Puff puff puff...
Ahhh...
The Chu army's elite cavalry may not have been particularly accurate archers, but on the battlefield, such accuracy was sometimes unnecessary because of the sheer number of enemy troops.
Guan Ying's 20,000 cavalry charged forward, seemingly poised to swallow the Chu army whole. Even when a hail of arrows from the Chu army knocked out two of Guan Ying's front teeth, their momentum remained undiminished.
After commanding the Chu cavalry to unleash two consecutive volleys of arrows, Xiang Han suddenly turned and made a large arc eastward, intending to lure the enemy eastward.
During this process, the Chu cavalry opened fire on the enemy, and Han cavalrymen fell from their horses from time to time, but this only attracted half of the Chu army to pursue them.
"Not good!" Seeing the situation was not good, Xiang Han hurriedly changed direction again, preparing to return to the aid of the three thousand new cavalry.
However, the battlefield is only so big, and no tactics are meaningful. Even if Xiang Han can join forces with the three thousand cavalry, it will still be a situation where five thousand soldiers face off against thirty-five thousand enemy troops head-on.
"Fire!" Although the three thousand Chu cavalrymen left behind did not have the ability to shoot arrows on horseback, many of them could shoot arrows, so they were fine with their horses at a standstill.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Rumble rumble rumble...
Seeing the arrows disappear without a trace, the three thousand newly recruited Chu cavalrymen all showed expressions of despair; the disparity in troop strength was too great.
"Haha! All troops, charge! Take the pontoon bridge!" Yang happy was energized and led his troops straight for the pontoon bridge. With cavalry outnumbering infantry, wouldn't that be a massacre?
If we can capture these two pontoon bridges, the achievement will be immense. Although there are many Chu troops guarding the opposite bank of the river, it is not impossible to follow and drive them across the bridge.
At that time, the more than 30,000 cavalrymen reached Huainan by using the pontoon bridge built by the Chu army. Did Xiang Yu still want to escape back to Jiangdong?
Heh heh, no way!
"Charge! Whoever breaks through to the south bank and captures this bridge will be richly rewarded!" Yang Xi became more and more excited. Moreover, the Chu army was already in a panic and running for their lives. Falling off the pontoon bridge in the dead of winter made him feel cold all over. And some of them were even running back...
Huh? Running back? Yang happy suddenly felt something was wrong, and then he heard a deafening roar from the bridge.
"Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here!"
"Great! King Xiang is here!" The Chu army was invigorated and full of confidence.
The Han army was utterly terrified, both men and horses were in shock.
"Hiss... Xiang Yu is here? This is terrible! Retreat quickly... Ah!" Yang happy turned around urgently, but he was too hasty and fell head over heels with his horse!
Just then, Xiang Yu, carrying his halberd, spurred his horse and leaped onto the north bank.
The moment everyone has been waiting for, the Overlord has arrived!
"You old bastard Guan Ying! Prepare to die!"
Chapter 50 A Warrior Against Ten Thousand
After the Chu cavalry occupied the Tuyi Bridge, crossed the Huai River, and destroyed the Dongfu Bridge, Guan Ying would inevitably set his sights on the more than 30,000 Chu infantrymen. How could Xiang Yu not have thought of this?
Even so, Xiang Yu showed no intention of rushing back to Huaibei to support the more than 30,000 infantrymen.
If these infantrymen had listened to Xiang Yu and rushed to the north bank of the Huai River, and were only one step away from crossing it, Xiang Yu would have risked returning to the north bank of the Huai River to help them. Otherwise, it would have been better to let them be captured again. Compared to fighting on the battlefield, fleeing for one's life was much safer.
What use is an army that can't even complete a simple task like escaping?
If you want to follow Xiang Yu and survive, you must first be willing to fight to the death. Only in this way can you be considered an elite force and be worth Xiang Yu's risk to save.
As a result, these 30,000 Chu infantrymen not only arrived at Guantangpu ahead of schedule, but they were also truly willing to fight to the death, and their morale was high.
When Xiang Yu's reinforcements arrived, those who were still on the bridge jumped into the icy Huai River to make way for him, even Hao Jiu was moved.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for Xiang Yu to cross the bridge to Huaibei. He would have had to wait until all the soldiers and supplies on the bridge had come off before he could cross, which would have been too late.
"Guan Ying, you old bastard! Prepare to die!" Xiang Yu didn't care where Guan Ying was; he just wanted that kind of momentum. He charged straight at the nearest enemy force.
"Kill them!"
"Charge with Xiang Yu!"
The three thousand newly recruited Chu cavalrymen who had been left behind saw Xiang Yu arrive and all picked up their halberds and charged forward. Even the Chu infantrymen who had not yet crossed the bridge picked up their weapons and followed Xiang Yu in the charge.
Yang Xi had just taken a hard fall and barely managed to get up when he saw Xiang Yu rushing towards him!
"General Guan, save me!" Yang happy cried out in alarm, trying to mount his horse again, but his whole body was in excruciating pain, and he couldn't get on after two attempts, which was incredibly frustrating.
"Die!"
Ugh!
With a whoosh of wind, the halberd struck Yang Xi in the waist with a move called "Fishing for the Moon from the Sea."
puff!
Yang happy was instantly split in two. His upper body flew up with his shoulders and back swaying, while his lower body swayed twice and fell to the ground.
Bang! Yang happy's upper body fell to the ground like a tattered sack, blood splattered everywhere.
Following Wang Yi, another cavalry general in history who participated in dismembering Xiang Yu, Yang happy, died!
"That one just now looked like a great general. I remember he was with Wang Yi, who was shot to death last night." Hao Jiu was standing on Xiang Yu's shoulder, looking down at him and pointing out the direction.
"Don't know him. Have you found Guan Ying yet?" Xiang Yu swung his halberd and charged into the enemy ranks, causing one after another to fall from their horses.
Yang happy was cut in two by Xiang Yu in one move, which really terrified many enemy soldiers, who all fled desperately.
Occasionally, a few people who wanted to risk their lives to make a name for themselves approached Xiang Yu, but they were overestimating their abilities and were instantly killed.
Xiang Yu had no interest in continuing to pursue Yang happy's defeated army and charged directly into the main battlefield, which had more than 20,000 men.
Xiang Yu's earth-shattering roar just now greatly boosted the morale of the Chu army, but at the same time it crushed the confidence of many enemy soldiers. As more and more Chu cavalrymen crossed the bridge, more and more enemy soldiers wavered, all hoping that Guan Ying would order a retreat.
"Charge! Even if Xiang Yu's cavalry comes, it's only a few thousand! Whoever captures or kills Xiang Yu will be enfeoffed as a marquis with ten thousand households! Those who kill other Chu generals will also be richly rewarded!"
Guan Ying naturally heard Xiang Yu's roar that he wanted to kill him, but he gritted his teeth and held on. If he retreated as soon as Xiang Yu arrived, how could he hold his head high in front of the soldiers in the future?
Moreover, this was under the circumstances where they had an overwhelming advantage in military strength. How could they possibly face the King of Han if they retreated like this?
"Found it! There's a general in the northwest direction, most likely Guan Ying!" Hao Jiu is a system energy body, so his eyesight is excellent, and he can see clearly everything within his sight.
The terrain in this area is mainly plains. Both Wuzhui horse and Xiang Yu were tall, and Hao Jiu was standing on the shoulders of giants. It was easy for him to find a commander's banner among the vast army.
After finding the banner, they were not far from the commander-in-chief. Guan Ying's attire was quite handsome, and just by looking at the armor, one could tell it was very valuable.
However, on the battlefield, such eye-catching equipment may not bring good luck, and it is best to wear it less if you do not have the strength.
Of course, Xiang Yu's armor was also very impressive, shining brightly on the battlefield, as if to say, "I am right here, come if you dare."
"Guan Ying, don't run! Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu, is here!" Xiang Yu spurred his horse straight toward Guan Ying, and wherever he went, men and horses fell over, and the backs of enemy riders were instantly left bald.
Although Guan Ying could not see Xiang Yu's figure, he heard Xiang Yu's roar and increasingly closer screams, as if some giant beast was crashing down from that direction.
"Surround and kill Xiang Yu with all your might! Whoever hits Xiang Yu and wounds him will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces!" Guan Ying gripped his spear tightly, chanting to himself, "No matter how fierce Xiang Yu is, he's still human. Humans have their limits. I have 20,000 cavalry. Xiang Yu will never be able to break through!"
However, a moment later, Guan Ying saw a blood-soaked figure. Heavens above, no one could stop that man and horse; they were about to charge over!
"Stop him!" Guan Ying roared.
"Those who block my way shall die!" Xiang Yu brandished his halberd, and his steed, Wuzhui, galloped faster and faster, leaving many of the Han army's attacks behind. He killed anyone who stood in his way, and no one could stand in his way. The title of Overlord was not just for show.
"Guan Ying, don't run! Surrender your life!" The Chu army's morale soared, and they shouted in unison.
Guan Ying's Adam's apple bobbed. How could Xiang Yu be getting more and more ferocious? It was as if he had eyes in the back of his head. Surrounding and killing him was completely ineffective.
"You all continue to surround and kill Xiang Yu. This general is going to the rear of the army to supervise the battle and see why the rear guard hasn't caught up yet. Don't block my way, get out of my way!"
The guards blinked and suddenly realized what was happening, and quickly made way for Guan Ying to leave the battlefield.
"Guan Ying ran away!" Hao Jiu saw it clearly.
"Guanyin, you rat, don't run away!" Xiang Yu roared, and his black horse neighed and reared up, smashing through the warhorses blocking his way.
When the surrounding Han soldiers saw that Guan Ying had run away, they were no longer willing to fight to the death and made way for Xiang Yu.
Just then, Guan Ying's elite personal guards appeared, each holding a bow and arrow and aiming it at Xiang Yu.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Puff puff puff...
Arrows flew everywhere. Xiang Yu wielded his halberd to deflect the arrows, then charged into the enemy ranks. He casually captured a Han soldier and faced the rain of arrows. The human shield instantly turned into a hedgehog, without even a scream.
During this process, Xiang Yu did not stop, advancing forward at lightning speed until he charged into Guan Ying's elite personal guards, swinging his halberd and unleashing a flurry of blows.
The elite personal guards who usually easily defeated ordinary Han cavalrymen were no different from ordinary cavalrymen in front of Xiang Yu. They all died in one move, and none of them could harm Xiang Yu in the slightest.
However, these hundreds of elite guards were quite loyal to Guan Ying and did their best to cover his retreat.
"Get out!" Xiang Yu, enraged, broke through the encirclement once more and arrived near Guan Ying's banner.
The soldier carrying the flag was a rather strong and brave warrior. When he saw Xiang Yu arrive, he waved the flag and smashed it down.
However, to Xiang Yu, his movements were no different from slow motion.
"Open up for me!" Xiang Yu thrust his halberd upwards, the horizontal blade of the halberd striking the flagpole.
Click!
Guan Ying's command flag snapped in two!
With a flick of his wrist, Xiang Yu thrust forward, piercing the burly flag bearer through the heart, killing him instantly.
At this moment, several spears came thrusting from the surrounding area. Xiang Yu stretched out his left hand to grab the fastest spear and used it to block the attacks of several other spears on the left. Meanwhile, his right hand unleashed a lightning-fast sweeping attack, striking first and then cutting down a large number of people and spears on the right side.
"Guan Ying, you rat, prepare to die!" Xiang Yu was caught up in the killing frenzy, wielding a spear in his left hand and a halberd in his right, moving as if he were in an empty field, and was about to break through Guan Ying's personal guards' defenses.
Guan Ying looked back and wondered if she was having a nightmare.
Snap!
Guan Ying slapped himself in the face. Ouch...it hurts!
I'd always heard that Xiang Yu was a match for ten thousand men, and today's battle proves it true! What kind of battle is this?!
"Retreat immediately! The entire army must retreat! Retreat!!!"
Chapter 51 Healing