Chapter 94

Chapter Ninety-Three

"Your Majesty, more than two thousand of our Chu troops have successfully crossed the Yan River..."

On the southern bank of the Yan River, the Chu messenger continuously relayed the latest news to Prince Xionghu of Pingyu.

"Hmm, well done," Prince Xionghu of Pingyu nodded in approval, then said seriously, "But this is not enough! Order Generals Wugan and Shenkang to suppress the Wei troops at all costs and seize the northern bank!"

In fact, even without the messenger, Prince Xionghu of Pingyu could clearly see the situation on the northern bank of the Yan River with his own eyes.

Although Prince Xionghu of Pingyu had sixty thousand Chu troops, at this moment, only two or three thousand were neatly lined up on the southern bank of the Yan River. The rest of the Chu troops were far behind, not even able to see the situation on the opposite bank.

There was no help for it; the presence of the Yan River significantly reduced the advantages of the Chu army's numerical superiority.

The more than two thousand Chu troops who had already crossed the river were unable to stop the formation of over five thousand Wei infantry. Worse still, the weapons and armor of the Wei soldiers were generally one level better than those of the Chu soldiers. This meant that despite the Chu army's overwhelming numerical advantage, the battle on the northern bank of the Yan River was actually at a disadvantage for the Chu army.

The iron smelting technology of the Wei state is even more advanced than ours...

Prince Xionghu of Pingyu frowned, noticing that the weapons of the Chu soldiers often failed to penetrate the armor of the Wei soldiers, while the long spears of the Wei soldiers almost always pierced through the armor of the Chu soldiers. Occasionally, a few Wei soldiers with sharp weapons could even break the weapons of the Chu soldiers.

This is a disadvantage in equipment.

If the territory and population of the Wei state could match our Chu state, this battle would be much more difficult...

After a moment of reflection, Prince Xionghu of Pingyu ordered sternly, "Order Yu You to increase the intensity of the arrow suppression on the northern bank of the Yan River!"

The attendants were taken aback and whispered, "Your Majesty, there are also our Chu soldiers on the northern bank..."

Prince Xionghu of Pingyu gave a cold glance at the guard who spoke, causing him to wisely shut his mouth.

At this point, how could he still be concerned about friendly fire? If they failed to break through the Yan River today, wouldn't they just be giving the Wei army a victory and boosting their morale? No matter what, they had to crush these Wei troops completely!

A determined look flashed in Prince Xionghu of Pingyu's eyes.

In fact, at this moment, General Yu You of the Chu army was not without his archers suppressing the Wei troops on the opposite bank of the Yan River, providing cover for the friendly forces crossing the river.

However, due to the concern of friendly fire, the arrows from his archers were not as dense.

"Increase the intensity of suppression?"

Upon learning of Prince Xionghu of Pingyu's order from the messenger, General Yu You's eyes turned cold.

With a wave of his hand, this time, thousands of archers on the southern bank of the Yan River raised their bows.

"Fire!"

"Whoosh—"

"Fire again!"

"Whoosh whoosh—"

At the command, arrows rained down on the northern bank of the Yan River.

The terrifying rain of arrows, like a heavy downpour, fell densely on the northern bank, killing many Chu soldiers while also terrifying the Wei soldiers who were preparing to counterattack.

"Those guys... are they crazy?"

A Wei captain subconsciously signaled his troops to slow down their charge towards the floating bridge, staring in shock at the empty ground before him.

That ground, which was not originally empty, had been the site of intense fighting between hundreds or even thousands of soldiers from both sides. After the terrifying rain of arrows, it was now a field of corpses, with many soldiers from both sides still alive but riddled with arrows and lying in pools of blood.

"Even killing their own men?"

Not far away, another Wei captain stared in shock. In fact, the Wei soldiers had not suffered severe losses, with at most two hundred or so being hit by arrows. In contrast, the number of Chu soldiers hit by arrows was three times that of the Wei soldiers!

"Don't stop!"

On the southern bank of the Yan River, General Yu You of the Chu army, noticing that his archers were hesitating because they had killed their own men, shouted sternly, "Continue firing! Suppress the Wei soldiers!"

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—"

Another rain of arrows.

"Arrows are coming again! Take cover!"

The leading Wei captain shouted, signaling his Wei infantry to raise their shields to protect against the arrows.

In fact, not many Wei soldiers were hit by this wave of arrows. Even those who were hit managed to survive thanks to their sturdy shields, being hit in less fatal areas like their limbs.

"Don't retreat!" Wu Wei Wang Shu shouted with all his might, "Counterattack! Counterattack! Destroy the floating bridge! Destroying the floating bridge is our victory!"

"Ooh—"

The Wei infantry let out a roar and charged forward again, while the Chu soldiers on the opposite side also rushed forward without regard for their lives.

The "empty ground" was once again filled with living beings.

However, not long after, another terrifying rain of arrows from the southern bank of the Yan River struck, killing many unprepared soldiers from both sides indiscriminately.

Seeing that his side had suffered over a hundred casualties, Wu Wei Wang Shu's eyes bulged, but he still shouted without hesitation, "Kill! Kill through!"

This guy...

Zhao Hongrun frowned and glanced at Wu Wei Wang Shu, then turned to look at the direction of the Zongwei Mu Qing and others under the banner of the Prince of Su.

At this moment, Zongwei Mu Qing had already put on a luxurious brocade robe. Noticing Zhao Hongrun's gaze, he immediately quietly led a few Zongwei and the banner of the Prince of Su to retreat.

It must be understood that the banner of the Prince of Su was like a command flag at this moment. If the main flag retreated, how could the Chu army on the opposite bank not notice?

"Your Majesty, that Ji Run seems to be fleeing!"

The guards around Prince Xionghu of Pingyu noticed this first and shouted joyfully.

"Good!" Prince Xionghu of Pingyu looked closely and a look of wild joy appeared on his face. He laughed loudly, "A child without courage, he actually fears this battle... truly a gift from heaven!" Saying this, he immediately waved his hand and shouted, "Quickly, call for the Wei soldiers to surrender."

This news spread quickly, and soon many Chu soldiers knew about it. They all shouted at the Wei soldiers.

"Your country's Prince of Su has fled, why don't you surrender quickly!"

"Surrender quickly, and we will spare your lives!"

The shouts of tens of thousands of Chu soldiers filled the sky and reached the ears of the Wei soldiers on the northern bank of the Yan River.

What? The Prince of Su... actually fled?

Countless Wei infantry looked at each other, finding it hard to believe.

For a moment, the momentum of the Wei counterattack paused, and most of the Wei soldiers were at a loss, unsure of what to do.

"How is this possible?!" Wu Wei Wang Shu and Ma Zhang looked at each other in shock, and indeed, they found that the Prince of Su, Zhao Hongrun, had disappeared, and the banner of the Prince of Su had been moved to the rear.

"That son of a bitch..." The crude Wu Wei Wang Shu cursed, but before he could finish, his voice suddenly stopped.

Because he was shocked to find that Zhao Hongrun, now wearing the armor of a Zongwei, was standing in the position of his guard, looking at him coldly.

Wh... what's going on?

Wu Wei Wang Shu and Ma Zhang instinctively shrank their heads and swallowed hard.

"We will settle this later," Zhao Hongrun glanced coldly at Wang Shu, then took out two pieces of paper from his chest and handed them to Wang Shu and Ma Zhang, whispering, "Shout out what is written on the paper!"

"..." Wang Shu and Ma Zhang took the papers, glanced at them, and their faces showed a strange expression.

"What are you waiting for? Shout!" Zhao Hongrun glared and whispered, "If you don't shout, our army will be defeated!"

Hearing this, Wu Wei Wang Shu trembled, glanced at Zhao Hongrun, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly, "Brothers, don't pay attention to that Prince of Su. Is a coward like him even our commander?... Without him, we can still hold the Chu army here!"

"Think of our families in Yanling, our parents, brothers, and sisters, all in the city. If we are defeated here, they will be brutally killed by the Chu dogs!... Can you tolerate our loved ones being killed by the Chu dogs? Without that Prince of Su, it's better. I, Ma Zhang, and Wu Wei Wang Shu, will take command!... Brothers, will you follow our orders?!"

"..."

The confused Wei soldiers suddenly seemed to find their backbone again, as if the disappearance of the "Prince of Su" and the banner of the Prince of Su had no effect on them.

Hmph! This is only natural. ... These two, along with Chen Shi, have led this army for a long time, repeatedly repelling the Chu army. If their prestige among the soldiers was less than that of the Prince of Su, who deliberately downplayed his presence, that would be strange.

Zhao Hongrun glanced at Wang Shu, seeing him smile with relief as the soldiers' morale was rekindled, and he remained expressionless, humming softly.

Then, he turned his gaze to the Chu army on the opposite bank.

However, with this, the Chu army's attack will likely become even more frenzied, won't it?

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