Chapter Twenty-Four: The Great Wind Song

  Yang Xiong's army was defeated, and after suffering a great loss, he finally put away his contemptuous heart. During the retreat to Baima, Yang Xiong's personal troops of over 4,000 cavalrymen were cut off from the rear, barely preserving the safety of the 17,000 infantrymen.

  "Prefect, your arm?" Li Yuan saw Yang Xiong again, only to see that this big man who was not long ago as loud as thunder and imposing had a gaunt face, sunken eye sockets, and no longer had the demeanor of his former self. Yang Xiong's left arm had been cut off from the elbow, leaving only a short stump stained with blood and blackened by the dye of his official robe.

  "A mad dog bit me, it's nothing, it won't take the life of your family's Yang Grandfather. Li Yuan, I heard from Sima that the other side has been occupied by traitors?" Yang Xiong said loudly, but his eyes revealed a hint of unwillingness. This defeat had shattered the unrealistic fantasies in his heart, and Liu Bang's strength made him even more apprehensive. In comparison, Li Yuan's killing of Liu's vanguard Fan Kuai under unfavorable military conditions seemed even more difficult."

  "General Li reported back, the previous night, Liu's army general, Lü Shang, led a unit of elite soldiers from Yaojiajin and drove away the two units of Xiangyang troops stationed on the opposite bank. All the ships moored along the north shore were destroyed, and our army can no longer retreat from the crossing point to the north." Li Yuan nodded silently and replied truthfully that the troops stationed on the north shore of Baima Crossing belonged to the command of Zhao Pin, the city's governor, and had nothing to do with him. As for the withdrawal of the Qin army from the north shore, Li Yuan was unclear about the reason and would not express any opinion.

  "Zhao Ben, how dare you......" Yang Xiong's chest was suffocating, and he, who had always been straightforward and outspoken, did not expect that Zhao Ben would still be playing tricks in the nest at this critical moment when the enemy was at the gate. Didn't he understand that if Yang Xiong were to be annihilated, how could the city of Xingyang possibly be defended?

  "The county guard, things have come to this, and rushing is useless. Fortunately, General Li has grain and fodder in Baima Village, our army still has a chance to breathe, so let's repair the camp and barracks first, and prepare the soldiers to prevent the rebels from attacking us suddenly." Sima Yin advised.

  Simayin, who had always been a strict and disciplined military man, had deep experience in Xiangyang. From being the chief clerk to the military governor, and then to the metropolitan commandant, the struggle for the position of Governor of the Three Rivers Region was like a series of grand plays that kept people on the edge of their seats. Compared to Zhao Bi, who was known for his gloomy temperament and cunning calculations, Simayin had closer ties with Li You and Yang Xiong. This also made Zhao Bi resentful towards him. In this expedition, among the three commandants in Xiangyang, the other two had already sided with Zhao Bi, while Simayin remained the only one still connected to Yang Xiong.

  Yang Xiong had lost too much blood and was also suffering from a sudden attack of anger, he struggled to hold on to his last breath until he reached Baima. After hearing that Sima Yin and Li Yuan had found a way, he didn't say another word. Li Yuan saw Yang Xiong's sturdy body swaying unsteadily after dismounting, and hastily called for a doctor to treat him.

  The Qin army rested at Baima, and the nearly 20,000 officers and soldiers who escaped from the siege urgently needed to be reorganized. The remaining troops of the fallen generals were incorporated into other generals' command, and then various matters such as camping and lodging were arranged. Li Yuan and Sima Yin were busy to the point of exhaustion. Taking advantage of the chaos in the defeated army, Li Yuan also gained an advantage, seizing the opportunity to fill the vacancies with new soldiers. As for this, Sima Yin turned a blind eye, thinking that Li Yuan's military position was too low, his ability was sufficient to take on a higher-level military position and lead more troops.

  ——。

  Red kerchiefs tied around their necks, swords and spears at the ready, the stern-faced Chu army officers and soldiers stood still, their urgent gasps for breath filling the vast open space surrounding White Horse, as Liu Bang's army, which had been pursuing Yang Xiong, arrived at White Horse.

  The great red banner of Liu, the Marquis of Wu'an and Governor of Julu Commandery, appeared in the vanguard of the allied army. Liu Bang was fully armed, holding his sword, with a stern expression, completely changing his usual affable image with a smile on his face and unconventional etiquette.

  Liu Bang had just received accurate intelligence, Li Yuan, that distant former Qin dog who had once clashed with him was in Baima. The executioner who killed Fan Kuai was finally blocked by Lü Shang.

  A gentleman avenges his revenge, ten years is not late. He Liu Bang was only a village chief, didn't read many books, of course he wasn't a gentleman either, avenging his enemies was his motto.

  In the encounter at Xingyang, Liu Bang showed his full strength and charm in his anger, one by one the anti-Qin army joined the attack under his sincere persuasion, one by one the self-proclaimed heroes gathered around him, Fan Zeng's death made Liu Bang the de facto commander-in-chief of the allied forces.

  Unfortunately, Li Yuan was not at Quyu, which left a slight regret in Liu Bang's achievement of defeating tens of thousands of enemies. Fortunately, this time Li Yuan could not escape.

  October 23rd.

  Liu Bang and Yang Xiong clashed again at White Horse, the two armies facing off, as red and black hues once more filled the entire wilderness. The autumn grass was golden yellow; who knows whether it would grow even more luxuriant after being nourished by the blood next year?

  The grass on the riverbank withers and flourishes year after year.

  Grasses and trees are like this; the replacement of dynasties is also like this.

  The war drum sounds.

  In the Allied Forces, the passionate drumbeat was like a torrent of anger, and the morale of the soldiers reached its peak. The great war is imminent, whether it is the general or the small soldier, they all have respect for Liu Bang, the Marquis of Wu'an, who won the great victory at Quye.

  Witnessing the majestic military formation, Liu Bang raised his right hand high, drew his sword and held it above his head. The intense drumming sound stopped abruptly, all soldiers focused their eyes on Liu Bang under the great flag. In this vast space between heaven and earth, there was no other sound except for the heavy breathing of the soldiers and the rustling sound of the cold wind blowing against the banners.

  "A mighty wind rises, clouds are flying high!" Liu Bang waved his arm and shouted loudly. Behind him, hundreds of his personal soldiers responded in unison. For a moment, the stirring sound waves pierced through the silent sky and clearly entered the eardrums of every soldier present.

  "Clouds are soaring!"

  "The great wind is rising!"

  The Allied soldiers shouted one by one, their faces filled with uncontrollable excitement, the inspiring effect of the military song made them raise their arms and shout loudly, the crowd was excited, and the huge roar was like a landslide, covering up all the sounds in the world.

  "Men, let us build an eternal achievement, establish a great work that will last for ages! Let us fight!" Liu Bang shouted loudly, and he was also infected by the majestic and powerful military song he had just created. Although it was only one sentence, it was enough, and compared to the Qin army's "Gu Gu Lao Qin", this "Great Wind Song" was not inferior at all.

  "Kill!"

  "Kill!"

  The Allied army responded with a loud shout, and the military momentum was greatly boosted. Under the command of various generals, they launched a massive attack on the Qin army's dense defensive formation.

  On the left wing of the Allied Forces, Liu Junxi and Xuanling Jun Guan Yu wore a suit of fiery red armor, their whole body was like a burning flame, with a long spear in hand, waving it was like a dazzling silver flower, rushing straight into the Qin army formation, those who blocked them were all scattered! Behind Guan Yu, 500 cavalrymen disregarded life and death, closely following him. Wherever this team of cavalrymen passed, the Qin army's infantry formations were all shattered. For a time, it was like Guan Yu was treading on waves, directly charging into the Qin army's central command post.

  On the right wing of the Allied Forces, Jian Chengjun Cao Can led 10,000 infantrymen to press forward with a decisive momentum. In the middle route of the Allied Forces, Xiahou Ying served as the vanguard of the front army. He personally drove a war chariot and charged forward. The allied generals who participated in the battle saw that Liu Bang's army was so brave and mighty, and they immediately gathered together to follow him, shouting and advancing forward.

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