Chapter 25: The Battle of White Horse (Part 1)

  Spears stand like forests, shields like mountains.

  Spears were like mountains and seas, the first row of Qin army infantry collided heavily with the charging allied army soldiers, the sharp bronze long spears easily pierced the bodies of the soldiers, and then pierced into the bodies of the soldiers in the back row. However, more enemy troops came pouring in, the Qin army's long guns broke or fell after stabbing several people, either due to excessive force or soldier fatigue. In just a moment, the first three rows of Qin army soldiers were swept away.

  Yang Xiong was injured, and Sima Yin and Li Yuan took on the heavy responsibility of guarding the left and right wings. The right wing led by Li Yuan faced Liu Bang's fierce general Guan Yu, whose troops were mainly cavalry, swift in movement and ferocious in attack. It was not easy for Li Yuan's infantry-heavy army to pin down Guan Yu.

  "Charge!" Li Yuan led his personal guard battalion to charge left and right, responding to the troops that had been dispersed by Guan Yu's sudden attack. After attracting a large number of new recruits, the combat effectiveness of Li Yuan's army decreased somewhat, giving Guan Yu an opportunity to break through the gap.

  It won't do like this, if the Qin army on the right wing is tossed about by Huan Kui again, it's likely to collapse. Li Yuan's experience is still shallow after all, and apart from his own troops of about 2,000 people who can be commanded at will, there are many communication problems with the temporary troops under his command. He thought that he would have a better understanding after resting for a few days, but unfortunately, Liu Bang also saw through the weakness of the incomplete Qin army's construction, and after pursuing and killing to Baima, Liu Bang launched a fierce attack without stopping his horse.

  The allied cavalry breaking through from the right wing was about to rush towards the central army, which Li Yuan could not tolerate. Yang Xiong's arm had been severed and he was now barely holding on at the central position, and Li Yuan could not let Guan Yu break through from his side.

  "Who dares to fight me? I am Li Yuan, the pillar of Qin!" Li Yuan shouted loudly, his warhorse galloping swiftly as he led a team of Qin cavalrymen to intercept them halfway.

  The long spear swung, the iron spearhead gleaming with a bright silver chill, striking down an unlucky enemy cavalryman. As he pulled out his spear to stab at the emperor's hand, a thoroughly chilling and suffocating killing intent came from the right side.

  "You're the great General Li Yuan? Don't be in a hurry, wait for Master Guan to come and take your head off." A fully armored enemy general shouted as he charged towards Li Yuan, his cold eyes gleaming with excitement and frenzy.

  Li Yuan!

  The name was like magic, piercing the hearts of the Allied soldiers, and Li Yuan's long-lost adopted son suddenly heard this shout and rushed over to kill.

  "Kill!" Li Yuan was fearless, gun raised to meet the attack. This battlefield was a fight for life and death, where survival depended on a single moment, and what mattered was not one's surname or name, but one's skills.

  White Horse Silver Gun!

  This is a special term for the Three Kingdoms idol Changshan Zhao Zilong. Li Yuan's current attire also has some of Zhao Yun's style, with a silver spear that doesn't quite make it, an iron spear barely reaching, at least the spearhead is made of steel; white horses are scarce, even if replaced by yellow horses, it counts as a mountain stronghold-like majestic general.

  Iron was extremely precious and scarce in the late Qin era, whether it was Guanzhong or Guandong. Iron ore had always been a rare metal resource on the territory of Great Qin. The small piece of meteoric iron that Li Yuan obtained came from a merchant in Xiping, Yingchuan, who originally intended to bring it to Handan but sold his goods at Baima after hearing about the endless wars in Zhao.

  Gan Jiang's Mo Ye, the divine weapon of Ou Zizhong, requires meteoric iron as an indispensable raw material. Li Yuan had searched for it in Daliang before but to no avail. This time, he unexpectedly found it in Baima.

  When it comes to horseback riding, Li Yuan's current horsemanship has improved a lot compared to several months ago. With the addition of the specially made iron stirrups and horseshoes by the white horse's craftsman, his combat power has increased several times. Even if Xiang Yu, an invincible general, were to attack, Li Yuan would have the confidence to fight him head-on several times.

  In the midst of clashing warhorses, guns and swords collided crudely, producing a deafening metallic clang. Li Yuan only felt his heart racing wildly, his palms also numb with a tingling sensation, almost causing him to drop his spear. On this side, Li Yuan didn't feel any satisfaction, while on that side, Guan Yu wasn't able to gain much advantage either.

  Guan Yin's body shook violently on the horse, the strong horse under him let out a long whinny, and the raised front hoof almost threw Guan Yin off the horse.

  "Good kid, not bad strength! And take another hit from me!" Guan Yin's face turned dark and his expression became serious as he suppressed the blood in his chest.

  Although Li Yuan had previously defeated Fan Kuai, the main reason for the Battle of Daliang was that Fan Kuai underestimated the enemy and fell into a heavy siege. In the end, it was not Li Yuan who killed Fan Kuai, but Wang Shang. Therefore, in the eyes of Guan Yu and other allied generals, Li Yuan's bravery should not be too strong, otherwise he would not have won by cunning and strategy.

  The two armies clashed, the most direct way to win was to be as strong as Xiang Yu, who could defeat the enemy general with a single charge. The next best method was to deploy troops and use military tactics. Even Han Xin, a master of military strategy later on, could only use clever tactics like "Ten Sides Ambush" and "Four Sides Chu Song" to outwit Xiang Yu.

  "Gunian, also known as Gunian the Young, is here to stir up trouble!" Li Yuan pointed his gun at Gunian, his chest filled with a fierce determination. Relying on his innovative inventions born from brainstorming, Li Yuan had already gained an advantage in battle against the enemy. Now, he wanted to turn this advantage into victory. Gunian's biography was well-documented, and Li Yuan aimed to drive him out of his mind.

  "Alas! Li Ze is detestable, and he's coming again to fight!" Guan Yu was both ashamed and enraged. In the Qin dynasty, being a merchant was a very lowly occupation. Li Yuan had exposed his humble origins during their battle, which made Guan Yu furious. Unfortunately, Guan Yu knew nothing about Li Yuan's past, so his insults this time were not particularly original.

  The brutal collision of weapons, relying on brute force to crush the opponent. Guan Yu had always liked this way of fighting, but today he realized that he was greatly mistaken.

  The horse was not on flat ground, and the rider had to expend a great deal of effort to control his mount, which limited the strength that could be exerted by both arms. As one side weakened and the other grew stronger, Li Yuan gradually gained the upper hand.

  "Clang!" After more than twenty consecutive blows, Guan Yu's arm was numb and he could no longer grip the hilt of his sword tightly. With a loud clang, his heavy bronze sword fell to the ground beneath his horse. Not only could Guan Yu not withstand Li Yuan's full-powered thrusts, but even his warhorse could no longer endure it, lifting its front hooves high into the air and sending Guan Yu tumbling to the ground.

  Li Yuan defeated Guan Yu!

  This fact left the two sides who were fighting each other stunned, when did the Qin army have such a fierce general, even Gan Yifei was no match for him, could it be that Fan Zeng also died in a single combat like this?

  The Allied army's morale was low, and the momentum of the charge was halted. "Save General!" The first to come to their senses were Guan Yu's personal cavalrymen, who had been following closely behind him. They were the closest to Li Yuan and Guan Yu, and after a brief moment, when Li Yuan turned his horse around to return, Guan Yu had already been rescued by his soldiers.

  "Great Qin is mighty! Great Qin is mighty!"

  Look at Li Yuan being so brave and fierce, the morale of the Qin army soldiers who were at a disadvantage was boosted again. Those officers who still had doubts about Li Yuan shouted loudly, their eyes fixed on him with extraordinary enthusiasm.

  Li You's army was defeated!

  Yang Xiong's army is defeated!

  The morale of the soldiers in Mikawa Province was gradually worn down by defeat after defeat. At this time, they needed a hero, a general who could lead them to victory after victory!