Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 208 Poison Crossbow
The drums thundered, and the killing intent soared to the sky.

The soldiers of both armies roared loudly, their formations locked in a fierce battle, like a tangled mass of venomous snakes.

In the sweltering heat, the soldiers fighting to the death felt their vision become distorted and blurred. They were fighting primarily on instinct.

If they give up the fight, some people may collapse on the spot due to a loss of will.

When the bandit army launched a fierce counterattack after the fog cleared, the barbarian tribesmen, despite their best efforts, inevitably showed signs of exhaustion within a short period of time.

Even with Gao Yan leading his elite cavalry in a full-scale attack and deploying the Zhenhai elite troops as reserves, it was difficult to reverse the tide of the battle.

This outcome was within Zhu Wen's expectations.

Gao Yan rushed from Liangzhe to Lingnan, but most of his troops were still en route and had not yet arrived. This battle mainly relied on the troops of the Man and Liao people.

The barbarian tribesmen, lacking long-term formal training, were swift but lacked endurance. Once the cover of the dense fog was gone, despite their numerical advantage and greater heat resistance, they could hardly match the furious and valiant warriors of the grass army.

Logically speaking, at this point, Gao Yan had no chance of winning.

Even if they lose, the main losses will be borne by the barbarians. However, if the losses are too great, the barbarians will quickly end their cooperation with Gao Yan, and it is also possible that they will directly kidnap Gao Yan and hand him over to the grass army.

Zhu Wen will not let his guard down until he has won the battle and cleared the battlefield.

But he really couldn't think of any other way Gao Yan could turn the tables.
If the enemy had a fierce general like Senior Brother Meng Kai, they could still make a desperate attempt to launch a surprise attack and decapitation strike against Zhu Wen.

If Gao Yan could recruit such a fierce general, how could the common army be without any intelligence?

To avoid letting his guard down, Zhu Wen spurred his horse forward, weaving back and forth through the ranks to boost morale.

He would occasionally rush to the front lines and slash one or two enemy soldiers with his sword.

He entrusted the cavalry to Tian Jun and Dong Hou, but also arranged for a dozen or so agile personal guards to accompany him. In case of any unforeseen circumstances, these personal guards would risk their lives to protect their master and ensure his safety.

After a fierce clash, the two armies dispersed and receded like two waves.

Even in a chaotic battle, it is necessary to regroup and rebuild quickly. Simply engaging in mutual slaughter will inevitably lead to a situation where it is impossible to distinguish friend from foe.

Suddenly, a tremendous uproar erupted from the enemy ranks.

Zhu Wen quickly became alert, and his own vanguard also fell into chaos.

He hurriedly spurred his horse forward.

"We've captured the traitor Zhu Wen!" several loud-voiced barbarians shouted in broken Chinese.

A general who bore a striking resemblance to Zhu Wen was captured and bound tightly with hemp rope.

At the same time, the Changwu cavalry, each carrying a torch, charged out from the side, hurling their torches into the grass army's ranks, eliciting gasps of surprise.

Such indiscriminate throwing will obviously not achieve any fire attack effect, but it can create chaos at this critical moment.

Having fought for so long in the sweltering heat, many of the soldiers were instantly bewildered upon seeing such a sight.

This is clearly the ingenious strategy that Wang Shichong, a warlord at the end of the Sui Dynasty, once used to deal with Li Mi, the Duke of Pushan.

Of course, one can use the same strategies that predecessors have used. During the Battle of Linqu, Liu Xun, the chief strategist of the Pinglu army, used Han Xin's strategy of seizing camps and planting flags, which was used in the Battle of Jingxing. However, Shang Rang saw through his plan and countered it because Han Xin's battle example was too famous.

Zhu Wen felt a chill run down his spine, spurred his horse, brandished his sword, and led his cavalry to the front of the battle.

Back then, Li Mi failed to prove to the entire army in time that the enemy was merely bluffing, which led to a decline in morale and a decisive defeat by Wang Shichong.

As for whether he would be ambushed by the enemy when he reached the front lines, Zhu Wen had also considered it. In his opinion, he was quite skilled, and his dozen or so brave cavalrymen were more than enough to protect him.

Seeing that Zhu Wen was safe and sound, the morale of the soldiers in the grass army was indeed greatly boosted.

"I knew it! General Liangyu is both wise and brave, a celestial being descended to earth. How could he be captured by the enemy so easily?"

"Let's grit our teeth, charge a few more times, and chop off that son of a bitch Gao Yan's head!"

The cheers of his comrades encouraged Zhu Wen, making him feel even more that his opponents were no match for him and that victory was just around the corner.

Just then, Zhu Wen suddenly felt a chill down his spine.

An invisible killing intent was approaching.

Because the sunlight was so intense, the hidden arrows were not easily noticed.

Zhu Wen brandished his sword, instantly deflecting a crossbow bolt. But the bolts came too fast, and there were more than one, sniping from different directions.

Two crossbow bolts struck Zhu Wen's steed, causing it to neigh wildly in pain and rear up, nearly throwing Zhu Wen to the ground.

Zhu Wen quickly grabbed the horse's neck.

The chestnut horse suddenly turned around, panting heavily, but its speed suddenly increased, and it moved like lightning through the gaps between the formations.

This horse is incredibly swift and powerful, charging forward with lightning speed, and once out of control, it is equally unbelievably fast.

In the blink of an eye, a sudden change occurred, and the soldiers of the peasant army were unable to react in time.

If Zhu Wen's horse were to fall off, someone would surely rescue him quickly, just as Zhu Zhen did during the Battle of Muling Pass.

But if the horse goes mad, turns around, and charges forward, who can catch up?

Zhu Wen sighed and pulled on the reins to calm the horse, trying to stop it.

The warhorses completely disobeyed Zhu Wen's commands, charging through the grass army formation like arrows released from a bow, and approaching the precipice.

It showed no signs of stopping.

Several soldiers tried to intercept the Pegasus by stabbing it with their spears, but it leaped over them all.

Zhu Wen then realized that the horse was not seriously injured, but had been hit by a poisoned arrow that stimulated its consciousness.

He strained his waist and tried to jump off the horse to escape.

At that moment, his body suddenly went limp, and as he turned to the side, his foot got caught in the stirrup, preventing him from jumping off.

The horse galloped to the edge of the cliff, its eyes bloodshot, and dragged Zhu Wen down with it.

"So I had heatstroke too..."

At this moment, Zhu Wen felt no fear of death whatsoever; the exhaustion from the heatstroke made his consciousness blurred.

"All of them!"

Zhu Wen heard the whistling wind beside him, and heard the cries of alarm from the soldiers on the cliff who were unable to reach him in time.

Then he plunged into the icy river.

The rushing water brought Zhu Wen to his senses somewhat. He saw a huge crocodile calmly swimming in the rapids, wagging its tail, and biting the mad horse that had harmed him. It then plunged into the whirlpool, its blood splattering, and vanished without a trace in an instant.

In the midst of the government troops, Gao Yan removed the Lanling King ghost mask from his face, revealing a rare, arrogant smile.

The Wudang Flying Army has many skilled crossbowmen who excel at sniping.

This poison also originated from Zhuge Liang's legacy. Its effect is to drive elephants mad, and it is equally effective on warhorses.

The horse dragged Zhu Wen directly into the Han River, which was somewhat beyond Gao Yan's expectations.

But he would portray everything as his perfect strategy.

“Zhu San’er must have seen through my use of Wang Shichong’s strategy of feigning to capture the enemy general.”

Like Gao Yan's uncle Gao Pian, Wang Shichong was a renowned general skilled in both military strategy and political maneuvering, adept at using supernatural tricks and deceiving people.

"But he doesn't know that my true killing move is the Overlord's Art of War!"

People only know that Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Chu, was the bravest warrior in the army, but they don't know that his wisdom and strategy were equally outstanding.

Xiang Yu once feigned a fit of rage at Liu Bang's anger and challenged him to a duel. Liu Bang stepped out of his formation and angrily rebuked Xiang Yu, only to be shot in the chest by an arrow from a crossbowman ambushed by Xiang Yu.

Fortunately, Liu Bang survived. Clutching his chest and trying to remain calm, he shouted, "The treacherous Xiang Yu sent someone to shoot your toe!"

Seeing that Liu Bang was unperturbed, the morale of the Han army remained high, and Xiang Yu had no opportunity to take advantage of the situation.

Xiang Yu's strategy failed not because it was flawed, but because of Liu Bang's quick thinking and adaptability. Luck was also a key factor in the plan's failure.

Putting everything else aside, if that arrow had killed Liu Bang directly, what chance would the Han army have had of winning?
Zhu Wen was far more unlucky than Liu Bang; he even suffered a sudden heatstroke and fainted, unable to dismount his horse in time.

Regardless of Zhu Wen's fate, the rebel army has now lost their leader.

As Gao Yan laughed loudly, the barbarian screeched and brandished their long swords and rattan shields, swarming down the slope once again!
(End of this chapter)