Chapter 198 Escape (1)
“Kill, Kill, Kill! Kill the beasts of Bingzhou!” The general of Sun Ce’s heavy cavalry shouted out. His eyes glowed excitedly as if the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry was about to be defeated.
“Yuzhou Cavalry?!” Lu Bu finally figured out where these cavalries came from. Based on the character on the war flag and the mark on the armor, these are definitely the Yuzhou Cavalry! These are the heavy cavalry unit Yuan Shu spent several ten thousand to create. The Yuzhou Cavalry was really an old rival. When Yuan Shu fought his way to Xuzhou, Liu Bei, Lu Bu, Sun Ce and Cao Cao lay siege on Yuan Shu. It was at that time when the Yuzhou Cavalry made their appearance.
The 7,000 Yuzhou Cavalry soldiers was Yuan Shu’s trump card. It more than doubles his fighting capabilities. It was able to counter Lu Bu’s and Cao Cao’s heavy cavalry. Sun Ce and Liu Bei could only retreat after meeting the heavy cavalry because they did not have enough at the time.
If it was not because of the Yuzhou Cavalry, Yuan Shu would have been extinguished a long time ago.
The Yuzhou Cavalry belonged to Yuan Shu but when Yuan Shu lost his reputation, the Yuzhou Cavalry broke up. A portion of them perished and a portion of them remained with Yuan Shu. The remaining Yuzhou Cavalry went to Sun Ce, Chen Lan and Lei Bo.
The ones that remained in the Yuan Shu Army lost their lives fighting Liu Bei and Cao Cao. The ones that were taken away by Chen Lan and Lei Bo were mostly destroyed on Bagongshan by Lu Bu’s Army but there were about 800 of them that escaped. These 800 cavalry soldiers also joined Sun Ce’s Army.
Sun Ce took the sea route from Liaodong to transport horses and then search for good to ride the horses such as the previous Yuzhou Cavalry . The 5,000 Yuzhou Heavy Cavalry was then set aside to prepare as a gift to Lu Bu.
“Just a defeated opponent!” Lu Bu’s eyes continued to flash. He really did not expect Sun Ce to have 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers. Not to mention that their strength is about the same as Cao Cao’s Ferocious Cavalry. What about it! In the end, they were opponents that were defeated before! When the Yuzhou Cavalry engaged with the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry, the Yuzhou Cavalry lost and the Wolf Cavalry won. The Wolf Cavalry is still the strongest cavalry.
“5,000 against 5,000 they may not be a match for the Wolf Cavalry but what about today?” Lu Su sneered. There are 5,000 heavy cavalry soldiers and a large number of troops and horses. On the other hand, Lu Bu only has 1,500 heavy cavalry soldiers. Lu Su would eat up Lu Bu.
“Is that so!?” Lu Bu looked at Lu Su. “Then you are truly optimistic!” (TN: After all, I have plot armor!)
1,500 cavalry soldiers going against 5,000 cavalry soldiers? Few fight against many? Nine of their earlier battles, when the Wolf Cavalry was just starting out and only had a few hundred, they dared to face the assault of 30,000 Wuwan Cavalry soldiers. It was not something Lu Bu took pride in but the only way out for the cavalry is assault. To retreat would only mean a dead end for the cavalry.
“Wolf cubs! Tell me! Are you scared?!” Lu Bu raised the Neptune halberd and shouted. “Now there are 5,000 cavalries and many more soldiers ahead of us! Tell me! Are you afraid?!”
“Not afraid! Not afraid!” The Wolf Cavalry roared loudly.
“Not afraid? Encouraging morale?” Lu Su looked disapprovingly. In the face of absolute strength, any kind of skill is useless. This was something you, Lu Bu, Lu Fengxian, taught me.
Lu Bu did not reply to Lu Su and only spared him a glance. “Are you hungry?”
“Hungry! Starving!”
“Then go and tear them up!” Lu Bu licked his lips. “The hunting begins! All units! Charge!” Lu Bu charged towards the Yuzhou Cavalry like a golden ray of light.
“Kill! Kill! Kill!” The other 1,500 Wolf Cavalry soldiers also raised their weapons and charged towards an enemy 3 times their size.
“Lu Bu is courting death!” A man wearing a general’s armor shouted. This man was Zhang Kai. He became depressed after the battle at Bagongshan. His cavalry of 2,000 could not defeat an enemy of 1,000. He ignored the baggage troops but still needed to leave behind more than 1,000 of his fellow officers. He is here today for revenge. He wants to completely destroy the Wolf Cavalry and Lu Bu! He wants to take Lu Bu’s head and use it for a memorial service for his fellow officers.
“Hmph!” Lu Bu started clashing blades with the Yuzhou Cavalry as his reply. The Wolf Cavalry also started engaging with the Yuzhou Cavalry. Although the Yuzhou Cavalry is numerous, the Wolf Cavalry is more skilled. Besides that, under the leadership of Lu Bu, their ferocity is even stronger.
*Boom* This was a contest between strength without the slightest bit of skill. If they do not manage to rush past the enemy, they would be surrounded and would only face death.
Lu Bu’s Neptune halberd was like a a reaper’s scythe that meets blood with every swing. Those who met the halberd were cleanly cleaved into two. Others were knocked away as if it were a hammer and would later be trampled on until they became meatloaf.
“Kill!” Zhang Kai shouted as he cut down a Wolf Cavalry soldier. The Wolf Cavalry soldier who did not manage to avoid, gripped his own sword tightly and tried to push it into the chest of his enemy.
The Wolf Cavalry were ruthless. Zhang Kai was not so ruthless. He has never managed to enjoy glory. He was a commanding general. He was the general of Sun Ce’s trump card. How can he exchange lives with a random soldier? He subconsciously turned his body and avoided the danger. The moment he was about to rejoice, he noticed a golden figure coming closer to him.
“What!” Zhang Kai cried out in surprise. Golden armor! That must be Lu Bu!
Lu Bu’s motive was clear. The general is the soul of the army. By defeating the commanding general, a large part of the army would collapse. He charged towards Zhang Kai who happens to be in the middle of the Yuzhou Cavalry.
“Go die!” The Neptune halberd once again issued a command of death. Zhang Kai was never a match for Lu Bu. Not to mention that he just avoided an attack from another Wolf Cavalry soldier. At this speed, he would definitely be beheaded by Lu Bu.
Zhang Kai looked to the skies. He does not want to die. He just only said he would kill Lu Bu. He just only thought of his future. He has not tasted success but he would soon be killed by Lu Bu.
“General Zhang! Be careful!” The moment Lu Bu’s halberd was about to reach Zhang Kai, two short halberds appeared to block the attack. The strong force from the Neptune halberd made the twin halberds vibrate furiously. The owner of the twin halberds also showed a troubled expression.
“N?!” Lu Bu did not complain. His attack was unexpectedly stopped. He quickly pulled back the Neptune halberd to look at his new opponent. “It’s him!” Lu Bu finally recognized the twin halberd warrior. This is definitely the senior general that was beside Sun Ce! Donglai Taishi Ci! It was general at the refinement stage and was one of the senior generals at Sun Ce’s Army. He was one of the generals that fought Huang Zhong together with Sun Ce and Jiang Qin. Lu Bu suddenly thought of something but quickly forgot about it.
The twin halberd user was Taishi Ci. He was specially commanded by Lu Su to move together with the Yuzhou Cavalry. This Zhang Kai was not skilled. He was appointed commanding general of the Yuzhou Cavalry because Zhang Kai was knowledgeable about cavalries. As Jiangdong have more marines. The marines have actual strong generals while the cavalries only get half-baked generals. Another reason Zhang Kai became the commanding general is because he was once the lieutenant of the Yuzhou Cavalry. This means that more people would favor him.
As expected, Lu Su’s worries became true. Lu Bu really went straight for Zhang Kai. If Taishi Ci were not around, Zhang Kai would definitely be dead and at that time, the Yuzhou Cavalry would collapse because they lost their commanding officer.
Cavalry combat is fast. The two cavalries will collide and engange in a violent battle before separating. Lu Bu looked at Taishi Ci and Zhang Kai. It is not that he could not kill them but as this was a cavalry battle, he would need to separate from them after one clash.
The two heavy cavalries separated. The Yizhou Cavalry had 5,000 soldiers but lost almost 1,000. The Bingzhou Cavalry was strong but they no less than 500 soldiers perished.
“They could defeat double the amount despite the fact that they were outnumbered 3 to 1.” Lu Su looked at the Wolf Cavalry as if their mouths are starting to close. Is this the king of cavalries? There are only 1,500 Wolf Cavalry soldiers here. Lu Su did not want to imagine what it would be like if they had 5,000 of the Wolf Cavalry here. These group of wolves are truly horrible. What about it? It is time for the Wolf King to visit hell!
One-third dead! Lu Bu frowned. This will not do! Two more rounds at this speed and the Wolf Cavalry would be finished. Although the soldiers said they do not fear death, Lu Bu do not want to send them to their graves.
He only did that earlier because he thought of taking Zhang Kai’s life. Lu Bu turned his horse away. His target was Wan Cheng’s marine main camp.
“N?” Lu Bu ‘s soldiers were slightly confused. They just finished licking their wounds and preparing to fight to the death. They did not expect the Wolf King to turn around and leave! The situation puzzled them but they were merely wolves. They will follow the Wolf King whether they agree or not.
“Flee?” Lu Su frowned. He did not think that the God of War Lu Bu would flee. Could he even be afraid? How does he plan to escape? That direction was towards the main camp of the marine troops. Lu Su knew deep down that the Wolf Cavalry was divided thanks to the 3-way fork. However, their final destination is the same. If they were to join up, Lu Su’s final stratagem would really fail.
“Chase!” Lu Su issued his order. He needed to eliminate the Wolf Cavalry divisions 1-by-1 until they are completely exterminated. This was Lu Su’s preferred outcome.
“Flee?” Zhang Kai sneered. He was scared of Lu Bu a moment ago. If it were not for Taishi Ci’s help, his head would have been separated from his torso. He thought Lu Bu would charge again and prepared his bodyguards to protect him as he did not want to die. Who would have thought that Lu Bu would flee? However, Lu Bu fleeing is fine with him! This Lu Bu is crazy. Does he not know how to use a cavalry? Cavalry is like a knife. A knife is used to pierce the heart. A cavalry can only be used to attack but never retreat. This is because the moment you retreat you would be chased like a defeated army. A cavalry would need impact and momentum. If you are retreating, there would be no momentum. Even if Lu Su did not say anything, Zhang Kai would also give chase.
Let I, Zhang Kai, destroy you and the rest of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry!
Taishi Ci on the other hand did not understand much about cavalry warfare so he only followed Zhang Kai. Although his heart is uneasy, he could not do anything as he does not understand cavalries. However, Zhang Kai has many years of experience so everything should end up okay. Not to mention that the Wolf Cavalry have abandoned several hundred horses. The Wolf Cavalry must also be quite reluctant to do that. With this line of thinking, Taishi Ci tried to catch up.