mesbooks Chapter 304 Making a Deal with Lu Xun
Chapter 304 Making a Deal with Lu Xun
Wu Jun's intention in descending the cliff was clear: he wanted to circle around to the back of the Han army's outpost, join forces with the Wu army in front to capture the outpost, and then rush into the mountains to cut off the Han army.
There are still more than 3,000 Han soldiers who have not yet passed through the No. 3 gap. Once the Wu army breaks through the outpost and rushes into the mountain, these 3,000 soldiers will be doomed.
Therefore, Wang Tao dared not be negligent. While ordering the arrows to be fired, he snatched the bow and arrow from the soldier's hand, aimed at one of the ropes that the Wu army was holding, and decisively let go.
The arrow, like a meteor, plunged into the depression and struck the top of the rope, causing the three Wu soldiers hanging on it to scream and fall to their deaths.
Unfortunately, there were too many bushes at the bottom of the cliff and the cliff wasn't very high. Of the three Wu soldiers, only one was unlucky enough to fall on a rock and be knocked unconscious. The other two fell into the bushes and were unharmed. They only hesitated for a moment after landing before quickly getting up and joining the battle.
Lu Yan, who was blocking the Han army, was overjoyed when he saw this and hurriedly shouted, "You two carry more bushes over and pile them up at the bottom of the cliff, so that the brothers on the cliff don't have to hold onto the ropes and can just jump."
Hearing this, Wang Tao's lips trembled, and he couldn't help but curse inwardly, "Damn Wu Jun, are you crazy? Aren't you afraid of being thrown to your deaths?"
While complaining, Wang Tao continued shooting arrows, and soon he also broke the other two ropes of Wu Jun. But it was no use. Wu Jun on the cliff jumped down like dumplings being dropped into a pot, quickly expanding his army at the cost of losing one person for every three who jumped down.
Meanwhile, Wu Jun on the cliff was not idle either. They all lay down on the edge of the cliff and had their comrades hold their legs down, while they stretched their upper bodies out of the cliff edge and frantically shot arrows downwards. This way, they could completely avoid blind spots and accurately shoot the arrows at Wang Tao and the others in the depression.
Wang Tao was caught off guard and almost got hit by an arrow. Startled, he quickly raised his shield and shouted, "Sword and shield soldiers, stand on both sides of the road and build a wall with your shields. Everyone else, run across! Hurry, hurry, hurry!"
At Wang Tao's command, the swordsmen and shieldmen quickly ran below the Wu archers and raised their shields. Countless shields were quickly pieced together to form a canopy above the army, allowing the Han army to avoid the arrows from the Wu army on the mountaintop and pass through smoothly.
Wang Tao breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing this and continued to organize his men to resist Lu Yan's attack, determined to block the Wu army that was descending the cliff in the depression. Little did he know that a major event concerning the outcome was taking place above the cliff top, which was out of his sight.
Unlike the corridor, the mountains were mostly made of rock that was impossible to dig, which caused the Han army's trap delay tactics to fail. The cliffs were entirely made of rock, with several huge rocks ranging from several meters to several meters tall standing on the top.
The boulder was attached to the mountain and could not be moved, but it was not immovable forever. Wu Jun found a small stone that was only about a meter long on the cliff top and frantically tried to pry it out with his gun barrel and knife sheath. After a long time, it finally loosened. Then, several people used ropes to pull and push with their hands to finally get the stone out of the pit.
The rest was pretty much a foregone conclusion. Wu Jun originally intended to push the stone to the west and drop it directly from above the Han army outpost, but he found that the distance was too far and there were too many ditches to cross, so he simply pushed it and dropped it directly from above.
Directly above was the direction from which the Han army's swordsmen and shieldmen were raising their shields to cover the army's retreat, and the stone, by sheer bad luck, landed right on the canopy made of shields.
The shield was supported by people, which was good for blocking arrows, but it was beyond its ability to block heavy objects like stones. As soon as the stone hit the shield, the Han soldiers under the shield screamed in pain. Not only was a piece of the shield top missing, but several Han soldiers were also killed or injured on the spot.
The Han soldiers, including Wang Tao, who were blocking Lu Yan in the depression, all changed their expressions upon hearing the commotion. The Wu soldiers, who were being blocked, were greatly encouraged. Lu Yan, who had already suffered more than a dozen wounds, made a decisive move, grabbed a Han soldier's spear and pulled him sharply. Taking advantage of the Han soldier's staggering and forward lean, he climbed up the spear shaft and successfully rushed into the Han army's formation to engage in close combat.
Lu Yan was not a member of the Lu clan, but was selected by Lu Xun from among the refugees and incorporated into the army. Therefore, he had no nepotism and became Lu Xun's personal guard entirely through his own strength. Now, wearing armor, he charged into the Han army formation and instantly transformed into a brute, rampaging through the enemy lines. The Wu army behind him quickly filled in to protect his left and right flanks. After a few regrouping sessions, Lu Yan broke through Wang Tao's blockade and rushed out of the depression.
Wang Tao was no match for them and was forced to retreat in defeat. However, he dared not leave and could only lead his army to retreat while continuing to block their advance.
In this way, the Han army that had passed through the gap was protected by him, while those that had not yet passed through were tragically cut off by Lu Yan. Lu Yan was naturally caught in the pincer attack of the two Han armies and was completely surrounded.
But Lu Yan still had reinforcements. After tasting success from the boulders, the damned Wu army on the cliff top set their sights on the trees on the mountaintop, cutting down several trees and throwing them down along with their trunks and crowns, instantly blocking the already narrow road completely.
Moreover, as Lu Yan charged out of the depression, Wu Jun threw ropes down from the top of the cliff and quickly climbed down to join Lu Yan's battle. At the same time, they also threw many armors and shields into the depression. Wu Jun put on their armor as soon as they came down the cliff, which made Lu Yan's side stronger and stronger, and separated the two Han armies further and further.
After nearly half an hour of fighting, Wang Tao, seeing that he couldn't break through, simply gave up and shouted to Lu Yan, who was covered in blood and looked like a madman, "Go back and tell your Grand Commander that General Lü Ju is still in our hands. If you want General Lü Ju, you'll have to exchange him for one of our men."
It's always good to prepare for the worst. When Shen Yi ordered Wang Tao to defend the No. 3 breach, he said that if they really couldn't hold it, they should retreat to preserve their strength. It wouldn't matter if Lu Xun captured some Han soldiers, since there was still Lü Ju.
Lü Ju was a veteran of Eastern Wu and the only son of General Lü Fan, the General Who Pacifies the South. Naturally, Shen Yi would not put him with ordinary prisoners, but would send him away in advance. He is probably back in Yushan City by now.
Given Lü Ju's wealth, exchanging him for two or three thousand Han soldiers shouldn't be a bad deal, right?
Lu Yan was stunned upon hearing this. After a moment of thought, he realized what he meant and immediately cursed, "Shameless."
The outcome was no surprise. The Han soldiers, who had been blocked, had already been notified and were mentally prepared. Upon seeing Wang Tao retreat, they decisively threw down their weapons, squatted down, and surrendered, waiting for Shen Yi to come and ransom them.
The Han army surrendered, and the Wu army went into the mountains, taking the Han prisoners with them as they withdrew.
Lu Xun led Li Yi through the breach and watched the Han prisoners being escorted away, their expressions varying. After a moment of silence, Li Yi said, "Grand Commander, should I continue the pursuit to amplify the effect?"
Lu Xun shook his head and said, "Forget it, chasing now would just be a boring game of chasing and retreating. If we fall into an ambush, it would be a loss."
What you can see isn't truly yours; what you put in your pocket is.
This battle not only recovered five or six thousand of Xu Sheng's surrendered soldiers who had been captured by the Han army, but also captured two or three thousand Han soldiers, completely salvaging the low morale of the Wu army. For the Wu army, which had suffered repeated defeats, this was a great victory. Therefore, it was important to preserve the fruits of victory and not to underestimate the enemy and advance rashly, lest the Han army take advantage of the situation.
Thinking of this, Lu Xun ordered, "Let the army at the fourth and fifth gaps retreat. The terrain is unfavorable to us, and attacking would be too disadvantageous. There is no need to continue with unnecessary casualties."
After saying that, he patted Li Yi on the shoulder and was about to leave when he turned around and saw Lu Yan struggling to come over, stepping on the branches they had thrown down.
Lu Xun hurriedly stepped forward to greet his hero, helping him to step over the tree branches and stand firmly. He then smiled and said, "You've worked hard today. Without you, we wouldn't have won so easily. How are you? Are you badly injured?"
Lu Yan wiped the blood from his face and said with great bravado, "They are all superficial wounds, nothing serious, but those damned Han soldiers are too hateful. Before retreating, they told me to tell the Grand Commander that they are willing to exchange General Lü Ju for these prisoners."
Lu Xun's smile froze on his face instantly.