bookrandom Chapter 2094 Ma Chao is here!
Chapter 2094 Ma Chao is here!
Blood stained the earth, and corpses piled up.
Although the Chu soldiers were still fighting desperately, slashing with sabers, shooting with arrows, and even biting with their teeth, their formation had completely collapsed and defeat was already evident.
Ma Dai's personal guards kept falling, and his own horse was also stabbed, causing him to stagger and fall off.
He knelt on the ground, supporting himself with his knife, and looked around. All he could see were his comrades fighting bloody battles and the ever-approaching enemy.
Is this really the end?
General Han, General Ma, reinforcements... where are you?
The shadow of despair, like the long, dark shadow cast by the setting sun, began to loom over the tenacious Chu cavalry.
"Precarious" is an understatement to describe their current situation; they are like a small boat in a raging storm, which could be swallowed up at any moment.
A heavy, tangible shadow of despair weighed on the hearts of every surviving Chu cavalryman.
On the front, Yuchi Bo's cavalry, like maggots clinging to bones, frantically tore at their already dilapidated defensive lines.
On the flank, Li Jing personally led an infantry formation that resembled a moving steel millstone.
With unstoppable force, it slowly rolled in, each step accompanied by a baptism of arrows and the approach of a forest of spears.
The Chu army's circular formation had been compressed to its limit, and they were practically using human walls to withstand the attack.
Ma Dai was covered in blood, kneeling on the ground. The blade of his long sword was chipped, and each swing was incredibly heavy.
There were very few personal guards left standing around him; everywhere he looked, there were fallen comrades and enemies closing in.
Many Chu soldiers were already exhausted, mechanically wielding their weapons only with their last bit of willpower and instinct.
His eyes were filled with the numbness of fighting to the bitter end, yet they could not conceal the despair that was gradually spreading from the depths of his being.
Ma Dai could even hear his own heavy, bellows-like breathing, mixed with the dying groans around him and the excited howls of his enemies.
He seemed to have already seen the end of the entire army being wiped out, and he saw Li Jing's command flag stepping over his own corpse, and the road to Guo Ziyi's camp being completely opened.
Resentment, anger, and self-blame gnawed at his heart like venomous snakes.
"Could it be... that we are truly doomed to defeat here?"
This thought surfaced so clearly in his mind, which was on the verge of collapse, for the first time.
At this critical juncture, when the Chu army's defenses were on the verge of complete collapse—
"Whoosh—! Thump! Thump! Thump!"
A completely different, yet more stirring and resounding, bugle call and war drum sounded, seemingly carrying boundless power and hope.
Like the first thunderclap breaking through the dark clouds, it suddenly came from the northwest direction of the battlefield, far away yet incredibly clear!
This sound instantly drowned out all the fighting and noise on the battlefield!
Everyone engaged in the fierce battle, whether from the Chu army or the Tang army, involuntarily paused, looking in surprise and uncertainty in the direction from which the sound came.
Immediately afterwards, a cloud of dust rose on the horizon!
The scale of the smoke and dust was far beyond what a small force could produce; it resembled a churning, earthen-yellow dragon, sweeping towards the battlefield at an astonishing speed!
Amidst the smoke and dust, a scarlet banner fluttering in the wind pierced through the veil of dust, clearly coming into everyone's view!
On the flag, a powerful and majestic "horse" character, drawn with strong and bold strokes, gleamed in the afternoon sunlight, as if burning with the flames of revenge and victory!
The flag with the character "马" (horse) on it!
It's the Horse Flag!
The Chu soldiers, facing imminent doom, could hardly believe their eyes.
They stared wide-eyed at the large flag that was getting closer and clearer.
After a brief moment of shock, an indescribable elation and the thrill of surviving a catastrophe erupted in their hearts like a volcano!
"They are...their people!"
"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements have arrived!"
"Look at that flag! It's General Ma! General Ma Chao is here!"
"General Ma has come to our rescue!!!"
The initial murmurs quickly turned into shouts of surprise, and finally coalesced into a deafening cheer and roar that soared into the sky!
"General Ma! It's General Ma!"
"Reinforcements have arrived! Brothers, charge!"
"May Great Chu be victorious! May it be victorious!"
The fighting spirit that was on the verge of collapse and almost swallowed by despair was injected with the most violent vitality at this moment, instantly reignited, and burned more fiercely than ever before!
The surviving Chu soldiers seemed to have forgotten their fatigue and their pain.
They let out beast-like howls, their weapons regained their power, and they launched a frenzied counterattack against the Tang army that surrounded them!
The power that erupts when one sees hope for survival in dire circumstances is astonishing!
Ma Dai knelt on the ground, looking up at the huge "Ma" banner rushing towards him, listening to the thunderous cheers all around him.
He was first jolted violently, and then a feeling of immense joy, a thrill of escaping a desperate situation, and unparalleled exhilaration surged through his body like an electric current!
"Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!"
He suddenly used the knife to push himself up, struggling to stand up, ignoring the pain of his wounds reopening, and burst into wild laughter!
The laughter was hoarse and rough, yet it was filled with unparalleled excitement and joy, even carrying a hint of madness!
"Perfect timing! You've come at just the right time! Brother! You've come at the perfect moment!"
He roared with all his might towards the direction of the large flag, his eyes flashing with an unprecedented brilliance.
"Li Jing! Your death is near!"
In stark contrast to the jubilant celebrations on the Chu army's side.
In the Tang army formation, the expressions of Li Jing and Yuchi Bo turned extremely ugly the moment they saw the large banner with the character "horse" and the billowing dust behind it, as if they had been frozen in ice!
"Ma Chao? How come he got here so quickly?"
Yu Chi Bo gasped in shock, his face filled with disbelief.
According to their calculations, Ma Chao, having been delayed by Qin Hong's troops and having divided his forces to search, should still be lingering dozens of miles away at this moment!
Li Jing's heart felt as if it had fallen into an ice cave!
He had planned everything, but he never expected that Ma Chao would be able to break free from the entanglement so quickly, find this place so accurately, and appear at this most critical moment!
This means that all his previous delaying tactics have completely failed!
Now, the situation on the battlefield has been reversed in an instant!
In the blink of an eye, Li Jing did not hesitate for a moment.
As a seasoned commander, he understood better than anyone the principle that "hesitation leads to chaos."
If the fighting continues, and they are caught in a pincer attack from Ma Dai and Ma Chao, his exhausted and disorganized troops are very likely to be completely defeated, or even wiped out!
"Send the order!"
Li Jing's voice was cold and urgent, carrying an unquestionable decisiveness: "The entire army must immediately regroup!"
"General Yuchi, lead all cavalry to immediately disengage from the battle and retreat to the northeast!"
"I will personally lead the infantry to form a defensive line and cover the rear! Quickly! Execute the order!"