I rode and slashed unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 661: Luyang City Falls, Su Yao Returns (Combined Chapter 5K4)

"what?!"

"Duke Yi (Han Dang's name) is dead? Sun Ben was defeated and all his troops were lost?!"

When Sun Jian heard the news, he was so shocked that he could hardly believe his ears.

He stood up suddenly, staring fiercely at the personal soldier of Sun Ben who had returned to report the news, as if he wanted to see through him with his eyes.

The soldier felt his whole body go hairy under Sun Jian's dagger-like gaze. He lowered his head, not daring to meet Sun Jian's gaze, but just repeated his previous words tremblingly.

"Lord Sun, it is absolutely true. I saw it with my own eyes. Han Sima was stabbed to death by the enemy's spear, and Sun Sima barely escaped. The troops suffered heavy losses."

"Now, now my Sun Sima is outside the camp, asking for forgiveness. Please show leniency!"

After listening to the report from his personal soldiers, Sun Jian's face turned pale, his fists were clenched, and his knuckles turned white from the force. He took a deep breath and tried hard to suppress the anger and shock in his heart.

"Han Dang...he actually died in the battle?" Sun Jian murmured to himself, his voice revealing incredible grief.

Han Dang, as a capable general under his command, has always been one of Sun Jian's most trusted generals.

He was brave and courageous, and had made great achievements on the battlefield many times, making great contributions to Sun Jian's hegemony. However, he died young. How could Sun Jian not be heartbroken?
What shocked him even more was that the enemy general was so brave and fierce that even a fierce general like Han Dang was no match for him.

"Tai Wen, I am deeply saddened by your loss."

Seeing this, Cheng Pu stepped forward and said:

"Now that the Righteous King is gone, we must rally our forces and avenge him!"

Sun Jian heard this, nodded slightly, narrowed his eyes, and asked coldly:

"Do you know who that enemy general is?" Sun Jianqiang asked in a deep voice, suppressing his anger.

The scout shook his head and replied, "I don't know the enemy general's name, I only know that he calls himself Zhang Yide from Yan."

"Zhang Yide?"

Sun Jian frowned and tried hard to search for the name in his mind, but to no avail.

He had never heard of this man named Zhang Yide, let alone knew that he was so brave.

"Could it be a new powerful general emerging from Liaodong?" Sun Jian speculated in his heart.

He knew very well that Liaodong was located in a remote area with poor information access, and it was very likely that there were experts that he was unaware of.

However, now is not the time to pursue this, Sun Jian must make a decision as soon as possible.

He took a deep breath, tried to calm himself down, and began to analyze the situation.

Han Dang, who was supporting Yingchuan, was killed in the battle and Sun Ben fled back, which meant that he could no longer count on reinforcements from there in the short term.

Fortunately, Su Yao's Liaodong troops were not too numerous. Although the Yingchuan army could not deal with them, it should not be a problem for them to defend their own territory.

As long as Yingchuan was not lost, the cavalry from Liaodong would not be able to march through Yingchuan and attack his back.

The most important thing to do right now is to attack Luyang with all our strength.

As long as he captured Luyang and removed this thorn, it would be no problem for his tens of thousands of troops to head north to Yingchuan to deal with those annoying attackers.

"Pass the order down. The entire army will shrink the defense line, send out scouts, and strengthen the security of the siege camp."

Sun Jian ordered in a deep voice:

"At the same time, send people to Yingchuan to ask Li Min to be careful, guard the city well, and keep an eye on the attackers to prevent them from getting through easily."

"Finally, all troops, prepare to continue the attack tomorrow morning. We must capture Luyang as soon as possible!"

"Yes, General!"

The messengers took the order and left, quickly conveying Sun Jian's order to all the troops.

Sun Jian stood in the tent with a determined gaze, looking at the city of Luyang in the distance. He secretly swore in his heart that he must capture the city and then avenge Han Dang.

In Luyang City, although Yuan Tan and others trapped inside did not know what was happening outside, Sun Jian's relaxation of the attack in the past few days finally gave them a chance to breathe.

Now, the atmosphere suddenly changed, as if the decisive battle was just around the corner. Yuan Tan immediately felt an unprecedented anxiety.

He knew that he might have reached a desperate situation. If he could not defend Luyang from Sun Jian's fierce attack, then death would be the only thing waiting for them.

"Mr. Feng, is there really nothing we can do?"

In the mansion in Luyang County, Yuan Tan called Feng Ji, his face as gloomy as water.

Feng Ji frowned, thought for a moment and then said:

"Sir, now the only thing we have to do is to hold on to the end, defend the city, and wait for reinforcements from Luoyang."

"But Luoyang has already sent troops to support us once. Can they send more troops?" Yuan Tan questioned.

Feng Ji paused, shook his head and sighed:

"Honestly, I'm not sure."

"But with Captain Dian by our side, there is always a possibility."

"From what I've seen of Guan Jun Hou, he's not the type who would easily abandon his subordinates."

"If he knew the predicament we are in, he would definitely not sit idly by."

When Yuan Tan heard this, a glimmer of hope flashed in his eyes, but when he thought about the distance between the two sides, Yuan Tan sighed again:
"I hope so."

"But Sun Jian's offensive is fierce, and Luyang City is small. We have more and more wounded soldiers, but less and less food and grass. It is unknown how long we can hold out."

"I'm afraid that by the time he comes back, we'll all be dead."

When Feng Ji heard this, his face became extremely solemn.

He knew very well that what Yuan Tan said was true. Luyang City was small, food and grass reserves were limited, and they were currently under siege and fighting, which was extremely costly.

Once the food and grass are exhausted, the morale of the people in the city will collapse, and then there will be no need for Sun Jian to attack the city, as they will be defeated without a fight.

"Don't worry, sir. Let me think of a solution."

Feng Ji tried to remain calm and began to think hard about countermeasures.

He knew that they were now at a critical juncture of life and death, and they had to find a way to reverse the situation as soon as possible.

However, after thinking for a long time, Feng Ji found that he had no good solution.

Luyang City has been surrounded by Sun Jian, and the connection between the city and the outside world has been completely cut off. It is almost impossible to get assistance from the outside world.

However, there was limited food and grass in the city, many wounded soldiers, and low morale. It was extremely difficult for the city to hold out on its own until reinforcements from Luoyang arrived.

"Mr. Feng, do you have any good ideas?"

Seeing Feng Ji remained silent for a long time, Yuan Tan could not help but urge him.

Feng Ji was silent for a long time. He didn't want to say that he was helpless, which would make the young master even more desperate, so he had to pick out some precautions for repairing the situation.

However, Yuan Tan is not a child. These things are indeed helpful in defending the city, but they are already doing them. It is impossible to reverse the situation by relying on these small things alone.

"Are we really going to die here?"

When Yuan Tan heard this, a trace of despair flashed in his eyes.

He never expected that he would end up like this.

At this moment, suddenly outside the room, war drums roared, and a personal soldier hurried in and reported:

"My Lord, it's bad, Sun Jian has started attacking the city again!"

"what?!"

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan and Feng Ji's faces changed drastically.

They hurriedly climbed up the city wall to check the situation, only to see that Sun Jian's army had already formed up, drums were beating, and shouts of killing were shaking the earth.

Obviously, Sun Jian has decided to launch the final general attack.

"Damn it, why is Sun Jian so impatient!"

Yuan Tan cursed with gnashing teeth.

He knew very well that once Sun Jian launched a general attack, Luyang City would be difficult to defend.

"Sir, the situation is critical right now. We must make a decision as soon as possible."

Feng Ji said in a deep voice.

Hearing this, Yuan Tan took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

He knew that he couldn't panic now and had to find a way to stabilize the situation.

"Mr. Feng, you must immediately organize the people and wounded in the city to evacuate to a safe area."

"At the same time, quickly call Sima Wen and Duwei Dian to come and have the soldiers strengthen the city defense and prepare for battle."

"Yes, son."

Feng Ji took the order and began to organize the evacuation of the people and the wounded in the city.

Wen Chou and Dian Wei also took their positions immediately, ready to meet today's challenge.

Yuan Tan stood on the city wall, nervously looking at Sun Jian's army below.

He knew that this battle would determine their life or death.

If he wins, he will get another day to breathe; if he loses, death is the only thing waiting for him.

At the foot of the city, Sun Jian looked at the nervous figures on the top of Luyang City and couldn't help but sneer.

Although he relaxed his siege efforts in recent days due to his focus on Yingchuan and the division of troops, it does not mean that his army wasted time under the city.

Sun Jian was already very clear that the reason why the small city of Luyang could repeatedly withstand his attacks was precisely because the enemy had two great generals, Wen Chou and Dian Wei, on the city walls.

And because Sun Jian easily repelled the two of them in the initial battle outside the city, Sun Jian did not take them seriously at first.

However, when the siege entered a white-hot stage, Sun Jian discovered that the two men were indeed remarkable.

The troops of Cheng Pu, Huang Gai and others had climbed the top of the city several times, and even they themselves had climbed it once. If this had been used in the past to fight the Yellow Turban bandits, it would have basically meant that the city had been breached.

However, Wen Chou and Dian Wei were like two insurmountable mountains. They led a small number of elite soldiers and drove Sun Jian's soldiers off the city wall again and again.

As Wen Chou was a famous veteran general in Hebei, Sun Jian was not surprised that he had such ability.

But the new captain named Dian Wei really surprised Sun Jian.

However, he was just a wanted criminal, but he displayed extraordinary strength and fearless courage on the city wall.

The pair of halberds, one long and one short, seemed to have life in his hands. Every time he swung them, they could bring up a gust of wind, which not only frightened his own soldiers, but even Huang Gai was defeated before he could last too many rounds.

With such a powerful general guarding him, it was obviously very difficult to capture Luyang by climbing up the city wall with a few ladders, so he had to fight a war of attrition for almost a month.

But today everything is different!

During these days, Sun Jian, having learned his lesson, gave up the plan of building a few simple ladders for quick attack every day. He not only built more sturdy ladders, but also made several reinforced battering rams.

He wanted to launch an all-round offensive, using a tidal-like army to besiege the city from all sides, not sparing any place, including the city walls and gates.

No matter how brave you are, you can't handle everything at once, right?

Sun Jian looked at the figures of Wen Chou and Dian Wei on the top of the city wall and clenched his fists.

He knew very well that only by taking Luyang as soon as possible and completely eliminating Yuan Shao's forces could he lay the foundation for gaining a foothold in the Central Plains.

"The whole army obeys the order and attacks the city!"

At Sun Jian's command, the army rushed towards Luyang City like a tide.

On the top of the city wall, Yuan Tan and his soldiers were ready for battle.

However, they soon discovered that Sun Jian's army was too fierce.

Under Sun Jian's personal command, the army was like a tiger descending from the mountains, unstoppable.

Although the defenses of Luyang City were strong, cracks began to appear under the fierce attack of Sun Jian's army.

"Sir, the situation is not good!"

A general hurriedly ran to Yuan Tan and said in a panic.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan's expression became even more serious.

He knew very well that if this continued, it would be difficult to defend Luyang City.

"Pass the order down, have the soldiers fight to the death, and never let Sun Jian break through the city!"

Yuan Tan shouted loudly.

Upon hearing this, the soldiers raised their arms and shouted, and their morale was greatly boosted.

They knew that it was now a matter of life and death, and they had to fight to the death to have a chance of survival.

However, despite the soldiers' desperate resistance, Sun Jian's army was too fierce.

Wen Chou and Dian Wei had tried their best, but under the fierce attack of the enemy army that was several times larger than theirs, the defense of Luyang City gradually began to count down to collapse.

At this moment, the first domino fell quietly:
"not good!"

"The city gate, the city gate can no longer be defended!"

A general shouted in panic.

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan quickly leaned over to look.

I saw several flaming ramming cars piled up outside the city gate.

However, Sun Jian's car crashes seemed endless. When one car was burned, he would push another one up.

Finally, the kerosene bottles on the city wall were completely used up.

All they could hear was the sound of the ramming truck banging against the city gate, as if it was ringing their death knell.

Yuan Tan felt a wave of despair and a chill in his heart.

The two most capable fighters, Dian Wei and Wen Chou, had been pinned down on the city walls by Sun Jian's army.

Once the city gate is lost, Sun Jian's army will march straight in, and Luyang City will be completely finished.

Therefore, Yuan Tan raised his arms and shouted, while ordering his men to quickly find other kerosene and use rockets to ram the car.

However, Sun Jian's reinforced battering ram not only had a wooden frame to protect against arrows, but was also wrapped in leather, so ordinary rockets could not be ignited at all.

The gate of Luyang City made a deafening sound under the fierce attack of Sun Jian's army, as if it would collapse at any time.

Yuan Tan and the soldiers on the city wall looked at the enemy army getting closer and closer, their hearts filled with despair.

Everyone knew that once the city gates were lost, Luyang City would no longer have any natural defenses to rely on, and what awaited them would be the ruthless trampling and killing by Sun Jian's army.

No one can survive.

As long as they thought about the losses inflicted on Sun Jian's troops in recent days, they understood that by then no rational general would be able to stop his soldiers from killing.

The massacre of the city is almost 100% certain.

"Sir, I'm afraid we can't defend the city gate!" the captain of the personal guards shouted anxiously.

He heard that the banging of the city gate was becoming more and more rapid, as if it would collapse at any time.

"Mr. Feng, are we really out of options?" Yuan Tan's voice was trembling. He clutched tightly at the battlements of the city wall, as if trying to stabilize his shaky body.

Feng Ji remained silent, his eyes moving through the waves of enemy troops below the city, his face full of solemnity.

He knew clearly that the current situation was beyond their control, and even with all their wisdom, they could not avoid the inevitable defeat.

However, as Yuan Tan's adviser, he could not show the slightest panic, let alone let Yuan Tan lose his last bit of confidence.

"Sir, now that things have come to this, we can only do our best and leave the rest to fate."

Feng Ji took a deep breath and tried to make his voice sound more resolute:
"As long as there is still a glimmer of hope, we can't give up."

Upon hearing this, Yuan Tan clenched his fists and closed his eyes.

He knew Feng Ji was right. Even though there was little hope, they couldn't just sit there and wait for death.

"Pass the order and have the soldiers make final preparations."

Yuan Tan clenched his teeth, his voice filled with unquestionable determination:
"Defend the city gates to the death - we will live and die with Luyang City!"

After saying that, he personally led his personal soldiers towards the city gate tower.

There, Yuan Tan personally sat at the city gate. He stared at the city below and saw that the small city gate was densely packed with his own soldiers. Each of them had a nervous and solemn expression, holding their weapons tightly, waiting for the final moment to come.

Finally, with a collision and creaking sound, the city gate collapsed. Sun Jian's army immediately pulled out the battering ram and then poured into the city gate like a tide.

"Kill!"

In front of the position, Sun Jian waved his weapon and ordered the entire army to attack. Cheng Pu himself led the troops to attack the city gate.

Immediately, the two armies launched a fierce fight under the city gate. The soldiers of both armies fought desperately, the ground was dyed red with blood, and the shouts of killing shook the earth.

Although Yuan's soldiers fought desperately, when Dian Wei and Wen Chou were both overwhelmed, there was no general at the city gate who could stop Cheng Pu's advance.

As time slowly passed, Yuan's army's defense line at the city gate began to gradually collapse. Soldiers fell one after another. The space inside the city gate became smaller and smaller, and the battle became more brutal.

It's over, it's all over.

The gap in numbers and combat power between the two sides cannot be made up by willpower.

When the city was broken, this scene was vividly displayed.

Suddenly, Yuan Tan looked desperate and closed his eyes.

Sun Jian laughed heartily:

"kill!"

"Everyone, come together and take over Luyang City. Don't put down your sword for three days!"

This order was like the sentence of the god of death, bringing despair to Lu Yang, but also boosting the morale of the soldiers under his command.

They knew that victory was within their grasp and now it was time to share the fruits of victory.

Everyone rushed towards the city gate yelling, no longer caring about formation or organization.

After all, only those who enter the city earlier can grab more treasures. If you go late, you can only pick up what others have left.

However, at this moment, they suddenly heard a burst of hurried horse hoof sounds behind them.

In the noisy battlefield, amid the deafening shouts and cries of killing, the sound of horse hooves was very faint and most people did not hear it.

But not including Sun Jian.

Even in this moment of victory, he paid close attention to his surroundings.

He did not miss such a sound, and therefore the expression on his face became even more surprised.

He didn't have many cavalry under his command.

Here, the only force that can have a cavalry team whose horse hooves can penetrate the battlefield is probably the Liaodong knights who are still in Yingchuan.

Could it be that Li Min is incompetent and let those people come?

That's impossible. I have released a large number of scouts around, but no one has come to report anything unusual.

With surprise and confusion, Sun Jian looked back.

But he was surprised to find that although the people coming were indeed under the banner of Su, they were not the famous White Horse Volunteers and Lightly Armored Hu Cavalry, but a whole team of more than a thousand people.
"Armored cavalry?!" Sun Jian exclaimed.

Soon after, Huang Gai, Cheng Pu and others also turned their heads to look, and saw that the armored cavalry team was sweeping in from the northwest like a strong wind. Their armor was shining brightly in the sun, and they were like the gods of war descending, rushing straight towards the camp behind them.

Especially the leader, wearing a white horse and a red robe, holding a lance, was particularly dazzling.

Almost immediately, everyone recognized who the visitor was.

It goes without saying that the person with that arrogant look on his face could be no other than the legendary champion Hou Suyao who is known to be a show-off and attention-seeking person.
(End of this chapter)