webnovelfull Chapter 1259 Suffering Heavy Losses and a Crushing Defeat
Chapter 1259 Suffering Heavy Losses and a Crushing Defeat
Arrows rained down from the city wall, but Lei Tong was prepared. He waved his command flag: "Shield bearers forward! Ladders, attack!"
Hundreds of soldiers, holding shields, formed a shield wall to protect the troops carrying ladders behind them, and slowly approached the gate. The battering rams, under the cover of the shield wall, pounded against the gate, shaking the city tower. Zhang Ren, on the city tower, skillfully directed the troops, sometimes ordering soldiers to push down rolling stones, sometimes directing archers to aim at gaps in the shield wall. As soon as the Shu soldiers below approached the city wall, many fell, struck by arrows.
Lei Tong, growing impatient watching from the rear, ordered Zhang Yi and Zhang Yi to each lead a squad of elite troops to attack the gentler cliffs on the east and west sides. Zhang Yi's spearmen pierced the enemy ranks on the west side like sharp knives, their spear tips felling several Xiliang soldiers who were scaling the wall; Zhang Yi's axemen, meanwhile, erected ladders on the east side, roaring as they climbed up to engage the defenders on the city wall in close combat.
After half an hour of fierce fighting, several layers of corpses had piled up beneath the city walls. Although the Shu soldiers attacked bravely, they were unable to break through the city's defenses. Lei Tong, watching his soldiers fall one by one, was enraged. He personally grabbed his spear and charged to the front lines: "Brothers, give it your all! After we break through, we'll reward you according to your merits!"
Just then, Zhang Ren suddenly sneered from the city wall and waved his hand. Lei Tong's heart skipped a beat. Before he could react, a deafening battle cry suddenly came from the cliffs on both sides—countless Xiliang soldiers had poured out of the once deserted dense forest!
"Not good! We've been ambushed!" Lei Tong's face turned ashen. Before he could finish speaking, Pang De led his iron cavalry down the cliff on the left, tearing a gap in the shield wall with his broadsword. Seeing the danger, Zhang Yi thrust his spear forward to meet the attack. Sparks flew as the spear tip clashed with Pang De's broadsword. "Pang De, you scoundrel, don't be so arrogant!"
Pang De grinned maliciously, "Perfect timing!" He swept his broadsword horizontally, forcing Zhang Yi to retreat repeatedly, and several knife marks quickly appeared on the shaft of his spear. Zhang Yi gritted his teeth and changed his move, the tip of his spear darting out like a serpent, aiming straight for the eye of Pang De's mount. Pang De had to rein in his horse and dodge, taking the opportunity to roar at Lei Tong, "General, retreat quickly! I'll hold him off!"
Zhang Yi, on the right, had just climbed halfway up the siege ladder when his retreat was cut off by the ambush troops led by Zhang Xiu. Zhang Xiu's short sword was as fast as lightning, slicing through the ladder ropes with a single strike, and several Shu soldiers fell with screams. Zhang Yi roared and leaped back to the ground, slashing through the oncoming enemy soldiers with his ring-pommel sword, but Zhang Xiu seized the opening and thrust his short sword straight at Zhang Yi's shoulder. With a "thud," the blade penetrated half an inch into flesh, and Zhang Yi groaned, then swung his sword back at Zhang Xiu's arm. Both men staggered back several steps, blood gushing from their wounds simultaneously.
Seeing that the ambush had succeeded, Zhang Ren, who was on the gate tower, ordered, "Lower the rolling logs! Block their retreat!"
Heavy logs rolled down the cliff, instantly blocking the pass and trapping Lei Tong's army beneath it. Zhang Yi fought and retreated, his spear tip always protecting Lei Tong's direction, but he was constantly forced into dangerous situations by Pang De's blade; Zhang Yi, dragging his wounded arm, fought desperately, leaving bloody marks on the ground with every step, just to buy Lei Tong time to break through.
Looking at the Xiliang soldiers surging in from both sides like a tide, and then at Zhang Yi and Zhang Yi fighting bloody battles, Lei Tong was filled with regret. He had been angered by Zhang Ren's words and forgot to guard against the ambush. Now, tens of thousands of troops were trapped in a deadly situation, all because of his mistakes!
"Charge!" Lei Tong roared as he charged forward with his spear, the tip of which felled two enemy soldiers. But then he saw Pang De had already shaken off Zhang Yi and was slashing at him with his broadsword, which whistled through the air. Zhang Yi roared and rushed forward, using his spear to block the broadsword, but Pang De kicked him in the chest, causing him to spit out a mouthful of blood.
"Go!" Zhang Yi roared with his last ounce of strength. Zhang Yi dragged his injured leg and charged to Lei Tong's side, his ring-pommel sword slicing a bloody path through the air. "General, it'll be too late if we don't leave now!"
Lei Tong was dragged by his guards back into the mountain crevice. Looking back, he saw Zhang Yi being forced to cough up blood by Pang De's blade, and Zhang Yi, limping, desperately blocking the pursuers. His heart felt like it had been crushed by a boulder. "Go!" he roared, wiping the blood from the corner of his eye. He turned his horse around and charged into the narrow mountain crevice. His guards behind him formed a sword formation, desperately blocking the surging Xiliang soldiers.
Thorns grew rampant in the mountain crevice, and the horse stumbled and staggered on the gravel. Lei Tong's battle robe was torn to shreds, and blood seeped from the wound on his shoulder, mingling with his sweat. He had just emerged from the crevice and hadn't even had a chance to catch his breath when a deafening sound of hooves suddenly came from behind. Amidst the flying dust, Xu Huang's Xiliang cavalry charged in like a black torrent, the thunderous roar of their iron hooves seeming to shatter the earth.
"Not good! It's Xu Huang!" Lei Tong's heart sank. Just as he was about to order the troops to form ranks, the iron cavalry surged forward like a tidal wave. Xu Huang charged at the forefront, wielding his long axe. The axe blade cleaved through the shield of a Shu soldier, and with a sweeping motion, several men fell with screams. The iron cavalry charged repeatedly, and the Shu soldiers, already scattered, were now even more broken up. Cries and the clanging of weapons mingled together, turning it into a chaotic slaughterhouse.
"Protect the general!" Zhang Yi, dragging his wounded body, rushed to Lei Tong's side. He barely managed to block a Xiliang cavalryman's longsword with the tip of his spear, but was staggered by the impact. Zhang Yi also followed with a limp, his ring-pommel sword severing a horse's leg. When the cavalryman fell from his horse, Zhang Yi himself also suffered a groan of pain as his wound reopened due to the force of the fall.
Seeing the situation was dire, Lei Tong thrust his spear at Xu Huang, shouting, "You treacherous general, cease your arrogance!" The two horses clashed, and the moment spear and axe collided, Lei Tong felt his arm go numb, the spear nearly slipping from his grasp. Xu Huang's axe strikes were heavy and fierce, each blow carrying immense force. Lei Tong gritted his teeth, maneuvering his spear tip, barely managing to parry thirty blows, but he was already drenched in sweat, the wound on his shoulder throbbing with pain. Finally, Xu Huang's axe forced him to dodge to the side, a gash tearing open his armor, exposing the flesh.
"We're outmatched, let's go!" Lei Tong knew that continuing the fight would surely lead to his death. He feinted with his spear, turned his horse around, and galloped towards Luocheng. Zhang Yi and Zhang Yi immediately followed, while his personal guards formed a rearguard, using their bodies to block the pursuers. As they fell, they were still shouting, "General, run!"
Xu Huang pursued relentlessly from behind, his iron cavalry trampling over the corpses scattered on the ground, blood flowing into streams that stained the wild grass along the way. Lei Tong lay on his horse, listening to the sounds of battle fading into the distance behind him, his heart aching—most of the fallen soldiers were his men who had followed him from Chengdu, but now they were forever left on this unfamiliar land.
Lei Tong didn't know how long they had been fleeing until dusk fell and the sound of pursuing horses' hooves faded away. He reined in his horse. Looking back, he saw that there were less than four thousand remaining soldiers behind him, all wounded and their clothes stained with blood. Zhang Yi's left arm hung limply, clearly injured; Zhang Yi's leg injury had worsened, and he could barely stand, leaning against his horse, panting heavily.
"It's all over...it's all over..." Lei Tong slumped to the ground, his hands digging into the soil, his fingernails filled with blood and rubble. "It's all my fault...if only I hadn't underestimated them..."
"General!" Xu Jing walked over, clutching his injured arm, his voice hoarse but calm. "Regret is useless now! The most urgent task is to rush back to Luocheng and immediately report the defeat to the lord! Mianzhu Pass has fallen, and the Xiliang army may attack Luocheng at any time. Chengdu is also in imminent danger. We must let the lord make preparations as soon as possible!"
Zhang Yi struggled to stand up straight: "Mr. Xu is right! General, as long as we live, we can always take revenge! Let's return to Luocheng first and then plan our next move!"
Zhang Yi nodded, sweat beading on his forehead from the pain, but he still said, "Yes... back to Luocheng..."
Lei Tong gazed at the remnants of the army before him, then looked towards Mianzhu Pass, where the night sky was ablaze with the glow of fire. He slowly rose to his feet, gripping his gun tightly: "Let's go! Back to Luocheng!"
The remaining soldiers helped each other mount their horses, the sound of hooves echoing heavily in the silent night. They knew this crushing defeat was just the beginning; the iron cavalry of the Xiliang army would soon march on Luocheng, and they, they would have to be there to hold off Chengdu as the last line of defense.
From Lei Tong's initial campaign to his defeat and retreat to Luocheng, the back-and-forth tug-of-war and subsequent crushing defeat dragged on for over a month. During this time, Lei Tong's battle reports arrived in Chengdu almost daily, initially reporting "the recapture of three counties" and "the defeat of the Xiliang army," and later "the approach of the Mianzhu Pass" and "it will be breached soon." The sharp words and high spirits gradually instilled expectations in Liu Zhang and his officials.
"General Lei is indeed brave!" Liu Zhang held the battle report and paced back and forth in the governor's mansion, his face beaming with joy. "Judging from this, it seems that taking Mianzhu Pass is just around the corner. At that time, we will join forces with Yan Yan and Pang Xi of Bazhou to launch a pincer attack and annihilate the entire Xiliang army in Jiangyou!"
Although Qin Mi and Xu Jing were far away in Luocheng, the strategists in Chengdu were also invigorated. Li Hui proposed, "My lord, Luocheng is the shield of Chengdu. Now is the time to send reinforcements to help General Lei take Mianzhu in one fell swoop and cut off the rear of the Xiliang army!"
Liu Zhang immediately approved: "Approved! The 20,000 newly transferred troops from the rear shall be dispatched to Luocheng immediately and placed under the command of Lei Tong!"
As a result, the garrison in Luocheng quickly increased to 28,000 men, with 8,000 left behind by Li Yan, plus the newly arrived 20,000 reinforcements. But no one expected that before this "assistance" could gain a foothold in Luocheng, Lei Tong's defeat report came like a bucket of ice water.
"Lei Tong suffered a crushing defeat! He was ambushed in Mianzhu and Guanzhong! Of his 25,000 troops, only 3,000 or 4,000 remain! Zhang Yi and Zhang Yi are seriously wounded! The Xiliang army has approached Luocheng and is besieging the city!"
When the battle report arrived, Liu Zhang was discussing victory celebrations with She Jian. After reading the letter, he slammed it on the table and roared, "Fool! Utter fool!" His voice shook the candlelight in the tent. "I had hoped he could defeat the enemy, but who knew he would fall into such a clumsy trap! We suffered heavy losses and even put Luocheng in danger!"
She Jian hurriedly advised, "My lord, please calm down! Getting angry now is useless. There are still more than 30,000 troops in Luocheng. Although General Lei was defeated, he can still redeem himself through meritorious service. The most urgent task is to send reinforcements to defend Luocheng, otherwise Chengdu will be in danger!"
Liu Ba also said, "The Xiliang army is powerful, and our army has just suffered a defeat. It is not appropriate to talk about 'annihilation' again. We should shrink our defenses and focus on defense. Let Lei Tong defend Luocheng to the death, while our lord stays in Chengdu. Then we can urgently send troops from Badong County to reinforce us. Perhaps we can still stabilize the situation."
Li Hui also said in a deep voice, "My lord, it is already a great fortune that we have managed to hold Chengdu. We must immediately order Lei Tong to defend the city to the death and absolutely not to go out to fight again!"
Liu Zhang's chest heaved violently as he stared at the stack of battle reports on the table that had once filled him with hope, finally deflated. He slumped onto his mat and waved his hand, saying, "Pass on my order... that Lei Tong atone for his crimes by defending Luocheng alongside Li Yan, and that he be forbidden from engaging in battle without my command!"
When the decree was issued, the siege of Luocheng had entered its third day. Lei Tong stood on the city wall, looking at the densely packed Xiliang army outside the city. Behind him were more than 30,000 soldiers with fearful faces. Most of them were newly transferred reinforcements who had not yet experienced battle and were now pale with fright from the shouts of battle below the city.
"General, the Chengdu reinforcements..." Li Yan asked anxiously.
Lei Tong shook his head, his voice hoarse: "Our lord ordered us to defend to the death." He looked at the banners of Jia Xu and Fa Zheng below the city, his eyes filled with regret, "It is I who have implicated Luo City, and implicated my brothers... This time, even if it means death, we will hold it!"
The wind atop the city wall carried the stench of blood. Lei Tong gripped his long spear, its blade dulled. He knew that Liu Zhang's "holding Chengdu steady" was the last line of defense, and once Luocheng fell, Chengdu would be left defenseless. The Xiliang army's battering rams began pounding the city gates again. Amidst the deafening thuds, Lei Tong seemed to hear the anxious heartbeats coming from the direction of Chengdu—the fate of the entire Yizhou province hung on the walls of this isolated city.