RPAGF Chapter 59 Breakthrough
Chapter 59 Breakthrough
Liu Bei stood up, walked to the map, and glanced at the gap in the shallows.
He then looked up at the generals in the tent, parted his thin lips slightly, and uttered only two words, decisive and resolute.
"Let's go west!"
Without any unnecessary words or lengthy explanations, just those two words instantly calmed everyone's hearts.
Often, failure is not caused by wrong decisions, but by indecisiveness.
His gaze swept over the generals, and his commands were concise, clear, and precise.
"Han Dang led his thousand cavalry as the vanguard, and at dawn, he charged straight into the breach in the shallows, tearing through the Xianbei defenses."
"Gongsun Zan led his thousand cavalry to protect the left flank of the vanguard."
"Yan Gang, lead three thousand cavalry as the main force of the central army, closely following the vanguard, to consolidate the breakthrough point and expand the defensive line."
"Cheng Pu, lead your troops to cover the rear, guard the main army's rear, and prevent Que Ji from pursuing you."
"Xu Rong, lead a thousand cavalry to protect the central army's supplies and be ready to fill any gaps in defense at any time."
"Tadun led the Wuhuan cavalry as guides, clearing away the scattered cavalry ahead and pointing out the pasture road."
"Tian Yu, you will sit with me in the central command and oversee all operations."
"Tonight, the entire army will be gagged and the horses' hooves will be wrapped. They will prepare food at midnight and launch an attack at dawn."
"Anyone who dares to disobey this order will be executed!"
"Anyone who dares to shrink back will be executed!"
"Anyone who dares to disrupt our formation shall be executed!"
As the three execution orders fell, the generals in the tent trembled, immediately kneeling on one knee, their voices echoing through the tent: "Your humble servants obey your lord's orders!"
No one argued anymore, and no one harbored any illusions.
Liu Bei's seemingly taciturn commands carried an unwavering composure, like a reassuring pill, stabilizing the morale of the entire army.
As night deepened, the wind on the grassland grew colder.
Inside the camp, the lights were kept out of control, with only a few scattered fires. The soldiers quietly prepared their armor and weapons, wrapped their warhorses in cotton cloth, filled their quivers with arrows, and sharpened their swords and spears until they gleamed.
Everyone knew that the battle at dawn would determine life or death, and that it all depended on this charge.
Thirty li to the north, in Queji's central military tent, this Xianbei chieftain was drinking with the envoys of Suli and Huaitou.
Looking at the encirclement gradually closing in on the map, he burst into laughter: "That brat Liu Bei has nowhere to escape!"
"By noon tomorrow, when we've surrounded him from all sides, I'll definitely cut off his head and use it as a chamber pot!"
"Ha ha!"
"Keep playing the music!"
"Keep dancing!"
At dawn, just as the sky was beginning to lighten, only a faint glimmer of white appeared on the eastern horizon, and a thin layer of morning mist still shrouded the grassland, reducing visibility to less than a hundred paces.
With a flick of his whip, Liu Bei unleashed the 9,000 iron cavalrymen who had been fully prepared, like a giant dragon that had been lying dormant all night!
Han Dang took the lead, with his thousand cavalrymen as the vanguard. Like a steel blade drawn from its sheath, they were the first to pierce through the morning mist and gallop towards the shallows of the Xilamulun River.
The Xianbei sentry on duty was dozing off against the wooden stakes when he was suddenly awakened by the thud of the horses' hooves shaking the ground.
Just as the horn was about to be sounded, Han Dang had already drawn his bowstring taut and fired three arrows in quick succession, each hitting its mark. The three sentries fell to the ground without even a sound of alarm.
"Brothers, kill!"
With a loud shout, Han Dang slinged the ox-horn bow behind his back, drew his sword, and charged straight at the camp fence.
The cavalrymen behind them swarmed forward, smashed through the simple wooden fence, and pounced into the Xianbei camp like tigers descending a mountain.
These former country rogues had been transformed in the more than ten days of battle. The five-man team cooperated seamlessly, with two men in front slashing and blocking, and the other three in the back finishing off the enemies with their swords. Their advances and retreats were flawless.
The Xianbei defenders, still asleep, had no time to organize a resistance. They were either beheaded in front of their tents or fled in disarray, abandoning their armor and weapons. The entire defensive line was thrown into chaos in an instant.
On the left flank, Gongsun Zan led his White Horse Cavalry to guard the side, cutting down the scattered Xianbei cavalry who came to reinforce one by one. However, he did not rush to attack, but firmly protected the left flank of the vanguard, leaving Han Dang with space to break through the formation with all his might.
In less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Han Dang led his troops to tear through the defenses of the Suli tribe, creating a gap several miles wide in the Xianbei territory.
He reined in his bleeding warhorse, turned back towards the central army, raised his ring-pommel sword, and roared, "My lord! The breach has been made!"
"The army marches on, full speed ahead!"
Liu Bei pointed his whip forward, his words concise and to the point.
Yan Gang responded to the order and waved his command flag. Thousands of cavalrymen formed a neat wedge-shaped charge, like a moving Great Wall of Steel, and rushed in through the gap.
Yan Gang sat upright on his warhorse, holding his lance horizontally. His knights advanced and retreated with measured steps, expanding the defensive line by ten feet to each side with each step forward.
Even though the scattered Xianbei people launched several counterattacks, they were repeatedly repelled by the dense rain of arrows and orderly spear formations of the White Horse Cavalry. The gap widened and widened, completely sealing off this path of survival.
The main force of the central army followed closely behind, and nine thousand iron cavalry, like a black torrent, poured into the shallows of the Xilamulun River through the opened gap.
However, the movements of the Han army eventually alerted the various Xianbei tribes.
The Suli tribe and Huaitou reacted instantly, and horns sounded one after another.
The previously scattered Xianbei cavalry surged toward the breach like madmen, trying to regroup their defenses.
Like two iron gates closing, they bit down hard on the flanks of the Han army.
When Que Ji in the north learned that the Han army had broken through to the west, he was furious.
He immediately mustered his five thousand most elite archer cavalry, leaving the main force behind, and chased after the rear guard of the Han army like madmen.
He absolutely could not let the prize slip through his fingers, and he was determined to kill Liu Bei himself to vent his hatred!
In an instant, the entire grassland seemed to have turned into a frenzied hunt.
The vanguard of the Han army was like an arrow being chased, with Su Li and Huai Tou on either side like a closing hunting net, and Que Ji's five thousand cavalry behind them like hunting dogs that relentlessly pursued them.
The sound of horses' hooves shook the entire grassland, and the shouts of battle carried for miles on the wind.
Cheng Pu led his 1,000 cavalry to hold the rear guard, while archers took turns firing volleys, repeatedly keeping Que Ji's vanguard cavalry outside the defensive line.
But Queji was blinded by rage, and his cavalry charged relentlessly, putting increasing pressure on Cheng Pu's defenses. The distance between the two armies gradually shrank from ten li to eight li and then five li.
"My lord!"
"Que Ji personally led five thousand cavalry in a desperate pursuit, and has already shaken off his main force, now only five li away from my rear!"
"The troops of Suli and Huaitou on the east and west sides are still closing in, and they're only an hour apart. If we keep running like this, they'll catch up with us sooner or later!"
Tian Yu rode up to Liu Bei's side and hurriedly reported the news, his tone tinged with anxiety.
Liu Bei reined in his horse, turned back to look at the billowing dust in the north, and a cold glint flashed in his dark eyes.
Que Ji may seem like he's being impatient and has ventured deep into enemy territory alone, but if he can hold them off for even an hour, they will be the ones who die.
Without the slightest hesitation, Liu Bei abruptly turned his horse around, pointing his long sword at the pursuing soldiers behind him.
He uttered only three words, decisive and resolute, carrying a chilling aura of killing intent.
"Turn around and kill!"