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

Chapter 120 The Sun Family's Thoroughbred

Liu Feng grunted, his body swaying violently, nearly falling off his horse. The Jade Lion Horse let out a long neigh, reared up, and its two front hooves drew heavy arcs in the air.

Liu Feng gripped the horse's belly tightly with his legs and held onto the mane with his left hand, managing to keep his balance. The arrow shaft trembled with the horse's swaying, each tremor bringing a sharp, piercing pain.

Cold sweat instantly beaded on his forehead, streaming down his cheeks and mingling with the blood on his face. His right hand was too weak to grip the reins, so he could only lie on the horse's back, letting the warhorse carry him toward the camp.

When Kou Wei turned around and saw this scene, his eyes widened in fury.

"Protect our lord!"

He roared hoarsely, his voice cracking with rage and fear, brandishing his sword with one hand and cleaving down a Wu cavalryman who was trying to approach Liu Feng.

The blade slashed diagonally down the cavalryman's shoulder and neck, almost splitting him in two, armor and all, blood splattering all over Kou Wei's face. He didn't have time to wipe it away, and roared at his personal guards beside him, "Form ranks! Circle formation!"

The veterans of Wancheng Camp quickly formed a circular formation around Liu Feng, with shields erected and spears thrusting out from the gaps in the shields. Swordsmen and shield bearers stood in front of the shield bearers, desperately resisting the charge of the Wu army cavalry.

Kou Wei's left arm bandage tore open again during the fighting, and blood flowed down his wrist, down the hilt of his sword, and onto the blade, each swing leaving a trail of blood mist. He was oblivious, his eyes fixed on the approaching Wu cavalry, roaring as he swung his sword, cutting them down from their horses one by one.

However, Sun Huan's cavalry had too much power to charge.

Two thousand elite cavalrymen surged into the circular formation wave after wave, their hooves pounding the shields with a dull thud, the force of their charge...

The shield-bearers in the front row were knocked away along with their shields.

The formation was scattered and broken. The camp was less than three miles ahead, and the gates were wide open. The defending troops rushed out with torches to provide support, but the remnants of the Han army had been scattered by the cavalry and were unable to enter the camp to defend it as originally planned.

Kou Wei made a decisive move, ceasing his fight and protecting Liu Feng as they retreated, heading straight towards the south gate of Linxiang City.

Although the garrison of the last camp had come out to provide support, Liu Feng's remaining troops had been scattered by Sun Huan's cavalry. In the darkness, it was difficult to distinguish friend from foe, so the garrison could only watch helplessly as Liu Feng and his party bypassed the camp wall and retreated rapidly towards Linxiang City further south.

Sun Huan led his army in pursuit for a while, boasting that he would capture Liu Feng alive. In the darkness, Kou Wei personally led the remaining dozens of iron cavalry of the Fengzi Battalion to cover the rear, blocking the pursuers on the official road.

These cavalrymen, all clad in heavy armor, though numbering only a few dozen, formed an insurmountable iron wall on the official road.

The two sides fought fiercely in the darkness for more than a minute, their iron cavalry spears clashing with the Jiangdong cavalry's lances on the narrow official road, creating a dense shower of sparks.

A Jiangdong cavalryman attempted to flank Liu Feng's iron cavalry, but Kou Wei caught up on horseback, severing his horse's leg with a single stroke. Both horse and rider tumbled into a roadside rice paddy. Only when the defenders of Linxiang city saw the fire and sent reinforcements did Sun Huan rein in his horse, wipe the dust from his face—dust and sweat—and sneer in the direction of Linxiang city: "He's lucky to be alive. Retreat!"

Sun Huan turned his horse around and led his cavalry back to the undefended camp. The gate was ajar, and the lights inside were still on. The garrison that Ma Liang had arranged there saw Liu Feng retreat after being shot by an arrow, so they also abandoned the camp and retreated back to Linxiang. However, in their haste to retreat, they did not have time to burn the arrows, provisions, and some weapons in the camp.

Sun Huan rode his horse through the gate, torch in hand, surveying the surroundings. The camp was exceptionally well-constructed, far more sturdy than any temporary camp he had ever seen: the walls were constructed of double-layered pine logs reinforced with rammed earth, and every thirty paces there was a crossbowman's crenellation, behind which lay dozens of bundles of spare crossbow bolts.

The arrows, with fresh glue still clinging to their fletchings, were clearly brought from the Linxiang armory only recently.

The camp tents in the village were arranged in an orderly manner, divided into sections of ten and five. The camp roads were wide and straight, with shallow drainage ditches dug on both sides. The granary was filled with grain piled up like small mountains: millet, dried meat, pickled vegetables, and salt, all neatly arranged and categorized, enough to supply thousands of people for half a month.

The entire camp fell into his hands almost intact.

Sun Huan stood on the stockade wall, gazing in the direction of Linxiang City, a cold smile appearing on his lips.

Liu Feng had put a lot of effort into this camp, with its sturdy walls, ample provisions, and well-equipped crossbowmen, all of which have now become spoils of war for his son, Sun Huan.

With this camp, Wu's army had the most secure forward base to attack Linxiang City.

He turned to his adjutant and instructed, "Report to the lord immediately that I have captured the camp, Liu Feng has been wounded by an arrow and retreated to Linxiang. With this camp as our stronghold, our army will soon reach the walls of Linxiang. The camp is piled high with provisions, and there are countless arrows and weapons. Please, lord, bring your army here as soon as possible."

The lieutenant accepted the order and rode off at full speed northward.

When the news reached Sun Quan's central command tent, the generals were awaiting battle reports from the front. The deputy general knelt on one knee and loudly reported: "General Sun's night raid was successful, resulting in a great defeat for Liu Feng! Liu Feng was wounded by a stray arrow and fled. His remaining troops failed to enter the camp, abandoning countless supplies and weapons. General Sun has led his troops to occupy the camp, where provisions are piled high, and arrows and weapons are intact, enough to supply the army for half a month! General Sun specifically ordered me to report this victory!"

There was a moment of silence in the tent, followed by a low cheer. Han Dang stroked his white beard and nodded repeatedly, the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes crinkling into a deep knot.

Quan Cong and Zhu Huan exchanged a smile, and Zhu Huan even clenched his fist and slapped his palm, muttering a low "Good lad." Even the usually taciturn Zhou Tai couldn't help but twitch the corners of his mouth.

Sun Quan was overjoyed, clapping his hands and laughing loudly, "Good! Good! Good!"

He exclaimed "Good!" three times, stood up, paced back and forth in the tent, and said loudly, "Liu Feng, you little brat, has finally met his end! He held me off for three days at Laodao River and five days at Liuyang River, and now he has even lost his last camp and fled back to Linxiang severely wounded. What does he have left to rely on! Sun Huan's victory in this battle should serve as a model for all generals!"

He paused, then turned to face the generals in the tent, his tone full of praise.

"Although Huan'er is young, his keen observation of the enemy's situation, his seizing of the opportunity, and his decisive attack in this battle demonstrate the qualities of a renowned general! He is truly a fine steed of the Sun family! Pass down the order to record Sun Huan's greatest achievement in this battle!"

The generals in the tent all clasped their hands in congratulations.

Gan Jin stood in the corner, his facial muscles twitching slightly, his clasped hands a beat slower than the others. He looked at the joyful faces of the generals in the tent, but a strange unease rose in his heart. He had fought under Cao Cao for most of his life and had witnessed countless unpredictable changes on the battlefield.

Since Liu Feng took Xiangfan, he has killed Cao Ren, captured Tian Yu, defeated Fan's army, and seized the four commanderies of Jingnan. When has he ever suffered such a humiliating defeat?

The arrow that struck him squarely in the ribs was too perfect, and the speed at which he withdrew his troops back to the city was too decisive.

Yu Jin ultimately remained silent. He was a surrendered general, and his opinion was worthless here.

Meanwhile, in Linxiang City.

Ma Liang was reviewing land reclamation documents by lamplight in the city tower, the oil lamp on his desk casting long wicks. Suddenly, a commotion arose outside the window from the direction of the north gate: the neighing of horses, footsteps, the clanging of armor, and a few low shouts. He put down his pen, got up, and walked to the crenellations to look down. He saw Kou Wei leading dozens of cavalrymen, covered in blood, rushing into the city. Their warhorses were steaming with sweat, and on one horse lay a figure in black armor stained with blood.

Ma Liang's expression changed drastically, and he quickly descended the city wall. Inside the city gate, Kou Wei dismounted, his left arm bandage soaked with blood, his face smeared with gunpowder and sweat. He hissed, "Chief Clerk Ma! Your Excellency has been shot with an arrow!"

Ma Liang strode forward, intending to check Liu Feng's injuries.

The Jade Lion Horse stood quietly in the city gate passageway, and the person on its back dismounted on their own.

Liu Feng unfastened his battle robe, took out a section of arrow that had been blocked by a piece of iron from the lining of his armor, and casually threw it on the ground. The arrowhead was dull, and the shaft was stained with a little blood from flesh, but the wound was very shallow.

He moved his shoulders, and saw that an arrow had pierced a hole in his battle robe at the side. The iron plate inside the robe held the arrowhead firmly in place, and he was only slightly injured.

Liu Feng raised his eyes to meet Ma Liang's gaze, a slight smile playing on his lips. "Mr. Ji Chang, Sun Huan has already occupied that camp for me. Is everything set up properly within it?"

Ma Liang was slightly taken aback, but then understood and gently patted the feather fan in his palm.

"Rest assured, my lord, all arrangements have been made in accordance with your design."

Liu Feng took the water pouch from his guard, took a sip, wiped the water from his lips, turned around and climbed the city wall. Standing behind the crenellations, he watched as the lights of the northern camp gradually lit up in the night.

He knew that Sun Huan was there, proudly counting his spoils of war: the intact stockade walls and the mountains of grain and fodder.

This camp, the vantage point of Linxiang City, will become the main siege camp for Sun Quan's army, and also the final point of the Heavenly Furnace Strategy.

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