Chapter 388- Cool Vanguard
Translator: ryangohsf
Editor: Nora
They needed to make an outpost. At the same time, they needed a place to act as the logistics base of the army. Hence, the first goal of the army was the grade 3 counties.
The target of the north troops was the grade 3 County, Hengshan County. It laid on the north-west side of Leizhou. The target of the middle troops was Leishan County, which sat in the middle of Leizhou. The south troops target was Hai An County, which stood at the southmost point.
With that, out of the five grade 3 counties, three were removed. They had taken out the hard bones of Leizhou.
Most importantly, these three counties were located at the border of Leizhou. After the army landed, they did not need to make any detours. They could just launch their attack. If not, Baiqi would have rather chosen to attack a grade 2 county.
A lone army behind enemy lines was what a military strategist worried the most about.
As the plan was set, the troops set out.
5th month, 15th day, the Guards division acted as the vanguard force and attacked first.
As the overall commander, Baiqi set out together with the Guards division. Ouyang Shuo, on the other hand, returned to Shanhai City after sending the troops off at Beihai Harbor.
As a lord, he also had his responsibilities.
At the current moment, the most important matter was for him to manage Shanhai City. With him there, he could calm the masses, and others would not dare to make any moves.
Beihai Harbor was still a certain distance away from the middle of Leizhou.
5th month, 18th day, the Beihai Bay Squadron 1st division reached their destination. They stopped in a place known as Motu Harbor Bay. Nearby, apart from a small fishing village, there were no military personnel present.
One week earlier, the Black Snake Guards had investigated this small fishing village with three hundred to four hundred people. The village consisted entirely of NPC villagers, and there were not any players.
To prevent adventure gamemode players from accidentally entering the fishing village, the Quanzhou intel station even arranged a snake guard to standby. Hence, the squadron could come to shore at ease.
To dock an olden warship was not as simple as finding a spot. These warships needed a harbor or a bay. If not, there was a chance for the ship to be stranded, especially in the case of huge warships like the turreted ship.
After the divisions docked, the Guards division followed and sneaked ashore.
Apart from the army, they also needed to unload the siege weapons and logistic supplies.
They got busy all the way till noon before they completed this task. At this time, the division returned. Now, they were in charge of sending Mu Guiying’s 4th division toward the second destination in the north of Leizhou.
At the three landing points, the Black Snake Guards made specific arrangements.
Black Mamba had given an order for them to show the value of the Black Snake Guards during the Battle of Leizhou.
After the army gathered up, they prepared themselves for a day in the fishing village. For many of the soldiers, this was the first they had traveled on a boat. It was unavoidable that they would feel uncomfortable and could not directly head to battle.
Appear from that, there were the war horses that were transported along with the troops.
Compared to soldiers, the Qingfu horses were much more valuable, and they needed a good rest.
As the big army rested, a group of people could not. They were the patrol squadron of the division.
Under the leadership of their captain, all the patrol members walked toward Leishan County.
Their mission, apart from confirming a correct route, was to clear obstacles along the road.
After all, the Military Intelligence Division had only spent half a month in Leizhou, so they could only investigate the rough geography of the area. For the specific geography of a region, the various divisions had to depend on themselves.
The first day of the Battle of Leizhou passed peacefully.
Fifty kilometers away, Leishan County did not even know that a huge army had snuck under their noses.
Early morning of the next day, the army had rested for a day and a night. They were fully energized.
The real war was about to start.
In the wee hours of the morning, the moment they formed up, they did not waste anymore time. They rode on their Qingfu horses and rushed toward Leishan County.
At this time, any further delays would mean a chance of being exposed.
The most difficult part was the transportation of siege weapons.
Although these weapons were really amazing, they were a pain to transport.
Baiqi made the decision to leave two units to take charge of the transportation, while the main force rushed forward.
The morning air of Leizhou was foggy and really humid.
The Guards division made use of the dim light and the cover of the fog. Like a spectre, they swiftly proceeded under the leadership of the scouts.
Baiqi never used his troops in an orthodox manner.
The way he saw it, to attack the enemy so that they could not react, he needed to send a vanguard forward to take down the city gate. This would allow him to prevent a siege battle.
If the entire army charged forward, the sounds of the rumbling hooves would be enough to shock the enemy. Hence, the vanguard force had to be a small group, ideally a unit.
With the strength of a unit, it seemed impossible to take down the city gate of a grade 3 county even if they sneak attacked.
The chips in Baiqi's hands were the unstoppable elite of the Guards division. These soldiers were war elite soldiers chosen from each division. Each individual could take on five times their number.
Baiqi was highly confident in them.
After Baiqi spoke of his plan, Lin Yi volunteered to lead the charge.
"Commander, I'm willing!"
When Baiqi heard his words, he decided right away, "Okay, you will lead the personal Guards unit to act as the vanguard. The 1st regiment will be the frontline and follow closely behind. I'll lead the rest."
The personal Guards unit, the most elite unit in the Guards division. No other unit was more suitable to act as the vanguard.
Lin Yi was also a really strong general.
The combination of the two made Baiqi really confident.
"Thank you, commander!"
Lin Yi bowed and leaped onto his horse. He led the personal Guards unit, breaking away from the main force and charging quickly ahead.
Closely behind them was the 1st regiment. Their duty was to ensure that after the vanguard unit took down the city gates, they could reinforce them.
If not, everything would be wasted.
Under the command of Baiqi, the huge army was like cogs in a machine, relying on and helping out one another.
At 9 AM, the personal guards unit led by Lin Yi rained down on the city gates. They were like soldiers from the heavens; the enemy did not even have time to react.
The city protection forces even thought that they were their men who were returning from patrol.
When they were less than five hundred meters away, the city protection force saw the shiny Mingguang Armor. Finally, they realized that the enemy was attacking.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!" The guard shouted.
The originally peaceful city gate instantly grew busy. The commoners that were queuing up to enter were pushing their way in, fighting for their lives to enter the city.
"Close the gates. Quick, close the gates!"
The general in charge of guarding the gates shouted.
"General, the city gates are blocked by the people. We can't close it!"
"Chase them away. If they won’t leave, kill them!"
His face instantly turned cold. If they lost the city gate, he would be beheaded. At that point, there was no mercy left.
"Yes!"
The soldiers immediately spread the orders.
"Archers, ready!"
The general still was not at ease. He asked the archers on the city walls to prepare themselves.
"Yes, general!"
The moment the military orders were sent, the city gate grew even more chaotic.
At the start, the guards told the commoners that the enemy was just aiming for the gates. They would not harm them, so the guards asked the commoners to just stay outside.
However, the commoners did not even listen to these words. Instead, they tried to squeeze into the city.
When they saw such a scene, the guards were helpless. They could only use their blades.
"Ah, the military is killing people!"
At this point, the situation totally blew up.
Such a deterrence made a portion of the civilians terrified. They really start to leave.
Just as the guards were ready to pull up the bridge, the personal Guards unit arrived.
The five hundred meter distance was just a short charge.
"Personal Guards unit, charge!"
Lin Yi unsheathed his Tang Blade and led the troops.
"Kill!"
The personal Guards unit would not bother about the lives of the civilians. Whoever stood in their way, they would kill. At this point, they were rushing against time, and they could not show any mercy.
"Shoot the arrows! Don't let them come over!"
The enemy general was shocked when he saw such a scene. How was there such an elite army?
The Guards division, iron soldiers.
The personal Guards unit, the strongest iron of them all.
Under the leadership of Lin Yi, their hearts were like stone. They did not bother about the arrows and resolutely rushed straight for the city gates. Nothing could stop them.
Finally, right before the gates were about to close, Lin Yi's forces managed to arrive.
"Kill!"
As Lin Yi waved his blade, a light shimmered as heads fell to the ground.
"Kill!"
In less than five minutes, the hundred city gate guards were all slaughtered. None were left alive.
The personal Guards unit had successfully taken down the city gate.
"Cut the ropes!"
After taking down the city gates, Lin Yi remained as calm as usual.
"Yes, general!"
"We can't let them cut the ropes. City protection unit, follow me, kill them!" The city protection general was also a vicious character. He led the guards down the city walls to welcome the battle.
"Ants!"
When he saw the enemy charge over, Lin Yi did not even look them in the eye. He simply waved his hand, "Kill them!"
"Yes, general!"
Five hundred personal Guards facing around one thousand city protection guards. Despite the numerical difference, the personal Guards showed zero fear.
The moment they engaged, the difference in strength was obvious. The normal city guards were totally not their opponents.
The city protection force was beaten badly; their corpses piled up all around the city gate.
Lin Yi did not participate in this massacre. He rode on his horse and looked at the horizon, only to see a huge army rumbling toward them.
Under the shine of the sun, they reflected a bright golden glow.
The 1st regiment of the Guards division had arrived.