Late Han Zhao Tang

Chapter 628 Dying
The struggle of a cornered beast should never be underestimated. Xu Chu's five thousand armored soldiers dared not even launch a direct charge in order to wear down Cao Cao's army. Therefore, in the battle with Cao Cao's army, the front-line Tang soldiers erected large shields to block the enemy, while the soldiers, interspersed with long spears, formed a dense forest, engaging in a brutal and bloody battle with Cao Cao's army.

The shield wall, coupled with the dense forest of spears, saw the spears of the two armies crisscrossing, their shafts clashing together. When a sharp spear tip suddenly pierced through the armor, a muffled groan would be heard.

Under Xu Chu's command, the five thousand Tang soldiers held their positions firmly, refusing to leave the front lines even with minor wounds, and replacing the seriously wounded with replacements. Therefore, no matter how Cao Cao's army charged, the Tang army showed no sign of retreating.

In the midst of the battle, Liu Yi roared at the top of his lungs: "If one man retreats, the squad leader will be executed; if the squad leader retreats, the platoon leader will be executed; if the platoon leader retreats, the platoon leader will be executed; if the platoon leader retreats, the sergeant will be executed... If I retreat, everyone can be executed."

"kill!"

The strictness of the military regulations of the Trapped Camp was beyond everyone's imagination. At the beginning of the camp's establishment, Zhang Yu formulated a near-perverted military regulation: "Those who retreat will be executed, and their families will be confiscated and enslaved." Under this regulation, no matter how many merits a soldier or general had made in the past, anyone who showed cowardice even once would be subject to this military law.

Under the absurd military regulations, all soldiers and officers in the Vanguard Camp were forced to advance at all costs, either to be killed by the enemy or to rout them. However, the benefits of the Vanguard Camp soldiers far exceeded those of other troops; it was no exaggeration to say that if a soldier died in battle, his family would be financially secure for life.

Compared to the high reward of "one slave for every head killed by Cao Cao's army," the price the soldiers of the Trapped Camp would pay if they retreated was extremely high. Not only would it mean that all their hard work and sacrifices would be reduced to ashes, but more importantly, their entire families would be implicated and enslaved. Heaven and hell were separated by a single thought.

Therefore, under the threat of brutal military law and encouraged by their commanders, every soldier in the Trapped Camp fought bravely and relentlessly, becoming an insurmountable force for Cao Cao's army. Even when Tang soldiers were seriously wounded and on the verge of death, they did not fear death, but embraced it, striving to take one person with them before they died to ensure their families' lifelong well-being.

The fighting had raged from noon until the afternoon. As the sun began to set, the soldiers of both the Tang and Cao armies, who had been battling for over an hour, grew increasingly exhausted, their faces showing signs of fatigue. Yet, neither side dared to give up. One side fought like cornered beasts, while the other was composed of elite troops.

Seeing that his troops were exhausted and unable to break through the enemy lines, Cao Cao became increasingly anxious and urged, "Send out the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry to see if they can disrupt the enemy formation. Also, send Wen Lie with his troops to press forward and strive to defeat the enemy in one fell swoop."

"promise!"

With the central banner raised, Cao Chun, knowing he was no match for Ma Chao, still led his Tiger and Leopard Cavalry in a charge without hesitation. Ma Chao dared not be careless and preemptively intercepted Cao's cavalry, leading to a chaotic battle between the two armies.

Zhang and Jia witnessed the entire scene on the battlefield. Without Jia Xu saying a word, Zhang Liao, who was adept at seizing opportunities, ordered his men to wave the command flag, signaling Zhao and Xu to attack.

"Dong dong!"

As the command flag fluttered down, the stirring sound of drums immediately rang out.

Zhao Yun pointed his spear forward and shouted, "Attack and defeat the enemy!"

"Break the thief!"

"Mighty~Wu~"

After a long rest, the Tang soldiers, under Zhao Yun's command, unleashed a deep yet resonant shout, charging towards the exhausted Cao army like tigers descending from the mountain.

The drums thundered, dust filled the sky, and horns roared like thunder, pressing down like clouds obscuring the heavens.

As Cao Cao watched the Zhao and Xu armies rushing towards him, a hint of despair crossed his face. He realized he had miscalculated. He had failed to break through the strong, well-trained army earlier, and now two more powerful and energetic enemy forces were attacking, while his own troops were exhausted. How could he possibly repel such a formidable foe?

"call!"

Taking a deep breath, Cao Cao revealed a resolute expression and said, "Zidan and Ziman, follow me into battle to meet one army, while Miaocai will lead troops to attack the other army."

"Prime Minister, our army has failed to defeat the enemy, and now we have divided our forces to fight two more powerful bandit groups. I fear we will find it difficult to win!"

Xiahou Yuan hesitated and said, "In my opinion, it would be better to lead the troops to retreat and defend the city first, and then send troops to defeat the enemy!"

Cao Cao sneered and said, "Our army has suffered a defeat, and morale is low. Rather than becoming a sitting duck and waiting for our doom, we should fight bravely against the enemy today and seek a glimmer of hope!"

Xiahou Yuan paused for a moment, then cupped his hands and said, "I am willing to fight to the death with the Prime Minister!"

"good!"

As Zhao Yun and Xu Huang advanced, Cao Cao and Xiahou Yuan each led their troops to turn and meet them in battle.

The Tang cavalry charged out first, galloping towards Cao Cao's army. The sound of hooves thundered, and arrows flew, piercing the hastily arrayed troops. Many strong men fell to the ground, arrows piercing their leather armor and striking the bodies of Cao Cao's soldiers, from which bright red blood flowed.

Their mounted archery accuracy was beyond the imagination of Cao Cao's soldiers. They almost always killed one person with one arrow, and some sharpshooters even targeted unprotected faces.

After several hundred Tang cavalrymen fired a few shots, just as Cao Cao's army had formed its battle formation, the energetic Tang soldiers quickened their pace and charged towards Cao Cao's troops.

"Kill the thief!"

A squad leader roared and leaped forward, brandishing a long spear, aiming straight at Cao's soldier. Using his past combat skills, he deftly deflected the spear from Cao's hand, then found the right spot and thrust it into the enemy's chest.

Encouraged by their squad leader, the ten soldiers charged forward with spears, forcing the Cao soldiers in front of them to retreat repeatedly.

On the battlefield, there were too many Tang soldiers like this squad leader. After all, everyone knew that this was the last battle, and they all longed to seize the opportunity to make a name for themselves. Moreover, Cao Cao's army were southerners who were used to naval warfare and were much easier to kill than the northern bandits. Therefore, everyone was eager to kill the enemy.

Cao Cao's army, already demoralized after a series of defeats and besieged in Jinling, had been boosted by Cao Cao's generous rewards before the battle. However, by this point, the money-driven morale had worn thin. Consequently, they were routed by the Tang army's onslaught. Of course, some brave warriors in Cao Cao's army fought valiantly in their armor, but they were quickly outmaneuvered by the experienced Tang soldiers using coordinated tactics.

"The Southern bandits can't hold on any longer!"

The Tang army garrison commander took the lead, cutting down one enemy soldier, and encouraged his troops, saying, "Kill the enemy and achieve merit!"

"kill!"

The Tang soldiers marched quickly, each one vying to fight forward, and the Cao soldiers could hardly stop them.

Seeing the Cao army's formation in disarray, the Tang cavalry, who had previously been shooting arrows, prepared to attack again, flanking the enemy and firing. The Cao soldiers on the flanks were forced to dodge the arrows, fearing being hit. The feigned charge approached, and the Cao soldiers were terrified and on the verge of collapse.

Seeing that Cao Cao's army formation was in disarray, about four or five hundred heavy cavalrymen, hidden behind the light cavalry, led by Pang De, launched a charge on the flank of the disorganized Cao Cao army.

The massive lances, the cold armor, the towering figures, and the overwhelming force of the charge rushed straight towards the flank of Cao Cao's army.

Even before the iron cavalry was on its way, Cao Cao's soldiers were already routed out of fear, and no one dared to block them with their own bodies.

"boom!"

Under the impact, Cao's flank collapsed, and some of Cao's soldiers were knocked away or killed by long spears.

Amidst the neighing of warhorses, the Tang cavalry discarded their spears and mounted swords, charging closely behind the routed Cao soldiers, slaughtering the defeated troops along the way, and continuously penetrating deeper into Cao's army formation.

Cao Cao's eyes widened in fury, knowing that his army was on the verge of defeat. If the formation was broken, his 30,000-strong army would suffer a crushing defeat, and he would lose the means to fight the Tang army.

Ignoring the obstruction from the left and right, Cao Cao spurred his horse into the chaotic army, with Dian Wei and the Tiger Guards following closely behind.

"Stop!"

Cao Cao killed the fleeing soldier with a single blow and shouted sternly, "Those who retreat shall die!"

The forceful voice failed to halt the retreating soldiers; instead, it attracted fierce armored cavalry. A Tang cavalryman, wielding a steel whip in his left hand and a Han sword in his right, carved a path through the enemy lines and charged straight towards Cao Cao.

"call!"

As the ring-pommel sword slashed down, Cao Cao parried with his own sword.

The immense strength nearly overwhelmed the well-off Cao Cao, and then the steel whip suddenly swept down. Cao Cao was caught off guard and was struck down by the whip.

"Prime Minister!"

Seeing Cao Cao knocked down, the Tiger Guards behind him rushed over. Dian Wei, fearing that the Tang cavalry would use another vicious move, took out a small halberd from his waist and hurled it at them.

Caught off guard, Tang Qi was struck in the arm by a small halberd and was in excruciating pain. He then abandoned his whip and fled, intending to seek help from his comrades.

"Prime Minister!"

Fearing that Tang cavalry might return, Dian Wei helped Cao Cao up from the ground and hurriedly called out.

At this moment, Cao Cao's mouth was bleeding, his breastplate was dented, and he was breathing rapidly. He said weakly, "Ziman, retreat!"

"withdraw!"

Seeing that Cao Cao was seriously injured, Dian Wei helped Cao Cao onto his horse and, together with the Tiger Guards, escorted Cao Cao back to the city.

"Ding Ding!"

Cao Cao was seriously wounded and retreated, and the sound of gongs rang out in the army.

After 30,000 Cao troops were defeated and fled, the fields were filled with the retreating soldiers of Cao Cao's army. The Tang army pursued them relentlessly, chasing them all the way to the walls of Jinling. Thousands of Cao Cao's soldiers, realizing that all was lost, abandoned their weapons and armor and knelt down to surrender to the Tang army.

Seeing the situation was dire, Xun Yu had already deployed archers on the city walls and gathered more than half of the defeated soldiers. Later, fearing that Tang troops would infiltrate the city, he hastily closed the city gates, leaving a large number of wailing, routed soldiers outside the city.

Xiahou Yuan, Cao Xiu, Cao Zhen, and others fled back to the city in disarray, while Cao Chun, who commanded the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, was unable to retreat in time and was beheaded by Ma Chao himself while being surrounded and intercepted.

In this battle, the Tang army beheaded more than 4,000 people, and more than 14,000 surrendered. Cao Cao was seriously wounded, and Cao Chun was killed by Ma Chao.

(End of this chapter)