mesbooks Chapter 281 Han Dang Commits Suicide
Chapter 281 Han Dang Commits Suicide
The two armies clashed again, and without any further words, they charged straight at each other. The vanguard troops collided like mad beasts, and wherever the blades passed, severed limbs and blood flew everywhere.
But this battle was a foregone conclusion; the Wu army collapsed almost immediately, allowing the Han army to easily gain the upper hand.
Although both the Han and Wu armies were exhausted after several days of fighting, the Han army's morale was high after a series of victories, while the Wu army's morale was low and they were full of despair. Their spirits were already on the verge of collapse, so they were no match for the Han army.
Upon seeing this, Shen Yi ordered someone to fetch Li Gouyan and handed him a simple wooden megaphone, saying, "Shout to the Wu army and persuade them to surrender."
Li Gouyan looked at the loudspeaker with a blank expression and asked, "Then what should I shout?"
Shen Yi didn't have time to teach him step by step, so he grabbed the megaphone and said, "Watch me."
After saying that, he ran to a high place and shouted into the loudspeaker: "Brothers of Wu Army, if you can't hold on, surrender. Our Han Army treats prisoners well and will not make things difficult for you. We are also Wu Army soldiers, we are family. Please don't kill yourselves."
He shouted three times and handed the megaphone to Li Gouyan, saying, "Now you understand, right? Shout whatever comes to mind."
Li Gouyan nodded hurriedly, and as if he had received a new toy, he took the megaphone and ran to a high place to shout loudly: "Stone, Gouwa, Lanxia, I am Li Gouyan! Everyone, surrender quickly! The Han army will not only not make things difficult for us, but will also give us new shoes. It's much better than being with the Wu army."
I don't know which damned person said that a lowly name is easier to raise, which led to the entire Han Dynasty, from emperors to commoners, taking pride in marrying someone of low status.
Unfortunately, people from poorer backgrounds and above will give up their humble names and choose new ones when they grow up, but the humble names of the lower-class people will accompany them for life.
This leads to another problem: common, derogatory names are everywhere, and you could knock down several people with the same name by hitting them with a brick on the street.
Although Li Gouyan was not in Han Dang's army, there was someone in Han Dang's army called Gouwa Lanxia. He vaguely heard someone calling him and was stunned on the spot.
In the heat of battle, there's no time for distraction; if you're in a daze, you'll only lose faster.
Han Dang was extremely anxious about the rout and regretted his actions, cursing, "If only those five hundred troops were still here."
If his troops were still around, he could use them as a spearhead to deliver a crushing blow to the Han army, or even tear a gap and leave unscathed. But now...
Han Dang reluctantly pulled his personal guards aside and said, "Now is the time. Go and inform Xu Sheng and the Grand Commander immediately, or it will be too late."
The guard asked, "And what about you?"
Han Dang gritted his teeth and said, "I will continue to maneuver in the mountains to buy time for you and Xu Sheng. The Han army will not give up until they capture me. The longer I delay, the better your chances of breaking out."
"Moreover, the Han army is exhausted after so many days of fighting. They will definitely need to rest after this battle. Even just one day of rest is crucial for Xu Sheng's survival. Tell Xu Sheng that he owes me a life. If he continues to disobey the Grand Commander's orders and acts recklessly, I will haunt him even as a ghost. Stop arguing and get out of here."
After driving away his personal guards with a combination of beatings and kicks, Han Dang left two thousand men to block Shen Yi, and then ordered the troops that were blocking Wu Yue to turn around and attack Hao Yu.
He knew he was surrounded and his chances of survival were slim, so he gave up on breaking out and only wanted to use his last bit of strength to move around in the mountains and delay his death.
After all, the longer they delay, the greater Xu Sheng's chances of breaking through will be.
With this in mind, Han Dang dragged his tired body and ran away again.
After the battle began, Shen Yi stood on high ground to observe the movements of the Wu army so that he could make timely adjustments. When he saw Han Dang flee again, he became anxious and grabbed the megaphone to shout to the Wu army that was blocking the attack: "Stop fighting! Wu army brothers, look back! Your general has abandoned you and fled on his own."
The battlefield was too noisy, and the loudspeaker was not very effective. When Shen Yi saw that Wu Jun could not hear him, he had no choice but to shout to his personal guards: "Shout together, tell Wu Jun the news of Han Dang's escape at the top of your lungs."
As it turns out, quantitative change can lead to qualitative change. The roar of hundreds of people easily suppressed the noise of the battlefield and conveyed the news to Wu Jun's ears.
Hearing the shouts, Wu Jun turned around and saw that Han Dangzhen had really abandoned them and run away. His heart, which had already turned cold, died completely.
Someone couldn't help but angrily curse, "Stop fighting! The general has run away, what's the point of us lowly soldiers fighting? I surrender!"
His roar resonated with the nearby Wu soldiers, who then ordered them to throw down their weapons and surrender.
Upon seeing this, Shen Yi hurriedly ran to the front of the ranks and shouted, "Soldiers who surrendered, move aside and make way for me! I'm going to pursue Han Dang and avenge you!"
The mountain road is only so wide. How are we supposed to get through if you block it?
Upon hearing this, Wu Jun quickly retreated to both sides. Shen Yi led his troops through the passage they had cleared, and as he passed by, he kicked Li Gouyan into the ranks of the surrendered soldiers, saying, "Go and persuade them to surrender, and calm their emotions."
Li Gouyan had only surrendered a few days ago, and he shared common ground with the surrendered soldiers. He had also surrendered a few days earlier than them and had attended several political and ideological classes, making him the most suitable person to persuade them to surrender.
Li Gouyan lived up to expectations. As soon as he entered the crowd, he shook hands with the surrendered soldiers and said with a smile, "My name is Li Gouyan. I am a scout under General Xu Sheng. I surrendered to the Han army a few days ago. You can ask me any questions or concerns you may have."
Shen Yi bypassed the surrendered soldiers and charged towards the Wu army. However, he failed to catch up with Han Dang but blocked the two thousand Wu soldiers who had been left to block Wu and Yue and were recalled by Han Dang's orders.
This Wu army was clearly betrayed by Han Dang, but since they had encountered them, they couldn't just ignore them. Shen Yi had no choice but to continue fighting. Fortunately, Wu Yue also attacked from the rear. The Wu army couldn't withstand the pincer attack of the two Han armies and surrendered after only half an hour.
Shen Yi ignored them and summoned Wu and Yue to join forces to chase after Han Dang again.
The mountain roads are limited, so you can't run in all directions. The mountains in the south are also quite steep, with vertical cliffs everywhere, making it difficult for you to climb them easily. So Han Dang could only run along the known roads, and before long, he bumped into Hao Yu coming from the opposite direction.
This time, Han Dang did not stay behind, but drew his sword and led the charge, determined to fight his way out and escape.
The Han army in front of them numbered only two or three thousand, and they had neither the numerical advantage of Shen Yi nor the terrain advantage of Wu and Yue. This made them the most suitable point of attack, so they charged forward without hesitation.
Hao Yu was not surprised but delighted to see Han Dang charging towards him. He brandished his long sword and shouted excitedly, "Judging from the armor and age of the enemy general in front, it is probably Han Dang himself. Han Dang is actually coming to kill me. This is heaven bestowing upon me the merit of slaying a general! Brothers, follow me and kill!"
After saying that, he led the charge and swung his knife fiercely at Han Dang. Han Dang raised his sword to parry, and with a single blow, he easily forced Hao Yu back.
Han Dang was also a fierce general known for his bravery. Although he was old and exhausted, he knew that there was no hope of breaking through the encirclement and disregarded his own life and death.
Once a fierce general in armor starts fighting you to the death, you can't take him down without paying a price. Han Dang repelled Hao Yu and then snatched a long sword from a Han soldier next to him, charging into the enemy ranks. Seeing the old general's bravery, the Wu soldiers behind him finally regained some of their low morale and followed closely behind Han Dang as they charged forward.
But Hao Yu was not to be outdone. As he charged forward again, he shouted, "Brothers, hold on! General Shen is almost here. Once he arrives, Han Dang will be finished."
Led by Hao Yu, the Han army fought desperately to resist, but after less than a quarter of an hour, they heard hurried footsteps in the distance. Shen Yi had arrived.
Wu Jun was surrounded again. Seeing no hope of escape, his mentality completely collapsed. Someone cried out in despair, "Old general, we have no hope. Surrender."
Han Dang was highly respected in the army. Although the soldiers wanted to surrender, they did not want to betray him. Upon hearing this, they made appeals, hoping that Han Dang would surrender with them.
Seeing this, Han Dang was equally filled with despair. He fought Hao Yu again and forced him back, saying, "Who commanded this encirclement? I want to see him."
Upon hearing this, Hao Yu stopped attacking and instead pointed behind him, saying, "It's my General Shen Yi; he's behind you."
Han Dang turned and went to the rear guard, shouting at the Han soldiers who were rushing over: "I am Han Dang, which of you is Shen Yi? Can you come out and show yourself?"
Shen Yi, who was charging forward, quickly raised his hand to order the army to stop. He then came to the center, clasped his hands in greeting, and said, "Junior Shen Yi greets General Han."
Han Dang stared at him for a moment and asked, "The ambush from all sides has driven this old man to a dead end. General Shen is indeed formidable. May I ask if General Shen was also a general in the Wu army? What position did you hold in the army?"
The name Shen Yi was unfamiliar to Han Dang, who was certain it was the first time he had heard it, so he was eager to ask him for clarification.
Han Dang had fought for decades and seen all sorts of things, yet in the end he was defeated by an unknown nobody he'd never even heard of. Just thinking about it made him feel resentful.
But what can you do even if you're unwilling to accept it? It's too late to change anything.
Shen Yi shook his head and said, "I have never served in the army before. I was just a minor official in Jianye County. I am honored by General Guan's high regard for me and was transferred to the Young General's command."
Han Dang's lips twitched violently a few times, and he sighed sadly, "With such abilities, yet only a minor official, it seems that Lord Wu really doesn't know how to use people. Since things have come to this, I have nothing to say. I beg the general to treat my Wu soldiers well, and I would also like to trouble the general to bury me and my son together. I thank you in advance."
Without the slightest hesitation or lingering regret, he drew his sword and committed suicide in front of everyone from both the Han and Wu armies.