My father, King Chu, was besieged at Gaixia

Chapter 136: Anger Does Not Raise an Army
"General, you absolutely can't do that! Don't you raise troops without hearing about anger? Sending troops at this time will play into Xiang Chang's hands. The reason why Xiang Chang sent women's clothes to humiliate you, doesn't it just show that the strategy you and the military advisor have adopted has hit his weak spot?" Shusun Tong climbed up, hugged Lu Ze's arm, and begged bitterly.

Gu Feng and Feng Wu Ze also stepped forward to try to persuade them.

Brothers Guo Ting and Guo Meng, however, were eager to follow Lu Ze and Xiang Chang in a head-on battle, to defeat and crush them in one fell swoop, and to grab the supreme honor of killing the eldest son of the Great Chu in battle!

Lu Ze looked at Shusun Tong unexpectedly and felt that his words made sense. Even though he was still furious, his expression gradually calmed down and he nodded slowly: "Well, let's follow the military advisor's strategy and continue to hold on here and trap that kid to death."

As soon as Lu Ze finished speaking, there was a sudden burst of strange noises in the tent, such as "tap, tap, tap...", and the eating utensils such as jars, bowls, pots, jugs, and bowls that were squatting obediently on the desk suddenly trembled and started dancing.

When the generals saw this, they all understood immediately because they were all experienced in battle and their faces changed.

Guo Meng turned over and lay on the ground in the tent, put a bowl on the ground, put his ear on it and paused for a while, then jumped up and shouted, "More than 2,000 cavalrymen came from the direction of Xincai County and arrived in the time it takes to warm a bottle of wine."

All the generals raised their eyebrows, and an unbelievable thought came to their mind: Could it be... How dare this kid...

Lu Ze responded without hesitation, showing the demeanor of a veteran who had experienced many battles and was proficient in military strategies: "Gu Feng, Feng Wuze, go to the barracks immediately, suppress the panic in the army, and urge the soldiers to prepare for defense. Guo Ning, Guo Meng, mobilize 4,000 cavalry, put on armor and mount horses, and follow me to meet the enemy."

The generals immediately bowed in response, turned around and hurried away.

Before long, a low and rapid horn sounded outside the tent, and then the soldiers could be heard grabbing their weapons and shields, running around in panic, lining up and entering the battle formation to defend, amid the loud shouts and scolding of the officers.

The guards began to put armor on Lu Ze in the tent.

As Lu Ze put on his armor piece by piece, the sound of hooves outside the tent gradually came closer and became more rapid and heavy, and finally like thunder. The whole tent began to shake violently, and the food and wine utensils on the desk all fell to the ground.

Hearing the rapid and powerful sound of horse hooves, the guards protecting Lu Ze inside and outside the tent all changed color.

However, Lu Ze still stood there as steady as a mountain, unmoving, with only a cold and murderous light flashing in his eyes, until the last piece of leg armor was fastened, and then he strode out of the tent.

Outside the tent, the escort cavalry had already led their war horses and prepared their weapons.

Climbing onto the horse and stepping on the stirrup, Lu Ze felt a sense of security. He reached out to take the spear and felt even more at ease. Looking up, he saw huge clouds of dust rising into the sky in the field outside the camp under the blue autumn sky. Two thousand elite cavalrymen of the Great Chu had already rushed to about a hundred steps away.

The first two riders held up two huge flags, which fluttered in the strong autumn wind. The two huge black characters "Chu" and "Xiang" on them were eye-catching. Between the two flags, a tall and agile young general in black armor rushed to the front with a bright halberd in his hand, and his momentum was unmatched.

"It really is that little Xiang Chang!" Guo Ning had also put on his armor at this time, and rode over on his horse, shouting in an tone that was unclear whether it was shock or anger.

There is no doubt that Xiang Chang's humiliation of Lu Ze and then his personal attack was completely beyond their expectations.

Lü Ze looked back and saw that 4,000 cavalry were gathering quickly and reorganizing their ranks. He said coldly, "Instead of attacking him, they actually provoke him. How dare they! Only 2,000 cavalry dare to attack us. We will make sure that they never return. Tell Gu Feng and Feng Wuze to defend the camp and stop the Chu cavalry from charging. Whoever is defeated and allowed to let the Chu cavalry rush into the camp will be punished by military law. The cavalry should be ready. When Xiang Chang's charge is weak, follow me and attack immediately. We will defeat him in one fell swoop and let Xiang Chang know how high the sky is and how thick the earth is!"

Lu Ze's words were full of anger, and he was obviously completely enraged by Xiang Chang's series of outrageous actions. And because of his confidence in the camp he had worked hard to build in recent days, he obviously did not think that Xiang Chang could break through in one fell swoop with only two thousand cavalry.

As for his 4,000 elite cavalry, the officers and generals were all descendants of the Lu family, and the soldiers were all from the same hometown and county. They were united, brave and fearless, and had extremely strong fighting effectiveness.

"General, please be careful. Xiang Chang is a cunning boy. I'm afraid he is a trick this time." Shusun Tong came over at some point and said anxiously.

Shusun Tong had watched helplessly in the Linjiang Kingdom as Xiang Chang defeated the powerful General Huang Jizhong step by step, using all kinds of tricks and schemes. He really had a psychological trauma. Now when he saw Xiang Chang charging towards him with only 2,000 cavalrymen, he instinctively felt something was wrong.

Seeing that Xiang Chang had almost rushed to the front of the camp, and the soldiers had already drawn their spears and shields, ready for battle, Lu Ze sneered and waved his hand: "You worry too much! What can he do..."

Before he finished speaking, when the two thousand Chu cavalry were about to crash into the camp, the young general in the front suddenly let out a long whistle, and the direction of the big black horse under his crotch suddenly changed, from charging forward to circling diagonally, like a dragonfly touching the water, and flew past the edge of the camp.

The soldiers in the Han camp, who had already spread their legs and prepared themselves for the violent attack, thought that they would have a fierce battle with the Chu cavalry. However, they never expected that the Chu cavalry would just peek outside the door and take a look, then leave immediately, leaving them waiting in vain. They couldn't help but feel a sense of emptiness in their hearts.

Before the Han camp soldiers' feelings of loss could reach their peak, the Chu cavalry launched another wave of fierce and rude actions, causing the Han camp soldiers to scream in horror.

The young general in black armor and on a black horse, who was as powerful as a dragon, shouted again, and two thousand Chu cavalrymen stood up from their horses at the same time, drew their bows and arrows, and shot rockets towards the camp.

In the dry late autumn, the barricades, fences, tents, flags, and vehicles in the camp would catch fire if they came into contact with fire, and like a seductive whore, they could not be extinguished without sufficient water. The two thousand Chu cavalry were all elites skilled in archery and horse riding. When they galloped to the end of the Han army camp, they had already fired tens of thousands of rockets into the Han army camp.

The panicked Han soldiers, under the command of the officers and generals, fought hard to put out the fire like headless flies. However, with so many rockets coming, how could they save the people? Moreover, the barracks had too little water, and after pouring water on the fire, it was like a drop in the ocean, and it was quickly burned dry by the flames. The river was on one side of the camp, and it was too late to transport water back.

Amid the crackling sound of the burning flames, the entire Han army camp was filled with smoke and flames in the shortest possible time, completely out of control, and completely turned into a red hell. Among them, there were even cows and mules with their fur on fire, running around madly, making the situation even more chaotic and out of control.

Lü Ze and his generals had no idea that Xiang Chang would use fire attacks. When they saw thousands of rockets shooting at the camp, they all became stiff as if they were under a spell, and their mouths opened and closed rapidly like fish without water, but they could not make any sound. "Xiang Chang is good at using fire attacks. It is said that the King of Han suffered a great loss during the battle of Gaixia." Shusun Tong's old eyes widened, as if he remembered something, and he shouted to Lü Ze in horror.

Lu Ze stared at him with strange eyes, wishing he could strangle him to death. His face turned ashen, and his whole body was filled with a fierce and domineering aura. Without saying a word, he rode his horse and rushed out of the camp.

Brothers Guo Ning and Guo Meng understood Lu Ze's intention at once. He wanted to intercept the Chu cavalry on their retreating route, annihilate them all here, or even kill Xiang Chang. Then, even if the camp was burned down, it would undoubtedly be a great victory. They immediately became very excited and called on 4,000 cavalry to follow closely.

Lu Ze was indeed a man of experience. He knew that the Chu cavalry were indeed here to set fire to the camp. After firing a few rounds of rockets, he turned his horse's head and quickly returned in the direction of Xincai County where he came from.

Led by Lu Ze himself, 4,000 cavalrymen from the Han camp rushed out from the side, regardless of anything, and charged forward like crazy.

The rage aroused by Xiang Chang made Lu Ze's heart boil like porridge. He wanted to kill Xiang Chang as soon as possible. He stared at the agile and arrogant figure of the mount that looked like a black dragon, his eyes were as cold as thorns.

Xiang Chang, who was still leading the way, knew Lu Ze. When he saw him leading the Han cavalry to charge at him from the side, he knew that it was a time of bravery and victory when two brave men met on a narrow road. He was not afraid, a hint of coldness appeared at the corners of his mouth, and he rushed forward to meet the enemy.

Just when the two cavalry armies had reached their limit in speed and were running as unstoppable as rolling rocks on a mountain, getting closer and closer, and when each other's faces were almost clearly visible, Xiang Chang raised his halberd high into the sky and let out another whistle.

The four hundred elite cavalrymen behind him suddenly accelerated again and aligned themselves with him. They then reached out from their backs and pulled out spears, each one a tuan in length and as thick as a baby's wrist. The blades were forged from pure iron and felt heavy in the hand. The wooden poles were polished from jujube wood and were hard, straight, and had excellent accuracy. They exhaled and made a loud noise, then turned sideways on horseback, raised their arms, and threw the spears out.

The Han cavalry had never expected that the Chu cavalry would use such a trick. They used javelins to clear the way before the horses and men arrived? Seeing four hundred javelins forming a dense forest of spears flying in the air, their high fighting spirits instantly melted away. Their eyes were wide as wide as cows in extreme fear, and their souls almost floated away from their heads. They shouted meaninglessly and unconsciously, "Roar", "Ah", "Hey", and the next moment they were deeply penetrated by the mess, and fell heavily from the horse's back one after another...

This move was a lesson Xiang Chang had learned from Huang Jizhong. During the march, he gathered his cavalry and selected more than 400 of the strongest men, equipped them with javelins, and trained them hard on horseback every day. Now, he finally achieved success.

In one fell swoop, hundreds of the most powerful Han cavalrymen who were in the front were knocked off their horses. The momentum of the cavalry formation of the Han camp was inevitably stagnant and became greatly scattered. Two thousand Chu cavalrymen took advantage of this opportunity to rush into the formation and crashed through it.

"Xiang Chang, you bastard, prepare to die!" Lu Ze couldn't believe that Xiang Chang's outrageous actions would never end. He was so angry that he waved his spear towards Xiang Chang.

"Look at the halberd, old villain Lu Ze!" Xiang Chang was not afraid at all. He also responded with a tooth-for-tooth response, urging his big black horse to rush over like a whirlwind and stabbed him hard on the head with the halberd.

As the spears and halberds collided violently, a loud bang was heard that made the surrounding soldiers' ears muffled. Both Xiang Chang and Lu Ze's bodies shook violently.

Xiang Chang could not have imagined that this old fellow with half his body buried in the ground could still have such courage and strength, not inferior to Ying Bu at all. He immediately drew his halberd and stopped fighting him head-on. Instead, he used flying piercing, diagonal chopping, and heart-piercing stabbing, making full use of his advantage of youth and agility to the limit, and kept attacking Ying Bu with one halberd after another.

Although Lu Ze was furious, he was temporarily suppressed by Xiang Chang's halberd, which swept back and forth as fast as lightning and as wildly as the wind.

While Xiang Chang was stabbing, he glanced around and found that the 2,000 Chu cavalry had just broken through the Han cavalry whose momentum was completely suppressed, and were about to escape. He was overjoyed, and used his halberd to dissipate the force and kicked the big black horse with his foot. The big black horse neighed, pounced forward, and flew away for a long distance.

Lu Ze knew that Xiang Chang was eager to get away, so he kept a close eye on him and kept his spear ready to strike back as soon as Xiang Chang's momentum faded. Seeing Xiang Chang's feint, Lu Ze knew that he wanted to leave, so he shouted, "Right now!" He immediately thrust his spear forward, trying to entangle Xiang Chang's spear.

But when the spear and halberd collided, Lu Ze felt as if the spear was stabbed into the water and suddenly slid forward, and the power was exhausted.

When he retracted his spear and looked up, he found that Xiang Chang had already rushed far away on his big black horse.

Xiang Chang's "discard" move was taught by his father Xiang Yu, and it was used with the greatest charm. In addition, there were "collapse", "shock", "pick", and "thrust", but they were all just forms, and they had not yet reached the essence of his father.

Lu Ze's anger almost burst out of his chest, and he chased after Xiang Chang with his spear. But Xiang Chang turned over and three arrows shot at him in a row. Lu Ze was startled, and he quickly smashed two of them with his spear, and he had to lie on the horse's back to avoid the last one.

Due to this delay, they could no longer catch up and had to watch Xiang Chang rush into the Chu cavalry formation and escape further and further away.

Xiang Chang turned around and took one last look at Lu Ze. The corner of his mouth curled up, and he raised his halberd high and swung it into the air. The two thousand Chu cavalrymen who had escaped safely turned around and shouted at the same time:
"The old thief's clever plan brought peace to the world, but his camp was burned and his soldiers were killed."

Hearing this shout, Lu Ze, who had dominated the world for many years without ever suffering a defeat, felt the blood boiling in his chest, a rusty smell filled his mouth, and stars flashed in his eyes. He almost fell off his horse.

Guo Ning and Guo Meng, who had joined them on horseback, had witnessed Xiang Chang's unexpected and unpredictable use of troops, especially his breaking of their own army's two strategies of night attack and holding on with a wave of his hand. They could not help but feel their eyelids twitching and their hearts beating fast. Not only did they disdain it all away, but they even secretly began to feel fear.

Lu Ze led the cavalry back in anger, only to find that the camp had been burned down like a broken tile kiln, in tatters and without any protection. Fortunately, the army's food and fodder were stored in the canyon behind the camp and were not caught by the fire, which was a blessing in disguise.

Lu Ze was so angry that his legs squeezed so tightly that his horse twisted violently. On the surface, he looked calm and unmoved, and said coldly: "Organize the troops and horses. Tomorrow we will fight Xiang Chang at the foot of Xincai City. I don't believe that 30,000 elite troops can't destroy his mere 10,000 soldiers and horses."

The Han generals were also enraged by the Chu army's rocket fire and responded to the order in unison.

(End of this chapter)