Chapter 27: The Battle of White Horse (Three)

  Liu Bang was full of confidence, after the great victory at the Curved Encounter, several branches of anti-Qin forces arrived one after another, which made the Western Expeditionary Army reach 66,000 people. In contrast, the Qin army had only 20,000 defeated soldiers, and in terms of military strength, they were at an absolute disadvantage, and on the battlefield, they still held a besieged position. The outcome of the Battle of White Horse would not change.

  However, since the Qin army showed unprecedented high morale, Liu Bang also had a sense of excitement about meeting a worthy opponent. He had already decided to use the strongest attack to tell the Qin people that opposing him, Liu Bang, would only lead to two paths: surrender or death.

  The battles of Chenggao and White Horse, with nearly 100,000 troops involved, were more convincing than the smaller skirmishes at Yongchi and Gangli. Liu Bang wanted to let the world know that this hero from Chu was not inferior to Xiang Liang and Xiang Yu, uncle and nephew, and might even be one better.

  "Order: Heavy infantry, forward march!" Amidst the flag and bugle call of the herald officer, 2,500 burly men clad in armor, holding shields and heavy swords, responded to the call.

  "What a fine army!" Liu Bang gazed at the troops marching forward with satisfaction, feeling proud in his heart. This was an elite force he had spent countless efforts to build.

  The heavily armoured infantry were on the inside, with the light cavalry covering them from the outside. With all the troops that had been fighting against the Qin army, Liu Bang sent out all the forces he could deploy. If it weren't for his fear of horses and worry that they would throw him off, Liu Bang wished he could personally go onto the battlefield to behead a few Qin soldiers.

  "It's cheaper for this group of Qin dogs!" Liu Bang spat fiercely, his expression somewhat painful. The prolonged watching had made his legs start to ache and go numb. A nearly fifty-year-old man couldn't compare with young people in their twenties or thirties.

  "General, the White Horse West City has been occupied by our army. This war will not end soon, so why don't we take a rest in the west city first?" Xiao He advised with a bitter face. In these days, he had been silently standing behind Liu Bang, as the chief of staff of Liu's army, Xiao He was diligent and responsible. Without his efforts, it was uncertain whether Liu Bang could become the commander-in-chief of this western expedition.

  Let's just say that this time, Liu Bang issued a proclamation to the various heroes and villains to come and assist. However, the grain and fodder were not seen to be provided by those who came to help, fortunately Xiang Yu was in the counties of Dang and Dong, thoroughly sweeping the warehouses, only then did Liu Bang's army have the possibility of continuing to fight against the Qin army.

  War, apart from the fierce fighting on the battlefield, the supply of grain and forage is also crucial. Yang Xiong's defeat this time was not due to the fact that Liu Bang's army occupied the supply line at Yaojiazhen.

  Xishi, the most vibrant and prosperous place for merchants to trade, while others' eyes were fixed on the battlefield, Xiao He had long since fixed his own eyes on this place.

  "Alright, I'll follow your advice." Liu Bang nodded to Xiao He, indicating that Zhong Jun and Zhou Bo lead the central army to advance towards Xishi Market. The purpose of Xiao He's suggestion was naturally understood by Liu Bang, who also felt a bit tired.

  ——。

  The fierce battle lasted from noon to dusk, and after the change of command, the Qin army's line began to stabilize slightly. Under Li Yuan's command, the remaining 4,000 crossbowmen in the central army charged back and forth, and after paying nearly half the price, they finally connected the three lines together.

  At this time, the soldiers on both sides had begun to tire. The various lords who came to participate in the battle saw that Liu Bang was not on the battlefield and couldn't help but relax as well. They came under the pretext of helping, but actually just to make up numbers. They also understood that even if they fought to the death, it was all for Liu Bang's sake. If their losses were too great, Liu Bang would not be able to compensate them.

  In today's world, those with power are masters, while those without are grandsons.

  Resisting the cruel Qin is just a slogan. Before the unification of the Qin state, the taxes levied by the six states in Guandong were not much less than those of the Qin state.

  Li Yuan did not blindly commit the limited reserve forces to counterattack after taking command of the Qin army. Instead, he withdrew the two branches of the Qin army defending Baima East City and West City to replenish the reserve forces, while luring Liu Bang to send troops to occupy the east and west cities.

  The situation was changing unpredictably, and a slight change could trigger fundamentally different outcomes. In the face of great temptation, Li Yuan did not believe that Liu Bang could hold back, knowing that this time he was leading the joint forces of all roads to come in. If any one road force occupied the rich market first, Liu Bang would probably regret it too late.

  Time flies!

  Guan Yu, Xiahou Yuan, Cao Ren and other Liu army generals were still leading their troops to attack, while on the opposite bank of the river, Lü Shang had already cleared up the remnants of the Xiangyang army and was preparing ships to cross the river and reinforce the main battlefield. Compared to the persistence of the Liu army officers and soldiers, Huang Xin and Pu Jingde, the Wei generals, were much more lax, and only Peng Yue's bandit army was still effective, continuously launching unbearable raids on the Qin army's flanks and rear.

  Solid!

  A dull thud, Li Yuan felt the sharp arrow flying past his side and pinning onto the large flag behind him that symbolized the command of the Qin army.

  Is the strong crossbow at its end?

  Li Yuan's face revealed a cruel smile, he had already seen that not far away, Liu Bang's heavy infantry had mixed with the Qin army and were fighting together. Under the attack of the heavy infantry, the Qin soldiers fell down one after another, and in just half an hour, nearly a thousand Qin soldiers were injured or killed. What made Li Yuan feel relieved was that this time, the Qin army's line had not been breached, no matter how many people died or were wounded, they still held their ground and did not retreat half a step.

  "Beat the drum!"

  The Qin army's war drums sounded like thunder, and the old Qin people's battle song rose with it.

  "The whole army to the left, kill!" In the dim light of daybreak, Li Yuan shouted loudly, urging his horse and brandishing his spear, charging forward towards the left wing that was surrounded by Huang Xing and others.

  Behind Li Yuan, the main force of the Qin army burst forth like a long-blocked river, rushing down with great momentum, and all who tried to stop them were killed.

  "The Qin dog counterattacked!" Just as someone let out a shrill cry, it was immediately swallowed up by the black torrent of anger.

  Wei General Huang Xin did not expect that Li Yuan would make this place the breakthrough point. Just now, he was still thinking of leaving a force to rush into the eastern and western markets, his morale had fallen to its lowest point.

  "Hurry, gather the troops, kill the bandits!" Huang Xin shouted urgently, and in the dark shadows, he was shocked to discover a group of Qin soldiers approaching him.

  "Ahh!"

  Li Yuan's horse galloped forward, his spear thrust out, and he immediately knocked down an enemy general who was shouting "Kill the bandit". Before he could even report his name, Huang Xin was knocked off his horse by the enemy, and then a group of horseshoes trampled over him. As a result, the powerful warrior from Wei, Huang Xin, had become a pile of mud.

  Huang Xin was killed, and his troops immediately collapsed. The remaining forces that were not as good as Huang Xin saw the situation was unfavorable, and they led their soldiers to flee in all directions. For a time, the encirclement of the left wing of the allied army was broken, which made Sima Yin, who had only over a thousand men left, extremely surprised.

  "Is the county governor coming to rescue us?" Sima Yin was skeptical, and he, who had been besieged alone for a long time, did not notice the change in the Qin army. He thought it was Yang Xiong leading his troops to lift the siege, but thinking of Yang Xiong's injuries, he felt it unlikely.

  Who can take the enemy general's head in a cavalry of ten thousand horses?

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