novelden Chapter 1853 Reinforcements Charge!
Chapter 1853 Reinforcements Charge!
How could Liu Xiu not know the problem that Huo Guang saw?
As he looked around, the entire battlefield was like a huge whirlpool, sucking in hundreds of thousands of troops under his command, leaving them in a dilemma.
Want to retreat? There is no way to retreat. Any attempt to leave the battle will lead to the collapse of the line and being pursued and killed by the enemy.
Want to win? But it's hard to overcome this challenge in a short period of time.
Just as Liu Xiu was feeling uneasy and racking his brains for a way out, a burst of hurried horse hoofbeats came from the side and rear of the battlefield.
I saw a scout captain who was sent to the rear to supervise the food and grass and monitor the surrounding areas. He was full of panic and rushed across the chaotic battlefield regardless of everything, straight to the general's flag!
"Your Majesty! Your Majesty! Something terrible is happening!"
The captain almost fell off his horse and scrambled to the front of Liu Xiu's horse. His voice was shrill and distorted with extreme fear:
"Northwest... Northwest, smoke and dust are rising, covering the sky and the sun! There are... countless soldiers and horses attacking our flanks and rear!"
"Look at the flags... It's the Chu army! It's the banner of Chu General Xue Huaide!"
"what?"
This news was like a bolt from the blue, instantly striking Liu Xiu and all the generals around him who heard it!
Liu Xiu felt his eyes go dark, and a cold chill instantly jumped from the soles of his feet to the top of his head, almost making it impossible for him to hold the reins in his hand!
He suddenly raised his head and looked towards the northwest.
Sure enough, at the end of the horizon, a thick, sandstorm-like line of smoke was rapidly spreading and expanding.
It was like a giant beast that devoured the world, opening its bloody mouth and rushing towards the exhausted and chaotic battlefield!
Everything is clear!
Chu Ning's frantic counterattack outside the city, fighting to the death at all costs, all for this moment!
In order to pin his army here, waiting for the fatal blow!
"Xue Huaide, how could he be... so fast?"
Liu Xiu's voice was extremely dry, filled with incredible shock and a hint of despair.
However, the reality is cruelly right in front of us.
Chu Ning succeeded.
The main forces of the Han and Chu armies were like two giant pythons tightly entangled with each other, exhausted, and no one could easily escape.
At this moment, a well-rested and extremely sharp fang was biting towards the unprepared flank of the Han army with the force of thunder!
In the Battle of Hongdu, the balance of victory and defeat suddenly tilted at this moment!
The initially inconspicuous streak of smoke on the horizon expanded and approached at an alarming speed, eventually turning into a torrent that swept across the world!
Countless large flags with the word "Chu" and general flags with the word "Xue" fluttering in the wind pierced the horizon of dawn like a forest of death.
The sound of galloping horses' hooves was as heavy as thunder, even drowning out the chaotic fighting on the battlefield and shaking the earth!
The Chu general Xue Huaide led the way, clad in heavy black armor. He pointed his halberd at the Han army's chaotic flank and roared his attack.
"Soldiers of the Great Chu! Follow me to kill the enemy, rescue His Majesty, and annihilate the Han army! Kill!"
The 100,000 fresh troops of the Chu army, who had gathered their strength and rushed over from a long distance, were like a flood that had been brewing for a long time.
With the momentum of destroying everything, they slammed into the flank and rear of the Han army, which was completely unprepared, exhausted from fighting all night, and whose formation was in disarray!
This was undoubtedly the last straw that broke the camel's back, and a fatal blow!
The Han army troops, which were struggling with the main force of the Chu army leaving the city, had no time to make any effective response.
Their flanks and rear were instantly torn to pieces by this terrifying torrent of steel.
The sharp horse lances easily pierced the chests of the exhausted Han soldiers, the heavy swords knocked down the panicked soldiers, and the iron hooves ruthlessly trampled the fallen wounded soldiers.
"Chu Army! It's the Chu Army's reinforcements!"
"We're surrounded!"
"Run!"
Panic spread rapidly among the Han army like a plague.
The battle line, which was already struggling to hold on, began to collapse at a speed visible to the naked eye under attacks from both inside and outside.
Countless Han soldiers lost their will to fight, dropped their weapons in terror, and tried to flee backwards, only to find that they had already been surrounded and had nowhere to escape.
Screams, wails, and pleas for mercy instantly became the main theme of the battlefield.
"Hold on! Don't retreat! Hold on!"
Liu Xiu, who was under the central army, witnessed this avalanche-like defeat. His eyes instantly turned red, veins bulged on his forehead, and he let out an unwilling roar.
He could not accept or believe that the encirclement and annihilation battle that he had carefully planned and was determined to win would turn into a catastrophic defeat in the blink of an eye!
The strong sense of humiliation and the dignity of an emperor made him refuse to admit defeat.
He suddenly drew the sword from his waist and pointed it in the direction of the surging Chu army reinforcements. His voice was hoarse and distorted due to extreme anger:
"Quick! Tell the central army reserves to charge forward! Stop them! Huo Guang! Wang Yan! Gather all the troops you can and build a defense line right here! Quick!"
At this moment, Liu Xiu still retained the last bit of rationality and commander's instinct.
He knew that the entire army was on the verge of collapse, and the only chance of survival was to immediately stabilize the situation, establish a temporary line of defense, stop the momentum of Xue Huaide's reinforcements, and buy even a little precious time for the army to reorganize.
Under his strict orders and personal supervision, the elite Han army loyal to the emperor and some phalanxes that had not yet fallen into complete chaos began to desperately move towards the general's flag.
The officers shouted at the top of their lungs and even hacked at the deserters with their swords in an attempt to stop the trend of disintegration.
Huge shields were hastily erected, and spears stretched out from the gaps between the shields, forming defensive circles and spear formations that were simple but better than nothing.
The remaining Han army archers were also urgently assembled and shot sparse arrows at the surging Chu cavalry, trying to stop their charge.
"Quick! Form a circle! Spearmen in front!"
"Don't mess around! Come closer to me!"
"Your Majesty has ordered that anyone who retreats beheaded!"
The Han army generals shouted desperately, trying to forcibly form a reef of resistance in this chaotic vortex of death.
The high ground where Liu Xiu's flag was located became the last hope in the minds of countless defeated Han troops. The soldiers instinctively gathered here, but at the same time it also attracted more pursuers.
However, all these efforts seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the overwhelming offensive of Xue Huaide's 100,000 fresh troops.
The hastily formed defense line of the Han army was like paper and collapsed at the first charge of the Chu cavalry.
The crowd that had just gathered was instantly dispersed, and then ruthlessly divided, surrounded, and annihilated.
The entire area outside Hongdu City was completely transformed into a one-sided massacre of the Han army.
The main force of the Chu army that had left the city was greatly encouraged by the arrival of reinforcements, and they counterattacked even more fiercely.
Xue Huaide's army advanced like a hot knife through butter, continuously penetrating into the heart of the Han army and becoming invincible.
Liu Xiu stood on a high place, watching his army melt as quickly as ice and snow under the sun, watching the defense lines he tried to build being broken down again and again, and watching his loyal generals and soldiers fall one by one.
The sword in his hand was trembling slightly, not because of fear, but because of extreme anger and powerless despair.
He knew that defeat was inevitable.
But as the emperor of the Han Dynasty, he could not admit defeat!
Even if there is only a one in ten thousand chance, he will fight to the end!
"I don't believe it! I will never be defeated here!"
He roared like a beast, still trying in vain to command the battle that had gotten out of control.
"Stop them! I'll reward you handsomely!"