novelden Chapter 1838: Fight to the Death!
Chapter 1838: Fight to the Death!
The street fighting in Hongdu City entered its most brutal and bloody stage from the moment the east gate of the city was breached.
This once prosperous military town has now turned into a hell on earth.
The streets were no longer thoroughfares, but had become corridors of death where soldiers from both sides fought with their lives and flesh and blood.
Flames shot up into the sky and thick smoke billowed, dyeing the night sky an eerie red.
Houses were burning and ruins were everywhere.
A brutal hand-to-hand fight could break out on every street, every alley, and even every courtyard.
The roars, the clash of weapons, the wails of the dying, the roar of collapsing houses, all kinds of sounds intertwined together, irritating everyone's nerves.
Geng Hui led two to three thousand soldiers who were hastily assembled, and firmly guarded several main streets leading to the core area of the city, fighting for an inch of land with the Chu army that was pouring in like a tide.
He knew that if the Chu army completely broke up their formation, Hongdu City would be finished!
"Hold on! Spearmen, in the front! Sword and shield soldiers, guard the two wings! Archers, occupy the rooftops on both sides and scatter freely!"
Geng Hui's voice was completely hoarse. He led the charge, brandishing his sword and charging into the front line. Every slash was filled with desperate madness.
The soldiers around him kept falling, but he still fought to the death, inspiring morale with his actions.
The Han soldiers also realized that there was no way to retreat, and they burst out with amazing fighting power.
Taking advantage of their familiarity with the terrain, they launched continuous attacks from rooftops, windows, and the shadows of alleys, causing considerable trouble and casualties to the numerically superior Chu army.
Every step forward for the Chu army came at the cost of blood.
However, the gap in strength and the disadvantage of losing the support of the city walls gradually became apparent over time.
Ran Ming, the general of the Chu army, was like a meat grinder on the battlefield. He ignored any tactical formations and focused on Geng Hui's flag. Waving the terrifying mace, he cut a bloody path in the chaotic battlefield and rushed straight to Geng Hui's position!
"Old Geng Hui! Where are you running to? Take this stick from me!"
Ran Ming roared and knocked down several Han soldiers who tried to stop him like a tank. The huge mace, with a fierce wind, slammed towards Geng Hui!
Geng Hui felt the fatal threat and hurriedly raised his knife to block it!
"clang!!!"
A deafening bang!
Geng Hui only felt an irresistible force coming from the sword, his knuckles instantly cracked, blood gushed out, and the sword that had accompanied him for many years was smashed to the point of being bent and deformed, and flew out of his hand!
He was shaken by this huge force and staggered back, his blood boiling and he couldn't help but spit out a mouthful of blood.
"General!" Seeing this, the surrounding soldiers rushed forward with red eyes and tried to rescue him.
"Get out of here!" Ran Ming roared wildly, and swept his mace across, instantly smashing the two personal soldiers so hard that their bones and tendons were broken and they flew backwards.
Ran Ming took advantage of the situation and caught up with the unstable Geng Hui. He raised the mace high again. The heavy head of the mace covered with spikes flashed with the light of death under the firelight, and smashed it down hard on Geng Hui's head!
Geng Hui's old strength was exhausted at this moment, and his new strength had not yet been generated. He had no power to dodge at all, and could only watch as the shadow of death loomed over him.
"boom!!"
With a loud, dull thud, the mace slammed firmly into Geng Hui's helmet!
The heavy iron helmet dented and shattered in an instant!
The terrifying force penetrated the skull!
Geng Hui's body suddenly stiffened, and the light in his eyes quickly faded like a candle in the wind.
He raised his head with difficulty and looked at the night sky in the north.
That was the direction where Emperor Liu Xiu's army should have arrived. His lips moved slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end only a large amount of blood and broken internal organs gushed out.
This loyal Han general who defended Hongdu City to the end shook his body, then fell heavily to the ground and died.
"General!!!"
Witnessing the death of their commander, the remaining Han soldiers let out heart-wrenching cries, and their last bit of morale collapsed in an instant.
However, at the last moment before Geng Hui collapsed, he used up his last bit of strength and issued the last order of his life to the captain of the personal guards next to him. His voice was weak but clear: "Order... everyone... everyone... immediately... break out... to the north... as far as you can... preserve... your strength... and go to see... His Majesty..."
The guard was stunned for a moment, then understood the general's intention.
The city has been breached, the general is dead, and there is no point in defending. The only option is to break out and preserve the last bit of foundation for the Han Dynasty to rebuild this army!
He suddenly wiped away his tears and roared like a wild beast: "The general has ordered! The entire army breaks out to the north! Don't fight to the death! Break out! Break out!"
This order was like the last straw and quickly spread among the remaining Han army.
The Han soldiers, who were originally fighting alone and in despair, now seemed to have found the only direction.
They no longer tried to retake the streets, but instead spontaneously and madly rushed towards the north gate!
"Break out! Break out to the north!"
"Revenge the general! Fight!"
The instinct for survival and the last bit of blood mixed together, forming a powerful impact.
The remaining Han soldiers rushed towards the north desperately like a flood that broke through the dam.
They pushed aside the Chu army that blocked their way and even used their bodies to clear a path for their comrades.
The Chu army obviously did not expect that the Han army not only did not collapse after the death of its main general, but instead burst out with such a determined momentum to break out. For a while, the formation was even somewhat chaotic.
Ran Ming stared at the Han army surging northward like a torrent, stunned for a moment, then flew into a rage: "Want to run? Not so easy! Chase them! Don't let any of them escape!"
He brandished his mace, trying to organize a pursuit.
However, the terrain of street fighting was complex, and the Han army was fighting desperately to break out, so it was difficult to effectively intercept them for a while.
The brutal breakout battle was staged again.
In order to save their lives, the Han soldiers fought desperately, regardless of the cost.
People kept falling, but those behind them continued to rush forward without hesitation, stepping on the bodies of their companions.
Driven by Ran Ming, the Chu army tried desperately to block the attack, and the two sides engaged in an even more brutal fight on the street leading to the north gate.
In the end, about four to five thousand wounded remnants of the Han army tore a hole in the encirclement of the Chu army, rushed out of the north gate, and disappeared into the dark night.
However, more Han soldiers fell on the way to break out, or were forced to retreat back into the city, and eventually died in battle, or were captured.
Although Ran Ming successfully captured Hongdu City and killed the main general Geng Hui, he failed to completely wipe out the defenders, allowing a considerable number of Han troops to successfully break through. This made him furious, but he could do nothing about it.
By daybreak, the main battles in Hongdu City had basically subsided.
The black flag of the Chu army was planted on the ruined city wall, announcing the fall of this fortified city.
However, sporadic resistance and the noise of the Chu army searching for remaining enemies could still be heard from various parts of the city from time to time.
The streets and ruins were littered with the bodies of soldiers from both sides, and the scene was horrific.
This city, which cost countless blood and lives, eventually fell into the hands of the Chu army, but the last bones and blood of the Han army broke through with the seeds of revenge.
The Battle of Hongdu has temporarily come to an end, but the smoke of war is far from dissipated.