Traveling back in time to Liu Feng, starting with rescuing soldier Guan Yu.

Chapter 114 Feigned Defeat

Shamok was leading his barbarian troops to rest on the left flank.

He had just had his arrow wound in his shoulder changed and was sitting on the ground, bored, when suddenly a scout from upstream reported that a large number of Wu troops were wading across the river upstream.

Liu Feng had clearly anticipated Wu's possible wariness, so he sent out scouts far and wide to detect Han Dang's troops immediately.

Shamoke abruptly stood up, grabbed the large ox-horn bow, grinned, revealing his gleaming white teeth, and turned to look at Liu Feng. Liu Feng exchanged a glance with Shamoke and nodded to the latter.

Shamoke led his barbarian troops swiftly towards the upper reaches of the Laodao River.

Han Dang's five thousand men struggled to trek through the mud, and the river, which was not very wide to begin with, trapped Wu's soldiers for most of the morning.

At this moment, before Wu Bing could even gain a foothold on the south bank, Sha Moke had already led his men upstream, and a barrage of poisoned arrows poured out from the depths of the reeds.

The soldiers in the front ranks of Wu's army fell one after another, without even having time to utter a scream.

Han Dang brandished his sword, deflecting two poisoned arrows, and shouted sharply, "Raise your shields! Form ranks!"

Wu Jun hurriedly formed a battle formation, but the riverbank was too muddy, making it slippery, and he couldn't get the formation up for a long time.

Shamoke put down his horn-bow, drew his hundred-refined steel sword, and charged into the Wu army's ranks. The barbarian soldiers followed like wolves and tigers, their short swords moving more nimbly than spears in the mud, and the Wu army's formation was almost instantly shattered.

In the chaos of the trial, Han recognized Samo's chair and shouted as he charged forward with his knife.

The two clashed fiercely on the riverbank, their blades colliding and sparks flying. The old general, his beard and hair bristling, displayed steady swordsmanship, while Shamoke, wounded by an arrow, fought with increasing ferocity.

The two fought fiercely for more than twenty rounds, both blades chipped in several places. The surrounding barbarian soldiers and Wu troops were also rolling around in the mud, making it impossible to tell who was the hunter and who was the prey.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, and that if the fighting continued, the five thousand soldiers would be worn down in the mud if the main battle was lost, Han Dang had no choice but to parry the long sword that Sha Moke was slashing at him, and drag the remaining troops across the water to retreat back to the north bank.

On the main battlefield, Zhu Huan and Quan Cong's offensive was thwarted once again.

The power of the Han army's crossbows far exceeded the Wu army's expectations. Liu Feng personally led his elite armored soldiers, like firefighters, and wherever the Wu army crossed the river, before they could even gain a foothold, Liu Feng had already led his troops to attack like tigers and wolves!

Although Zhu Huan himself was not hit by another arrow, his armor bore several more scratches. He held out on the beach for more than two hours, watching as casualties steadily increased, until he finally received Sun Quan's signal to retreat.

Sun Quan immediately took command of the battle from the high ground. Upon learning of Han Dang's defeat and the setback in the frontal attack, his face turned ashen.

He waved his hand and said in a deep voice, "Withdraw the troops."

That night, Sun Quan summoned his generals to his tent. Han Dang, Zhou Tai, Zhu Huan, Quan Cong, and Yu Jin were all present, their faces grave.

"The Laodao River held off our army for two days."

Sun Quan's voice was low, but every word was filled with anger: "Gentlemen, tell me, how are we going to cross this river?"

Zhu Huan clasped his hands and said, "My lord, our army has been attacking for two days without success. I think it would be better to rest for a day. Our soldiers have fought for two days and suffered no less than three or four thousand casualties. The wounded need to be cared for, and morale needs to be restored. Anyway, our army outnumbers the enemy several times over, and time is on our side. After resting, we can fight again in one fell swoop."

Quan Cong nodded in agreement. Han Dang stroked his white beard and said nothing, only nodding silently.

Yu Jin lowered his head, remaining silent, his fists clenched so tightly that the veins bulged. He led 30,000 surrendered soldiers south with the main army, but Sun Quan always placed him in the rear guard. One of the Five Elite Generals, he was only allowed to escort supplies on campaigns.

This is both a favor and a disgrace.

Yu Jin wanted to volunteer several times, but ultimately kept quiet because he remembered his identity.

Sun Quan pondered for a moment, then slowly nodded: "Very well. Issue the order that each camp rest for a day to replenish arrows and provisions, and resume the battle tomorrow."

He walked to the tent entrance, gazing at the sparsely lit Han army camp across the Laodao River, a barely perceptible hint of irritation flashing in his blue eyes.

He was the ruler of Jiangdong, commanding 100,000 soldiers, yet he was blocked by a young man in his twenties at the edge of a small river, unable to move an inch.

This feeling reminded Sun Quan of Hefei.

Meanwhile, in the camp on the south bank, Shamoke lay bare-armed beside the campfire, fresh blood seeping from the bandages on his shoulders.

A medic was stitching up his wound with bone needles. Shamoke gritted his teeth and remained silent, his copper-bell eyes fixed on the leaping flames in the fire.

Liu Feng returned from his night patrol and sat down beside him.

Shamoke grinned: "My lord, Wu dogs have lost quite a few men again today. If this continues, they won't be able to hold out for long."

Liu Feng handed him the water bag: "The commander fought fiercely on the left flank today. But Sun Quan won't just gamble on this one place. He sent Han Dang to test the upstream today, and tomorrow he might test the downstream, testing our flank. Sun Quan wants to find our weakness."

As they were talking, the curtain was lifted.

Kou Wei strode into the tent and bent down to hand a silk scroll to Liu Feng.

"My lord, this is a military report from General Guan in Yiyang."

Liu Feng unfolded the silk scroll, read it by the firelight, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Yiyang remains in Guan Ping's hands, and Zhu Ran's navy has been launching fierce attacks for days without success, resulting in a stalemate between the two sides.

He folded the silk scroll, put it back in his bosom, stared at the fire in silence for a moment, and then spoke to the guard beside him.

"Go to Linxiang City to inform Mr. Ji Chang that everything is proceeding according to plan."

Day four, evening.

The setting sun dyed the Laodao River a dark red. The riverbank was littered with the corpses of Wu soldiers, broken swords and spears and shattered shields were scattered in the mud, and several battering rams that had been overturned by crossbow bolts were half-submerged in the river, with wisps of smoke still rising from their charred remains.

Wu Jun's third large-scale offensive lasted from dawn to dusk. During this offensive, Yu Jin led 10,000 surrendered soldiers to flood the south bank beach like a tide. Zhu Huan's elite troops followed closely behind, and they managed to create a landing zone less than 300 paces deep on the narrow mudflats of the crossing.

Kou Wei led the Wancheng garrison in a desperate battle, refusing to retreat.

The crossbowmen had already fired three volleys of arrows, and their arms were too tired to lift. The swordsmen and shieldmen were wrestling with the Wu army in ankle-deep mud.

Kou Wei's spear broke off at the tip, so he switched to a ring-pommel sword and continued fighting. A broken arrow was embedded in his left arm armor, but he didn't bother to pull it out.

Shamoke fought a full day on the left flank against Han Dang's flanking force. The barbarian soldiers repelled the Wu army's four probing crossings of the river, but they also suffered heavy casualties.

Liu Feng stood on the high slope on the south bank, barely moving from dawn till dusk. His steed, the Jade Lion, stood quietly behind him, its snow-white mane fluttering slightly in the river breeze. Several times, his personal guards tried to persuade him to step back, but he stopped them each time by raising his hand.

Liu Feng was waiting, waiting for all of Jin's surrendered soldiers to be pushed onto the beachhead, waiting for Zhu Huan's elite troops to cross the river, and waiting for Sun Quan to put more chips on this gambling table.

We're also waiting for another signal.

Covered in blood, Kou Wei retreated from the beach and walked to Liu Feng's side, his voice hoarse: "My lord, the Wu army has occupied the south bank. Yu Jin's surrendered soldiers from the north have suffered heavy casualties, but Zhu Huan's elite troops have all crossed the river. Our army has also suffered heavy casualties, and we have few crossbow bolts left. I believe that the objective of the blocking attack has been achieved, and it is time to stop."

Liu Feng nodded, and Zi Guang remained in the central command position of the Wu army on the opposite bank. Sun Quan had moved his central command tent forward three hundred paces today, and it was now not far from the north bank of the Laodao River.

This means that Sun Quan's patience has run out. By pushing his command flag forward, he is telling the entire army: We will not withdraw until we cross the river today.

"Pass on the order."

Liu Feng turned around, faced Kou Wei, and said in a deep voice.

"Shamoke led his barbarian troops to retreat first. When they retreated, they dragged their banners backwards, discarded some swords and spears, and did not dismantle their tents and supplies. They also did not extinguish the stoves of the cooks. They made it look like they were fleeing in panic, so that Sun Quan on the other side would know that our army could not hold out any longer."

The guards obeyed and left.

Kou Wei asked in a low voice, "My lord, where should Shamoke retreat to?"

"Mufu Mountain."

Liu Feng drew an arc on the map from the south bank of the Laodao River eastward, stopping at a region of rolling hills.

"Mount Mufu is located east of Changsha Commandery. Its high peaks and dense forests are sufficient to conceal tens of thousands of troops. The barbarian soldiers move through the mountains as if on flat ground. Let them feign being defeated by the Wu army and retreat eastward. Remember, it should be a rout, not a retreat. Make Sun Quan think that he can catch up with and devour the barbarian soldiers, and pursue them all the way into the mountains. When Sun Quan catches us and arrives at the walls of Linxiang, he will find that his 100,000-strong army has been stretched into a long snake from Laodao River to Linxiang. At that time, the ambush in Mount Mufu will be the sword that cuts this long snake."

Liu Feng paused slightly, then added, "Ziwu, you will lead the Wancheng Camp and the Fengzi Camp to cover the rear. Do not linger in battle, nor retreat too quickly. Fight and retreat simultaneously, drawing the main force of the Wu army towards Linxiang. Two days later, I want to see Sun Quan's central army banner on the banks of the Liuyang River."