jdhmnovel Chapter 468 Zhang Zhao, you old bastard!
Chapter 468 Zhang Zhao, you old bastard!
Faced with the well-equipped and heavily armed Wei army, civilians without armor or even weapons were no match for them.
One person is no match for Wei Jun in a one-on-one fight, but what about ten, or a hundred?
So many civilians went out to fight that they swept in like locusts, instantly bewildering the Wei army.
After the initial contact, the Wei army, relying on its superior equipment, quickly drove back the civilians. However, the civilians, under Guan Yu's call, displayed astonishing morale. After being driven back, they quickly regrouped and launched a counterattack, roaring and charging towards the Wei army. The waves surged higher and higher, as new civilians joined the fray every moment.
A Wei soldier kicked the young man in front of him to the ground and ruthlessly pierced him with his spear. The young man grinned and used his last strength to swing his bamboo pole at the Wei soldier's head. The Wei soldier was stunned and disoriented. Before he could regain his senses, a boy suddenly appeared and knocked him down with an elbow strike. The boy then grabbed the spear that was stuck in the young man's chest and pulled it out forcefully. He then grabbed the spear and charged at the Wei soldier.
The young man couldn't withstand the blow and his eyes gradually lost focus, but his gaze towards the boy was filled with relief rather than resentment.
Ordinary people like them had no weapons, so it would be best if they could use the weapons of the Wei army. As for himself, he was going to die anyway, so what difference would it make if he died a quarter of an hour earlier or later?
The civilians fought desperately against the Wei army at a cost of three to one in casualties, and their relentless fighting spirit quickly intimidated the Wei army.
Currently, the main force of the Wei army is dealing with the Han-Wu allied forces and the private soldiers of the gentry. The people sent to block the civilians are naturally a group of logistics personnel with low combat effectiveness. Their combat power and fighting will are no match for the elite Wei army. They are facing a civilian population that far exceeds their own, and new forces are joining them every moment. Who wouldn't break down when they see this?
Some of the Wei soldiers who were blocking the civilians could not withstand the pressure and turned to flee, which led other Wei soldiers to follow suit and join the ranks of deserters one after another.
The Wei army's defensive line was breached by the Jiangling civilians, who outnumbered them and were fearless in the face of death. Encouraged, the civilians were greatly encouraged and continued their desperate charge.
The army's defensive formation is a whole; if a point is breached, it can be torn into a gap, which can then be expanded into a surface and eventually connected to affect the entire situation.
Yu Jin, who was overseeing the battle, did not expect that the civilians would be the first to break through. When he saw the civilians rushing in, his expression changed drastically. Without thinking twice, he immediately drew 2,000 of the 5,000 reserve troops that were kept to deal with Guan Xing to provide support, in order to repel the civilians and stabilize the front line.
Although the battle situation was somewhat unfavorable, Yu Jin still did not want to give up. He had fought for half his life and had encountered all kinds of crises. It was not time to give up completely. As long as these two thousand fresh troops rushed over, they would definitely be able to drive back the unarmed civilians.
But are ordinary people really unarmed? Probably not.
The common people also knew the importance of equipment. After defeating the Wei army, they immediately stripped off the Wei soldiers' armor and picked up their swords and spears. As more and more Wei soldiers fell, the common people's equipment naturally became better and better.
At the same time, Guan Xing's morale was boosted by the bravery of the people. He led two thousand elite troops to form a cone-shaped battle formation, using himself as the tip of the cone to crash into the formation and continuously tear apart the Wei army's formation. The subsequent army poured in madly through the gaps he tore open.
Sun Quan, Zhang Zhao, and Sun Shao watched the battle from the city tower. At this moment, the three of them were only protected by a thousand personal guards. Behind them were the slides that Guan Xing had built to allow the people to escape, clearly indicating that they were preparing to slide down the slides to retreat if things went wrong.
Zhang Zhao stared at the battlefield for a long time, and seeing that the two sides were locked in a stalemate, he stroked his beard and frowned. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sun Shao and suddenly had an idea. He narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Changxu, are you interested in another gamble?"
Sun Shao quickly took a half step back, his face full of vigilance, and asked, "What do you mean?"
Zhang Zhao took a half step closer and chattered with Sun Quan and Sun Shao for a while. Sun Shao's face darkened, and he asked unhappily, "Why me and not you?"
Zhang Zhao shrugged and said, "I'd like to, but my physique is clearly not suitable. I'll just go for a run; I don't need to actually go to the battlefield. I don't think you want us to be defeated and captured by the Wei army, do you?"
After struggling for a moment, Sun Shao glanced at Sun Quan again, gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, I'll risk it all."
After saying this, he slid down the slide to the outside of the city and led five hundred personal guards to the Han army camp to see Wang Hong.
All the soldiers in the camp had rushed into the city, and now only a thousand or so wounded soldiers, including Wang Hong and Zhu Chao, remained in the huge camp. Sun Shao found Wang Hong and explained his purpose, and Wang Hong immediately made preparations for him.
Soon Sun Shao put on a green robe and a long beard, dressing himself up as Guan Yu, but it was ultimately a knock-off and didn't look like him at all.
Guan Yu was too tall. Although Sun Shao was also a big man from Shandong, he was a bit shorter than Guan Yu. But it didn't matter. As long as they didn't get close, it should be hard to see him clearly.
Then Wang Hong found a red horse among the grain transport horses to play the role of Red Hare. To be honest, this horse was nothing like Red Hare except for its color. It looked even less reliable than Sun Shao playing Guan Yu. But what could he do? It was good enough to find a red horse in such a hurry. Why have such high requirements?
Wang Hong then found cloth to make battle flags. When he didn't have enough cloth, he dismantled tents to make up the numbers. He quickly produced nearly a hundred inferior battle flags. Sun Shao did not delay any longer and led five hundred soldiers riding counterfeit Red Hare, carrying counterfeit Green Dragon Crescent Blades, and holding Guan-character battle flags as they charged into the South Gate and onto the battlefield.
After entering the city, countless battle flags marched ahead. Before they even reached the battlefield, the soldiers who raised the flags shouted in unison with the others, "General Guan has ordered a full-scale charge! Kill!"
Although the roar of five hundred men could not drown out the noise of the battlefield, it could still barely reach the ears of both sides. Guan Xing, who was fighting fiercely, turned around when he heard the shouts and was stunned when he saw the old general in green robes riding on horseback.
Why would Lao Guan appear here at a time like this? Is he a fake?
Upon further reflection and a closer look, it was indeed fake. Instead of correcting him, he shouted, "Brothers, General Guan is here to support us! Kill!"
Although Guan Xing knew that the Guan Yu behind him was an imposter, the others did not. More than 90% of the troops on both sides had never seen Guan Yu before, and even if they had been lucky enough to see him, they dared not look closely. Therefore, they did not know what Guan Yu looked like. Now, in the midst of a fierce battle, they did not have time to think carefully. Upon seeing the red horse, green robe, and large Guan Yu, they instinctively mistook him for Guan Yu. Then, something interesting happened.
The Han army's morale soared upon learning of Guan Yu's approach, while the Wei army, who had been brutally beaten by Guan Yu and even nearly drowned, harbored a deep-seated fear of him. The moment they saw Guan Yu's figure, their faces turned pale, their legs trembled, and they wished they could turn around and run away immediately.
The Wei army was already struggling to hold on under Guan Xing's attacks, and was further stunned by Guan Yu, causing their morale to plummet. With the morale of both sides shifting, the Wei army's hard-won formation was easily shattered by Guan Xing, just like glass being struck by a heavy hammer.
Guan Xing naturally wouldn't give them another chance to reorganize their defenses. He led his army to relentlessly crush the Wei army and launched a frenzied massacre.
The news quickly reached Yu Jin's ears. Upon hearing that Guan Yu was coming, Yu Jin's face also turned pale. After the initial shock, he calmly said, "Impossible. Guan Yu couldn't have appeared so quickly. That Guan Yu must be a fake; someone else is impersonating him."
Yu Jin was very clear-headed, but what good was it if he was the only one who was clear-headed? The army at the front had already collapsed. No matter how clear-headed he was, he couldn't possibly reorganize this group of Wei soldiers who were terrified of Guan Yu to the core.
When the Wei army saw Guan Yu at the most tense and sensitive critical moment, it was as if they had encountered a ghost while walking in the dark. They did not care about distinguishing the signs and instinctively turned around and ran away, which triggered a chain reaction and led to a complete defeat.
Upon seeing this, Jiang Ji rushed to Yu Jin and said, "General Yu, we have been defeated. There is no need for us to continue. Let's retreat and preserve our strength."
Although Yu Jin was unwilling, he had no better option but to order a retreat and command the army to withdraw towards the west gate.
In fact, they should have retreated from the north gate, but Yu Jin had sealed the north gate shut in order to ambush the Han army that was attacking it. They hadn't had time to unseal it yet, so they had no choice but to leave through the west gate.
Guan Xing naturally wouldn't let Yu Jin leave easily. Seeing the Wei army retreat, he pursued them with all his might and soon caught up to the vicinity of the West Gate.
Then the problem arises: the city gate is only so wide, and it will take time for the Wei army to get out of the city, but Guan Xing obviously won't give them that time. What to do?
Yu Jin, a veteran of countless battles, knew very well the consequences of an army being attacked while passing through the city gates. He immediately grabbed Jiang Ji by the collar and said, "Chief Clerk Jiang, you go first, I'll cover the rear."