Ask the mountains and rivers

Chapter 403 Great Victory (Part 1)

Lu Feng, who had been directing operations from the rear for half a day, grabbed his long sword and led his three hundred personal guards, who hadn't moved an inch, charging out like tigers descending a mountain.

The soldiers, who were originally exhausted and chilled to the bone by the slaughter, suddenly felt a surge of courage from the bottom of their hearts and charged forward with shouts.

kill!

With bloodshot eyes, Lü Feng roared and slashed down with his long sword. The Xiongnu barbarian, who was barely managing to parry, had his weapon knocked from his hand. The next moment, he was cut in half at the waist, his heart, liver, and lungs scattered all over the ground, a cruel and horrifying sight.

Encountering such an enemy on the battlefield can be disheartening. However, charging into battle alongside such a commander can ignite passion and bolster courage.

The soldiers roared and fought bravely. With their numerical advantage, they surrounded the Xiongnu barbarians who were trapped in the sea of ​​soldiers.

To reiterate, once the Xiongnu lost their cavalry advantage, and their cavalry dismounted, their fighting strength was greatly reduced. The Xiongnu were human too; they too would panic and fear after being overwhelmed and slaughtered. Moreover, the Xiongnu did not have the habit of fighting to the death; they were swift cavalrymen on the grasslands. Running away when outmatched was in their nature.

Dozens of cavalrymen from the outer perimeter rode off without a word.

The defeat was like an avalanche.

Soon, the able-bodied Xiongnu cavalrymen scattered and fled. Lü Feng shouted, "Archers, fire!"

The archers, poised for battle, drew their bows and began to fire. If they couldn't hit the men, they shot at the horses. Once the warhorses were wounded and unable to run, the Xiongnu barbarians would have no way to escape.

The fighting on Meng Liulang's side became even more intense.

After several cavalry charges, Meng Liulang's side was completely at a disadvantage. Just as predicted before the battle, in terms of warhorses, horsemanship, and charges, the Xiongnu barbarians undoubtedly had the upper hand. Despite having more than twice the number of cavalry, Meng Liulang's side was still getting badly beaten in cavalry charges.

Fortunately, the cavalry were all elite veterans; only those who were defeated and killed did not turn and flee. Despite the heavy casualties, they still held on.

After three rounds of charging, the Xiongnu barbarians became bogged down in the fighting and could no longer organize an efficient cavalry charge. Meng Liulang, having endured this ordeal, continued to shout and fight relentlessly.

The tide of battle gradually turned, and after more than an hour of fierce fighting, both sides suffered roughly equal casualties. However, Meng Liulang's side had more men, and despite suffering more casualties, they were able to hold on. The Xiongnu barbarians' fighting spirit waned, and they all wanted to flee.

Meng Liulang sneered and spurred his horse into pursuit, followed by his personal guards and a large number of cavalry, all chasing after the Xiongnu barbarians: "Kill! Kill them all! Don't let a single one escape!"

Everyone was bloodthirsty.

Half a day later, there were no enemies in sight.

Meng Liulang's right hand trembled violently from excessive exertion, and his voice, hoarse from shouting all day, was almost gone. He turned and called out, "Xiao Mo, bring me some water."

No one answered.

Another guard, his eyes red, handed over a water bag and choked out, "Xiao Mo fell off his horse during the charge and is long gone."

This is the battlefield, where life and death hang in the balance.

Meng Liulang's mind went blank for a moment.

A few years ago, the young and passionate General Meng might have burst into tears. Now, however, having experienced countless battles and the pain of parting countless times, General Meng's eyes were dry. He numbly brought the water pouch to his lips and took a large gulp.

"To collect Xiao Mo's body," Meng Liulang managed to say.

The guards agreed, weeping.

Meng Liulang closed his eyes tightly, then exhaled deeply and shouted, "We have won this battle!"

The cavalry from four different armies converged at one place and roared in unison, "Great victory!" Indeed, even without General Pei, they had won!

The Xiongnu barbarians are formidable, but not invincible! Today, they have won a clean and resounding victory!

Meng Liulang took another deep breath and led his cavalry to clean up the battlefield. All the uninjured warhorses were taken away. The wounded were also brought along as much as possible. They would slaughter them all upon returning, enough to make horse meat for a few days.

In addition, they also had to collect weapons and strip off armor, and take stock of their own casualties and the corpses of the Xiongnu barbarians.

Exhausted, Meng Liulang sat down with Lü Feng, whose eyes were bloodshot.

For some reason, neither of them spoke.

After a long silence, Lü Bu broke the silence: "Today I killed one of my trusted men. He was one of my personal guards and my most capable confidant. Before the battle, I told him to fight to the death and never to run away. Today he couldn't hold on and was the first to flee. When he ran to my side, I killed him with one stroke."

"When he died, his eyes were wide open. He certainly didn't expect to die at my hands."

Meng Liulang said in a low voice, "My personal guard, Xiao Mo, is also dead. Over the years, he has been by my side every day and was the closest to me. Today, during the cavalry charge, he fell from his horse and his body was never found intact."

The two exchanged a glance and fell silent again.

The soldiers, cleaning up the battlefield, were in high spirits, cheering frequently. Their eyes lit up with excitement, especially when someone found a thick purse of money on a Xiongnu soldier.

"We're rich! We're rich this time!" a soldier from Fanyang shouted excitedly, clutching a huge money bag in his hand. No one knew where the Xiongnu barbarians had robbed it from; the bag was filled with gold.

There's a custom in the army that 70% of the spoils of war must be handed over, with 30% kept for oneself. A whole bag of gold, keeping 30%—that's a windfall. After this battle, there'll be enough silver to get married.

The soldier's good fortune drew envy from the other soldiers. They stared intently, searching everywhere, showing no sign of fatigue.

As evening approached, Meng Liulang stood up and said, "We can't delay any longer. We need to regroup and return to Liaoxi City."

Lu Feng responded and ordered his personal guards to wave the military flag.

The soldiers quickly gathered together, with the cavalry going first and the infantry lined up according to their different branches, and left with a rich spoils of war.

……

Balu, who had been stabbed three times, rode back on horseback.

Enraged, Punu disregarded Balu's serious injuries and lashed him ten times with his riding whip: "I sent you to lure the enemy, and you lured them in, only to suffer a defeat. How dare you come back!"

Balu screamed in agony as he was whipped, too weak and too afraid to dodge, until he was on the verge of death: "I did my best. Those Han dogs are different from before."

“In the past, when our cavalry charged, those Han dogs would scatter in all directions. We killed them like pigs and dogs. Now they can use bows and crossbows, spears, chain knives and shields, and they even dare to charge us with cavalry.”

"Our warriors did their best in today's battle. We killed many people, but the Han dogs were too numerous. We killed one batch and another came. No one retreated."

"General, spare my life! I will surely lead my warriors to kill the Han dogs!"

Balu's voice grew weaker and weaker until it disappeared.

Pu Nu threw down his blood-stained riding whip, his face contorted with rage: "Send down the order! Send out troops immediately and attack Liaoxi City!"

(End of this chapter)