Chapter 276 – Guangzhou’s Defender Hao Zhao
With wardrum beating, Liu Pi and his Yu Province army start their march. Liu Bei stood on the commanding platform along with Pang Tong. In Liu Bei’s eyes, trickled tears, but those tears contain ruthlessness and maliciousness. The debt of humiliation caused by that slave of three surnames is finally going to be paid in full, muttered him in low voice.
This person right now is not the Royal Uncle Liu Bei, but a vengeful spirit bent on killing Lu Bu as this vengeful spirit said slave of three surnames. All remnants of Lu Bu’s existence must vanish now. My tears is for my resolve. Thought Liu Bei and wiped his eyes.
In Guangzhou, there are 20,000 enemies and Hao Zhao’s troops only had 2000 troops. Hao Zhao drops cold sweat as he, yet to fight against enemies ten times of his own number. Once he had fought this kind of number, but at that time, he was within Bing Province Wolf Riders (TL: Riders much better than cavalry, much easier to write as well. Thanks to Rafe De Crespigny) and foot soldiers numbered ten times larger than heavy cavalries is nothing. However now, he is defending a city, and his soldiers are 2000 lightweight foot soldiers versus 20,000 Xiliang Riders. A logical choice would be to surrender, but Hao Zhao was given responsibility to guard Guangzhou, so escape and surrender is no longer an option.
Right now, beside fear, there is excitement as well. He had spent so many times in Guangzhou, prepping for defensive maneuvers and now, it is time to dish them out. He had learned, that if you do an extreme defense, you can deal harm to your enemy, and possibly to terminate them. In this world, there are two people that Hao Zhao admired, one is his lord Lu Bu and the other is little lord Liu Mang. Liu Mang done something impossible during Battle of Wancheng. Using only 10,000 troops and inadequate preparation in defensive weapons, he was able to annihilate Sun Ce troops from 100,000 to only 5,000 troops. Hao Zhao really envied this and wished that he was not in Shucheng County but stayed in City of Wancheng, defending from Sun Ce altogether. Since Zhang Liao is a perceptive person, then he sent Hao Zhao to Liu Mang almost immediately when chance presented itself. And this is an opportunity of a lifetime, to prove that he can be as good as Liu Mang when it comes to defending.
“Below is not 20,000 troops! Thinks how usually I said with you!”Hao Shao is walking while is giving these soldiers to inflate, he also knows that these soldiers feared, after all the recruit is a focus, even if some veterans come from other feudal lord there, has not seen ten times in own enemy.
Hao Zhao then shouted to his 1000 defenders “Everyone, cheer up!!!” Those defenders were assigned by Liu Mang. Also because of that referral letter by Zhang Liao. Therefore, he provided 1000 soldiers to Hao Zhao and given him enough warfund for Hao Zhao to recruit another 1000 soldiers again. When one being a commander, one must always thinks that enemies potential is 10x bigger than his own, and that has been in Hao Zhao’s mindset and he had been doing mind battle again and again using that number. But now, that number is in front of him, and tried to claim his life. Hao Zhao then said in cheerful tone “See, right now, there is 20,000 enemies. Isn’t this in accordance of what I used to tell you?!”
A veteran soldier then asked while stuttered “G-g-g… General. C-c-c-can we win?!” Hao Zhao then said plainly “Of course, we cannot!!!” That word, made his soldiers’ hearts sank. This general is too frank, thought the soldiers. However, with that words, everyone calmed down.
“Hits must hit!”Hao Shao then said that “you have a look under the city, solely does not have 20,000 foot soldiers, 20,000 cavalry soldiers, I can tell you explicitly, your generals I once was a cavalry soldier, is that the Bingzhou wolf rode, you know what my which time most liked was anything!”Hao Zhao asked.
Hao Zhao then said “However… Even if there is no chance of victory, we still must fight!!! All of you look down there, there are 20,000 Xiliang Riders asking for our heads. Right now, I can tell you what is my favorite moment when I was a part of Bing Province Wolf Riders!!!” A soldier then asked “General, what is your favorite moment?!” Hao Zhao said “My favorite moments is when I rode warhorse, brandishing my guandao, herding enemies like sheeps and killing them one by one.” Hao Zhao smiled excitingly and said “You know the feeling of being a hunter pursuing preys, right? When I reach my target, I swungmy guandao and claim my prize. His head is my merit, and comes the next merit.”
Other soldiers said “General, please don’t do that!!! We can escape together!!!” Hao Zhao then said calmly “Oh, I almost forgot. Although my Bing Province Wolf Riders is this nation top cavalries, it is because we had yet met a match. Look at them…” Hao Zhao then beckoned his men to look at those Xiliang Riders “See.. They are wearing red bandanas, they are wearing hard helmets not made of Han. I believe these people are Qiang people!!!” His soldiers then surprised and said “Qiang people? Those from Beyond Great Wall?!” Hao Zhao’s subordinates never saw invaders as Yu Province, Yang Province and Jing Province are located in south, where the only foreigners they met was of Shanyue tribesmen. Unlike Liang Province, Bing Province and You Province, where foreigners treat Han people like garbage. Causing insurmountable casualties to Han people.
Hao Zhao then threw some oil to the fire he started “Listen brothers. These Qiang people ain’t Han people. They are monsters who tramples those who surrendered. Executing them by dragging people using warhorse.” Hao Zhao’s words actually a little exaggerated as everything about Qiang people comes from his conversation with his Bing Province Wolf Riders comrades. A lot of them came from Wuwan Commandery and were a native of Xianbei. Most of them had same opinions about foreigners, Han people whipped to death, enslaved, forced to become sheep. Therefore Bing Province Wolf Riders are essential to driving those foreigners out of their homes.
Hao Zhao’s words touched these soldiers hearts, who had planned to do mutiny and already want to run, now hesitated and they planned to take up arms again and fight for their dignity. Hao Zhao then said “Brothers, if we run now, death is what awaits us. If we fight, there is only narrow victory. If faced with such choice, this Hao Zhao better fight to the end and win a better future. Brothers, have you forgotten what is our little lord’s promise?!” Those last words, made some people brightened up as they are poor families and Liu Mang promises them future if this fight was to end well. However, some of them still had bleak eyes, for the enemies is number, fear them very much. Hao Zhao then said, in order to encourage them further “Brothers, I had messages that Milord’s reinforcement is on his way here. When our Bing Province Wolf Riders arrived, we are going to tear them apart!!!”
All soldiers finally brightened up and said several conversation “Eh, reinforcements?!” “Yes, we have a chance to win!!!” “We want thick wealth, we want to confer titles to our descendants, we will win promotion and get rich!!!” Hao Zhao then raised his arms and screamed “That is right!!! We want promotion and riches!!! 20,000 enemies is no big deal to me. Zhao had created contraption and maneuvers for enemies at least 100 times bigger than this. Come brothers, let’s hurt them!!” Hao Zhao then unsheath his sword and said “Lift your bow!!!” While Liu Pi and his forces getting nearer and nearer.