bookcurios Chapter 163 Breakout
Chapter 163 Breakout
"Yes, Your Majesty, let's retreat!" Zhang Xun, Ji Ling, and others stepped forward to persuade Yuan Shu, "Your Majesty, as the saying goes, as long as the green hills remain, there will always be firewood to burn!"
"Then let's retreat!" Yuan Shu said dejectedly.
He failed; he was defeated by the person he once looked down upon the most, and even by that person's subordinates.
"Withdraw!"
Yuan Shu wanted to leave, but it was too late. The nearest cavalry had already rushed to within 500 meters of Yuan Shu's central army. At the speed of the cavalry, they could reach Yuan Shu in no more than 15 seconds.
Yuan Shu's army was completely stunned. After the autonomous region's infantry approached their effective firing range, three rounds of firing ensued, and bayonets clashed. More than 200,000 troops surrounded Yuan Shu's army in the face of such a powerful enemy.
The already chaotic main force of Chen Jun collapsed in less than a minute. However, being in the center of the encirclement, they couldn't escape much even in defeat.
"Pass on my order: accept the enemy's surrender!"
The First Army Corps Commander Huang Zhen and the Fifth Army Corps Commander Tian Yu issued the order to accept the surrender at almost the same time, and the battle, which had been a battle of annihilation, turned into a battle to capture prisoners.
Of course, only a portion of Chen's soldiers have begun to surrender so far. Yuan Shu's central army is still full of fighting spirit and is desperately protecting Yuan Shu as he tries to break through to the outer perimeter.
"Is that Yuan Shu?"
Guo Jia observed the battle through his binoculars. He had gone to the First Army Corps with Huang Zhen before the battle began, to be on the perimeter in case of any unforeseen circumstances. The battle was progressing more smoothly than expected.
Guo Jia had nothing to do, so he followed Huang Zhen to observe the enemy situation at the front line. Naturally, Yuan Shu's central army in the center of the battlefield was the part that Guo Jia was most concerned about.
“It’s him, no doubt about it,” Huang Zhen said. Huang Zhen had seen Yuan Shu before, and Yuan Shu’s golden armor was so dazzling that he spotted him at a glance.
"General, I suggest we mobilize artillery to quickly resolve the battle. Our casualties have been far too great in trying to capture Yuan Shu. Look, three cavalry regiments are bogged down, and a large number of infantry are also tied up. This does not conform to our army's operational principles," Guo Jia said to Huang Zhen.
"This, Military Advisor Guo, the lord's orders are to capture Yuan Shu alive first."
Huang Zhen said cautiously.
Guo Jia waved his hand and said, "That's a priority. Our soldiers are currently stuck in the mud, and the casualties are too high. Even if we capture Lord Yuan Shu alive in the end, I'm afraid he won't be happy. Let's just bomb him directly."
"At worst, we can just have the artillery pay more attention, aim more carefully, and stay away from Yuan Shu. If Yuan Shu still dies in the end, then it's not our fault. I'll take responsibility if anything goes wrong."
“Alright, then I’ll listen to you, strategist.” Huang Zhen immediately made the decision. He understood Guo Jia’s position in Chen Er’s heart. Since Guo Jia had said so, he had no reason to hesitate. He had been heartbroken to see so many soldiers fall and had long wanted to bombard them with artillery.
"Order the entire army to disengage from the enemy's central force, maintain the encirclement, and send in the artillery!"
Huang Zhen spoke to the messenger.
Soon, the soldiers of the autonomous region at the front began to gradually retreat to the surrounding areas, and the cavalry quickly disengaged. Their mission was basically completed. The reason they had been entangled was that they also wanted to capture Yuan Shu alive with their own hands. It was a reward mission personally ordered by their lord, and who wouldn't want to complete it? However, the strict military regulations of the autonomous region army told them otherwise.
They now had to retreat because Commander Huang Zhen of the First Army Corps had given the order. They had no choice but to retreat. In every barracks and military camp of the Autonomous Region Army, the most prominent words were: "Soldiers take obedience to orders as their primary duty!" This was the primary principle of the Autonomous Region Army's military regulations!
"withdraw!"
The three cavalry regimental commanders reluctantly issued the order to retreat. However, they had already achieved great merit in this battle, so they had nothing to be resentful about. Even if Yuan Shu was captured alive in the end, they had to be credited with a portion of the credit. This was a must.
After the main force gradually disengaged from close combat, a large number of artillery pieces were pushed to the front line to support the musketeers in firing at the central army protecting Yuan Shu. These were Yuan Shu's loyal troops, and it would be difficult to get them to surrender, so they decided to fight first.
"shooting!"
Gunfire erupted in volleys, followed by the roar of cannons. Zhang Xun, in the center, tried more than once to break through an opening, but the firepower of the autonomous region's army was simply too dense, along with their cannons that hardly needed reloading. Every attack they launched was repelled by the autonomous region's artillery.
Every cannon shot meant that at least three or four Chen soldiers fell, because their formation was too dense. However, Yuan Shu still had at least 20,000 to 30,000 troops around him, including the central army, the personal guards of various generals, and private soldiers from his family.
These family-run private armies still exist within the forces of Yuan Shu and Sun Ce. Since these nobles are wealthy and their private armies don't require their lords to pay for them, they don't prohibit them. Moreover, these private armies are absolutely loyal to their own generals. As long as they are kept within a certain range, those in power don't mind their existence at all.
Alright, enough said. Yuan Shu's surrounding forces still have a chance to launch a counterattack. If he can break through the current blockade and reconnect with the various Chen army units that have been separated, he might actually have a chance to break out.
But perhaps even the heavens couldn't bear to watch. The cannons that weren't originally aimed at Yuan Shu suddenly seemed to have eyes, and the shells fired from those artillery positions were heading straight for Yuan Shu. To make matters worse, these shells were all the latest type of exploding shells.
It's all over! Several explosions rang out, followed by a cloud of smoke. Then everyone on the battlefield saw that Yuan Shu's royal banner had fallen, and Yuan Shu himself had fallen with it!
"Pfft..." Yuan Shu, who was hit by the cannonball, did not die immediately, but was seriously injured and fell to the ground. He was spitting blood and it was clear that he would not live much longer. Zhang Xun and Ji Ling rushed to Yuan Shu's side and shouted, "Your Majesty, Your Majesty!"
Yuan Shu's words were no longer clear: "Zhang Xun, surrender, surrender! I've lost, we've lost! Tell Chen Mingde that I've lost, I've lost wholeheartedly, and I beg him not to make things difficult for my children and family out of respect for our elders."
Yuan Shu's voice grew fainter and fainter until it was completely inaudible. A dozen seconds later, with a croak, Yuan Shu died. Seeing his dead lord, Zhang Xun stood up and addressed the people around him, ignoring the surrounding gunfire. He said, "You all know what our lord said. Is there anyone who disagrees?"