mesbooks Chapter 276 Han Zhong ambushed and tragically loses his son.
Chapter 276 Han Zhong ambushed and tragically loses his son.
The rocket is the signal, the order to attack.
As Shen Yi's rocket was launched, a streak of fire pierced the dark night sky, striking Wu Jun's weary and sensitive heart like a heavy hammer.
The moment Han Dang saw the flames, his expression changed drastically, and he shouted in terror, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack..."
By this time, it was clearly too late. As soon as Han Dang finished speaking, countless arrows rained down from both sides of the mountain, mercilessly piercing the Wu army.
Before the arrows were all fired, countless logs and rocks rolled down from the mountain, causing the Wu soldiers to scream and howl in agony.
Besides stones, there were also many fireballs. The bundles of straw and pine were very easy to burn and could be lit by firelight. Once thrown, they could not only kill the enemy but also provide illumination. By the light of the fire, the Wu army in the valley was being beaten terribly.
Han Dang was furious at being attacked here, his nose practically crooked with rage. He brandished his sword and shouted, "Charge! Charge over there for me!"
Han Zong stopped him and said, "No, Father. The terrain here is a valley between two mountains. The Han soldiers who are firing arrows are all on the mountains on both sides. We can't get up there at all. If we charge forward, any soldier who passes through the valley will first be hit by rolling rocks from the mountaintop. It will be very difficult to get through. Even if we manage to get through the rolling rocks, what then? We have no idea what the situation is ahead. If we rush forward rashly, we might fall into an ambush. So, in my opinion, we should retreat."
They were currently in a narrow canyon passage less than two miles wide, sandwiched between two mountains. The slope of the northern mountain was more than 45 degrees, and there were many large trees and boulders along the way, making it difficult to withstand the Han army's attacks and climb to the top to fight them hand-to-hand.
The mountains to the south were even steeper, almost vertical, making them impossible to climb. The rugged terrain forced the Wu army to either advance or retreat. Advancing meant facing various attacks from the mountaintop, and anyone who tried to rush through would have to suffer heavy losses.
Besides, even if we made it through, who knows what the situation is on the other side of the valley?
Han Dang knew his son was right, and roared in grief and indignation, "Damn Xu Wenxiang, you have ruined my life! Get out of here!"
This situation was no longer suitable for advancing, and Han Dang had no choice but to retreat. But would the Han army allow you to retreat smoothly, or would the Wu army still be able to retreat at a leisurely pace?
Wu Jun and Han Dang had spent a day traversing traps and a night walking through the mountains. They were exhausted, hungry, and on the verge of collapse. Upon hearing the order to retreat, they turned and ran without a word.
However, in his panic, Han Dang overlooked a problem: the irregular terrain in the mountains prevented the army from marching in formation like on the plains. The narrow terrain forced the Wu army to form long lines, resulting in the vanguard already entering the canyon and being attacked, while the follow-up troops were still several miles away.
The Wu army, which was being attacked in the canyon, received the order to retreat and turned to run. However, the Wu army behind them did not hear the order and continued to advance, and then the two sides collided.
The collision itself wasn't the problem; the real issue was that the fleeing Wu soldiers were terrified by the Han army's relentless, torrential attacks. In their panic, they only cared about escaping and ignored everything else. When they saw someone blocking their way, they attacked their comrades without a word. Naturally, the Wu soldiers, who were being attacked for no reason, wouldn't tolerate it. As a result, the two sides quickly started fighting, leading to an extremely chaotic scene.
Seeing this scene by the light of the fire, Shen Yi, unwilling to miss the opportunity, decisively ordered an attack.
Under Shen Yi's command, the spearmen, carrying bamboo poles nearly two zhang long, charged into the canyon and towards the Wu army, followed closely by the sword and shield soldiers.
These bamboo poles were made on the spot. There was plenty of bamboo in the mountains, and the Han soldiers had saw blades with them, so it was no problem for them to cut some bamboo poles and sharpen them to use as spears.
The Han troops on the mountain, responsible for long-range strikes, decisively stopped when they saw the Han troops below launching an attack, giving the battlefield to their comrades below.
The Han soldiers, carrying bamboo poles, were able to easily rush into the canyon, and then they didn't have to worry about anything else; they just had to keep charging forward with their bamboo poles in hand.
Finally reaching Wu Jun, the Wu soldiers, who were being beaten and staggered, were powerless against the sudden attack of the Han army's spearmen. They were all pushed to the ground, and many were pierced by bamboo poles on the spot. The scene was extremely bloody.
The bamboo poles were too long, and the Han soldiers had already pierced the Wu soldiers' bodies. The Wu soldiers were still two zhang away from the Han soldiers, so they could only take the beating and could not fight back. After several engagements, their mentality completely collapsed.
"Don't panic, don't be chaotic, the rear ranks become the front ranks, retreat in an orderly manner, don't panic..."
Han Dang was so anxious that bubbles were forming at the corners of his mouth as he kept shouting, ordering his army to retreat in an orderly manner while maintaining formation. But who would listen to him at a time like this? His shouts not only had no effect, but the more he shouted, the more chaotic the situation became.
Seeing that things were not going to work out, Han Dang decisively rushed into the crowd and slashed down several of the most troublemakers with his knife, which barely restored some order and allowed the army to retreat in formation.
Then he pulled Han Zong aside and said, "We're moving too slowly and the Han army is charging too fast. This can't go on. I'll lead my personal guards to cover the rear and hold off the Han army to buy you time. You lead the main force to retreat immediately. Remember, once you get back, you must strictly follow the Grand Commander's orders. Don't throw any more tantrums, do you hear me?"
Covering the rear is a dangerous task; it could lead to the annihilation of the entire army. Han Dang was already prepared to die in battle and began to make his final arrangements.
Han Zong said urgently, "No, how can a son let his father cover the rear? You go first, I'll cover the rear, and the personal guards will charge with me."
Without waiting for Han Dang to stop him, he rushed out. The five hundred personal guards who had followed Han Dang for many years hurriedly followed. Han Dang reached out to pull him back but couldn't. He had no choice but to stomp his foot, turn around, and lead the army to retreat at top speed.
Now is not the time to wallow in self-pity or worry about who should go first. If we don't seize the time that Han Zong risked his life to buy for us and get out as soon as possible, but instead dawdle and waste time like women, then Han Zong's death will have been in vain.
Han Zong glanced back during his advance and saw that his father had already gone far away. He grabbed the shield and rushed forward. He quickly reached the Han army and used the shield to block the spear tips. Then he swung the shield to deflect the spear tips to the side, quickly turned around and squeezed into the gap created by the deflected spear tips. He threw away the shield and charged towards the Han army's spearmen.
The advantage of a spear is its length, but its disadvantage is that it cannot be quickly retracted after being thrust out. It can only be used for long-range attacks and cannot be used for close combat. These bamboo poles are nearly two zhang long, and there are people all around. Once the spear is thrust out, it cannot be retracted at all. Once the enemy closes in, the spear is useless.
However, the Han army's spearmen were not just armed with spears. Seeing the Wu army imitating Han Zong's close-range attack, they decisively threw away their spears, drew their swords, and charged forward. The sword and shield soldiers behind them quickly moved up to meet them, and together with the spearmen who had lost their spears, they launched a joint attack.
The two sides clashed quickly, engaging in a bloody battle with their swords drawn. Han Zong, the eldest son carefully trained by Han Dang, was naturally skilled in martial arts and led the most elite private troops of Eastern Wu, whose fighting power was extraordinary. For a time, the Han army was forced to retreat in defeat.
However, the Han soldiers were numerous and equally fearless. Under Shen Yi's command, the follow-up troops circled around to the left and right flanks and quickly surrounded Han Zong.
Han Zong, having followed his father through a day of turmoil, was equally exhausted. He could not hold on for long and was repeatedly wounded by the Han army, bleeding profusely.
Despite being clad in heavy armor and unable to inflict fatal wounds, Han Zong was bleeding profusely. Gradually, his eyelids grew heavier and his head spun. In his dazed state, he spotted several familiar figures among the Han soldiers and couldn't help but roar in grief and anger, "You bunch of bastards! Why do you, as soldiers of Eastern Wu, betray your lord and betray Jiangdong?"
The Han army was formed from the Wu army, but they were even more ruthless than the Wei army when it came to killing Wu soldiers. This puzzled Han Zong. Why was that?
The Han army responded with action. The Han soldier who was closest to Han Zong and was bleeding profusely from Han Zong's attacks finally seized the opportunity. Taking advantage of the moment when Han Zong's feet wobbled, he swung his sword and struck Han Zong squarely in the neck. Han Zong coughed up a spurt of blood and collapsed to the ground.