Chapter 59 Enemy and Friendly Fighter Jets

Forewarned by Xue Chengqian, Luo Fang was already well aware that the enemy might have set an ambush.

However, no matter how brilliant the Northern Barbarian commander's calculations were, he could never have anticipated that they would launch a surprise assault mounted entirely on cavalry!

For this, they owed a debt of gratitude to the spoils of war captured from previous skirmishes against the Northern Barbarians; otherwise, a local militia like the Zhenyi Battalion could never have formed a cavalry unit on their own!

Xue Chengqian's prediction was entirely accurate.

The Northern Barbarian army had deliberately laid an ambush, while scouts patrolling elsewhere were instructed to rush back at the slightest sign of disturbance, all to trap any Liang forces that might be lurking in the mountains.

Yet, the raiding speed of infantry and that of cavalry operated on completely different levels.

Before the enemy ambush forces could successfully encircle them, Luo Fang led his troops and broke straight through the outer perimeter of the camp.

An unbelievable spectacle—one that no Liang general would ever dare to imagine—unfolded inside the Northern Barbarian grand camp: a unit of Liang cavalry was trampling through their encampment, having violently shattered their outer defense line.

Even with prior preparations, considerable chaos erupted in the rear of the camp.

If they had known that this Liang force was not an official imperial army at all, but merely a local militia corps, one could only wonder what their reaction would be.

Though Luo Fang and his men were not professional cavalrymen, having lived long-term on the northern frontier meant their horsemanship was quite sound, and Luo Fang himself possessed a fair grasp of cavalry tactics.

Their objective was not to slaughter as many enemies as possible, but to throw the enemy into turmoil!

As long as they remained alive, stayed mounted on their horses, and kept charging back and forth across the Northern Barbarian camp, their mission was accomplished.

Besides, the young Xue fellow had a secondary plan in store!

...

"Boom, boom, boom!"

Countless giant boulders rained down from the skies, directly collapsing a massive section of Dongping City. Immediately afterward, the Northern Barbarian troops swarmed forward like ants to scale the walls, acting as though they cared nothing for the immense danger of charging ahead to forcefully breach the ramparts.

As long as they could be the first to rush up the city walls and firmly establish a foothold, the rewards bestowed upon them would be enough to secure a lifetime of carefree living for themselves and their families, with even a chance of promotion to centurions or chiliarchs!

Their own grand commander possessed supreme confidence; Grand Commander Yu differed from other tribal chieftains in that, regardless of who they were, as long as they served under his banner, everyone was treated equally with strict enforcement of rewards and punishments!

"Within this day, this city must be taken!"

Yu Tiancheng calmly assessed the day's tactical situation when suddenly, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came flying from behind.

"Grand Commander! The main camp is under attack!"

"An ambush after all? Did they emerge from the mountain pass? The Liang forces certainly possess a commendable knack for concealing their tracks."

The nervous messenger guard reported, "Just as the Grand Commander anticipated, except the attacking enemy force turned out to be cavalry! Our ambush units failed to return in time, and the enemy broke directly into the grand camp. Now, various forces are attempting to encircle and intercept them, but fail to stem the breakthrough."

"Furthermore, the tribes resting in the central encampment have been thrown into disarray by the enemy. Although casualties are not heavy, subduing and trapping this cavalry in the short term will prove difficult."

"Chieftain Lianda, left in command of the rear guard in the camp, stated that if things go poorly, this cavalry might actually manage to fight their way out."

"Oh?"

Yu Tiancheng raised an eyebrow.

He had only guessed half of it correctly.

The Northern Barbarians were intimately familiar with cavalry warfare; as long as the enemy cavalry's speed could not be curbed and sufficient roadblocks were absent, they could indeed come and go at will.

Yet, for a unit of "Liang cavalry" to rampage through their own "Northern Barbarian grand camp" and potentially even evade encirclement—no matter how one listened to it, it sounded like a joke!

A trusted general standing nearby scoffed disdainfully, "Is Lianda truly so helpless against a mere few hundred Liang horsemen? If not for his noble birth, I fear..."

Before he could finish, Yu Tiancheng raised a hand to silence him.

"This cannot be blamed on Lianda; it is my failure to anticipate the enemy's moves beforehand."

"To avoid alerting the Liang ambush and flushing out their reserves, the ambush troops I prepared were concealed within the tents, and the cavalry was not assembled in advance. That was what exposed an opening to the enemy."

"Fortunately, our main camp has not fallen into large-scale chaos. Thus, while the enemy cavalry moves swiftly, they cannot truly achieve the primary objective of a raid."

"Pass down my order: even if we fail to intercept and destroy this Liang cavalry unit, it matters little. We can afford to let them leave, but our main encampment must remain secure at all costs!"

Yu Tiancheng remained exceptionally calm, refusing to lose his composure merely because the Liang forces had scored a localized victory.

He was acutely aware of how formidable the trump cards in his hands truly were.

With his own side well-prepared, a raid of this scale could never induce widespread chaos, meaning ultimate victory in the grand battle still belonged to them.

No one could save Dongping City and the defenders within its walls!

At that very moment, billowing thick smoke suddenly rose from deep within their grand camp.

Since it was daytime and the weather was exceptionally clear, even standing beneath the walls of Dongping City, one could distinctly observe the smoke and dust growing increasingly massive. A moment's reflection made it obvious that such dense smoke erupting in the main camp would inevitably trigger massive turmoil.

"Th-this, what is the meaning of this?!"

Not to mention the generals who had been directing the siege, even the newly arrived messenger guard was utterly bewildered.

"This subordinate truly does not know!"

"When I rushed over from the main camp, the enemy cavalry had clearly not set any fires."

"A feint to the east while attacking the west!"

Yu Tiancheng calmly stated his deduction.

Although he was not stationed in the grand camp and had only just witnessed the smoke of beacon fires soaring into the sky, he formulated an accurate judgment almost instantly.

"Grand Commander..."

Previously, upon hearing that chieftain Lianda and the other garrison leaders were unable to halt the enemy cavalry, the generals had merely felt indignant without taking it too seriously.

However, the current chaos in the grand camp meant they could no longer afford to remain indifferent.

"Pass down my order: the rear guard is to immediately wheel around and reinforce the main camp!"

"Convey my command to Lianda and the other tribal chieftains: order them to gather their forces as much as possible. They need not worry about annihilating the enemy; restoring order within our army must take precedence."

"Even if all our plundered loot is burned to ashes by the Liang forces, they are forbidden from prioritizing the rescue of the goods!"

"Grand Commander, how can we do that!"

The surrounding generals grew anxious.

Their primary purpose in marching south with the army was to plunder the people of Liang.

The Central Plains were far more affluent than the grasslands, and the spoils gathered from their southward expedition were enough to sustain them comfortably for quite some time.

They simply could not bear to watch these supplies be burned away for nothing.

"Anyone who violates my military order shall be executed!"

Yu Tiancheng cut them off in an icy tone.

"Furthermore, order Wanqiyong to temporarily suspend the siege, letting the defenders of Dongping City know that our morale has fallen into disorder!"

"The central army will prepare to meet the Liang forces, replace Wanqiyong's detachment, and launch the second wave of the siege!"

Yu Tiancheng whipped his riding crop upward, pointing directly at the ramparts of Dongping City.

"Regardless of whatever changes befall the main camp, today's battle will see Dongping breached!"

Atop the walls of Dongping City, the rising smoke from the Northern Barbarian camp had naturally not gone unnoticed.

Having previously established contact with friendly forces, the defenders of Dongping knew for certain that the reinforcements had successfully executed their surprise raid, creating chaos within the Northern Barbarian ranks.

Fierce as the Northern Barbarians might be, chaos within their own encampment coupled with the uncertainty of the situation would inevitably undermine their military morale.

Sure enough, they observed the enemy's assault momentum slowing down, even displaying a tendency to voluntarily withdraw. Soldiers stationed atop the watchtower could clearly see that the Northern Barbarian "rear guard" had pivoted and begun moving to reinforce the main camp.

For them, this was the ultimate window for a counterattack—one that must not be missed under any circumstances!