amaotonovel Chapter 267 Xu Sheng, the Tiger General, Lives Up to His Name
Chapter 267 Xu Sheng, the Tiger General, Lives Up to His Name
The pattern of battle between two armies is always to first fire at long range, then charge at close range.
In modern terms, it was like cannons bombarding the infantry charge, and then the cannons bombarding them after the infantry had finished charging.
The rain of arrows caused considerable casualties on both sides, eliciting screams of agony from both armies.
Both armies ignored the screams and charged at each other as soon as the arrows fell.
Deng Hong's thirty heavily armored soldiers charged at the forefront. Since it was dark and they couldn't see the road, they simply ignored it and focused on the enemy forces opposite them.
The two armies charged in opposite directions and soon reached the middle, where they made close contact. Wu's army simultaneously swung their swords at the heavily armored soldiers charging at the front, but the heavily armored soldiers, like mad bulls, used their bodies as weapons and charged directly at them, instantly stunning Wu's army.
Then, thirty heavily armored soldiers formed an arrowhead formation and charged into the Wu army's ranks like arrows released from a bow, attacking without defending and mercilessly slaughtering the Wu soldiers.
The heavily armored soldiers' defenses were too strong; their swords could cut through the Wu army and create a spray of blood, while the Wu army's swords could only produce a string of sparks when they struck them.
It's like if you punch me and I'm fine, but if I punch you, I can kill you half to death. How can you fight like that?
Wu Jun was stunned on the spot, but the Han army was not. Deng Hong led his army to charge into the gap torn open by the heavy armor soldiers and frantically attacked Wu Jun, causing Wu Jun to retreat in defeat.
Xu Sheng, who was directing the troops from behind Wu Jun's lines, was dumbfounded when he saw those heavily armored men. Damn it, the Han army actually had heavily armored soldiers. How the hell was he supposed to fight them?
Xu Sheng, being a veteran with extensive combat experience, quickly recovered from his brief shock and ordered his army to bypass the heavy armored soldiers and attack the Han army in the rear. Although the heavy armored soldiers had strong defenses, they had a fatal weakness: they were clumsy and slow.
In other words, if you run, he can't catch up; if you move around, he can't turn around as quickly as you. If you turn too fast, he's very likely to trip on the spot. It's easy for a heavily armored soldier to trip, but it's difficult for him to get up.
While directing his army to avoid attacking the main force of the Han army by the heavily armored soldiers, Xu Sheng astutely noticed that the heavily armored soldiers were all using short swords about a meter long, which made things much easier.
Xu Sheng threw away his longsword, found a spear about ten feet long, and led his personal guards to rush in front of the heavily armored soldiers. He swung the spear and swept it across, aiming at the soldiers' knees.
Caught off guard, the lead heavy infantryman was unfortunately hit and fell to his knees in pain, screaming. His teammates rushed up to protect him and used their swords to block the sweeping spears.
Someone reacted quickly and grabbed Xu Sheng's spear shaft, pulling hard. But the shameless Xu Sheng suddenly let go the moment he exerted force. The heavily armored soldier, unable to withstand the force, fell backward and almost bumped into his comrade.
Xu Sheng's personal guards were greatly encouraged by this and swung their spears at the legs of the heavily armored soldiers. The heavily armored soldiers did not dare to grab the spear shafts anymore and could only parry with their swords. Although they used their weapon advantage to cut many spear shafts, they also suffered a lot of beatings.
Moreover, Wu Jun was clever; while swinging his spear, he also thrust wildly, not expecting to pierce the armor of the heavily armored soldiers, but simply wanting to use the thrust of the spear shaft to knock them down.
With every inch longer, there is an inch more strength. Under such shameless tactics, the heavy infantry were forced into a passive position.
Upon seeing this, Deng Hong's expression changed slightly. Without thinking twice, he quickly adjusted his formation, forming an arrowhead formation and desperately charging towards the Wu army, intending to bypass the Wu army and protect the heavily armored soldiers.
He made a fatal mistake by sending the heavily armored soldiers to charge alone. The heavy armored soldiers' weaknesses were too prominent, making them easy targets.
Deng Hong charged forward desperately, trying to make up for his mistake. Xu Sheng noticed Deng Hong's intention, picked up his sword, and personally charged to stop him. He was determined to wipe out the Han army's heavy infantry today.
Xu Sheng quickly reached Deng Hong and swung his long sword down fiercely. Deng Hong raised his sword to meet the attack, and the two clashed in mid-air. Deng Hong was no match for Xu Sheng and had to retreat.
Despite being outmatched, Deng Hong's ferocity was ignited by Xu Sheng's attack. Ignoring the pain in his hand, he charged forward again to fight back. After exchanging three blows, Xu Sheng's blade was broken...
It was cut off...
Xu Sheng was completely stunned as he stared at the blade, which was now only half intact. This blade was a treasured weapon crafted by a master craftsman and had accompanied him in battle for many years. Yet, it was broken in just three strikes by Deng Hong.
Even Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade wasn't this sharp. Where did this person get such a divine weapon?
Ignoring all this, Deng Hong charged forward again, sword in hand. This time, Xu Sheng didn't dare to fight head-on. He raised his sword hilt to block Deng Hong's blade, then quickly retreated to create distance. He glanced back and was horrified to find his own army being routed. The reason for the retreat was their inferior weapons; they were quickly cut down by the Han army's weapons, and then…
Xu Sheng realized the situation was bad and dared not fight any longer. He dodged Deng Hong and charged at a Han soldier, swinging the nearly two-meter-long hilt of his sword at the soldier. He used the force to knock the soldier down and then kicked the soldier's wrist, forcing him to release his sword. Without lingering, he picked up his weapon and ran away.
Xu Sheng did not flee. Instead, he turned and charged at the heavily armored soldier. He rushed in front of the soldier and used his sword as a club to smash him down. Taking advantage of his strength, he knocked the soldier down. While the soldier was on the ground, he swung his sword again to smash the soldier's wrist, forcing him to release his weapon. He then quickly fell to the ground, grabbed the soldier's ankle, and pulled him forcefully to his side.
At this moment, Xu Sheng was like a god of war, his martial arts skills, courage, and combat experience were worthy of the name of the Twelve Tiger Generals of Jiangdong.
After pulling the heavily armored soldier to his side, Xu Sheng quickly grabbed the soldier's head, twisted his neck with force, and easily snapped it. He then ordered his personal guards, "Carry him back to the camp immediately. Make sure to protect the heavily armored soldier."
His goal was this heavy armor set; he had to take it back and study it carefully. However, he forgot that it was produced by the Wushang Steel Plant, and even if he got his hands on it, he wouldn't be able to replicate it.
Xu Sheng didn't care about all that. After sending off the personal guards carrying the heavy armor, he began to command the army to retreat in shifts. He didn't plan to fight anymore. The Han army had too much of a weapon advantage, and they were about to join forces with the heavy armor troops. Once the two sides joined forces, he wouldn't be able to gain an advantage due to the defense of the heavy armor troops and the sharpness of the Han army's weapons.
Xu Sheng led a highly experienced elite force of Wu troops, and they quickly withdrew from the battlefield to create distance, then turned and ran back like madmen.
Deng Hong glanced at Wu Jun's retreating figure, then spread his palm to look at the blood on his tiger's mouth, and cursed through gritted teeth: "A great reputation is well-deserved. Xu Sheng truly deserves the title of Tiger General. I've learned my lesson. Quickly clean up the battlefield, count the prisoners, and take the corpses back with you."
After speaking, he turned to look at the heavily armored soldiers. After counting them, he found that, including the one who had been taken away by Xu Sheng, three of the heavily armored soldiers had died in battle. Two others had their legs broken by the heavy armor they were wearing when they fell to the ground after being shot in the leg by Commander Wu.
In a short time, the heavy infantry lost 61% of their strength. This loss pained Deng Hong so much that his heart bled. He gritted his teeth and said to his deputy, "When we get back, remember to remind me to write a self-criticism. We must summarize the lessons learned from this failure and never make the same mistake again."
While being reminded, he quickly reflected on the mistakes he had made. The first issue was the coordination between the heavy infantry and the main force. The lack of coordination between the two created a gap, which was seized upon by the experienced Xu Sheng.
Secondly, the design of the heavy armor also has problems. I need to remind Feng Tiezhu to improve it and make it as lightweight and comfortable as possible, so that the soldiers wearing the armor are not crushed by the heavy armor.
In the end, he underestimated his enemy to some extent. After defeating Zhang Cheng, he felt that the Wu army was nothing special, but he forgot that if the Wu army didn't have some skills, how could it have dominated Jiangdong for three generations?
Moreover, the Twelve Tiger Generals of Jiangdong were all forged in battle, not flattered by others, and they cannot be easily defeated by any means. The Han army still needs to be prepared for a tough battle.
Failure is a catalyst for growth. Although Deng Hong suffered a small loss, he felt that it was worthwhile and timely. If he hadn't suffered this small loss today, he would have definitely suffered a great loss when he encountered Wu Jun's main force in the future.
With this in mind, Deng Hong led his army to cover the wounded soldiers as they slowly retreated back to their camp.