Ji Han Liu Zhang

Outside Xiangwu City.

The rumbling sound of drums shook the heaven and earth, accompanied by the gentle autumn breeze of the golden autumn season, the scorching sun, the moving clouds, and a solemn and murderous atmosphere flowing and fluctuating.

At the Shu army camp, the Shu army, which had been avoiding fighting for over a month, finally made some movement. Teams of Shu soldiers, who had been gathering their strength and eager for a fight, stepped out of the camp, each one wearing helmets and armor and fully armed.

As the commander-in-chief of the Shu army, Liu Zhang only set out after the front troops left the camp. In the subsequent battle to capture Xiangwu, he would be in the center of the army, deploying and commanding the entire army.

The army was divided into three teams, left, middle and right. The front of the three teams were Meng Da on the left, Wen Pin in the middle and Yin Pu on the right. Generals such as Wu Yi, Gan Ning, Pang De, Xi Su and Xu Meng followed behind.

As for the deployment of the cavalry, since today was most likely a siege, Liu Zhang only ordered Generals Ma Chao and Zhang Xiu to command the cavalry to stand on the left and right wings, act according to the circumstances and hold the line.

Liu Zhang was sitting on his horse, looking around, he saw swords and halberds like a forest, spears and knives densely packed, more than 25,000 Shu troops marching out of the camp in battle array, he could not even see the end at a glance, and could not get a general overview of the situation.

"It's a pity that there is no radio, otherwise it would be so easy and pleasant to sit in Chang'an and command remotely!" Liu Zhang complained in his heart. In this ancient time when small-scale battles were commanded by shouting and large-scale battles were commanded by flags and drums, he had to be there in person every time he went to war, and he couldn't hide behind and take a break.

However, even if there was radio, Liu Zhang would probably still go to the battlefield in person. After all, giving remote commands without understanding the true situation of the battle is a taboo in military strategy.

Secondly, as a monarch in troubled times, one must hold the military power firmly in one's hands. The monarchs of the Three Kingdoms, such as Cao Cao, always led the army in person. Liu Bei was called "Lao Ge", which means an old soldier. Sun Shiwan's military talent was far inferior to that of his father and brother, but he still tried to lead the army in person to Hefei. This shows that military ability and military power are essential qualities for monarchs in troubled times, and are also the authority that monarchs cannot give up.

"Report, the gates of Xiangwu City are wide open, the Liangzhou bandits are out in force, and all the troops in the camps of Song Jian and Xianling Qiang outside the city are also out in force, and are forming a battle array against the city wall." A lieutenant came on horseback and reported to Liu Zhang.

Hearing this, Liu Zhang clapped his hands and sighed, "How courageous."

"Han Sui is indeed a hero of Liang Province. The Shaodang Qiang and the Canlang Qiang left in the middle of the night, and the other small Qiang and Hu tribes also scattered. His army was reduced to half of its former strength. The situation was so critical, but he did not stay in the city to defend it. Instead, he went out of the city to fight. It can be seen that he still has some courage."

Liu Zhang looked around and expressed his admiration for Han Sui. He did not expect that Han Sui, in such an unfavorable situation, did not flee far away, nor did he defend the city. Instead, he was so brave that he went out of the city to fight, showing a life-and-death attitude. It can be seen that the heroes of the Three Kingdoms were all extraordinary.

"It's nothing more than a fight of a trapped beast, hoping to save its life." Zheng Du, an official, sneered. He was not very polite to Han Sui. When the situation was like this and the outcome was clear, Han Sui did not send envoys to surrender, nor did he escape far away. Instead, he showed an attitude of resisting to the end, which made Zheng Du very unhappy.

Fa Zheng nodded and agreed, "Mr. Zheng is right. Han Sui is just fighting like a trapped beast. But now Han Sui still has some fighting spirit, which is not easy... Just as you said, he is a man of courage and ambition."

Liu Zhang was full of enthusiasm. He said loudly: "Even if Han Sui is so brave and wants to lead his troops out of the city to fight me to the death, I will meet him."

"Pass the order, the army moves forward." Liu Zhang shouted, and the Shu army began to move towards Han Sui's army lined up in front of Xiangwu City.

The Liangzhou troops were lined up in front of Xiangwu City. Their commander Han Sui stood in the center of the army with a solemn look, not showing any fear, as he waited for the Shu army to attack.

"Sir, today I will fight a life-and-death battle with Liu Jiyu. It will be a life-and-death situation, but you don't have to stay here." Han Sui lowered his voice and sighed to Cheng Gongying beside him.

Cheng Gongying heard Han Sui say this for the second time. The first time was when Han Sui heard in the county temple that the Shu army was moving out and intended to fight a decisive battle with the Shu army. At that time, Han Sui advised him to leave Xiangwu City and escape far away.

Cheng Gongying had refused at first, but he was determined to follow Han Sui and show the loyalty and bravery that a subject should have, willing to live and die with Han Sui. Now that the people were out and formed a battle array in front of Xiangwu City, Han Sui advised him again.

This time, Cheng Gongying's attitude was the same as before. He shook his head firmly, bowed to Han Sui and said, "Ying is willing to live and die with you, general, rather than live in disgrace for a short time."

Hearing Cheng Gongying's refusal again, Han Sui's expression darkened for a moment, and then he showed a gratified look. With a hint of gratitude in his eyes, he said to Cheng Gongying: "I am so lucky to be able to serve you, sir."

"It is my life's blessing to serve the general." Cheng Gongying smiled sincerely.

Han Sui nodded heavily. He said no more and looked forward with a firm expression. Seeing the flags of the Shu army moving step by step towards his position, he put all his attention on fighting against the Shu army.

The Liangzhou army that went out of the city and lined up were divided into three teams, left, center and right, just like the Shu army. The one in the center was Han Sui's troops, the one on the left was the troops of Heshou Pinghan King Wang Songjian, and the one on the right was the troops of the Xianrong Qiang leader Diaohu Jin.

Speaking of which, last night when Song Jian heard that the two major Qiang and Hu tribes of Shaodang and Canlang had left without saying goodbye, he had the idea of ​​retreating. But thinking that if Han Sui fell, the Shu army would go straight to Fuhan, and he would be in danger if both sides were to fall, he decided to stay and fight a final desperate battle.

However, if the war goes against his will, Song Jian will not stay here and die with Han Sui. He has made up his mind that if the war goes against his will, he will flee back to Fuhan and then make plans.

The leader of the Xianling Qiang tribe, Diaohu Jin, who was standing on the right wing, looked a little conflicted. Although Shaodang and Canlang fled, they seemed a little afraid of death, but at least they saved their tribe. He stayed here, and looked a little brave, but if the battle went badly, most of the Xianling Qiang men would probably be killed here, and they would never be able to recover and stand strong in Longyou.

"Let's fight first, and if the battle goes badly, we can do what we want." Diao Hujin sighed. Han Sui had been kind to him in the past, and he came to help this time because he was greedy for the money and goods given by Han Sui, and also wanted to repay Han Sui's kindness. This was why he still lingered here after Shaodang and Canlang left.

The wind is light and the clouds are thin. In the golden autumn season, there is a solemn atmosphere. Coupled with the scene of two armies facing each other in front of Xiangwu City, with flags everywhere and swords like forests, the season today seems extremely solemn.

At the center of the Shu army, Liu Zhang looked calm. He waved his hand, and Fa Zheng, who was in charge of deploying the army, understood. He then drew out a small red flag and waved it. As the flag order was passed along by the flag officer, the front troops of the left, center and right wings of the Shu army began to move out and kill the Liangzhou bandits in front of Xiangwu city.

Wen Pin, who was in charge of the front troops of the central army, urged his soldiers to move forward at a steady pace. During the march, his troops maintained a stable formation, neither loose nor chaotic. Han Sui, who was standing opposite, saw the elite troops of Wen Pin and sighed in his heart. The front troops of the Shu army looked so brave, and his plan to survive might not be easy to achieve.

In Han Sui's mind, although the enemy outnumbers us in today's battle and the situation is clear, there may still be a glimmer of hope. He has a bold plan, and he intends to use this plan to gain a glimmer of hope.

Today he has escaped death, and he only hopes to survive.

Suddenly the wind stopped and the clouds ceased. After a loud eagle cry was heard in the sky, the Liangzhou Army and the Shu Army below began to fight.

The army used bows and arrows as the primary weapon, and shooting was the first move in the fight between the two armies. However, the Shu army's hard bows were equipped with powerful crossbows, and after a shooting match, the Liangzhou army suffered a great loss, and the casualties were much greater than that of the Shu army.

"Go forward." Seeing this situation, Han Sui issued a military order, ordering the army to go forward and fight with the Shu army. Even though his bows and crossbows were inferior to those of the Shu army, he should take advantage of the strengths of the elite soldiers in Guanxi and get close to fight with the Shu army.

However, things often do not develop as expected. After the front troops moved forward and engaged with Wen Pin's troops, they were killed and forced to retreat again and again, and their formation was almost collapsed.

This is because although Wen Pin's troops were called Shu soldiers, in fact most of his soldiers were from the Bandun Barbarians of Ba County and the Qing Qiang in Nanzhong. They were known to be brave and fearless of death. In addition, Wen Pin always trained them meticulously, and now they have become the strongest soldiers in the world.

Therefore, the Liangzhou army could not gain any advantage against Wen Pin's troops, but was at a disadvantage in every aspect. Fortunately, the Guanxi soldiers were always elite and warlike. If they were a little weaker, they would have been defeated by Wen Pin's troops in a few breaths.

"Hiss." Han Sui took a breath. He knew that the troops in the front of the Shu army looked extraordinary and should not be underestimated. However, he had never expected that the troops in the front of the Shu army were so brave and powerful that they forced his elite soldiers in the front to retreat again and again.

Han Sui was horrified. If this was the case, his plan would not even be possible to implement. With this thought in mind, Han Sui gave an order and commanded his left and right guards to press forward, hoping to defeat the front of the Shu army.

Although Han Sui's personal guards were brave and powerful, they could only be in a stalemate with Wen Pin's troops, and were unable to defeat Wen Pin's troops and overwhelm the front troops of the Shu army.

Han Sui in the center of the army was in a stalemate with the Shu army, while Song Jian's troops on the left wing faced Yin Pu on the right wing of the Shu army. Before they even started fighting, they were knocked to the ground by Yin Pu's army's light and small catapults.

General Yin Pu was known to be the most clever among the other generals. He was an expert in the use of Thunderbolt Chariots. Whenever he faced the enemy in battle, he would always use the Thunderbolt Chariots as the vanguard. However, Song Jian's troops were caught off guard and lost a lot of men in a matter of seconds.

"Raise your shields, raise your shields." Song Jian, who was facing Yin Pu, shouted and asked the soldiers to raise their wooden shields wrapped in cowhide to resist the flying stones from the Shu army. However, the force of the flying stones was the force of impact, unlike the force of an arrow which was concentrated on one point.

Therefore, the wooden shield can block the flying stones, but the force of the flying stones is transmitted through the wooden shield, and the soldiers who hold up the wooden shield find it difficult to block it. Some of them break their arms, or are knocked to the ground. As a result, the soldiers are afraid of the flying stones and cannot help but avoid them, causing Song Jian's troops to suddenly loosen their formation.

"Kill." When Yin Pu saw that the enemy's formation was loose, he immediately shouted loudly, asking the entire army to attack. While the enemy's formation was loose, he rushed into the enemy's formation and completely defeated the enemy's left wing.

Song Jian's troops had just escaped from the terror of flying stones, and now faced the Shu army that was charging at them in formation. They were defeated step by step, forcing Song Jian, as the commander, to lead his personal guards forward, and they barely blocked the Shu army's sharp offensive. However, they were still at a disadvantage, and the situation was not optimistic.

When the view turns to the right wing of the Shu army, which is the left wing of the Liangzhou army, Meng Da's troops are facing the Xianling Qiang. At this moment, the two sides are at the head of the wheat. Meng Da loudly invites the enemy to fight. He orders: "Ah Xian, go forward and destroy this group of dog Qiang."

"Yes." Deng Xian just responded to the order, and then led more than a hundred brave cavalrymen to attack the side of the Qiang and Hu team. He planned to destroy the Qiang and Hu formation so that his uncle Meng Da could defeat the Qiang and Hu on this wing.

As the leader of the Qiang Hu tribe of Xianrong Qiang, Diao Hu Jin noticed the intention of the Shu army. He pulled over a small leader and asked him to command the Qiang Hu cavalry to fight against Deng Xian in order to prevent the Shu army from breaking their formation.

The small leader led his troops away, galloping on his horse, and led the same number of cavalrymen to fight with Deng Xian's troops, blocking Deng Xian's offensive.

As a result, the Shu Army and the Liangzhou Army on the left, middle and right wings were in a stalemate. The Shu Army, relying on its bravery and more sophisticated armor and weapons, was in the upper hand in the war. They only needed to fight until the Liangzhou Army was frightened and scared, and then they would win the battle.

The situation was so critical that Han Sui had to fight desperately. As the commander of the central army, he disregarded his own life, pushed forward with the big flag, and led the central army to fight against the Shu army.

As the majority of the Liangzhou army pressed forward, generals such as Pang De, Xi Su, and Xu Meng also joined the battle and fought against the Liangzhou army.

When most of the Shu army followed suit, Han Sui, who had experienced military battles for a long time, naturally noticed this. Although he did not delay the death of most of the Shu army, he also knew that now was his only chance.

Han Sui had made up his mind. He gave an order and Yan Xing, who was part of the reserve team, took action. Yan Xing led more than a thousand elite cavalrymen. These thousand cavalrymen were formed by the combined efforts of Han Sui, Song Jian and Diao Hu Jin. They were their sharpest sword, and now it was time to unsheathe it.

More than a thousand cavalrymen rolled forward, but they did not rush towards Wen Pin's troops who were fighting against Han Sui. Instead, they pierced through the gap in the battle situation of the front army and rushed forward towards the center of the Shu army.

Liu Zhang, who was riding a horse and standing on the slope, saw this unusual cavalry from afar. Without thinking too much, he guessed Han Sui's intention.

During the Han Dynasty, many generals in border states such as You, Bing and Liang liked to use decapitation tactics. For example, Guan Yu stabbed Yan Liang in the midst of thousands of soldiers and returned with his head cut off. Zhang Liao was even worse. He led 800 people to attack Sun Quan's central army, forcing Sun Quan to take shelter on a hill and defend himself with a long spear.

Now it seems that Han Sui is planning to carry out a decapitation operation to save the current defeat. (End of this chapter)