Chapter 22: Human Shield

  (This book has been signed, everyone can rest assured to collect it, but temporarily no recommendation, relying on everyone's voting to rush the list, thank you all)

  In the vast wilderness outside the camp, countless soldiers were running wildly.

  Those figures were not the Hebei cavalry that Kuai Yue imagined, but his own Jingzhou soldiers.

  More than 2,000 surrendered troops from Jingzhou were like a flock of startled sheep being driven by the pursuing 500 cavalrymen from Hebei.

  Yan Liang galloped his horse forward, gazing at the surrendered soldiers scurrying about with their heads bowed, a faint cold smile rising at the corners of his mouth.

  Kuai Yue, although not a good general, still has some strategy and with 6,000 infantry and cavalry in Jingzhou under his command, plus the 500 cavalry troops he had brought with him, might have a chance of winning if they fought in an open field, but if they launched a strong attack on the enemy's camp, their chances of victory would be slim.

  So Yan Liang had a sudden inspiration and drove 2,000 captives in front of him as his human shield.

  The confused flock of sheep soon entered the range of the crossbow, but still did not see the Jingzhou army camp shooting arrows.

  Yan Liang knew his plan had worked.

  Kuai Yue's face in the camp was filled with inexplicable astonishment, gritting his teeth and saying: "Good fellow Yan Liang, actually using such a ruthless plan, isn't this guy known for being brave but lacking strategy? How can he have such cunning, could it be that it's not Yan Liang, but someone else?"

  "Stop them, they're about to charge!" the deputy general cried out in alarm.

  Kuai Yue regained consciousness from his shock and when he looked up again, the enemy had already approached the trenches outside the camp, only a hundred or so paces away.

  Kuai Yue didn't dare think much and loudly shouted: "Release the arrows! Release them immediately! Absolutely must not let the enemy approach!"

  The order was passed down, and whether it was a general or an archer, they all had doubts about Kuai Yue's command.

  Those who are rushing towards us are all our own brothers, how can we let our own people shoot arrows?

  These tens of thousands of soldiers and horses are mostly from Nanyang, many of whom are from the same village or hometown, and there are even quite a few who are close brothers.

  Among the comrades who fled and rushed over, there may be their own fellow villagers, or even their own brothers. How could they bear to do it with an iron heart?

  Kuai Yue's face turned pale, and what he had feared would happen did indeed occur: the soldiers were unable to bring themselves to kill their comrades, which was exactly what the enemy had planned.

  "Are you all deaf?! I ordered you to shoot arrows, those who disobey will be beheaded without pardon!"

  In a fit of rage, Kuai Yue no longer cared about the demeanor of a noble scholar, and galloped back and forth along the military camp, waving his sword and scolding his subordinates.

  Under his intimidation, the soldiers did not dare to disobey orders and had to pick up their bows and crossbows, gritting their teeth and shooting arrows at their own comrades.

  It's just that it's too late now.

  Those more than 2,000 fleeing soldiers rushed near the camp in an instant, and Kuai Yue was completely unable to stop them. These frightened soldiers crossed the moat and charged into the camp.

  The soldiers inside the camp were also blocking, but they didn't block all the time. They collided with their companions who escaped back, crowded each other, and soon became a mess.

  Yan Liang followed closely behind, seeing the formation of the enemy, and shouted loudly: "The brave warriors of Yan's family, let the people of Jingzhou know our power, kill!"

  "Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!"

  Five hundred fierce warriors, their momentum unstoppable, charged forward with a deafening roar, following their general into the chaotic enemy camp.

  The massacre begins.

  Five hundred iron cavalry, like a fierce tiger out of the cage, the Jingzhou army had more than six thousand troops, but in a chaotic situation, they all became frightened lambs.

  Yan Liang led his iron cavalry, like an iron saw, from east to west, from front to back, cutting and grinding the 6,000 Jingzhou soldiers into a state of utter despair.

  At dusk, the massacre finally came to an end.

  The setting sun was like blood, and the battlefield, which had already been littered with corpses, became even more bloody.

  A murder of crows excitedly discovered this massive feeding ground, swooping down with shrill cries, but startled a few wild dogs that were tearing at the corpse on the ground.

  The wild dogs scattered in all directions, but then turned back reluctantly after a few dozen yards.

  Their fluffy heads were stained with fresh blood, their open nostrils puffed out heavy breaths, and their wide-open mouths dripped with a mixture of blood and saliva, with remnants of flesh still stuck between their teeth.

  Yan Liang, covered in blood, stood still on horseback, his knife-like face smeared with a few streaks of bloodstains. The long knife he held upside down was still slowly dripping with warm, unexhausted fresh blood.

  Looking around, Yan Liang let out a deep sigh.

  This battle was really enjoyable.

  "General, the count is done. In this battle, we beheaded 2,000 and captured more than 4,000." Zhou Cang said, panting, his body covered in blood.

  Four thousand captives is no small number.

  Although the Jinzhou soldiers were not as strong as Yan Liang's Hebei native army, nor could they compare with Cao Jun's elite troops, they were still regular troops who had undergone training. If they could be subdued and reorganized, it would still be of great help to expand their own forces.

  Yan Liang hesitated for a moment, then said loudly: "Send the wounded back to Liu Biao, and temporarily detain the rest. We will incorporate them into our army after we arrive at Xin Ye."

  "Promise!"

  Zhou Cang was about to leave, but then thought of something and cupped his hands: "Report to the General, just now I was checking the prisoners, there is a guy who claims to be Liu Biao's deputy, called Kuai something..."

  Zhou Cang rubbed the back of his head, unable to recall for a moment. He was an illiterate roughneck, so it wasn't surprising that he couldn't remember people's names.

  Yan Liang's eyes flickered slightly as he heard the word "Kuai", and he asked: "Is that not called Kuai Yue?"

  "It's him, his name is Kuai Yue. This fellow looks like a high-ranking official, I don't know how the general wants to deal with him?" said Zhou Cang.

  "Kuai Yue, is Kuai different from others..."

  Yan Liang muttered this name, his expression was very cold, knowing that he was a quite capable strategist, but there was not much joy.

  Talents have always been an eternal topic in the Three Kingdoms, especially for people like Yan Liang who rose from humble beginnings with "one poor and two whites", they are even more eager to seek talents.

  However, Yan Liang was not a indiscriminate recruiter of talents, he also had his own preferences and dislikes.

  Kuai Yue is a prominent figure of the aristocratic families in Jingzhou, representing the interests of the Jingzhou nobility and also being a representative figure of the Jingzhou fence-sitting faction. For him, whether it was Liu Biao or Cao Cao, whoever could maximize the interests of the Jingzhou nobility, he would be loyal to them.

  Historically, Liu Biao had trusted Kuai Yue very much, but during the Battle of Guandu, Kuai Yue repeatedly advised Liu Biao to surrender to Cao Cao.

  After Liu Biao's death, Cao Cao sent troops to the south. Kuai Yue did not think of how to defend against the external enemy for his new lord Liu Cong, but instead urged Liu Cong to surrender to Cao Cao, and handed over the foundation that Liu Biao had worked hard to build for more than a decade to others.

  The food master's salary, but only consider their own interests, Kuai Yue's behavior is the same as Zhang Zhao who persuaded Sun Quan to surrender at Chibi, one of the few people who are not tolerated by Yan Liang.

  Yan Liang had originally wanted to chop off Kuai Yue with one knife, but thinking again that this person was after all a famous scholar of Jingzhou, and he himself needed to stand firm in Jingzhou, before owning absolute power, he still had to rely on these big clans.

  Killing Guan Yu would be a pleasure, but it would also ruin long-term plans, which is not Yan Liang's style.

  Yan Liang hesitated for a moment, then waved his hand and said: "First take him into custody, wait until we reach XinYe, then bring him to see me."

  "This guy is impossible to tame, but he can still be used."

  Yan Liang's mouth curled up with a cold smile, and he had already made up his mind.

  At this time, dust rose in the east, and a team of soldiers rushed over, it was Xu You and Liu Bi, leading the 5,000 infantrymen from Ben Gong to arrive.

  Yan Liang stepped forward to greet him, and from a distance he saw Xu You riding towards him. He burst out laughing and said loudly: "Mr. Ziyuan, you're one step too late, the battle is already over."

  Xu You drove his horse forward, looking at the corpses all over the ground, and at those who were prostrating themselves on the ground, their faces filled with unbelievable astonishment.

  "What can a general do with just 500 cavalrymen to break through the enemy's camp?" Xu You asked in surprise.

  He had previously agreed with Yan Liang that at nightfall, they would raise the signal and launch a pincer attack on the enemy camp under cover of darkness. But Yan Liang changed his mind at the last minute.

  Xu You received intelligence at the time and was still secretly resentful of Yan Liang's arrogance, thinking that he could break through the enemy's solid camp with just 500 cavalry, which was really too self-confident.

  Who would have thought that Yan Liang actually did it?

  "It was nothing, just a sudden movement, and a small trick. " Yan Liang lightly described the battle process, briefly telling it once.

  Xu You listened and couldn't help but show a look of admiration on his face, nodding in praise: "The way of military strategy lies in adapting to changing circumstances, General, your plan is brilliant, Xu You is impressed."

  Xu You's praise was met with a single smile from Yan Liang.

  He turned his horse around, shook the whip and pointed to the west, saying loudly: "After a day of bloody battle, the soldiers are also tired. Let's make an effort and take New Wild with General Ben. Fine wine, rice and meat will be available for you to enjoy."