On a plains campaign, infantrymen run for their lives, while cavalrymen, concerned for their horses, may have to stop and go, potentially failing to catch up. However, if they are willing to risk everything, catching up is inevitable, and their horses may not necessarily die from exhaustion.
Tragically, the Xin Dynasty's cavalry army seemed to be going all out, relentlessly closing in from the moment they spotted them, clearly treating them as prey.
Liu Xiu didn't know how long Song Tiao could hold out, so after dividing his troops, he led them on a desperate run and finally made it safely to Ziyun Mountain.
"If the pursuers can keep chasing them all the way to Dingling, we'll be completely safe," Liu Xiu said to the scout beside him.
"The new army is greedy for wealth and may also be chasing after our supplies and provisions to Yancheng."
"That would be perfect... Is your arrow wound alright?"
"Thank you for your concern, General. It's just a minor scrape, nothing serious."
Liu Xiu stood up. "Very good. Send the order down: the army shall continue its advance. After descending the mountain, we will reach Kunyang in another twenty li."
The army continued its march, and after many hardships, finally crossed the main peak of Ziyun Mountain, where they could already see the scenery at the foot of the mountain to the south.
However, it was getting dark.
"Report! The advance has been scouted, and no trace of the enemy has been found!" The scout who went to explore returned.
“Good. Everyone, let’s keep going and march through the night until we reach Kunyang before we rest,” Liu Xiu said, wiping his sweat.
"Yes, sir." The soldiers responded listlessly, they were too tired, but they didn't want to spend the night on Ziyun Mountain. What if there were wolves on the mountain? They wouldn't be able to sleep soundly.
However, just as they were about to reach the foot of the mountain, a wolf's howl shattered the tranquility of the night.
Awooo...
"Hiss..." Liu Ji shuddered for no reason. "Don't be afraid, everyone. A few hyenas wouldn't dare to mess with our army. Don't get separated from others, advance carefully, and we'll be out of the mountains soon."
"Yes." The panicked soldiers calmed down a bit and realized that Liu Xiu was right. With 1,500 or 1,600 soldiers moving together, a few wolves were nothing to be afraid of.
Suddenly, the wind picked up...
"roar!!!"
A tiger's roar startled the mountains and forests!
"There's a big tiger!"
How could there be a tiger on Ziyun Mountain?
"General, look! There's a pack of wolves over there! And black bears too!"
"Quick! Light more torches!"
Before Liu Xiu could finish speaking, a scream came from nearby.
"ah!"
"Run! Everyone! A tiger is eating people!"
"Don't run around! Everyone, follow me and break through!" Liu Xiu shouted, but his voice was no match for the tiger's roar!
roar!!!
...
It is true that the Gengshi Army had more than 1,500 men, but they did not move in a cohesive formation. Their ranks were long, and the number of men in each individual section was not as large as one might imagine.
The beasts' eyes emitted an eerie light that sent chills down the spines of the soldiers, and their screams shattered the last shred of defense in their hearts.
The army suffered a crushing defeat. Under the attack of wild beasts, the Gengshi army deviated from its original marching route and plunged into a dense forest that had never been explored before.
Although there are many wild beasts, they are far fewer than people. Although wild beasts are fast, as long as you run faster than others, you can survive!
However, just as the Gengshi army was about to rush out of the foot of the mountain...
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
A hail of arrows!
Ahhh...
Screams rose and fell, and countless people were struck by arrows!
Torches were lit one after another, and Xiang Yu roared, "The Fierce Beast Army of the New Dynasty is here! You are surrounded, why don't you surrender now, or what are you waiting for!"
Beast Army!
Many people heard about the Gengshi Army as a joke, but they never expected it to be real!
Is it really possible for someone in the world to control wild beasts?
If I had known this would happen, I should never have run up the mountain!
No one would rather face five thousand cavalry than risk their life against a wild beast!
Liu Xiu gritted his teeth, his gaze instantly turning exceptionally sharp. "Follow me to break through! This way!"
However, only a handful of people actually followed Liu Xiu in breaking through the siege; they weren't even enough to fill the teeth of the wild beasts!
"We are willing to surrender!" Large numbers of Gengshi soldiers threw down their weapons and ran to the New Army seeking refuge.
Meanwhile, Liu Xiu and several followers were desperately climbing upwards.
Ziyun Mountain is very large; no matter how many ferocious beasts there are, they could not possibly cover the entire mountain.
Whoosh! A cheetah that had been lying in ambush for a long time suddenly pounced and knocked down a person.
"Ah! Help!" the soldiers cried out.
Liu Xiu remained unmoved and immediately changed direction, rushing down the mountain at an increasingly faster and more agile pace, with only three people able to keep up.
Whoosh!
A hungry wolf pounced on Liu Xiu, its ferocity extraordinary!
Liu Xiu neither dodged nor avoided the attack, but instead drew his sword to meet it.
puff!
A flash of cold light appeared from the ring-pommel sword, and blood splattered!
The hungry wolf died instantly!
Clean and efficient, slaughtering wolves is as easy as killing chickens!
The scout following behind Liu Xiu's pupils contracted, thinking to himself: What superb swordsmanship!
Chapter 244 A Little Trick
How skilled was Liu Xiu in martial arts?
According to historical records, he was indeed of high rank and was a figure who could lead from the front, a fierce general who could take down more than a dozen enemies in a single battle.
But killing a person and killing a wolf are two completely different things, and these wolves are not fully domesticated, especially after nightfall when their wild nature is unleashed, and in this mountain forest, the difficulty is not low.
Most importantly, wolves are social animals, and one wolf means there are many more. Yet Liu Xiu managed to carve out a bloody path with his ring-pommel sword and martial arts skills!
Seeing the general's bravery, the Gengshi soldiers who followed Liu Xiu in his breakout gained confidence and followed closely behind him, adding insult to injury as they went.
Finally, they reached the foot of Ziyun Mountain, where Liu Xiu and his companions saw the long-awaited plains, a glimmer of hope for survival.
"Don't relax, hurry and run south, we're only twenty li away from Kunyang." Liu Xiu felt footsteps behind him, but when he turned around, he was shocked to find that only two soldiers remained, almost the entire army had been wiped out!
"Yes," the two replied in unison.
Liu Xiu recognized one of them as the wounded scout; this man was truly lucky to be alive.
Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from the east.
Liu Xiu's expression changed slightly. He hadn't expected that the Xin Dynasty army would try to wipe them out. Was he really going to have to escape back to Kunyang alone?
"You all go first, I'll cover the rear! We'll meet at the west gate of Kunyang!" Liu Xiu said through gritted teeth.
"General, go first! I'll cover the rear!" The soldier who spoke also had several minor injuries, it was unclear whether they were from wolf scratches or tree branches.
"We'll go together!" The injured scout also defied orders.
"No! Staying here is tantamount to suicide. How can I stand by and watch you die? If I stay behind to draw the enemy away, everyone can live! Are you trying to kill me by disobeying orders at this time?" Liu Xiu roared.
The sound of hooves grew closer. Although entering the plains would prevent them from being ambushed by wild beasts, they would also lose their cover and become easier for enemy cavalry to spot.
However, the darkness that had just caused them so much trouble is now doing them a great favor, making it much harder for the enemy to find them.
Perhaps this is the source of Liu Xiu's confidence in leaving someone to cover the rear.
Having said all that Liu Xiu had to say, the two had no reason to stay any longer and could only clasp their hands in a bow, saying, "Take care, General!"
"We'll meet at the west gate of Kunyang!" Liu Xiu said, clasping his hands in a fist salute.
Watching the two disappear into the night in two different directions, Liu Xiu gripped his ring-pommel sword and turned to look in the direction from which the pursuers had come.
Then he saw a huge shadow rushing towards him. It was definitely not a warhorse. Upon closer inspection, it was an elephant!
Ju Wuba's pupils contracted. General Wang was simply amazing. The enemy general had indeed fled this way!
However, since the main force was in the ambush area, there weren't many soldiers who came with him, and they had all been sent out to search. Only he and his elephant had actually tracked them down, so he would have to put in a lot of effort to capture and kill them.
Clearly, previous intelligence had underestimated Liu Xiu, who was able to break through the encirclement of the Beast Army.
Ju Wuba grew angrier the more he thought about it. Wang Xiang's two brilliant plans both had a good chance of capturing the enemy's commander alive, but Song Tiao escaped last time, and Liu Xiu almost escaped again this time, even breaking through the enemy's army head-on.
If Liu Xiu were to die alive, where would Ju Wuba put his face?
Only Liu Xiu's head could quell his anger!
"Liu Xiu, you little brat, dare you fight me!" Ju Wuba roared.
"What's there to be afraid of? It's you who dares to fight me to the death in Kunyang!" Liu Xiu glanced around, confirmed that only one person was coming, and decisively fled!
"What's wrong with you...? You cowardly little brat, where do you think you're going!" Ju Wuba gave his mount a signal, and the elephant suddenly accelerated, as if it wanted to trample Liu Xiu to death.
Liu Xiu sneered, "Only a fool would fight you. I will await your arrival in Kunyang City!"
Suddenly, two streaks of lightning shot out from the bushes ahead, heading straight for Liu Xiu's face. Liu Xiu dodged them with a lazy roll, and upon closer inspection, he realized it was a leopard with a fierce glint in its eyes!
Liu Xiu gripped his sword with both hands, staring intently at the leopard, then suddenly charged forward and slashed down with his sword!
At that moment, the Gengshi army scouts lying on the distant earthen slope suddenly widened their eyes. The leopard had actually dodged Liu Xiu's amazing slash!
"Dodged it? Goodness, that's incredible! Is that leopard some kind of spirit? Its stock price is about to skyrocket!" Hao Jiu was practically burning with excitement as he listened to Xiang Yu's account.