readytorunbook Chapter 209 Hao Zhao Invites Zhang Fei to a One-on-One Duel
Chapter 209 Hao Zhao Invites Zhang Fei to a One-on-One Duel
Deeply venturing into enemy territory is a major taboo in warfare. Once you've gone too far, time becomes the biggest killer, slowly wearing you down.
Therefore, if a large army that has ventured deep into enemy territory cannot complete its mission in time, death is the only outcome awaiting it.
Hao Zhao understood this, which is why he chose to retreat step by step and blockade layer by layer, trading space for time, thereby continuously depleting the Shu army's food supplies and morale.
Hoping to delay Zhang Fei as long as possible, Hao Zhao led his army at full speed and arrived near Fenshuiyi in less than two hours.
Just as they were about to charge into Fenshuiyi in one go, they were surprised to find that all the soldiers in the front row were frozen in place. Hao Zhao asked unhappily, "What are you doing? Why aren't you moving?"
The soldiers in the front row turned to look at Hao Zhao, pointing at Fenshui Post Station, and said with a look of horror, "General, look..."
Hao Zhao quickly stepped forward and looked in the direction he was pointing. The moment he saw Fenshuiyi, he was struck dumb and staggered, almost falling to the ground.
A battle flag was hanging on the arrow tower of Fenshuiyi, fluttering in the wind.
It's normal for battle flags to fly in a camp, but that was a Han army battle flag.
The Han army actually seized Fenshuiyi before we did.
How can this be?
"General, what should I do?"
Hao Zhao's head was buzzing, and he didn't come back to his senses until he heard the soldiers shouting.
He finally understood why Zhang Fei had only set fires and not attacked yesterday. He had thought that Zhang Fei had just arrived and was neither prepared nor familiar with the terrain, so he was not in a hurry to attack.
Now it seems that's not the case at all. That damned ring-eyed bandit was stalling for time, just like me, to buy time for the Shu army that had infiltrated Fenshuiyi.
That's understandable. If they can infiltrate, why can't the Shu army?
But what will he do then?
You have to understand that he infiltrated the area with very little food and arrows. Moreover, to ensure safety, he had sent more than half of the food to Fenshui Post Station in advance, intending to send people to transport it to Malu Village behind Fenshui Post Station as soon as they retreated there. This was to ensure that no food was left behind during the retreat, so that the Shu army would benefit from it. Now, he has become the one who delivered food to the Shu army. Damn it!
What are the soldiers guarding Fenshuiyi doing? They can't even hold their ground, let alone escape to report the news.
What do we do now? Where can we defend our positions? What will our troops eat if we run out of food?
Seeing the Shu army's battle flags fluttering on his own position, Hao Zhao's heart sank to the bottom. Before he could figure out how to deal with it, he vaguely heard the shouts of the Shu army behind him.
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Don't let Hao Zhao get away!"
The shouts of the Shu army grew closer, and the Wei soldiers' hearts grew heavier. Seeing Hao Zhao still in a daze, someone couldn't help but say anxiously, "General, what should we do? Make a decision quickly, the Shu army is about to catch up."
Hao Zhao woke up with a start, glanced at Fenshui Post Station, and knowing that he could not take it back before Zhang Fei caught up, he decisively said: "Go into the mountains and return to Qian County."
It's too far from Jieting here, and it's simply not feasible to travel from the mountains to Jieting. First of all, we wouldn't have enough supplies, so we can only retreat to Qianxian, which is closer to them and we passed through there on the way and are familiar with the terrain.
As for blocking the Shu army, he held off Zhang Fei for a day and a night and sent someone to inform Jieting, so he had completed his mission. There was no need for him to die again. The most important thing now was how to safely bring back the group of soldiers around him. These were his iron brothers who had been with him for several years or even more than ten years.
Without thinking twice, Hao Zhao decisively rushed into the Qinling Mountains on the left side of the road.
As the name suggests, the Qinling Mountains are hilly and the entrance is not wide, so the speed of entering the mountains is very slow.
The pursuers were fast, and Zhang Fei kept running behind Hao Zhao. After running for twenty or thirty miles, he was almost exhausted. But the Wei army was not much better off. Both sides were running, and their physical strength was on the same level. So what was there to be afraid of?
Zhang Fei quickly caught up with the rear guard of the Wei army, brandishing his spear and charging directly into the Wei army's ranks. The Wei army, already in a panic and only concerned with escaping, had no chance against this beast, Zhang Fei.
Given Zhang Fei's fearsome reputation, the Wei army panicked even more when they saw him charging towards them. They began to charge and flee, pushing and shoving each other. Before Zhang Fei even arrived, the Wei army itself was already in complete disarray.
Zhang Fei was not pleased by this. Instead, he roared anxiously, "Those who don't want to die, get the hell out of here!"
His target was Hao Zhao himself. Only by capturing Hao Zhao could he completely clear the obstacles to Jieting. Otherwise, if Hao Zhao escaped, what would he do if that kid continued to throw stones and branches at him on the road?
Therefore, we must capture Hao Zhao. Even if I, Zhang, die of exhaustion in the Qinling Mountains today, I will drag that Hao fellow down with me.
Zhang Fei's voice was so loud and the volume so astonishing that the Wei army, already in a state of panic, instinctively obeyed his orders upon hearing the roar, retreating to both sides to make way for Zhang Fei.
Zhang Fei rushed into the intersection and shouted, "The rest of you stay behind to guard the prisoners, and the rest of you follow me!"
Zhang Fei's pursuit was too fast and fierce, resulting in less than half of the people successfully following Hao Zhao into the mountains.
The problem is that going into the mountains doesn't mean it's safe. Hao Zhao struggled to escape towards Guanzhong along the rugged path at the foot of the mountain, but he was horrified to find that there were several rows of deer antlers standing in a narrow gap of only a few meters between two unnamed hills in front of him, and behind the deer antlers were dozens of Shu soldiers holding long spears and crossbows.
Dozens of soldiers stood on each of the hills on either side, with bundles of grass, stones, and other items piled up around them. These items could be turned into weapons at any time and rolled down the hills to smash the enemy.
The Shu army at the foot and top of the mountain totaled less than a hundred men, but the defensive line they established at this location at this time was enough to become an insurmountable natural barrier for the Wei army.
The damned Shu army actually used the same tactics Hao Zhao used against them at Longban on Hao Zhao himself, which made Hao Zhao feel extremely disheartened.
What's even more disheartening is that Zhang Fei has caught up again. Zhang Fei, who has caught up, also saw the Han army on the mountaintop. After scanning the area again, he realized that other roads required a long detour, but Hao Zhao didn't have time to take a detour. He couldn't help but shout with joy, "Brothers, charge! Listen up, Wei soldiers ahead! The King of Hanzhong treats prisoners well; those who surrender will not be killed."
As he shouted, he rushed to the nearest Wei soldier, swung his spear but did not cut him. Instead, he used the blade to knock him down, then held the spear to the man's neck and shouted, "Kneel down and surrender if you don't want to die. I'll give you two breaths to consider."
The Wei soldiers who had fallen trembled with fear at the sight of blood on their spears. Without thinking, they quickly rose and knelt, raising their hands and crying out, "I surrender! The King of Hanzhong is wise! Long live the King of Hanzhong!"
The rest was simple. When the other Wei soldiers saw that someone had surrendered, they naturally did not want to persist and all raised their hands and knelt down.
Now, with enemies blocking their way in front and pursuing them from behind, and the infamous Zhang Fei in the lead, the morale of the Wei army plummeted. At this point, it would be better if no one surrendered, because if someone did, it would immediately trigger a chain reaction, causing other desperate soldiers to surrender as well.
The Wei soldiers knelt down one after another, and soon only Hao Zhao and his hundred or so personal guards remained standing on the vast battlefield.
Zhang Fei pointed his spear at Hao Zhao and said, "General Hao, I respect you as a talented person. I'll give you a chance to surrender. Will you surrender or not?"
He had fought against Cao Wei generals for many years. Although they were enemies, he respected the Wei generals very much. He admired heroes, so he didn't want to kill unless necessary.
Hao Zhao sighed, stepped out of the ranks, clasped his hands, bowed deeply, and said, "Hao Zhao greets General Zhang. I appreciate your kindness, but you should know that dying on the battlefield, wrapped in a horse's hide, is the glory of a soldier. How can we, as soldiers, be afraid of death and seek to live a life of dishonor?"
"I've heard that the old general is a warrior of unparalleled bravery. Although I am not skilled in martial arts, I would like to learn from him. If I die in battle, I hope the old general will treat my brothers well."
What? Hao Zhao actually wants to challenge Zhang Fei?
Upon hearing this, all the guards behind him were terrified and knelt down, wailing, "General, you mustn't!"
That's Zhang Yide, the one who famously shouted himself out of control at Dangyang Bridge. Even though he's old now, he's still not someone you, Hao Zhao, can handle.
Seeing that he was determined to be loyal to Cao Cao, Zhang Fei stopped trying to persuade him to surrender and nodded, saying, "Alright, I agree."
Hao Zhao bowed again and said, "Thank you, General."
After saying that, he gripped his long sword and walked toward Zhang Fei. He wanted to test whether Zhang Yide, who had roamed the world for decades, was as brave as the legends said.
At the same time, I also wanted to see how big the gap was between myself and these legendary warriors.