction—not retreating immediately but instead forming ranks and exchanging fire—was highly unusual. Shen Pei believed the enemy must have some hidden plan.
However, Shen Pei did not completely let his guard down. He ordered dozens of spies to be dispatched around the battlefield and to report back immediately if anything happened! There could be no delay.
Ju Yi ignored Shen Pei's actions and handed over all command of the main camp to Shen Pei. He ordered the supply troops to prepare to break camp first, pack up all supplies, especially food and ammunition, and make sure to take them all with them. Not a single grain of food should be left for the enemy.
Li Ji, at the center of the battlefield, did not know when Gao Shun would arrive and begin the attack. He could only repeatedly reassure himself that the First Legion would arrive soon, and he also encouraged his soldiers that reinforcements would arrive soon.
On the other side, the First Legion in the northern part of Rencheng had been marching for an hour. The First Legion started marching as soon as the sky began to lighten, but they maintained a normal marching speed. After all, they were about to enter the battlefield, and a rapid march would consume a lot of energy, which would be detrimental to the battle that followed.
Twenty miles is not a long distance; it would take at most two hours to reach the battlefield. Gao Shun was not in a hurry. If the Seventh Army couldn't even hold out for two hours, then Li Ji could really be fired. If necessary, someone more capable would take over.
Soon the cavalry messenger returned and reported that the Yanzhou army had a master strategist who had ambushed the Seventh Army. However, the Seventh Army was not completely surrounded. Commander Li Ji also said that he would hold out until Gao Shun's main force arrived, so that the Yanzhou army could launch a surprise attack from the center.
After a minute of contemplation, Gao Shun concluded that Li Ji's plan was feasible. With the Seventh Army's combat strength, a center-and-branch attack was entirely possible. The most crucial factor now was that the main force of the First Army Corps could quickly maneuver to its designated position; otherwise, the Yanzhou army would flee in no time.
The ambush set up by the Yanzhou army further proved that Ju Yi intended to withdraw his troops. The ambush was intended to reduce the pressure of pursuit from the rear of the Yanzhou army during the retreat, and also to make the Seventh Army believe that the Yanzhou army still had the strength to fight, thus preventing them from pressing too hard. However, were the autonomous region's troops ordinary forces? Clearly not, and Li Ji of the Seventh Army was obviously a bold man. Ju Yi's wishful thinking might have backfired. Gao Shun thought to himself.