mtl008 Chapter 799 The War of Founding the Nation (9)
Chapter 799 The War of Founding the Nation (9)
Liu Bei did not kill Xu Gai, but knocked him unconscious and ordered him to be tied up. He then sent him to the rear along with Xu Huang's body, and then swung his sword to kill the next person.
When news of Xu Huang's death reached the rear, Cao Ren immediately staggered, barely managing to stand by grabbing the carriage shaft. At the same time, his stomach churned violently, and he struggled to suppress the urge to vomit blood. He turned to Cao Zhen, who was waiting below the carriage, and said, "Zidan, it's almost time for you to go up. Whether you win or not depends on you."
The Wei army had more than 100,000 more troops than the Han army. Now that all the Han troops had been committed to the battlefield, the Wei army still had a fresh force of 30,000 men under the command of Cao Zhen.
"Here..."
Cao Zhen had been waiting impatiently for a long time. Upon hearing this, he waved his hand and led the remaining 30,000 Wei troops into the enemy formation.
The armies of Wei and Han were already exhausted after several days of fighting. At this time, the arrival of a fresh force of tens of thousands of men would definitely be the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Therefore, as soon as Cao Zhen led his troops into the enemy lines, he turned the protracted battle into a crushing defeat, and the Han army was instantly routed.
Seeing this, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and the others who were at the forefront became anxious and immediately turned around to charge forward, preparing to use their formidable personal strength to hold off the enemy and buy the rest of the army a moment to catch their breath.
Liu Bei and Guan Yu shared the same thought and immediately turned around to charge and meet the enemy head-on.
The Han army had no fresh troops left and could only rely on willpower to hold on. In other words, willpower was the only chance for the Han army to win, and there was only one way to maintain strong willpower: all the generals, including Emperor Liu Bei, had to lead the charge.
In such a desperate and critical moment, if the leader doesn't take the lead and charge forward, how can he expect his subordinates to fight desperately?
The sudden incursion of 30,000 Wei troops instantly changed the battlefield situation. Not only were the Han troops defeated and fell one after another, but even Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and others were surrounded and faced perilous situations.
But Liu Bei, who always turned around immediately when things went wrong and had been a runaway for half his life, did not flee today. Instead, he charged forward more fiercely than anyone else and quickly reached Zhao Yun's vicinity. You should know that Zhao Yun had been fighting on the front lines all along.
The fact that Liu Bei was able to catch up with Zhao Yun despite coming from behind is enough to prove that he was truly prepared to fight to the death today.
We have no choice but to give it our all.
He ran away before because he was young, and as long as he was alive, he could always make a comeback. Now that he's old, if he runs away, he'll never have another chance.
Moreover, this battle involved too much investment, essentially betting everything on the fate of the nation, so he had to persevere to the end, even if it meant dying on the battlefield like Xu Huang, he would never retreat.
Under Liu Bei's desperate charge, the morale of the Han army was boosted again, and they gradually stabilized the battle line. However, Cao Zhen's army was a fresh force, and no one knew whether they could hold out until the end.
On the command platform at the rear, Zhuge Liang knew that the final moment of the decisive battle had arrived, and that his side was at a disadvantage. His hands, gripping the sword hilt so tightly that the veins bulged, and he even seemed to stop breathing.
Guan Xing was also gripped by unprecedented anxiety. After struggling for a moment, he said with difficulty, "Prime Minister, give me three hundred soldiers and let me charge."
Upon hearing this, Zhuge Liang immediately and decisively refused, saying, "No, absolutely not! Have you forgotten His Majesty's instructions before he left?"
It wasn't that he was reluctant to part with his three hundred personal guards, but rather that he was reluctant to part with Guan Xing. Guan Xing was too young, and he had a long road ahead of him; taking such a risk was simply not worthwhile.
Guan Xing said, "Prime Minister, I know what you and His Majesty are worried about, but we have now reached the final moment of the decisive battle between the two armies. Any variable could be the last straw that breaks the camel's back. I'm thinking, what if we are the only ones who are missing?"
Zhuge Liang's heart skipped a beat, and he turned around sharply, staring at Guan Xing in deep thought.
Guan Xing continued, "When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail. The battle has come to a standstill, and whoever can hold out for even one more breath will achieve final victory. Perhaps we are just one breath away from victory!"
That's the truth; sometimes, the difference between two armies in a decisive battle is just a matter of a split second.
Zhuge Liang, who had served in the army for many years, naturally understood this principle, so he did not refuse. Instead, he said, "Go, I will give you five hundred personal guards. Remember to protect yourself. As long as you live, there is still hope for the Han Dynasty."
"Yes..." Guan Xing didn't mince words and immediately rushed down from the platform, shouting to the remaining five hundred personal guards, "Brothers, follow me! Today, we're facing certain death!"
Zhuge Liang's personal guards were all carefully selected veterans. They were already annoyed that everyone else had joined the battle while they were the only ones standing still and watching. Upon hearing this, they charged forward with Guan Xing without a second thought.
As Guan Xing charged forward, he shouted, "Does everyone know how to sing 'Serving the Country with Utmost Loyalty'?"
The guards answered in unison, "Yes..."
"Serving the Country with Utmost Loyalty" had long been the Han army's military song, and the lyrics had become the Han army's enlightenment textbook. How could these personal guards not know it?
"Then let's sing! I'll start!" Guan Xing shouted with all his might, "The smoke of war rises... I gaze northward at the vast land..."
The personal guards followed together, and the voices of the five hundred men quickly merged into one, singing as they charged forward with Guan Xing.
The road they were passing through was littered with the bodies of the dead and the wailing of wounded soldiers. The Han soldiers who had fallen and were still fighting along the way instinctively joined in the singing.
As they advanced, more and more people joined in the singing, and the songs grew louder and louder, gradually overwhelming the battlefield noise and reaching the front lines.
Having already joined forces with Zhao Yun, Liu Bei instinctively turned around upon hearing the song. Seeing Guan Xing leading his troops charging towards them, he decisively roared, "Soldiers, Marquis Shence is here with his troops! Our reinforcements have arrived! Follow me and fight..."
Although the reinforcements numbered only 500, they were still reinforcements. As long as there were reinforcements, there was still hope to persevere, and with hope came motivation.
Therefore, the Han army, which was on the verge of collapse, rallied its spirits and continued its charge while singing along.
"Hate drives me mad... Where my long blade points... how many loyal brothers and sisters are buried in foreign lands..."
All the Han soldiers who could move and breathe joined in, causing the singing to grow louder and louder, even drowning out the war drums and the fighting.
Encouraged by the song, the dying Han army was instantly revitalized as if injected with adrenaline, and once again unleashed a fighting force that shocked the Wei army.
In an inconspicuous corner of the battlefield, a Han soldier was about to fall as several spears pierced his chest. Encouraged by the song, he mustered his last strength, stopped his retreat, and charged forward, knocking down several Wei soldiers who were trying to stab him. Then, he grabbed a broken sword from the ground and stabbed it into the head of the Wei soldier in front of him.
Another Han soldier, who had already fallen to the ground awaiting death, struggled to his feet and used his last strength to hug the nearest Wei soldier, creating an opportunity for the Han soldier who was fighting this Wei soldier. After the Wei soldier was stabbed down by his comrade, he also fell to the ground and never got up again.
There were countless examples like this on the battlefield. The Han army was in a state of desperate fighting, and they all used their final, all-out attack to drag the Wei army closest to them down to hell.
The gruesome deaths of these heroes ignited the Han army's fury, dispelling their fear and driving them forward with bloodshot eyes. This also gave Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and others hope for victory, freeing them from anxiety about defeat and death, allowing them to temporarily forget all the messy issues and focus on delivering the final blow.
Although Guan Xing has not yet arrived at the front line, his impact has covered the entire battlefield.
It has to be said that Guan Xing was incredibly effective at boosting morale.
This scene quickly came into Cao Ren's view. Standing on his chariot, Cao Ren looked at the desperate Han army and the retreating Wei army. As if all his strength had been drained away, he sighed with despair, "Defeat... utter defeat..."