Frontier Army Warrior

Chapter 1225 Who the hell is so smart?

The warhorses, accompanied by a fierce wind, roared in. Even when pierced by straight blades, the immense momentum propelled them far away, disrupting the pirates' formation.

Thousands of warhorses, covering the mountains and plains, were like tigers charging into a flock of sheep, invincible and unstoppable.

The five thousand pirate infantrymen only held out for less than a quarter of an hour before they scattered in a rout.

It wasn't that they lacked willpower; it was simply that using human bodies to stop a high-speed charging warhorse was an inherently difficult method to implement.

In addition, the five thousand infantrymen had traveled for half a day and were exhausted. They were also unprepared and encountered the cavalry in the middle of a plain.

How could they possibly hold on?

In particular, the overwhelming momentum made it impossible for the pirate soldiers to maintain their composure, and they collapsed completely in an instant.

Five thousand infantrymen began to scatter and flee.

Once a team collapses, no commander can reorganize it.

The leaders of each unit looked at the battle situation in despair. Although they managed to cut down two fleeing soldiers, they could not quell the other deserters.

A quarter of an hour later, the five thousand infantrymen had fled in all directions, and several thousand Zhenxi Army cavalrymen were chasing them across the open field.

Tokugawa Iemochi had already returned to the castle. He had just removed his armor, changed into civilian clothes, and sat down to have a cup of tea when soldiers rushed to the gate in a panic.

"General, five thousand infantrymen outside the city have been attacked by the Zhenxi Army cavalry."

Tokugawa Iemochi nearly dropped his teacup, trying to suppress his panic.

How many cavalrymen are there?

"General, there should be around three thousand cavalry."

"Immediately, mobilize 10,000 troops to leave the city and provide support."

The messenger immediately rushed out.

Tokugawa Iemochi gently put down his teacup. He was a more composed person, and this tea set in his hand was a treasure he had plundered from a large territory, so he couldn't afford to lose it.

Without even changing his clothes, Tokugawa Iemochi, accompanied by his guards, spurred his horse to the top of the city wall and observed the battle situation outside the city from afar.

The city gates swung open, and countless teams rushed out.

Faced with the Zhenxi Army's cavalry, Tokugawa Iemochi had no good options but to use sheer numbers to overwhelm them, disperse the enemy, and save as many as he could.

To think you could surround the enemy's cavalry in the open field was a pipe dream.

Standing atop the castle tower, Tokugawa Iemochi finally understood Atsumi Akiyama's feelings, having previously laughed at her hysteria.

At the time, I felt that although this woman was beautiful, she was not suitable to be a general. After all, leading troops into battle is a man's job.

Now, although he has 30,000 troops, he is trapped in this isolated city and dares not easily go into battle, because he still cannot deal with the Zhenxi Army's cavalry.

The supply ships have been bombed, and it's estimated that they won't be able to recover for a while.

How will the Emperor think of us, that we've been reduced to this state by the war?

What would his own family think?

Tokugawa Iemochi was in a state of utter confusion and fell into anxiety and depression.

Lin Feng once again used the strategy of besieging the point and attacking the reinforcements. This tactic had always worked and he had mastered it to perfection.

In this battle, 91 pirate ships were destroyed, and the warships bombarded the remaining six warships. 1,800 pirates fell into the water and escaped, while countless others were shot dead.

Of the five thousand infantrymen, more than two thousand six hundred were killed or wounded after being charged by three thousand cavalry.

In the ensuing pursuit, they lost another 1,200 men.

By the time the 10,000 pirates from Ganqing Prefecture arrived, the 3,000 cavalry of the Zhenxi Army had already withdrawn, circled around the open field, and returned to their camp.

According to statistics, no one from the Zhenxi Army was injured or killed in the naval battle.

After the three thousand cavalry charged, seventy-nine died, one hundred and thirty-five were seriously wounded, and more than four hundred were slightly wounded.

Lin Feng frowned as he looked at the battle report.

The Zhenxi Army's cavalry has been honed over many years, so how could they have suffered such heavy losses?

Pei Qiyin brought over the tea. Seeing that Lin Feng looked unwell, she knew he was upset about the battle losses, so she explained softly.

"Your Highness, you may not know this, but the pirates have changed their weapons and equipment. They've connected a straight sword to a hilt, instantly turning short weapons into long weapons, causing great losses to our cavalry."

"Oh? Who the hell is so smart?"

Pei Qiyin shook her head and smiled wryly, then handed over some tea.

"That's hard to say. After all, they've suffered too many losses, and they can't stay stubborn forever."

"They've always been stubborn and inflexible."

Pei Qiyin laughed: "Your Highness, who told you this?"

Lin Feng was taken aback, then brought the teacup to his lips and took a sip.

"The sea monsters did a fantastic job bombing the ship. We'll leave the rest of the pirate warships to them. We don't necessarily have to use cannons to bombard each other."

He changed the subject.

"Only our Zhenxi Army has this method; it's unique and there's no other way."

Pei Qiyin was also honored.

Lin Feng looked down at the map on his desk, his finger moving down the Mi River.

"Let our warships continue downstream along the river and block their supply ships. Perhaps in less than three days, the pirates in Ganqing Prefecture will collapse."

"and then?"

"What else is there? A bunch of defeated pirates, no matter how you fight them, they're just dogs that have fallen into the water."

Lin Feng slammed his palm down on the map, pointing to the city of Ganqing Prefecture.

"Once this city is captured, the pirates will have nowhere to stand and will have no choice but to return to the sea."

"Your Majesty is wise."

Inside the castle of Ganqing Prefecture, Tokugawa Iemochi was pacing around in his command post.

It has been three days now. The supply ships at sea have been blocked at the mouth of the sea by the Zhenxi Army's warships and are unable to enter the inland waterways.

If they were to land on the coastline, it would be more than 380 li (approximately 145 kilometers) from Ganqing Prefecture. Such a long land route would make it extremely dangerous to transport supplies into the city.

With fewer people escorting the supply convoy, they were no match for the Zhenxi Army's cavalry.

With so many troops going, Ganqing Prefecture is in danger of falling.

However, the danger would be even greater if the army ran out of food.

The decision to choose between the two options nearly caused Tokugawa Iemochi to smash his head in frustration.

Ganqing Prefecture City is their last territory. Once forced to retreat, they can only withdraw from the vast territory, return to the sea, or retreat directly back to their homeland.

This was also something Tokugawa Iemochi could not accept. As the general of an army of 30,000, he could not face either his family or the Emperor.

The only outcome of losing Ganqing Prefecture is that I will die in battle.

Tokugawa Iemochi decided to wait another night. If supplies still could not reach the city by the next day, he would lead his army out of the city, bypass the Zhenxi Army camp, and head straight for Funing Prefecture.

Based on his judgment, the Zhenxi Army should have placed the vast majority of its forces in the camp thirty miles in front of the city, leaving Fuling Prefecture City quite undefended.

Faced with this situation, if he doesn't fight for survival, he will have no way out; burning his bridges is his only option.

Just as Tokugawa Iemochi was becoming somewhat hysterical, he suddenly heard someone speaking behind him.

Where is Atsumi Akiyama now?

He was startled; this was his command post, and no one was allowed to enter without his permission, Tokugawa Iemochi's.

Tokugawa Iemochi turned around and looked up, seeing an old man with white hair and beard standing expressionlessly in the middle of the room.

One of his personal guards stood blankly at the door, his eyes filled with helplessness.

"You...you are..."

"I am Atsumi Akiyama's father, Atsumi Yukinosuke."