dognovel Chapter 796 The War of Founding the Nation (6)
Chapter 796 The War of Founding the Nation (6)
It's getting dark...
Daylight broke again...
The Han and Wei sides fought for a day and a night without realizing it. The fighting caused mountains to collapse, rivers to flow backward, and the ground to be completely stained red. The blood soaked the ground, making it look like mud after a heavy rain. Every step you took was covered in blood and mud.
As both sides continued to increase their bets, the forces of both the Han and Wei armies were basically committed to the battlefield. Like ink being poured into clear water and shaken to mix, they had completely merged together, each containing the other.
Looking out from the high vantage point, the area within a dozen miles between Zhuge Liang and Cao Ren's command posts was filled with the sight of fighting.
The battle had progressed to this point, the battle formations had completely collapsed and disappeared, the command system had completely failed, and the general's orders could not reach the ears of the soldiers on the front lines. In other words, it had come to the point where all human effort had been done and all that remained was fate.
On the Han army's command platform, Liu Bei's hands gripping his double-edged sword were so tense that the veins bulged. He had sent out almost all of his generals. His trusted confidants, such as Wu Yi, Wu Ban, Feng Xi, Zhang Nan, Fu Kuang, and Fu Tong, were all fighting fiercely. Even Wu generals who had surrendered, such as Zhu Ran, Quan Cong, Zhu Yi, Hu Zong, and Xu Xiang, as well as the southern barbarian soldiers like Yong Kai and Meng Huo, had joined the fray. They were all covered in blood and completely absorbed in the battle.
At present, Liu Bei only has three thousand White Feather soldiers and the personal guards of Guan Yu, Zhuge Liang, and Guan Xing left, totaling five or six thousand men. This is Liu Bei's last reserve force.
Watching the figures intertwined on the battlefield, Liu Bei's heart pounded in his throat with tension.
Although he spoke boldly before the battle, he was so nervous at the crucial moment that he didn't dare to breathe loudly.
Because the stakes were too high this time, if you won, you could unify the country and revive the Han Dynasty; if you lost, you would die of depression with no hope of conquering the north. Who wouldn't be nervous in this situation?
Seeing the sun rise higher and then move westward, Liu Bei finally couldn't withstand the pressure and grabbed his double-edged sword, saying, "I'll lead the men."
Zhuge Liang stretched out his feather fan to block him and said, "Wait, let's go tomorrow morning. Shen Yi should be able to lead his troops back tomorrow."
Although Zhuge Liang was a highly capable commander, the Han army was still outnumbered by the Wei army. It was already difficult to make up for the difference in troop strength through command skills, let alone completely suppress the Wei army.
Fortunately, Zhuge Liang still has a fresh force. If Shen Yi and Zhang Bao can lead their troops back from Guangcheng Pass tomorrow morning, they will definitely be the last straw that breaks the camel's back, but the premise is that they have to hold out until tomorrow morning.
Guan Yu said, "Brother, you rest. I'll take my personal guards and go."
Liu Bei quickly stopped him, saying, "Second brother, don't be impulsive, your arm is injured."
He really didn't want Guan Yu to go. Guan Yu was the Grand General of the court and the supreme commander of the three armies. How could he go and charge into battle?
Guan Yu said, "When two armies meet on a narrow path, the brave will prevail. The battle has come to this point, and it's time to give up everything and fight only with our will. To put it bluntly, it's about fighting to the last breath. Whoever can hold on to the end will win. So I must charge into the battlefield to boost morale."
As a general of the Han dynasty, Guan Yu's role in charging into battle was not to kill enemies but to boost morale. Whenever he appeared on the battlefield, the morale of the Han army would increase by three points.
Liu Bei understood this principle, so he didn't try to persuade him any further. Instead, he released his grip on Liu Bei's arm and said, "Second brother, be careful. I'll wait for you to come back so we can drink a celebratory drink together."
Guan Yu nodded emphatically and left with Zhou Cang and his personal guards. Guan Xing hurriedly called out, "Father, wait! Your son will go with you..."
Before he could finish speaking, Guan Yu's blade was already at his neck. He said sternly, "Anyone can charge this time except you. If we lose this battle, you will have to return to Jiangling to assist His Highness the Crown Prince in rebuilding the nation."
Liu Bei nodded and said, "That's right. We can all die, but you can't die, Anguo. Shuzhi (Chen Dao), you keep a close eye on Anguo. If he dares to run around, knock him out and drag him back to Jiangling."
As the commander-in-chief, Liu Bei was already mentally prepared to die in battle, but as an emperor, he had to consider what would happen after his death and prepare for the consequences of defeat.
Guan Xing was the greatest hope for the Han Dynasty's resurgence, and Liu Bei would never want Guan Xing to die on the battlefield, even if his entire army was wiped out.
For the sake of the Han Dynasty, Guan Xing must live.
Seeing that Liu Bei and Guan Yu were resolute, Guan Xing did not press the matter further, but instead instructed, "Father, be careful."
Guan Yu strode down from the high platform, mounted his warhorse, and led a thousand personal guards toward the battlefield. As he charged, he shouted, "General Guan Yunchang of Han is here! Men, follow me and fight!"
After saying that, he rushed in front of the Wei army and cleaved the Wei soldier in two with a single stroke.
He wasn't riding Red Hare, but another fine steed, and he wasn't wielding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade, but a newly forged horse-slaying saber from the steel mill. Although his equipment wasn't as good as before, it was still more than enough to kill soldiers.
As for his arm, it's injured, not useless, so he can still swing the knife, just not as strong as before.
However, his role is not to charge into battle; his only purpose is to be present.
Having not eaten a single grain of rice for a day and a night, the Han army, already somewhat exhausted, were greatly invigorated when they saw that familiar green figure and heard the heroic words, "General Guan Yu of Han is here..." They inexplicably felt a surge of strength and charged towards the Wei army once again.
Guan Yu was like a banner; seeing him charge, the nearby Han soldiers spontaneously gathered around him, and their already shattered formation began to reorganize because of Guan Yu.
Guan Ping, who was fighting in the distance, also saw Guan Yu's figure. His spirits lifted and he charged forward again. As for his old rival Cao Zhang, no one knew where he had gone.
Previously, when he and Cao Zhang were fighting to the death, their personal guards, fearing for their safety, rushed forward and they were mercilessly separated.
Now all the soldiers were covered in blood and mud. Guan Ping looked around and felt that all the soldiers looked the same. He couldn't recognize Cao Zhang at all.
At this point in the battle, everyone has fallen into an instinctive killing frenzy. They don't care who their opponents are; as long as they recognize the clothes and don't mistakenly kill their own teammates, that's all that matters.
At the same time, this is also a good opportunity to settle personal grudges. If you don't like your comrades or superiors, you can stab them in the back without anyone noticing. Even the victims can't tell whether they were slashed by the enemy or by friendly forces. As a result, there are many cases of sniping on the battlefield.
The sun set, the moon came out, and then the sun rose again...
Yesterday and today are no different, except that there are far fewer soldiers on the battlefield and the distance between people is wider. As for those who disappeared, they naturally all lie on the ground.
Seeing that Liu Bei, who had been fighting for two days and two nights, could no longer hold on, he took out a bamboo tube from his bosom and handed it to Zhuge Liang, saying, "This is my will that I wrote before the battle. Open it when I die, and return it to me if I come back alive."
Zhuge Liang knew this was not the time for pretense, so he nodded emphatically and said, "Your subject obeys the imperial edict."
Liu Bei waved his hand, and led his personal guard commander Chen Dao down from the high platform, preparing to lead the White Feather Army into the battlefield.
He suddenly turned around halfway and stared at Guan Xing, saying, "An Guo, if you dare to go to the battlefield and put yourself in a deadly situation, your uncle will never forgive you, even if it means death."
He knew that Zhuge Liang couldn't stop Guan Xing after he left, so he turned around and gave him a stern warning.
Guan Xing's expression changed slightly. He took half a step back and bowed deeply, saying, "Uncle, rest assured, if we lose this battle, I will definitely return to Jiangling with the Prime Minister to assist the Crown Prince."
Only then did Liu Bei feel relieved and turn away, leading his White Feather Army into the battlefield.
Guan Xing stared at his retreating figure for a moment, then turned and ordered, "Zhu Chao, you also take your personal guards and go up there. Remember to protect His Majesty."
He also had three hundred personal guards. Although he had promised Liu Bei that he would not charge into battle, his personal guards were not restricted.
Zhu Chao clasped his hands in a bow and rushed down from the high platform, leading Guan Xing's personal guards to join the battle.
In this way, only Zhuge Liang's five hundred personal guards remained near the high platform.