bayedsolid Chapter 2285 Prepared in advance, blocking the way
Chapter 2285 Prepared in advance, blocking the way
The Scorpion Clan cavalry are incredibly fast!
How could Zhao Yu not know this?
His white horse, "Zhaoye Jade Lion," was a prized steed chosen from among hundreds, and at this moment it was also sweating profusely, its breathing as heavy as a bellows.
He looked around and saw that many knights were pale with exhaustion and anxiety. Although their warhorses were still moving with all their might, they were already showing signs of staggering and instability.
I'm extremely anxious!
Zhao Yu felt a surge of evil fire raging in his chest, burning his throat dry and his eyes red.
His Majesty has entrusted such a heavy task to him; General Xue must have already dealt with Chu Xuan. If we fail here...
He could almost picture Helian Hui fleeing back to the grasslands, regrouping his followers, licking his wounds, and then intensifying his border raids!
At that time, there will be no peace in the northern frontier, and the significance of today's Battle of Changtingpo will be greatly diminished!
"Chase them! We must catch them!"
Zhao Yu almost gritted his teeth and growled, "Send the order! The vanguard battalion will select the best riders to form the Arrowhead Assault Team. They will break away from the main force and stick to them at all costs!"
"Even if it only delays them for a moment, creating an opportunity for the main force, it will be worthwhile! All other units, maintain formation and continue the pursuit! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"
He resorted to extreme measures, attempting to exchange the sacrifice of his elite strikers for a sliver of hope.
Upon receiving the order, a force of about three hundred cavalrymen was quickly dispatched from the vanguard camp. They discarded almost all their loads, leaving only their bows and swords.
Amidst the mournful cries of horses and the shouts of riders, it broke away from the main group at an almost suicidal speed, transforming into a sharp silver streak as it desperately rushed towards the dust cloud ahead!
However, Helian Hui seemed to have anticipated this, or rather, the steppe cavalry were no strangers to such tactics of cutting off the tail or intercepting at the cost of their lives.
Suddenly, the dust cloud ahead changed, and a group of about five hundred Scorpion Clan cavalrymen split off, circled around, and charged in the opposite direction towards the White Horse Assault Team!
Instead of engaging in direct combat, they relied on their superior horsemanship and archery skills to unleash a hail of arrows at high speed, attempting to slow down and kill the assault team and buy time for the main force to continue moving away.
"Bastard!"
Zhao Yu witnessed this scene and his eyes widened in fury.
He saw through Helian Hui's intention: to use these sporadic but highly efficient skirmishes to constantly wear down and delay the pursuers, eventually widening the distance between them.
Is it really impossible to catch up?
Zhao Yu's knuckles, gripping the silver spear tightly, turned white from excessive force, his heart filled with resentment and indignation.
Watching helplessly as the nation's greatest enemy escaped, this sense of powerlessness almost consumed him.
He frantically scanned the surrounding terrain, hoping to find any terrain he could use, or any opportunity that might turn the tide of the battle...
Daylight had broken, and the fields stretched out in a vast expanse.
Ahead, the enemy fled in panic, yet with the speed of the wind.
Behind him were his weary but loyal subordinates.
Zhao Yu and his once invincible White Horse Cavalry are facing a grueling test of their will and limits.
Pursuing them might be futile, as both men and horses are exhausted.
If we don't pursue them, we'll let the tiger return to the mountains, causing endless trouble.
Zhao Yu gritted his teeth, sweat mixed with dust sliding down his forehead. His gaze was fixed on the increasingly faint smoke ahead, his brain racing, searching for even the slightest glimmer of hope.
Time relentlessly slips away in the chase and tug-of-war, second by second.
Just as Zhao Yu was anxiously watching Helian Hui disappear on the northern horizon, the Scorpion Khan, who was fleeing for his life, was not without worries either.
The morning light completely dispelled the last traces of night, illuminating the vast plains, but it also revealed a new and unexpected obstacle in front of Helian Hui.
A scorpion scout practically rolled onto his horse in front of Helian Hui, his face filled with disbelief and terror, and urgently reported in the grassland language:
"Your Majesty! Something terrible has happened!"
"About ten miles ahead, behind the low hills at Eagle's Beak Bend, a large army suddenly appeared and blocked our way! Judging from the banners... they are troops from the Chu Kingdom!"
Helian Hui was basking in the pleasure of toying with the exhausted pursuers behind him and the relief of being about to escape when he heard these words. He was struck as if by a heavy blow, and his triumphant laughter suddenly froze on his face.
He abruptly reined in his warhorse, his robust body leaning slightly forward from the sudden stop, his copper-bell-like eyes instantly filled with bloodshot veins of surprise and rage.
"what?"
He grabbed the scout by the collar, his voice like the growl of a wounded beast:
"Did you see clearly? Whose banner is it? How many people are there? How did they get here?!"
The scout turned pale with fright and stammered, "I...I saw it clearly. It's a banner with the character 'Feng' on it, and the imperial entourage of the Chu Kingdom's imperial concubine."
"The troop strength... the troop strength is not clear, but the dust is very high, the formation is well-ordered, there are at least... at least several thousand cavalry and tens of thousands of infantry."
"Moreover, it seems they have already set up a defensive formation around that low hill; the cold glint of the crossbows can be seen from a great distance!"
"Feng? Feng Mulan?"
Helian Hui practically spat out the name through gritted teeth, his face instantly turning so dark it seemed to drip water.
The previous arrogance and pride vanished, leaving only a chilling cold and sudden shock.
Feng Mulan!
This woman who just killed her brother-in-law Gongsun Yi at the gates of Jianghuai City and then turned around and swallowed up Zhou Dashou's allied forces!
Shouldn't she have gone to Changtingpo to rescue Chu Ning?
How could he have appeared here without anyone noticing, on the very route he was bound to take to escape north?
In a flash, Helian Hui understood.
What a shrewd Chu Ning!
What a remarkable Feng Mulan!
This was clearly a carefully planned scheme!
Changtingpo was both bait and a meat grinder; the real killer move that cut off his escape route was actually an ambush here!
Xue Huaide and Zhao Yu drove from the rear, while Feng Mulan waited in the front, ready to ambush them!
I felt like a wild beast startled from its lair by a hunter and driven into a pre-set trap!
"Chu Ning... Feng Mulan... what a ruthless scheme!"
Helian Hui gritted his teeth, gripped by an unprecedented sense of crisis.
Behind them were Zhao Yu's white-horse cavalry, though exhausted, relentlessly pursuing them; in front of them were Feng Mulan's fresh troops, ready for battle; and to the left and right lay open but indefensible wilderness.
His exhausted army, which had been fleeing all night, was now in a truly desperate situation!
However, Helian Hui was, after all, a ruthless warlord who had dominated the grasslands for many years. The extreme danger only aroused the ferocity and decisiveness in his bones.
surrender?
impossible!
Should they retreat and fight Zhao Yu to the death?
That would be a dead end, and they would completely lose their mobility, being crushed by attacks from both sides.
Only forward!
Taking advantage of Feng Mulan's unstable footing and before Zhao Yu could catch up, they concentrated all their remaining strength and power, like a heavy hammer, and smashed into Feng Mulan's defenses!
Once you tear open a gap and rush through, the northern edge of the grassland will be a relatively safe area!