Three Kingdoms: The Kingdom Cannot Be Partial

Chapter 140 A Heartbreaking and Devastating Attack
The moon is more than ten miles west of the Queyue Formation.

The battlefield is no longer visible from here.

Wen Qin, Lü Zhao, Yin Damu and other cavalry generals were leading the remaining 1,400 Tiger and Leopard Cavalry and 3,200 Bingzhou Light Cavalry to drive away and kill the Qiang and Di tribes who had submitted to the Han in the open fields.

Sometimes advancing, sometimes retreating; sometimes moving, sometimes stopping.

It wasn't until they finally saw a large number of fleeing soldiers rushing towards Chang'an on the horizon south of the canal that Sima Yi's order to retreat finally reached their ears through his personal guards.

A moment later, thousands of Wei cavalrymen, bewildered and confused, spurred their horses and followed behind Wen Qin, Lü Zhao, Yin Damu, and other generals, turning back eastward.

Yang Qianwan, Yao Kehui, Lü Jian, and other Qiang and Di chieftains, who were originally on the run, were first surprised and uncertain when they saw this inexplicable scene, and then they could hardly believe it.

From their failed charge against the Wei cavalry, to the Wei cavalry's failed charge and subsequent retreat, to the current retreat of all the Wei cavalry, the entire process took no more than half an hour.

Who wins?
Who really lost?
While many Qiang and Di chieftains were still hesitating, Yang Tiao, Lei Ding, Li Yong, and others did not hesitate to lead their respective troops to follow the Wei army and quickly engaged in battle with their rear guard, soon gaining the upper hand.

When the chieftains Yang Qianwan, Yao Kehui, Lü Jian, and others saw that the Wei cavalry, who had just been so arrogant, did not turn back or resist, they finally realized that the Han emperor seemed to have truly won.

Amid a complex mix of bewilderment and excitement, the Hu cavalry, who had initially been somewhat hesitant, finally charged forward.

Moments later, the situation reversed, and thousands of troops swept in from west to east, raising clouds of dust and creating a thunderous roar.

Originally the pursuers, they now found themselves in a position of pursuit. Thus, the Hu people's inherent nature of "running away when things go wrong and rejoicing when things go right" came to the fore.

Faced with the relentless pursuit of the Qiang and Di tribes, the Wei army dared not stop for even a moment.

Because Wen Qin, Lü Zhao, Yin Damu and other generals had only traveled four or five miles when they saw that the vast Han army, stretching as far as the eye could see, had already crossed half of the canal.

Or perhaps it will surge eastward like a tidal wave.

Or perhaps they came in a grand procession heading north.

Those coming from the north had an obvious intention: to block the road in the middle of the Wei River canal and try to keep their thousands of cavalrymen there.

However, it must be said that Sima Yi's order to retreat was issued quite decisively and the order was transmitted quite quickly. The decision of Wen Qin, Lü Zhao and other generals to flee without looking back in the face of pursuit did save their lives.

When the four or five thousand infantrymen led by Generals Wu Ban and Chen Shi were still more than a mile away from the Wei River...

The generals Wen Qin, Lü Zhao, and Yin Damu, who were fleeing eastward in a frenzy, had already led more than two thousand cavalrymen along the south bank of the Wei River and successfully evaded the encirclement and attack of the generals Wu and Chen. They then continued their mad dash eastward.

Meanwhile, Generals Wu Ban and Chen Shi hurriedly urged their troops to accelerate northward.

In any case, it was impossible for the remaining several thousand riders to escape unscathed.

A moment later, Wen Qin and his generals, who were fleeing eastward, and their two thousand elite cavalrymen crossed the Wei River, passing three or four miles north of the Han army's Crescent Moon Formation.

The generals, including Wen Qin, who had not understood why Sima Yi, Wang Chang, and others had been defeated so quickly, were all horrified and unable to control themselves when they saw the four dragon banners on the battlefield and the imposing Han army surrounding them.

So, disregarding the fierce battle between the Han and Wei armies still raging on the battlefield, they rushed headlong toward the banner of the General of the Flying Cavalry, which was three or four miles away.

However, just as he left the range of the Crescent Moon Formation, Wen Qin caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye, and his expression froze.

After hesitating for a moment, he spurred his horse on again and continued to urge it forward.

They hadn't gone half a mile when the man suddenly gritted his teeth, first spitting on the ground while cursing, then pointing out over a hundred Tiger and Leopard Cavalrymen carrying long spears who circled back.

Yin Damu and Lü Zhao, two of Cao Rui's trusted confidants, understood Wen Qin's words and, without the slightest hesitation, led hundreds of elite cavalry behind them to charge forward.

Sima Yi suffered a major defeat, losing all of Guanzhong. It is conceivable that the court and the public would be shaken and in turmoil.

It would be better if his son died in battle, but if he surrendered to Shu, who dares to say that Sima Yi might also surrender to Shu out of fear of impeachment and retribution from the court and the public?

Regardless, Wen Qin led over a hundred elite Tiger and Leopard Cavalrymen, spears in hand, and charged into the Han army's ranks, beginning their charge with surprise attacks.

Meanwhile, Yin Damu and Lü Zhao, along with several hundred cavalrymen, either rode at full speed and shot arrows or swept past the flanks of the Han army with swords.

Guan Xing, Wei Xing, Jiang Wei, Zhao Tong, and other junior officers failed to notice which one was an important figure and had already scattered to different places, each engaged in fierce battles with Sima Yi's personal troops and heavily armored soldiers.

The Han soldiers around Sima Shi were clearly surprised that the Wei cavalry had returned. Under the urgent command of their generals, they quickly broke away from the melee and hastily formed ranks to prevent being scattered and divided by the elite cavalry charging with spears.

After Wen Qin and his generals lost dozens of cavalry, Sima Shi, who was firmly protected by Sima Yi's personal guards and was not even wounded, was finally rescued.

After breaking free of the encirclement, the personal guard commander Ji Bu pushed Sima Shi onto the back of a stray horse. Without saying a word, he silently turned around and led his last few dozen men to charge into the pursuing Han army.

Realizing that the Wei Tiger and Leopard Cavalry had come to rescue a specific person, Guan Xing charged forward while glancing at the back of the figure clad in the armor of a common soldier. Then, he suddenly clashed with dozens of Wei soldiers who were charging recklessly with a death wish.

The Tiger and Leopard Cavalry brought by Wen Qin, Yin Damu, and other generals arrived and departed quickly, moving like the wind with ease and grace.

However, their effortless and unrestrained manner plunged the nearly one thousand Wei soldiers on this battlefield, who were already on the verge of despair and had just begun to see a glimmer of hope, into utter despair.

When everyone realized that the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry were truly going to their deaths without looking back, the Wei army on the battlefield erupted in absurd and tragic cries of laughter, anger, and curses. They either abandoned their armor and weapons and knelt down to surrender, or scattered and ran away, no longer offering any resistance.

Wei Xing, Guan Xing, Jiang Wei, and the others, their faces covered by bronze lion masks, quickly passed through the layers of Han and Wei armies and gathered together with their respective troops.

"Damn that iron turtle, it's really tough to deal with!" Wei Xing gasped for breath, having been fighting for a long time while wearing heavy armor, which was no easy task.

Guan Xing, Jiang Wei, Zhao Tong, and several other junior officers were just like Wei Xing, their chests heaving violently.

At this point, everyone gathered together, which served as a brief rest.

"His Majesty has arrived." Jiang Wei, who was not familiar with Guan Xing, Zhao Tong, and the others, but who had also been bestowed with a bronze lion mask by the emperor, suddenly spoke up.

Although one could not see the person's expression, one could tell from the voice that the three dragon banners pressing eastward from the front and back had clearly caused the person a great deal of emotional turmoil.

Not only him, but also Guan Xing, Zhao Tong, Wei Xing, and Huang Chong felt the same way. Although they knew that the emperor had prepared several dragon banners and that he would display these three banners on the battlefield, seeing such a display made them feel as if their expectations had been confirmed and fulfilled, and they were even more excited than the soldiers who did not know about it.

Just then, the rumbling sound of the warhorses galloping across the earth grew closer and louder, soon becoming almost deafening, completely drowning out the sounds of battle and cries from the battlefield.

A banner bearing the character "Yang" appeared first, followed by thousands of Qiang, Di, and Hu cavalrymen emerging from the open fields two or three miles north of the Emperor's army. They did not stop for a moment, but instead stirred up billowing dust as they marched eastward in a mighty and imposing manner.

With lightning speed.

"Let's go too!" Zhao Tong, the Protector of the Qiang, was so excited by what he saw that he could hardly contain himself.

What stimulated him was neither the wild, sweaty smell of thousands of troops nor the approaching imperial banners pressing in from the east.

"Come on, take off my armor!" Wei Xing took two steps to Guan Xing and spread his arms wide.

"Wearing this stuff would make it hard to walk, and even the warhorse probably couldn't take it!"

"His Majesty has treated me with the greatest kindness, I will go and cut off Sima Yi's dog head for His Majesty!"

Before Wei Xing could finish speaking, Guan Xing had already started to remove the man's armor. Sweat and blood gushed out from inside the armor, probably weighing several pounds, and a salty, fishy smell wafted out.

Jiang Wei then grabbed a piece of light armor from the corpse on the ground and threw it to Wei Xing.

Before long, a few junior officers wearing bronze lion masks gathered together, removing and putting on their armor. Afterward, they randomly picked a few decent-looking, ownerless warhorses from the battlefield, and without further thought, each led a dozen or so personal guards and rode eastward.

For two or three miles, there were only defeated Wei soldiers.

Or they scattered and fled in all directions.

Or it could be a small group of dozens or hundreds of people gathered together.

The Han soldiers who had caught up with them earlier pursued the fleeing soldiers relentlessly, charging up to fight them from time to time.

As the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry fled, Sima Yi's banner as General of the Flying Cavalry completely disappeared, and the routed Wei soldiers within a two- or three-mile radius were no longer able to mount any semblance of resistance.

Guan Xing, Jiang Wei, Wei Xing, and the others did not linger on these small fry for even a moment, and continued heading east.

About a mile away, along the canal, about seven or eight hundred Han soldiers encountered extremely fierce resistance from a Wei army of only four or five hundred. The men, in surprise and doubt, hurriedly spurred their horses to the scene, but before they arrived, the soldiers confronting the Wei army were being driven back in disarray, showing signs of a rout.

Along the road, which was only a mile long, lay four or five hundred wounded and dead Han soldiers, while those dressed in Wei army armor, by a rough calculation, numbered less than half of the fallen Han soldiers.

When they rushed to the edge of that section of the canal, they discovered that the four or five hundred Wei soldiers were actually surrounding two general flags.

One side features the character "王" (Wang).

One side features the character "牛" (niu, meaning ox).

No wonder both sides are fighting to the death.

"Today is the day to slay generals and seize flags!" Wei Xing roared as he dismounted, then swung his spear and charged towards the Wei army.

The same applies to Guan Xing, Zhao Tong, Jiang Wei, and others.

The Han soldiers, who had been repeatedly driven back by the Wei army and were on the verge of collapse and retreat, were greatly encouraged when they saw the emperor's guards with fangs and beast-like faces suddenly enter from behind.

"Generals of Longxiang, the two generals in the formation are Wang Chang, the false Wei general Yanglie, and his subordinate general Niu Jin! Don't let them escape!" a military officer under Yang Qun shouted.

Guan Xing, Jiang Wei, Wei Xing, and several other junior officers of the Han army had heard of the names of these two Wei generals. Greatly encouraged, they stepped forward and charged forward with their spears.

The soldiers were emboldened and drew their swords to follow.

Wei Xing wounded one soldier, drew his sword and shouted, "His Majesty is behind us! Brothers, fight to the death with me and cut off the heads of these two dogs to present to His Majesty!"

Jiang Wei also killed a general, and with his spear pointed at the corpse, he charged straight at the Wei army, shouting: "Victory for the Han Dynasty! Victory for His Majesty!"

Upon seeing this and hearing the noise, Niu Jin immediately flew into a rage.

He urged his troops forward and charged to the front lines, once again drawing his sword and killing several men. The Shu army, which had been on the verge of defeat, no longer retreated or collapsed as before.

Niu Jin was momentarily dazed.

Previously, Sima Yi's central army was in chaos, causing him and Wang Chang's troops to be scattered by the chaotic army. They were then separated by the Qiang, Di, and Hu cavalry that came from behind, unable to advance or retreat. Finally, more than a thousand Shu soldiers caught up and surrounded them on the banks of the canal, forcing them to fight with their backs to the water.

He and Wang Chang led their troops in a desperate battle, almost breaking through the encirclement, when suddenly these few inhuman, ghostly brats appeared!

"General Yang Lie, you go first, I'll hold off the Shu dogs for you!" Niu Jin roared.

Covered in blood and almost completely exhausted, Wang Chang refused:

"Now that things have come to this, where can we escape to?!"
"Enough with the nonsense, it's all about death!"

After saying this, he picked up his ring-pommel sword and charged towards the Han army.

Seeing this, Niu Jin had nothing to say, so he could only roar to bolster his courage and thrust his sword forward.

Meanwhile, several Han generals wearing bronze lion-shaped masks were also fighting fiercely, each wielding their swords and spears.

The two sides continued to fight fiercely, and as time went by, more and more Han soldiers rushed towards this battlefield.

Niu Jin cut down a Han soldier, then looked up and saw that the surrounding area was full of Han soldiers, and they had no chance of breaking through the formation and surviving.

Enraged, he charged forward and engaged in a fierce battle with a burly man with a beast-like face covered in fangs. With a determination to die together, he fought with great strength and force, his blade rising and falling with each strike, his attacks becoming increasingly ferocious.

After several dozen exchanges, Niu Jin finally seized the opportunity. As the burly man raised his knife, he suddenly stopped blocking and slashed fiercely at the man's right abdomen, shouting as he did so: "Die, you Shu dog!"

"How dare you, Wei dog!" Wei Xing roared, not dodging or avoiding at all, and slashed straight at the man's head.

Blood splattered everywhere, and Niu Jin died instantly.

Only a thin layer of skin connected the neck and the head, and the head hung at an eerie angle before the body collapsed with a thud.

Wei Xing crouched down and chopped off his head.

A moment later, he raised Niu Jin's head high with one hand and continued forward with his sword in the other.

The remaining hundreds of Wei soldiers stared in astonishment at Niu Jin's severed head, before looking at the abdomen of the burly man wearing a fanged mask.

As the man advanced with Niu Jin's severed head, the hundreds of Wei soldiers were terrified, as if they had seen a ghost or a god, and retreated in disarray.

Wei Xing looked forward arrogantly, holding Niu Jin's head and taking several steps forward. No Wei soldier dared to approach him. Just as he was feeling proud and smug, he suddenly felt a slight chill in his stomach, as if something heavy was pulling him down.

Looking down in confusion, he discovered that white, bloody intestines were protruding from a hole in his armor.

He paused for a moment, but since he felt no pain, he didn't care. He simply dropped Niu Jin's head, stuffed the intestines back into his stomach piece by piece, and then casually cut off his armor and robe, wrapped them up in his stomach, and tied them up.

He raised his sword again and charged forward, glaring at the enemy and shouting:

"Surrender without a fight! Or die!"

The Wei army was terrified and retreated in disarray.

But by this time they had reached the banks of the canal, and the Han army had surrounded them so tightly that they had nowhere to retreat and nowhere to break.

Wei Xing looked at the middle-aged Wei general under the banner of the "King" and roared again: "Surrender without a fight! Die if you don't surrender!"

The last two or three hundred soldiers of the Wei army were greatly shocked.

Everyone turned their gaze toward Wang Chang, who was standing under the banner.

Wang Yanglie was known for his kindness in raising his soldiers, treating them like brothers and nephews. They would never betray General Yanglie and surrender to the enemy.

However, they were already at their wits' end, and the Han army had opened a way out. As long as Wang Yanglie was willing to surrender, they were all willing to surrender together.

Moreover, the Han army was willing to open the surrender route, perhaps because they valued Wang Yanglie's loyalty and bravery and believed that he could win the loyalty of his soldiers. Maybe they would give him an important position in the future?
Wang Chang sensed not only the gazes of his soldiers but also their thoughts and emotions. He closed his eyes for a long time, and when he opened them again, he finally sighed:
“I, Wang Chang, have received great favors from the country, and I am willing to die, but when death is imminent, I do not wish to take you all with me.”

After saying this, he put on his armor and jumped into the canal.

The sound of water started, then fell silent after a moment.

Both the Han and Wei generals were momentarily stunned.

"Surrender without a fight! Or die!"

A moment later, Han soldiers in the crowd shouted out their urging to surrender, and more and more people echoed their sentiments.

"Surrender without a fight! Or die!"

"Surrender without a fight! Or die!"

In an instant, a deafening roar filled the air, stirring up dust that blotted out the sun, and causing the water to surge and ripple.

After a moment's hesitation, the dozens of Wei soldiers in the front row, with sorrowful expressions, removed their armor and abandoned their weapons.

However, at the point closest to the canal, a sudden cry erupted: "Wang Yanglie raised us like his own children, and now he has drowned himself to save us. How can we have the face to live on in this world?!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another sound of water arose.

In an instant, the Wei soldiers facing the canal were all stunned and lost control. After a short while, they began to drown themselves one after another.

In the end, in just a few dozen breaths, he was just like Wang Chang, who had just asked a question in a trembling voice and then drowned himself in the ditch.

In the end, the dozens of Wei soldiers who had surrendered and come to the front of the Han army also turned back and drowned.

(End of this chapter)