I am not Yuan Shu

Chapter 376 Because only he can change this corrupt world.

He Lian was initially calm and confident, feeling that victory was within his grasp, but as the game progressed, he realized that his situation was not good.

It seems like the Han army has the upper hand, while the Xianbei army seems to be suffering repeated defeats.

The mounted archery tactics were ineffective, and the Han cavalry relentlessly pressed forward to engage the Xianbei cavalry in close combat. The Xianbei cavalry found it difficult to utilize their archery advantage, and their horsemanship advantage was negated by the superior equipment of the Han army, resulting in them being suppressed in all aspects.

He was anxious and wanted to do something, but he found that he didn't have many cavalrymen left, and the only ones he could rely on were his few thousand auxiliary troops.

Seeing that the Han army's central formation remained motionless, he rolled his eyes, gritted his teeth, and decided to "capture the king first" by leading his auxiliary troops to attack the Han army's formation and capture the Han army's commander. As long as he captured the Han army's commander, no matter how powerful the Han cavalry was, victory would ultimately belong to him.

Meanwhile, Lu Zhi was observing the battle from a hilltop, occasionally issuing orders to mobilize his cavalry. Suddenly, he received a report that the Xianbei army commander had begun his operation and was heading towards them.

Lu Zhi looked in that direction and, sure enough, the banner of the Xianbei army's commander was slowly moving along with an army, indeed heading in his direction.

Is this a battle between the two generals?

That's brave, but is it even useful?
Lu Zhi had just confirmed that he would win this battle. Once the Xianbei army was brought close by the Han cavalry, they would be unable to resist and would be quickly defeated.

In this way, the Xianbei cavalry will be completely defeated in no time. Once the cavalry is no longer protected, what chance will the remaining infantry have to turn the tide of the battle?

No more.

Lu Zhi found it amusing, so without giving it much thought, he ordered the archers and crossbowmen of Yunzhong County under his command to begin firing in that direction.

After the order was given, the archers of Yunzhong County began to fire. They used crossbows with longer range, such as powerful crossbows and taut crossbows, to fire at the Xianbei army formation. Before the central army of Helian could even reach the range of the arrows, they were covered by the crossbow bolts of the Han army. People were shot to death one after another, and screams of agony were heard one after another.

Although Helian ordered his troops to use shields to defend themselves, they did not have many shields. They had lost many shields in the previous siege and had not been replenished, so they were not enough to defend against the dense rain of arrows.

Helian himself was well protected, surrounded by shields that shielded him completely, but the auxiliary troops were not so well treated, forced to advance while dodging a hail of arrows.

As a result, the already irregular formation quickly descended into chaos, with groups of three or five huddled together, and a dozen or so men vying for one or two shields, causing the army's discipline to fall into disarray.

Lu Zhi had initially thought that the Xianbei people's painstakingly built infantry force was quite capable, but upon seeing how utterly incompetent it was, he immediately smiled disdainfully and then issued his orders.

The remaining thousand cavalry charged forward and completely crushed the Xianbei vassal army!

The thousand Han cavalrymen who remained behind roared off and quickly stormed into the ranks of the auxiliary troops. They encountered little resistance and began to wreak havoc, with blood splattering everywhere and limbs flying in all directions. Before the soldiers could even react, they were unable to continue their advance.

Seeing that the situation was not good, He Lian's confidants tried to persuade him to leave as soon as possible and not stay any longer, otherwise there would be danger. However, He Lian was stubborn at first, saying that he would rather die on the battlefield than be a coward.

However, as the battle progressed, He Lian gradually realized that his surroundings were no longer safe. Some particularly brave Han cavalry would even charge at him, causing his personal guards to teeter on the brink of collapse.

He was surrounded by fierce battle cries and the thick stench of blood. The blustering but cowardly He Lian finally couldn't hold on any longer and began to try to retreat.

But it's too late to back down now.

The Xianbei cavalry had been defeated by the Han cavalry and were in a state of collapse and flight. The Han cavalry were pursuing them bravely and expanding their gains. They wanted to retreat, but their rear had been cut off and there was no way to escape.

After Huang Zhong led his army to defeat the Xianbei cavalry that were fighting against him, he continued to charge back and forth in the chaos of battle, cutting off many heads.

As they charged, they suddenly found themselves next to a group of Xianbei cavalrymen who were protecting a well-dressed cavalry general.

Huang Zhong's keen senses immediately made him realize that this cavalry general was of high status and must be a big shot among the Xianbei people. Overjoyed, he immediately led his troops to follow and led his cavalry to charge at the Xianbei cavalry, engaging them in a fierce battle and forcing the Xianbei cavalry to stop for a while.

In that brief window of opportunity, Huang Zhong's eyes narrowed, he drew his bow, aimed at the ornately dressed cavalry general, and released the arrow.

It struck the general squarely in the chest!

The sharp arrow pierced right through him. The cavalryman seemed somewhat incredulous, looking down at his chest before raising his head and looking around blankly.

The next instant, his eyes rolled back and he fell off his warhorse.

It's obviously dead.

After the cavalry general died, his personal guards seemed to fall into a frenzy, and their battle against the Han army suddenly became fierce, with a reckless and desperate attitude, showing great bravery.

But it's not very meaningful.

Huang Zhong drew his bow and shot five arrows in succession, killing five Xianbei cavalrymen. Each arrow accurately hit the vital points of the Xianbei cavalrymen, killing them with a single shot and leaving no survivors, thus helping his subordinates to annihilate the entire cavalry force.

By this point, the Han army had achieved a complete victory, as expected. The Xianbei soldiers still alive on the battlefield had either surrendered or fled, and a very small number, trapped and desperate, fought to the death, hoping to break through. But the result was not as expected.

Lu Zhi waved his command flag, directing the Han army to divide and surround the Xianbei army, and fought fiercely to kill them. After about an hour, the Han army completely defeated the Xianbei army and won a glorious victory.

After the battle, according to statistics, the Han army killed more than 2,000 Xianbei soldiers, most of whom were Xianbei cavalry, and a small number of auxiliary troops.

Most of the auxiliary troops surrendered, telling the Han army that they were not Xianbei, but Buyeo or Goguryeo people, and begged the Han soldiers not to kill them.

The remaining 3,000-plus Xianbei cavalry were captured, along with more than 4,000 warhorses. A large amount of military equipment, supplies, cattle, sheep, and dried meat became spoils of war for the Han army, enough for the Han soldiers to feast on.

But the biggest gains weren't those, but rather the alliance.

Tan Shihuai's son and Lian.

According to the identification of some Xianbei surrenderers after the war, He Lian, dressed in fine clothes, was identified, and he was the one who was shot to death by Huang Zhong with an arrow.

It was only then that Huang Zhong learned that among all the people he had shot and killed was actually Tan Shihuai's son, who was also Tan Shihuai's chosen future heir, essentially the crown prince of the Xianbei.

He shot and killed the Xianbei crown prince!
This credit is a bit too much.

Huang Zhong was immediately delighted, and his whole body became excited, his face turning red.

He felt that he would definitely be promoted when he returned this time.

It has been nearly four years since I came from Nanyang to follow Yuan Shu. After a long period of training and waiting, I have finally gotten this opportunity to show my talents and soar to new heights!

I've succeeded, Master Huang!
Lu Zhi's joy, however, came on a different level.

This battle was won, and the entire Xianbei army was wiped out, including Tan Shihuai's son.

Since they were able to achieve victory against overwhelming odds, they figured things wouldn't be too difficult in Shuofang and Wuyuan counties either. The Xianbei people's fighting strength was far less formidable than they had imagined, and they were not a formidable enemy.

Or perhaps it's because they themselves grew too fast, and the Xianbei people couldn't keep up.

The Xianbei people no longer had a combat advantage over the Han army in Bingzhou, and the Han army was bound to win this great battle.

Since there's no need to worry about Shuofang and Wuyuan counties, the most worrisome situation is Yanmen county, which Yuan Shu is personally leading the charge against.

According to the confession of the captured Xianbei tribal chief, Tan Shihuai set off from the royal court of Tanhan Mountain, personally leading tens of thousands of cavalry and auxiliary troops, as well as a large amount of military equipment and supplies, south to Yanmen County. He was determined to take Yanmen County and was very powerful. Yuan Shu was about to face the main force of the Xianbei people.

Can Yuan Shu win this battle?
Lu Zhi had confidence in Yuan Shu, but he was still somewhat worried. So he discussed it with Zang Min and suggested that Zang Min lead a cavalry force to support Yuan Shu.

Zang Min felt curious.

"The number of troops under Lord Yuan's command far exceeds that of yours. So what if you have a few thousand more cavalry? Our mission is to protect Yunzhong County, not to do anything else. Moreover, everyone knows that Lord Yuan is a capable commander. Don't you have any confidence in Lord Yuan?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Zhi remained silent for a moment, then shook his head.

“I know he is a capable commander, and I know he has a large army around him, but for me, nothing is more important than his safety. If we win this war, but he is in danger, that is unacceptable to me. So I must protect his safety no matter what.”

Zang Min became even more curious.

Why do you say that?

"Because only he can change this corrupt world..."

Lu Zhi sighed and patted Zang Min on the shoulder: "Therefore, Lord Zang, please lead an army to support Lord Yuan. I am on duty and cannot leave Yunzhong County, but I am really worried about his safety. Please be sure to protect Lord Yuan and not let him encounter any danger."

Seeing that Lu Zhi's words didn't seem like a joke, Zang Min took a deep breath and nodded.

“Alright, in that case, I will lead two thousand cavalry back to reinforce the area. I will leave the affairs of Yunzhong County to you, General.”

"Thank you!"

Lu Zhi bowed to Zang Min.

(End of this chapter)