"It's flooding, it's flooding."
"Oh no, is it a mountain torrent?"
"Run, run, save us!"
In the fourth year of Yan Yongping, the second year of Xia Yuanjia, the daring battalion of the Yan army, led by Murong Tengge, intended to cross the Mayue River and set up camp on the north bank.
As the troops were crossing the river, a "rumbling" sound suddenly came from upstream of the Mayue River, like the sky and earth collapsing. Then, not far from a high point, a faint white line descended from above and, with extreme speed, charged towards the Yan army. It arrived in an instant, reaching the Yan army's eyes before they knew it.
The white line was a flood. The raging torrent, mixed with broken branches and stones, cascaded down from above, pouring into the Mayue Riverbed. The terrifying roaring sound, while crashing against the banks, also profoundly shook the Yan army, who scrambled and shouted in panic.
The towering flood, like thunder, poured down, its unstoppable torrent surging forward.
"Ah, save me!"
"Quick, quick, get to shore."
In a flash, the flood submerged the majority of the Yan army crossing the river. Countless Yan soldiers struggled desperately in the water, swept away by the current.
Most of the Yan soldiers who fell into the water were northerners with poor swimming skills, or even unable to swim. Even those who could swim, if clad in armor, found it impossible to stay afloat. Thus, countless Yan soldiers were drowned in the flood and swept downstream.
The towering flood swept in instantly, causing heavy casualties to the Yan army. Moreover, the rampaging flood divided the Yan army into three parts: one on the south bank, one on the north bank, and another struggling in the river. This left the Yan army unable to support each other.
"Get ashore quickly, get ashore quickly!" At this moment, the camp commander Murong Tengge could not help but realize this was a deliberate act. They had fallen into a Xia army ambush. He roared loudly, wielding his saber. However, the daring battalion had already descended into utter chaos, making an incessant din. Murong Tengge's voice was hoarse, but it had little effect.
Murong Tengge had already led over two hundred cavalry across the Mayue River. He could only watch helplessly as the Yan soldiers in the river struggled and those on the south bank who had not yet crossed were in despair, his heart in turmoil, without any plan.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Men of Huai'an are full of courage, preferring to spill their blood on the battlefield than to let barbarians invade our homeland!"
"Kill the barbarians! Kill the barbarians! Kill the barbarians!"
Moments later, after a cannon blast, the Xia army, hidden from view, surged forth and attacked the disorganized daring battalion. Simultaneously, from a protruding cliff on the south bank, countless Xia archers emerged, drawing their bows and arrows, and rained them down on the Yan army's daring battalion.
The Yan army's daring battalion was mostly conscripts, hastily assembled villagers. They were a mere mob. Thus, despite their numbers, they couldn't resist and scattered in panic, their formation in complete disarray.
Rows of arrows shot down from the cliff, striking countless Yan soldiers. Some fell into the surging flood, while others collapsed on the bank, their blood staining the riverbank, turning the waters of the Mayue River into crimson waves.
"Stop running around, running around will get you killed faster. Lie down, lie down, take cover from the arrows, take cover!"
As the flood poured down and the Xia ambushers emerged, the banner bearer, Albugu, was terrified and fled with a few riders. The army, leaderless, descended into even greater confusion. Zhou Fugui, seeing countless of his fellow villagers fall to arrows, shouted anxiously.
Because Zhou Fugui had observed carefully and understood the situation, most of his fellow villagers who were friendly with him had not crossed the river and remained on the south bank. As the battle began, Zhou Fugui led them to the rocky area by the bank, using the rocks to shield themselves from the Xia army's extremely sharp archery.
Zhou Fugui, holding his bow and arrows in his right hand, pressed Xiao Qing tightly beneath him, evading the arrow rain.
Other horses, startled, bucked and scattered. However, Zhou Fugui's old horse knelt on its front legs beside him, its hindquarters raised high, a picture of utter obliviousness.
This was the first time Zhou Fugui had experienced war since coming into this world and being "conscripted." It was entirely different from killing a few barbarians.
The cries of agony rising from the battlefield, the heart-wrenching clang of swords and spears, the scattered, bloody corpses, the sounds of those struggling and groaning in pools of blood, the severed limbs – all of this revealed the bloodthirsty and brutal reality of war.
Zhou Fugui was also human and feared death, thus he was exceptionally terrified. However, there was also a hint of excitement.
"Ah..." Zhou Fugui and the others used the rocks to evade the arrow rain. But the arrowheads, falling from the sky, were inescapable. An arrowhead pierced through the rocks and struck Wu Zhangshuan, the squad leader, in the chest. Wu Zhangshuan let out a scream and fell over.
"Huddle down, huddle down," Zhou Fugui shouted urgently, turning his head.
Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, Li Qing, Pan Jiangui, and others, all holding their weapons, crouched among the rocks, not daring to lift their heads.
The arrows rained down like a harvest of rice, embedding themselves around Zhou Fugui and the others, forming a dense field like a wheat field. All of Zhou Fugui's fellow villagers had deathly pale faces.
Being shot at like sparrows was no solution. A moment's carelessness could lead to a fatal end. Thinking this, Zhou Fugui secretly poked half his head out from behind the rocks.
"Whoosh..." As soon as Zhou Fugui exposed half his head, an arrow flew towards him with a heart-chilling whistling sound. Startled, Zhou Fugui quickly retracted his head.
The arrow struck the rocks with a "clang," splashing sparks before Zhou Fugui's eyes.
Damn it, that was accurate!
Zhou Fugui vaguely saw a Xia archer in red on the cliff drawing his bow and arrow, seemingly targeting him?
To confirm this, Zhou Fugui poked his head out again. As expected, another arrow flew towards him, which Zhou Fugui managed to dodge.
Fortunately, it wasn't a bullet. If it were a sniper's bullet, his life would have been over long ago. At this moment, Zhou Fugui wished his bow and arrow were a Barrett M82A1 sniper rifle...
Several Xia archers in red pinned Zhou Fugui down, preventing him from raising his head. To change this unfavorable situation and to survive, Zhou Fugui decided to counterattack.
He took off his leather hat and feigned a move, attracting three arrows. While the enemy was nocking their arrows, Zhou Fugui suddenly darted out from behind the rocks, knelt on the ground, and raised his bow, shooting an arrow towards the cliff.
Zhou Fugui's archery was superb, and coupled with the sharpness of the Zhuyue bow, his arrow flew like a meteor, even though it was an upward shot, towards the cliff.
"Ah!"
Moments later, a scream was heard. A Xia soldier in red was hit by an arrow, cried out, and rolled down the cliff, tumbling directly to Zhou Fugui's feet before gasping his last breath.
The Xia soldier in red was a young man of about eighteen or nineteen, around Zhou Fugui's age. After being hit by the arrow and rolling down the cliff, his nose and mouth were bleeding, and his face was unrecognizable.
Zhou Fugui's nineteenth birthday had been spent on the march. By lunar reckoning, he had come of age.
Alas, brother, I'm sorry. You tried to kill me, so I had to fight back. Seeing the tragic state of the Xia youth, Zhou Fugui felt immense pity. Nevertheless, after shooting down one Xia soldier, he followed suit and shot down three more Xia archers from the cliff.
War is cruel. It is either you die, or I die. If you live, I die. If you die, perhaps I can live. There was no room for Zhou Fugui's pity.
"Good! Excellent archery! Who is responsible for this?"
The Xia army was primarily attacking the Yan army on the south bank. As for Murong Tengge and the over two hundred cavalry on the north bank, they could only watch helplessly, wanting to find a way to rescue the Yan army on the south bank. However, they were too few in number, and it was uncertain if they could find a crossing point. Even if they found one, it might be too far. Therefore, Murong Tengge and the other Yan soldiers could only watch from across the river, anxious but helpless.
Murong Tengge, gazing from afar across the river, couldn't help but exclaim loudly in admiration.
"Judging by the banner, it should be Albugu's banner," a Yan officer with exceptionally keen eyesight replied.
Could it be him? Murong Tengge mused in his heart.
On the south bank of the Mayue River, Zhou Fugui had successively shot down several Yan archers. However, he was like a single tree struggling against a storm. Not only that, but it also drew the Xia archers to focus their fire on Zhou Fugui and his group, while the Xia infantry charged towards them.
However, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Zhou Fugui's superb archery, while drawing the attention of the Xia army, also caused the remaining Yan soldiers on the south bank to gather towards Zhou Fugui's location. Among them were archers, shield-bearers, and cavalry. Their numbers grew, and they began to stabilize slightly from their initial panic, gathering around Zhou Fugui. Archers, along with Zhou Fugui, unleashed arrows, while shield-bearers and cavalry fiercely resisted the Xia army's attacks.
Everyone present understood that in the brutal reality of war, it was either you die, or I die.
Of course, there were those who surrendered, but they were a tiny minority. The reason was that if they defected during battle, their families would be implicated and suffer a terrible fate.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
"Kill the barbarians! Kill the barbarians! Kill the barbarians!"
The Yan army gathered around Zhou Fugui, their numbers increasing, and they continuously counterattacked the Xia army, gradually recovering from their earlier disadvantage.
The Xia forces in this area were, after all, small and scattered. Many of them were ordinary civilians, not regular Xia troops. Therefore, at this moment, both sides were locked in a stalemate.
A young Xia general in a red robe, seeing that the Yan army on the south bank could not be subdued quickly, and that any prolonged delay would lead to complications, led his troops to charge towards Zhou Fugui and his group.
The young Xia general in red, riding a white horse and wielding a halberd, continuously struck down several Yan soldiers, pushing them off their horses. He was invincible, greatly boosting the morale of the Xia army, who charged forward with loud shouts.
"I will stop him!" the burly man Suo Dacheng grunted and stepped out from behind the rocks, raising a long axe to meet the charge.
"Dacheng, come back, you are no match for him," Zhou Fugui shouted anxiously, simultaneously drawing his bow. He shot an arrow, felling another Xia soldier next to the young Xia general in red, and then nocked another arrow, aiming at the young general.
Zhou Fugui had already seen how skilled and formidable this Xia general was, and Suo Dacheng, fighting on foot against a cavalryman, was at a significant disadvantage from the start.