"I've said it before, I'm a person who values rules the most!"
Zhang Da's tone suddenly changed, his expression turning icy, "You've already received the reward money from the imperial court, so you must obey military orders! In the upcoming battle, if anyone disobeys orders and dares to retreat or desert, I will punish them according to military law!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the more than two hundred government soldiers who had been placed at the back of the line suddenly drew their swords from their waists.
"We are the military law enforcement team. Anyone who dares to retreat or flee on the battlefield will be executed without mercy!"
A general in the ranks shouted loudly.
In the ranks, everyone turned around. Looking at the gleaming steel blades behind them and the menacing military law squad, many people turned pale and felt fear.
First came the reward from last night, then the cash bonus for today, and finally, the military law team was set up to establish military regulations.
This team will at least no longer be a ragtag bunch that crumbles at the slightest touch.
Next, Zhang Da ordered everyone to rest on the spot, and he sent out scouts to gather intelligence on Xu Cheng and the others.
At approximately 9:45 AM, the scouts sent by Zhang Da and Xu Cheng engaged in battle!
Both sides suffered casualties, and both fought with great restraint.
About half an hour later, Xu Cheng's large entourage could be seen on the official road.
"Everyone, rise, form ranks, and prepare for battle!"
Jiang Chuan rode his horse back and forth in front of the battle formation, shouting orders.
Zhang Da stared intently ahead.
He knew that with the Xu Family's influence in Shu Province, it was impossible for him to conceal his mobilization of so many troops.
So he didn't think he could hide it from Xu Cheng, and simply set up his troops in Zhou Family Village to fight the enemy openly and fairly!
More than four thousand people began to press forward.
Ahead, Xu Cheng surveyed Zhang Da's troops and the surrounding terrain from a distance.
The force the enemy brought out was roughly what he had anticipated.
The terrain near the official road outside Zhou Family Village is relatively flat and offers little cover.
Zhang Da did not stay with the main force, but instead led a troop of cavalry on a nearby hillside.
Xu Cheng pointed to the hillside. "Zhang Da should be there with his personal guards, waiting to make his move at the crucial moment."
Wu Shuangren looked in the direction Xu Cheng was pointing and decided that once the battle started, he would lead his personal guards to charge straight in!
"You don't need to rush into action; wait for Zhang Da to make the first move."
Xu Cheng saw through Wu Shuangren's thoughts and spoke up.
"Good."
Wu Shuangren nodded, respecting his father-in-law's military command.
As the two talked, the two teams closed the distance to within a thousand paces.
A rider came galloping up and stopped three hundred paces away.
Xu Cheng!
The man activated his Internal Skill and shouted loudly.
"You disobeyed military orders and mobilized troops without authorization! Now you've colluded with bandits, plotting a rebellion! Why don't you surrender now?!"
Xu Cheng smiled coldly upon hearing this.
In reality, both sides knew what the other was doing; they just had to follow the proper procedures.
Even if Wu Shuangren did not lead a large force into Shu Province, Zhang Da would still accuse him of treason.
Only in this way could he have a reason to kill Xu Cheng!
If Wu Shuangren really led a large force into Shu Province, Zhang Da probably wouldn't have deployed his troops in Zhou Family Village to confront Xu Cheng. Instead, he would have used official means to pin the charge of treason on the Xu Family!
Xu Cheng led his troops away from the garrison in a grand manner, announcing that he had come to pick up the witnesses. Wu Shuangren also joined them with only a small number of troops.
The real intention was to entice Zhang Da to resolve the matter by force.
Guo Jiwang's plan was to make both sides decide the outcome of the matter through warfare.
Simple, straightforward, and to the point!
Zhang Da--
Xu Cheng spurred his horse forward and shouted loudly in Zhang Da's direction, "You were blinded by greed, privately forging weapons to sell to the Tubo! After being discovered, you ordered Feilong and his gang to destroy Forged Edge Workshop and silence them! Do you even deserve to be a general of my Wu Dynasty?!"
Before Zhang Da could speak, Xu Cheng continued:
"Now I need to take the two surviving witnesses from the Forged Edge Workshop to Shu Province City to report you, and you actually brought these people to try and kill them to silence them—it's utterly depraved!"
As he spoke, he pointed his spear forward, toward the more than four thousand people lined up in front of him:
"You have become accomplices to such people; sooner or later, the imperial court will purge you, confiscate your property, and exterminate your entire clan!!"
The crowd in front stirred slightly.
"Nonsense!"
Zhang Da finally spoke, "Xu Cheng, I am still the Assistant Commander of Shu Province! You disobeyed military orders, committed treason, colluded with traitors, and plotted rebellion! Your accusations against me are all empty words; you haven't produced any evidence. Your crimes, however, are plain for all to see! Since you remain obstinate, I will today execute this traitor on behalf of the court!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Jiang Chuan, who was at the front of the line, shouted loudly:
"Slay the traitors!"
Immediately afterwards, everyone in the queue shouted in unison:
"Slay the traitors!"
"Slay the traitors!"
"..."
The sound was deafening!
Xu Cheng stopped arguing with Zhang Da. He raised his hand and waved it forward, and thousands of people were already in formation, marching forward.
He deployed his troops in a common Arrowhead Formation, with elite infantry in the center and cavalry on the flanks.
Wu Shuangren and his personal guards had already changed into infantry armor and were positioned at the rear of the formation.
Jiang Chuan deployed his troops in Flying Geese Formation, with his cavalry positioned on the flanks as well.
Xu Cheng's side had about two hundred cavalrymen available, while the opposing side had about four hundred.
Neither side's cavalry moved, only allowing their infantry formations to advance.
They were about three hundred paces apart when the crossbowmen on both sides fired their arrows first.
Whew whiff whiff--
In an instant, arrows flew back and forth, landing among the crowd.
This time, Wu Shuangren not only brought more than two hundred personal guards, but also two hundred powerful crossbows!
Therefore, Xu Cheng's side had more crossbowmen and a fiercer offensive.
"Raise your shields! Raise your shields!"
"Don't panic!"
"No backing up!"
Among the crowd, the government troops appointed by Zhang Da constantly restrained those around them.
The arrows fell, some hitting shields, some hitting the armor of the front-line soldiers, and some hitting the Militia Private and household guards behind them.
Only half of these Militia Private and retainers were wearing leather armor; the rest were dressed in cloth, making them no match for the powerful crossbow bolts.
The man struck by the arrow collapsed to the ground, bleeding profusely, and cried out in agony, causing a commotion in the ranks!
Some people were already frightened and dared not move forward. The military law squad members who remained at the back immediately shouted and shoved, forcing everyone to continue forward.
The rules Zhang Da had set beforehand were still in effect; no one dared to turn and run away, and they could only continue forward under the hail of arrows.
Once the two sides were within a hundred paces, the archers joined the battle, and the arrows became even denser.
Although Zhang Da had fewer crossbowmen than Xu Cheng, he had more archers, giving him the advantage in close combat.
Although Xu Cheng's side suffered casualties, their ranks remained orderly and there was no chaos.
"Prepare--"
The generals on both sides were shouting.
As they drew closer, their spears clashed first.
"Prick!!"
"Withstand!
No refunds allowed!
"..."
The infantry on both sides collided!
Zhang Da's side had more men and a wider formation. The two flanks of their Flying Geese Formation began to advance and encircle the enemy, attempting to form an encirclement.
Meanwhile, Xu Cheng's men charged forward in Arrowhead Formation, determined to break through the enemy's encirclement before it could be completed!
Zhang Da, standing on a nearby hillside, could see clearly that his own central army had already begun to retreat as soon as they engaged in battle.
When Jiang Chuan arranged the battle formation, he had tried his best to place more government troops in the center, but he still couldn't stop the enemy's charge!
Zhang Da was also a veteran of the border army. He realized that his infantry might not be able to stop Xu Cheng's men, so he raised his hand, and his personal guards immediately waved the flags in their hands to convey the military order.
As the flags waved and the order was given, the more than four hundred cavalrymen who had remained motionless at the flanks and rear moved!
Seeing that the enemy cavalry had moved, Xu Cheng decisively ordered his own cavalry to charge forward.
The thunderous hooves shook the ground, and both cavalrymen kicked up clouds of dust!
Zhang Da's 400-plus cavalry had a clear tactical intention: to flank and attack from the rear. Xu Cheng's 200-plus cavalry charged forward to intercept them.
Although outnumbered, it was clear that Xu Cheng's cavalry formation was more organized.
The two objects collided quickly and passed each other at extremely high speeds.
The initial impact is the most destructive, because both sides are armed with spears and lances.
After striking the enemy with their spears or lances, most people didn't have time to retract their weapons and had to discard their spears and lances, then draw their sabers to continue fighting.
At this point, cavalrymen with superior mounted combat skills can use spears or lances to kill as many people as possible and widen the gap between them!
Some fell from their horses, some were thrown from their mounts, and some were impaled by lances...
Those who survived the fall from their horses were quickly beheaded or cut down by the enemy with sabers.
In cavalry combat, falling from one's horse means certain death!
After a round of charging, both sides' horses slowed down.
Wu Shuangren looked closely and realized that Zhang Da's cavalry had suffered more casualties!
This reminded him of the Xu Jing, all of whom were skilled in archery and horsemanship.
Judging from this, the Xu Family has a deep foundation in this area, and the cavalry they have trained are all quite capable!
On the hillside, Zhang Da's face looked rather grim.
In his pre-battle simulation, he believed that his side had more cavalry. After the first charge, half of his cavalry would continue to engage Xu Cheng's cavalry, while the rest would flank and attack Xu Cheng's infantry.
As a result, with four hundred cavalrymen fighting against two hundred, it was their side that was falling behind.
As a result, Zhang Da's cavalry dared not easily split up, nor did they dare to ignore Xu Cheng's cavalry and directly flank them. Exposing their backs to the cavalry would be tantamount to suicide!
After a brief rest, the two cavalry units regrouped and launched another charge.
In another battle, Zhang Da's Flying Geese Formation had completed the initial encirclement, but failed to immediately break Xu Cheng's infantry formation.
Meanwhile, Zhang Da's men, who were fighting the fiercest battle in the center, were being driven back in disarray and were on the verge of collapse.
Once the central army collapses, it's only a matter of time before these four thousand-plus men completely scatter!
Despite outnumbering the enemy several times over, they hadn't gained any advantage whatsoever, which made Zhang Da's face grow increasingly grim.
"Everyone, get ready!"