Chapter 750-Yan Liang
Translator: ryangohsf
Editor: Nora
"What is that?"
When they saw the P1 Type Cannon, the Alliance Army was stunned. The smooth lines on the body of the cannon, the cold metal sheen, and the exquisite cannon frame; it was totally different from the cannons that they had heard of.
The rumbling of cannon explosions arrived as a reply.
Zhang Han did not hesitate; he immediately ordered his troops to fire once the cannons were in position; it was a swift and deadly move.
The cannons formed a brilliant arc in the air, accurately striking the defending soldiers on the city wall before bursting apart. All of a sudden, the Alliance Army soldiers that had been mocking them were blown into pieces, creating a truly gory scene.
The embattlements on the city wall were also blown apart.
Unceasing cannon fire followed, sweeping through the entire city wall of the pass.
Blood and flesh flew around, and smoke bellowed.
The Alliance Army archers wanted to retaliate. Unfortunately for them, Zhang Han was prepared. Each cannon was protected by an entire unit of sword-shield soldiers, who used their shields to protect the cannoneer.
As for the cannon itself, it was totally unaffected by arrows.
Only arcuballistas and trebuchets could destroy the cannons. Unfortunately, their range could not be compared with the cannons.
Hence, the alliance army in the pass could only passively take the hits and could not do anything in return.
"General, we cannot go on like this!"
The Alliance Army did not even dare show their heads on the city wall. After suffering heavy causalities, their morale plummeted.
"Damn it, what devilish weapon is the enemy using?"
"Who cares what weapon it is? The enemy is obviously prepared to take down the pass."
"Let them dream!"
"Why don't we charge out?" someone suggested.
"General, let me, I'll definitely kill those clowns." A general requested to fight.
Witnessing the heavy casualties, the Alliance Army defending general could not sit still.
Speaking of which, this defending general could also be considered half a famous person. He was under Yuan Shao's camp during the Three Kingdoms Period - General Yan Liang. Yan Liang in history was truly killed by Guan Yu. However, in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, he was more of a tragic character.
As the top general under Yuan Shao's camp, Yan Liang was famous for his courage and could not be underestimated.
A year ago, after taking down Guilin Prefecture, Chuanbei City-State and Xiangnan City-State had split the work.
Chuanbei City-State would be in charge of defending the west side Xuanwu Pass, and Xiangnan City-State was in charge of defending the newly built pass on the east that was opposite to the Withered Flower Pass.
Yan Liang was a general under West Gate Big Official. A month ago, he was sent here to be the pass defending general.
The current situation was obvious. If they did not destroy the cannons, they had no chance of victory at all.
Yan Liang was also a fierce general. He did not have any plans, so he listened to the words of his men. He gritted his teeth and decided to use the method he was best at, "Fang Jin!"
"Present!"
A young general received the order and stepped out, filled with anticipation about the fight.
No matter if it was due to face or other considerations, the troops that the various territories sent to the Alliance Army were their best. Even if the generals they sent were not historical generals, they would be generals from the wilderness like Zhao Si Hu.
To fear before even fighting was not their style.
In their eyes, no matter how strong the enemy cannons were, the enemy only had eight of them. There was no reason a 50 thousand strong alliance army would be scared of just eight cannons, where would their face go if this news spread out.
Yan Liang ordered, "Lead five thousand elite cavalry out of the city to break their cannons."
Since it was a sneak attack, they could not send too many troops.
If five thousand cavalry were utilized well, it would be good enough to complete the mission.
From this order alone, one could see how experienced Yan Liang was.
"Yes!" Fang Jin cupped his fists, "If I do not destroy the cannons, I'll give you my head."
"Go!" Yan Liang waved him off.
Fang Jin nodded, turning his head and leaving.
...
Amongst the cannon noises, Fang Jin led five thousand elite cavalry and charged over.
When Zhang Han saw this move, a cold smile flashed across the corner of his mouth, "I've been waiting for you!"
"Crossbowmen, get ready!"
With a 'Shua!' tens of thousands of crossbowmen suddenly appeared behind the sword-shield soldiers.
"Shoot!"
The moment the cavalry got into range, an arrow rain that covered the skies rained down.
All of a sudden, numerous bolts and arrows fired out, causing the cavalry and the enemy troops at the front to topple.
"Shoot again!"
After the first round, the cavalry had covered 50 to 60 meters.
The second row of crossbowmen received the order; this time, they shot straight instead.
Another round of insane firepower.
During this period of time, the eight cannons aimed at the cavalry formation, and the cannonballs were exploding in the midst of it. Many of the horses were startled when they heard such a loud sound for the first time. Instantly, the entire formation was thrown into chaos.
After two rounds, half of the cavalry were lost.
"Charge!"
Fang Jin charged at the front; he was truly passionate and crazy.
Cavalry were still cavalry. Using this short time, after just two rounds of attacks, they managed to close in on the cannon. Although the P1 Type Cannons had been modified, they still could not be taken down from the battlefield, and it looked like they were going to be destroyed.
Fang Jin looked at the cannons that were getting closer and closer with a look of excitement.
As long as he was able to destroy the enemy cannons, any sacrifice was worth it.
Without the cannons, the enemies would not be able to take down Xuanwu Pass.
Just at this moment, the cannons stopped firing and the archers moved aside.
The eight sword-shield soldier units that were originally guarding beside the cannons swiftly formed up in front of them, making the first line of defense. Following which, the spearmen followed up, forming the second line.
At the same time, light armored cavalry troops flanked from the left and right wings, stabbing directly into the enemy cavalry formation.
When Fang Jin saw this situation, his eyes narrowed.
The strength and ability of the Shanhai City Army had far exceeded his expectations. In such a short amount of time, they actually efficiently and perfectly changed their formation. The entire process was like flowing water, without a single pause.
What Fang Jin did not know was how many times the 2nd legion had practiced this in the camp. They had done no less than ten practical battle situations.
With Zhang Han's ability, pretty much any enemy reaction was predicted and was matched with a formation. When they reached the battlefield, it was just using what they had practiced.
With such planning, how could they not win?
The reason why a famous general was famous was because of such ability, much less a top class famous general like Zhang Han. The pre-battle plans were so precise, considering every possibility.
Along with the battle commanding, how could someone of Yan Liang's caliber compare with him?
Sword-shield soldiers, spearmen, and light armored cavalry formed a killing formation, wrapping up the Alliance Army cavalry. In less than an hour, they all fell.
Under the three-sided combination attack, the five thousand elite cavalry could not advance and tried to escape, resulting in their deaths.
On the city wall, Yan Liang and the other generals looked on as their cavalry were cornered to death; their eyes were filled with fury. While they felt angry, a thread of fear rose up.
"Don't tell me that this is the true ability of the Shanhai City Army?" Some of the general's faces were ashen white.
It was like they had fallen into a perfectly crafted trap. No matter how they tried to struggle, the end result proved that it was all useless. A sense of helplessness rose in their hearts.
"Damn it!"
Yan Liang's face was really ugly; he appeared extremely anxious and defeated. Yan Liang, who was born in the Three Kingdoms Era, had not been exposed to modern technology, so he knew nothing about cannons.
Even though he was strong, he did not dare to raise his head in front of such a monster.
The 50 thousand Alliance Army troops that were housed in the pass were mainly infantry with less than 10 thousand cavalry. After losing five thousand, the remaining cavalry would not be able to do much.
As for arranging the infantry to launch a sneak attack, Yan Liang totally had no confidence that it would work.
Yan Liang was not stupid. Looking at the enemy formation, he could see that they came prepared. No matter what the alliance army did, they were prepared.
In truth, as long as the Aliance Army fought outside of the city, their strategy was a losing one.
The 50 thousand Alliance Army's key to winning was the Xuanwu Pass. The moment they came out, no matter how they struggled, they would not be able to win.
The only difference would be how many casualties the enemy had to pay.
Hence, with the cannons, the enemy could not lose. On the contrary, the alliance army had no way of winning.
After thinking about the outcome, Yan Liang felt more pent up frustration.
During the Three Kingdoms Era, Yan Liang had fought many city defense battles. For the sieges during the Three Kingdoms, each and every one was stacked up with losses in human life.
Using such a weapon to ensure victory was a method that totally did not exist at that time. Facing the situation at hand, Yan Liang was helpless and had no idea about how to handle it.
Yan Liang looked around and asked, "Do any of you have any ideas?"
When the others heard his words, they all looked at one another; their faces were not as excited and as willing to fight as before. They were not fools, since Yan Liang could understand the situation, they could too.
The situation at hand was that destroying the enemy cannons was impossible.
Defending was not an option either.
The only option was to retreat; if not, they would only be buried in the Xuanwu Pass.
The problem was that every general present was clear about the importance of Xuanwu Pass. The moment they lost it, not to mention how the City-State would deal with them, their own Lords would not let them leave.
Hence, no one wanted to call the retreat.
Everyone present was smart, and no one wanted to bear the blame.
When Yan Liang saw this situation, his temper flared, and he wanted to kick all of them. However, they were not his subordinates, so there was nothing he could do.
Taking a step back, as the defending general, he had to take the blame.
Gritting his teeth, Yan Liang ordered the retreat, "Since you all have no good ideas, let's back off to Weiwu Pass and wait for the decision from the command center!"
The Weiwu Pass he referred to was a pass that the City-State built at the side of Guilinn. It was a last form of defense if Xuanwu Pass was lost.
Now, it seemed like constructing it was the right decision, and it would help win some breathing space for the alliance army.
When the generals heard that they were going to retreat, they heaved a sigh of relief.
When Yan Liang saw their reactions, a cold smile appeared on his face. Under the situation that the enemy attacked Xuanwu Pass, in addition to the narrow retreat route, it was easy to be chased up.
If they wanted to retreat, they needed to arrange for a backline to cover for them.
"Who will stay back?"
Yan Liang looked at all of them with a mysterious look in his eyes.