Chapter 48: The Counterattack Begins (Part Seven)

The Yellow River Floating Bridge.

At this time, Zhao Yun, following Lu Ang's strategic arrangement, successfully ambushed the pursuing enemy forces. He then led his troops to escort the civilians all the way to the side of the floating bridge.

After seeing the civilians safely across the bridge, he handed Lu Ang's written orders over to Cheng Lian and Zhang He.

Upon reading the orders, Cheng Lian and Zhang He immediately commanded their respective troops to prepare for reinforcing Lu Ang, who remained trapped in Huqiuting.

Just at that moment, a scout galloped up and reported that Li Jue, Guan Yu, Song Xian, and Cheng Yu—who should have been garrisoning Luoyang—had arrived with an army.

Believing they had come as reinforcements, Zhang He, Cheng Lian, and Zhao Yun were overjoyed and immediately went out to welcome them.

Upon meeting Li Jue, Cheng Lian and Zhang He informed him of Lu Ang's orders, requesting that he immediately lead his forces into battle.

Li Jue retorted to Cheng Lian and Zhang He with an unfriendly expression, "If the entire army marches out and the enemy takes advantage of our absence to seize Luoyang, who among you will bear the responsibility?"

Hearing this, Cheng Lian and Zhang He were greatly surprised. Cupping their fists, they said, "Since that is the case, let us generals lead a portion of the troops to go and provide reinforcement."

Li Jue shouted, "How dare you!"

With that, he drew his sword, preparing to execute Cheng Lian and Zhang He on the spot.

At that instant, Guan Yu swiftly brought his Green Dragon Crescent Blade to rest directly against Li Jue's neck, declaring, "If you dare to kill Cheng Lian and Zhang He, I will have your head rolling on the ground!"

Seeing the blade pressed against his throat, Li Jue did not dare to strike Cheng Lian and Zhang He with his sword.

Guan Yu said coldly, "You are merely a deputy beside my lord; do not meddle in our affairs here. In our eyes, there is only our lord, not you. If you wish to stay behind, we can leave you be. But if you refuse to march to rescue our lord, or if you dare to threaten our lord and us, tomorrow will be the anniversary of your death!"

Furious, Li Jue snapped, "Red-faced thief, you dare threaten me!"

Guan Yu sneered, "Threaten you? Are you even worthy of being threatened by me, you narrow-minded scoundrel!"

Hearing himself called a narrow-minded scoundrel, Li Jue swung his sword toward Guan Yu and yelled, "Go to hell!"

Before the words had even faded away—

Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade flashed, cleanly severing Li Jue's head from his shoulders, and Li Jue's head tumbled to the ground.

Following this, Cheng Lian and Zhang He prepared to lead their troops out to battle.

Right at that moment, another scout rushed before Cheng Lian and Zhang He, panting urgently, "Reporting to the generals! A Xiongnu army is charging in from the west, and they are less than thirty miles away!"

Hearing this, Zhang He, Cheng Lian, and the others turned pale with shock.

Zhang He immediately shouted, "The entire army, follow me out of camp to form battle formations and prepare for combat!"

Without delay, Zhang He and the others led their forces out of the camp to array themselves for battle.

Soon, they spotted thick clouds of dust billowing along the western horizon as five to six thousand Xiongnu cavalrymen swept forward from the west.

The Han army rapidly formed its battle array.

Cheng Lian and Zhang He sat tall in their saddles, gazing into the distance at the rapidly approaching enemy force.

Huqiuting.

Another day of fierce combat had drawn to a close. The coalition forces of the three tribes still failed to break the defense of the Han army before them; instead, their casualties were even heavier than in the previous days.

A heavy, oppressive atmosphere hung over the coalition camp, driving many to the brink of despair over a brutal war that offered neither victory nor reward.

At this moment, a commotion broke out in the Xianbei camp. A contingent of Xianbei troops, carrying the loot they had previously plundered, was leaving the camp and heading toward the northwest.

Witnessing this, others were similarly gripped by the desire to desert.

Many immediately put this thought into action, departing the camp either in tribal units or simply acting on their own accord.

The Xianbei King was just about to rest when a chieftain rushed into his tent, panting in panic, "This is terrible, Great King! Many tribes are leaving without authorization!"

Shocked by the news, the Xianbei King rushed out of his tent and saw numerous soldiers streaming out of the camp. He roared, "Send men to stop them! Anyone who dares to desert without permission shall be severely punished!"

The chieftain said with a troubled expression, "Great King, nobody wants to fight anymore; they all want to leave. If we try to intercept them by force, I fear—I fear it will spark internal conflict!"

The Xianbei King's heart tightened, and a look of hesitation flickered across his face.

Just then, a chieftain under the Xianbei King escorted a Xiongnu envoy into his presence, bowing deeply. "Great King, an envoy sent by the Left Wise King has arrived!"

The Xiongnu envoy immediately stepped forward, bowed to the Xianbei King, and said, "Greetings, Great King!"

The Xianbei King glanced at him, sighed, and pointed toward the nearly uncontrollable exodus in the camp. "You see the situation here for yourself. I cannot stay any longer. Tell the Left Wise King for me: I am leaving."

The Xiongnu envoy hurriedly said, "Great King, please hear me out!"

Looking somewhat impatient, the Xianbei King nonetheless forced himself to listen.

The envoy spoke with urgency, "My master, the Great King, sent me to inform you that this is the crucial moment. The enemy before us is at the end of their rope. If we simply concentrate our forces for one final assault, we can completely annihilate them. When that time comes, the endless wealth and countless beauties of Luoyang will be ours for the taking. The Wuhuan King has already agreed to launch another fierce offensive. We earnestly request the Xianbei King to hold on just a little longer!"

Hearing these words, the Xianbei King felt his resolve waver. Thinking of how many days they had fought and the heavy price they had already paid, he felt it would truly be a pity to leave now. He nodded and said, "Since the Wuhuan King agrees to launch another all-out assault, we Xianbei will naturally not lag behind. Go tell the Left Wise King that at dawn tomorrow, I will assemble my main force to act alongside him."

Overjoyed, the Xiongnu envoy bowed and said, "The Great King has made a wise decision!"

Early the next morning, the coalition forces of the three tribes mustered for the most ferocious assault since the beginning of the battle against Huqiuting.

The coalition warriors relentlessly battered the Han defense lines. Bloody struggles raged endlessly across the southern and western sectors, while the officers and soldiers of the Han army fought with every ounce of their strength, beating back the enemy's fierce onslaught amidst mountains of corpses and rivers of blood.

Blinded by the madness of battle, Han soldiers on the verge of death summoned their final breath to grab hold of enemies and plunge together with them off the city walls.

Time ticked away second by second. Relying purely on sheer willpower and flesh and blood, the Han army withstood wave after wave of relentless enemy attacks.

With every major assault, the coalition forces felt certain they could finally shatter the Han defenses in one fell swoop, but the result every single time fell just short of success. The Han army managed to repel their fierce charges over and over again.

The Wuhuan King roared in fury, "Shouldn't they have been wiped out long ago? How can they keep beating back our attacks time and time again? Are they human beings or demons?"

Before long, the sun began to dip below the horizon, bathing Huqiuting in the crimson glow of the setting sun as if the town had been soaked in blood.

Right at that moment, a massive battle cry erupted from the northern sector, which had hitherto seen no combat.

Suddenly, a force of ten thousand Xiongnu troops broke through the virtually undefended north gate and surged into the town.

A dozen Han officers and soldiers fought desperately to resist, but they were quickly swallowed up by the thundering tide of enemy hooves.

The Xiongnu cavalry drove straight in, pushing the situation to the brink of absolute catastrophe.

Lu Ang hurriedly ordered Xu Chu to lead a hundred men in a counterattack.

Dong Yuan said, "Husband, I will go to help General Xu!"

Lu Ang shook his head. "You are my wife; I cannot let anything happen to you. If something were to befall you, what would I do?"

Seeing how deeply Lu Ang cared for her, Dong Yuan yielded. "Very well, I will listen to my husband."

Xu Chu led his hundred men to block the ten thousand enemy cavalry in a narrow street, engaging them in brutal combat.

Wielding his heavy saber, Xu Chu charged headfirst into the enemy ranks, sweeping down rows of opponents.

The hundred soldiers also plunged into the fray, fighting with desperate valor and putting their lives on the line.

At that moment, they had long since cast aside thoughts of survival and completely forgotten about victory or defeat; they only wished to destroy as many enemies as possible before drawing their last breath.

Every single one of these Han soldiers fought like ten, leaving a trail of shattered flesh and choked streets in the wake of their slaughter among the Xiongnu.

Yet, the number of Xiongnu troops was simply overwhelming. Although each Han soldier took a dozen or more enemies down with them before perishing, they still could not expel the overwhelming force.

Blades chipped into the shape of saws; spears snapped in half. Soldiers drawing their final breaths hacked off enemy heads even as enemy spears pierced their own bodies.

By the end of the slaughter, all one hundred of the soldiers led by Xu Chu had fallen in battle, collapsing amidst the piles of corpses and pools of blood, while the tattered battle flag of the Han army still fluttered atop the mound of the dead.

Yet, the battle was far from over.