novelSusiti Chapter 115 Duel of Two Heroes
Chapter 115 Duel of Two Heroes
Chapter 115 Duel of Two Heroes (Part 3) (Ten Chapters, Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Jiangchuankou.
The valley entrance was much wider than the road, but it was not wide enough to deploy an army of tens of thousands.
The five generals of the Han Dynasty, Lu Qubing, Han Jin, Liu Yun, Li Shui, and Qian Shao, lined up their chariots in a row to act as a barrier, with elite troops arrayed behind the chariots, ready to meet the enemy.
The force numbered approximately 12,000 men.
They were all elite troops of the Han Dynasty who followed Jiang Wei on his northern expeditions, and the veterans were extremely skilled in battle.
Armored soldiers with long halberds were in front, while unarmored soldiers and archers were behind.
Of course, they were a little nervous and had a little fear of facing a big battle, but they were mostly just going to do it.
Joining the army means death.
Those who fear death will collapse, and those who collapse will certainly die. Conversely, those who are not afraid of death will not collapse and have a much higher chance of survival.
The wind was very strong, making a "whooshing" sound as it passed through the valley entrance, which was quite frightening.
Banners bearing the characters "Han", "Lu", "Han", "Liu", "Li", and "Qian" fluttered in the wind, baring their claws and teeth.
Combined with the murderous aura emanating from the soldiers, their imposing presence was overwhelming. It was enough to terrify even the most timid, causing them to wet their pants on the spot.
"Da da da!!!!" Just as the Han army was on high alert, the sound of men and horses rang out.
Immediately afterwards, a black dot appeared on the mountain road ahead, and slowly grew larger, transforming into a well-trained Wei army.
The Wei army pursued with a light force, without any supplies.
But the elite soldiers were clad in armor and armed with powerful crossbows and arrows.
The banner bearing the character "Yang" fluttered in the wind, proclaiming that the visitor was Yang Xin, the prefect of Jincheng.
The Han army did not move, preparing to engage in battle. If the main force advanced, the battle formation would become scattered, giving the Wei army an opportunity to take advantage.
The Wei army slowly passed through the valley entrance and entered the valley. The two sides met at a distance of 150 paces.
Following Yang Xin was Qian Hong, the governor of Longxi County.
Wang Gu, the prefect of Tianshui.
The three Wei generals' main armies lined up in a row, with Qian Hong in the center and Wang Qi and Yang Xin on the left and right.
Under the banner bearing the character "Qian," Qian Hong looked up at the opposing banner, his heart remaining calm. They were old rivals; he knew their backgrounds and fighting strength perfectly well.
The Shu army was still very strong, but it was no longer as formidable as Zhuge Liang had been back then.
The two sides are evenly matched in field combat.
What's more, this time they have the upper hand; they're the pursuers. Once Jiang Wei gets caught up with them, he won't be able to escape.
The advantage lies with them.
but....
Qian Hong looked around at the terrain and asked, "Where is the guide?"
"General." A man immediately stepped forward and bowed.
"Are there any small paths around to our backs on either side of the valley entrance?" Qian Hong asked.
Jiang Wei has a large army, and these are his rearguard troops. If Jiang Wei's vanguard turns around and launches a surprise attack from behind, it would be disastrous.
"There are small paths on both sides," the guide said decisively, clearly understanding the terrain of this area.
Qian Hong nodded, lowered his head and pondered for a moment, then turned to his personal guard and said, "The three of us are not under each other's command. You speak to Prefect Yang in a consultative tone. I want him to withdraw from the ranks as a precaution in case the Shu army launches a surprise attack from the rear."
"If he is unwilling, I can leave the queue as a precaution."
"Yes." The guards noted it down and immediately turned their horses around, heading towards Yang Xin's troops.
Soon after, Yang Xin's army changed from the vanguard to the rearguard and vice versa, and arrived at the valley entrance, which was the rear of the main army, as a defensive position.
Numerous scouts, carrying signal arrows and smoke signals that could be quickly ignited, dispersed to the mountains on both sides to keep watch.
Wang Qi and Qian Hong rearranged their troops, changing from a three-general formation to a two-hero assault.
The Han army side.
Under the banner bearing the inscription "Lu," Lu Qubing, holding his lance horizontally behind him in his right hand and gripping the reins tightly in his left, looked up and clearly observed the movements of the Wei army. He sighed, "These are all seasoned generals; a flanking maneuver won't be so easy. A fierce battle is inevitable."
Lu Qubing looked up at the sky again. It was just past noon. Their goal was not to get entangled with the Wei army, but to quickly break free from the entanglement.
If we can't crush the Wei army, we'll just have to fight until nightfall.
After dark, the Wei army dared not pursue.
"Brave warriors, today is the day to defeat the Wei army." Although Lu Qubing had this plan, he raised his lance and thrust it into the sky, displaying an aura of certain victory over the Wei army.
"Kill!!!!" His two thousand elite soldiers roared in unison, their spirits soaring.
Their shouts of battle affected their allies, the armies of the five Han generals, who roared in unison.
The momentum was like thunder, and cheers echoed through the valley.
"Order to attack!" At the same time, Qian Hong, who had rearranged the army formation, gave the order.
"Kill!!!!!" More than 10,000 elite Wei soldiers roared in unison, and in formation, armored halberdiers led the way, followed by unarmored soldiers and archers, as they slowly attacked the Han army.
At first, the Wei army moved very slowly, like an old woman walking. But when the two sides were within a hundred paces of each other, the Wei army's movements increased rapidly, like a lion charging.
"Da da da!!!!!" The elite soldiers charged forward, their heavy footsteps echoing through the valley.
"Whoosh whoosh!!!!"
"Knock knock knock!!!"
At the same time, without needing orders from their officers, the Han archers, after judging the distance themselves, unleashed their arrows. A whistling sound filled the air.
The sound of the bowstring vibrating rose and fell.
The black arrow shot into the air and then fell in a parabolic trajectory.
The falling arrows were like a magnificent rain of arrows, each sharp arrowhead resembling the fangs of a ferocious beast, exuding boundless killing intent.
"Pfft, pfft."
"Aaaaaah!!!!"
The elite armored soldiers in the front ranks of the Wei army were immediately hit by a hail of arrows. Although their armor protected them from many of the originally fatal blows, they only suffered minor injuries or were even unharmed.
However, some arrows still struck their vitals; some screamed and fell to the ground, while others lay silently in pools of blood.
Someone was shot in the instep by an arrow, which brought them immense bad luck.
This volley of arrows did not deter the Wei army; instead, it fueled their ferocity.
"Don't back down, charge through the rain of arrows!" Qian Hong led his personal guards at the rear, raised his lance, and shouted sharply.
"Kill!!!!" The elite armored soldiers in the front ranks of the Wei army roared in unison, their speed increasing rather than decreasing, in order to quickly cover the hundred paces and engage the Han army in hand-to-hand combat.
"Whoosh whoosh!!!!"
"Knock knock knock!"
77
At the same time, the Wei army's rear archers also reached kill range, nocked their arrows, and fired them into the sky, creating a rain of arrows that fell on the Han army.
Although the Han army had chariots for cover, most of the soldiers were still exposed to a hail of arrows.
Screams erupted one after another as many soldiers fell, struck by arrows. But many more, after being hit by arrows, gritted their teeth and stood still, determined to fight on despite their wounds.
The military formation must not collapse.
Retreating now is tantamount to ending the battle prematurely. It's like handing your life over to someone else.
The Han army fired first, thus gaining some advantage.
But not many.
The distance of a hundred paces was covered in an instant. The Wei army and the Han army met and engaged in hand-to-hand combat.