Chapter 55

Chapter 689: Dang Yeqi vs. Red Saber Army (3)

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Although King Chongwang's speculation was indeed the most likely.

After sending scouts to assess the scale of the forces, both Lü Bu and King Chongwang knew the strength of their opponents.

No one in their right mind would engage in a direct battle against an enemy five times their size. However, Lü Bu certainly wouldn't wish for Huang Bosong's troops to receive proper supplies while he was on a campaign to take Dongdu.

King Chongwang speculated that Lü Bu was engaging in guerrilla warfare to delay the supplies, even if he couldn't cut off the supply lines.

'Thinking about their range, even if it's a rear attack, the gap is only about one li. If we focus on pursuit, we should see results.'

King Chongwang urged his horse forward.

"All troops, pursue at full speed!"

"Ooh!"

"Ooh!"

The morale of the Red Saber Army was sky-high. With such a small number of enemy troops fleeing, how could they not be excited to chase them?

"Yah! Yah!"

Though they spurred their horses and rode enthusiastically, the Red Saber Army couldn't catch up to Lü Bu.

After all, how could the Red Saber Army's horses catch up to Red Hare? They were merely maintaining a precarious gap with Lü Bu's remnants.

Lü Bu urged Red Hare forward, quickly advancing to the front. He then shouted to Wei Yue, who was riding alongside him.

"Wei Yue! I will lure the enemy. You continue eastward as planned!"

"Commander, don't overexert yourself. I will return soon!"

As soon as Lü Bu heard Wei Yue's response, he slowed down to join the remnants.

Suddenly, the forces of Lü Bu and Wei Yue, which had been heading in the same direction, split apart. Lü Bu's archers turned south and galloped into the gorge, while Wei Yue's main force continued eastward.

The smoke cleared, and Juying saw Lü Bu's archers enter the gorge.

"Commander, the enemy general has entered the gorge with his remnants."

Juying's sword tip twitched as he heard this. He halted his troops at a spot where he could see the entrance of the gorge.

"Zhang Shi!"

King Chongwang suddenly called out to his subordinate, Zhang Shi, who immediately rode up to him.

"Yes, Commander!"

"The enemy has entered the gorge. I'm worried about an ambush."

"Commander, there's no need to worry. The only forces that entered the gorge are theirs. Our scouts have already confirmed the area for dozens of li in all directions. Trust me."

Zhang Shi's task was to oversee the scouts. He had already sent scouts to verify the area around the gorge at dawn, so he could confidently answer.

Duziliang burst into laughter at Zhang Shi's words.

"Hahaha! Since Lü Bu has walked into a trap, his fate is now in our hands, the Red Saber Army."

As soon as Duziliang finished speaking, Zhang Shi took out a piece of goatskin from his robe and presented it to King Chongwang.

"What is this?"

"A map of the gorge. Our lord had us draw maps of dangerous areas in case of emergencies. This gorge was one of the places he had in mind."

The 'lord' Zhang Shi referred to was the military advisor of the Guanxi Army, Si Yuan. Si Yuan understood the importance of supplies well.

If the supply lines were disrupted during a long expedition, Huang Bosong would not be able to achieve his ambitions. Therefore, he had set up granaries in various places as a precaution.

However, with the granaries in Yangshan and Zhongtian now in Lü Bu's hands, the only lifeline left for the Guanxi Army was the supply line starting from Chang'an.

To protect this supply line, Si Yuan had dispatched scouts to thoroughly investigate all military strongholds that could threaten it.

And one of the results of these investigations was the map now in King Chongwang's hands.

"Hmm...! Indeed, Lü Bu has walked into a trap."

* * *

The gorge had only one exit. Since they could only leave through the entrance, Lü Bu was effectively in a trap, as King Chongwang had said.

Blocked by the high cliffs of the gorge, Shang Kai could no longer see the battle situation and urgently pleaded with Guo Jia.

"Advisor, please give the order now. I will lead the troops to rescue the commander immediately!"

But Guo Jia shook his head.

"That won't do."

"Why not? Surely you're not going to let the commander die like this?"

"General Wei is our lord to both the commander and me. How could I, as a subordinate, let my lord die?"

"But why won't you allow it?"

Shang Kai pleaded again, but Guo Jia remained firm.

"General Shang, listen carefully. Even if you go out now with just a hundred cavalry, can you withstand the Red Saber Army?"

Guo Jia's words made Shang Kai bite his lower lip. He had been eager to rescue Lü Bu, but failure was inevitable.

"General Shang, how could General Wei be harmed in such a place?"

"Without an ambush, how can such a small force withstand the Red Saber Army's main force? Even if Red Hare can run like the wind..."

Shang Kai couldn't bring himself to say that Lü Bu would be riddled with arrows, so he trailed off.

"General Shang, that place will be the Red Saber Army's grave, not General Wei's."

"What strategy have you devised to be so confident? Could you give me a hint...?"

Shang Kai wanted to know Guo Jia's plan, but Guo Jia changed the subject.

"Now, it's time for us to move out, General Shang. Prepare yourself."

"Where to...?"

"Where else? We need to drive the supply convoy to Hongmen."

"But we don't know what has happened to the commander. Is it really safe to do that?"

"Worrying about General Wei is like worrying about the sky falling. It's better to focus on the present."

* * *

Lü Bu had no choice but to halt his troops at the end of the gorge.

The Red Saber Army, instead of attacking Lü Bu and his remnants with arrows, followed and stopped about two hundred paces away.

"Hahaha! Lü Bu, you fool! If you surrender now, I'll preserve your body intact!"

As Juying rode forward and shouted, Lü Bu turned his horse to face the enemy. His remnants followed suit.

"Fools! Drop your weapons and surrender now. I, Lü Fengxian, don't want to take unnecessary lives!"

"Madman! With just a hundred cavalry, how dare you make such a big noise? You're a rat in a trap. With cliffs behind you and the Red Saber Army in front, how do you plan to escape alive?"

Without wings, this situation was clearly a life-or-death crisis for Lü Bu.

"You're the ones who have walked into a place with no way out."

As soon as Lü Bu finished speaking, Wei Yue's forces attacked the rear of the Red Saber Army.

"Fire! Turn them into sieves!"

The sudden barrage of arrows caused chaos among the Red Saber Army's rear guard.

"Return fire! Everyone, remain calm and return fire!"

The Red Saber Army's rear guard immediately responded. However, Wei Yue's forces were out of their range.

"Fools! When your mind is dull, your limbs suffer. This is the power of the Jingnu! Hahaha!"

The secret weapon of the Baipaji, the Jingnu, which had left Dang Yeqi speechless in Hedong, was now Lü Bu's trump card.

Thus, it was natural for the Red Saber Army, with archery skills similar to Dang Yeqi's, to suffer greatly.

Wei Yue's forces, working in pairs, alternated between firing and reloading, pushing the Red Saber Army back. As the rear guard was pushed forward, even King Chongwang, who was at the front, couldn't hide his confusion.

"What's happening? What's going on?"

One of his subordinates rode up and reported.

"The rear guard has been ambushed! They are being shot by bows with a longer range than ours, causing heavy casualties!"

"What? Our Red Saber Army is being suppressed by archery? This is unbelievable..."

King Chongwang had never doubted the Red Saber Army's archery skills. He believed that no one except the Jiangnu could surpass the Red Saber Army's range. But now, his confidence was shattered.

However, he couldn't just stand there in shock. He quickly regained his composure and decided to fulfill his duties as the commander of the Red Saber Army.

"Juying, Duziliang! Reorganize the rear guard and counterattack! Even if their bows are better, Lü Bu's forces are not numerous. At most, they are just a thousand."

"Yes, Commander!"

"Understood!"

As they hurriedly retreated, Zhang Shi requested from King Chongwang.

"Commander, quickly take Lü Bu's head. Once you have his head, the situation with the rear guard will resolve itself."

"You're right! Listen up! Bring me Lü Bu's head!"

* * *

"Wei Yue has started! Brothers, the perfect opportunity to take the enemy general's head has arrived! Let's go!"

Red Hare, carrying Lü Bu, lifted its hooves high and neighed.

Neigh!

It was just a horse's neigh, but it ignited the fighting spirit of Dang Yeqi's archers, just as Lü Bu's words had. The neigh of Red Hare excited the horses.

With each stomp of Red Hare's hooves, the distance to the enemy closed rapidly.

As a result, the Red Saber Army's archery focused on Lü Bu. A rain of arrows fell on him as he charged forward.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Lü Bu swung his Fangtian Huaji like a windmill, deflecting all the arrows.

'Truly, his martial arts are like those of a ghost!'

King Chongwang had never seen anyone with Lü Bu's martial prowess. Although Guanxi had many valiant generals, compared to Lü Bu, they were like candles in the moonlight.

However, he couldn't just admire Lü Bu's skills.

He drew his bow and pulled the string. Indeed, he had the archery skills worthy of the commander of the Red Saber Army. His arrow pierced through the invisible wall created by the Fangtian Huaji and lodged in Lü Bu's shoulder.

But Lü Bu didn't flinch. Being hit by an arrow was as common to him as eating a meal.

'Once you chased me into the gorge, you lost the advantage of your archers!'

Lü Bu suppressed a smile, curling one corner of his mouth. In such a narrow place, he couldn't turn his horse to escape and maintain the distance. Moreover, Wei Yue's forces were blocking the rear.

This was the perfect terrain for Lü Bu's favorite tactic.

"Break through a single point! Yaaaaah!"

* * *

Guo Jia also moved out with Shang Kai's forces to ambush the Guanxi Army's supply convoy.

The supply convoy had soldiers, but most were infantry, and there weren't many cavalry. However, Shang Kai's forces were only a hundred, so neither side had a clear numerical advantage.

"General Shang! Avoid direct confrontation and engage in guerrilla tactics."

"I understand, Advisor!"

Shang Kai raised his sword high and charged forward, shouting.

"Fifteen cavalry to disrupt! Spread out!"

With just a hundred cavalry, dividing them into fifteen each left ten cavalry as a reserve. The six groups of fifteen cavalry circled around the Guanxi Army's supply convoy, looking for gaps to exploit. Meanwhile, Guo Jia led the remaining ten cavalry to clash with the enemy cavalry.

Swish! Squeak! Crunch!

Guo Jia's sword continuously slashed, felling enemy soldiers. Although his martial skills were not outstanding in Lü Bu's army, to the mere supply convoy soldiers, he was a disaster.

'My blood is boiling!'

Guo Jia was fully experiencing the feeling of his blood boiling. The smell of blood from the fallen enemies filled the air, but to Guo Jia, it was like the aroma of wine, enhancing his excitement.

Guo Jia trembled with the thrilling sensation of cutting down enemy soldiers and thought,

'When Master Jia returns, I should ask him to make me a general instead of a strategist.'