diymy Chapter 65 On the Battlefield, the Bow Bends in the Moonlight
Chapter 65 On the Battlefield, the Bow Bends in the Moonlight
The bandit watched for a few moments, but did not move.
Another man on horseback beside him leaned over and said something; the two seemed to be arguing.
Finally, the leader of the bandits seemed to have made a decision. He raised his whip, pointed at the refugees in front of him, and shouted loudly.
There were too many people and the noise was too loud, so even Li Sheng couldn't hear what he was shouting, but his actions made it clear that he wanted to speed up.
His urging caused the refugees to panic. The already disorganized group surged toward the ferry crossing in a chaotic rush.
The main force of the bandits did not move, but remained stationary.
Li Sheng's pupils suddenly contracted.
Did they discover something?
Under the command of their leader, the five or six hundred real bandits actually began to slowly retreat, making way for a wide passage and pushing all the refugees behind them to the front.
Li Sheng instantly understood their intentions and let the refugees cross the river first.
They will cross over after all the refugees have crossed.
In this way, even if there are ambushes on the south bank, it will be the refugees who die; while they themselves can calmly observe from the north bank and move freely.
After all, they came from the north, and their rear has been confirmed to be safe.
This is using cannon fodder to the extreme.
Li Sheng cursed inwardly, gripping his halberd tightly in his right hand.
As these refugees gathered at the ferry crossing like a great migration of cattle and horses, preparing to swim across the river, many more waited on the bank for the next group.
The first group of refugees thus walked into the river.
Meanwhile, the main force of the bandits remained steadily stationed at the rear.
The bandits on horseback even chatted casually on their backs, looking relaxed.
The leader of this band of thieves was far more cunning than Li Sheng had anticipated.
But now is not the time to admire the enemy.
His gaze shifted from the refugees to the main force of the bandits who remained on the north bank.
Li Sheng's mission was to launch an attack when the bandits were "halfway across the river"—at that time, the bandits would be divided by the river and unable to support each other, making it the best time to strike.
But now the situation has changed: the bandits are left to cross the river last, which means that Li Sheng and his men will face the bandits' elite forces head-on.
And do Chen Yuan and his men on the south bank know about this change?
If they launch an attack prematurely, it will alert these truly combat-capable enemies.
Li Sheng forced himself to steady his breathing and refocused his gaze on the direction of the ferry crossing.
On the river, the first group of refugees had already reached the center of the river.
The south bank was quiet.
Soon, the first group of refugees successfully landed.
Chen Yuan and his group still did not make a move.
After landing, the refugees stayed in place for a while and, finding no danger, gradually grew bolder.
They systematically cut down the reeds along the riverbank to burn for warmth, as they were still soaking wet after crossing the river.
Seeing that nothing was happening on the other side, the refugees on the north bank quickened their pace.
The early bird catches the worm; the first to reach the other side can plunder it.
At this moment, the main force of the bandits moved.
They also began to move towards the ferry crossing.
As more and more people went into the water, Li Feng, who was next to Li Sheng, gave him a questioning look: What should we do?
Li Sheng looked back and saw that his brothers were all waiting for him to make a decision.
Li Sheng did not answer immediately, his mind racing as he weighed the options.
Chen Yuan has not yet made a move. If Chen Yuan attacks first, the main force of the bandits will be too frightened to cross the river, and my 140 men will have to fight against a powerful enemy. If I make the first move, the bandits will only speed up their crossing of the river—they will have no reason to stay and fight to the death with me.
This is completely different from a desperate battle; that was Chen Yuan's side fighting with their backs to the river.
Li Sheng took a deep breath and made a judgment.
He shook his head slightly at the swordsmen and shieldmen, giving them a signal with his hand gestures.
It's done!
The swordsman and shieldman paused for a moment, but quickly regained his composure and silently relayed the order.
In the reeds, the group continued to squat, like a pile of silent stones.
On the hilltop, Liu Wu also received Li Sheng's signal. He exhaled softly and tightened the bowstring even further.
Li Sheng stared at them, his gaze as cold as a knife.
At that very moment! Li Sheng mustered all his strength and roared.
"Soldiers are here! Bandits, prepare to die!!!"
Shouts of battle rose into the sky.
Suddenly, a large number of soldiers emerged from the deserted reeds and behind the earthen slopes on the north bank. Liu Wu, on the hill, also waved his command flag, and the archers fired the first volley of arrows.
"put!"
Dozens of arrows pierced the air, shooting down from above at the bandits gathered on the shore.
A scream rang out.
The people on the river were in complete chaos, like a hornet's nest that had been stirred up. Some were hit by arrows and fell into the water, some turned to run back and collided with those behind them, and many more fell, were trampled, or were swept away by the river.
"kill--!"
Li Sheng was the first to rush out.
With a sweeping motion, Li Sheng knocked a bandit leader off his horse. Before the bandit could even get up, Li Sheng had already closed in, the tip of his halberd piercing his throat.
Blood gushed out, splattering all over Li Sheng's face.
He didn't bother wiping it off; he turned around and stabbed another bandit who was wielding a knife.
"Brothers, follow me!"
A group of people rushed out of the reeds, like a sharp knife, piercing the waist of the main bandit force.
The bandits were thrown into complete chaos.
They hadn't expected an ambush on the north bank, much less that the ambush would occur at this moment. By this time, some of the main force had already reached the south bank, while others were still in the middle of the river.
They cannot advance to fight, nor can they retreat to escape.
Liu Wu led his archers to take turns firing arrows from the hilltop. The arrows rained down, and at this point, it was impossible to tell who they were shooting at. They just needed to keep firing and avoid hitting their own men.
A bandit leader on horseback was shot in the shoulder, screamed and fell to the ground, where he was quickly trampled to death.
Li Sheng drew an arc in the air with his halberd, and with a backhand thrust, pierced through another bandit who was rushing in from the side.
"Those who block my way shall die!"
He roared, took a step forward, and swept his halberd horizontally. Three bandits were swept to the ground, their bones broken and tendons snapped, screaming in agony.
Li Sheng was covered in blood, looking like a god of war descended upon the world. Behind him, Li Feng and his swordsmen and shield bearers had already rushed over, their shields closed together and spears thrusting out from the gaps, stabbing down the bandits who tried to organize a resistance one by one.
"Form ranks! Form ranks!" a bandit leader shouted hoarsely from the crowd. "Don't panic! Surround them!"
But his voice was quickly drowned out by screams.
After firing several volleys of arrows, Liu Wu, who was on the hill, also rushed down.
He held a spear and pierced a thief's chest with it. The thief staggered a few steps and fell to the ground with a thud.
At this moment, Li Sheng's location was like a sharp arrow, piercing straight into the heart of the bandits.
Anything that tried to resist was smashed to pieces by Li Sheng's halberd.
The bandits were divided into several small groups, attacked from all sides, and completely lost their command.
On the open ground of the ferry crossing on the north bank, hundreds of bandits were in complete chaos.
Some attempted to resist, drawing their swords and spears and charging towards Li Sheng's group. But they had no unified command; they moved in small groups, and those who charged were easily pierced and knocked down by the spear formation, like waves crashing against rocks, their bodies shattered to pieces.
Some people turned and fled north, running wildly along the way they had come, leaving their weapons scattered all over the ground.
Li Sheng and his men were completely unable to concentrate on the pursuit.
Many more people were forced into the water by Li Sheng's sudden attack. They heard shouts and screams of killing coming from the reeds and were terrified. They swam desperately to the other side.
Once we reach the other side, everything will be alright.
At that moment, they never even considered that there might be an ambush on the south bank.