People in the Three Kingdoms: Starting from Preaching

Chapter 141 Wuhuan is dead
The basin itself is relatively low in terrain. Looking ahead, the road is muddy and full of water. There is no use retreating at this time. It won't be long before the rear will also be flooded by water.

After marching for a while, Qiu Liju soon realized the real problem.

Although the current situation is not as directly destructive as a flood, it has changed the battlefield environment. The current environment is obviously not suitable for cavalry combat. If the advantages of the cavalry cannot be brought into play, what can the Wuhuan people rely on to fight the enemy?

During the march, Qiu Liju could clearly feel the pace of the warhorse under him was getting slower and slower, and his nose was breathing heavily.

The nomadic tribes grew up on horseback, which made them able to connect with their war horses. Qiuliju could fully empathize with the fatigue and discomfort that the war horses were feeling.

"Everyone stop and find a high place to rest immediately!"

Following the order, the cavalrymen began to look for a suitable foothold to the left and right. However, thousands of cavalrymen were still too crowded, and no matter how they looked at it, there was not enough place for them to stay.

Qiuliju was filled with gloom. Although war horses could wade through water and mud, they could easily stumble, and the horses' physical energy consumption would increase exponentially. Even if they could walk, they could not walk fast. If the cavalry lost their speed, their biggest advantage would be gone.

What he was worried about now was the Yellow Turbans' next move. Since the other side had broken the river, there would definitely be corresponding actions afterwards.

When the Yellow Turbans arrive, can these cavalrymen with broken horse legs still defeat them?
Qiuliju's worries soon became a reality. They had only stopped for less than a quarter of an hour when they saw a dark army formation in the distance approaching with water flowing through it.

In an instant, all the Wuhuan cavalry mounted their horses. Although the horses had not had enough rest, they could not care less at this time.

"Everyone, prepare to break out!"

Qiuliju roared loudly. He knew that this time he had to fight the Yellow Turbans to the death. At this moment, the biggest feeling in his heart was not fear, but regret.

He only regretted that he did not choose to attack head-on when facing the Yellow Turbans' pursuit.

Now we have to fight, but we have lost our greatest support.

The Yellow Turban army moved slowly and steadily, pressing forward at a relatively even speed, and as they got closer, the infantry formation slowly dispersed, and nearly five thousand people finally formed a long formation that staggered front and back, almost blocking all exits.

Qiuliju's mood became increasingly depressed. The Yellow Turban generals made a very accurate judgment. When the cavalry could not form an impact, the weak defense of the long formation was not so important, because the Wuhuan cavalry could not charge at all.

"Everyone in the army, concentrate your forces and break out from the right side of the enemy camp. Everyone must fight for me. If you can't break out, this will be the place where our army will perish!"

Qiu Liju took a deep breath and rushed towards the Yellow Turban position first.

The Yellow Turbans were clearly intent on surrounding the Wuhuan cavalry, so Qiuliju's best option was to concentrate all his forces and destroy them at one point, so he chose to attack the right side, which would reduce a lot of pressure.

The Wuhuan cavalry rushed forward in a large number following Qiuliju, and every soldier knew the difficulty of this battle.

When they tried to gallop as usual, they found that the horses' steps were as if they were held back by something and they had no power at all. Even though they tried their best to drive them, they could only move slowly.

Although the water underfoot was not very deep and the mud was not so muddy that it was impossible to walk, it was enough to take away most of the horse's strength.

Although the Yellow Turbans' infantry positions were also unable to move, the infantry corps did not have much requirement for speed in positional warfare, which had a very limited impact on their combat capabilities. However, cavalry would be useless without speed.

The Yellow Turban army began to make corresponding adjustments according to the direction of the Wuhuan cavalry's breakout. More soldiers on the left moved to the right to relieve their own defensive pressure.

Their local formations were all triangular formations with front and back interlaced. When the Wuhuan cavalry rushed in, they were instantly surrounded and attacked by the Yellow Turbans from three directions.

In the past, this kind of defensive strength would not have been able to withstand the cavalry's charge.

But this time, the Wuhuan cavalry seemed to have not eaten for three days, and the force of their attack seemed very weak.

Without the support of speed, when they arrived in front of the Yellow Turbans, they became true infantry on horseback.

The strength of the Wuhuan cavalry is that they can integrate with their war horses, maneuver at high speed on the battlefield, and look for the enemy's weaknesses to attack.

They can skillfully control their horses to avoid enemy counterattacks, and can accurately stab the enemy with their lances.

But now that they have lost their speed advantage, they have suddenly become clumsy. They can no longer escape from the complex battlefield in an instant. Once they are trapped by the Yellow Turbans, they will slowly be strangled.

Although they were sitting on horses and waving their lances left and right, the Yellow Turbans' spears and crossbows were everywhere in front of them. The infantry formation that they had previously ignored was now like a wall of death, completely blocking their way to survival.

Qiuliju led the warriors in the first battle, but the Yellow Turbans showed excellent qualities and maintained a solid formation during the fight. No matter how hard the Wuhuan tried, they were ultimately unable to shake them at all.

One by one, the Wuhuan warriors were strangled to death by the ruthless Yellow Turban Army.

Seeing his own warriors being killed like this, Qiuliju's eyes turned red. Every warrior under his command was the most important asset of the tribe, but now they died like slaughtered dogs. This was something he could not accept.

But the reality is so cruel. When the battlefield is not suitable for fighting, fighting head-on will only end up like this. Really engaging in hand-to-hand combat in a fixed area and riding on a horse that cannot run will not bring any positive effects to the cavalry, but will only make them more clumsy and constrained.

"Everyone dismount and fight, break the formation, and we can escape!"

Qiuliju finally discovered the problem. Although this order made him feel as uncomfortable as eating shit, he had to make the choice to abandon his warhorse. In such a combat scenario, the Yellow Turbans standing on the ground would be the more flexible party.

However, the Wuhuan warriors, who have always lived with war horses, would have little fighting power if they gave up their horses.

Although the Wuhuan cavalry obeyed the order and dismounted to fight, they were not good at ground formations, had never received corresponding training, and did not know how to coordinate with each other in attack and defense in ground combat.

They are kings on horseback, but on the ground, they are just toddlers.

The tight formation of the Yellow Turbans made them feel the terror of the infantry corps, and the cooperation between different arms eliminated each other's weaknesses.

There were always several spears piercing at the face of every Wuhuan warrior, there was always a round shield blocking the front, and there were always countless crossbow arrows whizzing around.

Although the overall difference in military strength between the two sides was not very large, they felt exponentially more pressure.

After the Wuhuan cavalry dismounted to fight, the war quickly turned into a one-sided situation. The Yellow Turbans fought more and more courageously, and the entire army had formed an encirclement of the Wuhuan. The outcome gradually became clear.

When Qiu Liju was fighting on both sides, he already felt that the situation was hopeless, and his expression became desperate.

He knew that the Wuhuan cavalry were not good at infantry combat, but he had no choice. If the cavalry could not charge, they would just be sitting ducks for the enemy. If they did not dismount, they would only collapse faster. After all, the situation was like this, and no matter how hard he tried, he could not save the situation.

It was not until the Yellow Turban Army completed the entire encirclement that the victory or defeat was finally determined.

Countless Wuhuan people lost their will to fight, threw away their weapons and surrendered. Even Qiuliju was shaken.

As the proud King of Wuhuan, the word surrender had never appeared in his dictionary. Only the Han Empire could make him submit slightly.

But his self-esteem was too high to allow him to kneel down and beg for his life before the Yellow Turban rebels.

The situation on the battlefield gradually calmed down, and everything was settled. The very few Wuhuan people who were still resisting were also eliminated one by one by the Yellow Turbans.

Qiu Liju raised the knife in his hand and was about to slash his neck, but when the cold blade touched his skin, all the hairs on his body stood up instantly. A strong sense of death appeared in his heart, and then, driven by the will to survive, he subconsciously dropped the knife in his hand.

He was stunned, and only then realized that in the face of life, so-called self-esteem is simply not worth mentioning.

It turns out that I am also afraid of death
He knelt down dejectedly on the ground, and his kneeling meant that the future of the Wuhuan tribe was completely ruined.
He just stood there motionless, looking disheartened.

It was not until he heard the sound of rushing water that he looked forward, and saw a young Yellow Turban general walking up to him.

Lu Ping came over and simply announced his fate: "Qiuliju, you are captured."

The word "prisoner" was particularly harsh in Qiuliju's eyes, but at this moment he was filled with helplessness.

He looked at the other party and asked nervously: "Are you going to kill me?"

Hearing this, Lu Ping just shook his head: "If you really deserve to die, then it's not us who will kill you, but you yourself."

Qiu Liju's eyes were confused for a moment: "What do you mean?"

Lu Ping said again: "When we treat prisoners, we will investigate their past experiences. Those who are guilty will be punished according to religious law, and those who are innocent will be treated as ordinary prisoners. Those who deserve death will die, and those who deserve punishment will be punished. Therefore, the only one who can decide your fate is you."

At this point, Lu Ping paused, looked at him again, and then said, "Of course, your Excellency has almost no hope of survival. The numerous crimes committed by the Wuhuan cavalry against many civilians are mostly attributed to you."

Qiu Liju's face turned pale, and fear appeared inexplicably in his eyes. He opened his mouth and finally just forced a smile: "I can surrender to the Lord, I can lead all the Wuhuan warriors to fight for the Lord, as long as you spare my life."

Lu Ping waved his hand and the Yellow Turbans on both sides began to tie up Qiu Liju. Although he did not respond to Qiu Liju's request, his attitude was self-evident.

Qiuliju's face became even darker, and his eyes began to struggle. He wondered if his attitude was not humble enough. Perhaps if he was more humble, the Yellow Turbans would have mercy on him.

However, Lu Ping's next words immediately shattered his fantasy.

Lu Ping took one last look at him and said, "I, the Yellow Turbans, will liberate the Wuhuan tribe. We do not need a superfluous existence like you."

(End of this chapter)