novelSusiti Chapter 111 The Great Destruction of Huai Tou
Chapter 111 The Great Destruction of Huai Tou
Chapter 111 The Great Destruction of Huai Tou
After entering the city, Gong Sha Kui stumbled and rushed toward the prefectural commandhouse, with Liu Bei following closely behind.
In the main hall of the prefectural command, Gongshamu lay on a simple wooden couch, his face sallow and his lips gray.
His chest was wrapped in thick strips of cloth, which were soaked with blood, and even the straw mat on the bed was stained dark red.
Several physicians surrounded him, their faces grave, at a loss for what to do.
Gong Sha Kui knelt before the bed and held his father's hand.
Gongshamu's eyelids twitched, and he struggled to open them a crack.
"Father, reinforcements have arrived! Commandant Liu is here!"
Gongsha Mu's gaze passed over Gongsha Kui and landed on Liu Bei.
Liu Bei quickly stepped forward, bent down, and grasped Gongshamu's withered hand. Gongshamu's hand was icy cold, almost devoid of warmth.
"Liu Duwei————"
Gongshamu's lips twitched slightly, as if he wanted to laugh, but he no longer had the strength: "Changli—I'm leaving him to you—"
His hand suddenly loosened, and he didn't even have time to explain what would happen after his death.
Gong Sha Kui threw himself on his father, his cries hoarse. The other three sons, along with Gong Sha Shao who had just arrived, all knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably!
Liu Bei stared at Gongsha Mu's suddenly drooping hand, the lingering coldness at his fingertips penetrating to his very core.
He slowly rose, straightened his hat, tears welling in his eyes, and bowed deeply to the heroic spirits who had defended the city with their lives on the wooden bed.
His voice choked with emotion as he said, "Lord Gongsha, rest assured, Changli City and its people are protected by me, Liu Bei!"
"I will exterminate all the Xianbei barbarians who harmed you, to appease your spirit in heaven!"
The five brothers at the bedside stopped crying and looked up at Liu Bei.
Gongsha Shao was the first to wipe away his tears and stand up. He led his four younger brothers to kowtow to Liu Bei, their foreheads hitting the ground heavily, their voices hoarse but resolute.
"Since you, my lord, have avenged my father and protected the people of Changli, my five brothers, Gong Sha and I, are willing to serve you with our remaining strength, to follow you to the death, and to have no other intentions!"
Liu Bei quickly bent down and helped the five men up one by one, promising in a gentle voice that he would avenge them and protect their families. The five men were even more grateful.
The next moment, Liu Bei turned and left the hall, his grief transforming into a chilling aura of killing intent, and drew his long sword.
"Liu Bei, the Commandant of Liaoxi, has taken over the defense of Changli today."
"As long as the city stands, Liu Bei stands; if the city falls, I, Liu Bei, will not live alone!"
The surviving officials in the city were overjoyed and immediately began praising Liu Bei's benevolence and virtue.
An elderly man who looked like a prefectural magistrate stepped forward timidly and asked in a low voice, "Commander Liu, how many men have you brought?"
"two thousand."
The old prefect's face turned deathly pale: "Two thousand—there are no fewer than eight thousand Xianbei outside the city—"
Liu Bei did not answer, but simply planted his longsword in the ground, the blade reflecting the firelight, its light flickering.
That night, the officials in Changli City were still arguing. Some advocated holding the city and waiting for reinforcements, some advocated abandoning the city and breaking out, and some sighed and said that the court had already abandoned Youzhou.
Unbeknownst to anyone, inside the north gate, a cavalry unit had quietly assembled, fully armed and ready to go, like a sharp blade about to be drawn from its sheath.
Huaitou's main camp was located in the north of the city. The day before, Liu Bei attacked the camp from the west gate, causing the loss of several hundred men. However, Huaitou was not flustered.
He had 8,000 men, while Liu Bei had only 2,000. Even after his camp was breached once, he still maintained a firm advantage.
He sent someone to inform Tan Shihuai that Changli was already in his grasp and that the city would soon be captured.
He even had a beautiful dream: in his dream, he unified the eastern pastures of the Xianbei, with Suli and Mijia bowing down to him, and the herds of horses stretching as far as the eye could see.
But my dream was shattered!
Just as a sliver of gray and white appeared on the horizon, the North Gate of Changli suddenly burst open.
Liu Bei led the way, his twin swords gleaming coldly in the morning light, followed by 1,500 elite cavalry from Liaoxi.
They made no shouts, no bugle calls, only the sound of horses' hooves thundering across the grassland.
The sentries of the Xianbei camp were the first to die; before they could even sound the horn, they were riddled with arrows by the Liaoxi vanguard.
Liu Bei led his cavalry to charge into the camp from the front. Wherever the blades swept, tents shattered and blood splattered.
Huai Tou awoke with a start from his dream, ran barefoot out of the tent, and saw flames everywhere and chaos throughout the camp.
Just as he was about to mount his horse and organize a counterattack, a deafening battle cry suddenly came from behind him.
Zhao Yun led five hundred cavalrymen out from the rear of the Xianbei camp. His white horse streaked like a shooting star in the firelight, and wherever his silver spear passed, Xianbei soldiers fell to the ground.
With Liu Bei in front and Zhao Yun behind, the Xianbei camp was in complete chaos as they were attacked from both sides.
Liu Bei led his men in repeated attacks, completely dismantling the Xianbei camp into scattered pieces.
The Xianbei people were simply unable to organize an effective resistance.
The Xianbei soldiers who were still in bed were cut down before they could even grab their weapons, and some were even trampled to pieces by horses while they were still dreaming.
Huai Tou fought his way out with the desperate protection of his guards and fled for his life in the northeast direction.
His escape caused the Xianbei army to collapse and run a thousand miles.
Liu Bei did not let him go. Two thousand elite cavalry from Liaoxi pursued him relentlessly, chasing him all the way from the north of Changli City to the edge of the grasslands bordering the Liaodong vassal state and the Xianbei, beheading more than a thousand.
Huaitou galloped for over sixty li until the sound of hooves behind him gradually faded into the distance, then dared to rein in his horse and collapsed on its back, panting heavily.
One after another, defeated soldiers gathered around, each one covered in dust and dirt, their armor and helmets discarded, some even without trousers.
From dawn until dusk, they gathered the defeated soldiers from all sides, and the personal guards counted the number of men. More than 10,000 men had set out on the expedition, but now less than 5,000 remained.
A centurion, wiping the blood from his face, gritted his teeth and said, "Sir, let's fight our way back!"
"There are only two thousand Han Chinese, but we still have five thousand. We might be able to turn the tide!"
Several centurions around him echoed his sentiments, clamoring to march back to Changli and avenge their fallen brothers.
Suddenly, Huai Tou raised his hand and lashed the centurion's shoulder with his whip, cursing loudly.
"Idiot! Go back and fight?"
"What will we use to kill them?"
"Open your eyes and see who we're dealing with!"
"How did Que Ji die?"
"How did Ke Zui die?"
"Even the Great Chanyu Tanshihuai was repelled by him. I should have known long ago that we should besiege the stronghold and attack the reinforcements?"
"I'm the one who's surrounded!"
He grew angrier with each curse, his chest heaving violently, and said dejectedly, "Let's go back."
"We still have six thousand men. Going back to guard that pasture will be enough to satisfy the Great Khan."
"Kill Liu Bei? Let whoever wants to go do it!"
A wind rose over the grassland, and Huai Tou turned his horse around, leading his remaining troops slowly northeastward.
After taking a few steps, he looked back in the direction of Changli, where the city was just a blurry outline in the morning light.
"My white horse!"
Huai Tou clutched his chest, his face showing reluctance. That was a rare gem he had finally found, which he had intended to offer as tribute to Tan Shihuai.
He was unwilling to accept it, but there was someone in that city he couldn't afford to offend.
On the city wall of Changli, Liu Bei stood with his sword in hand. Behind him were the city walls ravaged by bloodshed, the unburied corpses scattered on the ground, and the Han banners that were being raised anew.