My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Having said that, Liu Xun spurred his horse and charged ahead in the direction the Han army was pursuing.

The Shu soldiers under his command, watching the prince's retreating figure leading the charge, gradually felt their fear replaced by anger.

They roared, turned around, and followed Liu Xun, charging towards the Han army.

Everyone knew that this was a battle to the death!
Only by desperately blocking Ma Dai's pursuit and waiting for Lü Kai to clear the way forward will they have any hope of survival.

Just as Liu Xun returned to attack, he suddenly ran into Yang Feng and several other Shu generals who were responsible for covering the rear.

Yang Feng was originally ordered to delay the Han army in the rear, but he was scattered by the fleeing barbarian army. Just as he was gathering his remaining troops to continue the retreat south, he was shocked to see that Liu Xun had not only not fled, but had instead led his troops back to fight.

"Your Highness, why have you returned in triumph?"

Yang Feng spurred his horse forward, his face full of astonishment, and asked:

"Does Your Highness intend to confront the Han army's iron cavalry?"

Yang Feng wouldn't have mentioned it if he hadn't brought it up, but the moment he did, Liu Xun cursed:
"It was that scoundrel Meng Quan! He ordered me to lead the troops to cover the rear, but then he turned around and blocked our retreat to the south!"

“Lü Kai is clearing the roadblocks right now, I have to turn around and block Ma Dai to buy him some time!”

Upon hearing this, Yang Feng and several Shu generals were filled with shock and anger, their expressions changing drastically.

They clearly did not expect that Meng Quan, a king of his own territories, would betray his promise and turn on his nominal ally in such a vicious act!

All the generals roared and cursed.

Liu Xun waved his hand helplessly and sighed:

"Forget it, it's no use saying anything now. Let's just pray for our own good fortune."

"You must immediately gather the remaining troops and join me in stopping Ma Dai, or none of you will survive!"

The anger on the generals' faces gradually faded, replaced by despair.

They had already witnessed the strength of the Han army, and now they were trapped in a desperate situation, outnumbered and outgunned. This battle was no different from throwing an egg against a rock.

But now they had no choice but to grit their teeth and follow Liu Xun, launching a desperate charge against the approaching Han forces.

Liu Xun, sword in hand, charged ahead, and the Shu soldiers behind him, knowing there was no way to retreat, followed closely behind.

The two armies clashed violently, and the sound of metal clanging together suddenly arose.

The Han army, mainly composed of elite cavalry, easily crushed the Shu army's lines as their warhorses galloped.

The Shu army was in dire straits. In order to survive, everyone fought bravely and fearlessly, showing no intention of retreating, and fought desperately against the Han army.

Unfortunately, to no avail.

The Liangzhou Iron Cavalry was the elite of the land; wherever their hooves trod, Shu soldiers were either killed or wounded.

Ma Dai's silver spear flashed like lightning as he shouted sharply:
"Kill all the Shu traitors and capture Liu Xun alive!"

Before he finished speaking, Ma Dai spurred his warhorse and charged forward with his spear.

Behind them, the Xiliang cavalry followed closely, crashing into the Shu army like a tidal wave.

For a while.

Blood splattered across the sky, and screams of agony shook the heavens and the earth.

Under the onslaught of the iron cavalry, the Shu soldiers fell to the ground in droves, like fragile grass and trees.

The vast difference in combat capabilities between different branches of the armed forces was on full display at this moment.

The cavalry's charge gave them an overwhelming advantage over the Shu infantry.

Even if the Shu army fought to the death, using their flesh and blood to stop the steel torrent, it was still useless.

Soon, the Shu army's lines were broken and could no longer hold out, plunging into chaos.

collapse!

In the blink of an eye, this confrontation turned into a massacre with no suspense whatsoever.

The Shu army, its formation shattered, could only be trampled and slaughtered by the Liangzhou cavalry.

Soon, the Shu army was slaughtered and routed.

As the heir apparent of the Shu Kingdom, Liu Xun felt a heart-wrenching pain as he watched his soldiers fall in droves.

He brandished his longsword and roared madly, trying to urge the scattered soldiers to regroup, but found that no one paid any attention.

In the blink of an eye, the eight thousand soldiers were overwhelmed by the Han army, suffering countless deaths and injuries.

Liu Xun was heartbroken.

These eight thousand soldiers were his last remaining possessions and his only hope for restoring his country.

But it's gone now.

Endless despair overwhelmed Liu Xun.

He just brandished his longsword like a madman, roaring and shouting:

"Hold the line! No retreating! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

As Liu Xun roared, he swung his sword at the soldiers around him who were trying to escape, attempting to suppress the rout with ruthless methods.

At this moment, he still clung to a sliver of hope, wishing that his soldiers, under his intimidating presence, could reorganize their formation and fight the Han army once more. Alas.

The Shu army before them consisted mostly of temporarily recruited local militia and a second-rate legion cobbled together from remnants.

Faced with such a one-sided battle, their morale had already collapsed, and they were only concerned with abandoning their armor and fleeing in panic.

Liu Xun killed several deserters, but still could not suppress the surging tide of defeat.

The army was defeated like a mountain.

Dozens of steps away.

Ma Dai, with his sharp eyes, accurately located Liu Xun amidst the chaotic horde of soldiers.

There was a gleam in his eyes.

All of Liu Zhang's sons have died, and now only Liu Xun remains.

As long as Liu Xun is killed, Liu Zhang's entire lineage will be wiped out.

The will to resist in Shu will also crumble!
"Liu Xun's remnants, die!"

With a deafening roar, Ma Dai spurred his warhorse forward, spear in hand, and charged straight at Liu Xun.

He rode alone, charging into the rout of the Shu soldiers as if they were nothing.

Any Shu soldiers who dared to stand in his way were knocked to the ground.

now.

Liu Xun happened to see Ma Dai charging towards him, and a chill ran down his spine, shooting straight from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.

"Stop him! Stop him quickly!"

Liu Xun pointed his long sword directly at Ma Dai, his voice trembling as he shouted.

He knew how strong Ma Dai's martial arts were, and he knew even more that Ma Dai was definitely coming for him this time.

Normally, faced with such a formidable opponent, he would have already turned tail and run.

But now, he can't escape.

If he were to flee, his troops would completely collapse, and there would be no chance of turning the tide.

then.

Liu Xun had no choice but to bite the bullet and order his personal guards to step forward and kill Ma Dai.

Nearly a hundred guards, despite witnessing Ma Dai's bravery, still rushed towards him without hesitation.

Ma Dai smirked coldly.

"Puff puff!"

The sharp silver spear thrust out continuously, and one after another, the Shu army guards were killed by him.

More than a hundred guards stepped forward, but they still could not stop Ma Dai's advance. He broke through the blockade and fought his way to Liu Xun's side.

Liu Xun panicked.

He instantly forgot his lingering concerns and turned to run away.

As long as I can save my life, I'd be willing to live a life of ignominy.

This was Liu Xun's only belief at that moment.

But as Liu Xun turned to flee, he suddenly realized that Lü Kai had not yet completely cleared the roadblocks to the south.

His escape route had already been blocked.

With our escape route cut off, how can we escape?

"Am I really going to die here?"

Liu Xun roared to the sky, utterly despairing.

At this time.

Ma Dai had already charged to within thirty paces of him.

crucial moment.

A desperate gamble suddenly popped into Liu Xun's mind:

Summon all your generals and charge towards Ma Dai!
Perhaps by virtue of their superior numbers, they might be able to kill Ma Dai.

Once Ma Dai is killed, the Han army will lose its commander and will inevitably fall into chaos and collapse.

This gave Lü Kai enough time to clear the roadblocks.

At that time, he will still have a chance to escape.

As for Ma Dai...

Although his martial arts skills were unparalleled, he was not his brother Ma Chao after all.

He still had seven generals under his command. Even if they were all second-rate warriors, surely they could kill Ma Dai if they attacked together? (End of Chapter)