mtlumby2d Chapter 1404 The Night Raid Begins
Chapter 1404 The Night Raid Begins
The pitch-black battlefield separated the two camps.
The teams that launched the night raid on Dayi were assembling according to their plans.
Because it was a night raid, the number of people would not be too large. On the Dayi side, each leader selected two regiments from their own army to form the night raid force.
Ling Zhen brought a full thirty cannons and prepared enough shells. This time his objective was clear: fire the thirty cannons rapidly, then run away.
"Ling Zhen, be careful in a bit. Thirty rapid-fire rounds, and once you've finished off your Shenji Army, you'll have to retreat with the artillery. We might not be able to take care of you."
Lu Zhishen assigned Ling Zhen a task: this leader of the Dayi infantry was to be the commander-in-chief of the infantry for tonight's night raid.
"Master, we can fight too..."
Ling Zhen wanted to show that his Shenji Army was also capable of fighting, but he was interrupted halfway through his sentence.
"What are you going to do? Your task is with the artillery. Once you've used up all your artillery fire, that's it. You can't go into battle until our infantry has been wiped out."
Lu Zhishen decisively rejected Ling Zhen's request, saying, "You're just an artilleryman, don't mess around."
"But Master..."
Ling Zhen wanted to say something more, but Lu Zhishen interrupted him directly:
"Ling Zhen, if you say another word, I'll just plant you in a water tank, you believe me?"
Hearing Lu Zhishen's words, Ling Zhen was stunned for a moment. He thought of his first meeting with Lu Zhishen. Back in Bianjing, Lu Zhishen had planted him upside down in a wine vat to sober him up.
Lu Zhishen still remembered this, which warmed Ling Zhen's heart.
"The Divine Machine Army obeys the Master's command."
Lu Zhishen nodded and then looked at his other brothers.
"Brothers, when the Shenji Army's artillery fires rapidly, everyone should deploy on the left and right flanks in a staggered formation. When they finish firing and retreat, we should immediately fill in the middle to cover their retreat."
"Don't worry, Master!"
The group of infantry heroes clasped their fists in unison, and everyone agreed with Lu Zhishen's plan.
"Master, what about me?"
Lu Junyi asked with a smile.
"Sir, why are you being so polite with me? Fight however you want!"
Lu Zhishen clasped his hands in a fist salute to Lu Junyi.
"it is good!"
Lu Junyi was not pretentious; as the leader of the Ma army, he naturally had his own decisions.
"Let's get going!"
……
The Dayi army has set off, and the Jin army is also on its way.
"Zongwang, you lead one team, and I'll lead one team."
Unlike the Dayi army's single-unit approach, the Jin army's night raid team was divided into two waves: one led by Wanyan Zonghan and the other by Wanyan Zongwang.
Each side had 5,000 cavalry, all light cavalry, all with their hooves covered, equipped with powerful bows, and also with flaming devices.
Clearly, the Jurchens' plan was to launch a night raid with light cavalry, and incidentally set fire to the granary or the place where the Dayi army stored artillery shells, thus detonating all the shells. That would be a huge profit for them!
"Zonghan! Come back, I'll treat you to a drink!"
Wanyan Zongwang mounted his horse and gave Wanyan Zonghan a good luck gesture.
"Alright! Let's see who gets back first!"
Wanyan Zonghan returned the gesture with a lucky hand gesture, such was the incredible tacit understanding between the two brothers!
The Jin army's light cavalry set out and quickly disappeared into the night. Wanyan Yinshuke was fully armored. He didn't know why, but he had a feeling that his two nephews would be in danger this time, so he prepared to rescue them.
"Your Majesty, please allow me to follow you secretly."
"Yin Shuke, you need to have more faith in them."
Wanyan Aguda patted Wanyan Yinshuke on the shoulder and said earnestly:
“They are not children anymore. There is an old saying in the Central Plains: ‘The student is extracted from the indigo plant but surpasses it.’ I think their idea of launching a two-pronged night attack is quite good.”
"Your Majesty, it is not that I doubt Zonghan and Zongwang's abilities, but that I am worried that the Yi people will also attack the camp."
Wanyan Yinshu expressed his concerns.
"Ok?"
Wanyan Aguda raised an eyebrow. In this situation, it didn't seem impossible.
"If that's the case, are you worried that the two groups will bump into each other on the way?"
"Yes, Your Majesty, if that's the case, Zongwang and Zonghan will be in some danger."
"Are you worried that the people from Yi Kingdom are very strong?"
"Your Majesty, we must admit that the Yi people are quite powerful and numerous. If they get entangled with Zongwang or Zonghan, it will be disadvantageous for us."
Upon hearing Wanyan Yinshuke's words, Wanyan Aguda thought for a moment and quickly made a decision:
"Yin Shuke, take 20,000 men as a backup team. If anything happens to them, you will be there to provide support."
"Yes!"
Upon hearing that he was to go and provide backup, Yin Shuke instantly became excited and immediately went to gather his men!
Zongwang, Zonghan, wait for me!
……
"Ling Zhen, is this distance enough?"
Under the cover of night, the Dayi army was advancing step by step. They had already crossed most of the battlefield and were getting closer and closer to the Jin army camp. So they stopped again and the leaders gathered together to discuss their next strategy.
"Not yet."
Ling Zhen glanced at the Jin camp in the distance, shook his head, and said, "No, the distance is still too far."
"The Divine Machine Army can no longer sneak past head-on; it's too easy to be discovered. You should go from the side."
Lu Zhishen glanced at the current formation and signaled Ling Zhen and the others to move to the flank.
"Master, I'll go lure the enemy first."
Lu Junyi arrived at this time and immediately told Lu Zhishen that he wanted to take on the task of luring the enemy.
"Luring the enemy?"
"Yes, I am a cavalryman. I am fast. I will lure the enemy out first. After the enemy is lured out, the infantry will fight, and then the Shenji Legion will fire the cannons. This way, the effect will be better."
"Great idea!"
Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that the idea was feasible and relatively easy to implement.
"Sir, when you go to lure the enemy, could you try to lure out the Jin royal family as well?"
Ling Zhen stated his requirements.
"To draw out the royal family?"
"Yes, in this kind of stalemate between large armies, it is difficult to determine the victor in a short time, but if their royal family suffers heavy casualties, I believe the Jin army will disintegrate in an instant."
Ling Zhen had his own considerations:
"If I can get their royal family members to gather even a little, I can bombard them!"
"That sounds great, but they might not necessarily come out."
Lu Junyi thought Ling Zhen's method was feasible, but whether it could be successful depended on the cooperation of the other side.
"Wait a minute, brothers, look in the direction of the Jin camp. I have a feeling that a group is coming out."
The speaker was Zhou Ang, the former deputy chief instructor of the Zhao Song imperial guards, who is now Wu Song's very good deputy.
"It's true, there are indeed people coming out of there. So, they also want to raid the camp?"
"Sir, you are a cavalryman, fast and quick. Go and intercept the group that's further away. Leave the rest to our infantry!"
Seeing that the Jin people had split into two groups, one taking a long detour and the other coming very close, the infantry generals immediately had an idea.
"Alright, brothers, then I'll take my leave first!"
Lu Junyi didn't waste any words. He knew that the Jin cavalry were fast, and he needed to quickly lead his men to pursue and intercept the group that was further away.
As for the remaining route, he was confident that his own infantry could handle it.
"Qiu Yue, Zhou Ang, you two protect Brother Ling Zhen and continue forward. Since they also want to raid the camp, we must strike first!"
"Brother Ling Zhen, let your cannons wreak havoc in the Jurchen camp!"
……