Many of the other Chu soldiers in the front ranks didn't have time to properly sling their bows over their shoulders, so they simply hung their bows and arrows on their arms, took off their halberds, and engaged the Han army's front-line cavalry in battle.
"kill!"
A fierce close-quarters battle erupted, and the Han army, facing the Chu army which was still changing its weapons, failed to gain the slightest advantage.
The Han army's front-line cavalry had assumed the Chu army would use horizontal shots, so they had already crouched on their horses to avoid the arrows. However, they did not expect the Chu army to switch to volley fire, and the Chu army did not retreat at all!
Puff puff puff...
In the first close-quarters battle between the two armies, all those who fell from their horses were Han cavalry!
Guan Ying had always thought that the only difference between his cavalry and Xiang Yu's elite cavalry was their ability to shoot while mounted, and that there was not much difference in close combat. But in reality, they were far apart.
However, Guan Ying had no time to think about close combat, because a terrifying rain of arrows suddenly began to fall from above his head!
The volley of arrows that Xiang Yu unleashed just before clashing with the enemy was actually aimed at Guan Ying, who was positioned in the center of the enemy formation!
It doesn't matter if the projectiles are inaccurate; just fire more and they'll be more accurate. A thousand and one arrows can cover a fairly large area.
Of course, the 20,000-cavalry square formation was even larger, and if they were too far away, there might not be many that could actually reach Guan Ying. That's why Xiang Yu fired his volleys close to the edge of the enemy formation. The Overlord's control over the firing distance was truly excellent.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh...
Puff puff puff...
Ahhh...
The Han cavalry in the center of the formation were completely unprepared and suffered heavy casualties immediately. Who could have imagined that the Chu army would launch a projectile attack at such close range?
"General, be careful... Ah!" Guan Ying's personal guards disregarded their own safety to shield Guan Ying from the rain of arrows, and were killed instantly by an arrow.
"How could this be..." Guan Ying's mind went blank. There was nowhere to hide. He only felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and fell off the horse.
"The general has fallen from his horse! Everyone behind, get out of the way! Don't step on the general! Quickly, help the general up!" Wang Shang waved his arms anxiously.
Wang Shang's shout served to protect Guan Ying from further harm, but it also unsettled the morale of the Han army.
At this moment, Xiang Yu was wreaking havoc again, and the Han army's cavalry formation had stopped advancing, with all the generals and soldiers adopting a defensive posture.
Time passed second by second. Although Hao Jiu saw Guan Ying fall from his horse, it seemed that the arrow had not hit a vital spot. Hao Jiu was still a bit unlucky.
"Overlord, it's almost time." Hao Jiu turned around and glanced at the pontoon bridge.
"The entire army will take turns covering the retreat!" Xiang Yu said "retreat," not "withdraw," the difference being that the Chu army's warhorses did not turn around, but were actually retreating.
At this moment, Xiang Han also arrived and led away five hundred cavalry from the very back.
In the Han army formation, Guan Ying, still shaken, sat on the ground, clutching his wounds and unwilling to get up. "How many soldiers does Xiang Yu have left?"
"Reporting to the general, there are still about five hundred cavalrymen left, who have already retreated to the pontoon bridge," Wang Shang said truthfully.
Guan Ying's eyes lit up, and with the help of his personal guards, he slowly stood up. "Hehehe, excellent! Hiss... Send the order down: the entire army is to charge, annihilate the Chu army, surround and kill Xiang Yu, and seize the pontoon bridge!"
Chapter 53 One Person Is Enough
Why didn't Guan Ying rush to charge earlier?
Because Xiang Yu was still on the north bank.
It's not that Guan Ying was afraid of Xiang Yu and dared not order a charge, but rather that he had to proceed cautiously and steadily when Xiang Yu was around.
More importantly, Xiang Yu was the soul of the Chu army, and besieging and killing Xiang Yu alone was far more important than annihilating two thousand Chu soldiers.
As time goes on, more and more Chu soldiers cross the bridge, while Xiang Yu's allies dwindle.
As long as Xiang Yu shows no intention of fleeing onto the bridge, Guan Ying has no need to rush. He can wait until Xiang Yu's forces are reduced to a level that satisfies him before taking action.
Guan Ying's bottom line was five hundred cavalry. If there were fewer, Xiang Yu might escape. Losing a few hundred cavalry should not be a significant loss for Xiang Yu.
Therefore, when Guan Ying heard that the Chu army had only five hundred cavalrymen left, he decisively ordered a charge.
However, before the Han army could act, the Chu army, which had already retreated some distance, moved first.
"Two hundred riders will go to the pontoon bridge, the rest will follow me! Prepare your bows and arrows!" Xiang Yu said, then spurred his horse westward, simultaneously shooting an arrow northwest, which struck an unfortunate Han soldier squarely in the face.
Other Chu troops followed suit, closely following Xiang Yu's lead, and continuously fired at the enemy forces in the northwest.
This change by the Chu army caught the Han army off guard. Instead of fleeing towards the pontoon bridge, Xiang Yu led a portion of his troops westward.
"Not good! Xiang Yu wants to break out from the northwest!" Guan Ying suddenly realized. Who said that Xiang Yu had to use these two pontoon bridges to break out?
The Tuyi Bridge was also in Xiang Yu's hands!
Although Lü Sheng and others were guarding the area and there were quite a few troops, if they were not prepared, it was possible for Xiang Yu to launch a surprise attack and break through.
"Quickly seal off the western exit and stop Xiang Yu! Don't let him escape!" Guan Ying sneered inwardly. Sorry, Overlord, this general has already seen through your plan.
Guantangpu is located at the bend of the Huai River, at the bottom of the 'U' shape. It is about three li wide from east to west. With such a wide distance, the Han army could not completely block the exit. Therefore, the Han army had enough space to break out from the east and west sides. However, after breaking out, they would be further and further away from the pontoon bridge.
Of course, with the Han army already aware of the Chu army's intentions, it was extremely difficult for the Chu army to break through from both sides.
After all, the Chu army had to rush past the Han army. The distance between the Han army and the western bank of the Huai River was much shorter than the distance the Chu army needed to cross to break through. The Chu army had to run west for a while to bypass the Han army's formation before heading northwest.
"No, if we rush in like this, we'll definitely be blocked by the enemy. Their reaction is too fast." Hao Jiu observed the enemy's movements and deduced this unfavorable conclusion based on the speed of both sides.
"Then let's switch to the other side." Xiang Yu smiled slightly. He was now certain that, just like before, only what he wanted Dionysus to hear could be heard by Dionysus.
Therefore, Hao Jiu didn't actually know Xiang Yu's true intentions, but he was unwilling to ask Xiang Yu directly, as that would make him seem like a strategist with low abilities.
"Hehe." Hao Jiu didn't think that changing to the east would solve the problem.
Because this isn't a simple attack and defense by two athletes who can feint and break through from the other side in an instant. The area controlled by the Han army's square formation is what it is, equivalent to a football player having to dribble past eleven opponents single-handedly.
"Everyone turn around and head east!" Xiang Yu led the way, slowing down and drawing a graceful arc before heading east again.
"Quickly! Block the gap on the east side! Block the gaps on both sides! Keep advancing in dense formation!" Guan Ying sneered incessantly, knowing that the desperate struggle of a trapped beast was futile.
Times have changed. The reason why the Han army did not blockade the entire Guantangpu at the beginning was because the Chu army had a large number of troops. If the Han army's battle lines were stretched out and its forces were spread out, it would be easy for the Chu army to break through.
But now that they are getting closer to the Huai River, two thousand cavalry in each row would be enough to block the entire exit of Guantangpu. Xiang Yu only has two or three hundred cavalry left, so there is no problem of being broken through in an instant.
Of course, it's possible for Xiang Yu to break through the encirclement alone, but would he abandon his soldiers?
Hao Jiu knew from the Han army's movements that the situation was not good. The enemy's forces were enough to encircle them, and the Han army did not stop moving towards the shore throughout the process.
The Chu army's living space was gradually compressed and became smaller and smaller, no longer enough for Xiang Yu to turn back and break through to the west again.
"All troops, listen to my command! Shoot one more arrow and then head straight for the pontoon bridge. Cross the river quickly, and I will stay behind to cover the rear!" Xiang Yu said as he put away his bow and arrows.
"King Xiang, you mustn't!" a veteran of the Chu army cried out. "How can we let King Xiang cover our retreat alone?"
"Stop talking! I alone am enough to cover the rear! Execute the order! Leave immediately! I have a way to escape!" Xiang Yu roared.
"Yes, sir." The Chu soldiers reluctantly agreed, though they had long been prepared to die.
...
"General Guan, the Chu army has split its forces again, and only Xiang Yu is left!" Wang Shang exclaimed in surprise, never expecting that Xiang Yu was the one left behind to cover the retreat!
"Charge at full speed and capture the pontoon bridge! Make sure you leave Xiang Yu on the north bank!" Guan Ying said fiercely.
So this was Xiang Yu's real plan? All those talk about breaking out from the west or the east was just a ruse.
At this point, it's pointless to try and kill those two or three hundred cavalrymen; we should focus all our efforts on killing Xiang Yu.
"Xiang, Xiang Yu is charging again!" Wang Shang exclaimed again.
"Old man Guan Ying, prepare to die!" Xiang Yu roared, shaking the heavens once more!
Guan Ying's eyes widened instantly. "Quick! Surround them immediately! Block Xiang Yu! Protect me!"
This scene seems so familiar...
The current situation is that, in order to blockade Guantangpu, Guan Ying changed the original square formation into a horizontal rectangle, and then, in order to seize the pontoon bridge and cut off Xiang Yu's retreat, many soldiers left the formation.
As a result, the originally relatively safe and dense formation has been completely transformed, and the weakest part is actually the middle where Guan Ying is located!
This is the magic of Xiang Yu's military strategy: it doesn't play by the rules, it doesn't follow the usual path, it's all about the thrill, it's about taking things by surprise, and it's about striking the enemy's weak point.
Just when everyone thought Xiang Yu would retreat towards the pontoon bridge, he bravely charged forward once again.
The black horse charged towards Guan Ying's location with lightning speed, its advance even faster than Xiang Yu's last attack on the enemy's capital and the cutting of the banner!
"Kill!" Xiang Yu swung his halberd, sweeping away any enemy cavalry that dared to approach.
Guan Ying, no longer caring about saving face, immediately turned his horse around and retreated under the protection of his personal guards. The surrounding Han cavalry quickly gathered and blocked Xiang Yu's path, making it impossible to kill Guan Ying.
Along the Huai River, Han cavalry also rushed to the vicinity of the pontoon bridge.
Xiang Han first cut down the pontoon bridge downstream, then glanced in the direction Xiang Yu had gone, and resolutely cut down the second pontoon bridge.
In fact, the Han army had anticipated that they would fail to capture the pontoon bridge, but as long as Xiang Yu was kept on the north bank, whether or not they captured the pontoon bridge was no longer important.
Moreover, Xiang Yu is the only person on the entire north bank of the Huai River!
Many Han soldiers were already coveting the great achievement of capturing and killing Xiang Yu, for the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households was within their grasp!
"Haha, Xiang Yu, you're finished! The Chu soldiers you risked your life to protect have cut down your escape bridge! When will King Xiang surrender? Hahaha... Ouch!" Guan Ying laughed maniacally, accidentally aggravating his wound, but he still wanted to laugh, and laughed heartily!
"Oh, then, I should cross the river too." Xiang Yu's lips curled up slightly. He abandoned his attempt to break through to the north and turned to head straight for the Huai River.
"Hmph! Would I, this general, lie to you? What's the use of struggling in your death throes? Just surrender now, and I might save you some face!" Guan Ying shouted loudly, but then realized something was amiss.
"Those who block my way shall die!" Xiang Yu swung his halberd and charged towards the Huai River.
Not only would no one dare to stop him, but even if someone did, they wouldn't. Xiang Yu has been driven to the brink of despair, so what's the point of fighting him now?
Then, everyone's mouths gaped wider and wider as they watched Xiang Yu, riding his black horse, leap into the rolling Huai River!
Thump! Splash!
"hiss……"
"Preferring death to surrender, choosing to jump into the river and commit suicide? Truly a hero!"
"Huh? Something doesn't seem right..."
"This, this is impossible! Fire the arrows! Don't let Xiang Yu get away!" Guan Ying's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. Xiang Yu, alone on horseback, was slowly swimming towards the opposite bank, showing no sign of sinking into the water!
Xiang Yu even had the strength to turn back and shout, "Old man Guan Ying, if we meet again, I, your king, will surely take your dog's head! Hahaha..."
"Ah!" Guan Ying, who was already injured and had lost too much blood, fainted from anger.