Thank you to Bee for the ko-fi~ ٩(^ᗜ^ )و ´-
Zhang Dian rode on horseback, and his breathing became rapid. He could have stayed calmly in the camp, waiting for his subordinates to present the enemies’ heads. However, leading the troops to completely annihilate the enemy would bring greater merit. Moreover, these soldiers from Shangdang were experienced in battlefield tactics. What if they managed to regroup halfway and counterattacked unexpectedly, jeopardizing the entire plan? Or could this retreating force lead them into another trap?
With him in command, these concerns vanished. Zhang Dian was confident in reading the enemy’s movements at a glance and identifying all suitable ambush locations. In case of danger, he could immediately gather the formation, wait for the cavalry to arrive, and together surround and annihilate the enemy. After all, foot soldiers wouldn’t escape the pursuit of cavalry.
And now, everything was progressing in the best direction. The speed of the retreating soldiers ahead was slowing down. The scattered spears and helmets on the ground, which were initially sparse, were now increasing. Obviously, some were running out of stamina and even refused these life-saving items. However, the direction they were heading, although avoiding the road where the cavalry would return, led to an open wilderness with little cover. Except for some mounds, there was no place to hide troops. How could they set an ambush?
Perhaps, without the cavalry, these eight thousand men would be enough to devour the entire enemy!
Intoxication with satisfaction swirled in his mind, and Zhang Dian revealed a cold smile. Yiyan? Wasn’t he still in danger of losing his life due to his own schemes? A so-called “sick seed,” what was there to fear? After defeating the enemy, seizing Gaodu, and leveling Liang’s mansion, let’s see how that person surnamed Liang would deal with it!
The fleeing soldiers ahead slowed down again and were about to be caught!
Zhang Dian raised the whip in his hand and shouted, “Speed up! Ten bolts of silk for the one who kills the enemy general!”
Now, silk was the real currency. Upon hearing this, the Han soldiers, who were already panting, ran even more vigorously. The fleeing soldiers were like prey within arm’s reach, just waiting to be swallowed whole. Who wouldn’t covet it?
Five hundred steps, four hundred steps, three hundred steps… You could almost hear the enemy’s heavy breathing up ahead. At this moment, Zhang Dian suddenly felt something flicker in the corner of his eye. Reflexively turning his head, he widened his eyes!
Out of nowhere, a troop of soldiers appeared, numbering around two thousand!
Where did the ambush come from? Wasn’t there just some withered grass and stubborn rocks under that mound?
In the next moment, Zhang Dian noticed that the attire of those ambushers was different from ordinary soldiers. Although they wore helmets, the helmets were covered with coarse yellow-brown cloth, and the armor on their bodies was neither bright nor dark like steel; it also had a dirty yellow-green hue. Wearing such an ugly outfit and lying in the grass, they truly resembled a pile of rocks and yellow earth. No wonder, being so close, no one noticed them!
But even if he figured this out, what use was it? The enemy was on the flank, and his own troops were chasing with wheezing breaths, breaking formation completely. How could they withstand it?!
“Hurry! Quickly withdraw and form a defensive formation!” Zhang Dian screamed sharply.
It was too late! Without even forming a formation, the group of soldiers, three to five in a team, wielding steel knives and wooden shields, charged forward with large strides. In the blink of an eye, they crossed a mere hundred steps, like sharp knife points, ruthlessly piercing through the Han formation. Unprepared and powerless to resist, like lambs waiting to be slaughtered, those Xiongnu soldiers who had run halfway screamed in agony as they fell to the ground, splattering the frozen soil with hot blood.
At the same time, the previously charging army also came to a halt. They changed direction, formed an array, and turned back to attack. Although they had run about two miles, their knives remained steady, and their spear formation was orderly. Where was there any sign of defeat?
This is bad. Watching the extremely bloody scene in front of him, Zhang Dian felt his hair stand on end! They had come prepared; was there any hope for the large camp in front of the Taihang Mountain pass? Perhaps it had already been breached!
They must escape! They needed to rendezvous with Pu Hong and the others! As long as there were cavalry, they could turn the tide!
Without even glancing at his subordinates who had started to flee, defeated by the enemy, Zhang Dian, accompanied by about ten personal guards, fled on horseback. Faint hoofbeats could already be heard in the distance; Pu Hong and the others were about to arrive…
To conceal himself, Zhang Dian did his best to crouch on the horse. However, someone still saw his fleeing figure.
Yiyan waved his hand, cutting down a Di person, and said to the bodyguard beside him, “Blow the horn, call the horses!”
In the distant woods, there were still about a hundred cavalry hidden, precisely to block the retreating army at a critical moment. The bodyguard immediately took out the horn, and the melancholic and long sound of the horn echoed.
Soon, the hooves were approaching swiftly. Among the incoming cavalry, a speckled white horse without a rider rushed to the front. Yiyan took a few quick steps, withdrew from the chaotic battle, and gave a loud whistle. The horse sidestepped, approaching him.
Without even letting the horse come to a complete stop, as it reached his side, Yiyan grabbed the saddle, flipped onto the horse’s back, and loudly declared, “The enemy is attacking mercilessly! Kill without mercy!”
This command predetermined the fate of the enemies. Yiyan then turned the horse’s head, tightened the reins, and said, “Follow me, let’s go avenge our lord…”
With about ten personal guards, he spurred his horse in the direction where Zhang Dian was fleeing. At the end of his line of sight, a rolling dust cloud swept in—enemy cavalry had arrived!
Pu Hong finally came! On horseback, the tense mind of Zhang Dian relaxed. It was good that they had come; now they had a chance to counterattack. The enemy couldn’t possibly wipe out the Han army so quickly; there was still a chance for him to turn the situation around.
Just then, he heard another set of hoofbeats. With extreme fear, Zhang Dian turned his head and discovered that behind him, a small troop of cavalry had appeared at some point. Although the number wasn’t large, their momentum was terrifying. The forces on both sides were relatively evenly matched, but Zhang Dian dared not stop to counterattack. They had to escape! He couldn’t die yet, especially not here!
Whipping the horse like a madman, Zhang Dian’s eyes were bloodshot as he charged towards the approaching enemy army. Behind him, there were a dozen or so foes, and in front of him, an overwhelming force of friendly troops. He still had a chance!
If someone were to observe from the sky at this moment, they would undoubtedly be astonished. Vigorous cavalry extended for several li, as far as the eye could see, engulfed in rolling dust. In front of this formidable army, two dots were desperately converging, like tiny fish and shrimp rushing into the mouth of a giant bird.
Pu Hong rode on horseback, squinting his eyes. He could already see the two battling armies from afar, but why were there two groups of cavalry charging toward them? Was it a scouting report?
No matter, the order was simply to bring reinforcements and kill the enemy. If that Zhang Dian did well, it would save some effort.
“Order the mounted scouts to spread out and flank the enemy!” Pu Hong loudly commanded his adjutant.
The horns, with a distinctive rhythm, sounded. Following the command, the cavalry ahead began to spread out in a wedge formation. A dozen horses galloped side by side, with an equal number behind them in columns. The terrain was still somewhat narrow, but once they broke through, more horses would join until they completely encircled the enemy.
Although it was their first battle, the Di and Qiang cavalry didn’t seem as well-trained as the Han forces, but with so many horses, they could trample the enemy to death! A fierce killing intent flashed in Pu Hong’s eyes; the opportunity to achieve merit had finally come!
Closer, even closer. Watching the wedge formation unfolding, and the cavalry approaching within five hundred steps, Zhang Dian held his breath. They should be able to recognize him, right? Which way should he maneuver to avoid them? If, after narrowly escaping death, he were to be trampled by his own cavalry, wouldn’t that be absurd?
To the right, to the right should allow him to go around.
Just as he was about to turn the horse’s head, a sudden change occurred! The foremost group of cavalry abruptly shortened, and the ground seemed to split open, swallowing both riders and horses!
The first row collapsed, and the second row had no time to dodge, crashing into the fallen comrades. The uniform sound of hooves instantly turned into cries and neighs. This sudden change startled even the steed beneath Zhang Dian, nearly throwing him off the saddle!
What’s going on? What happened in front?!
Zhang Dian, horrified, and Pu Hong on the opposite side, both turned pale. “Avoid it, steer clear of the fissure!”
The crevice was only five zhang long and about three feet wide, making it not too difficult to navigate, whether by circling around or leaping across on horseback. However, how could the charge of a thousand soldiers and horses possibly come to a halt just like that? Not only could they not stop, but they also had to continue charging forward to stay alive.
In fact, there was no need for him to shout. Those skilled riders, adept in horsemanship, instinctively began to detour on their own. Soon, a few hundred people had charged across the fissure. However, after taking just a few steps, another collapse occurred!
It wasn’t a fissure in the ground! It wasn’t until this moment that Pu Hong realized the situation—what lay before them was clearly a pit trap! Someone had dug pit traps along the path they must take for reinforcements, covered them with burlap, and sprinkled some yellow soil to conceal the traces. Once the horses stepped on them, they would fall through, losing their front hooves. The pits weren’t even that deep, yet they completely ruined his vanguard!
How many more pit traps were there in the next few hundred steps? Was that approaching small troop really scouts? It might be a lure! However, at this moment, he had no time to respond; he had to regroup and evacuate from here as quickly as possible!
Unfortunately, the time left for him was not much. From behind, a cavalry unit of about four thousand soldiers charged out at an oblique angle, heading straight for the chaotic formation of the Han troops.
Riding on horseback, Wang Long licked his parched lips. Finally, he had waited for this moment. If it weren’t for luring this group of wretched slaves into the trap, he wouldn’t have let Sun Jiao, that kid, use the horses from the stable as a cover! Horses should be used by cavalry like them!
“Kill all these Qiang dogs for me!” Wang Long shouted loudly.
Four thousand crossbows were raised, and the bolts flew like locusts, shooting towards the enemy formation.
It’s over! Zhang Dian crouched on horseback, his whole body trembling. Hadn’t they fallen for the trap? How did they end up in such a predicament? No, he couldn’t care about this group of miscellaneous barbarians; he had to escape as quickly as possible.
Trembling, Zhang Dian grabbed the reins, attempting to steer the horse and continue fleeing. However, ahead of him, a long arrow with feathers broke through the air, hitting the hind leg of his mount square. The already frightened steed let out a miserable neigh, jumping up and throwing Zhang Dian to the ground.
This fall was not light at all. Zhang Dian felt dizzy and disoriented, struggling to get up. Unexpectedly, a shadow appeared over his head. A voice sounded, chilling to the bone.
“Captain Zhang, long time no see.”
Who would call him a captain? He hadn’t been a captain for a long time; he was the Right General of Prince Qin! Zhang Dian’s teeth chattered, forcing himself to raise his head. In his sight, he met a pair of ice-cold, gray-blue eyes.
This was a personal guard from Liang Feng! That Jie slave… Zhang Dian trembled even more. They had crossed paths in Wang Bin’s tent before. Who would have thought that their reunion would be under these circumstances?
It was indeed this Jie slave who killed Wang Jun and massacred the entire Wang family. ‘Is he here to kill me?’ Zhang Dian struggled to crawl away, desperate to evade this damned fugitive. However, all he could do was crawl, while Yiyan remained mounted.
With a forceful pull of the reins and a loud neigh, Yiyan lifted the front hooves and ruthlessly stamped on Zhang Dian’s leg. This single stamp carried at least a ton of force. Zhang Dian let out a miserable scream, attempting to curl his body. However, the second stamp and the third followed in quick succession, as if trying to crush him into a pulp.
In this world, there was no torture that could compare. It felt like being struck by numerous heavy hammers. Zhang Dian could barely muster a scream, and thick blood sprayed out. Not only from his mouth but also from his eyes, nostrils, and ears, as if even his internal organs were about to be smashed out.
“General!” Yiyan’s personal guards, having dealt with the squad following Zhang Dian, galloped over, shouting in shock.
What’s going on? Why is the general not leading the Tiger Wolf Cavalry to attack the enemy but stopping here? If he’s an enemy general, why not just kill him with one stroke? Why go through such trouble?
Yiyan didn’t even turn his head, staring fixedly at the figure collapsed on the ground, deformed beyond recognition. “This treacherous thief poisoned our lord…”
Upon hearing these words, everyone’s expression changed. The battlefield, both in front and behind, seemed to lose its significance.
“Cut this thief into a thousand pieces!” “Boil him!” “Quarter him!”
Voices rose, each more ferocious and brutal than the last. Listening to the roars of those around him, Yiyan’s inner fury strangely subsided. He lifted his head, looking towards the chaotic battlefield not far away. Up ahead, the disorganized enemy forces were struggling to break out of the encirclement by the Tiger Wolf Cavalry. Behind, the ambush had turned into an encirclement. It shouldn’t take much longer to end the battle.
He was the commander, and he still had duties to fulfill.
Taking off a long rope from his horse, he tossed it into the hands of his guards. “Bind him and drag him behind the horse.”
This was also a method of punishment; running for a mile or two would make a person wish for death. However, the time for that person to breathe was limited, dragging would undoubtedly lead to a certain death. He just didn’t want this treacherous thief to die so easily!
The guards swiftly dismounted, securing the rope around Zhang Dian’s wrist, with the other end tied to the back of their own horse.
Casting another glance at the almost lifeless remains, Yiyan urged his horse forward and coldly commanded, “Follow me, kill the enemy!”
A dozen horses once again galloped with all four hooves, bypassing the dense trap area, and charging toward the battlefield where the fight was fierce. The stinking sack hanging behind the horse convulsed and rolled, leaving behind a long trail of blood.
Author’s note:
Liang Feng: Ugly? Do you think dyeing camouflage uniforms is cheap in this era? ╭(╯^╰)╮