Warring States Odyssey

  After knocking down the two Qin soldiers in front of him, Gao Yuan only felt a flash before his eyes, and then he realized that he had already penetrated through the ranks of the Qin army. When he turned back to look, he saw Li Yinghong and other Zhao soldiers also emerging one by one from the gap.

  At this time, the two sides of the battle were lined up very wide, but not deep in the vertical direction. The total distance between them was only over a hundred meters. Therefore, Gao Yuan and others successfully broke through, and Yuan Xuan, who was commanding at the front of the array, could see it clearly. He knew that even if they had broken through a small gap in the Qin army's formation, its impact on the entire battle would be significant. So Yuan Xuan immediately ordered the nearest Zhao army troops to reinforce the breakthrough as soon as possible, not only to hold onto this gap but also to expand it as much as possible. Meanwhile, other troops launched an all-out attack on the Qin army, and at the same time, he sent someone to report the situation to Li Mu and ask for reinforcements to support the battle, striving to defeat the Qin army in one go.

  Li Mu's high platform was relatively far from the battlefield, so he couldn't see very clearly. He could only see that at this time, a group of Zhao troops had already charged into the Qin army's formation and seemed to have broken through the Qin army's formation, but didn't know which group of Zhao troops it was. After receiving Yuan Xuan's report, he learned that it was Gao Yuan and Li Yinghong who led the cavalry. A smile also appeared on Li Mu's face, as he naturally knew that if the Qin army's formation was breached, the Zhao army was not far from winning this battle.

  Zhao Xuan, who was beside Li Mu, also nodded and said: "Gao Yuan did a good job, I didn't expect him to dare to arrange the soldiers in an arrowhead formation for a charge."

  Li Mubai said: "He can keenly grasp the opponent's weakness, and his deployment of troops is not bound by common sense. He indeed has the quality to become a famous general. I think it's time for Huan Zhu to withdraw his army."

  As soon as Li Mu finished speaking, the horn in the main formation of the Qin army sounded, which was the signal for the Qin army to retreat.

  Huan Yi was also a seasoned general, well-versed in military tactics. He knew that the Qin army's formation had already been penetrated by the Zhao army, which meant that the Qin army's defeat was certain. If they were facing any other country's troops, the Qin army might still be able to turn the tide of battle with their bravery and combat skills. However, against the Zhao army, whose fighting strength was inferior to theirs, it would be very difficult for the Qin army to reverse the situation. Even without Li Mu in command, it would have been the same.

  In addition, Huan Yi did not think that this result was unfavorable to the Qin army. The Qin army had already filled in most of the trenches of the first line of defense of the Zhao army, and more than half of the fortifications established by the Zhao army on the first line of defense were destroyed. The Qin army's war chariots had also advanced to a distance of about 100 meters from the first line of defense of the Zhao army. Therefore, even if this battle was lost, the Qin army still achieved considerable results. From an overall perspective, the Qin army still held a significant advantage. However, the Zhao army still left a considerable number of troops in the Panyu camp, and the Zhao army was not a force that could be defeated with one blow. It was unrealistic to think that the Zhao army could be defeated immediately and the Panyu camp could be captured. Huan Yi also knew the principle of "desiring speed but not reaching it", and the heart of greed for merit must be prevented, so he immediately ordered a full retreat.

  As the Qin army's horn sounded to retreat, the Qin army also began to withdraw. Although the Qin army was defeated, they retreated in an orderly manner, covering and supporting each other, with each unit withdrawing in sequence. Under the cover of their war chariots, the Qin army's crossbowmen fired arrows in unison to protect their retreating troops, making it impossible for the Zhao army to take advantage of the situation. However, the Qin army only retreated behind the cover of their war chariots and remained not far from the Zhao army, maintaining pressure on the Zhao army's defense line and preventing them from rebuilding their formation at leisure.

  Such a result was also expected by Li Mu, so he did not take advantage of the situation and ordered the Zhao army to stop pursuing, only driving the Qin army out of the first line of defense of the Zhao army. The Zhao army then used the remaining defensive fortifications in the formation to garrison.

  Although both sides stopped fighting, they were still facing each other at a distance of just over 150 meters.

  Gao Yuan and Li Yinghong led the Imperial Guards back to Zhao Jun's large camp. At this time, only 140 of the original 200 Imperial Guards were left, with nearly 60 of them carrying varying degrees of injuries. However, each and every one of them looked radiant and spirited, because in this battle, these 200 Imperial Guards had played a crucial role and achieved great merit.

  Li Yinghong was even more excited, because this was her first formal appearance, not only did she kill with relish, but also achieved great merit, so the excitement in her heart was beyond words.

  When they arrived at the camp gate, Li Mu was already standing at the gate to welcome them. Li Yinghong immediately cheered and rushed to Li Mu's side, saying: "Father."

  Li Mu grasped her hand and looked her up and down, saying: "Yinghong, are you hurt?"

  "Father, don't worry, I'm fine."

  At this time, Gao Yuan also came before Li Mu and said: "General."

  Li Mu smiled and patted Gao Yuan's shoulder, saying: "Gao Yuan, you've done a great job. You've made the first achievement in this battle."

  Gao Yuan Road: "Thank you for the compliment, General."

  Li Mu smiled and said, "Alright, go rest now. There will be even more intense battles waiting for you later."

  Dividing line Dividing line

  The next day, the Qin army launched another attack on Zhao's defensive line.

  Because on the first day, the Qin army's front line had already approached the edge of Zhao's first defense line, and more than half of the fortifications in Zhao's defense line were destroyed. In addition, the Zhao army intentionally retreated, so the Qin army also easily occupied Zhao's first defense line, and the Zhao army retreated to the second defense line for defense.

  Occupying the first line of defense of the Zhao army also made Huan Yi very satisfied, thinking that the battle situation was already in his own hands. After a slight repair, the Qin army launched an attack on the second line of defense of the Zhao army.

  Both sides launched fierce battles in Zhao's second line of defense, and both sides repeatedly pulled back and forth on the battlefield, fighting for three days. The second line of defense of the Zhao army was also declared lost, and all troops retreated to the main camp. This is also the last line of defense of the Zhao army. As long as this line of defense can be broken again, the Qin army will be able to occupy Fanwu and join forces with Yang Duanhe's unit on the southern front to form a pincer movement against Handan.

  After four or five days of fierce fighting, the Qin army also paid a considerable price, with more than 10,000 soldiers killed and nearly 4,000 wounded, losing their combat effectiveness. The number of Zhao army's deaths also exceeded 5,000, and the number of wounded was over 3,000. However, among the casualties of the Zhao army, nearly half were new recruits, and the losses of the elite troops were only around 3,000 to 4,000 people, so it did not have much impact on the combat effectiveness of the Zhao army.

  Because the Qin army was on the offensive, the casualties of the Qin army were also much higher than those of the Zhao army. However, the Qin army still had an absolute advantage in terms of overall military strength, and after breaking through two lines of defense of the Zhao army, the morale of the entire Qin army was very high. Huan Yi also believed that the Qin army had already won the war and that capturing Fanwu was only a matter of time. Therefore, Huan Yi decided to take advantage of the victory and launched an attack on the main camp of the Zhao army.

  However, Zhao Jun's large camp was also the most fortified and heavily guarded defensive line, and it was also the last line of defense for the Zhao army. The resistance of the Zhao army was naturally much stronger than the previous two lines of defense. Therefore, the Qin army's attack was also greatly hindered. On the first day of battle, the Qin army suffered more than 3,000 casualties, but did not pose a great threat to the Zhao army's defensive line.

  But at this time, Huanzi was still full of confidence in winning the victory. In his view, although the resistance of the Zhao army was very strong, it was not enough to worry about, because the Zhao army had already reached the edge of defeat and was only holding on with its last breath. As long as the Qin army could break into the Zhao army's camp, the Zhao army would collapse completely, and the Qin army would also win the final victory. Therefore, Huanzi also promised rewards to the officers and soldiers of the Qin army in the camp: the first Qin soldier who broke into the Zhao army's camp would be rewarded with 100 jin of gold and a promotion of three ranks.

  During the Warring States period, gold and copper coins were used as currency. One jin of gold was equivalent to 24 taels (each tael weighing about 16-17 grams), so 100 jin of gold would be 2,400 taels, or 150 kilograms of gold. One kilogram of gold was worth around 10,000 Qin dynasty copper coins. Therefore, this amount of gold was a substantial sum for ordinary Qin soldiers and even mid-ranking Qin military officers.

  The Qin state implemented a system of rewards for military achievements, with twenty levels of nobility. Slaves who beheaded an enemy could gain their freedom, while ordinary soldiers without noble titles who achieved the same feat could be promoted one level. The more enemies they killed, the higher they could rise in the social hierarchy. This was also the only way for ordinary Qin citizens to rise to a position of power.

  As a result, Qin soldiers often fought with great bravery, thanks to this system of rewards for military achievements. Promotion by three levels was extremely attractive to everyone.

  The next day, under the intense temptation of heavy rewards, the Qin army soldiers launched another tidal wave-like attack on the Zhao army's main camp.

  But the Qin army fought bravely, and the Zhao army was no exception. The soldiers of the Zhao army knew that their large camp was their last line of defense, and if it were breached by the Qin army, the entire camp would be lost. Moreover, Li Mu was commanding from within the camp, serving as the backbone of the entire army. As long as Li Mu was present, the soldiers of the Zhao army felt secure and did not think they would lose. Therefore, under Li Mu's command, the Zhao army relied on the defensive fortifications of their large camp to resist the Qin army's attack, yielding no ground whatsoever.

  Zhao Jun's stubborn resistance was beyond ordinary, and it was indeed unexpected by Huanzi. He didn't think that at this time, the Zhao army could still have such a strong fighting spirit? The situation seemed to be somewhat out of his own expectations, but since the battle had reached this point, Huanzi couldn't change tactics either. Now he could only grit his teeth and hold on, using all his strength to break through the Zhao army's main camp. Moreover, at present, the morale of the Qin army was not inferior to that of the Zhao army, so victory or defeat was still uncertain. Therefore, Huanzi also continuously urged the Qin army to launch a fierce attack on the Zhao army's main camp.

  Li Mu sat in the main camp, directing the Zhao army to resist the Qin army's attack while constantly gazing into the distance. Suddenly turning his head, he said: "The time has come, light the wolf smoke."