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墨書 Inktalez
If Lu Zigang had not held the position of General in the Crescent Formation, Zhou Zhi would have immediately confirmed that Luzi was indeed the Military General. At that moment, he would have ordered all Crossbows to target a single person. With a rain of arrows, no matter how strong one was, escape would be impossible.
Due to a series of misunderstandings, Zhou Zhi made another judgment error. Not only did he fail to order a long-range assassination of the Qin Army Commander, but he also intended to capture this young general from the Qin State alive to ask him some questions. Having lost sight of the Qin Army Commander as a target, Zhou Zhi no longer cared about searching and instead moved to command the Cavalry on the left flank of the attacking formation.
If the Pike Formation could be likened to a sharp arrow, then the Crescent Formation resembled two sharp spearheads. The two points were held by fierce generals from Qin, and once the formation was activated, it would act like two blades piercing directly into the enemy's attacking formation. Additionally, the solid base of the crescent could provide strong support at any time, which would soon lead the enemy to realize that what were once sharp points had transformed into a large shovel.
Having only read half of the military texts, Luzi was unaware of the many subtleties of this formation and thus began the battle according to his own ideas. It was predictable that he would be neutralized by Zhao Army's forces against his two sharp spearheads. Furthermore, with the Crossbow Arrow Formation at the base of the Crescent Formation continuously firing arrows to hinder enemies, it ensured that what should have been a vulnerable General position remained extremely secure. Had he not seen Zhao General Zhou Zhi dismount from his horse on the left flank, he might have tried to hold on longer.
At this moment, Luzi charged forward intending to support his left flank but forgot that in this formation, movement followed the General's lead. As he surged outwards, the entire formation began to tilt leftward. By chance, the rear Arrow Formation found itself facing off against Zhao Army on the left flank. A torrential downpour of Arrow Rain then erupted, instantly suppressing the momentum of Zhao Army that had nearly broken through.
Wasn't the Crescent Formation supposed to attack from the front? Why had it tilted?
Zhou Zhi felt a wave of confusion as he wielded his spear to deflect incoming arrows; before he could comprehend what was happening, he saw soldiers around him falling one after another from being shot. The earlier situation had not led to such chaos because they were engaged in a stalemate with Qin Army's vanguard. Quickly deducing an answer, Zhou Zhi loudly commanded his soldiers to shift right along with the moving Qin Army; this was their only option to eliminate incoming ranged attacks!
The soldiers on the left flank of Qin Army had not yet caught their breath when they suddenly noticed that their entire formation began tilting right again. With this passive movement, they collided violently once more with Zhao Army rushing in.
This unexpected situation was clearly due to issues with General Luzi. When he realized that pressure on his left flank had suddenly decreased, he inadvertently abandoned his already strained right flank to Zhao Army. Seeing that Zhao Army had taken a significant chunk out of his right flank, he mounted his horse again in an attempt to rescue it.
Following closely behind, although Arrow Formation did not understand why their general was moving back and forth, they continued their work without pause. Upon noticing a large number of Zhao Army on their right flank, they quickly unleashed a barrage of arrows which significantly alleviated pressure on that side.
Under immense pressure from Zhao Army that outnumbered them several times over, Qin Army's entire formation swayed left and right. In the midst of thousands of troops moving erratically like a giant insect besieged by humans.
Led by their General, Qin soldiers were still not confused but managed to disorientate attacking Zhao Army instead. Just as they were about to sever Qin's formation, they were met with an intense barrage of Arrow Rain. The indiscriminate dense fire caused Zhao Army's losses to far exceed those suffered by Qin Army. What was initially a swift cavalry tactic suppressing infantry now seemed poised to turn into one-sided combat.
Fang Tianhua, who had long regarded the bewildered General Lu with newfound respect, no longer had any intention of offering assistance. He sighed inwardly, acknowledging that the great general's skills were indeed extraordinary. The essence of the battle formations summarized by military strategists was being utilized with such brilliance that it was truly a blessing for King Qin! If he knew that Luzi was on the verge of cursing, he would likely fall off his horse right then and there.
As a general, Luzi was already sweating profusely. To provide aid, he needed to move forward, but every time he tried to advance, the formation shifted along with him. It was like tying a stick in front of a hungry bull and then attaching some fodder to the stick; no matter how much the bull moved forward, it could never reach the food right in front of its eyes.
After several attempts, Luzi decided to stop and observe what was causing this issue. Before he could figure it out, he found himself once again surrounded and beaten by the Zhao Army on both flanks, forcing him to shift left and right once more. After going back and forth, he finally began to see a glimmer of understanding.
Oh!? This can work too!
Having resolved not to adhere strictly to the old ways, Luzi abandoned his plan to rescue his flanks and instead moved toward the area under pressure. As the danger from the Arrow Rain behind him dissipated, he then shifted in the opposite direction.
Zhao Army soldiers were sacrificing themselves to protect their general, with many soldiers covering him. Zhou Zhi, completely baffled by Luzi's maneuvers, watched as his bodyguards were shot down one after another. The original attack plan had still not succeeded. These guards had been with him through thick and thin for many years; losing even one felt like a stab to his heart. At this moment, witnessing their loss right before his eyes was unbearable for anyone.
If he attempted to charge forward and kill the Qin General now, he would immediately be turned into a pincushion by the Arrow Formation positioned at the base of the Crescent Formation. No! This formation wasn't even called Crescent Formation!
Grinding his teeth in frustration, Zhou Zhi realized that Luzi was maneuvering within the Qin Army's ranks. His anger only made matters worse. Just as he was lost in thought, soldiers nearby reminded him that they needed to move with the Qin formation. To avoid becoming a target for the Arrow Formation, Zhou Zhi had no choice but to spur his horse and retreat while keeping pace with the Qin Army.
In battle, momentum is everything; being forced to follow the Qin Army around caused the Zhao Army's morale to scatter. Once a battle reached this point, any notion of victory slipped away.
Fully aware that he could no longer follow the Qin Army aimlessly, Zhou Zhi let out a long sigh toward the heavens. How could there be such an expert among the Meng Family Descendants!? He remembered when they exchanged visits and practiced skills with Meng Wu; it hadn't seemed remarkable at that time—how could such a figure suddenly emerge?
At this moment, Zhou Zhi felt an overwhelming sense of urgency and dared not delay any longer. Such futile sacrifices would only deplete Zhao Army's elite forces unnecessarily. With that thought in mind, he immediately ordered a retreat. To ensure they wouldn't be pursued by Qin crossbowmen during their withdrawal, he requested a ceasefire from both sides.
Luzi, who was caught up in the heat of battle, heard the call for a truce from across the way. Initially reluctant to respond but sensing that the surrounding attention was unfavorable, he ordered his troops to halt their movements and rode forward.
The two armies, having thoroughly distanced themselves, began to retreat and regroup, allowing the two negotiating generals to step forward.
At this moment, no one dared to sneak a glance at the opponent. Zhou Zhi clasped his hands in respect towards Luzi and said, "General Meng! It is getting late and not favorable for further combat. Shall we agree to resume the battle tomorrow?"
Human resources are limited, and the soldiers have managed to hold on until now purely out of determination. Understanding the stakes involved, Luzi looked up at the sky, indicating his acceptance of the ceasefire agreement.
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