Iron Dynasty

The midday sun was scorching and bright. Qingzhou Army soldiers descending along ropes immediately drew the attention of Qingzhou City's residents. Some residents screamed and ran towards the city, while others began to shout.

Under years of rigorous training, the Qingzhou Army's skill in using ropes had become exceptionally refined; soldiers descended one after another from the ropes to the ground without a break.

For the success of this surprise attack, Lu Fei had dispatched the most elite ten thousand Qingzhou Army soldiers and ten thousand Dengzhou Army soldiers. These soldiers could be said to have experienced countless battles, and twenty thousand men taking Qingzhou City was no problem.

The soldiers who had reached the ground quickly formed battle arrays to guard against attacks from Qingzhou soldiers, while subsequent soldiers continuously descended from the mountain.

Just as two thousand men had gathered on the ground, the rumbling sound of footsteps approached, and then the armored Qingzhou Army appeared.

The Qingzhou Army, already arrayed in a three-stage firing formation, immediately opened fire. The Qingzhou Army charging towards them was instantly caught off guard, and the soldiers at the forefront fell like cut chives.

However, these Qingzhou soldiers were clearly also elites. Now that these enemies had entered the city, they had received the King of Liang's order to fight to the death. If Qingzhou City fell, the State of Liang would be finished.

"Bang, bang, bang. . . " Gunshots rang out continuously. The charging Qingzhou Army retreated, then charged again, charged, then retreated again. As more and more soldiers descended from the mountain, the Qingzhou Army's resistance gradually faltered.

While both sides were locked in fierce combat, a plume of wolf smoke suddenly rose from the city. Lu Fei, observing from the mountain, suddenly had an ominous premonition upon seeing this wolf smoke.

He picked up his telescope and scanned, when he suddenly saw a large group of Barbarian cavalry approaching from the north, charging directly towards their main camp.

Ye Qingyun also saw it, and he fumed, "That King of Liang truly colludes with the Barbarians! Now he's prepared to let the fish die and the net break! "

Lu Fei, however, said with concern, "I hope Qi Guangyi and Bai Mu can withstand these cavalry. "

At this moment, Bai Mu and Qi Guangyi also detected the Barbarian cavalry. The two exchanged glances. Bai Mu said, "Our main camp is protected by the wagon fort, so there's no need to worry about it. However, these Barbarian cavalry must be eliminated, otherwise they will constantly harass our supply lines. This time, why don't we take the initiative to attack and lure them into a trap, catching them off guard? When we came, I already observed that there is a valley nearby. This valley is extremely narrow and long, perfectly suited for artillery bombardment. Luo Xin, this time, your artillery will coordinate with our cavalry, and together we must wipe out this group of Barbarian cavalry. "

"Are you talking about the valley to the west? " Luo Xin asked.

Qi Guangyi nodded and said, "Exactly. We need to feign defeat and lure them into this valley. Then you will coordinate with us in the attack. "

After a moment of thought, Luo Xin gritted his teeth and said, "No problem. I will gather the Field Cannons and proceed to the valley for deployment now. "

Qi Guangyi and Bai Mu nodded. Then Bai Mu led a cavalry unit in the direction from which the Barbarian cavalry were coming, while Qi Guangyi and Luo Xin led the rest of the cavalry and the artillery towards the valley.

This was a long and narrow valley, stretching over five li and more than one li wide. Upon arriving at the valley, Luo Xin said, "Qi Guangyi, the cavalry will be under your command. I will lead the artillery to ambush on both sides of the valley and establish artillery positions. When the time comes, attack at my signal. "

"Alright, I'll take the cavalry and ambush on the other side of the mountain. " With that, Qi Guangyi led his cavalry to the other side of the valley, and over twenty thousand cavalrymen quietly awaited the coming battle.

Seeing Qi Guangyi depart, Luo Xin's gaze swept across the valley, as he tried to find a location advantageous for artillery fire.

Meanwhile, Bai Mu led twenty thousand cavalrymen, marching with neat strides towards the Barbarian cavalry. Feigning defeat was also a skill. If it wasn't convincing, it would easily arouse the enemy's suspicion. A single misstep could turn a feigned defeat into a real one, so Bai Mu's heart was also extremely anxious. However, the moment he saw the Barbarian soldiers, he recalled the hatred from when the Barbarians had ravaged Qingzhou.

The Barbarian soldiers evidently hadn't expected Bai Mu to lead cavalry to fight them head-on. With a hint of bloodlust in their eyes, they charged towards Bai Mu.

"Kill! "

Bai Mu led his cavalry, clashing with the Barbarian cavalry, and the battle began. This unexpected attack caught the Barbarians completely off guard. They hadn't imagined that the Great Yu people would engage Barbarian cavalry in one-on-one combat.

"Banner Chief, this is likely a trap. " A Barbarian general on a nearby hill observed the battlefield below.

"We must engage them, otherwise we cannot explain ourselves to the Great Khan. " Tenggeer was the Banner Chief of this Barbarian army. This time, he had been ordered to help the King of Liang resist Prince Qi's army.

Although they had desperately harassed the army's supply lines, the army had still managed to reach the city walls. Thus, they had been hiding outside Qingzhou, waiting for an opportunity.

Now, with the King of Liang's distress signal rising, they had no choice but to attack.

"Form ranks! " Bai Mu commanded, and twenty thousand cavalrymen quickly adjusted their formation again.

As the Barbarian army approached, Bai Mu clearly saw a person at the front of the hill. This person appeared to be a Barbarian general.

"Kill! " Bai Mu glared defiantly at the general, and shouted through gritted teeth. The cavalry immediately surged like a tide towards the Barbarian army. At this moment, seeing his enemy made his eyes burn with even greater fury, but he still kept the agreed-upon strategy firmly in mind. After charging into the Barbarian army and killing for a while, they turned and retreated.

The Barbarian army had just gained the upper hand. How could they be willing to let go? Horn blasts sounded from the rear, a signal for a full-scale assault.

Qi Guangyi and Luo Xin had been ambushed in the valley for a long time. Utilizing the advantage of the telescope, Qi Guangyi saw Bai Mu fleeing towards the valley. He licked his lips. This time, they were determined to thoroughly deal with this group of Barbarian cavalry, as they had suffered enough in the past few days.

According to the agreed plan, Bai Mu led his cavalry and charged into the valley. After confirming that the entire Barbarian army had entered the valley, his army suddenly stopped, then adjusted their formation to face the pursuing Barbarian army.

"Plug the horses' ears," Bai Mu commanded, this was to prevent the horses from being startled.

On the hillside, after the entire Barbarian army had entered the valley, Luo Xin had his troops remove their camouflage. One hundred dark, gaping muzzles of Field Cannons were aimed at the Barbarian cavalry, and the musketeers protecting the artillery also joined the battle, suddenly appearing on both sides of the cliff.

"Damn it, it's a trap! " Tenggeer's face turned ashen.

No sooner had his thought ended, than a sudden "boom" echoed from the hillside, followed by continuous "booms," like thunder rolling across the horizon.

"Neigh. . . "

"Neigh. . . "

Such immense noise caused the horses beneath the cavalry to pace restlessly; some horses even bolted uncontrollably. And among the cavalry closer to the valley's sides, chaos erupted. Before they could even understand what was happening, hundreds of cavalrymen were pulverized into bloody pulp, their blood splattering across the ground.