bookcurios Chapter 457 Both sides suffer losses
Chapter 457 Both sides suffer losses
The Xiongnu general Luo Haiqing, riding on the tall warhorse, looked agile and showed the advantages of cavalry in the battle in the sea of fire.
However, at this moment, he was surrounded and attacked from both sides, with his brows tightly twisted into the shape of a "川" character.
Seeing the enemy reinforcements pouring in like a tide, Luo Haiqing became extremely anxious and complained to himself.
He knew very well that if he could hold on a little longer, the next 15,000 troops would arrive and turn the situation around.
After all, the reinforcements he had currently only numbered 5,000 people!
Fang Zhixing retreated to the woods and looked at the tragic scene before him, his heart broken.
Their own men lay scattered on the ground, their blood staining the earth red. A rough estimate suggests that at least two thousand were killed or wounded by these five thousand Xiongnu cavalry.
He watched helplessly as the five thousand enemy troops were surrounded by Qi Niuhe and Wang Sili, and an impulse surged in his heart, wanting to rush up to help.
But he was really worried about his brothers who had just been injured. They were his comrades who had fought side by side with him!
Just as the remaining people were scrambling to treat the wounded, a burst of dense horse hoofbeats sounded in the distance, hitting everyone's heart like a heavy hammer.
Fang Zhixing's inner panic was even greater than the sound of horse hooves. He couldn't help but complain inwardly: "Why am I so unlucky today!"
He knew that if he allowed these cavalrymen to charge forward, his brothers fighting in the front would be in even greater danger.
So, he suppressed his inner anxiety, took a deep breath, and shouted loudly: "Brothers, we must not let these guys pass, otherwise our brothers in front will be in danger. We must stop these cavalry at all costs!"
At this time, the noise around gradually subsided, and Fang Zhixing's words were clearly heard by everyone.
"Find the spears on the ground, and while it's still dark, quickly stab them into the ground one by one to stop them!"
Fang Zhixing's order was like a ray of light in the darkness, instantly calming everyone's originally panicked hearts.
Their team had a complex composition, mostly convicts. They had a limited number of steel swords, but quite a few spears.
The news spread quickly among the crowd, and in a moment, spears were hastily erected along the road like the sharp spines of a hedgehog.
It was a dark night with extremely low visibility. Even with the faint moonlight, one could only barely see things.
The war horses ran at an extremely fast speed, and by the time the cavalry discovered the barricades, it was too late to pull the reins.
Soon, thousands of Hun cavalry rushed over like a hurricane.
They charged headfirst into the barricade of spears, only to hear the neighing of their horses as they were stabbed in the stomach and legs. The horses, in pain, threw the cavalrymen on their backs to the ground uncontrollably.
Fang Zhixing saw this perfect opportunity and didn't care about his own safety or the consequences. With his eyes wide open, he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Brothers, follow me and kill these Xiongnu dogs!"
The team he led had a complex composition, including former prisoners, temporarily recruited militiamen, runners drawn from the yamen runners, and even prisoners currently serving their sentences.
Under the cover of the pitch-black night, if someone is doing something sneaky, it would be difficult for others to see clearly.
However, Fang Zhixing's shout seemed to have an invisible magic. Almost no one was afraid to retreat, and everyone rushed forward like a swarm of bees.
Someone saw the spear still stuck in the ground, with the tip pointing upwards and forwards, so he picked it up and threw it hard towards the enemy.
Seeing this, others followed suit.
Spears flew like raindrops, and the enemies fell off their horses in an instant.
Most of these people were not wearing armor, but they were very agile.
One of them spotted a cavalryman swinging his sword at his companion on the other side, rushed forward, stretched out his hand like an eagle's claw and grabbed the collar of the cavalryman's clothes, and then wiped the other's neck with the steel sword in his hand. The movement was clean and neat.
There were even braver ones who, after pulling the enemy off their horses, raised their swords and slashed them, then leaped up steadily and mounted their horses to fight with the enemy.
In the darkness, the "ping pong" sound of weapons clashing and screams of pain could be heard continuously.
After all, they are all living beings. How can they not wail when facing death? This wail is not a sign of cowardice, but an outlet for the unwillingness in their hearts!
Although they successfully slowed down the war horses, it was infantry against cavalry after all, so they did not have much advantage in the end.
During the fierce battle, Fang Zhixing's left arm was hit hard by the enemy's battle axe, and blood spurted out like a fountain. He only had time to use a knife to injure the enemy's horse's leg.
Fortunately, a sharp-eyed brother nearby saw it and hurriedly brought two people to support him, thus saving him from the enemy's clutches.
Eventually, they succeeded in driving the enemy back, and they retreated in disgrace into the woods.
Luo Haiqing suffered a great loss this time. At least half of the 5,000 troops he brought were killed, and he could only flee the battlefield in disgrace.
During this battle, Qi Niuhe was attacked on the back and a one-foot-long cut was left on him. Fortunately, the wound was not too deep.
He was carried to where Fang Zhixing was hiding.
Wang Sili was very worried when he saw that two of the three people were injured. He had no intention of staying here any longer and immediately ordered everyone to evacuate with the wounded.
Only after everyone returned to their hiding place did their tense nerves relax a little.
A count the next day showed that there were more than 500 wounded and the number of dead or missing people was as high as 7,000.
Fang Zhixing was seriously injured and developed a high fever the next day. He fell into a coma and his life was in danger.
Although Qiniuhe did not have fever symptoms, he was extremely weak and exhausted.
Among the more than 500 injured people, the condition of some of them is not optimistic, and some have died one after another.
Fang Zhixing felt that his time was running out. He opened his eyes slightly, his gaze somewhat unfocused, and looked at a warrior who had fought alongside him. He asked in a hoarse and weak voice, "Who... who are you?"
That Xiang Yong hurriedly stepped forward and answered respectfully, "My name is Gu Yunyang, and I am Xiang Yong of the Zhongyang Liang family."
After hearing this, Fang Zhixing closed his eyes silently, as if he was accumulating his last bit of strength.
After a moment, he slowly opened his eyes again, looked at Wang Sili with difficulty, and said, "This brother is quite skilled in martial arts. When I was injured, he gave me the right instructions. From now on... you should listen to him."
Gu Yunyang heard Fang Zhixing's words, which seemed to imply a request for help, and quickly said, "Chief, I would like to recommend someone to you. This person is the one who saved you. He is not only a skilled warrior, but also a very intelligent person."
Wang Sili saw that Fang Zhixing was already speaking weakly, so he quickly joined in: "Who is he?"
"This man's name is Qin Yungu, and he's also a Xiang Yong sent here from below."
Gu Yunyang said to Wang Sili.
Wang Sili knew that this matter was of great importance and required Fang Zhixing's approval, so he turned to look at Fang Zhixing.
Seeing Fang Zhixing nod slightly, he continued, "Please go and invite Brother Qin and tell him that you have something to discuss with me."
After a while, Gu Yunyang hurried over with someone.
To save Fang Zhixing from having to speak any more, Wang Sili spoke up himself, "Brother Gu strongly recommends you to lead our team. Are you willing?"
On the way here, Gu Yunyang had already told Qin Yungu the whole story, so he was mentally prepared.
"I can take over the command temporarily, but we are not simply prisoners, so I can only take over the command of this army."
Qin Yungu said calmly.
Wang Sili looked at Fang Zhixing again, and when Fang Zhixing nodded in approval, he clasped his fists and saluted, saying, "I am Wang Sili, Chief Yilang General, and I pay my respects to the new commander."
Seeing this, Gu Yunyang also hurriedly bowed to Qin Yungu.