Tiger Guards

Chapter 622 Zhang Fei Escapes
In the eastern suburbs of Zhongmu County, Zhang Fei had already retreated from Guandu Ferry while fighting, and returned to this place at noon.

As Liu Bei withdrew and Zhang Fei retreated, Han Meng and Wei Xing's forces, which were originally scheduled to land on the north bank of Guandu, instead landed on the south bank.

Zhang Fei had limited troops and no better option.

He could either seize a suitable landing spot on the south bank of the river, but that would divide his already limited forces, making them weaker.

If we get too close to the shore, we'll be indiscriminately attacked by the crossbows on the warships.

Therefore, Zhang Fei had to retreat slowly in order to cover Liu Bei's rear and to support Liu Hui's new Imperial Guards.

If he doesn't retreat and chooses a stronghold to hold, then Wei Xing and Han Meng, who have landed at a leisurely pace, can surround him layer by layer. Even without fighting, they can cut off Zhang Fei's food supply!

From the moment Gan Ning's navy suddenly appeared at Guandu, it was destined that Zhang Fei would be plunged into a bitter battle.

Fighting and retreating simultaneously relies heavily on the commander's adaptability and command skills.

Moreover, the troops led by Han Meng and Wei Xing were troops that had been withdrawn and rotated after the Battle of Fushi.

Even if they were assigned to the Tiger Infantry, these soldiers had enough family wealth to equip themselves with warhorses.

If not for strict restrictions, some surplus soldiers could even equip themselves with large carts and corresponding oxen and horses.

By now, Zhao Ji's cavalry unit... no longer needs to spend extra oxen, horses, and vehicles. The elite veteran units that can be reorganized into cavalry units all have enough private property for the reorganization.

Therefore, almost every soldier in Wei Xing's and Han Meng's two nominally infantry units had a horse after landing on the south bank.

They chased Zhang Fei relentlessly, almost like a rolling knife, by taking turns fighting each battalion.

They would often approach and harass the enemy, or dismount and use powerful foot archers to fire long-range shots.

Some squads even carried powerful crossbows, and after dismounting, several men would work together to cock the crossbows and shoot down the densest parts of Zhang Fei's ranks.

Having fought alongside the Qiang and Xianbei tribes, the officers and soldiers under Wei Xing and Han Meng were extremely patient.

They all have substantial family fortunes, military ranks, and land benefits... If there is no need, these veteran soldiers will naturally resort to very underhanded and slippery tactics.

Instead of pursuing short-term, high-efficiency kills, and by maintaining tactical initiative, Zhang Fei fought and retreated while barely managing to touch his pursuers. Although his crossbow counterattacks could wound and kill some of them, the pursuers outnumbered him four to one! And they were all cavalry!
This led to an increasing number of wounded soldiers in Zhang Fei's army, and out of tradition and camaraderie, none of them could be abandoned.

As a result, some wounded soldiers took the initiative to cover the rear, but Zhang Fei's troops moved more and more slowly.

His movements became increasingly sluggish due to the wounded soldiers, which gave the pursuing cavalry more opportunities to attack and further exacerbated the damage suffered by Zhang Fei's troops.

"Just as the Grand Tutor said, Zhang Fei's ability to command troops is no less than that of Commander Xu."

Wei Xing sighed from afar, but the officers from the Tiger Guard who followed him did not respond. Based on their combat experience following Zhao Ji, Zhang Fei should have collapsed long ago, given that he had suffered more than half of his casualties.

Yet Zhang Fei was still able to command his troops, fighting and retreating while carrying the wounded; some wounded soldiers even took the initiative to cover the rear, a heroic act that had never been experienced in his own army.

Therefore, these officers, who came from the elite Tiger Guard, were awestruck by the fighting spirit displayed by Zhang Fei's troops.

Wei Xing sighed and turned to look at a battalion commander: "Requisition three hundred crossbows, set them up diagonally along the roadside, and provide cover with four hundred crossbows. The crossbows will fire in turns. I want to see how he restores order!"

"Here!"

The battalion commander responded loudly and was about to leave when Wei Xing called out to him, "Don't defeat them too quickly. I want to see just how long they can hold out!"

The battalion commander was taken aback. He then looked at the other officers of the Tiger Warriors and, seeing that no one objected, bowed deeply and said, "This humble officer understands."

The battalion commander turned his horse around and galloped away. Wei Xing also turned his head to look at the other's back and saw a group of enemy cavalry breaking through from the west.

Wei Xing glanced at his personal guard, who stepped forward and asked, "General?"

"Try to intercept them, but don't overdo it."

Wei Xing joked, "This must be Tian Yu's troops. Han Meng couldn't stop them, so he let them live."

"I understand."

Upon hearing that it was Tian Yu, the surrounding mid- to high-ranking military officers all realized who he was. Initially, when Zhao Ji was sent by the emperor to conquer Shangdang and his army approached Changshan, Liu Hui and other Liu families from Hebei who were close to Changshan rose up in response. Later, they sent their troops and private soldiers to Xuchang to protect the emperor.

Tian Yu also led more than a thousand Youzhou knights to guard the emperor at that time. He stayed in Jinyang for a period of time and they communicated with each other, which can be considered as a happy time together.

Tian Yu was not one to keep secrets; his explanations of cavalry combat techniques were very helpful to the growth of the Tiger Warriors at the time.

Wei Xing didn't want to kill someone like Tian Yu unless absolutely necessary.

So when Tian Yu fought his way out and only had a dozen or so riders left, he could only grip his lance and lead his men to charge when he saw more than three hundred riders charging towards him.

Unexpectedly, the three hundred or so cavalrymen on the other side split into two groups, clearing the middle road and not firing arrows.

After they passed each other, Tian Yu was also stunned. He reined in his horse and looked back, only to see that the more than three hundred riders behind him had merged into one and turned their horses around as if to chase after them.

Tian Yu gasped for breath, not daring to delay any longer: "Giddy up!"

He lightly kicked the horse's belly, and the mount, drenched in sweat and steaming, carried Tian Yu eastward along the main road.

As Tian Yu drew closer, Wei Xing took out his bow, pulled out an arrow, drew the bowstring to eight-tenths of its full length, and shot the arrow, which landed a dozen paces in front of Tian Yu's horse.

Tian Yu showed no intention of reining in his horse; he simply turned his head to look at the battle flag bearing the inscription "General Yangwu Wei," and at Wei Xing, who wore a golden helmet and armor beneath it.

Standing about forty paces apart, their eyes met. Wei Xing slowly lowered his bow and said to those around him, "It's a pity that such a hero cannot be used by the Grand Tutor. I will not kill him today, but give him a chance."

No one responded. They were all originally from the Tiger Warriors and had all learned mounted combat skills from Tian Yu.

It was clear that Zhao Ji wanted to keep Tian Yu at that time, but Tian Yu was determined to enter the court and protect the emperor, so he could only let Tian Yu, Liu Hui and others lead their troops into the court.

"Come on!"

Tian Yu rode his horse into Zhang Fei's temporary position. After barely managing to stop his horse, he said to Zhang Fei, "Yide, hurry! Liu Dai's entire army has been wiped out and killed by Han Meng! Liu Hui, Liu Qi, Liu Sheng, and other Imperial Guards were also ambushed by Gao Shun and have likely been killed in Guancheng!"

At this moment, the more than seven hundred cavalrymen, under the tactical guidance of Wei Xing, advanced in a column, riding swiftly around the outside of the imperial road. They dismounted and formed firing positions on the side of the road, with powerful bows, crossbows, and horn crossbows stacked on top of each other, arranged in a column firing array.

As the cavalry battalion was loading their heavy crossbows, Zhang Fei, having already realized what was happening, grabbed Tian Yu and pressed him for an answer: "Guorang, are you saying that all the armies have been annihilated?"

"Yes, now only Yide's army remains. Where is Lord Xuande?"

Tian Yu was drinking water from his water pouch, trying to drink slowly. The knights who had broken through with him were also drinking water, and some of them were losing control of their emotions and coughing incessantly while drinking.

Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei glanced to the east, unsure of where Liu Bei had retreated to.

He vaguely remembered that Gan Ning seemed to have spun off a small fleet of boats to sail downstream, and he couldn't help but feel pessimistic.

With its sails, currents, and oars, this small fleet was certainly faster than Liu Bei's infantry-based force.

Therefore, the pontoon bridge built west of Chenliu City would inevitably be destroyed by Gan Ning's small detachment first.

Zhang Fei had no time to calculate the changing battle situation. He saw the enemy soldiers arranged in a column firing formation on the north side, and he felt quite powerless.

What you fear most is what comes to pass.

He already had few cavalry; if he sent too few, they wouldn't be able to win, and if he sent too many, the enemy would just mount up and run away.

Now that this column of firing formation is in place, Zhang Fei will have no chance of retreating along the road in formation.

If they leave the main road, the vehicles transporting the wounded will be unable to move; if they cannot form a battle formation, the army will feel insecure and could be scattered at any time, leading to defeat.

As a general who had been tempered by bloody battles, Zhang Fei immediately shouted: "Wounded soldiers, cover the rear! Once the enemy gets close, lay down your weapons and surrender!"

The surrounding officers remained calm and were not surprised.

Even the wounded soldiers showed no emotion and calmly accepted Zhang Fei's orders.

Before Wei Xing's column firing positions could take effect, Zhang Fei's entire army split in two. The wounded and vehicles remained where they were, while the rest retreated eastward in a desperate manner, abandoning their armor and weapons and only carrying shields, bows, crossbows, spears, halberds, and flags.

(End of this chapter)