Chapter 58

Chapter 692: The Result of a Cunning Plan (3)

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The current battle situation was overwhelmingly unfavorable to the Red Hairs. This was an undeniable fact. The Red Hairs were trapped in a narrow valley, unable to move.

However, if they could capture Lü Bu, they could secure victory with minimal losses. Therefore, King Chae Jong had no choice but to bet on a high-probability strategy.

This was how battles were fought in those times.

Victory or defeat was determined by who could take the head of the opposing commander first, unless one side was completely annihilated or forced to retreat.

Even though the Red Hairs were in an unfavorable position, if they could take Lü Bu's head, the battle would be a victory for the Red Hairs.

"Lü Bu's head is all we need to win!"

The Red Hairs' generals encouraged their soldiers to attack Lü Bu with all their might.

"Ha! Ha!"

Lü Bu panted heavily, swinging his Green Dragon Crescent Blade without pause.

In a normal fight, he could have fought for days on end.

But against the Red Hairs, it felt as if his strength was being drained, and he quickly grew exhausted.

This was to be expected. The Red Hairs were the strongest archers, boasted by Huang Boshun, and also light cavalry.

In a way, they could be compared to the Red Armored Soldiers of the Grand General. They were primarily archers, equipped with short, portable weapons like swords and short spears, and could act as light cavalry when needed.

Lü Bu was already injured from the Red Hairs' archers before the close combat began. Moreover, he was now unable to move his Red Hare or wield his Halberd due to the iron net of the long spears.

Fighting with just a sword, he had to endure the Red Hairs' fierce attacks, so how could he not be exhausted?

Although the bodies of Red Hairs, who had been pierced by the Green Dragon Crescent Blade and bled to death, were scattered everywhere, their numbers were insignificant compared to those still standing.

'One or two aren't much of a problem.'

Lü Bu felt frustration rising.

If he only had to face soldiers charging with swords, he could have been even more agile. However, the archery of King Chae Jong, Juying, and Dazhiliang was tormenting him.

Swish!

The blade of the Green Dragon Crescent Blade pierced an enemy soldier. The blood-soaked blade protruded from the soldier's back.

The soldier, whose chest had been pierced, spat out a bowl of blood and his eyes turned red.

He stubbornly grabbed Lü Bu's hand, which held the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, and clung to him. Determined to die together, he refused to let go.

Seizing the moment when the Green Dragon Crescent Blade stopped moving, three arrows flew towards Lü Bu.

Lü Bu hastily used the enemy's body to block the arrows. However, Juying's arrow was a problem. It pierced through the enemy's head and lodged into Lü Bu's chest.

The force of the arrow was so great that it felt as if someone was pulling Lü Bu from behind.

Thanks to his sturdy armor, Lü Bu had survived many near-death situations. This time, the armor protected him again.

The arrow pierced the armor but did not penetrate deeply.

Although his chest was numb, Lü Bu calmly broke the arrow shaft as if nothing had happened. Despite the pain of the wound, he burst into a hearty laugh.

"Ha ha ha! You won't get my head with such cheap tricks! Come on, if you dare, try to pierce my heart, Lü Fengxian!"

* * *

Lü Bu charged forward with even more ferocity, cutting down enemy soldiers one after another.

Since the Red Hairs were mostly on horseback, Lü Bu targeted their legs and the horses they rode.

However, he accidentally dropped the Green Dragon Crescent Blade. It slipped from his blood-soaked hands.

Lü Bu followed the blade with his eyes. He saw a Red Hair soldier struggling to pull the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, which was deeply embedded in the horse's side.

At that moment, Lü Bu felt as if time had stopped. Perhaps it was because many thoughts flooded his mind in that brief moment.

'Is this how I will die again?'

Lü Bu was suddenly gripped by fear.

He remembered the final day when he was helplessly subdued after losing his Red Hare and Halberd.

However, the loss of Red Hare and Halberd did not change who Lü Bu was.

'Even if I die here, it won't be as pitiful as that day. Heaven wouldn't have sent me back to suffer the same fate. Even if I am destined to die here, I, Lü Fengxian, will fight without regret.'

Lü Bu found hope even in this dire situation.

And as if in response, fate shone a warm light of salvation upon him.

The Red Hairs' archers, who were cornered, attempted a counterattack, bolstered by the sudden assault of the Xiahua soldiers and Lü Bu's fierce resistance.

After all, they were part of the Tangyegi, the strongest unit of Lü Bu's army.

They were not the kind to hide and launch a meek counterattack.

"Formation, we're going in!"

As the Tangyegi archers began their counterattack, Guo Jia managed to reach the top of the gorge where the Xiahua soldiers were.

Before he could speak to Hong O and Da Shu, he was faced with a difficult situation.

"General, we're running out of arrows!"

Hong O informed Guo Jia that they were running low on arrows. However, Guo Jia did not blame him.

Initially, the success of this strategy depended on the rapid movement of the Xiahua soldiers.

There was only a short window of time between the enemy scouts leaving and the area becoming a battlefield again. Since the Xiahua soldiers were infantry, not cavalry, they had to run as fast as possible to arrive on time.

They had to travel light, so they couldn't carry many arrows. Receiving supplies was out of the question. It was impressive that they had arrows to shoot at all.

"General, we're out of rocks to roll and throw. What should we do?"

The situation was getting worse.

However, Guo Jia could not blame anyone. It seemed they had done all they could to break off pieces of rock to use as projectiles.

The top of the gorge was so cluttered with broken rocks that it was hard to stand.

Running out of rocks and arrows was no one's fault. Everyone had done their best given the circumstances. However, doing one's best did not guarantee victory.

Guo Jia had the responsibility to turn the tide.

It seemed he had no brilliant plan. No matter how brilliant his strategy, he couldn't create arrows and rocks out of thin air.

Still, Guo Jia was a general. He carefully observed the battle situation, trying to come up with a plan.

After a short while, his stern expression softened like melting snow, and a smile formed on one side of his mouth.

'Now, the best strategy is no strategy. The archers are trapped in the gorge, unable to move, and there are thousands of Xiahua soldiers. Why worry? Attack, attack!'

The Xiahua soldiers' rock-throwing strategy had turned the gorge into a chaotic battlefield. More rocks and arrows would have been helpful, but they couldn't create what they didn't have. Instead, he decided to push the Xiahua soldiers into the gorge.

"Attack!"

He drew his sword from his back and shouted.

Without waiting for Guo Jia to stop him, Hong O and Da Shu were stunned and just looked at each other.

Then Shang Kai passed between them, leaping down to follow Guo Jia.

"Attack, attack!"

"Uh? Attack! Da Shu, attack, damn it!"

"Right, attack! Follow me!"

The Xiahua soldiers poured down the gorge like a raging tide, sweeping away the Red Hairs.

Although the Red Hairs were elite archers with no equals in Guanzhong, they were no match for the Xiahua soldiers in a chaotic battle. Moreover, Lü Bu's generals, Hong O, Da Shu, and Shang Kai, along with the strategist Guo Jia, fought fiercely.

All that could be heard were the screams of the Red Hairs, and all that could be seen were the bodies of Red Hairs soldiers, bleeding and falling.

* * *

Amidst the intense chaos, Lü Bu relied on a short saber to charge towards the enemy commander, Chae Jong Wang.

An enemy soldier blocked his path, but Lü Bu leaped forward, knee