The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 734 Desperate Battle (Part 2)

The autumn sun shone brightly, the sky was high and the clouds were light, and the autumn wind was bleak and sharp. Dong Dao stopped his horse on a high slope several miles away, shading his eyes with his hand as he looked at the distant battlefield. His heart sank to the bottom; he had arrived too late after all!

When Jia Huan received Man Gui's report of victory, he had a bad feeling. He knew Man Gui's personality too well. This kid was full of courage and fought like a man possessed by death. He was a true daredevil. He had once asked him to raid Liucheng, but after completing the mission, the kid simply attacked Huozhou as well. This gave him a glimpse into his character.

However, sometimes being too bold is not a good thing, as it can easily lead to recklessness and rashness. Therefore, when Jia Huan learned that Man Gui had defeated Shen Yi Kui and was leading his troops in pursuit, he immediately sent Dong Dao on horseback to deliver the order, hoping to stop Man Gui in time.

Unfortunately, Dong Dao arrived too late; Man Gui's troops were already surrounded by the enemy forces.

A fierce autumn wind blew in his face, and even from miles away, the pungent stench of blood was still clearly audible. Dong Dao observed quietly for a while, watching as Man Gui's banner charged left and right through the enemy ranks that covered the mountains and plains, but he was unable to break through. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly. He knew that Man Gui was finished this time, and his 10,000 elite soldiers were doomed!
Although Dong Dao was highly skilled in martial arts and unmatched in one-on-one combat, in the face of thousands of troops on the battlefield, an individual's ability was ultimately just a drop in the ocean. He was powerless to do anything but turn his horse around and leave, rushing to report to Jia Huan as quickly as possible.

As for Man Gui, he led his soldiers in a fierce battle, fighting from noon until afternoon and then from afternoon until dusk, but ultimately failed to break through the encirclement, and nearly half of his soldiers had been killed or wounded.

At this moment, the setting sun was like blood, and the world was desolate and bleak, with the west wind blowing even more fiercely. Man Gui was covered in blood, his tiger eyes were bloodshot, and everything in his sight seemed to be stained with blood. His blade was dulled, and three of his mounts had died from exhaustion, yet he still mechanically repeated his hacking and slashing movements. From morning till night, the number of bandits who died at his hands was probably at least ninety-nine, if not a hundred.

Seeing that the Jin army was already at its last gasp, Gao Yingxiang, Wang Ziyong and others felt no joy. Instead, their faces were gloomy because the fighting strength and tenacity of this Jin army far exceeded their expectations. Despite being surrounded, they fought to the death and refused to surrender.

Although the Jin army had suffered more than half its casualties, it had also inflicted even greater losses on Gao Yingxiang's troops, with the casualty ratio being almost 1:3. In other words, if the Jin army suffered 5,000 casualties, the rebel army would have suffered 15,000.

My flesh hurts!
It should be noted that Gao Yingxiang and Wang Ziyong dispatched their elite troops this time, not the elderly, weak, sick, or disabled. The heavy casualties were something they had not anticipated!

Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong were even more distressed. Although they were Gao Yingxiang's subordinates and under his control, they were relatively independent. At this moment, the most casualties were in their own troops. How could they not feel pain?

"You bastard, this piece of trash is really hard to deal with, I can't kill him no matter what I do!" Zhang Xianzhong cursed loudly from behind the lines, pointing at Man Gui's banner.

Although Zhang Xianzhong was notoriously cunning, he was tall and imposing. Because of his sallow complexion, he was nicknamed "Yellow-faced Tiger" and called himself the Eighth King. Due to his bravery in battle and his skill in handling affairs, he was highly valued by Gao Yingxiang.

At this moment, Zhang Xianzhong suddenly seized an opening, hurriedly drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and shot straight at Man Gui's heart.

"General, beware of a hidden arrow!" A personal guard beside Man Gui shouted a warning, urging his horse forward. As a result, the arrow struck him squarely on the side of his neck, and he died instantly, falling from his horse.

Man Gui's eyes widened in fury at the sight. This personal guard was his confidant, who had accompanied him on the battlefield for the past two years, risking his life time and again. They were like brothers, but he never expected that he would perish here today!
Man Gui let out a grief-stricken roar and charged madly toward Zhang Xianzhong's location. However, the latter was very afraid of death and after firing his hidden arrows, he slipped behind the crowd. Man Gui killed several people, but he himself was also stabbed and shot, and blood gushed out immediately.

At this moment, Man Gui was already at his last gasp. Looking at the blood-red sunset on the horizon, he felt both unwilling and helpless, regretful and self-reproachful. He drew his knife and prepared to end his own life to avoid falling into the hands of thieves and being humiliated.

At this critical moment, a force of soldiers slowly and deliberately advanced from the east, their mournful battle song echoing across the sky: "How can we say we have no clothes? We share the same robes. The king is raising an army; let us prepare our spears and shields, and fight together against this common enemy..."

"General, look! It looks like our reinforcements have arrived!" a soldier shouted excitedly.

Man Gui was startled. He wiped away the blood and sweat that soaked his eyebrows and looked eastward. Sure enough, an army was advancing in the vast darkness of the night. In the fading light of the setting sun, he could vaguely see a large banner fluttering in the wind, bearing a huge character "Lu". "Lu? Could it be... Lu Xiangshan!" Man Gui's spirits lifted immediately. Whoever it was, it was reinforcements.

Suddenly, Man Gui, drawing strength from who-knows-where, shouted in a hoarse voice, "Brothers, the commander-in-chief has sent reinforcements! Those who want to live, follow me and charge!"

The soldiers' morale soared, and driven by a strong will to survive, they unleashed a tremendous burst of energy, charging eastward with all their might, forward, forward, and forward again...

The reinforcements that came from the east at this time were Lu Xiang-sheng's troops.

As mentioned earlier, after Gao Yingxiang retreated from Shanxi back to Shaanxi, he first occupied Mizhi County, which was under the jurisdiction of Yan'an Prefecture. Then he wanted to take Yan'an Prefecture City, but Lu Xiangshan defended the city so well that Gao Yingxiang could not gain any advantage and had to retreat to Bao'an County in the northwest.

Because Gao Yingxiang was powerful and had many soldiers and generals, Lu Xiang-sheng did not dare to provoke him. However, he closely monitored Gao Yingxiang's movements. Recently, his scouts discovered that Gao Yingxiang had led his main force away from Bao'an County and was moving towards Taibai Mountain. He was acting suspiciously and no one knew what he was planning.

So Lu Xiang-sheng led a group of men to follow closely, intending to launch a surprise attack and gain some advantage. Unexpectedly, Gao Ying-xiang and his gang were also out "hunting" and ambushed Man Gui at the foot of Taibai Mountain.

At this time, Lu Xiang-sheng only had three thousand men with him. Seeing that Man Gui was surrounded by a hundred thousand bandits, if he did not come to the rescue, he would probably be wiped out.

Although Lu Xiang-sheng was a scholar and a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations) in two separate examinations, he was not a weak scholar who could not even kill a chicken. On the contrary, he was born with superhuman strength and had excellent martial arts skills. When he was studying, he was given the nickname "Lu the Mighty" and now he has even earned the title "Lu the King of Hell".

Lu Xiang-sheng was skilled in military strategy. When he served as the magistrate of Mizhi County, he organized the militia to sweep away bandits. Later, he was promoted to the position of Tongpan of Yan'an Prefecture, where he achieved remarkable political achievements. He was then promoted to the position of Prefect of Yan'an. It was because of Lu Yanwang's ruthlessness that ordinary thieves dared not cause trouble in Yan'an Prefecture.

At this time, Lu Xiang-sheng only had three thousand men under his command, but he did not retreat, nor did he blindly rush to the rescue. He simply waited quietly for the opportunity, until both sides had fought fiercely for most of the day and were almost exhausted. Only then did he launch a surprise attack under the cover of twilight.

Despite having only three thousand men under Lu Xiang-sheng's command, their combat strength was by no means weak. They fought in groups of ten, using both long and short weapons with great skill. Singing battle songs as they charged forward, they moved as if they were in an empty field.

The troops responsible for blocking the east were Gao Yingxiang's forces. They were caught off guard when Lu Xiangshan launched a surprise attack on their rear. In addition, with the twilight falling and the enemy advancing rapidly like a tide, they could not make out how many troops were coming. So they were filled with suspicion and unease. Just then, the besieged Jin army suddenly broke out and charged and attacked in this direction.

As the saying goes, the older one gets in the world, the more timid one becomes. When Gao Yingxiang first started his uprising, he was fearless, but as his strength and wealth grew, he began to fear death. After all, he had soldiers, money, and women at his disposal, and he hadn't had enough of enjoying life yet. Wouldn't it be a loss to lose his life?
Therefore, seeing himself attacked from both sides and facing a seemingly critical situation, Gao Yingxiang immediately withdrew, moving north to avoid the Jin army's offensive. Upon seeing their leader flee, Gao Yingxiang's soldiers, realizing there was no point in fighting, scattered to both sides.

In this way, Man Gui and the remaining soldiers were able to break through the encirclement and successfully rendezvous with Lu Xiang-sheng's troops.

Seeing that he had rescued the people, Lu Xiang-sheng withdrew without hesitation, leading Man Gui's remaining troops to retreat hastily to the nearby Huai'an County.

Man Gui and the others escaped alive, and were all in high spirits, as if they had inexhaustible strength, and ran forward with long strides.

It is just as the saying goes: The carp escapes the golden hook, shaking its head and wagging its tail, never to return.

(End of this chapter)