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Han Gang was covered in wounds and looked very weak. He was about to kneel down with tears in his eyes. Qin Mu hurried forward to help him up.
"I advanced alone and recklessly, resulting in the annihilation of a thousand soldiers. I beg the King of Qin to punish me."
"Get up quickly, it's good that you're back, it's good that you're back, you didn't disappoint me. You're all great, every one of you... You were born as heroes, and died as spirits. You didn't bring shame to my Qin. I will posthumously recognize all the soldiers who died as Qin martyrs, and provide generous compensation to their families."
"King Qin..." Han Gang was unyielding in front of his enemies, but at this moment, he couldn't help choking up in front of Qin Mu.
Sima An and others also sighed. The battle at Chashan lasted for three days and two nights, and a thousand soldiers died, and not a single one surrendered. Han Gang was captured and tortured to death, but he refused to surrender.
Seeing Han Gang crying, no one showed contempt. In this battle, Han Gang can be said to have won an honorable defeat. Fei Yanggu not only lost twice his troops, but his morale also suffered a serious blow, so that he could no longer launch a decent attack, which reversed the situation in western Zhejiang.
Qin Mu said in a gentle voice, "You are injured, don't think too much about anything else for now, go down and let Wu Youxing treat you well, I am still waiting for you to fight the enemy again."
Qin had Han Gang taken down for treatment, and personally inquired about the compensation for the soldiers who died in the Chashan battle, before he focused his attention back on the war at hand.
Meng Ke, dressed in black armor, said calmly: "After Liu Meng's troops arrived at Nanjing, Yierduqi and Durde of Huizhou urgently withdrew their troops to Nanjing. At present, 25,000 troops have passed Liyang and will arrive in Nanjing soon. After the enemy in Ma'anshan learned that Nanjing was surrounded, their morale was shaken and the number of deserters increased dramatically. I believe that the time is ripe for our army to launch a general attack. At present, we can only advance to Nanjing City by quickly breaking through Ma'anshan to prevent Liu Meng's 40,000 troops from being surrounded by the Qing army on all sides."
"Well, how does Governor Meng think we should fight this battle?"
"Replying to the King of Qin, I think that we can leave only 10,000 troops to contain the enemy at Caishiji, and the remaining 50,000 troops can focus on attacking Ma'anshan. Once Ma'anshan is captured, Caishiji will become an isolated island and will surely collapse without a fight."
Qin Mu also asked for the opinions of Xiang Liancheng, Ningyuan, Hao Yaoqi, Guo Yunlong and other generals. Meng Ke's plan was unanimously recognized by everyone, and Qin Mu immediately decided that Meng Ke would be responsible for the specific command and launch a general attack on Ma'anshan that day.
Meng Ke first sent people to the foot of Ma'an Mountain to mock him, and then asked Nikan to come down the mountain for a decisive battle. This time Nikan actually agreed.
On the one hand, Nikan was unruly and arrogant by nature, and could not stand the insults of the Qin army. On the other hand, after the siege of Nanjing, the number of deserters in the army increased dramatically. If they still hid in the mountains and allowed the Qin army to insult and ridicule them, it would mean that they were afraid of the enemy and afraid of fighting, and it was inevitable that morale would be lower and more deserters would be more likely.
In Nikan's opinion, instead of waiting for the army to collapse, it would be better to have a decisive battle with the Qin army as soon as possible. Even if the outcome cannot be determined for a while, a small victory can stabilize the morale.
In this way, Nikan led all the remaining 30,000 troops on Ma'an Mountain down the mountain and deployed them along the mountain, while Mengke sent out 50,000 troops and pressed forward from south to north.
At the foot of Ma'an Mountain, 50,000 Qin troops were spread out over a distance of seven or eight miles, their black armor like clouds, their swords as cold as snow, their horses neighing in the wind, their flags blocking out the sun;
Especially Qin Mu, who was fully armored, personally went to a high slope in the south to watch the battle. After the 50,000 soldiers saw his royal flag fluttering in the wind, their morale was even more boosted. Tens of thousands of soldiers shouted in unison, "Long live the King of Qin!" "Long live the King of Qin!" "Long live the King of Qin!" The sound was so powerful that it shook the sky.
On the other hand, the Qing army on the opposite side was in low morale due to the siege of Nanjing and the emergence of a large number of deserters. After hearing the Qin army's earth-shaking shouts, everyone couldn't help but show a look of sympathy.
Qin Mu picked up the drumstick and beat the huge drum of the central army himself. Boom! Boom! Boom! The heavy drumbeats became more and more intense, making people's hearts numb and their blood rushing to their heads.
The 20,000-strong vanguard marched forward to the sound of war drums. The huge army formation, which was several miles wide, was extremely majestic and heavy as a mountain. Every step they took would stir up clouds of dust, and the earth would shake, and the mountains would rise and fall for a long time.
Looking at the fluttering flags, the golden swords like a forest, the murderous aura soaring into the sky, tens of thousands of Qin troops were excited and shouted in unison amid the heavy footsteps:
The old Qin is strong and will recover our land.
The war will not stop until the blood is shed and the people die.
How can there be peace when the world is in turmoil
Qin has sharp warriors and their swords are sharp.
The energy blows up the moon, and the force shoots at the wolf in the sky.
Clothed in black and wearing dark armor, sweeping across the world!
On the day of his triumphant return, I will congratulate my king again.
Mandated by Heaven, may you live long and prosper forever.
Amid the sound of war drums like thunder, amid the sound of war songs like the raging waves of the sea, and amid the billowing smoke and dust, 20,000 black-armored Qin soldiers marched forward, with huge shields like walls and golden spears like forests, pushing to the front of the enemy's formation.
"Boom!" An indescribable sound was heard. Both sides attacked almost at the same time. Countless arrows rose into the sky like large dark clouds, interweaving to block the sunlight, and the sky and the earth became dark.
Strong arrows shot into the enemy's army formation, blood splashed like rain, a howl pierced the sky, and the figures shot by arrows fell to the ground one by one;
"Kill!" The vanguard general Hao Yaoqi rode his horse like flying, carrying a black flag and destroying the enemy's formation.
The enemy's formation leaned against the mountain and swooped down, just like a mountain peak collapsing, rolling like thunder. The high-spirited Qin army fought to the death, crushing the mountains and turning the tide.
When Meng Ke saw that the front army was in a stalemate with the enemy, he immediately ordered Xiang Liancheng and Ningyuan to lead 10,000 troops each to attack from the left and right. The black torrent rose up again and rolled forward.
Looking from the hillside where Qin Mu was, the huge battlefield that stretched for ten miles was filled with smoke and dust, and the shouts of killing pierced the sky and echoed in all directions. Just as the armies of Xiang Liancheng and Ningyuan attacked the enemy's formation from the left and right, thousands of cavalry suddenly rushed out from the left side of the enemy formation. They did not attack Ningyuan, but attacked from the relatively weak left side of the battlefield.
As soon as Meng Ke waved his flag, Hu Shouliang's five thousand cavalrymen rushed out and charged towards the enemy cavalry. Countless iron hooves struck the ground, mountains and rivers shook, and the earth dizzied. The two cavalrymen collided with each other with a thrilling momentum, and the murderous aura was emptied out and surged like a tide. At that moment, countless people on both sides of the enemy fell off their horses and were trampled into meat paste by the galloping horses' hooves.
At this moment, the enemy's several thousand cavalrymen split up in an unbelievable manner. The two thousand men behind them drew an arc like flying, bypassed Hu Shouliang's troops in front, and rushed towards the hillside where Qin Mu was.
The person leading the troops was none other than the Qing army commander Nikan. The two thousand cavalrymen following closely behind him were all Tatar bannermen, each of them as fierce as a wolf. Although there were only two thousand cavalrymen, they raised a huge cloud of dust and their momentum was like a raging tide.
On the huge battlefield, the Qin army had already gained an overwhelming advantage with its superior manpower and high morale. However, when the two thousand enemy cavalry abandoned their companions and rushed towards the hillside where Qin Mu was, all the Qin soldiers could not help but pause and worry about Qin Mu's safety.
Now almost all the Qin army's forces have been deployed on the battlefield. Only 5,000 cavalry are left with Qin Mu. 5,000 versus 2,000. It seems that they still have the advantage in terms of manpower, but to be honest, it is a fact that the Qin cavalry at this time is not as powerful as the real Tartars.
The enemy cavalry surged forward, with the burly Nikan leading the way. Gu Jun'en and other civil officials looked terrified, and Song Xiance couldn't help but screamed, "Hurry up and protect the King of Qin and leave first!"
"Go? Where to go?" Qin Mu shouted, "Old Qin, recover our land. We will not stop fighting until our blood is shed and we die. Do you think this is just for fun? You dare to disrupt the morale of our army? I will kill you!"
"King of Qin..."
Qin Mu gave Song Xiance a cold look, turned around, pulled out his black royal flag and handed it to Niu Wanshan, then quickly jumped on his horse, drew out his Juque sword and pointed it down the mountain, shouting: "If there is an enemy but no me, kill!"
The black royal flag, the flying golden dragon, and a black torrent swept down the hillside with overwhelming force.
Meng Ke had a 10-foot-long sword across his horse's back, Guo Yunlong was holding a pair of huge hammers, and the majestic Niu Wanshan, Li Shi and others were like a group of door gods, protecting Qin Mu tightly.
Five thousand cavalrymen rushed down the slope, accelerating continuously, like wind and clouds, while Nikan's two thousand horses also pushed the speed of their horses to the limit, rushing forward with a roar. He had already risked everything, and only by killing Qin Mu quickly could he turn the tide.
The two armies came whistling like dark clouds, getting closer and closer. The Tatars' roars, sharp sabers, sharp white teeth, unruly eyes, and cold murderous intent were all in sight... ... ... ..
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ps: It's the middle of the month again. I have been sitting in front of the computer typing day after day for several years. It is inevitable that I feel a little tired. At this time, I have to rely on the support of all my brothers. Please give me some more motivation. I bow my head and thank you again!
.(To be continued..)
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