Water Margin: Lu Bu sits on Mount Liang

Chapter 1029 Running
"kill--"

In the darkness of night, there were figures of fighting everywhere. Armored knights rushed into the battle formation and killed indiscriminately. Infantry advanced and attacked from both sides and the front. A large number of herdsmen who rushed into the formation were knocked off their horses. However, these ordinary herdsmen relied on the horsepower to widen the gap.

At the front of the gap, Wu Du rode on a tall horse, wielding two curved swords to chop down the Qi army infantrymen who rushed up, and yelled, "General's flag, kill in the direction of the Qi army's general's flag!"

The soldiers of the Beizhubu tribe around responded, shouting strangely and charging forward bravely. In a moment, they advanced several feet.

In the center of the formation, Su Ding held a bow. He did not run to the front to fight. He kept issuing orders to adjust the positions of the infantry in the formation, occasionally shooting an arrow. Seeing the cavalry rushing in and continuing to move forward, he immediately grabbed the guard next to him and roared, "Go tell Cao Mingji to stop the general quickly. If that barbarian takes another step forward, I will twist his head off and kick it like a pig."

"Here!"

The personal guard roared, then pushed aside the people in front and rushed towards Cao Mingji. The figure over there was standing in the formation with a knife in hand, and suddenly a voice was heard from behind.

"Captain Cao, pass on General Su's order to drive out the enemy immediately, otherwise you will be subject to military law!"

The figure in black armor trembled, and a voice continued from behind: "General Su said that if that barbarian takes another step forward, he will twist your head off and kick it like a pig."

The hand hanging by his side clenched into a fist, then loosened it. Cao Mingji turned around helplessly and clasped his hands together: "I obey your order."

Seeing the guard turn and leave, Cao Mingji turned around, raised his sword, and mounted a warhorse. He carefully observed that no one was shooting arrows at him, then pointed his sword at Wudu and gritted his teeth: "Follow me, captain, and kill that dead man!"

More than 200 soldiers nearby shouted at once and followed the captain forward. The originally precarious front line saw their own captain coming to help, and they suddenly gained a lot of strength. They roared and pushed the more than 100 armored cavalrymen in front of them back a few points.

Several war horses were caught off guard and fell to the ground with a mournful cry.

"kill--"

When Cao Mingji saw his soldiers showing off their power, his eyes suddenly lit up and he shouted and urged his horse forward.

Wudu's arms dancing with two swords almost left an afterimage, and he managed to save himself and his horse. When he saw Cao Mingji approaching and saw that the other party was riding a horse with armor, his eyes suddenly lit up and he blurted out in fluent Khitan: "Southern barbarian, give me your life."

"Who is..." Cao Mingji's face was grim. He swung the knife in his hand forward and exhaled, "Barbarian!"

when--

Sparks jumped out in front of the two men. The Liao general who surrendered felt a strong force coming from the opposite side, and the hand holding the knife felt a dull pain.

"die--"

Wu Du looked calm as he swung his two swords. Cao Mingji knew that he was no match for the other man in strength, so he tried to block the attack with his left and right hands. The swords made clanging sounds and sparks flew everywhere. However, after only three or five strikes, he was sweating profusely.

All around, the soldiers led by the two men were fighting in a group, and swords, spears and lances were stabbing at the two men from time to time. Wu Du was fine, but Cao Mingji had two holes in his thighs and back after a few hits. Fortunately, the armor was strong and did not hurt his skin and flesh. However, the force of the impact was so painful that he wanted to vomit blood.

In the distance, E Quanzhong, who had made way, was coming back. An Renmei rode in front with two guns in hand, swinging his guns and stabbing the herdsmen who could not dodge in time.

The sound of horse hooves filled the air. The general with a feminine appearance turned around and shouted, "Your Majesty is coming. What should we do?"

E Quanzhong had been his partner for many years, so he naturally knew what his deputy general meant. He waved his sword and kept saying, "I will lead the people to follow His Majesty, and you take half of the troops back to help Su Ding!"

Boom boom boom——

The horses' hooves stepped on the ground, and the slight vibration gradually shook the soles of the feet along the soles. On the warhorse, Wu Du looked in the direction where the sound of horses' hooves came from with some astonishment. The people of the grassland have been dealing with horses and livestock since childhood. From the scale of the sound, he could tell that the number would not be less than four thousand.

"The governor--"

"go!"

As soon as the guard beside him shouted, the brave general of the Beizubu tribe made a prompt decision and forced Cao Mingji away with a knife. He pulled the reins unwillingly and said, "The enemy reinforcements have arrived. Let's leave here. Go, go--"

"Where to go——"

Seeing that the man on the other side was about to leave, Cao Mingji opened his mouth and yelled, but his body remained sitting upright on his horse without moving, not even taking a step forward.

Damn it, I'm not stupid, why would I risk my life at this moment? Whoever wants to chase me can chase me, my hands are shaking so badly, I won't go and die, just shout for others to hear...

Just as he was thinking, the Wudu in front of him suddenly moved his ears, his eyes turned red, and he gritted his teeth. He turned around suddenly and threw a scimitar at him: "Go to hell!"

Cao Mingji's eyes widened and he tilted his head suddenly.

bang——

The sounds of weapons clashing and shouting gradually faded in my ears, but the dull thud of metal colliding and blades entering flesh was particularly clear in my ears.

Cao Mingji first felt a heat in his ear, and then a piercing pain spread from the side of his head to his brain. He couldn't help but open his mouth and scream "Ah——"

In his sight, a few drops of blood splashed down vertically in front of his eyes, and a piece of iron helmet and half of the ear drew an arc and fell to the ground with a plop.

"Ahhhh-"

Cao Mingji raised his trembling arms, covered his ears with his hands, and fell to the side, then fell off the horse with a plop.

"Captain——"

Several bodyguards became very anxious and used their swords and spears to push away the enemies in front of them. Seeing this, the knights of the Zubu tribe turned their horses around and ran away.

If you can survive, who would risk their own life to cover your retreat?

In the night sky, the sounds of trumpets coming from the east and west were similar and connected. Soldiers from both sides, near and far, were exerting their strength. However, compared to the high morale of the Qi army soldiers who were happy to hear about the war, most of the commanders of the coalition forces had the careful idea of ​​preserving their strength.

As the strength of one side was weakening, the strength of the other side declined. Several brave generals of the Qi army took the lead in the charge and killed several commanders on the front line in succession. The front line began to push westward in a jagged pattern.

Amid the roar of horse hooves, people were running everywhere. The light cavalry of the Zubu tribe were fleeing, and the infantry and cavalry of the Qi army advanced together and began to chase and kill the fleeing soldiers.

"Go ahead and intercept them!"

An Renmei's rushing back was like a sharp knife cutting into the body of a snake, immediately cutting the light cavalry into two parts. Wu Du, who ran out, looked back at the figure waving two guns in front of him, pulled the reins, and chose to go around.

The sound of horse hooves from behind was getting closer and closer, and he really didn't have the confidence to continue fighting.

However, the commander of the Zubu tribe, who had just turned to make a detour, suddenly felt a flash of light in his peripheral vision. He turned his head to take a look and was immediately frightened to death.

In the sight, a fiery red war horse was approaching like a burning flame, followed by a majestic figure with a Fang Tian Hua Ji in his hand shining coldly under the firelight. The figure behind was rising and falling, and it was obviously the cavalry rushing over with the general in the front.

Damn...

Wu Du gritted his teeth and seeing that the horse was charging at him fast, he knew he couldn't escape, so he simply rushed forward with the only remaining scimitar, and the tribal soldiers behind him hurriedly followed.

When two armies meet, the brave one wins.

In war, what matters is momentum.

Wu Du had a ferocious look on his face, and he raised his arms, preparing to chop the Qi general in front of him with a knife as he approached.

"roll--"

Before the blade fell, it was picked up by the Fang Tian Huaji. Then the blade scratched his neck, and his head flew high, with blood spurting out like a fountain.

Lu Bu did not stop, his warhorse charged into the enemy camp, his Fang Tian Huaji dancing like a dragon and snake, every swing brought up a rain of blood, and wherever he passed, the Zubu cavalry fell one after another. He was truly invincible and no one could stop him.

In the midst of the bloody battle, a fiery red warhorse suddenly burst into the sight of both sides in a storm of blood, and the knights of the Left Guards followed behind him and ran in a crowd. "Victory!"

The infantrymen on the edge looked at the charging figures over there and roared at the top of their lungs. As if they were infected, cheers of "Victory!" rang out one after another at the southern end of the battlefield, gradually becoming like thunder and spreading to the north.

"Don't worry about the others, follow me and charge straight into the enemy's center—"

The powerful voice echoed on the battlefield. E Quanzhong, holding the eyebrow knife, roared, "Follow Your Majesty!" and led his troops to join the charge.

The rumbling sound of horse hooves spread across the uneven field, and more and more Qi cavalrymen in iron armor surged past like a flood.

On the Zhaotao Division side, the heads of various tribes and Xiao Yixue who received the news were startled at first, and then their faces became extremely ugly, and they hurriedly climbed onto the faces of the Khitan commanders: "Line up and prepare to meet the enemy!"

One hundred thousand cavalrymen may sound like a lot, but the Liao court itself did not have much trust in the tribes of the grasslands, and the weapons and armor were strictly guarded. There were only over 30,000 armored men, and the rest were mostly tribal herdsmen.

Previously, in order to break through the Qi army's line, 30,000 tribal soldiers and herdsmen were deployed successively. However, the Qi army had more complete weapons and armor than them, and the front line could not advance smoothly. Since the beginning of the war, the most casualties were these ordinary herdsmen who only wore fur coats. They had no choice but to send the same force to the north to try to bypass them.

I thought the enemy would advance step by step, but I didn't expect him to lead the army directly into the battle.

Now there are less than 30,000 troops left here, less than half of them are armored, and there are 3,000 Khitan cavalry. The eyes of many leaders have begun to flicker.

As their eyes were connected, a Khitan commander came running over on horseback: "Commander-in-chief, some herdsmen have escaped!"

"what?"

Xiao Yixue turned his head suddenly, and his neck made a "crack" sound. Without caring about his neck, he stared back carefully.

Behind him and on both wings, dark shadows were riding their horses and galloping in the dim light of torches. His eyesight was very good and he could even see some herdsmen on their horses looking back from time to time.

For a moment, the remaining troops were like crumbs of oil cakes, being peeled off layer by layer.

Xiao Yixue sat on the horse in amazement. The tribal leader over there seemed to have communicated well. He turned around and tiptoed towards the warhorse.

"Someone, hurry up..."

Xiao Yixue turned his head to issue an order, but felt a pain in his neck, knowing that he had twisted it. Before he could give the order, he looked at the leaders who had their backs to him. Suddenly, a surge of blood rushed from his chest to his head, and his eyes widened in an instant, bloodshot: "Where are you bastards going!"

"what……"

"Uh……"

The steps stopped, and the figures carrying Xiao Yixue slowly turned their heads, with embarrassed expressions on their faces, their eyes wandering and not daring to look him in the eye.

After a while, one of the leaders of the nine Dadan tribes flashed his eyes and said, "Xiao Zhaotao, we want to catch the escaped people."

"Yes, yes, that's what I thought too."

"Yes, I am not deserting the battlefield. I just want to catch the deserters."

Xiao Yixue's face darkened. He glanced at the people from left to right and from right to left. He held his breath for a long time, gritted his teeth, and said word by word: "Don't worry, I will catch those people myself."

"Ahahaha, um...we should help out, otherwise we'll feel uneasy."

"That's right. Xiao Zhaotao is working hard here, and we will do what we can."

Xiao Yixiu took a breath and his hand involuntarily grasped the hilt of the knife. Seeing this, the leaders on the opposite side also grasped their weapons. While the tribal soldiers in the rear moved forward, the Khitan cavalry of the Recruiting Office also gathered together.

There was a sound of weapons clashing, and weapons with cold light were aimed at the figures on the opposite side.

"Everyone..." Zubu Gudu and several Zubu tribe leaders were standing aside. Seeing this, he couldn't help but step forward and said, "Now is not the time for internal strife. The Qi cavalry is about to charge over. It's better to decide whether to fight or retreat."

He looked at Xiao Yixue and said, "I'm leaving." He turned to look at everyone and raised his hand, "Anyone want to go with me?"

"Together."

"I'm leaving too. I can't stay here."

"Me too."

wow——

A pair of sturdy arms stood upright in the air. Xiao Yixue suddenly felt suffocated and spoke with difficulty: "My fellow leaders, if you retreat now... you will never have another chance."

Zubugudu waved his hand and said: "If you retreat now, we can regroup and fight again in broad daylight."

"Yes, we lost tonight because it was dark."

"And the Qi army's despicable sneak attack... Hey? What about the military rations?"

"Re-recruitment?"

"This……"

The chaotic scene broke out again, and Xiao Yixue let go of the knife handle weakly. What on earth had he eaten in the past few days that made him think that these people in front of him could accomplish anything?

Looking at the leaders in front of him, Xiao Yixue pulled the reins and said, "Let's go——"

He tapped the horse's belly with his feet and ran back. The cavalrymen from the Recruiting Office behind him were stunned and quickly turned around and ran after Xiao Yixue.

A dozen tribal leaders suddenly came to their senses upon seeing this, and shouted "Go!" They jumped on their war horses with their fat bodies and galloped away with their tribal soldiers.

The sound of war horses roared from behind the Qi army. Amid the chaos, no one took the initiative to suggest that the troops in the front retreat.

The roar of galloping horses was getting closer and closer from the east. Someone looked back, threw the golden sword he was carrying to the ground, turned around and galloped away on his horse.

……

There was a gentle breeze, and the soil without green grass looked somewhat ugly under the light of the fire. Flags, weapons, and cloth bags were thrown all over the place, and no one knew how many more stretched out into the darkness.

Lü Bu reined in Red Hare, his eyes twitched, and he turned his head to look around. In the flickering firelight, many excited faces were filled with disappointment.

"Order the Wolf Riders to send half of their troops to continue the pursuit."

Reaching out and touching Red Hare's mane, Lü Bu looked calm and said in a dull tone: "Tell the pursuing troops to be careful, lest the enemy is pretending to retreat."

He ordered the cavalry to respond and leave.

Lü Bu had just raised his Fang Tian Hua Ji and shouted at the battlefield behind him where fighting was still going on: "Go back and kill all the enemies who attacked tonight!"

"Here!"

The knights beside him all responded loudly, and the expressions on their faces changed from disappointment to joy.

Lu Bu shook the reins, and Red Hare galloped out again. The horse's voice shook in all directions in the night wind: "Follow me, go--"

A moment later, the roar of horse hooves hitting the ground sounded again, and a team with lit torches continued to move westward, and a winding fire dragon followed the red figure in front to the east.

(End of this chapter)