dognovel Chapter 2068 Kill them all!
Chapter 2068 Kill them all!
Upon hearing Wang Zhongsi's reply, the Chu army knew that persuasion to surrender was hopeless, and their attack horns became even more shrill and urgent.
Wang Zhongsi stopped looking at the elite troops in the north who were quietly withdrawing from the battlefield. He knew that was the last thing he could do for the Tang Dynasty.
Now, he wants to use his life to buy time for his comrades to evacuate, and he also wants to finish the last journey of the commander-in-chief of the Tang army in the most heroic way!
He personally led his personal guards around the commander's banner and all the troops he could still mobilize, no longer paying attention to Zhao Yu's cavalry, which was being desperately delayed by Luo Wei on the flank, and stopped defending.
Instead, they coalesced into a desperate torrent, launching a fierce counterattack against Chu Ning and the core position of the Vermilion Bird Legion, a charge with no return!
"Protect Your Majesty!"
Upon seeing this, Feng Mulan shouted loudly, and the soldiers of the Vermilion Bird Legion rushed forward in a frenzy.
The core forces of the two armies, like two meteors colliding head-on, crashed together with tremendous force!
Wang Zhongsi led from the front, his sword flashing, each strike carrying the will to die. Wherever he went, the Chu soldiers fell and their horses collapsed.
He was using this seemingly irrational, suicidal attack to draw all the attention of the Chu army.
All he could do, and all he wanted to do, was to hold off the enemy as long as possible in the final moments of his life, so as to secure a slim chance of survival for the elite troops heading north!
At this moment, the battle entered its most brutal final chapter.
Wang Zhongsi's roar of "Only death matters!" was like a spark thrown into boiling oil, instantly igniting the last vestiges of courage and madness in the hearts of the remaining Tang soldiers.
Despair transformed into a resolute determination to perish with the enemy.
He was no longer a strategist and commander, but had transformed into an unyielding sword.
Personally leading the commander's guards and all the forces that could be gathered, like a tragic torrent bursting its banks, they disregarded the flanks and rear and recklessly crashed into the core position of the Vermilion Bird Legion where Chu Ning's dragon banner was located!
Feng Mulan's phoenix eyes flashed with murderous intent. She shouted sharply, brandished her spear, and took the lead in meeting the attack.
The soldiers of the Vermilion Bird Legion knew that the most critical moment had arrived, and they stood firmly in front of the emperor like a rock, fighting fiercely with the Tang army that was charging in.
Wang Zhongsi took the lead, his sword already riddled with nicks and dents, his armor tattered and bleeding profusely from multiple wounds.
But he seemed oblivious to the pain, his gaze fixed intently on the dazzling dragon banner in front of him.
He charged left and right, and with each flash of his sword, a Chu soldier would fall.
His personal guards were like mad tigers, using their bodies to shield him from the spears thrusting at him and risking their lives to pave the way for his advance.
With each step forward, the ground beneath their feet was soaked in the blood of soldiers from both sides.
The fighting power unleashed by this desperate Tang army was astonishing.
They completely abandoned defense, focusing solely on offense and risking their lives for each other. In a short period of time, they managed to bring the Vermilion Bird Legion's lines to the brink of collapse, even closing in to within a hundred paces of Chu Ning!
Feng Mulan fought back fiercely, and her spear had already felled countless Tang soldiers, her silver armor stained red with blood.
Chu Ning stood beneath the dragon banner, his face solemn as he looked at Wang Zhongsi, who was fighting fiercely amidst the chaos of battle. A hint of respect flashed in his eyes as well.
This is a true soldier, a worthy adversary.
However, the balance of the battlefield was completely shattered by the approaching, thunderous sound of horses' hooves from the northeast!
"White-horse cavalry! It's General Zhao Yu!"
"Reinforcements have arrived! Charge!"
A deafening cheer erupted from the Chu army camp, and morale instantly soared to its peak.
The Tang army, which was fighting to the death, was as if a bucket of ice water had been poured over their heads. Beneath their desperate fervor lay an undisguised despair.
Zhao Yu took the lead, his silver armor and white robes dazzling under the blazing sun, like a war god descending upon the world.
His tens of thousands of white horse cavalrymen poured in like an avalanche, encountering almost no effective resistance.
The Tang army's rearguard cavalry, led by Luo Wei, had already been pulverized by this torrent of steel.
Without the slightest hesitation, the White Horse Cavalry, like a red-hot blade cutting into solidified grease, easily tore apart the chaotic rear and flanks of the Tang army.
Iron hooves trampled, spears thrust, and sabers slashed; wherever they passed, men and horses fell, and blood and flesh flew everywhere.
The Tang army was already in disarray due to Wang Zhongsi's desperate charge, and now, attacked from both sides, it was completely plunged into the abyss of collapse.
Wang Zhongsi felt the terrifying pressure coming from behind him; he knew the final moment had arrived.
He abruptly parried the spear thrust at him by Feng Mulan, looked around, and saw that his personal guards who had followed him in the charge were few and far between, with Chu troops and white horse cavalry surging in from all directions.
He saw the dazzling "Zhao" banner sweeping towards him with unstoppable force.
He took a deep breath, and the air, thick with the smell of blood, filled his lungs, which ironically made him unusually clear-headed.
He abandoned his goal of rushing towards Chu Ning, and abruptly turned his horse around to face the white torrent surging like a tide.
He straightened his tattered helmet, held his blunt sword horizontally in front of him, and calmly looked at the white-robed general charging at the forefront.
Zhao Yu also saw Wang Zhongsi, who was surrounded but still stood tall like a pine tree.
He reined in his warhorse, pointed his gleaming silver spear diagonally, and said in a voice as sharp as metal, "General Wang! The situation is hopeless, why make a futile struggle?"
"Dismount and surrender, and I, Zhao, can guarantee your life before His Majesty!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Zhongsi's face revealed a complex yet relieved smile, and he said loudly:
"General Zhao is brave and I admire him! However, I have been favored by the Tang Dynasty for generations, and I can only repay my country with my life!"
"To die at the hands of a renowned general, wrapped in a horse's hide, is a truly fortunate end!"
He paused, his gaze sweeping over the growing number of Chu soldiers around him, finally settling on Zhao Yu with a mixture of military respect and challenge:
"Zhao Yu! Do you dare to fight me to the death?!"
Zhao Yu remained solemn.
He understood that this was the last act of dignity that Wang Zhongsi, a renowned general, had chosen for himself.
He slowly raised his gleaming silver spear and said in a deep voice, "General Wang, please!"
The surrounding noisy battlefield seemed to have cleared a duel arena for these two renowned generals of the time.
The Chu soldiers involuntarily slowed their attack and held their breath.
Wang Zhongsi roared, urging his already exhausted warhorse forward. Holding his broken sword, he launched his final charge against Zhao Yu.
His figure, set against a backdrop of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, appeared so lonely, yet so heroic.
Zhao Yu's gaze sharpened, and he spurred his horse to meet them.
As the two horses passed each other, the gleaming silver spear shot out like lightning, faster than the naked eye could perceive!