bookrandom Chapter 1584 An unexpected coincidence
Chapter 1584 An unexpected coincidence
Over the Windy Plains, three scarlet signal arrows rose into the sky one after another, leaving three glaring bloody streaks on the dusk sky.
The whistle at the tail of the arrow was sharp and piercing, piercing through the shouts and cries on the battlefield and spreading for miles around.
Xue Huaide was commanding the central army in a fierce battle with the Han army when he suddenly saw a signal in the sky and his tense face finally relaxed.
He grabbed the arm armor of the deputy general beside him and said, "Order the entire army! Take turns to cover each other and retreat immediately!"
What he feared most was that Chu Ning would continue fighting, and then all his 30,000 men would be killed here.
"Marshal, we are about to break through the east camp wall!" A captain with a bloody face shouted unwillingly.
"Confused!"
Xue Huaide raised his eyebrows and pointed at the cloud of dust rising from the distant horizon.
"Gongsun Ao's main force is less than five miles away. If we delay any longer, our army will be attacked from both sides!"
The advantage of Zhou's well-trained army was now apparent.
Hearing the retreat horn, the soldiers on the front line immediately changed their formation.
The archers stepped forward and fired volleys to suppress the enemy, the heavy infantry formed a circle to cover the rear, and the light cavalry quickly gathered the wounded.
The entire retreat process was orderly, giving the Han army no chance to pursue.
Inside the Han army camp, the soldiers on the watchtower urgently reported: "General! The Zhou army has begun to retreat!"
Huo Guang climbed onto the high platform with his sword in hand, squinting his eyes at the Zhou army troops that were gradually moving away.
The setting sun dyed their armor blood red, like a flowing torrent of metal.
"General, should we give chase?" The deputy general rubbed his hands eagerly: "They retreated in haste, this is a good opportunity!"
Huo Guang slowly shook his head: "The Zhou army's retreat formation is not in disarray at all. There must be an ambush. Besides, the commander-in-chief has arrived."
He looked at the approaching smoke and dust of the reinforcements and said, "We'll discuss this later after General Gongsun arrives."
In the wasteland in the southwest, two thousand white horse cavalrymen galloped like silver lightning.
Chu Ning took the lead, his white cloak stretched in a straight line behind him. His face was as gloomy as water, but his eyes were burning with terrifying fire.
"Faster!" Chu Ning shouted sternly, and the whip exploded in the air.
The warhorse was spewing white foam, and its hooves barely touched the ground.
This elite cavalry was his personal guard brought from the State of Chu. Every soldier could draw a three-stone bow and ride on horseback as if it were flat ground.
Suddenly, a scout from the front came with a report: "Your Majesty! We've spotted a small group of cavalry, about a hundred strong, five miles southwest, marching rapidly in the southwest direction!"
Chu Ning's eyes gleamed brightly: "Can you see their attire clearly? Who are they?"
"Black clothes and black armor, with a bronze plate hanging on the saddle, they look like..." The scout lowered his voice and said, "Han Dynasty secret guards!"
"Secret guard?" Chu Ning sneered, his fingers unconsciously stroking the gold wire wrapped around the hilt.
"Zhao Yu!"
"I am here!" Zhao Yu rode out of the line with a serious expression.
"Take three hundred elite cavalry and catch up with them."
Chu Ning's voice was as cold as ice: "Leave the leader alive, and leave a few others alive. Don't leave any of the others alive."
Zhao Yu clasped his fists and accepted the order, then immediately assembled three hundred elite soldiers.
These cavalrymen immediately took off their unnecessary equipment and only carried bows, crossbows and short weapons. The war horses immediately became much lighter.
"Remember." Chu Ning stared into Zhao Yu's eyes: "I want to know why they are here."
Zhao Yu nodded heavily and squeezed the horse's belly: "Follow me!"
Three hundred cavalrymen rushed towards the southwest like arrows, raising billowing smoke and dust.
When Mo Wushang heard the thundering sound of horse hooves behind him, he knew his whereabouts had been exposed.
He pulled the reins suddenly and the horse stood up.
"We can't let them keep chasing us, otherwise we won't be able to escape."
"Form a formation!" the secret guard leader shouted sternly.
More than a hundred black knights immediately divided into three teams: one team continued to escort the black-covered carriage in the center, one team turned their horses around to prepare to meet the enemy, and the last team spread out in a fan shape and encircled the enemy from the flank.
Zhao Yu saw the Han army changing its formation from afar, and a sneer appeared on his lips.
He raised his left hand and made a complex gesture, and the three hundred cavalrymen immediately split into three groups. The main force charged directly into the enemy formation, while fifty cavalrymen on each side made a flanking attack.
"Shoot!" Mo Wushang gave the order.
Dozens of feather arrows flew through the air.
Zhao Yu was prepared and shouted, "Raise your shields!"
The cavalrymen raised their iron-clad round shields in unison.
Arrows clanged against shields, and only a few horses were hit. The riders immediately jumped onto their companions' horses with smooth movements.
The distance between the two armies was rapidly shortening.
Mo Wushang drew the scimitar from his waist, and the blade shone with blood in the setting sun.
He saw the face of the general clearly - he was riding a white horse and carrying a silver spear, he was more than seven feet tall and very handsome.
"Zhao Yu!" Mo Wushang's pupils suddenly shrank: "It's Chu Ning's white horse cavalry!"
In the blink of an eye, the two cavalry units collided with each other.
Amid the sound of metal clashing, Zhao Yu's spear pierced through the throats of the two secret guards in an instant like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue.
His shooting skills were tricky and ruthless, and each strike went straight to the vital points.
Mo Wushang was furious when he saw this and rode his horse straight towards Zhao Yu.
The two men's weapons collided, sparks flying.
"Chu Ning's running dog!" Mo Wushang swept his scimitar across, almost cutting off Zhao Yu's helmet tassel.
Zhao Yu sneered without saying a word, and suddenly changed the move of his spear, from stabbing to sweeping, and the spear shaft hit the front leg of Mo Wushang's horse heavily.
The warhorse wailed and knelt on the ground, and Mo Wushang rolled off in a panic.
Before he could stand up, three spears were already against his throat.
The surrounding secret guards were either dead or injured, and the remaining few were pinned to the ground and tied up like dumplings.
When Chu Ning arrived with the main force, the battle was already over.
Dozens of black-clad corpses lay scattered across the wasteland, their blood seeping into the dry earth, turning it a strange dark red.
Zhao Yu, escorting Mo Wushang forward, reported, "Your Majesty, we've captured the leader of the secret guards and taken seven alive. The rest will be dealt with as you command."
Mo Wushang was forced to kneel in front of Chu Ning's horse, but he held his head high, his eyes full of arrogance.
There was blood at the corner of his mouth and his right arm was twisted unnaturally, obviously he had put up a fierce resistance.
Chu Ning looked down at the captive, his eyes sharp as a knife: "Why are the Han Dynasty secret guards here?"
Mo Wushang spat out a mouthful of blood foam: "Do you think I will tell you?"
Zhao Yu was furious and kicked Mo Wushang on the back, knocking him to the ground.
Mo Wushang laughed out loud, his laughter full of sarcasm.
Chu Ning raised his hand to stop Zhao Yu and slowly dismounted.
He walked up to Mo Wushang and squatted down, then suddenly reached out and pinched his chin, forcing him to look up.
"My patience is limited."
Chu Ning's voice was soft, but it made the temperature around them drop sharply: "One last time, what are you doing here?"
Mo Wushang and Chu Ning looked at each other and suddenly revealed a strange smile: "Your Majesty the Emperor Chu is so anxious, is he looking for someone?"
Chu Ning's pupils suddenly contracted and his fingers tightened unconsciously.
Mo Wushang's face turned purple from being pinched, but he was still smiling.
"You...you can kill me. Even if you kill me, you won't be able to get the information you want!"
Mo Wushang gave a creepy smile: "Wu Xiuning, you won't find her!"
Chu Ning's eyes turned cold: "Really? Then I will let you live and watch how I find Xiuning!"