bayedsolid Chapter 2211 Chu Xuan's Rebellion!
Chapter 2211 Chu Xuan's Rebellion!
The balance of power on the battlefield began to tilt.
The remnants of the Tang army displayed their last desperate courage, and Chu Ning's central army pressed forward with all their might!
At the moment when Ma Chao's 20,000 fresh cavalrymen slammed into the back of the Tang army like steel wedges, the tide seemed to have irrevocably turned completely towards the side of the Great Chu.
The dawn of victory seemed to have pierced through the blood-stained night, shining upon Chu Ning's blood-stained silver spear.
However, the allure and cruelty of war often lie in its unpredictable nature and the astonishing reversals that occur beneath seemingly predetermined outcomes.
Just as the thunderous hoofbeats of Ma Chao's cavalry thundered across the earth, about to deliver the final blow to the Tang army—
Jianghuai City, a majestic city standing on the edge of the battlefield, which had previously remained silent like a behemoth.
Two completely different, yet equally terrifying torrents surged forth from its west and north directions almost simultaneously!
To the west, not far from the banks of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers.
A massive army, moving with astonishing speed and in an orderly formation, bypassed the shadows of the towering city walls, like a silent undercurrent, surging towards the banks of the Yangtze and Huai Rivers, where the sounds of battle were deafening.
This is a legion composed entirely of infantry, with an estimated number of no less than 50,000 men!
They marched without torches, under the cover of night, with only the occasional glimmer of cold moonlight reflecting off their armor.
The uniform, deep footsteps, as rhythmic as the pulse of the earth, revealed that this was a well-trained elite force, far from a rabble.
Their objective was clear: to head straight for the flank and rear of the battlefield where the Chu and Tang armies were engaged.
Especially the Chu army's logistics and reserve forces that are currently gathering in the ferry area to provide support to the front lines!
Almost simultaneously, in the more open plains north of Jianghuai City, the earth trembled in a more intense and wilder way!
A massive cavalry torrent surged forth as if from hell, and countless torches suddenly lit up, illuminating the banners fluttering in the wind.
That was neither the Chu-character dragon flag nor the Tang-character banner, but a ferocious foreign war flag depicting a poisonous scorpion!
Scorpion Clan!
The force was so large that, at a glance, there were more than 40,000 cavalry!
These cavalrymen roared in, carrying the fierceness and shouts unique to the nomadic people of the grasslands, like a giant scimitar, slashing fiercely at the north side of the battlefield.
That place is precisely the junction of Chu Ning's main force in the central army and Xue Huaide's left wing army. Once it is penetrated, it will directly threaten the core of Chu's offensive system!
Even more horrifying was the darkness in the northeast direction.
Another, smaller but more chaotic and restless cavalry force rolled in, their dust billowing, and leading them was none other than the wolf-headed banner of Helian Hui, the Khan of the Scorpion Clan!
This Khan, who had been defeated by the Chu army and fled in disarray, somehow managed to gather his scattered tribal warriors and return.
He charged toward the Chu army's front line from another direction, burning with the intense flames of revenge!
The sudden emergence of these three new forces was timed with extreme precision and ruthlessness.
Just as the Chu army was launching a full-scale attack on the remnants of the Tang army, and Ma Chao's troops who had crossed the river had just joined the battle, the entire Chu army formation was at its most advanced, with its flanks and rear relatively vulnerable!
Their arrival instantly pushed what seemed to be a battle nearing its end into an even larger, more chaotic, and more unpredictable abyss!
In the center of the battlefield, Chu Ning was wielding his spear, sending a fierce Tang soldier flying. His silver spear was stained with blood, and his momentum was overwhelming.
He could already see the chaos caused by Ma Chao's cavalry crashing into the rear of the Tang army, and victory seemed within reach.
Just as he was about to order the entire army to press forward and deliver the final, fatal blow to the Tang army—
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Urgent military intelligence!!"
A shrill, distorted cry, accompanied by the rapid clatter of hooves, rang out as Hu Hu, a commander of the Northern Garrison of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, practically smashed his way through the chaotic army.
He scrambled and stumbled to a few feet in front of Chu Ning's horse, only to be stopped by the guards.
He collapsed to the ground, not even having time to bow, and screamed with all his might, his voice filled with unprecedented terror:
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"
"To the west! A massive infantry force, at least 50,000 strong, is bypassing Jianghuai City and heading straight for the flank and rear of our battlefield. They are less than five miles away!"
"North! A large number of Scorpion Clan cavalry have appeared in the north, bearing the banner of Scorpion Clan General Gongsun Yi. Their strength is no less than 40,000, and they are attacking the left flank of our army!"
"And... to the northeast, Helian Hui, that defeated general, has also gathered about 20,000 remnants of his army and is returning to the battlefield!"
Hu Hu finished reciting the report in one breath, his chest heaving violently, his face as pale as paper.
Each of these three pieces of news was like a heavy hammer, striking Chu Ning and all the Chu army generals around him who heard it!
The once fiery battlefield atmosphere was instantly doused with a bucket of ice water.
Chu Ning's hand gripping the silver spear tightened suddenly, his knuckles turning white, and beads of blood on the spear tip slowly dripped down the grooves.
He suddenly reined in his warhorse, and the horse, Wuyun Taxue, reared up and let out a long neigh.
Chu Ning's gaze swept like two cold lightning bolts in the direction Hu Hu pointed.
Although the darkness and battlefield dust obscured the view, the faint, massive tremors of marching and the new shouts of battle, different from those on the current battlefield, confirmed that Hu Hu's words were true!
"what happened?"
Chu Ning's voice suddenly rose, drowning out the surrounding fighting, filled with unbelievable rage and a deep chill.
"Fifty thousand infantry? Forty thousand Scorpion Clan cavalry? Where did they come from?"
"Helian Hui is a defeated dog, where did he get 20,000 troops? Where are the scouts? Where are the secret agents of the Embroidered Uniform Guard? Why was there no warning beforehand?"
His questions came like hailstones.
Fifty thousand infantrymen is no small number; they couldn't have appeared out of thin air.
Gongsun Yi's 40,000 Scorpion Clan cavalry should have been firmly held back by Chu Xuan in the direction of Black Stone Fortress, so how could they have arrived here day and night?
How could Helian Hui, who suffered such a crushing defeat, possibly rebuild 20,000 cavalry so quickly?
Hu Hu lay prostrate on the ground, his voice trembling with fear and tension, yet he was forced to utter the even more cruel guess:
"Your Majesty! Those 40,000 Scorpion Clan cavalrymen were indeed flying Gongsun Yi's banner. Judging from their direction of origin and their marching speed, they were most likely marching day and night from the direction of Black Stone Fortress."
"As for those 50,000 infantrymen, their armor and uniforms seem to be... seemingly the style of the Youzhou army!"
The Youzhou Army?
These three words struck Chu Ning like a thunderbolt deep into his mind!
Youzhou was the place guarded by his elder brother, Prince Xuan, Chu Xuan. It was also an important force that Chu Xuan was ordered to command to deter and restrain the northern Scorpion Clan and to assist in the defense of the western front!
According to strategy, Chu Xuan should be leading the main force of the Youzhou army to confront Gongsun Yi in the Black Stone Fortress area at this time, ensuring that the main force of the Scorpion Clan cannot go south to interfere with the decisive battle in Jianghuai!