Whether to Intervene
The formation slowly moved forward, beginning to change its formation.
At the front were shield bearers, followed by two rows of spearmen, and then the crossbowmen and archers were converted to ranged attacks, firing arrows into the air as they marched.
There were three square formations, each with a vehicle in front of it, and a machine gun mounted on the vehicle's side.
Just as the main force was about to connect with the border troops, the "rat-a-tat-tat" of gunfire rang out again.
The machine guns targeted the enemy's shield-bearers, tearing and shattering layer upon layer of large shields. The shields that protected the front of the border troops were quickly gone.
Without shields, those behind were exposed to a hail of arrows. Although the projectiles weren't as fierce as the horizontal ones, the sheer density of the arrows was enough to cause people to fall one after another.
The rank-and-file soldiers of the border army looked up and saw the black flying horse in the sky, along with the person on it. They were all so frightened that their faces turned pale.
"In the heavens... there are immortals in the heavens! They've even invited the immortals!"
Several generals who knew the inside story were both shocked and furious, cursing under their breath.
Isn't it said that cultivators are not allowed to intervene in mortal wars? Where did these peasants find their immortal masters?
On the high slope in the center of the army, the Marquis of Zhenbei stood with his horse reined in, looking up at the sky, his face ashen.
He had received a military report from Yuxi Prefecture earlier and knew of this powerful immortal master. Now that he had seen him with his own eyes, his heart skipped a beat.
Why is this person here again?
If he were to charge into the enemy lines, who could stop him? He could wipe out entire groups in one fell swoop. But on our side, we don't even have half a Celestial Master.
Hearing the incessant gunfire below, the Marquis of Zhenbei felt a sinking feeling in his heart. He knew that today's battle would be difficult.
Marquis Zhenbei was a veteran who had fought for half his life, and he was well aware of the things reported in the military reports.
The Rebel Army possessed powerful weapons, but he also knew that the enemy didn't have many of them. Besides, this time, he had brought 300,000 men, while the enemy only had 100,000.
War is never just about counting heads.
He knew in his heart that when the two armies were actually locked in a fierce battle, the number of deaths was actually limited. The real tragedy was when one side collapsed and people were chasing after them to kill them, that's when people died in droves.
What he feared most was losing control of the front lines.
He immediately dispatched several messengers to the front to relay the message, ordering all battalion commanders to hold their ground and not wait idly in place. They were to charge forward on his command, and as long as they closed the distance, the enemy's power would be severely limited.
In addition, keep a close eye on battlefield discipline. Anyone who dares to desert will not only lose their own life, but their whole family will also suffer the consequences.
After giving the orders, he personally raised the command flag and pressed it down hard.
Military orders were passed down one after another, drums thundered, and the 300,000 border troops no longer held their positions. With a shout, they pressed forward.
But this "charge" was only a literal meaning. When they actually got to the front line, the first rank of soldiers hadn't even taken a step before they were taken down one by one by the dense firepower.
As soon as the front row was empty, people quickly filled in, and in the blink of an eye, it became the front row again. They gritted their teeth and took two steps forward, only to fall down again.
Opposite them, the three square formations of the Rebel Army remained calm and composed, each with an unidentified weapon spitting out tongues of fire.
The soldiers marched with normal steps, and the war drums in the formation beat steadily as they pressed forward.
Behind the three square formations, the Rebel Army's cavalry square formations followed, their sabers already drawn, each soldier eager to pounce and pursue the enemy as soon as the border troops collapsed.
Before long, the frontier garrison collapsed with a roar.
The last few rows of formations were too close together, and when the fleeing soldiers charged, chaos ensued. They were pushed backward, one after another, like toppled dominoes, collapsing in a chain reaction.
From the high slope, the Marquis of Zhenbei saw everything clearly, and his heart skipped a beat; he knew it was all over.
He looked up and stared intently at the black horse circling in the sky, clenching his fists and grinding his teeth.
The man never made a move, yet he just flew in the sky, making it hard for people to breathe.
Add to that the unknown weapon, fast and deadly, and the barrage of bullets was simply unstoppable.
Before setting off, he specially ordered people to make thicker shields, just to guard against this. But what he feared came to pass. Those thick shields, along with the shields, were smashed to pieces and were completely useless.
As the border army's formation collapsed with a roar, the Rebel Army raised its horns once more.
At a command, the cavalry, who had been holding back for so long, roared and charged out from both flanks, heading straight for the routed troops.
This was a complete rout.
The border troops' supervisory team blocked their path from behind, brandishing knives and hacking down hundreds of fleeing soldiers in an attempt to force them back.
But at this point, the army was in utter defeat, and there was no way to stop them. The fleeing soldiers, their eyes bloodshot with rage, even cut down several of the supervising officers.
On the high slope, the guards swarmed around him, urgently saying, "My lord, we've been defeated! You must retreat immediately!"
Marquis Zhenbei had fought battles his entire life and was the best at recognizing when things were going badly. He wasn't the kind of person who would stubbornly persist even if he knew he was going to die.
He took one last look at the carnage before him, then looked up at the dark figure in the sky, gritting his teeth and cursing, "Bastard!"
With a wave of his hand, he said in a deep voice, "Withdraw!"
His personal guards immediately cleared a path for him, protecting him as he retreated.
Hu Tieniu saw it clearly through his binoculars and immediately shouted, ordering his personal guards to relay the message to the entire army.
"Don't stop, give chase!"
A staff member beside him cautiously advised, "Chief, we shouldn't pursue a desperate enemy. Shouldn't we scout ahead first to see if they have any ambushes?"
Hu Tieniu's eyes widened, and he pointed to the sky, saying, "Are you confused? An ambush? If there really was an ambush, wouldn't Young Master Shen have seen it from the sky? Wouldn't he have told me?"
The aide slapped his forehead, suddenly realizing what had happened, and dared not say another word.
Hu Tieniu immediately sent messengers on horseback to inform the commanders of each camp that they should not hesitate to pursue the enemy to the end, and that the cavalry should just chase them without fear of any ambush.
The cavalry leader, even more excited upon receiving the order, pointed his saber forward and roared, "You bastards, you'd all be killed today! Don't let a single one escape!"
The cavalrymen roared up, first piercing through the fleeing soldiers and charging forward, then circling back to surround them in circles.
Inside the encirclement, the Rebel Army shouted in unison, "Treat the prisoners well, lay down your weapons and we will not kill them!"
The border soldiers, unable to run any further, dropped their weapons, collapsed to the ground, and surrendered without resistance.
Shen Jingchuan rode Little Black, circling in the sky, his gaze fixed on the personal guard protecting their commander's retreat.
He hesitated for a moment.
If he were to make a move now, swooping down, he could capture the Marquis of Zhenbei alive from the chaos of battle in just a few breaths.
With the commander captured, the battle in the north is essentially over.
But if we just let him escape back, that old guy will go back and regroup, and who knows how much trouble we'll have to go through later.