Liu Jia certainly wanted to stop Xiang Yu here, but he couldn't!
The 10,000 Jiujiang soldiers in the distance formed a circular formation and shouted for their immediate reinforcements to help General Liu Jia annihilate the Chu army, but they moved slowly toward the battlefield without firing a single arrow.
Xiang Yu used mounted archery to break through Liu Jia's army's formation. Wave after wave of attacks caused heavy casualties to Liu Jia's army, forcing them to retreat continuously. After discovering Liu Jia, Xiang Yu charged straight towards Liu Jia's location without hesitation.
Liu Jia was already struggling to hold on, and when he saw Xiang Yu charging at him recklessly, he was so scared that he almost flew out of his skin. He immediately turned his horse around and galloped back towards his own camp. All that talk about being surrounded on all sides and blocking Xiang Yu was just bullshit!
Once Liu Jia fled, the remaining 10,000 men of his army completely collapsed. The Chu army pursued them relentlessly, and they found some of the same feeling they had when they had defeated Liu Ji's 560,000-strong army with only 30,000 men at Pengcheng.
Seeing this, the 10,000 Jiujiang soldiers turned tail and headed straight for the Jiujiang army camp. As for Liu Jia's life or death, who cared? They didn't know him at all!
"My life is over!" Liu Jia lashed out at his horse, but Xiang Yu was closing in.
Fortunately, our own camp isn't too far away, so we just need to hold on a little longer.
Just then, a sharp arrow whistled through the air and pierced Liu Jia's chest with a soft thud, his armor as if it were made of paper.
Liu Jia clutched his chest, unable to utter a single scream, before falling from his horse and dying instantly.
Xiang Yu sheathed his bow, glanced towards Liu Ji's camp, then looked at the enemy cavalry approaching from the southeast, and finally turned his horse around.
"All troops, assemble and follow me back in battle!"
Chapter 36 Sharp Radiance
Hao Jiu knew what Xiang Yu was thinking. He really intended to lead these three thousand elite cavalry to launch a night raid on Liu Ji's camp. Even if they faced an enemy dozens of times larger, they still had a chance to kill Liu Ji and escape unscathed.
However, the arrival of enemy cavalry made the chances of success increasingly slim.
Xiang Yu knew that attacking Liu Ji at this point would be too risky, and judging from the enemy's momentum, it was unlikely that Guan Ying's entire army had come to Liu Jia's aid.
This means that Wuming Village is also in danger. Xiang Yu is not sure if Xiang Guan and Xiang Han can withstand the enemy's attack. If he leads his troops to launch a night raid on Liu Ji's camp, he will not be able to come to the rescue of Wuming Village when it is in danger.
Therefore, Xiang Yu abandoned his plan to launch a night attack on Liu Ji's camp and prepared to march back to Wuming Village in formation.
Because the Chu army used kite tactics, they suffered almost no losses in the battle. After the three thousand cavalrymen formed their battle formation, they charged at the enemy without hesitation.
Zhang Meng had seen Xiang Yu array his troops and wanted to order his army to halt and resume fighting, but the Chu army had already charged forward.
Although Liu Jia and his army have disappeared and have mostly fled back to their camp, my forces are three times the size of Xiang Yu's, so how can I just retreat?
Zhang Meng raised his spear forward and shouted, "All troops, charge! The King of Han has decreed that whoever slays Xiang Yu will be ennobled as a marquis of ten thousand households! Charge!"
"Charge!"
"Kill them!"
...
Xiang Yu raised his bow, "All archers, prepare your bows and arrows, launch them with full force, fire!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
"Scatter!"
Puff puff puff...
Ahhh...
Three thousand arrows rained down upon them. Zhang Meng ordered his army to scatter and take cover, but many were still hit by arrows and fell from their horses. However, this was within Zhang Meng's expectations, as it was no secret that the Chu army was skilled in archery and horsemanship.
By increasing the distance between them and spreading them out, the casualties from arrows can be greatly reduced. Once the two armies are engaged in a melee, the Chu army's arrows will be useless.
When the second wave of arrows from the Chu army arrived, Zhang Meng's army suffered even more arrow wounds this time. This was because the two armies were now very close, and the Chu army was using horizontal shots instead of volleys, making their shots more accurate.
However, that's all.
Without Xiang Yu giving any orders, the Chu army put away their bows and arrows and picked up their spears, ready for close combat.
Xiang Yu shot and killed the enemy's flag bearer who was leading the charge with an arrow, and then he also put on a long halberd.
The arrowhead formation used by the Chu army was not an ordinary arrowhead formation.
Although both are arranged in an arrow shape, in a regular arrowhead formation the general is positioned in the middle and rear of the formation, while in the Chu army's arrowhead formation, the commander Xiang Yu is positioned at the very tip of the arrowhead, at the most dazzling point!
"Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here! Enemy generals, prepare to die!" Xiang Yu roared and charged into the enemy ranks. With his halberd, he struck left and right, and in an instant, more than ten men fell from their horses. Those who did not die at that time were trampled to death by the warhorses behind them.
However, the enemy cavalry was already swarming towards Xiang Yu's location, which was both a lure of the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households and the key to victory in this battle.
In fact, even if Xiang Yu himself did not reveal his location, the enemy could easily identify which one was Xiang Yu. Anyone who dares to lead the charge must be prepared to be targeted.
Zhang Meng was known for his bravery in Guan Ying's army, but he was only in the central command. He dared not charge to the front, because if he made any mistake, the whole army would surely collapse, and no matter how many troops he had, it would be useless.
In the first clash between the two armies, the Han army was almost always defeated. This was due to the difference between having a formation and not having one, as well as the result of Xiang Yu's strategy of using a point to lead the line, and the disastrous consequence of Zhang Meng's army scattering, which directly gave the Chu army the opportunity to break through their lines.
The Han army lacked a war god like Xiang Yu, so even if they wanted to learn Xiang Yu's fighting style, they simply couldn't.
Similarly, the combat effectiveness of the Chu cavalry was very different with or without Xiang Yu; only with sharp enough arrows could they be invincible.
"Kill!" Xiang Yu seemed to have inexhaustible strength, wielding his halberd and reaping lives relentlessly.
At first, Hao Jiu would warn Xiang Yu that someone might be attacking from behind, but as the fight progressed, Hao Jiu discovered that Xiang Yu seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. He was truly able to see in all directions and hear in all directions. Even if a cold arrow came, Xiang Yu could predict it in advance and either dodge or block it, or even grab an enemy to use as a human shield.
This instinct and sense of smell, formed through countless battles, reminded Hao Jiu of the Observation Haki masters in the anime One Piece—they were truly formidable.
Hao Jiu can now be absolutely certain that when Xiang Yu fought Han Xin outside the Gaixia fortress, he did not use his full strength, but rather to lure the enemy into a trap.
It is said that the ambush set up by Xiang Yu in the Gaixia fortress was clearly a transformation of the fortress into a huge barbican, making it easy to enter but difficult to leave.
Although Zhang Meng had long heard of Xiang Yu's prowess, witnessing it firsthand was a different story. His initial desire to challenge Xiang Yu vanished. "Quickly surround and kill Xiang Yu! Throw spears at me! Don't worry about accidentally hurting your own men!"
The spear has great destructive power, but its disadvantages are also obvious. Once the spear is thrown, the user is unarmed and can only retreat or be slaughtered.
As for bows and arrows, not only is it difficult to shoot accurately while on horseback, but it's also a challenge to avoid falling off the horse before completing the shooting motion.
Xiang Yu used his halberd to deflect the flying spears and continued to advance. Then he spotted Zhang Meng, who was giving orders to the entire army at the front.
Just then, a spear whistled through the air and hurtled straight at Xiang Yu's face, its aim incredibly precise.
Ugh!
As Xiang Yu dodged the spear, he grabbed it, swung it at Zhang Meng's location, and then...
Ugh!
"What's the world record for the javelin throw?" Hao Jiu muttered, shading his eyes with his hand.
puff!
"Ah!" Zhang Meng was struck by a spear and, due to the enormous inertial impact, flew off his horse and crashed to the ground with a thud.
"General!" The surrounding soldiers exclaimed in surprise, stunned on the spot. How could this be!
Zhang Meng coughed up blood and struggled to lift his head, staring blankly at the spear piercing his chest. With a final kick of his legs, he died.
"Has the Overlord trained in this?" Hao Jiu thought to himself, "This isn't a spear, it's an infrared-guided flying egg!"
"I've killed a few before, it was just good luck." Xiang Yu was somewhat surprised.
After a brief silence.
"General Zhang Meng has been killed by Xiang Yu!"
"Xiang Yu is too fierce, we cannot defeat him by force! Everyone, run!"
...
Already somewhat stunned by the Chu army's attack, upon hearing the news of Zhang Meng's death, these soldiers were no longer willing to fight desperately. The title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households was prestigious, but one had to be alive to enjoy it.
As the enemy fled, the Chu army, in pursuit, once again drew their bows and arrows, shooting down the Han cavalrymen fleeing towards the nameless village one by one, just like target practice.
Some of the clear-headed Han cavalrymen quickly changed direction. No matter which way they ran, they just wanted to avoid running in the same direction as the Chu army. The camps of Liu Jia's army and Jiujiang's army were good places to go.
Even if one insists on going to the nameless village to find Guan Ying, one must first flee south from the range of the Chu army's fire.
But the Chu army clearly had no intention of letting the fleeing enemy go; they pursued them relentlessly, determined to kill them all.
As a result, the Han cavalry who fled west and north all survived, while those who fled east and south almost all perished under the arrows of the Chu army.
Hao Jiu breathed a slight sigh of relief. After dealing with Zhang Meng's 10,000 cavalry and then Guan Ying's 10,000, Liu Ji would probably have no more cavalry to pursue them.
But will things really go so smoothly?
Chapter 37 Scared Away
Xiang Yu ordered his soldiers to quickly clean up the battlefield and then count the number of soldiers. In this battle, 100 of the 3,000 Chu cavalrymen were killed and more than 200 were wounded, but the enemy had lost at least 6,000 men.
Warhorses are important strategic resources. Along with bows and arrows and rations, take as much as you can. If Xiang Yu doesn't take them, the rest will eventually fall back into the enemy's hands.
In addition, Xiang Yu also ordered the bodies of the fallen Chu soldiers to be brought back to Jiangdong, saying that he would do his best to take them back.
When Xiang Yu's army marched toward the nameless village, most of the Chu soldiers rode one horse, led two others, and carried military supplies and wounded soldiers on their horses.
Although the marching speed was a bit slow, the distance was not too far, and Xiang Yu did not see the agreed distress signal from the nameless village, so he was naturally in no hurry.
At this point, Guan Ying had abandoned the attack on the nameless village, but instead focused on the siege.
They couldn't break in, and the Chu army couldn't break out either, except for one opening that Guan Ying had deliberately left.
In addition, Guan Ying has already sent people to search for the missing Eastern Route Army. If those 30,000 Jiujiang troops can arrive, the several thousand Chu cavalrymen in Wuming Village will be completely wiped out.
However, Guan Ying did not receive the Eastern Route Jiujiang Army, but instead received Zhang Meng's defeated army. Of the ten thousand cavalry, only a few dozen managed to escape to Wuming Village.
"Alas!" Guan Ying slapped his thigh after hearing the report from Lieutenant Colonel Zhang Mengjun, filled with regret. One cannot have both fish and bear's paw, but he had been too greedy. If he had abandoned Wuming Village and sent 20,000 cavalry to surround and kill Xiang Yu, how could he have suffered such a crushing defeat? Even his most valued general, Zhang Mengjun, had been killed in battle.
But who could have imagined that Liu Jia would be so incompetent? Or perhaps Xiang Yu was stronger than before?
"General Guan Ying, Xiang Yu's cavalry will likely arrive here soon. I hope you will make a decision as soon as possible."
"Approximately how many soldiers does Xiang Yu have left?" Guan Ying asked, his voice trembling with pain.
"Uh, probably around three thousand cavalry."
"Hmm? How come there are still so many left? How many troops did Xiang Yu bring to the battle?" Guan Ying thought to himself that something was wrong; there should be about three thousand Chu soldiers in this nameless village.
"Approximately three thousand men; Xiang Yu did not lose many soldiers in this battle."
"Hiss..." Guan Ying gasped. Three thousand against ten thousand with almost no loss?
This is outrageous!