Transmigrating to the Three Kingdoms as Lu Bu: I Have a Pseudo-Apocalypse System

Soon, five thousand Liangzhou infantrymen, carrying simple wooden rafts and shields, and under Li Xian's urging, roared and divided into several groups to attack from various ferry crossings and Ba Bridge.

On the south bank, Lü Bu's army stood ready for battle.

Lü Bu did not personally go up the bridge, but instead sat in the central command to direct the army.

He ordered, "Wei Xu, Song Xian, you two lead the elite infantry and the main force forward and defend the bridgehead fortifications! Hou Cheng, the crossbowmen will provide covering fire to prevent the enemy from approaching!"

"promise!"

Wei Xu led a thousand heavy infantrymen of the Trapped Camp, blocking the Ba Bridge and various ferry crossings like a rock. They were clad in heavy armor, wielding long shields and ring-pommel swords, with light infantry providing cover behind them.

Hou Cheng's crossbow battalion was deployed at the front of the camp and on the arrow towers at various ferry crossings. With Hou Cheng's command, a thousand crossbows fired at once!

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

A dense rain of arrows swarmed towards the Liangzhou soldiers charging from the north bank like locusts.

The Liangzhou soldiers were poorly equipped; many wore cloth clothes, carried wooden shields, or even had no shields at all. Faced with powerful crossbow bolts, they fell like wheat being harvested, their screams echoing everywhere.

Some of the Liangzhou soldiers braved the rain of arrows and rushed to the bridgehead, where they clashed with the Trapped Camp.

"Kill!" Wei Xu roared, taking the lead and cleaving down a Liangzhou soldier who charged forward with a single stroke.

The soldiers of the Vanguard Camp were highly trained, operating in groups of three, providing mutual cover, using shields to parry, spears to thrust, and ring-pommel swords to slash, their coordination impeccable. Anyone attempting to flank them would be intercepted by Song Xian's infantry battalion.

Although the Liangzhou soldiers were numerous, their individual combat strength, equipment, and coordination were far inferior to those of the Trapped Camp. Their charge was like waves crashing against rocks, leaving them battered and bruised, yet unable to budge them an inch.

Li Xian, watching anxiously from the north bank, urged them on repeatedly and even killed two cowardly soldiers, but he was still unable to break through the ironclad defenses of the Trapped Camp.

The battle lasted for about half an hour. Hundreds of Liangzhou soldiers were left dead at the bridgehead. Many more were attacked while crossing the river, and their morale plummeted. They were no longer able to attack and retreated in disarray to the north bank.

After suffering a defeat in the first battle, Li Jue looked rather grim.

Guo Si cursed, "Useless!"

Jia Xu calmly said, "Lu Bu's army has a tight defense and excellent weaponry, so a direct assault would indeed be difficult. Let's wait for news from the left and right flanks."

Left with no other option, Li Jue ordered his army to set up camp on the north bank, confronting Lü Bu's army across the river, while simultaneously sending messengers to urge Fan Chou and Li Li to speed up their advance.

On the south bank, Lü Bu's army achieved its first victory, greatly boosting morale.

Lü Bu praised Wei Xu, Song Xian, and Hou Cheng, then addressed his generals, saying, "Li Jue has suffered a setback and must await news from both flanks. We cannot wait idly. Wen Yuan!"

"Your subordinate is here!" Zhang Liao stepped forward.

What is the status of Li Li's right flank army?

"Reporting to the general, Li Li's army of 20,000 has arrived east of Baling and is gathering ships and making rafts. It seems they are preparing to forcibly cross the river tomorrow."

"Good!" A cold glint flashed in Lü Bu's eyes. "You will lead the light cavalry to sneak up to their river crossing point and hide there tonight. When half of them have crossed and their formation is in disarray, launch a surprise attack on their crossing force! Drive them into the Ba River to feed the fish!"

"Understood, sir!" Zhang Liao accepted the order and immediately went out of the tent to muster his troops.

"Cheng Lian".

"Your subordinate is here!"

"Order the personal guards to eat their fill and sleep soundly, to conserve their energy! Tomorrow, they will follow me into battle and see if we can capture the enemy general and seize the flag in one fell swoop!"

"promise!"

Lü Bu then instructed Hao Meng: "Hao Meng, you guard the Heyao Pass in Lantian County well, as these two places are our retreat routes. The garrison must send out more scouts to closely monitor the movements of Fan Chou's left flank army. If there is anything unusual, report it immediately!"

"Your humble servant obeys!"

After making the arrangements, Lü Bu stepped out of the main tent, looked at the torches of Li Jue's army camp stretching for ten miles on the opposite bank, and a cold smile appeared on his lips.

"Li Jue, Guo Si, tomorrow I will show you what a heavy cavalry charge is, and what true despair is."

August 28th, dawn.

On another section of the Ba River, mist lingered.

Li Li led 20,000 troops on the right wing, and began a tense crossing operation on a river beach about five miles east of Baling.

Hundreds of looted fishing boats and hastily constructed rafts, carrying soldiers, sailed in waves toward the south bank.

The river was noisy, filled with shouts from people and neighing from horses, and the order was quite chaotic.

Li Li, riding on horseback, urged on from the north bank, feeling somewhat anxious.

His uncle, Li Jue, ordered him to cross the river as soon as possible to threaten Lü Bu's flank and coordinate with the main force's attack.

However, the Ba River's current is not slow, making crossing it inefficient.

Two hours later, more than 8,000 soldiers had successfully reached the south bank.

They gathered haphazardly on the beach, and the officers shouted orders to get them back into formation, but to little avail.

Just as the Liangzhou troops on the south bank were in chaos, and the follow-up troops were still struggling in the middle of the river—

"Waaaaah—waaaah—"

A deep and powerful sound of a bull horn suddenly came from the mist upstream!

Immediately afterwards, the thunderous sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, causing the earth to tremble slightly!

"Cavalry! It's Lü Bu's cavalry!" the Liangzhou soldiers on the south bank shouted in terror.

Suddenly, a torrent of cavalry emerged from the mist like ghosts!

Leading the way was the banner bearing the character "Zhang," with Zhang Liao at the forefront, wielding a long sword and sporting a stern expression.

Two thousand Bingzhou light cavalry followed closely behind, like a flood bursting its banks, charging along the riverbank towards the Liangzhou soldiers crowded on the beach!

"Release the arrows!" Zhang Liao shouted.

As the Bingzhou cavalry galloped forward, they drew their bows and unleashed a hail of arrows upon the chaotic Liangzhou ranks, instantly felling many of them.

"Charge! Kill!" After the rain of arrows, the cavalry charged in, their gleaming sabers and spears reflecting the morning light as they crashed into the ranks of Liangzhou soldiers!

"what!"

"Run!"

"We can't stop it!"

The beachhead was narrow, and the Liangzhou soldiers were unable to organize an effective defense. They were quickly overrun by the Bingzhou cavalry.

People were packed together, horses trampled people, and people trampled each other, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

Many soldiers who had just climbed ashore were so frightened that they jumped back into the river. If they were not good swimmers, they could easily be swept away and drown.

Li Li, on the north bank, watched with bloodshot eyes, roaring hoarsely, "Hold on! Hold on! The rear guard, hurry up and cross the river! Provide support! Provide support!"

But the boats and rafts on the river were also thrown into disarray by this sudden attack. Some tried to reach the shore, while others tried to row back, colliding with each other and making the situation even more chaotic.

Zhang Liao didn't engage with the enemy forces on the north bank at all; his target was the 8,000 troops crossing the river on the south bank!

He led his cavalry in repeated charges, breaking apart the Liangzhou soldiers who were trying to form ranks time and time again, slashing and thrusting with swords and spears, like a tiger among sheep.

The battle was a one-sided massacre.

In less than half an hour, the south bank beach was littered with corpses, and the river water was stained red.

Of the eight thousand Liangzhou soldiers who crossed the river, more than a thousand were killed in battle, and countless others suffered casualties. Many collapsed and jumped into the river or knelt down to beg for surrender.

Li Li, on the north bank, watched helplessly as the troops on the south bank were completely annihilated. He was so angry that he almost vomited blood, but there was nothing he could do.

He had only a little over 10,000 men left, most of his river-crossing equipment had been lost, his morale had collapsed, and he was no longer able to organize an attack. He could only try to gather his defeated troops while appealing to Li Jue for help.