mtl008 Chapter 510 The Great Battle of Dangyang (2)
Chapter 510 The Great Battle of Dangyang (2)
Under Xu Huang's orders, the Wei soldiers pushed over their chariots and jumped into the Han army's lines to engage in close-quarters combat.
While trenches and antler spears can indeed hinder the enemy, they cannot hold out for long if the enemy disregards casualties. If the enemy can be completely kept outside the trenches, would they be foolish enough to charge desperately?
As the Wei army charged into the enemy lines, the trench antlers, which had killed thousands of Wei soldiers, had completed their mission.
Seeing the Wei army charge into the formation, Zhao Yun no longer hesitated and decisively shouted, "Attack with all your might!"
The spearmen swiftly moved aside the deer antlers, and carrying their several-meter-long spears, they charged into the Wei army's ranks, stepping over the trenches that had been filled in by the Wei forces.
The spears of the pikemen were too long, making it difficult for them to turn around, retract, or maneuver. Therefore, the pikemen had only one tactic: to keep advancing, advancing, and advancing again, using their length advantage to break through the enemy's formation and provide an opportunity for the main force to finish them off.
With limited tactics and weak defense, spearmen were almost always cannon fodder, only able to charge unless they were completely wiped out.
After the spearmen, Zhao Yun immediately ordered the sword and shield soldiers to advance, preparing to fight a bloody battle with the Wei army on their positions.
Changshan Zhao Zilong is an offensive player, but he doesn't have the habit of retreating.
Seeing the Han army's spearmen charging forward, Xu Huang was not surprised but delighted and said, "I'm not afraid of you charging, I'm afraid you won't charge. Zhu Ling, take your men up and break the Shu army's spear formation for me."
Lieutenant Zhu Ling charged ahead, wielding a large axe, with his troops following closely behind.
With both sides rushing forward, Zhu Ling quickly reached the front of the battle, wielding his great axe to deflect the thrusting spears, and then twisting his waist to close in on the spear shafts.
The spearmen's spears were too long to be retracted in time for parrying, and once the enemy got close enough, they were doomed to be slaughtered.
But since Guan Xing knew about the weakness of the spearmen, how could he not take precautions?
In addition to their spears, the Han army's spearmen were also equipped with short swords. When the Wei soldiers rushed at them, they decisively dropped their spears, drew their short swords, and engaged in close combat with the Wei soldiers. The two sides quickly became entangled and fought fiercely.
Seeing this, Xu Huang decisively sent troops to provide support, and Zhao Yun also sent troops to provide support. The two sides quickly turned close combat into a piecemeal tactic, with the number of soldiers participating in the battle constantly increasing.
Cao Ren, standing beside Cao Cao, observed the battle closely. Seeing that Zhao Yun's vanguard had been completely drawn to Xu Huang, he decisively roared, "Order Zhang He to attack the right flank of the Shu army, and order Cao Hong to attack the left flank of the Shu army. Make sure to tear a gap in the Shu army's formation!"
The two armies attacked simultaneously. Zhang He on the right flank clashed with Zhang Fei, while Cao Hong on the left flank encountered Liao Hua.
Zhang He and Cao Hong had the same task as Xu Huang: to use human lives to fill the trenches in front of the Shu army and open up the road to the Shu army's lines. Under the strict defense of Zhang Fei and Liao Hua, the front line once again became a meat grinder.
Looking at the battlefield with a solemn expression, Liu Bei said, "Zilong's attack has completely forced the Wei army out, so the mission can be considered accomplished. Let Zilong retreat in an orderly manner to defend and counterattack."
Liu Bei's tactics were simple: first, defend and counterattack to inflict casualties on the Wei army and deplete their morale; then, once the Wei army's morale was nearly exhausted, launch a full-scale attack.
As the order was given, Zhao Yun commanded his army to fight and retreat, but Xu Huang, who had seen through his intentions, pursued them relentlessly.
Xu Huang had already suffered thousands of casualties, so he naturally wouldn't let Zhao Yun easily retreat to his position to build a second line of defense.
Soon the two sides returned to their starting point and resumed hand-to-hand combat. The number of corpses on the ground continued to increase, and the blood stained the ground into a muddy mess. Even the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
The battle had been going on for almost two hours. Zhao Yun retreated but did not lose, blocking Xu Huang in front of the formation and preventing him from advancing an inch. Zhang Fei was also pressing Zhang He. However, Liao Hua's side was torn open by Cao Hong's relentless attack.
Cao Hong was demoted for making a mistake in the Battle of Hanzhong. Now he was making amends and naturally fought with all his might. He led the charge with his shield raised. In this situation, killing a few enemies was not important. What was important was that the general leading the charge boosted morale. The Wei army was like they had taken some kind of drug. They managed to tear a gap in the defense under Liao Hua's strict defense.
Cao Ren was overjoyed upon seeing this and immediately shouted, "Chang Diao, lead two thousand cavalrymen to rush in through the opening torn open by Cao Hong and expand the gains. Wang Shuang, lead three thousand cavalrymen, be ready to provide support at any time."
The cavalry couldn't charge because of the trenches and deer antlers, but now that the trenches and deer antlers are filled with corpses, it's time for the cavalry to take the field. As long as the cavalry breaks through the Shu army's formation, the Wei army can press forward and engage in hand-to-hand combat with the Shu army.
Chang Diao led two thousand cavalrymen and quickly charged to the front of the battle line along the road opened by Cao Hong. Upon hearing the commotion, Cao Hong decisively ordered his army to retreat to the left and right to make way for the cavalry.
Chang Diao personally led the way, and soon bypassed Cao Hong's army, crashing into the Han army's formation like a mad bull.
Seeing the Wei cavalry charging towards them, Liao Hua immediately ordered, "Prepare the hook-and-sickle spears!"
The hook-and-sickle spear was temporarily forged by blacksmiths from Jiangling recently recruited by Guan Xing to break through cavalry. Upon receiving the order, he rushed forward and thrust the spear tip into the ground. The hooves of the Wei soldiers were tragically struck by the spear hook, which was only a hand's width above the ground, and were instantly wounded, falling to the ground with a scream and a mournful cry.
Chang Diao's horse was also caught in the trap, but as a general under Cao Ren, he was experienced in battle and reacted extremely quickly. The moment his horse's hoof hit the spear hook, he realized something was wrong. He decisively stuck the spear tip into the ground, used the spear shaft as a lever to jump off the horse and directly into the Han army's formation, where he began to slaughter the Han spearmen.
Although the hook-and-sickle spear posed a threat to the cavalry, the threat was limited, and the cavalry quickly broke through the spearmen's formation and began a full-scale attack.
However, cavalry also has weaknesses. Riding on horseback, they have a high vantage point, making them easy targets for infantry.
Liao Hua ordered his spearmen to block the enemy while also ordering his archers to fire. As the crossbowmen pulled their triggers, countless arrows shot towards the Wei cavalry, causing them to fall to their deaths.
But in addition to cavalry, the Wei army also had infantry led by Cao Hong. Cao Hong followed Chang Diao and continued to charge, widening the already torn gap again.
At the same time, Wang Shuang, Cao Ren's most powerful general, also led his troops in and rushed in while the archers were changing arrows.
The attacks from Cao Hong, Chang Diao, and Wang Shuang were too fierce, and Liao Hua could not withstand them and could only retreat step by step.
Upon seeing this, Liu Bei slammed his hand on the railing and said, "The Wei cavalry are coming out. Order Liao Hua to retreat and Feng Xi to prepare."
Liao Hua received orders to retreat in an orderly manner and quickly reached the second line of defense to join Feng Xi. Seeing that Liao Hua's army had all passed through, Feng Xi's army immediately bent down, picked up the rope on the ground, and pulled hard. The wooden planks buried in the soil were pulled out, revealing a trench several meters deep. The pursuing Wei cavalry did not expect this change and fell into the trench in a panic, and were impaled along with their horses.
The remaining cavalry quickly reined in their horses and retreated, leaving the battlefield to Cao Hong, who once again faced a hail of arrows from the Han army to fill the trenches.
At the beginning of the war, the Wei army's task was to clear all the traps in the Han army's formation so that the main force could attack without hindrance. However, every step of clearing the trenches required paying with lives.
The Han and Wei armies fought back and forth for a whole day, and by sunset they had successfully pushed their positions within 500 meters of Liu Bei's banner, a distance at which even a ballista could hit Liu Bei.
Liu Bei, however, remained unperturbed. Instead, he grinned and sneered, "We've exhausted our resources. It's time to counterattack. Send Xia Tong's Chongyu Battalion to tell Xia Tong that he can only fight for half an hour. Once the half hour is up, he must retreat."
The Chongyu Battalion was carrying too much weight and could not sustain the battle for long, so Liu Bei only gave them half an hour. After half an hour, they had to retreat to rest and recover their strength before fighting again.
Xia Tong, who had been waiting anxiously all day, was energized upon receiving the order. With the help of his auxiliary soldiers, he donned heavy armor and led eight hundred heavily armored warriors like a half-cart running at full speed towards the Wei army. Meng Jun led his army to follow closely, protecting Xia Tong's rear and flanks.