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

Chapter 115 Liuyang

When Shamok retreated from the front lines, he was covered in blood, and fresh blood seeped from the bandages that had just been applied to his shoulder.

After hearing Liu Feng's plan, he paused for a moment, a look of confusion flashing in his tiger-like eyes, before he grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth: "My lord, I understand. You want my men to play dead?"

"Yes. Play dead, but make it look convincing."

Liu Feng pressed down on Sha Moke's shoulder and said in a deep voice, "Master, the barbarian soldiers under Rumo are faster than deer in the mountains, so I'm not worried. But remember, don't let Zhu Huan see any flaws, and don't let him actually attack you. After the barbarian soldiers are feigned to be defeated, they will scatter and retreat into the Mufu Mountains. If the Wu army pursues too deeply, you should use the mountain terrain to turn the tables and devour their pursuers. If they don't pursue, you should rest and wait for orders in the mountains. Wait for my signal arrow. When Sun Quan's army retreats from Linxiang City, that will be your time to break out from the Mufu Mountains."

Shamoke slung the large ox-horn bow over his shoulder and grinned, saying, "Don't worry, playing dead is a specialty of us mountain folk."

"Wherever you say we run, my lord, we'll run. When the time comes, these eight thousand barbarian soldiers will come crashing down from the mountains and show that scoundrel Sun Quan what it means for divine troops to descend from the heavens!"

That night, a sudden uproar arose in the Han army camp on the south bank of the Laodao River.

The barbarian soldiers began to "retreat," their banners dragging backwards and scraping against the muddy ground with a screeching sound. Several supply wagons were overturned by the roadside, and many tattered armor and cooking utensils were discarded in the tents.

Shamoke, mounted on his horse, galloped eastward while turning back and shouting at the top of his lungs in the barbarian language, "We can't hold on any longer! Why should we risk our lives for these Han people? Let's go, let's go!"

The sound carried far, even reaching the Wu army sentries on the opposite bank of the river. The barbarian soldiers dispersed into several groups, surging downstream along the Laodao River towards Mount Mufu. In the darkness, they certainly looked like a defeated and routed army.

Zhu Huan received an urgent report from scouts in his camp that the barbarian troops on the left wing of the Han army had collapsed and were fleeing eastward. He personally led three thousand elite troops to pursue them relentlessly. The Wu army chased further and further away, gradually leaving the main battlefield at Laodao River.

In the darkness, Shamoke glanced back at the torches lit by the pursuing soldiers, a cold smile playing on his lips. He gently patted his warhorse's neck and ordered, "Slow down, let Wu Gou catch up."

Meanwhile, Kou Wei led the Fengzi Battalion to cover the rear and escort the majority of the Han army's retreat. Kou Wei ordered his soldiers to light dozens of bonfires in the camp on the south bank, the flames illuminating half the night sky.

Looking into the distance, Wu Jun could only see figures moving about in the camp, with banners fluttering, as if the army was still holding its ground.

Liu Feng then led his main force in a stealthy retreat south under cover of night, heading towards Linxiang along the official road on the west bank of the Xiang River. Every so often, he left a small squad of archers lying in ambush by the roadside, ready to unleash a volley of arrows at the approaching Wu army pursuers before quickly disappearing.

Wu Jun's pursuit speed was greatly slowed down.

Sun Quan, seeing flames soaring into the sky on the south bank of the Laodao River from the north bank, and hearing from scouts that the Han army and barbarian troops had been routed and that Zhu Huan was in pursuit, finally showed the first smile on his face in several days.

He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the night sky across the river, glowing red with the firelight, and sneered, "Liu Feng, that brat, finally couldn't hold on any longer."

"Order the entire army to cross the river. Zhu Huan will lead his troops to pursue the remnants of the barbarian army and sweep away the left flank of the main force. I intend to take Linxiang directly."

After a brief reorganization on the south bank of the Laodao River, Wu's 80,000 infantry and cavalry marched south in a grand procession. The army advanced along the official road on the west bank of the Xiang River, its banners obscuring the sun and its armor clanging, stretching for more than ten miles without end.

As Sun Quan rode on his horse, gazing at the unharvested rice and beans in the fields on both sides and the villages with wisps of smoke rising in the distance, a sense of unease rose in his heart. The villages along the way were all deserted, and most of the rice in the fields had been cut down, while the rest had been burned to a charred state.

This was Liu Feng's scorched-earth tactic; not a single grain of food was left for him.

This seems to suggest that Liu Feng's retreat was not a rout, but rather a premeditated contraction.

Wu Jun's vanguard advanced southward for less than half a day before encountering resistance from the Han army once again.

This time, the defense line was set up on the south bank of the Liuyang River. Liu Feng had sent people to build a camp there in advance, complete with fences, trenches, and crossbow emplacements, which was much stronger than the temporary fortifications at Laodao River.

The Liuyang River is the last natural barrier to the north of Linxiang. Although it is not as wide as the Laodao River, it is wide enough to wade across. However, the terrain on both sides is more complex. The north bank is a rolling hill, while the south bank is a relatively open plain. Further south is the city of Linxiang.

When Han Dang led 5,000 vanguards to the north bank of the Liuyang River, a large banner with the character "Han" had already been erected in the camp.

Liu Feng led his troops to defend this place. Behind him were two thousand soldiers from Linxiang who had come to reinforce him, and thirty-seven crossbows that had just arrived.

The crossbowmen were already in position behind the crossbow stacks, and their quivers were filled with armor-piercing heavy arrows that were nearly twice the length of ordinary arrows.

Although this newly forged crossbow was not as powerful as those recorded in later generations, its penetrating power was far superior to that of the crossbows and bows possessed by the Han army.

Even from eighty paces away, it is still confident of penetrating hard iron armor.

Han Dang reined in his horse and observed the scene from a high point on the bank of the Liuyang River for a moment. He then turned to his deputy and said, "Liu Feng has also built a camp along the Liuyang River. It seems that the Laodao River is not his only line of defense."

At this point, his military intuition, honed through a lifetime of military service, immediately detected something amiss.

"General, shall we attack or not?" the lieutenant asked.

Han Dang frowned, stroked his white beard, and pondered for a moment.

"Let's try it out for a while. Our lord's army is behind us; we can't stop here."

He waved his hand and ordered a thousand infantrymen to cross the river first.

The Liuyang River was shallower than the Laodao River, and many sections could be waded across. Wu soldiers, holding shields, stepped into the waist-deep water and slowly advanced towards the opposite bank.

In the camp on the opposite bank, Liu Feng withdrew his gaze and said in a deep voice to the crossbowmen beside him, "Wait until they are all in the water before firing the arrows."

Wu's soldiers advanced step by step toward the south bank, the river water receding from their waists to their knees, and then to their ankles.

As soon as the front-line soldiers stepped onto the dry ground on the south bank, Liu Feng nodded to Kou Wei beside him. Kou Wei waved his command flag downwards, and dozens of crossbows fired simultaneously. Armor-piercing heavy arrows swept across the river with a piercing whistle, and the Wu army shield bearers at the forefront were instantly pierced through their shields and armor, falling to the riverbank with screams.

Han remained unfazed and waved for the second wave of infantry to take over.

Wu Jun used shields as cover and slowly advanced on the riverbank, while archers behind him launched suppressive fire towards the opposite bank.

The two sides engaged in a tug-of-war on both banks of the Liuyang River. Wu's army charged onto the south bank several times, but was forced back by crossbowmen and swordsmen.

The river water was stained pale red with blood, and the floating corpses drifted downstream into the Xiangjiang River.

After a fierce attack lasting half a day, Han Dang finally gained a foothold on a shallow beach on the opposite bank. However, he also suffered considerable casualties, with no fewer than three hundred soldiers killed by crossbow bolts while crossing the river.

Han Dang ordered the construction of a pontoon bridge while simultaneously sending a messenger to inform Sun Quan.

After receiving the battle report, Sun Quan remained silent for a moment before ordering the entire army to set up camp on the north bank of the Liuyang River. At the same time, he ordered craftsmen to work through the night to build a pontoon bridge in preparation for a larger-scale attack the next morning.

That night, Wu's army set up a camp stretching for several miles on the north bank, brightly lit, with the sounds of watchtowers rising and falling.

Sun Quan sat in the central command tent, frowning and deep in thought as he looked at the map.

Liu Feng set up defenses along every river, including the Laodao River and the Liuyang River. Each defense line was simply used to fire arrows, wear down the enemy, and then retreat.

Sun Quan was no fool; he had a vague feeling that something was wrong, but the die was cast, and the authority of the ruler of Jiangdong prevented him from withdrawing his troops before even seeing the walls of Linxiang.

Meanwhile, Kou Wei was taking stock of the casualties in the camp on the south bank. The daytime ambush had not resulted in many losses, but the Shenbi crossbow bolts had been mostly used up.

Liu Feng ordered the urgent transport of arrows from Linxiang while simultaneously dispatching scouts to the north to monitor the movements of the Wu army.

In the darkness of night, the lights of the Wu army camp on the opposite bank illuminated half the sky. Kou Wei stood behind the camp fence, gazing at the lights, his expression calm and composed.

If they delay for another day, they will further weaken Wu's army's morale.

The following morning, Wu Jun erected more than ten pontoon bridges on the north bank of the Liuyang River.

Han Dang led 8,000 infantrymen as the vanguard, followed closely by 10,000 surrendered soldiers from the north, swarming across the pontoon bridge.

This time, the Wu army deployed far more troops than yesterday. Kou Wei led the Wancheng camp in a fierce resistance in the camp on the south bank. The crossbows shot down wave after wave of Wu soldiers, but the Wu army was too numerous and the pontoon bridges were too densely built. The Han army's crossbow formations gradually became overwhelmed.

Wu's armored soldiers simultaneously stormed the south bank from multiple points and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the Wancheng camp.