kingnovel Chapter 2217 Rage
Chapter 2217 Rage
To the north, the earth trembled violently as Gongsun Yi's 40,000 Scorpion Clan cavalry swept in like a black storm, their hoofbeats deafening.
These fierce cavalrymen from the grasslands, each filled with bloodlust and excitement, brandished their scimitars and spears, eager to break through the flanks of the Chu army and seize enormous military achievements and wealth.
But when they reached their designated positions, they were not met with the expected chaotic rear guard or flanks of the Chu army.
Instead, it was the flank guard line of a portion of the Chu army's rearguard that had already turned around and was relying on the flank of Han Xing's position, and the towering, tightly closed city of Jianghuai further away.
From the northeast, Helian Hui led 20,000 remnant Scorpion Clan cavalry, who also arrived with shouts.
They intended to join the battle and gain some advantages, but they found the battlefield situation to be strange.
The Tang army was fiercely attacking a strong Chu army defense line, but behind that defense line, which should have been the route for the main Chu army to retreat, was now empty, with only the tightly closed Jianghuai City further away.
Three fresh forces, totaling 110,000 troops, arrived at the designated battlefield almost simultaneously at the scheduled time.
However, the main force of the Chu army, which they had planned to throw into chaos here and be attacked from both inside and outside, was nowhere to be found!
Instead, a heavily fortified city was built.
And a rearguard unit of the Chu army, Han Xing's troops, which, despite being fiercely attacked by the Tang army, stubbornly remained in place, as if mocking their late arrival.
Han Xing, standing in the ranks, also saw the boundless torchlight that lit up almost simultaneously in the east, west, and north directions, and heard the massive marching sounds that rolled in like muffled thunder.
He knew that Chu Xuan and the Scorpion Clan's army had finally arrived.
However, at this moment, he felt no fear, but rather a strange emotion mixed with pride and irony.
Your Majesty and the main force are safe.
He suddenly pointed his long sword at the sky, using all his strength to strike his soldiers who were still fighting desperately against the Tang army.
It was as if he were unleashing a deafening roar at the three enemy armies that had just arrived but could only look at the city with longing:
"My lords! Do you see?! His Majesty's imperial banner has entered the fortified city! The traitors and barbarians are too late!"
"They're only fit to collect our corpses, no, they won't even have an easy time collecting corpses!"
"Today, our Hanxing tribe covered the rear of Great Chu! We bought time for His Majesty! Even though we are surrounded, it is still our greatest honor!"
"Great Chu—Victory!!"
Upon hearing this, the remaining Chu soldiers, whose bodies were exhausted from the long battle, once again unleashed astonishing power, roaring in unison:
"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng!"
The sound waves momentarily drowned out the sounds of fighting on the battlefield.
Li Shiming, standing at the rear, looked at the torches covering the mountains and fields to the west, north, and northeast, and listened to the deafening bugle calls of the enemy. Instead of joy, his face turned ashen.
Everything he had planned went terribly wrong because of Han Xing's tough stance and Chu Ning's decisive retreat!
Chu Ning's main force has slipped away and entered the city!
Meanwhile, the Tang army was entangled with this tenacious Chu army rearguard, and was exposed to the onslaught of Chu Xuan and the Scorpion Clan army!
The situation suddenly became bizarre and dangerous.
Under Chu Xuan's central military banner, Chu Xuan, dressed in a prince's python robe, had a somber expression.
He gazed at the tightly closed Jianghuai City, then at Han Xing's troops, who were besieged by the Tang army but remained stubbornly resistant, his eyes filled with malice.
He knew that the most crucial target of his meticulously planned, even accusatory, fatal blow—Chu Ning himself—had already slipped through his fingers.
The plan had a major flaw.
"Send the order!"
Chu Xuan's voice was icy: "Youzhou Army, advance forward and join forces with the Scorpion Clan allies to encircle the battlefield ahead."
"Now that Chu Ning has run away, let's get rid of his loyal dogs first."
His order instantly included Han Xing's troops and the Tang army still fighting against them within the attack range.
Although Gongsun Yi and Helian Hui were disappointed that they failed to capture Chu Ning's main force, there were still battle merits to be gained.
The two scorpion cavalry units began to slowly adjust their formation, pressing towards the battlefield from the north and northeast, gradually forming a huge, slowly shrinking encirclement with the Youzhou infantry advancing from the west.
Han Xing's troops, the lone army that successfully covered the main force's retreat and fought to this day, found themselves trapped in an even larger and more desperate death encirclement composed of rebels, the Scorpion Clan, and the city itself after Chu Ning's main force safely entered the city.
Under the cover of night, the firelight illuminated countless cold weapons and murderous gazes; the final, desperate situation had arrived.
The two sides began to fight!
The first light of dawn failed to dispel the thick, oppressive stench of blood and death that permeated the fields west of Jianghuai City.
The fierce siege, which lasted for nearly half an hour, crushed Han Xing's last stronghold like a millstone.
The infantry formation of the Youzhou army was like an impregnable fortress, advancing layer by layer, wearing down the strength and lives of the remaining Chu soldiers.
Gongsun Yi's Scorpion Clan cavalry, like a cunning pack of wolves, launched rapid attacks from the flanks, tearing apart the already dilapidated defensive line.
Helian Hui's remaining troops also joined the battle, driven by a vengeful frenzy, launching a fierce attack regardless of the cost.
Of the 10,000 elite troops that once surrounded Han Xing, less than 2,000 remain.
They were compressed into a very small area, leaning against a few burnt-out shield vehicles and piles of corpses, making a last stand.
Everyone was wounded, their armor shattered, their weapons dulled, but the fire in their eyes never went out.
Han Xing's own long iron sword had been slashed with several notches, his shoulder armor was smashed, and a deep wound on his left arm, exposing bone, was gushing blood.
But he still stood at the forefront, and the "Han" banner, though riddled with holes, still stubbornly fluttered in the gradually brightening sky.
The encirclement was complete, and the offensive slowed down slightly.
It wasn't that the enemy was powerless, but rather that the victors wanted to enjoy the prey's final struggle, or to perform some kind of "ritual."
A group of brightly armored Youzhou military guards parted the crowd and escorted a man on horseback to the front of the formation.
The newcomer was dressed in a dark purple prince's python robe, covered with light armor. His face bore a resemblance to Chu Ning, but with a more sinister and profound air, typical of someone who had long held a high position. He was none other than Prince Xuan, Chu Xuan.
He looked down at Han Xing, who was surrounded and covered in blood, his eyes cold and devoid of any warmth.
Han Xing spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, barely supporting himself with the tip of the knife, and glared angrily at Chu Xuan, his voice hoarse yet like muffled thunder:
"Chu Xuan! You traitor who has defied human ethics and disregarded the emperor's grace!"
"His Majesty has treated you well, granting you the important post of Youzhou and entrusting you with the safety of the northern frontier. How dare you collude with foreign invaders and rebel on the battlefield! Do you have any respect for the Chu blood flowing in your veins?!"
Upon hearing this, Chu Xuan's lips slowly curled into a mocking smile, as if he had heard something utterly ridiculous.
He leaned slightly forward, his voice not loud, but it carried clearly to Han Xing and many others around him:
"You've treated me well? Hahaha, Han Xing, you're a loyal subject, but unfortunately, you only know how to be blindly loyal and don't understand strategy."
"The throne should rightfully belong to the virtuous. My nephew, young and impetuous, is warlike and stubborn, dragging the Great Chu into years of war."
"Only if he dies here can Great Chu achieve true peace and rebirth! And the one who can lead Great Chu to rebirth is naturally me—Chu Xuan!"