The troops at the South Gate had also suffered nearly a hundred casualties.
The sheer brutality of this battle caught everyone off guard.
Hadn't they said both the Andongese and the Blackwater City army possessed mediocre combat strength, and that this clash would merely be a clumsy brawl between weaklings?
Why did it feel like a desperate, life-or-death struggle where flesh and blood went flying everywhere?
However, the ragtag contingent of external forces took very little damage. Only one person from Baling's squad was wounded, and that was purely from his own carelessness with a stray arrow. The squads from the Heavenly Palace and the Jianyang Sect remained entirely unscathed.
Anyone chosen and sent to search for treasure in the Panlong Desert was the elite of the elite. Since they were fighting on Blackwater City's behalf, they naturally had no intention of exerting themselves to the death; when they could slack off and preserve their strength, they did.
Just then, cannon fire boomed from an angle, and more than three hundred enemy troops charged out!
Liao Shan had grown uneasy and deployed his reserve of three hundred men as well.
With that, the pressure on the South Gate forces spiked drastically.
All told, the Blackwater City troops had not gained the upper hand on any of the three battlefields.
Liao Shan had already seen through He Chunhua's ruse. Since the Blackwater City army had poured out in full force, there was no need for them to return.
Zhang Lianhai's attendant squeezed to his side and rasped, "My lord, the Balingese are getting ready to slip away!"
"How do you know?" Controlling his lamp spirit, Zhang Lianhai batted away a stray arrow. Weapons on a battlefield possessed no eyes; even he had to tread carefully. Once the tide turned, they would certainly need to withdraw as soon as possible.
"They've been shifting north the whole time!" The attendant jerked his chin toward the north. "Look, they're nearly at the edge of the battlefield!"
Their objective was the Panlong Ruins in the desert. Why should they risk their lives here for the people of Blackwater City?
Now that the Balingese were leaving, why should their own side stay behind as scapegoats?
Zhang Lianhai made up his mind instantly. "We head north as well!"
By moving north, they might seize an opportunity to break away from the battle.
Just as the Heavenly Palace group prepared to shift their footing, the eastern sky was illuminated by several bursts of fireworks.
With a series of shrill whistles, plumes of red, blue, yellow, and green bloomed above.
Those were genuine fireworks—the kind crafted by Blackwater City artisans whenever there were weddings or funerals. Blasting into the night sky at this very moment, they were exceptionally festive and glaringly conspicuous.
Most importantly was the location where they detonated—
Right at the foot of Hulu Mountain, inside the Andongese supply camp!
The Andongese army was shocked, thrown into sudden disarray.
Was their base being raided?
The commanding general immediately dispatched several hundred horsemen and foot soldiers to rush back as reinforcements. But the commanders under He Chunhua were no pushovers either. Seeing this, one roared at the top of his lungs, "The Andongese camp has fallen! Attack! Advance!"
Countless voices joined in the roar.
The Blackwater City army was outnumbered and had originally been at a disadvantage, pressed back step by step. Caught by such a sudden reversal, as jubilant as the Blackwater City troops were, the Andongese were equally shaken. As morale rose on one side and plummeted on the other, even their control of origin power tipped in favor of the defenders.
Just as the tide reversed, another contingent galloped out from Blackwater City's East Gate. Arrayed in sturdy armor and brandishing sharp weapons, spirited and formidable, they charged straight toward the enemy.
High above them flew a grand banner bearing the character "He." It was He Chunhua himself joining the fray!
With their supreme commander taking the field in person, the Blackwater City troops grew even more inspired, pushing the battle lines eastward in a single surge of momentum.
In the heat of the moment, no one noticed that the fluttering "He" banner was somewhat aged.
It was an old relic He Chunhua had ordered brought out from the Blackwater City storehouses; the last time it had seen use was nearly a decade ago.
***
Having crawled out of the secret tunnel and bypassed the encirclement, He Lingchuan and his companions moved under cover of darkness toward Hulu Mountain.
Thanks to his thorough knowledge of the surrounding terrain—he could navigate it with his eyes closed—he had been able to lead them through the winding paths and slip quietly behind enemy lines to the main camp.
At that time, the Andongese encampment had still been brightly lit, with people constantly moving to and fro.
He Lingchuan and the others went to ground in the wilderness.
They remained prone there for six full hours.
Throughout that time, they had to avoid patrolling sentries. They could not move around recklessly, make a sound, relieve themselves carelessly, or even fart into the wind.
He Lingchuan observed the two groups beside him. The Mount Rong disciples led by Qiu Hu were as still as stones; aside from occasionally flexing their limbs or shifting positions alongside He Lingchuan, they made no superfluous movements.
The elites of the Yuan army had far more little flaws. One soldier had not even secured his spear properly and nearly let it tumble down the slope to strike the rocks.
In the eyes of Qiu Hu and his men, however, He Lingchuan seemed even more at ease. Waiting amidst the damp earth, surrounded by snakes and ants in the mountains, he looked as comfortable as if he were sitting in his own bedchamber.
Yet every time he led them in changing locations, the move was precise and safe.
This Eldest Young Master He had composure and patience to spare.
Just as everyone was yawning from the endless wait, war drums thundered from the east, and the Andongese camp fell into frantic commotion.
Blackwater City's counterattack had finally begun.
He Lingchuan waited as detachment after detachment marched out of the Andongese camp, the final group numbering over a thousand men.
Only three hundred and forty men remained in the encampment.
Qiu Hu asked him, "Take them?"
Raiding an enemy's supply camp did not necessarily require overwhelming numbers.
He Lingchuan had just returned from scouting the front of the mountain, having evaded sentries along the way. Pitching camp at Hulu Mountain had been a sound choice for the Andongese; climbing halfway up the slope gave a distant view of the combat at both Blackwater City's East and South Gates.
Now, observing the battlefield was just as convenient for He Lingchuan.
"No rush. It looks like those external helpers from the Heavenly Palace and the Jianyang Sect are fighting well, and the camp guards can't suppress them either."
The task He Chunhua had given him was to launch a surprise attack on the rear camp. As for how to keep the squad concealed and when to strike, those decisions were left entirely to He Lingchuan's discretion.
As if confirming his words, it was not long before the remaining three hundred Andongese soldiers in the camp were summoned away as well.
Now, fewer than fifty men remained in the vast, empty camp. In the eyes of He Lingchuan and his group, they looked like plump sheep ready for slaughter.
Only then did He Lingchuan wave his hand.
"Charge!"
He had always loved outnumbering and overpowering the few with the many!
First, several camp soldiers holding halberds were struck through the throat with arrows. Immediately after, the seventy men leapt down from the midslope, striking like tigers descending the mountain to seize the initiative through sheer shock, seventy warriors projecting the momentum of two hundred.
The enemy scrambled to intercept them, but He Lingchuan and Qiu Hu charged at the forefront, blades rising and falling, cutting down four or five in the blink of an eye.
Qiu Hu even grabbed an Andongese soldier by the collar, hurled him two zhang away to slam against a large tree with a heavy thud, and then reached out to snatch an arrow aimed at his back, stabbing it straight into the chest of another charging Andongese warrior.
The unlucky fellow skidded out headfirst, already dead by the time his feet hit the dirt.
Never mind the enemy; even the Blackwater City soldiers shivered at the sight.
He Lingchuan dispatched his foes with greater finesse, but was far from matching such savage brutality.
Once Qiu Hu went into action, he was like a man-eating tiger draped in human skin, unstoppable.
With such sharp blades carving the path ahead, the Andongese interception line was instantly sliced to ribbons.
The rest of the men brought out the prepared oil, splashing it over key tents, wagons, and supplies, before setting it ablaze with a flick of their hands.
Before long, blazing flames engulfed the camp.
Only then did He Lingchuan fire several rounds of fireworks into the sky, bursting in full bloom across the darkness.
Someone had even dug up a few large bronze gongs and began beating them vigorously—clang, clang, clang, clang! The sound carried far and wide through the night.
***
With their supply camp gutted, the panic-stricken Andongese suddenly found themselves encircled from the east, south, and west.
Enemies seemed to surround them on all sides, the roars of slaughter shaking the heavens.
These troops were hardly seasoned veterans; they lacked the discipline to fall into chaos without breaking entirely. Seizing the opportunity, He Chunhua directed the Blackwater City army to make several sharp flanking thrusts, tearing the Andongese battle lines to shreds.
In a single stroke, the battle crossed its turning point.
Chapter 818