RPAGF Chapter 069 Heroes
Chapter 069 Heroes
Lu Jinchun's orders seemed fine, but he overlooked a crucial issue: Mai Danian's troops ahead.
As soon as Lu Jinchun gave the order to break out, his garrison troops no longer cared about the friendly forces to the south. They turned around and rushed back the way they came, wishing they had more legs.
The garrison soldiers weren't stupid. If their troops were ambushed here, who knew what the situation was with the border troops ahead? They didn't even know if Mai Danian was dead or alive. Besides, Lu Jinchun, the commander, had himself been wounded by an arrow. If they didn't run now, when would they?
In an instant, the garrison troops, intending to escape, scrambled to get out of the way, creating chaos.
Even Lu Jinchun himself was protected by a dozen or so guards and servants, and he retreated desperately to the north.
But they didn't expect that the rebel army had already blocked the northern entrance completely.
Blocking the north were not only Gao Yingxiang's main force, but also Zhou Lun's veteran troops. It wasn't going to be an easy feat to break through.
Less than 15 minutes later, Lu Jinchun regretted it.
He regretted giving the order to break out so hastily.
He originally thought that by taking advantage of the opportunity of the rebel army ambushing him from both sides and scattering his forces, he could seize the time to rush north and break out of the encirclement in one go, thus escaping with his life.
But to his utter surprise, the rebel army had deployed its most elite troops along his retreat route.
Not to mention that Gao Yingxiang's main fighting force was no less than his garrison troops, especially since there was a unit whose clothing and equipment were different from those of ordinary rebels.
This force was Zhou Lun's old camp. Although small in number, it was far superior to other rebel armies in terms of equipment and training. They fought with great discipline, forming ranks, coordinating long and short weapons, and even having archers to assist them.
This time, Lu Jinchun suffered a great loss.
As soon as they engaged, he discovered he couldn't break through. The troops that charged forward were quickly pushed back. Lu Jinchun was greatly astonished. When did these bandits become so capable? Weren't they supposed to be all peasants who had put down their hoes? Weren't they supposed to be a rabble?
But the bandit army he was facing now was hardly a rabble. Especially those several hundred bandits who were on high alert; judging by their posture, they were even more disciplined than his own garrison troops.
Even if you can't push forward, you have to push forward!
Although Lu Jinchun was extremely shocked, he knew very well that if he couldn't break through this barrier, he would be completely finished.
"Hold on! Hold on for me!"
Huang Long, his face contorted with rage, stood guard at the front of the battle line, his voice hoarse from shouting.
Although Gao Yingxiang's main force was capable of fighting, and he also had the assistance of Zhou Lun's old camp, the problem was that there were simply too many garrison soldiers pouring in.
The passage, which was not very wide to begin with, suddenly became a battleground for over three thousand garrison troops who desperately tried to break through. While those in front fought, those fleeing behind continued to push and shove forward, a dense, dark mass of people.
Faced with the frenzied garrison troops, even with the rebels' desperate resistance, they were showing signs of being overwhelmed. If this continued, and the enemy managed to break through, these garrison troops could escape directly through the breach.
Even more critically, the garrison troops seemed to have learned their lesson from Zhou Lun's forces. After two charges that resulted in heavy losses, these garrison soldiers had become more shrewd, concentrating their strength and charging directly towards Huanglong.
This puts a lot of pressure on Huang Long.
"General Huang, let the brothers retreat a bit and catch their breath!" a leader called out, panting heavily. "There are too many government troops; this can't go on!"
"Shut up!" Huang Long's eyes widened as he roared, "Anyone who dares to back down, I'll kill him!"
He glanced to his right; Zhou Lun's troops were holding their ground firmly, using the terrain to their advantage and continuously inflict casualties on the enemy. Huang Long watched this with a mixture of anxiety and envy.
Only then did he truly understand why Gao Yingxiang had always treated Zhou Lun differently and why he was so envious of the veterans trained by Zhou Lun.
In today's battle, the fighting power displayed by Zhou Lun's main camp was far beyond what ordinary rebel armies could match. Facing the imperial garrison troops, they were in no way inferior, and were even stronger. If Zhou Lun had more men and better equipment, and if he had enough resources to build such an elite force of tens of thousands, where in the world couldn't they go?
On the other hand, although their own side fought fiercely and their men were fearless, they were still slightly inferior to the garrison troops. Otherwise, Lu Jinchun wouldn't have specifically targeted their side with such fierce attacks; it was clearly picking on the weak!
When Gao Yingxiang started his rebellion, Huang Long was one of his trusted confidants. This time, Gao Yingxiang entrusted him with such an important task of setting up the ambush. If he couldn't stop Lu Jinchun's troops and they broke through directly from his side, the entire ambush would be a failure.
Huang Long panicked and personally led his men to block the retreat. He strictly ordered all units not to retreat, but to hold the line firmly and not allow this garrison to escape.
Although Huang Long thought this way, with the garrison troops going berserk and Lu Jinchun charging repeatedly at all costs, the unarmed and poorly trained rebels were eventually unable to hold on. Even though Huang Long personally took to the field and chopped off the heads of two retreating rebels, he couldn't stop the advance that was already being shaken by Lu Jinchun.
Suddenly, a gasp rang out from not far ahead.
Several soldiers, clad in armor and clearly better equipped and more powerful than the ordinary garrison troops, charged straight at them from the opposite side. Each of these men was highly skilled in martial arts; with a few swings of their longswords, ordinary rebels were no match for them. In just a few breaths, these soldiers had slaughtered dozens of rebels in front of them.
Screams rose and fell, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.
The morale of the garrison troops soared, while the rebel army cried out in alarm. Their already precarious formation began to crumble. The rebels, gripped by fear, inevitably retreated. The garrison troops seized the opportunity to advance; if they couldn't hold out any longer, a breach was imminent.
Huang Long knew something was wrong and was extremely anxious.
These soldiers, needless to say, were Commander Lu Jinchun's personal guards and the most formidable fighters in this garrison. It seems Lu Jinchun was truly risking everything, going all in and pulling out all the stops.
And the effect was indeed quite good; his retainers were exceptionally fierce, their fighting power far surpassing that of ordinary rebels. If they continued charging like this, he wouldn't be able to stop them.
"Brothers, follow me! Hold them off! Hold them off for me!" Huang Long was so anxious he was jumping up and down, but they were still some distance away, and with the rebels retreating step by step, he had no way to lead his men against the flow of people to meet them.
Seeing Lu Jinchun's personal guards advancing step by step, forcing his side to retreat continuously, Huang Long was extremely anxious and was about to call for reinforcements from Zhou Lun's old camp in the distance.
Just then, a man suddenly rushed out from their side.
The man was tall and burly, wearing only a thin cloth garment on the battlefield in the dead of winter, yet he exuded a ruthless, fearless spirit. He brandished a large knife and led a dozen or so men as they charged towards the enemy's guards and servants.
He wielded his broadsword with great skill and was quite adept at martial arts, managing to hold his own against the two guards of the opposing side for a time.
Even the dozen or so men he led were in the same situation. Although their martial arts skills were slightly inferior to this man's, two or three of them working together could barely hold their own against a personal guard.
With the appearance of this man, the previously wavering battle lines were actually stabilized.
The man was incredibly brave. He parried the weapon of the servant in front of him with a single stroke, then swung his sword horizontally to the left. Another servant, caught off guard, let out a scream. Although the blow didn't kill him, it tore a gash in his cotton armor, from which blood was seeping.
"Brothers! Kill! Kill the government troops!"
After forcing back the enemy with several slashes, the man casually picked up a flag from the ground. This flag had been dropped by the rebel army during their retreat, but now he held it in his hand.
With a long sword in one hand and a flag in the other, the man waved the flag and shouted, his voice booming like a bell.
Seeing this, the rebels, who had been retreating in fear, were instantly invigorated. Meanwhile, the garrison troops' morale plummeted. The retreating rebels once again charged forward, firmly plugging the gap that had almost been breached. Encouraged by the man, their shouts of battle shook the heavens, and they once again managed to repel the garrison troops' attack.
"What a hero! A true hero!"
Huang Long witnessed this scene clearly. He had never imagined that one of his subordinates would be such a hero. What was this hero's name? When did he join the rebel army? As the leader, how come he hadn't known him before?