ebookland Chapter 399 Lu Xun's Doomsday (8)
Chapter 399 Lu Xun's Doomsday (8)
what?
Still want to charge?
Are you crazy?
Lu Yan was terrified by Lu Xun's madness and asked in horror, "Grand Commander, please forgive my boldness, but is it still necessary to continue fighting at this point?"
After a day of fierce fighting, Wu Jun not only failed to break through the Han army's defenses but also became entangled in a stalemate, making it difficult to retreat. Seeing no hope of breaking out, the soldiers were filled with despair.
More importantly, Lu Xun sent everyone up, leaving his rear undefended. This effectively exposed the Wu army's back to Shen Yi, allowing Shen Yi to charge into the Wu army's ranks and unleash a massacre as soon as he arrived.
With no hope of breaking through the encirclement ahead and enemy troops approaching from behind, Wu's army was surrounded on all sides, with no way to escape. Exhausted from a day of fierce fighting, they saw no hope of victory whatsoever.
In this situation, surrendering would have been the right thing to do. After all, surrendering to the King of Hanzhong is not shameful. But Lu Xun not only refused to surrender, he wanted to risk everything and fight to the death.
What are you after?
What grudge do you have against the King of Hanzhong?
Lu Xun said firmly, "We are holding on, and Guan Xing is holding on too. Many times, victory or defeat depends on the last quarter of an hour of courage or cowardice. Perhaps with just a little effort, we can break through the enemy's defenses. If we retreat at this time, we will truly regret it for the rest of our lives."
"I know you'll say this is crazy, but don't forget we're soldiers. Soldiers should fight to the last moment. The saying 'the brave win when paths cross' is not just a slogan, but something that must be put into action. Fighting to the last man is the true meaning of 'the brave win when paths cross'."
"Lu Yan, if you still consider me the Grand Commander, your lord, then please fight me to the death one more time."
After saying that, he turned around and jumped off the drum platform. He drew his sword and charged forward without looking back. He was going there for no other reason than to test his own strength and see if he could break through Guan Xing's defenses.
On the battlefield, the more desperate the situation, the more you must persevere. Victory or defeat lies in the last quarter of an hour, between victory and cowardice. You don't need to persevere for too long; just hold on a little longer than the enemy.
So he was betting that Guan Xing would give up before him.
Seeing Lu Xun leave without looking back, Lu Yan was moved and choked up as he roared, "Brothers, follow me to protect the Grand Commander!"
After saying that, he took off chasing after Lu Xun. The hundreds of personal guards beside the war drum followed without hesitation. They were Lu Xun's personal guards, and they were meant to live and die with Lu Xun. Naturally, they would not abandon Lu Xun and turn around to run away at this time.
As Lu Yan led his troops to catch up, Wu Jun's rear was completely unprotected. In front of Zhou Shan, who was about to arrive, they were like a wheat field without a fence, ready to be harvested as soon as Zhou Shan arrived.
Lu Xun quickly passed through three lines of defense and arrived in front of Bu Xie, who was directing the attack. Bu Xie asked in surprise, "Grand Commander, what brings you here?"
Lu Xun said, "Shen Yi's army is coming soon. We only have half an hour left. If we can't break through Guan Xing's defenses in half an hour, we're finished. So stop doing unnecessary trivial matters. Everyone, abandon all distractions and charge with me."
Without giving Bu Xie time to react, he charged forward. Bu Xie hesitated for a moment, then brandished his sword and roared, "Everyone, follow the Grand Commander and charge! Fight the Han army to the death!"
Lu Xun's arrival greatly boosted morale, allowing the Wu army, which was on the verge of collapse, to regain its courage and unleash astonishing fighting power, quickly breaking through the fourth line of defense and advancing into the fifth.
This change quickly caught Guan Xing's attention. Guan Xing asked in astonishment, "What triggered Wu Jun? Why is he suddenly acting so violently, like he's taken an aphrodisiac?"
Liu Zan rushed off to investigate and returned a moment later to report: "The Wu army at the front are all shouting for the Grand Commander, as if Lu Xun has personally led the charge, but it's so dark that we can't see anything and I can't find Lu Xun's location."
Guan Xing suddenly turned around and rushed towards the arrow tower, using both hands and feet to grab the ladder and quickly climb up. Liu Zan's expression changed drastically and he hurriedly shouted, "General, you mustn't! It's dangerous up there!"
Wu Jun has already broken through the fifth line of defense and is only a few dozen meters away from the arrow tower. At such a close distance, they are very vulnerable to attacks from enemy archers.
Guan Xing ignored him and continued climbing. Once he reached the top, he opened his eyes wide and scanned the battlefield, trying to find Lu Xun's location. However, the night was cloudy and moonless, and it was so dark that he couldn't see anything.
Guan Xing searched for a long time but couldn't find it and was about to give up when suddenly a pile of flames on the battlefield was lit and flickered violently a few times. Guan Xing keenly spotted Lu Xun's battle flag, and the big "Lu" character on the flag was too eye-catching.
Guan Xing slid down the ladder from the arrow tower, waved his hand and shouted, "Personnel, follow me! I'm going to meet Lu Xun myself!"
Liu Zan's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly advised, "General, you mustn't! It's so dark, what if something happens to you..."
Guan Xing raised his hand to interrupt and said directly, "We have no choice but to fight. Lu Xun has already gone to the battlefield, which means that the Wu army has given up hope and started their final frenzy. If they fight to the death and we don't, then we will definitely be the ones to lose."
"Besides, there must be a reason why Lu Xun personally charged into the enemy lines. I guess it's because Shen Yi is about to attack. So we must withstand Lu Xun's final attack and not fall at the last hurdle after taking all ninety-nine steps."
Without further hesitation, he drew his sword and charged forward, singing at the top of his lungs, "Smoke rises, I gaze northward across the land..."
Seeing Guan Xing rush out, Zhu Chao, the commander of the personal guards, quickly led his men to follow, shouting loudly, "Sing along with the general, 'The smoke of war rises, and we gaze northward at the rivers and mountains...'"
The song of the eight hundred personal guards soon rang out, and the Han army, which was fighting a bloody battle on the front line, paused for a moment upon hearing the song before decisively joining in.
This song, "Serving the Country with Utmost Loyalty," was the military song of the Han army. The Han soldiers sang it every day, and they had long since memorized the lyrics. They could sing along without any pressure.
The combined singing of tens of thousands of people quickly resounded throughout the entire battlefield, leaving the Wu army stunned and at a loss for what to do.
This song is so generous, heroic and inspiring, but it has nothing to do with the Wu army. The Wu army has no grand goal of conquering the Central Plains and restoring the Han Dynasty. They don't even have the idea of crossing the Yangtze River. Therefore, even if they know the lyrics, they can't sing with the spirit of the Han army.
Not only can they not sing, but they will also feel ashamed of themselves because the other person can sing, and their morale will inevitably drop a little.
With morale shifting, the slight advantage that Wu's army had just gained was quickly reversed by the Han army.
Accompanied by the song, Guan Xing led his personal guards into the enemy ranks and headed straight for Lu Xun's battle flag.
He had already located Lu Xun's battle flag on the arrow tower, so now he didn't need to see the flag itself clearly; he only needed to keep a close eye on its shadow. Therefore, the darkness no longer posed a significant threat to him.
With a clear objective, all that remained was to charge forward. Guan Xing led the charge, quickly breaking through the enemy lines and heading straight for Lu Xun.
Keep in mind that his eight hundred personal guards were a fresh force that had never been on the battlefield before. Dealing with the exhausted Wu army after a day of hard fighting was as easy as eating and drinking.
Guan Xing quickly broke through multiple lines of defense and rushed to Lu Xun's side, shouting in a sharp voice, "Guan Xing greets Grand Commander Lu. Grand Commander, we have finally met."
After saying that, he brandished his sword and rushed straight towards Lu Xun. Lu Xun was not surprised but delighted. He rushed forward as well and laughed loudly, "Guan Anguo, I have been waiting for you for a long time."
No sooner had they finished speaking than their swords clashed in mid-air, accompanied by a piercing sound and a burst of dazzling sparks.
At the same time, Zhu Chao led his personal guards to attack Lu Yan. Lu Yan was not to be outdone and decisively met them head-on. Both of their troops were the personal guards of their commanders and were fresh recruits who had just joined the battlefield. Therefore, they fought fiercely and evenly as soon as they clashed.
Meanwhile, Guan Xing and Lu Xun both wanted to kill or capture the other alive, so they tacitly avoided the battlefield and engaged in fierce fighting in an open area nearby. But...
Lu Xun was not known for his martial prowess, while Guan Xing was one of the top five martial arts masters among the second generation of the Shu Han dynasty, and he also had the fighting skills of later generations. How could he possibly lose to Lu Xun?
After a fierce battle of twenty rounds, Guan Xing seized an opening and used his armor to withstand a sword strike from Lu Xun. He then delivered a sweeping kick to Lu Xun's ankle, causing Lu Xun to stumble and lose his balance. Taking advantage of this, Guan Xing delivered a left hook to Lu Xun's jaw. Lu Xun couldn't withstand the force and fell backward to the ground. Guan Xing, however, threw away his sword and used both hands to grab Lu Xun's sword-wielding hand, twisting it forcefully and turning him around sharply. With an over-the-shoulder throw, he hurled Lu Xun away.
After slamming Lu Xun to the ground, Guan Xing grabbed his arm and twisted it again, disarming Lu Xun. Then, using a grappling technique he learned at the police academy, he locked Lu Xun's arm with his leg and pinned him to the ground, laughing loudly, "Grand Commander Lu, I regret to inform you that you have been captured."