Bai Qingyan’s palms tightened, her gaze calm without the slightest trace of fear. She gripped the great bow in her hands and drew out a feathered arrow, closing her eyes to search for the sound of the bone whistle controlling the elephants in the darkness, but the noise was too chaotic…
The soldiers around her roared with boiling battle spirit. The three archer teams alternated in orderly succession, the overwhelming arrow rain whistling endlessly. With heavy snow affecting visibility, Bai Qingyan couldn’t pinpoint the location.
The Xiliang soldiers, finding they couldn’t get close, had already hidden behind the giant elephants, following the fully armored elephants that feared neither bow nor crossbow as they moved forward.
But before the giant elephants and Xiliang army could approach, suddenly blazing fires shot up to the east. The one leading on horseback at the front was Great Yan’s masked Regent Prince, the Ninth Prince. Behind him… like a sea of fire, torches stretched endlessly, wildly dancing in the raging snowstorm.
“Warriors of Great Yan!” Xie Xun drew his sword and shouted. “They say Tianfeng Nation’s elephant army is invincible in battle. Today… this is our first encounter with this elephant army. Let’s test our skills and make sure Tianfeng Nation knows that we Great Yan’s elite soldiers, are the nemesis of this elephant army! Let these barbarian troops from beyond the snow mountains roll back to their Tianfeng Nation! Kill!”
After Xie Xun’s loud cry, he spurred his horse forward, leading the charge.
“Kill——”
The Great Yan soldiers vied with each other to rush toward the distant giant elephants.
Murong Li, disguised as an ordinary cavalryman, also wanted to charge out but was held back by the masked Murong Yan.
“Ninth Uncle!” Murong Li was already fired up by Xie Xun’s words, wanting to compete with Tianfeng Nation’s elephant army.
“Yue Shi!” Murong Yan said coldly.
Yue Shi immediately pulled on the reins and moved forward: “Master!”
“Watch over His Majesty! Don’t let His Majesty charge to the front!”
“Yes!” Yue Shi acknowledged the order, taking the reins of Murong Li’s horse from Murong Yan’s hands. “Master, rest assured!”
“Ninth Uncle!” Murong Li adjusted the helmet on his head. “Ninth Uncle, didn’t you say you’d let me see what a battlefield is like?”
“I said let you see, not let you charge into battle! Don’t forget… You are Yan Nation’s Emperor!” Xiao Rongyan finished speaking, then looked at Yue Shi again. “If His Majesty loses even a single hair… bring me your head!”
Yue Shi gripped Murong Li’s reins tightly and solemnly responded, “This subordinate acknowledges the order!”
Murong Yan took a deep look at Murong Li, then spurred his horse and galloped away through the wind and snow.
·
“General!” A soldier lowering clay braziers down the city wall suddenly saw soldiers moving close against the wall below and shouted to Shen Kunyang. “General!”
Shen Kunyang lay against the city wall and looked down. The Rong tribe cavalry had already reached the base of the city wall under cover of night… and the arrow rain, alongside Bai Qingyu, facing Tianfeng Nation and Xiliang directly.
Bai Qingyu, clad in silver armor and military dress, held a Red Tassel spear in one hand and gripped the reins with the other as he moved forward. Just a few zhang ahead of him was where the arrow rain fell densely, like thick weeds stuck in the soil. The arrow shafts, burned black, still had some that hadn’t been extinguished by the accumulated and falling snow, with dying flames flickering weakly…
The Great Zhou Emperor, his elder sister, was within these city walls. Even if Bai Qingyu died, he would never let the people of Xiliang and Tianfeng Nation get within a hair’s breadth of Pingyang City’s walls.
Murong Yan was quite thoughtful, having already arrived with his army. Bai Qingyu didn’t fear that Tianfeng Nation and Xiliang forces would escape from the east, so he could boldly face Tianfeng Nation’s elephant army directly.
The elephant army that came this time wasn’t numerous – only thirty head. This was perfect for Bai Qingyu to test whether the methods he had pondered for dealing with elephant armies on his way to Pingyang City would work.
“It’s Fifth Young Master!” Shen Kunyang’s scalp tightened as he immediately understood Bai Qingyu’s intention. Fearing the arrow rain would harm Bai Qingyu, he turned and shouted: “Archers, stop! Ballista operators… speed up! Clear the way for Fifth Young Master!”
The archers acknowledged the order and lowered their bows, while the ballista operators quickened their pace in turning the winches.
Hearing this, Bai Qingyan stepped forward two paces and indeed saw Bai Qingyu at the very front. Without hesitation, she calmly and steadily nocked an arrow and drew her bow, aiming at the darkness from which came the elephants’ trumpeting and soldiers’ roars. Her peripheral vision locked tightly on Bai Qingyu as she prepared to escort the Rong tribe army and her brother: “Archers prepare! Seek accuracy over speed, escort our Great Zhou warriors!”
Hearing Bai Qingyan’s calm and resounding voice, the archers responded loudly and drew their bows, aiming at a distance. This time, it was no longer indiscriminate arrow rain attacks, but precise shooting targeting enemy forces.
Hearing his elder sister’s voice through the wind and snow, Bai Qingyu’s gaze grew increasingly cold as he stared at those giant elephants.
“Warriors!” Bai Qingyu pointed his long spear forward, his eyes cold and stern. “Kill!”
At Bai Qingyu’s command, the bravest and strongest Rong tribe cavalry spread out in a line, charging directly toward the elephant army and Xiliang soldiers in a frontal assault.
Shen Kunyang ran quickly toward the east side, bracing his hands against the city wall to look out. If the Fifth Young Master were here, then who was on the east side?
In the firelight, Shen Kunyang faintly saw the Black Bird Azure Sparrow banner.
“Your Majesty! The east side is Yan Nation! The Black Bird Azure Sparrow banner!” Shen Kunyang turned to shout at Bai Qingyan. “Your Majesty! It’s Great Yan!”
Bai Qingyan hadn’t expected Yan Nation to come. No wonder A’Yu wanted to face the elephant army head-on. If she guessed correctly, A’Yu perhaps wanted to take advantage of the small number of elephant troops that came this time to test the methods he had prepared for dealing with elephant armies.
Just as Bai Qingyan predicted, she saw the Rong tribe cavalry split apart and run in different directions, with two riders holding a rope between them as they charged forward, clearly intending to use the rope to trip the elephant army.
But it was completely useless. Tianfeng Nation’s elephants were even more massive and powerful than Great Liang’s elephants. Facing the cavalry’s charge, attempting to trip them with ropes, for the giant elephants, this couldn’t shake them in the slightest. As soon as the elephants stepped forward, the Rong tribe warriors holding both ends of the rope would be flung away.
The crossbow bolts flying from the city wall, thicker than the spears in the soldiers’ hands, struck the elephants’ iron armor that protected them down to their hooves. The impact only made the giant elephants sway slightly without injuring them. The fur exposed outside the armor that had been hit by fire arrows was also extinguished as the snow on the armor melted.
Whether it was Bai Qingyan’s smoke method or Bai Qingyu’s rope method, this was Great Zhou’s first formal battle with elephant armies, the first attempt to use methods never before practiced to fight elephant armies.
When the two armies engaged in close combat, immediately, battle cries shook the heavens.
Behind Tianfeng Nation and Xiliang was Cheng Yuanzhi leading elite troops, who had already caught up with the Xiliang soldiers at the rear and began slaughter.
In front, Bai Qingyu led the fierce Rong tribe soldiers, fighting the enemy with all their might. Bai Qingyu charged at the very front, truly fighting one against a hundred, but having penetrated too deeply into enemy ranks, he was surrounded by danger on all sides…
Atop the city wall, Bai Qingyan’s vision was affected by wind and snow, but by the firelight of arrows that had fallen and been lit, she could barely make out Bai Qingyu’s figure. She saw what appeared to be cold steel flashing toward Bai Qingyu from behind.