Qi Family Army!
Upon learning of the approaching army, Lu Donghongri, who had previously been questioning the enemy's morale, instantly became serious and looked at the distant dust cloud.
Compared to the general who died in the previous battle in Great Liang, this newly arrived army is probably the most terrifying force.
An army named after its commander's surname—that's an incredibly prestigious organization. Anyone without real strength who dared to do that would be punished by the emperor in no time.
The Qi Family Army was more like a private army. If they weren't quite capable, the domineering Emperor of Great Liang would never have allowed such a powerful force to exist.
Now that he has not only formed the Qi Family Army, but has also placed it on the second line of defense, it is even more terrifying.
Thinking of this, he took a deep breath and solemnly said, "Gentlemen, the other side seems to have ill intentions. We need to be extremely vigilant, otherwise we may suffer a great loss!"
Without real ability, you absolutely wouldn't deserve this treatment!
"With the surname of the commander-in-chief, Qi Jiguang must have had extraordinary abilities, otherwise he would probably have been destroyed by the Emperor Zhenwu long ago!" The deputy general beside him nodded and said with a solemn expression.
Everyone nodded in agreement with his statement.
Putting aside the question of whether it was Qi Family Army Qi Family Army or not, the fact that the enemy still had such morale after their commander died was a terrifying thing.
Underestimating the other party could have disastrous consequences.
The key issue is that the enemy has an army of 300,000, while our side only has a mere 200,000, including tens of thousands of new recruits. This puts us at a significant disadvantage in a fight.
We absolutely must provide support!
Lu Donghongri shook his head and said in a deep voice, "The enemy has launched an attack with 300,000 troops. This is no longer a probing attack; clearly, the enemy's second large-scale offensive has begun!"
"In that case, it's likely that not only we, but also several other passes, have been attacked by the Great Liang army, and our reinforcements probably won't be able to arrive."
"Moreover, His Majesty has given me a strict order: to guard this place for five days. We have no choice but to rely on ourselves!"
With a million-strong army from the Great Liang approaching, once the attack is launched, it will surge in like a tidal wave, a full-scale offensive, not just targeting our own territory.
It's likely that there will be plenty of enemies at Flying Hero Pass and Dalang Valley as well, so the chances of reinforcements are slim.
No reinforcements?
"We still have to hold out for five more days... this..."
Everyone's expression changed drastically. This was an extremely difficult task, after all, the previous Daxin Pass served as a warning; the enemy possessed the ability to breach the city walls.
If the enemy uses the weapons mentioned in the poem "Zeri Longxi" to bombard our city, we will face 300,000 enemy troops.
This is too difficult; it's suffocating!
Qi Jiguang!
Lu Donghongri ignored his subordinates' complaints and instead carefully considered how to deal with Qi Jiguang.
There was one thing he didn't tell his subordinates: according to intelligence from his Lu Dong Family, His Majesty had decided to hold the decisive battle at Flying Hero Pass, not Pingyu Pass.
In other words, the Zhennan army would prioritize entering Flying Hero Pass, then concentrate its superior forces to engage in a decisive battle with the enemy's main force, thus effectively abandoning their own side.
This is why, after Zeri Longxi to Pingyu Pass, he immediately led his men to Flying Hero Pass.
In this situation, we can only rely on ourselves.
If you can hold this place and delay the enemy's forces, you will rise to prominence; otherwise, don't even think about it, it's a dead end anyway.
In this situation, it's obviously not wise to take the initiative; that would be the most foolish choice. Not only would the risks be enormous, but it would also mean giving up the advantage of having the initiative.
After all, the city is our own; with the city's protection, the advantage is on our side.
Even if the enemy has a large number of troops, they cannot quickly destroy our defenses. On the contrary, we can rely on the continuous support from the people inside the pass, so we are absolutely confident that we can hold our ground.
Besides, he still had a trump card up his sleeve, so he wasn't without a fighting chance.
Thinking of this, Lu Donghongri took a deep breath and said in a deep voice, "Send men to close the city gates tightly, and at the same time, have the army stand ready and await the enemy's attack. Also, A Long, go and conscript all the men over the age of twelve within the pass. This is a tough battle, and we must go all out!"
Everyone else, come with me to the hill east of the city, and let this general see the so-called Qi Family Army!
After arranging everything, led by Lu Donghongri, the group took a shortcut to the east of the city and immediately hid.
This is the eastern side of the city wall. To the Zhennan, one can look down from a small hill and observe the situation of the Great Liang army in the distance.
Although the enemy is not clearly visible, it is still roughly discernible.
This is an excellent observation point; with it, we can gain an early understanding of the Qi Family Army and avoid being caught off guard at crucial moments.
Rumble!
Amidst the galloping warhorses, the Qi Family Army surged forward, appearing before everyone's eyes.
At first, no one took it seriously, but after seeing the opponent's formation, everyone's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, as if they had seen a ghost.
Although these soldiers marched at high speed, their movements remained synchronized, and their steps were remarkably precise, as if they had been rehearsed.
From afar, it looked like a giant square formation heading in their direction; the sense of unity it created was an unparalleled visual spectacle.
"Hiss, they've definitely come with ill intentions!"
"Although their warhorses are galloping, they are a cohesive unit; this is a formidable force!"
" The Qi Family Army is indeed formidable, but I wonder about their combat strength!"
Everyone was apprehensive. They didn't know the specifics of the Qi Family Army's fighting prowess, but their appearance was absolutely top-notch; just watching them walk was intimidating.
What kind of brutal training must be required to achieve such a level of uniformity?
This was an army of 300,000, yet he managed to maintain perfect discipline and complete unity. Qi Jiguang was truly a genius.
Lu Donghongri frowned slightly. He couldn't afford to boost the morale of others and diminish his own prestige at this moment.
He pondered, "Their marching is fine; with more training, we can shoot them down just the same. But what is that weapon they're using? I've never seen it before!"
As the enemy drew closer, he saw the weapons of the Qi Family Army's army and his heart skipped a beat.
No matter how synchronized the steps are, it's just fancy footwork; people will still die under a hail of arrows, so he wasn't too worried.
However, their weapons gave him a sense of uncontrollable danger. These things were completely unknown, and how to defend against them was a big problem.
The others agreed, saying that even if they marched in perfect formation, a single volley of arrows from me would kill a whole bunch of them.
However, they had never seen this weapon before.
"What kind of weapon is this? It's neither a club nor a club, and it even has bayonets embedded in it. It's really strange. No other army in Great Liang is like this."