amaotonovel Chapter 237 The Great Battle ()
Chapter 237 The Great Battle ()
The Shu army that attacked from the southwest was led by Liao Chun and Fu Tong, who were guarding the east gate of the Shu camp, with Guan Ping following behind as a fire brigade.
Liao Chun and Fu Tong were also ambitious. After receiving the order to launch a general attack, they immediately rushed out of the camp and ran at full speed.
Since the Wei army was the attacking side, it was impossible for them to dig trenches in front of their own lines to block their own troops' advance. Therefore, Liao Chun and Fu Tong did not need to worry about horse traps blocking their way and could charge forward with confidence.
Fu Rong personally led the vanguard, holding the shield. The heavy iron shield, weighing dozens of kilograms, was like straw in his hands, and holding it did not affect his speed at all.
Led by Fu Tong, the Han army quickly charged into the range of the Wei army's arrows and was then attacked by a hail of arrows.
The well-trained Han army quickly raised shields to build a wall to protect their rear, blocking the Wei army's arrow rain while the soldiers behind them also fired arrows back. Then, taking advantage of the Wei army's gaps in reloading, they continued to advance.
This time, Fu Tong did not stay with the main force. Instead, he broke away from the group, raised his shield, and accelerated forward, intending to tear a gap in the Wei army's formation.
The Wei army in front of him had been forced to retreat here by Zhang Fei, so there were no horse traps or even deer antlers in front of him. Under the protection of his shield, Fu Tong successfully rushed to the front of the formation and parried the spears that were thrust at him. Then he rushed forward and swung his sword to kill the Wei army.
Liao Chun led his army to catch up quickly, and charged into the enemy ranks through the gap that Fu Tong had torn open. They engaged the Wei army in a fierce battle, and the fighting broke out on the south side.
Zhang Fei from the north also charged into the enemy formation. Zhang He's earlier attempt to create distance failed due to Zhang Fei's sudden attack. At this moment, Zhang He's main camp was less than two miles away from the hillside where Zhang Fei was, a distance that could be covered in the blink of an eye.
Zhang Fei first fired arrows and then charged, repelling the Wei cavalry. He then ordered Cheng Ji to lead troops to protect the left flank of the main army to prevent the Wei cavalry from attacking again, while he personally led the main force straight towards the Wei army.
The Wei army's main camp has been decimated by Zhao Yun, allowing Zhang Fei to charge in without any hindrance, and then it's simple.
When Zhang He, who was stationed in the central command, saw Zhang Fei also charge in, his heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally died.
Now, both flanks are being attacked by the Shu army at the same time, and the attack on the right flank is led by the two bandits Zhang Fei and Zhao Yun. How can we fight them?
But even more despair was yet to come. Before Zhang He could decide whether to defend the left or right flank first, commotion broke out on the main battlefield directly in front of the army. A lieutenant stumbled to Zhang He and said urgently, "General, we can't hold them off! The Shu army's offensive is too fierce. We really can't stop them. What's worse are those routed soldiers. They're running around like headless flies, making it impossible for the brothers to form ranks. I've really done my best."
Zhang He's face darkened as he was about to speak when Cao Zhen suddenly ran up from behind and said urgently, "General, this place is too close to the Qinling Mountains, and the cavalry's advantage cannot be brought into play. Now the Shu army is in high spirits, and our army's morale has been lost. We must make a decision and cut our losses to survive."
The pressure exerted on Zhang He by Liu Bei and Zhuge Liang was too great, so before the battle, Zhang He and Sima Yi also made the worst-case scenario plan: to cut their losses and survive immediately if the battle failed.
The so-called "cutting off the tail to survive" means abandoning the infantry, taking the cavalry to escape, fleeing to Shanggui, entering the Chencang narrow passage, and then retreating along the Wei River to Chencang.
Zhang He's army of 50,000 was also mainly composed of infantry, with only about 15,000 cavalry. Taking only this number of troops back would be too much of a loss.
The thought of abandoning tens of thousands of infantrymen caused Zhang He a sharp pain in his heart, and he sighed helplessly, "How can I explain this to the King?"
Sima Yi also retreated from the front line. Upon hearing this, he immediately said, "The premise of reporting to the King is that I must see the King alive. If I die here, there is no need to report."
"But General, we can all die, but you cannot. If you are killed in battle or captured, it would be a fatal blow to the court and the King."
Zhang He is now the commander of the western army, on par with Xiahou Yuan and Yu Jin. Cao Cao has yet to recover from the damage caused by Xiahou Yuan's death and Yu Jin's surrender. If Zhang He were to be lost as well, Cao Cao would probably die of anger on the spot.
Sima Yi continued to persuade, "Besides, the fault for this defeat is not yours, but the incompetence of Zhang Jize and others. If they hadn't let that rascal Zhang Fei into the Longshan Road, would this have happened today?"
"So what you should do now, General, is to preserve your strength and take these tens of thousands of cavalry back to the King, instead of wallowing in self-pity like a woman."
Zhang He was finally persuaded and decisively ordered, "Withdraw..."
The three men rode off from the main force, leading over ten thousand cavalrymen to flee southeast, abandoning the tens of thousands of elite Wei infantrymen who were still fighting fiercely.
Seeing the Wei cavalry flee, Zhang Fei, who was still fighting desperately in the ranks, became anxious and angrily cursed, "That damned Zhang He actually abandoned his troops and ran away! Where is your honor and pride as a general? Zilong, can't you give chase?"
Of the eight hundred cavalrymen Zhao Yun led, less than two hundred remained following behind. Upon hearing this, they did not reply but instead turned and charged towards the place where Zhang He had fled.
He wanted to give chase, but he was surrounded by Wei infantry and couldn't pick up any speed. He could only watch as Zhang He ran further and further away.
Fortunately, the Han army still had a cavalry force.
Guan Ping and others, who had been dawdling behind Liao Chun and Fu Tong, saw Zhang He choose to flee just as the strategist had predicted. They decisively spurred their horses and gave chase, shouting, "Brothers, follow me! Catch up with Zhang He and capture Sima Yi alive!"
After saying that, he spurred his horse and charged forward. He had recently replenished his cavalry with another batch of warhorses, bringing his cavalry force to 1,200 men.
Although the force was only one-tenth the size of the Wei cavalry, the Wei army had lost its morale, and by pursuing them relentlessly, he should be able to capture a significant number of Wei cavalry.
Zhang Fei breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Guan Ping chasing after him from afar. However, regret also showed in his eyes. Guan Ping's cavalry was too few, and even if they caught up, they wouldn't achieve much. It was a pity that such a good opportunity to capture Zhang He alive had passed.
This is the helplessness of not having cavalry. Infantry is at a huge disadvantage against cavalry. If they are defeated, they cannot escape; if they are won, they cannot be caught. What can you do if the cavalry is determined to escape?
Zhang Fei angrily brandished his weapon, about to vent his fury at letting Zhang He escape on the other Wei soldiers, when suddenly he heard countless voices converge and shout: "Third General, General Zhang Fei, Zhang Yide, the strategist orders you to immediately leave the battlefield and lead your troops to Chencang Pass to pursue Zhang He. The strategist has already ordered Zhao Lei and Xi Zhen to go to the entrance of Chencang Pass to intercept him. You are ordered to lead your troops to set off at top speed and kill your way to Chencang Pass as quickly as possible to try to capture Zhang He."
Thousands of voices shouted simultaneously, their roars easily drowning out the noise and reaching Zhang Fei's ears.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Fei was overjoyed and shouted impatiently, "The strategist actually left an ambush in the narrow pass of Chencang! That's great! Zilong, tear open an opening for me immediately!"
Zhao Yun also heard the shouts. He scanned the area and chose a direction where the enemy forces were weak, then charged towards it. In his anxiety, Zhao Yun began to disregard everything else, rampaging through the enemy ranks in an attempt to quickly clear a path.
Zhang Fei then ordered his scattered troops to quickly regroup around him, and then charged out of the formation through the opening Zhao Yun had torn open, shouting, "Zhang He and Sima Yi have both escaped, what are you still struggling for? Surrender now!"
The morale of the Wei army had already plummeted to rock bottom due to Zhang He's escape. The reason they hadn't surrendered was simply because their brains had gone blank and they hadn't thought of that aspect yet.
Now, upon being shouted at by Zhang Fei, they immediately realized what was happening and knelt down to surrender. Zhang Fei, however, said, "Everyone, step aside and don't block my way."
A quarter of an hour later, Zhang Fei finally broke out of the formation and escaped the battlefield. When he looked up, Zhao Yun had already disappeared. That ungrateful fellow had chased after him alone without waiting for him.
Looking back, I saw that there were only six or seven thousand people gathered around me, and the others were still on their way.
Zhang Fei could not wait any longer and led his existing army to Chencang Pass.
Meanwhile, Liao Chun and Fu Tong, in the southwest, also received Zhuge Liang's order to pursue and quickly left the battlefield to head towards Chencang Pass.
As for what to do with the Wei army that has already surrendered or is about to surrender, is there any need to ask? Naturally, it should be left to Zhuge Liang to handle.