xymnovel Chapter 87 Charging into the Central Army and Encircling Helan
Chapter 87 Charging into the Central Army and Encircling Helan
The outer fences and barricades of the Dongyi camp had been destroyed, and the camp was ablaze with fire and thick smoke that shrouded half the sky in an ominous dark red.
Several armies are fiercely fighting each other in this hellish camp:
On one side, the wolf-head banners of the Wanyan tribe fluttered in the billowing dust, like wolves baring their fangs at the smell of blood.
Wanyan Aguda personally led the charge, and his three fierce generals, Jin Wuzhu, Jin Danzi, and Shan Shituo, like three red-hot daggers, led their troops in launching wave after wave of fierce attacks on the last few hundred heavily armored Helan clan guards outside Helan Cangfeng's command tent who were fighting to the death.
Swords, axes, hammers, and halberds clashed against the iron armor, producing a teeth-grinding sound. With each step forward, the corpses of soldiers from both sides lay scattered at their feet.
On the other side, Huangfu Gong's white banner with black characters embroidered with the words "Huangfu," and the chilling gleam of the dragon-blooded silver spear in his hand, were particularly dazzling under the towering flames.
His elite troops, after repeated attacks, suffered nearly half their losses, but the rest became elite soldiers, like a sharp dagger that had been tempered and made even sharper. After fiercely stabbing into the heart of the camp from the rear, they were now engaged in a fierce battle with several remnants of the Eastern Yi forces who were trying to turn back to reinforce the core of the command tent.
Huangfu Gong's silver armor was stained with blood, some of it his own, but most of it was from his enemies.
His spear moved like a dragon, his moves concise and ruthless. Each thrust seemed to carry the lingering spirit of his elder brother, Huangfu Tianyang, and endless vengeful fury. He had already knocked three Dongyi commanders who were trying to rally their troops off their horses, and there were almost no generals who could withstand his spear.
At the heart of the scene, Helan Cangfeng's main banner, adorned with a magnificent sable tail and a golden wolf emblem, appeared lonely and precarious, surrounded by a circle of personal guards.
Beneath the banner, the few hundred remaining most loyal and elite guards of the Helan clan formed a solid circle, with swords and shields on the outside, spearmen in the center, and crossbowmen on the inside, putting on a final, desperate struggle. Their faces were stained with blood, exhausted, and resolute, knowing there was no way out.
However, in ironic contrast to this fierce battle, bad news kept coming from inside the command tent.
"Report—Marshal! Chief Wumutai of the Hami tribe says his forces have suffered heavy casualties and are no longer able to fight. He has led his five thousand followers northwards, abandoning the battlefield!"
"Report! The Sahu tribe, the Hegen tribe... also left along with the Hami tribe!"
"Report! The flags of the Baldman and Qiulin tribes on the flanks have fallen; it's unclear whether they've collapsed or fled!"
"..."
Each urgent report was like a heavy hammer blow, striking Helan Cangfeng's already taut and fragile heartstrings.
His face was ashen, his eyes unfocused. The arrogance and haughtiness he once displayed, relying on the emperor's favor, had long been extinguished by the harsh reality, leaving only boundless fear and bottomless despair.
The news of the defeat of the 110,000-strong army crossing the river had been confirmed; Hulü Changsheng had died in battle, and Nurhaci had disappeared. They had hoped to rely on the remaining 100,000-strong army in the rear to stabilize the situation and even gradually retreat.
Who would have thought that these tribal chiefs, who were usually obsequious and eager to please, would, seeing that the situation was hopeless, disregard his strict orders and lead their troops away from the battlefield and flee north in order to preserve the strength of their respective tribes!
"Damn it! They all deserve to die! A bunch of ungrateful wretches! Opportunists!"
Helan Cangfeng abruptly swept the command token and military tally off the table, roaring hoarsely, his voice trembling with fear, revealing his outward strength but inner weakness.
"When I return... I will definitely inform the king and send troops to wipe out all these deserters and traitors! And that traitor Wanyan Aguda! I will tear him to pieces and wipe the Wanyan tribe off the grasslands!"
His roar sounded so pale and powerless amidst the approaching battle cries and the flickering curtains of the command tent, illuminated by the firelight.
The few remaining generals and staff members in the tent looked at each other, their eyes filled with fear and hesitation.
The messenger's hand holding the command flag trembled slightly, his eyes flickered, and he glanced outside the tent from time to time, contemplating leaving.
"Marshal!" A captain of the personal guard, covered in blood, staggered in, his helmet askew, and cried out urgently:
"The Xia army's offensive is too fierce! The traitor Wanyan and that Xia army's surprise attack force have almost broken through the outer perimeter! We don't have much time left! Marshal, please decide quickly whether to fight or retreat!"
Helan Cangfeng shuddered, the word "walk" instantly taking over his entire mind.
Yes, he can't die here! He's the heir of the Helan clan, the king's most trusted commander, and he has endless riches and honors to enjoy...
"Go! Go now!" He stood up abruptly, but his legs were so weak he almost collapsed.
"Quick! Find me a set of ordinary soldier's clothes! And hurry!"
The trusted confidant quickly found a fur coat and a tattered fur hat, stained with blood and mud, which had been taken from some fallen auxiliary soldier.
Helan Cangfeng hurriedly put on the mask, then grabbed a handful of cigarette ash and smeared it haphazardly on his face, tearing his hair out.
He glanced at a guard in the tent who was somewhat similar in build to himself, a flash of ruthlessness and guilt crossing his eyes, and said in a hoarse voice:
"You... put on my general's robe and armor, and take command here!" The guard's face turned deathly pale instantly, but he dared not disobey and trembled as he put on his armor.
Taking advantage of the situation, Helan Cangfeng, along with two trusted confidants, lifted the curtain of the command tent and, like the most despicable rats, lowered their heads and hunched their shoulders, blending into the panicked crowd at the edge of the camp.
Among the wounded and fleeing soldiers, who were blindly running away, they hurriedly slipped away towards a gap in the fence on the northwest side, which was the weakest point in the defenses and opposite to the main battlefield of the camp, due to the collapse caused by the fire.
Almost at the same time that Helan Cangfeng fled the command tent, Tian Heng led the main force of Zhaowu Guard, appearing on the edge of the battlefield like divine soldiers descending from the sky!
The black "Xia" royal banner fluttered amidst the smoke of battle, and the majestic "Snow-Treading Flying Dragon" beneath it, along with Tian Heng's steady and unwavering figure, instantly drew the attention of all the warriors.
"The Great Xia Royal Banner! It's His Highness Tian Heng himself!"
Huangfu Gong was the first to see it, and his exhausted spirit was suddenly invigorated, as if he had been injected with a brand new energy.
He forcefully juggled an enemy rider, raised his spear high, and roared at the top of his lungs:
"Soldiers! Do you see? His Highness is personally leading the army to our aid! Final victory is within our grasp! Follow me as we break through the enemy lines and join forces with His Highness! We will avenge General Huangfu! We will wipe away the shame of Great Xia!"
"Your Highness is mighty! Kill—!!" The remaining soldiers of Huangfu Gong's troops erupted in a thunderous cheer, and their previously weakened offensive instantly became fierce and violent again, like a raging tide in the face of death, slamming hard into the enemy before them.
On the other side, Wanyan Aguda also saw the royal banner that symbolized one of the highest authorities of the Great Xia Dynasty.
A complex mix of emotions flashed across his eyes: a lingering sense of regret for betraying Dongyi, trepidation about the future, but more than anything, a resolute and burning determination born from a do-or-die mentality.
He swung his sword sharply, pointing it directly at the banner that had not yet fallen from Helan Cangfeng's command tent, which was about to be surrounded. He roared at all his followers in a mixture of Dongyi language and broken Xia language:
"Your Highness of Great Xia! The true Lord of Destiny has arrived! My comrades! The final glory and reward lie there!"
"Follow me and charge forward, crush those lackeys of the Helan clan, drag Helan Cangfeng out of his tortoise shell, and present him to the Prince! The life, death, wealth, and future of the Wanyan tribe all depend on this one battle!"
"Offer it to the Prince! Kill! Kill! Kill!" The Wanyan tribe's cavalry, along with those from other tribes who had already been incited or forced to submit, roared like wild beasts.
Their morale soared to its peak, like a flood bursting its banks, launching an even more ferocious attack on the circular formation of Helan's personal guards.