25. The Unrivaled Lu Bu (1)
25. The Unrivaled Lu Bu (1)
Wang Kuang, the Prefect of Henei, was a figure who played a leading role in the Rebellion of the Ten Eunuchs.
It is easy to mistake him for a civil official, but he was strictly an adjutant under General-in-Chief He Jin. He had such an aggressive personality that he led 500 crossbowmen to purge the Ten Eunuchs under He Jin's orders.
After He Jin died,
Wang Kuang relied on Yuan Shao, the Prefect of Bohai, and poured his efforts into the banner of the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition.
"What's with all that? Did he bring every single person from Henei Commandery with him......."
Song Xian, who was leading the troops at the front, said.
He clicked his tongue in surprise at the sight of the 20,000-strong army stationed in Henei.
"Don't panic."
Gao Shun said.
Despite the Henei forces being larger than expected, Gao Shun and his unit didn't budge.
Instead, they kept their eyes wide open, busy glaring at the enemy ahead. The entire Lu Bu army used them as a pillar of support because of their ability to maintain firm military discipline in any situation.
"Fortunately, the enemies haven't crossed the river yet. If they had already finished crossing, there would have been no answer."
Lee Seong-hwi appeared while riding his horse.
He looked down at the formation of Wang Kuang's army and realized they were in a great hurry.
"The enemy is in a hurry?"
Zhang Liao asked.
Lee Seong-hwi nodded at her words.
"If I were Wang Kuang, I would have coordinated and moved with the coalition forces stationed in Guandong. And I would have formed an alliance with the Baibo Bandits of Bingzhou to cross the river and intercept our forces all at once. But the fact that the enemy didn't do that means......."
"They are coveting military merit, could that be it?"
"You are correct, Nuna."
Wang Kuang is a very proactive figure.
Even though he governs Henei Commandery, which belongs to Sili Province where Luoyang is located, he was the first to step up and draw the attention of Dong Zhuo's army.
Knowing he would be targeted before other warlords, the reason he rushed to raise an army shows he is in a great hurry.
'He should have hidden his intentions until at least the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition reached Sishui Pass. What a stupid guy. Henei Commandery is such an important place for the conquest of Luoyang......!'
He felt frustrated.
Of course, from the position of having to fight them, it's something to cheer about.
But the sight of Wang Kuang, who decided to strike the traitor Dong Zhuo but couldn't control his hot temper and moved in a hurry, truly evoked pity.
This is why the conquest of Dong Zhuo failed.
One could see the reason why the Anti-Dong Zhuo Coalition ended in failure from the sight of Wang Kuang.
"What should I tell Unni?"
Wei Xu approached and asked.
She is Lu Bu's cousin.
She was a beautiful girl with a similar appearance to Lu Bu, but unlike her cousin, she had a calm and sincere personality.
You could call her a mild version of Lu Bu.
Wei Xu was the general who received the greatest trust from Lu Bu after Zhang Liao among the Eight Jian Generals.
"Just tell her that the victory is already in the bag. All that's left is to finish this quickly and return before Yuan Shao arrives."
"Yes, I understand."
He looked up at the sky.
Dark, ominous clouds began to gather from the north.
It looked like it would pour rain at any moment.
In a situation where they were facing 20,000 of Wang Kuang's troops across the river, it was highly likely that it would rain once before the fight broke out.
As expected, it started to rain.
The rain that began to drizzle turned into a downpour as the raindrops grew thicker.
A rainstorm raged.
However, the two armies facing each other across the river never moved. Without even trying to avoid the rain, they maintained a stationary posture while getting soaked.
"Where is Lu Bu?"
"She has already returned to Heyang Ford and infiltrated the enemy's rear."
Lee Seong-hwi nodded at Wei Xu's words.
Judging that the war situation had ripened, he drew his sword and ordered the first unit.
"Nuna, advance."
"Understood."
With Zhang Liao as the commander,
And Song Xian and Hou Cheng as vice-commanders,
1,000 troops moved and advanced through the relatively shallow stream.
'We must draw the enemy out quickly before the water rises. If we drag it out, we might be the ones to suffer.'
He moved the troops as soon as the rain poured down.
The water could rise in an instant due to the rain.
He didn't know exactly how much time was left until then, but he predicted that the river would definitely rise in about 30 minutes.
"Strike Wang Kuang!"
"Lu Bu's army, warriors of Bingzhou!"
"Beat the drums! Raise your battle cries! We are the army that follows the Flying General of Bingzhou!!"
A force of 1,000 charging toward a large army of 20,000.
They crossed the river without a moment's hesitation and marched toward the enemy.
"Fire!"
"Pour arrows on those crazy bastards!"
Arrows poured down immediately from the enemy lines.
They couldn't fly high because they were soaked in rain, but it was enough to target Zhang Liao's forces rushing in a straight line.
They raised their shields to block the arrows.
However, they couldn't block all the arrows, and soldiers who were hit by arrows emerged.
"Charge!"
With Zhang Liao's command, they broke into the enemy lines.
The force of 1,000 trampled Wang Kuang's army as it was, and the defensive formation was broken by the Bingzhou Cavalry in the lead.
"Argh!"
"Stop the enemy!"
Finally, a full-scale engagement took place.
A soldier on horseback thrust his spear with all his might and attacked the archer who was loading his bow.
The horse galloped and trampled the enemy soldiers. The soldier trampled by the powerful hooves let out a scream, and was minced like fish meat by the cavalry that followed.
It became a space where screams ran wild.
Cavalry attacking with spears, and infantry blocking such cavalry. Even though it was a force of only 1,000, they attacked Wang Kuang's army under Zhang Liao's command.
"Don't back down! We are far more numerous than the enemy. And aren't we here for the great cause of punishing Dong Zhuo! Strike the unrighteous traitors!"
Wang Kuang's general, Fang Yue, shouted.
The enemy is just a small number.
Although they are elite, they are a small number after all, and there is no way they can hold out for long against a large army with many soldiers.
"Surround the enemy!"
"Shoot arrows and stab the enemies with spears!"
The left and right sides of Wang Kuang's army moved.
As if spreading their wings, they tried to pressure the Lu Bu army that had stabbed into their formation by pressing from both sides.
Encircle and annihilate the enemy like this.
It was a very textbook method using the enemy's breakthrough, and the most efficient counter-attack.
"Argh!"
A soldier rolled off his horse.
The soldier who died after being hit by an arrow from somewhere was one of the guards protecting Zhang Liao.
They faced fierce resistance from all sides.
Eventually, Zhang Liao judged that it was difficult to hold out any longer, and immediately turned her horse's head and ordered a retreat.
"Retreat!"
Following her, Song Xian and Hou Cheng raised their swords high and shouted.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
"There are too many enemies. First, retreat and reorganize the ranks!"
They must escape before being surrounded.
Zhang Liao's unit, which had many cavalry, was able to escape from the enemy relatively easily.
They slipped out of the embrace before the encirclement was completed.
As that happened, Fang Yue felt frustrated and ordered his troops to pursue.
We are a large army with more numbers than the enemy.
Since our side suffered more damage than the enemy, if we end the battle like this, this Fang Yue's name will be recorded as a coward.
"General, it is the Prefect's order not to pursue."
A military officer ran through the rain.
The Prefect of Henei, Wang Kuang, forbade the pursuit.
He thought that because it was raining and visibility was dark, and because the enemy had carried out an unreasonable attack, there must be a reason for it.
But Fang Yue did not listen to that.
He dismissed it, saying that Prefect Wang Kuang must have said that because he was in the rear and didn't know the detailed war situation.
"How can a general standing in war just put his sword away! They are already scared and running away. If we chase them to the end and kill them, we can achieve a great victory!"
He wants to record a great victory in the battle with Dong Zhuo's army before the warlords of Guandong arrive.
The first general to topple the traitor Dong Zhuo.
Fang Yue longed for his name to be known throughout the Central Plains. The opportunity to be recorded as a Hero/Warlord who defeated Dong Zhuo had come right in front of him, so how could he back down?
"Advance!"
Fang Yue shouted.
Raising his spear high, he gave orders to his troops.
"Pursue the enemy!"
"We will pierce through the rain, cross the river, and slaughter the enemy!"
Military officers shouted, running through the battlefield.
They had the drums that signaled the advance beaten and made the battle cries loud, raising the morale of their troops.
Before long, Zhang Liao's soldiers crossed the river again.
To pursue them, Wang Kuang's army moved their feet and finally reached the Sishui Pass.
"Take this spear of Fang Yue!"
Fang Yue personally rode his horse and advanced.
Ignoring the words of his adjutants who showed voices of concern, he decided to raid the enemy's main camp while crossing the river with his brave soldiers.
The rain poured down even harder.
Fang Yue wiped the rainwater covering his eyes, and while hanging his sharp spear forward, he raised his battle cry toward the enemy lines.
However, they had crossed a river they should never have crossed.
"The enemies have come this far!"
"All soldiers, trample the enemy! They have crossed the river!"
Battle cries and drum sounds were heard from all sides.
Surprised by the sudden sound, Fang Yue stopped his troops for a moment and looked around.
Because of the sound of the rain, the battle cries and drum sounds were greatly amplified. Because it was a rainy situation where visibility was not fully secured, Fang Yue and his troops felt that the Lu Bu army was more numerous than it actually was.
But the Lu Bu army on all sides was only 4,000.
In contrast, the force currently commanded by Fang Yue amounted to about 10,000.
'Logically, it's a fight that can't be won. If it were a fight between beasts, they would have naturally won. But war is ultimately a fight done by people. That is why there are bound to be countless variables in war.'
Lee Seong-hwi drew his sword.
He was feeling ecstasy at the large-scale war he was facing for the first time.
A large-scale war he had only encountered through games.
He felt fear and dread, but he was greatly rejoiced that he would fight alongside Lu Bu, who is called Unrivaled Under Heaven.
Is this what the army of the Unrivaled Under Heaven is!
The Bingzhou Cavalry with excellent breakthrough power, and the Hanjin Camp that says it will definitely pierce the enemy. And even the Eight Jian Generals who follow Lu Bu.
There is no way they will lose.
It was a fight that couldn't be lost.
Lee Seong-hwi began to feel overwhelmed that he had come to command these brave warriors.
"Kill all the enemies!"
In the pouring storm,
Lee Seong-hwi ordered all the soldiers who were in ambush.
Wang Kuang remained at the main camp and waited for news.
The general Fang Yue ignored his orders and charged into the enemy lines. He spat out profanity at his choice to blindly cross the river, but he had the expectation that the brave Fang Yue of Henei might bring back news of victory.
"Fang Yue will do it. If we just take the head of the Flying General of Bingzhou, Lu Bu, we will be able to get our hands on a war merit far ahead of the warlords of Guandong."
Wang Kuang, after He Jin died, volunteered to be a close aide following Yuan Shao, the Prefect of Bohai.
He is that kind of person.
A passive human who cannot make grand plans. Even though he accumulated many merits with his proactive personality, he lacked the capacity to become the head of a force.
"Prefect!"
A military officer soaked in rain came in.
It was the officer who had conveyed that Fang Yue had led his troops and crossed the river.
"What is it? So, Fang Yue! What happened to Fang Yue?"
"There has been no news yet. But sir, the river is gradually rising due to the pouring rainwater. At this rate, the road between General Fang Yue's unit and the main unit will be cut off. This officer is worried about that!"
That is correct.
No matter how many soldiers he has, if the rear is blocked, there is nothing he can do.
Fang Yue made too hasty a decision.
And there was also a problem with Wang Kuang, who did not strongly restrain it.
"Then give an order to return even now!"
"Understood, sir!"
Kuaaaaang!!!
Lightning struck down.
Did lightning strike nearby?
Wang Kuang reflexively hunched his shoulders at the thunderous roar.
"Prefect!"
This time, another military officer came in.
He brought a report that Wang Kuang would be very afraid of, a report that would make him faint just by hearing it.
"The enemies are coming. They are advancing straight to where the main unit is!"
As soon as the military officer's words fell, the screams of soldiers began to be heard from outside.
The rain was pouring, so the visibility was dark.
Because of that, the situation where the enemy's surprise attack was discovered was after the enemies had already approached near the friendly camp.
"Hurry and respond!"
Wang Kuang, wearing armor, came out of the military tent.
But the friendly camp was in a state of confusion that could not be controlled.
Soldiers ran away from each other and fell into the mud.
Some soldiers even threw away their weapons and flags, trying to run away.
"Argh!"
"S, save me!"
They were struck down by the cavalry that came through the storm.
As the cavalry thrust their sharp spears, the soldiers of Wang Kuang's army ran away like wild animals fleeing from a hunter, only to be caught and lose their lives.
The surroundings are hell.
Screams ran wild everywhere, and the terrible sound of tearing human skin and cutting flesh was heard.
Blood mixed into the puddles where rainwater had pooled.
The blood-red water flowed in streams, turning the battlefield into a Sea of Corpses and Blood.
"Hahahaha!! Wang Kuang, where are you! I am Lu Bu! I am the Flying General of Bingzhou, Lu Bu!!"
A woman holding the Painted Halberd appeared.
Letting her blonde hair flutter in the rain and wind, and flashing her red eyes, she went around looking for Wang Kuang.
Numerous generals blocked her front.
But Lu Bu just by swinging the Painted Halberd a few times, knocked all the generals off their horses, showing the spirit of Unrivaled Under Heaven.
"General Lu Bu!"
"General Lu Bu has come!"
"Who in Wang Kuang's army can stop the Flying General of Bingzhou!"
Lu Bu's soldiers shouted loudly.
At the name Lu Bu heard from all sides, Wang Kuang was so overwhelmed that he ended up sitting down in the muddy water.