Chapter 97

"Finally, we've made it..."

On the northern bank of the Yan River, Lord Pingyu Xionghu gazed at his vanguard, which had almost entirely crossed the river, and couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

It was no wonder. After all, in the previous battles, their Chu army had won victory after victory, capturing six cities of the Wei Kingdom in one fell swoop. But he never expected that his vanguard would be held up at the Yan River.

But all that was in the past. Now that his vanguard had crossed the Yan River, the fall of Yanling was just a matter of time.

"Report!"

A scout galloped up from the front, swiftly arriving before Lord Pingyu Xionghu. He dismounted, knelt, and reported, "Urgent news from the front, the Wei people have set fire to Yanling, attempting to burn down the city!"

Damn! Just as I suspected...

Upon hearing this news, Lord Pingyu Xionghu couldn't help but frown.

In fact, the moment he saw King Su's banner retreating to the rear, Lord Pingyu Xionghu had realized that the Wei people in Yanling might very well evacuate the city's residents to the north and burn down Yanling, leaving the Chu army with an empty city.

Was it really because Wang Shu and Ma Zhang delayed us for too long?

Lord Pingyu Xionghu's brows furrowed, and he asked in a deep voice, "Who is the general at the front, Wu Gan or Shen Kang?"

"Reporting to my lord, it is General Shen Kang. ... Shen Kang pursued the 5,000 Wei soldiers led by Wang Shu and Ma Zhang all the way to the vicinity of Yanling. Seeing the city engulfed in flames, he suspected that the Wei people were burning down the city, and thus ordered me to return and report to you immediately."

"Shen Kang?" Lord Pingyu Xionghu stroked his chin and asked, "What is he doing now?"

"Reporting to my lord, General Shen Kang intends to take Anling."

"Take Anling?" Lord Pingyu Xionghu was taken aback.

"Yes, my lord. General Shen Kang said that the Wei civilians who evacuated from Yanling are only about six to seven li away, and the distant crowd is vaguely visible. He believes that these Wei civilians are retreating towards Anling. If we can catch up, we might be able to use the 100,000 Wei civilians to threaten Anling..."

Lord Pingyu Xionghu's eyes lit up with joy. "Good! As expected of Shen Kang. ... Follow his plan. I will order the soldiers here to speed up."

"Yes!" The scout leaped back onto his horse and galloped away.

Ha ha ha, this is truly... an unexpected gain. But thinking about it, even though Wang Shu and Ma Zhang delayed us for a long time, how could 100,000 Wei civilians in Yanling escape far in such a short time? Shen Kang is right! This is a trump card to take Anling...

With that thought, Lord Pingyu Xionghu waved his hand and ordered, "Pass the order! The entire army advances towards Yanling, speed up!"

"Ooh—"

At the same time, General Shen Kang of Chu was still pursuing the 5,000 Wei soldiers led by Wang Shu and Ma Zhang, and in front of them were the 100,000 Wei civilians from Yanling.

Unfortunately, our Chu army has almost no cavalry. Otherwise, just a cavalry unit...

Seeing the Wei army and the fleeing Wei civilians just ahead, General Shen Kang of Chu was in a state of great anxiety.

Indeed, Chu is a vast and resource-rich land with a large population, but unfortunately, being located south of the great river, it has many boats but few warhorses. Therefore, in situations like this, it becomes quite challenging. The enemy's fleeing army is right in front, but due to the lack of cavalry, we cannot fully capitalize on our victory.

With no other choice, General Shen Kang ordered his infantry to speed up.

At this moment, he couldn't care less that his Chu infantry were already exhausted from the prolonged sprint, panting and sweating profusely. All he could see were the 5,000 Wei soldiers and the 100,000 Wei civilians ahead.

"Chase!"

"Ooh... ooh ooh..."

In fact, the 5,000 Wei soldiers led by Zhao Hongrun, Wang Shu, and Ma Zhang were also exhausted. After all, they had been fleeing from the vicinity of the Yan River to this place, running for seven or eight li, almost reaching the limits of their physical endurance.

"The Chu army... is speeding up..."

Wu Wei, the military officer, kept an eye on the pursuing Chu army. Seeing their renewed surge, he couldn't help but feel a sense of panic.

After all, his Wei soldiers had almost discarded their heavy weapons and armor. If the Chu army caught up, it would undoubtedly mean the annihilation of his entire force, with all of them being slaughtered by the Chu army.

"Sir... Sir Jiangrun..."

"Don't panic," Zhao Hongrun said calmly. "When a person is chased by a mad dog, they always burst with potential... Don't look at the pursuing Chu army, but they won't catch up."

Wang Shu and Ma Zhang were skeptical.

However, the facts proved that Zhao Hongrun was right. Despite the Chu army's increased speed, the Wei soldiers under his command were not to be outdone. Or rather, driven by fear, they ran even faster than the pursuing Chu soldiers.

When they heard that the Chu army was only twenty zhang behind, the Wei soldiers burst with speed far beyond their usual capabilities, extending the distance to thirty zhang, much to the frustration of General Shen Kang of Chu.

"Can't catch up, right?" Zhao Hongrun glanced at the stunned Wang Shu and smiled. "Human nature is a complex thing... Under the threat of death, people often burst with extraordinary potential..."

Wang Shu looked at Zhao Hongrun, unsure of what to say. "But, Sir Jiangrun, the Chu army is still pursuing us relentlessly. This can't go on, can it? ... Look, the civilians are getting closer to us..."

"Don't worry, the civilians are almost past Yanling, aren't they?"

Past Yanling? What does that mean? Can anyone just pass by Yanling?

Wang Shu hesitated.

Ma Zhang, however, sensed something from Zhao Hongrun's words and looked at the hill called Yanling with a mix of surprise and suspicion.

Could there be something in that Yanling valley...

Looking at Zhao Hongrun's calm expression, Ma Zhang's face lit up with joy.

Finally, the civilians passed the hill called Yanling, and the nearly 5,000 Wei soldiers led by Zhao Hongrun, Wang Shu, and Ma Zhang followed closely, rushing into the valley.

"..."

As they passed the hill, Ma Zhang's eyes scanned the woods on both sides of the road, though they appeared normal, he felt that something was hidden there, something that made his blood boil.

The Xunshui Camp! It must be the Xunshui Camp!

Ma Zhang couldn't help but tremble with excitement.

He was right. Nearly 25,000 Wei soldiers from the Xunshui Camp were ambushed in the Yanling valley.

"General, the Chu army is catching up..."

"Hmm."

In the woods at the bottom of the Yanling valley, General Baili Ba of the Xunshui Camp watched the exhausted Wei soldiers and the equally exhausted pursuing Chu army run into the ambush area with a half-smile.

Impressive, Prince Su... I didn't expect you to lure the Chu army here...

"Prepare for the assault!" He lowered his voice and gave the order, then took a few swigs of strong liquor from his wineskin.

At the same time, the Xunshui Camp soldiers, upon receiving the order, also took out their wineskins and drank deeply.

Note: In winter battles, armies usually issue a wineskin full of strong liquor to each soldier before the attack, to warm them up and restore their stiff limbs, and to act as a stimulant.

"Fire the arrows!"

With the order, a wave of arrows shot out from the woods on both sides of the road, catching the pursuing Chu army by surprise and causing many to be hit.

What? Ambush?!

Seeing his soldiers being hit by arrows, General Shen Kang of Chu was shocked.

At that moment, General Baili Ba of the Xunshui Camp led the charge, shouting, "Xunshui Camp... full assault!"

"Ooh ooh—!!"

Nearly 25,000 Wei soldiers from the Xunshui Camp surged out from the woods and the open fields behind them, charging at the stunned Chu soldiers with high morale.

On one side were the high-spirited, well-rested Wei soldiers of the Xunshui Camp, and on the other side were the exhausted Chu soldiers who had been running from the Yan River. Despite the similar numbers, the latter had no fighting strength left.

"War chariots, lead the way!"

With Baili Ba's command, 200 war chariots, modified by Zhao Hongrun, emerged from behind the woods, forming the first line. The Xunshui Camp infantry gathered on both sides and behind the chariots, advancing to crush the Chu soldiers.

Yes, crush them.

The modified war chariots, though much slower, had significantly enhanced defense, and each chariot had a second carriage with eight crossbowmen.

Yes, crossbowmen, not archers.

At close range, especially with the height advantage, crossbowmen were even more terrifying than archers.

"Thud thud thud—"

As the crossbowmen on the chariots fired, the Chu soldiers fell like cut wheat.

Some Chu soldiers tried to counterattack, but seeing the dense blades at the front of the chariots, they dared not charge.

In fact, even if they did charge, their weapons couldn't penetrate the thick iron shields at the front of the chariots.

"War chariots... advance!"

The terrifying Wei war chariots moved forward slowly, slower than a person running at full speed, but their killing power far exceeded that of the traditional Wei war chariots.

The Chu soldiers who couldn't outrun the chariots due to exhaustion were impaled by the blades at the front, while those at a medium distance, who could keep pace with the chariots, were shot by the crossbowmen in the upper carriages.

Wave after wave, the new war chariots acted like reapers, effortlessly cutting down the Chu soldiers.

The Chu soldiers screamed in agony and fear, fleeing in all directions.

Sigh... What is this thing?

General Shen Kang's eyes widened in horror. Although he had heard that the famous Wei war chariots were deadly to infantry, the chariots before him were not what he knew.

They were like mobile iron fortresses!