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Chapter 637: Zhang He Comes to Aid
🕑 Added 2024-09-28 06:43:41 +0000 UTCGuan Yu's Blade Troops and Xu Chu's Tiger Guards were both trapped within Yuan Shao's forces. Due to being surrounded on all sides, they were continually pushed towards Liu Bei's forces by Yuan Shao's soldiers.
In front of Yan Liang's chariots, there were only Yuan Shao's soldiers. The rain and the earlier actions of Zhao Yun's White Horse Cavalry had completely obscured Yan Liang's judgment of the battlefield, leading to a tragic situation where he harmed his own forces before even reaching the enemy!
At this point, Yan Liang's chariots were out of control. In his haste to defeat Liu Bei's army, he had pushed the speed to its limit, and his earlier attacks on the White Horse Cavalry had led to a complete misjudgment of the situation behind him.
Meanwhile, Zhao Yun, leading the White Horse Cavalry, had completed a sharp turn. All the cavalrymen had drawn their bows and were firing arrows towards Yan Liang's chariots, raining down arrows upon them.
Although the White Horse Cavalry was swift and nimble, Yan Liang's chariots, upon seeing Yuan Shao's soldiers blocking their path, could not stop their momentum.
"Not good..." Yan Liang cried out in despair. His lament was not due to Zhao Yun's arrows but because his chariots were now charging uncontrollably into his own troops. The greatest flaw of the chariots had become evident: they could not stop their charge or make sharp turns, only charge headlong.
At that moment, Jiang Qi's command sword slipped from his trembling hand, falling into the wet earth as the rain soaked him to the bone.
"It's all over..." Jiang Qi murmured, his eyes unfocused. The moment Zhao Yun broke through the encirclement, he had sensed that things were going wrong, but the reality was even more brutal than he had imagined.
However, Jiang Qi quickly reined in his despair, calming himself as he issued one final order: retreat. This was both to preserve his soldiers and to clear a path for the chariots.
As Yan Liang's chariots plowed into his own forces, the screams of agony were endless. Five hundred chariots thundered through Yuan Shao's troops, cutting down soldiers like wheat before a scythe, whether they were Yuan Shao's men or Liu Bei's.
"How could this happen!" Yan Liang was at a loss for words. When his chariots tore through Yuan Shao's forces, he was dumbfounded. He remembered this area being full of Liu Bei's troops—why were they all gone now?
The chariots tore through the battlefield, leaving behind countless mangled bodies. At that moment, Yan Liang finally realized the grave mistake he had made, but it was too late. He could see Guan Yu and his elite guards just ahead of him.
At the same time, he heard the sound of gongs being struck from behind. Yan Liang knew that his blunder had caused the defeat of this battle.
"Guan Yu, prepare to die!" Yan Liang roared, disregarding everything as he drove his chariot towards Liu Bei's forces.
Yuan Shao's troops were already shattered by the chariots' charge. The devastating rush had completely crushed their morale. The once-united Yuan Shao army had now fallen into chaos, with everyone desperate to flee at the sound of Jiang Qi's retreat signal.
The only force still charging towards Liu Bei's army was Yan Liang with his chariots. Having made a mistake, he now intended to bear the consequences. At the very least, he wouldn't run away—he would do everything he could to protect the soldiers under his command.
Having broken through Yuan Shao's forces, Yan Liang's chariots, drenched in blood, now charged wildly towards Guan Yu. His face was twisted with rage and regret—he hated himself for meddling in something he didn't understand and ruining what could have been a victory. He was furious!
But regardless of how much anger burned in Yan Liang's chest, he knew this wasn't the time for regret. It was time to fight. He would kill Guan Yu, drive his chariots deep into Liu Bei's army, and unleash a storm of blood and death. Only by doing this could he atone for his mistake and protect the soldiers whose lives were now at risk due to his error.
"Prepare to die, Guan Yu!" Yan Liang roared with unwavering determination, feeling like a failure for the first time in his life.
Without hesitation, Guan Yu dodged Yan Liang's oncoming chariot. He saw the resolute, death-defying look in Yan Liang's eyes. Fighting someone of that caliber, someone with a death wish, was madness—not even Lu Bu would engage in such a reckless battle.
"Kill!" Yan Liang didn't even glance in Guan Yu's direction as he continued his frenzied charge, not caring who stood in his way.
Chen Chi's crossbows fired a relentless barrage of arrows, but they couldn't stop the charging chariots. Yan Liang had no intention of surviving this; he only wanted to kill as many enemies as possible. Whether he lived or died, he no longer cared—he had failed Yuan Shao.
Under the hail of powerful crossbow bolts, many of Yan Liang's soldiers on the chariots were killed. Horses were struck, and many chariots crashed into each other as their drivers were shot down, causing fatal collisions.
But nothing could stop Yan Liang's determination. He continued his mad charge, smashing into Liu Bei's ranks, slaughtering as many soldiers as he could. Everywhere he went, he left a trail of blood and carnage.
However, as the battle raged on, the chariots began to slow. The relentless downpour further hampered their movement, causing more chariots to flip over. Of the five hundred chariots that had started the charge, fewer than a hundred remained. Of the three thousand soldiers, two thousand five hundred had fallen.
After breaking through Liu Bei's lines, the remaining chariots continued to travel a few hundred more paces before coming to a slow halt. Yan Liang ignored the pursuing Liu Bei soldiers behind him.
"Go. Leave now," Yan Liang said to the few surviving soldiers after stopping his chariot.
The blood-soaked warriors exchanged uncertain glances.
"Go. While you still can," Yan Liang repeated. "This battle was lost because of my mistake. Let my death be the end of it. Tell our lord that I have failed him."
There was no fear of death in Yan Liang's words—only the sorrow of having failed Yuan Shao. He felt deep regret that he had not yet repaid his lord's kindness.
With that, Yan Liang turned his chariot around, preparing to charge back into the fray. To his surprise, many of the soldiers who had followed him turned their chariots around as well.
"We are willing to follow you to the end, General," said one soldier with an arrow lodged in his chest. "Lord Yuan has already provided for my family. What is there to fear in death?"
"Let's show them the strength of the men of Yan and Zhao!" another blood-soaked warrior laughed.
"Charge!" Yan Liang roared once more, leading the chariots back towards Liu Bei's army. But this time, Liu Bei's rear guard was fully prepared. A storm of arrows rained down, killing many drivers and causing more chariots to collide and overturn.
"General Yan, Zhang He is here to assist you!" A voice called out in the distance just as Yan Liang and his remaining forces charged into Liu Bei's army again.
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