Dark Sand: My Players Are All Actors
Chapter 421 - 247: The Battle of Tong’an City_3

Chapter 421: Chapter 247: The Battle of Tong’an City_3

At that moment, Liu Fa was unaware that the battle at Tong’an City was the first battle between Emperor Qihui of Qi and Xixia, but it was also the last battle between the Qi Dynasty and Xixia.

After this battle, the grievances between Xixia and the Qi Dynasty came to an end.

Because, after fighting bravely for over three hours, Liu Fa was defeated and killed in battle, the Qi Army was on the verge of success but failed, losing their last chance to annihilate Xixia. Afterward, the Xixia Army ravaged the land with fire and sword, and the number of military and civilian casualties in the Qi Dynasty reached one hundred thousand.

Then, peace talks followed.

By the time of the Jingping incident, the Western Army was pulled away to assist the king, and large areas of the Northern Border of the Qi Dynasty were lost. Qi and Xixia no longer shared a border, and eventually, both nations were consecutively annihilated by the Northern Barbarians.

It was quite remarkable that Xixia managed to lock horns with Qi for so long, staying intact for 189 years, showcasing the Qi Dynasty’s excellent matching system at its best.

Regardless of the strength of the opponent, Qi could always hold their own in the fight.

At this time, General Liu Fa naturally could not know what the future held, his only thought was to get to Tong’an City as quickly as possible.

For it was only by entering Tong’an City that he could be considered relatively safe.

However, compared to the urgency present in the true historical context, General Liu Fa was now somewhat more composed and calm, and his march was less rushed.

Because following a sharp dispute between Prince Yun and Tong Dao Fu, he stubbornly brought a reinforcement of thirty thousand troops, including several generals like Zhong Pingyuan, following behind him.

General Liu Fa himself commanded twenty thousand troops and was originally rushing on his way, already at a reduced combat strength, and would likely face dire outcomes upon encountering the enemy. But now with reinforcements behind him, he could afford to travel more leisurely.

Seeing the outline of the walls of Tong’an City coming into view, General Liu Fa couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Could it be... that I’ve worried over nothing?

Yet just as this thought crossed his mind, suddenly, several cavalrymen appeared on the hillside ahead.

After peeking around, these cavalrymen galloped down the slope and quickly retreated.

Liu Fa’s nerves instantly tensed, and he immediately ordered, "Form up! Prepare for battle!"

He had realized that these were no ordinary scouts but the vanguard of the Xixia Army!

Sure enough, it was not long before a dense mass of the Xixia Army troops appeared within Liu Fa’s sight.

And upon seeing the array of the Xixia Army at this moment, Liu Fa’s heart first sank, but then he suddenly felt a sense of relief.

Having fought in the northwest, he was naturally well-acquainted with the Xixia Army’s situation.

He recognized the commander of the troops before him: It was his old adversary, the brother of the ruler of Xia Country, Prince Jin Wang Cha Ge!

This also meant that he was facing the absolute main force of the Xixia Army.

Under such a disparity in military strength, Liu Fa, no matter how skilled, was utterly powerless to turn the tide.

But now, Liu Fa was not without strength for a fight.

Because he knew that he had reinforcements behind him!

...

At the same time, Fan Cun was following General Liu Fa’s lead at an appropriate distance, accompanied by Zhong Pingyuan.

"Prince Yun’s willingness to stand up for us military men is deeply appreciated by all in the Western Army.

"However, has Prince Yun considered what would happen if we return from this mission without success, and how we would face His Majesty then?

"His Majesty indeed intends to train Your Highness, but this matter..."

Although Zhong Pingyuan did not speak explicitly, the broad strokes of his meaning were sufficiently clear.

If this endeavor turned out to be a wasted effort, the consequences for Prince Yun upon his return would not be as simple as just being reprimanded. Perhaps thereafter, Emperor Qihui would never allow him to be involved in military affairs again.

Such a risk seemed unnecessary for Prince Yun, who was born a royal and with the Qi Dynasty’s tradition of prioritizing civil over military achievements, why should he take up the cause for these soldiers?

Moreover, Zhong Pingyuan found it puzzling—why was Prince Yun so confident?

Fan Cun chuckled, "Why not look on the bright side, Chancellor Zhong?

"What if, in this battle, we encounter the main force of the Xixia Army and defeat them? What then?"

Fan Cun was of course unburdened by the weight of the situation, for he was a player, guided by Emperor Taizu of Sheng, and he also knew what was about to happen.

Even if this instance differed from the historical reality, resulting in a misstep, he could simply try again, repeatedly challenging the situation if necessary.

But if the gamble pays off...

Man, that scene would be too beautiful for words.

The army continued its march until a fast horse came galloping from the front.

"Report!

"General Liu Fa has encountered the main forces of the Xixia Army, personally led by Jin Wang Cha Ge, and both sides have already clashed!

"The Xixia Army has split its troops into three formations, blocking General Liu Fa’s path!"

Zhong Pingyuan’s eyes widened slightly.

They had actually encountered them!

He had actually prepared for a miss, after all, how often do things in this world happen by sheer coincidence? Was General Liu Fa coincidentally on his way to Tong’an City, plunging straight into the encirclement of the main forces of the Xixia Army?

Although this battle was somewhat risky and there was a possibility of an ambush, the fact that they had indeed run into the main forces of the Xixia Army was still a surprise to Zhong Pingyuan.

And the look he gave Prince Yun also conveyed a measure of reverence.

If it wasn’t for Prince Yun’s insistence that Zhong Pingyuan and the others closely follow him and keep up with General Liu Fa, then by now, General Liu Fa might have only one path left—a defeat leading to death.

After all, according to the original troop deployments, by the time all the generals received the news of General Liu Fa’s encounter with the main forces of the Xixia Army and assembled their forces to rush over, it would have already been too late.

But now, it was as if the decisive battle had begun under circumstances more favorable to the Qi Army!

The Xixia Army used Tong’an City as bait to lure and surround. But how could they have anticipated that they would fall into a trap themselves while trying to ensnare their prey?

They thought they had caught a big fish in General Liu Fa, but in fact, General Liu Fa was also bait!

...

Jiao Anjie, the commander of General Liu Fa’s rear guard, was fighting desperately.

An entire hour had passed since the two sides had engaged in battle.

And now, the rear guard led by Jiao Anjie was almost at its limit.

For he was up against the elite cavalry of the Xixia, which included two thousand iron heavy cavalrymen!

By now, it was clear that Jin Wang Cha Ge of the Xixia Army was determined to completely annihilate Liu Fa’s entire force. In the front, he had set his forces up in three formations, firmly blocking Liu Fa’s vanguard, preventing them from breaking through towards Tong’an City; meanwhile, he had dispatched a vanguard of elite cavalry, who scaled a hill and then circled behind Liu Fa’s army to commence a pincer attack!

The iron heavy cavalry was the heavy armored cavalry force of the Xixia, akin to their own version of an iron pagoda formation.

Linked by hooks and chains in their heavy armor, even in death, they would not fall from their horses.

Under Jiao Anjie’s command, the soldiers were practically resisting with their flesh and blood for over an hour.

However, given the disparity in military strength between the two, the collapse of the rear guard was only a matter of time.

And once the rear guard collapsed, Liu Fa’s army’s formation would be completely disrupted. These iron heavy cavalrymen would then be able to burst through and fully eliminate the twenty thousand men led by General Liu Fa.

However, just as Jiao Anjie had braced himself for a death in service of his country, he suddenly noticed that these seemingly invincible iron heavy cavalrymen had begun to stir with unrest.

"What’s going on?"

Jiao Anjie looked into the distance, only to see at twilight under the faintly darkening sky, in the distance... there seemed to be figures of the Qi Army.

These were the elite cavalrymen, rarely seen in the Qi Army!

And the young general at the forefront was brandishing his spear and charging into the chaotic fray on his horse, taking the opportunity to knock several Xixia light cavalrymen off their mounts!

Although the Xixia cavalry were in disarray due to the attack from behind and their formation had already collapsed, such bravery was still rarely seen.

And most crucially, Jiao Anjie noticed that he had never seen this man before.

After all, with his rank, he was not in a position to discuss matters with the likes of Prince Yun or colleagues like Tong Dao Fu.

The assault swept through!

Fan Cun rode his battle horse, mustering his strength to lift his long spear, and thrust into the gaps in the armor of the iron heavy cavalrymen who had fallen to the ground.

Then, while panting for breath, he complained,

"This Prince Yun, his physical condition really isn’t up to par...

"And I hate fighting heavy cavalry!"

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