Chapter 289
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Chapter 289: Compassion Does Not Command Troops, Emotion Does Not Govern Affairs
Unlike when he accepted Wang Luzong’s surrendered troops, at that time, Luo Ji had the city walls as his backing, and to some extent, he could be said to be fearless.
After accepting the surrendered soldiers, he could immediately order his generals to manage them uniformly.
However, at this moment, he was leading troops in open field combat.
Taking in surrendered soldiers at such a time would undoubtedly add unstable factors to his army, and Luo Ji had no intention of doing so.
The military formation remained unmoving.
It was Zhou Dongnan who was in a hurry, not him.
Luo Ji was waiting at ease for the enemy to come at them, and then, he would deliver the deepest despair in one fell swoop!
Estimating the distance and feeling they were close enough, Luo Ji called out.
“Liu Meng!”
Without needing further instructions, Liu Meng drew the bronze battle sword from his waist.
“Sword-shield unit, follow me to meet the enemy!!”
On one side was the well trained sword-shield unit, and on the other, a group of forcibly conscripted civilians.
The difference in strength was obvious at a glance.
There was no suspense.
The militia unit, wielding bronze halberds, instantly seemed to have entered the gates of hell, falling into a mountain of swords and a sea of fire!
Swirling bronze battle swords mercilessly butchered lives on the battlefield.
A one-sided massacre had begun.
The overwhelming disparity in strength plunged these forcibly conscripted militiamen into deep despair.
The scene before them was not a war at all, but them charging forward one after another to die!
The morale that had been boosted by Zhou Dongnan’s skill earlier instantly plummeted to rock bottom at this moment.
The blood-soaked bronze battle swords opposite them gave them no sense of victory, only endless despair!
Spotting an opportunity, Luo Ji shouted loudly.
“Listen, you militiamen who were forcibly conscripted!”
“I know that standing here is not by your will, but because Zhou Dongnan forced you onto the battlefield.”
“I have no intention of slaughtering civilians.”
“Now, I give you a chance to throw down your weapons and flee from this battlefield. The farther, the better. I promise not to send anyone to pursue you.”
“But those who do not throw down their weapons and choose to remain here, you will only find death!!”
“Remember that on the battlefield, swords and blades have no eyes.”
Luo Ji had no intention of adding unstable factors to his army during open field combat.
However, turning these militiamen into deserters was also a good way to indirectly weaken Zhou Dongnan’s forces.
His words hit the nail on the head, piercing the hearts of those militiamen.
Practically none of them were voluntarily standing there.
They were originally farmers holding hoes and herding cattle, suddenly seized and thrown into military camps, then handed weapons and sent to the battlefield.
Wasn’t that sending them to their deaths?
At this moment, Luo Ji’s perfectly timed words became a catalyst for their inner emotions.
The fear of the battlefield and death instantly crushed the will of a group of people, causing them to immediately drop their weapons and flee in one direction.
Humans, moreover, are creatures with a very strong herd mentality.
This wave directly triggered a chain reaction, and in the blink of an eye, hundreds had fled, causing Zhou Dongnan, who was at the rear of the formation, to turn ashen with rage, then shouted repeatedly.
“Those who desert from the ranks shall be treated as deserters, with their entire clan exterminated and their families beheaded!!”
As the Emperor of Great Zhou, Zhou Dongnan’s words were undoubtedly extremely intimidating, forcefully curbing the almost complete rout of the militia unit.
The sight of the militiamen, their faces filled with despair, clutching their weapons and charging on the battlefield, caused a flicker of unbearable emotion in Zhou Yi’s eyes.
He then simply shouted persuasively to these commoners, telling them to lay down their weapons and flee.
Luo Ji said nothing to this, letting him shout.
Zhou Yi had a weakness, of course, in some respects, it could also be considered a strength, he was extremely benevolent towards common people.
He could undoubtedly become a general deeply beloved by the populace, but he clearly still had much to learn.
Looking at Zhou Yi, who had fruitlessly tried to persuade them, Luo Ji calmly spoke.
“Zhou Yi, compassion does not command troops, and emotion does not govern affairs.”
“When you fully understand these eleven words, you will be qualified to lead an army independently.”
Having spoken, Luo Ji no longer bothered with him.
He drew the bronze longsword from his waist and shouted loudly.
“All troops charge!!”
Luo Ji activated a skill, directly elevating his army’s morale by a level.
The sword-shield unit, axe-shield unit, and halberdier unit charged forward under the leadership of the three fierce generals, Liu Meng, Luo Yong, and Guo Zhen.
The militiamen blocking their path were cut down like flies.
Zhou Dongnan’s face was now beyond grim.
However, with the battle having reached this point, he had no retreat.
All his forces were committed to this battle.
In fact, to fight this battle, he had even forcibly conscripted militiamen, causing widespread resentment throughout the Great Zhou territory.
It was either win or die! There was no third path!
“All troops charge!!”
With this thought, Zhou Dongnan, raising his crescent halberd high, also launched a determined charge!
The main armies of both sides soon clashed.
It must be said that the opponent indeed had many generals.
At a glance, Luo Ji saw at least four or five generals wearing bronze armor.
These generals, with their considerable bravery, added much combat power to Zhou Dongnan’s army.
The infantry battle seemed slightly deadlocked.
Indeed, the focus of this battle was the cavalry unit.
Whoever could first establish an advantage with the cavalry unit’s astonishing destructive power became the key to determining the outcome of this battle.
And at this moment, this extremely important cavalry unit, led by Zhao Zhe, quickly moved out of everyone’s sight.
Looking back, although he could still faintly hear the shouts from the distant battlefield, within his field of vision, there was essentially no trace of the battlefield left.
Zhao Zhe slightly relaxed, then raised his hand.
The furiously charging cavalry unit slowly halted, allowing their warhorses to catch their breath.
Then, after taking two deep breaths, Zhao Zhe regained some spirit.
What he needed to do next was to search for opportunities on the outskirts of the battlefield, waiting for the right moment to re-enter the fight.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, an unforeseen situation suddenly occurred.
A volley of arrows rained down from the sky, instantly shooting down over a dozen of his cavalrymen, both men and horses, who had no time to react.
This unexpected turn of events caused a look of surprise to flash across Zhao Zhe’s face.
Without time to think, he repeatedly shouted.
“Run! Run fast!!”
Increasing speed took time, but the speed at which this archer unit, hidden somewhere, drew and fired arrows was astonishingly fast.
In the blink of an eye, another volley of arrows arrived, inflicting more casualties on his cavalry unit!
“Damn it! Where did an archer unit come from in a place like this?!”
Gritting his teeth, Zhao Zhe continuously accelerated with his cavalry unit.
After charging for a distance, Zhao Zhe, slightly relieved, looked back, and his entire expression froze.
Looking at the unit that had entered his field of vision from behind, no matter how hard Zhao Zhe thought, he probably wouldn’t have imagined that the attackers were actually cavalry, and the weapons in the hands of those soldiers on horseback were not the long spears he was familiar with, but…
“Bows?!”
