Therefore, it's most likely that Xiang Yu will come to me for help. How would Xiang Yu ask for help? And what kind of expression would he have?
Zhang Liang became increasingly curious and eager. How many people in the world could make a hegemon beg for help?
However, after thinking it over, Zhang Liang still felt that Xiang Yu's way of asking for help would probably involve threatening to perish together.
Then let's make way for Xiang Yu, if he has the courage to walk out of the formation of a thousand cavalry.
Just as Zhang Liang was lost in thought, Xiang Yu had already arrived very close to him, the distance between them being only about ten zhang.
"How have you been, Your Majesty?" Zhang Liang greeted him with a generous cupped-hand salute, but in his heart, he was thinking of first lowering his stance to give Xiang Yu some hope.
"Zhang Zifang, we meet again." Xiang Yu glanced at the Han army's formation, which was a dense square formation with one rider next to another, but at the front there was a row of chevaux-de-frise, and there were five rows of cavalry in front of Zhang Liang, but the soldiers who were obstructing Zhang Liang's view were all lying on their horses.
"What brings King Xiang here? Is there something you need from me?" Zhang Liang asked with an elegant smile.
Xiang Yu laughed heartily, "To be honest, Zifang, I do have a request. If you can agree, that would be wonderful."
"Oh? Tell me about it." Zhang Liang vaguely felt that something was wrong, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.
"I have always admired Zifang's talent, and I still have feelings for him. If you submit to me now, I will spare your life. Otherwise, I will kill you right here in Yinling and cut off Liu Ji's arm!" Xiang Yu glared at him.
Zhang Liang guessed that Xiang Yu would try to coerce him by threatening him, but he never expected that Xiang Yu would not ask him to spare his life, but to surrender. This was simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!
"Hahaha, King Xiang, are you still dreaming now? Why don't you surrender now? Out of consideration for our past relationship, I will plead for you with the King of Han and give you face. I will not humiliate you. What do you say?"
Xiang Yu slowly raised the corners of his mouth, "In that case, Yu, kneel down."
"Mmm," Yu Ji murmured softly, obediently lying down on the horse's back...
Chapter 60 The Battle of Yinling (Part Two)
Zhang Liang watched helplessly as Yu Ji lay down on the horse's back, and then...
"Stop him!"
"Zhang Liang, you old bastard, prepare to die!"
Xiang Yu uttered these words almost simultaneously with Zhang Liang, but even faster came the black horse and the halberd in Xiang Yu's hand!
Ugh!
Bang!
Before the Han cavalry could figure out what was going on, Xiang Yu had already arrived and swung his halberd, striking the antlers of the chevaux-de-frise!
Whoosh! The chevaux-de-frise, which took four strong men barely to lift, spun and flew through the air, tracing a terrifying arc as it hurtled towards Zhang Liang…
They started fighting without even saying a word, and it happened at such close range!
Zhang Liang was almost in tears. If it weren't for Yu Ji on Xiang Yu's horse, he might not have dared to let Xiang Yu get so close. But now it was too late for regrets.
The Han soldiers who witnessed this scene were all gaping in astonishment. Was this something that could be done by human power?
Whoosh! Pfft! Smash...
"ah!"
"Ouch..."
hoo~~~
Zhang Liang's mount and the surrounding cavalry were all hit squarely, resulting in a chaotic scene of men and horses falling over.
However, as the antlers of the barricade flew up, Zhang Liang had already dismounted and quickly scrambled away, narrowly escaping the deadly calamity that was about to fall from the sky.
"My life is over..." Zhang Liang didn't dare to look back at all, but just crawled forward with all his might, constantly weaving through the horse's legs.
Hao Jiu's lips twitched violently at the sight. "Zhang Liang is really a talent. Even his escape is so ingenious."
"Hmph! He hasn't escaped yet." Xiang Yu swung his halberd, parrying left and right, sweeping across all directions.
However, in front of Xiang Yu were not only enemies but also countless warhorses. The Han army's formation was so tight that these warhorses, having lost their masters, could only squeeze into a very small area and run around aimlessly. There really was only a way out under the horses.
But how could the mighty Hegemon-King of Western Chu possibly follow Zhang Liang through the horse tunnel? Even if he could catch up, it wouldn't work.
Moreover, Yu Ji was still on horseback, and Xiang Yu couldn't just abandon her.
At this moment, Yu Ji had her eyes closed and was holding her horse, Wuzhui, tightly with both hands. She was not injured at all, but there were constant screams around her, and liquids and fragments were constantly falling on her body. The smell of blood was also gradually becoming stronger, which was really uncomfortable.
Yu Ji felt nauseous, but she gritted her teeth and stubbornly endured it, because she had made preparations and determined before coming.
She couldn't hold Xiang Yu back under any circumstances, she couldn't distract him, and she couldn't hurt him. She wouldn't even think about suicide before Xiang Yu died.
Yu Ji even thought about practicing martial arts more in the future, so that she could accompany Xiang Yu in every battle. She didn't ask to help him kill enemies, but only to lighten Xiang Yu's burden.
Xiang Yu was truly powerful, so powerful that he could protect a weak woman and still move freely and escape unscathed amidst a vast army. There was probably no one in the world who could defeat Xiang Yu. Thinking of this, Yu Ji felt more and more at ease, even though the shouts and screams around her were still deafening.
"Whoever captures or kills Xiang Yu will be granted ten thousand households... Ah!" Before the Han army junior officer could finish speaking, he was crushed to death by a flying corpse.
"Kill... Ah!"
...
At this moment, Xiang Yu was like a tank, crushing everything in his path. No one in the Han army dared to approach him anymore. They all wanted to shoot Xiang Yu with arrows from a distance, but Xiang Yu was always chasing Zhang Liang. There was never a shortage of human shields and arrow protectors around him.
However, Zhang Liang was clearly lucky. He crawled on the ground for so long without being trampled by the warhorses. When he finally emerged from the last horse, he could hardly believe it himself.
"I survived! I'm still alive, hahaha!" Zhang Liang stood up, stepped over the soldiers, and climbed back onto a warhorse. "Don't be afraid! Xiang Yu is only one person! Whoever captures or kills Xiang Yu will be enfeoffed as a marquis with 30,000 households! Anyone who seriously wounds Xiang Yu will also be enfeoffed as a marquis! Anyone who kills Yu Ji and Xiang Yu's mount will also be enfeoffed as a marquis!"
Hao Jiu felt a chill run down his spine. Zhang Liang's plan was truly ruthless. Killing Yu Ji would disrupt Xiang Yu's mind, and killing Wuzhui would weaken Xiang Yu's fighting strength. Even if he couldn't kill either of them, Xiang Yu would be more distracted by Yu Ji and Wuzhui.
The Han cavalry, who were originally terrified of Xiang Yu, perked up immediately upon hearing the more favorable terms of the reward. If they couldn't kill Xiang Yu, surely they could at least injure him? If they couldn't injure Xiang Yu, surely they could kill a woman? If they couldn't kill the woman Xiang Yu was protecting, surely they could kill such a large horse?
"Kill!" The Han cavalry charged forward again.
"You're courting death!" Xiang Yu was furious. Zhang Liang was too ruthless, offering such high rewards to Yu Ji and the black horse.
But the effect was obvious. Even if Xiang Yu had killed a hundred men, he still had nine hundred left. With more men, more courage, and such a huge reward as an incentive, most of the Han cavalry chose to take the risk.
Only a small number of men stood guard around Zhang Liang, pretending to be loyal to their lord, but in reality they were terrified. They wouldn't accept the title of Marquis, let alone a king.
Of course, Zhang Liang would love for someone to protect him, even if it was only six or seven hundred cavalry to surround and kill Xiang Yu, it would be enough.
In Zhang Liang's view, killing Yu Ji was unlikely, as Xiang Yu would do everything in his power to protect her. However, the black horse was such a large target that killing it shouldn't be difficult. Even if he could only injure the horse, it would bleed to death over time.
If Xiang Yu lost his steed Wuzhui and had to protect Yu Ji, that would be the end for him; he wouldn't be able to escape.
"Xiang Yu, you're finished." Zhang Liang finally regained his confident and elegant smile.
Just then, rumble rumble...
The thunderous sound of horses' hooves came from the west, and five hundred Chu cavalry rushed to the rescue!
"Kill them!"
"Charge!"
"Release the arrows!"
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
The eyes of these five hundred Chu cavalrymen were bloodshot. Xiang Yu and Yu Ji were surrounded in the enemy ranks ahead, how could they not be anxious?
Many of the Han cavalry that were originally surrounding and killing Xiang Yu were shot dead in an instant, and half of the remaining cavalry had to fight against the Chu army, which greatly relieved the pressure on Xiang Yu.
Zhang Liang stared in astonishment at the Chu cavalry reinforcements arriving. How could this be!
Why are there still so many Chu cavalry? What on earth is Shen Tu Jia doing?!
But why would Xiang Yu, with so many troops, come here himself...?
Zhang Liang suddenly remembered something. He had felt something was off when he was talking to Xiang Yu, and now he finally understood why: Xiang Yu, Yu Ji, and even the black horse, had no blood on them!
If it had been a fierce battle, even if one wasn't injured, one should at least have the enemy's blood on one's skin...
But even if they understand now, it's too late. To use a thousand cavalry to fight Xiang Yu's five hundred elite Chu cavalry head-on is tantamount to suicide.
"Withdraw! Withdraw quickly! Send as many troops as you can!" Zhang Liang didn't believe that sending half of the troops to hold off the Chu cavalry would be enough to surround and kill Xiang Yu; in fact, the other half might not even be able to stop Xiang Yu.
But as long as he could escape successfully, and General Xi Juan of Shouchun arrived with his army, Xiang Yu would still be doomed. This was because the road Xiang Yu had taken to get there had been destroyed by his men, leaving only the south as the only way to enter and exit Yinling.
"Xiang Yu, I will avenge this grudge one day!" Zhang Liang estimated that Xi Juan's troops should be arriving soon, if Xi Juan really obeyed his orders and marched over there quickly.
"Zhang Liang, don't run!" Xiang Yu swept away several men with his halberd, but there were still so many enemy troops in front of them. Due to the terrain, the Han cavalry could not retreat so quickly even if they wanted to.
In all honesty, who wanted to block Xiang Yu? But the road is only so wide. If you want to get away, you need a place. Those who are close to the mountain can abandon their horses and go up the mountain, but what about those who are far away?
Moreover, there was no sign of Shen Tu Jia's troops who were supposed to be lying in ambush on the mountain. Was the mountain really safe?
Zhang Liang ran while cursing Shen Tu Jia, calling him a useless piece of trash, but it had no effect whatsoever.
But Shen Tu Jia was also very aggrieved. The Chu army suddenly turned back without any warning. How could their infantry catch up with cavalry when they were running?
Although the route through the mountains is shorter than going around the foot of the mountain, it is not easy to travel and is no match for the cavalry.
Of course, Shen Tu Jia was already on his way here. He thought that with Zhang Liang in charge, a thousand cavalrymen against Xiang Yu's five hundred cavalrymen could hold out for a while.
As it turned out, Zhang Liang did manage to hold on for a while, though it was shorter than Shen Tu Jia had anticipated.
Zhang Liang hadn't expected Shen Tu Jia to arrive so quickly, but relying on Shen Tu Jia to save his life was less effective than relying on Xi Juan. How much of a difference could a thousand or two infantrymen make?
Only Xi Juan's 10,000-strong army could rival Xiang Yu. Moreover, given Zhang Liang's understanding of Xi Juan, he knew Xi Juan would be rushing on his way, and even if he hadn't reached Yinling yet, he was probably not far away.
...
Ten miles south of Yinling, an exhausted army lay sprawled together resting. This was Xi Juan's force of over ten thousand men, who had marched hastily from Shouchun to Yinling.
Xi Juan couldn't help but be anxious. The battle situation was changing too fast. Xiang Yu had only taken five hundred cavalrymen to Yinling. This was a golden opportunity to seize great merit. If they arrived too late and Xiang Yu escaped, they would truly regret it for the rest of their lives.
In his view, although Xiang Yu only had five hundred cavalry, it was still unlikely that Zhang Liang could annihilate Xiang Yu with two or three thousand troops, not even by ambush. It would be good enough if he could use the terrain of Yinling to trap Xiang Yu.
Therefore, Zhang Liang was so eager for him to lead the army to Yinling because he wanted him to be the main force in annihilating Xiang Yu.
However, before the battle even began, and before they even reached Yinling, his 10,000 troops were already exhausted and collapsed about ten miles south of Yinling.
In fact, Shouchun is located slightly south of Yinling to the west, and the straight-line distance between the two is less than 100 li. However, Gaotang Lake lies between Shouchun and Yinling.
With no enough ferries and no pontoon bridges, Xi Juan had to take a longer route, traveling more than ten miles to the south of Yinling.
"We're almost at Yinling. Tell everyone to hold on a little longer. Once we've surrounded and killed Xiang Yu, everyone will be richly rewarded!" Xi Juan gritted her teeth and climbed onto her warhorse.
"Yes..." The soldiers had no choice but to groan and get up, trudging along in line.
"Hurry up, all of you! Haven't you eaten? Anyone who misses a crucial opportunity will be executed!" Xi Juan roared.