readytorunbook Chapter 203 Zhang Fei: I Have Cavalry Now Too!
Chapter 203 Zhang Fei: I Have Cavalry Now Too!
Cavalry is faster and has a stronger impact than infantry, but infantry is more agile than cavalry.
Huang Quan unleashed a volley of arrows that sent the Wei army flying and scattered their formation. Without hesitation, he led the charge, reaching the Wei army at top speed.
The Han army easily bypassed obstacles such as boxes and tree trunks and rushed into the Wei army's formation. Instead of engaging the Wei army in a direct confrontation, they used their short stature to specifically target the horses' legs, even at the risk of taking a blow from a Wei soldier to cut off the horses' legs. Once the horses' legs were cut off, the cavalrymen were naturally rendered useless.
The Wei army was hampered by obstacles and a hail of arrows, making it impossible for them to form a battle formation and launch an attack. For a time, they were forced into a series of defeats by the Han army.
After less than a quarter of an hour of this entanglement, the Wei army collapsed, abandoning their wounded soldiers and turning their horses to flee back to their camp. Huang Quan was unwilling to let them go and continued to pursue them. While pursuing, he did not forget to carry the box that had made great contributions, preparing to use the same trick again when the Wei army charged again.
Meanwhile, the battle in the Wei army camp also reached a fever pitch.
Guo Huai was no match for Zhang Fei, but with the desperate protection of his personal guards, he managed to retreat and rejoin the Wei army that had awakened and formed a battle formation behind him.
Then he retreated to the center of the army to command, preparing to use the advantage of numbers to wear down Zhang Fei. However, not long after the battle began, someone shouted: "General, something bad has happened! Huang Quan is coming! The Shu army is too fierce, brothers, we can't stop him!"
Guo Huai's heart sank to the bottom. He glanced at the chaotic battlefield and knew that the camp could not make use of the cavalry's advantage. If Huang Quan arrived and attacked from both sides with Zhang Fei, he was afraid that his entire army would be wiped out.
Therefore, they dared not delay and immediately ordered a retreat, preparing to use the advantage of cavalry to first create distance from the Shu army before attempting to harass them.
But will this allow you to leave?
Seeing that Guo Huai was about to escape, Zhang Fei immediately led his troops in pursuit. After a few steps, he realized that this was too slow, so he grabbed a warhorse that had lost its master and abandoned the army to chase after Guo Huai alone.
Other soldiers followed suit, searching the camp for any warhorses that could move.
However, Guo Huai was also a shrewd man. He chose a camp that was not only open on all sides, but also had an escape route in advance. He led the defeated cavalry and quickly escaped from the camp, heading northeast.
Before they had escaped for more than five miles, a sudden volley of arrows rained down from the front. Guo Huai parried the arrows with his sword while cursing, "Damn those ring-eyed thieves, they actually set up an ambush!"
The Han army used crossbows. After firing, they threw away the crossbow bolts, drew their swords, and charged at Guo Huai. Guo Huai did not know how many Shu soldiers were in front of him, and seeing the pursuers getting closer and closer, he dared not linger and immediately turned around and fled elsewhere. However, he was ambushed again less than five miles away.
What's even more infuriating is that Zhang Fei used a desperate tactic, piercing the horse's rump with his sword and using the pain to stimulate the horse's potential so it could quickly catch up.
Before Guo Huai could shake off the second wave of ambushes, Zhang Fei charged forward alone, his eighteen-foot spear sweeping across the front two Wei soldiers, sending them flying. He then leaped onto the horse of one of the Wei soldiers and charged into the Wei ranks to continue his attack.
The Han army that ambushed the Wei army also launched a charge upon seeing this. The Han army behind them and the first wave of Han army that ambushed Guo Huai quickly attacked. Guo Huai was forced into a fierce battle but dared not linger. He broke through the encirclement as quickly as possible and fled forward.
Zhang Fei continued his pursuit on horseback, chasing after thousands of Wei soldiers single-handedly, with unfortunate Wei soldiers being cut down every now and then.
The Wei army was so terrified that they dared not turn back to fight and only ran for their lives.
As dawn broke, Guo Huai finally shook off Zhang Fei's pursuit. He reined in his warhorse, forcefully pulled the arrow from his left arm, and looked back. Seeing that there were less than a thousand riders left behind, he was filled with despair.
What made him even more desperate was that the food supplies were lost. He was so focused on escaping that he didn't have time to transport the food supplies. Now, he had escaped but lost the food supplies. What was he going to eat?
And what about the horses? What do warhorses eat?
Some were happy while others were sad. While Guo Huai was wailing in despair, Huang Quan was happily cleaning up the battlefield. He wanted all the warhorses and weapons left behind by the Wei army, and even the wounded and crippled horses. If they couldn't be ridden, they could still be eaten, right?
It took two full hours to clean up the battlefield before Zhang Fei finally returned to meet up with Huang Quan at noon.
Upon meeting, Huang Quan excitedly exclaimed, "This battle was fought brilliantly! The Third General's demeanor is as impressive as ever!"
Zhang Fei laughed and said, "Gongheng's idea is brilliant. By the way, how many warhorses were captured in this battle? How many are usable? Can we form a cavalry unit?"
If I'm not mistaken, Fei Yao and Hao Zhao are on their way, and Guo Huai is unwilling to retreat so easily. He will definitely come back to harass them. Therefore, he urgently needs a cavalry force to deal with the upcoming battle. He doesn't need many cavalry, five hundred will be enough.
Upon hearing this, Huang Quan's face fell instantly, and he said with great distress, "We captured nearly three thousand warhorses, but many of them had their legs cut off or were seriously injured. We estimate that less than a thousand are usable."
Zhang Fei smiled optimistically and said, "A thousand horses are enough. You can head towards Dazhen Pass with peace of mind. Leave Fei Yao and Hao Zhao to me. I'll give them a good beating so they won't dare to give it their all."
Fei Yao and Hao Zhao probably think that they don't need to worry about Guo Huai since they are being entangled with him, so they will definitely run for their lives and rush over here like madmen.
Therefore, he wanted to lead his cavalry to intercept the two men, letting them know that Guo Huai had been defeated and that he had cavalry ready to attack and deal with them at any time. This way, the two men would not dare to run away for their lives and would only advance cautiously.
They started to be careful, so their speed naturally slowed down. With the two of them slowing down, Huang Quan no longer needed to worry and could speed up their journey.
With this shift in momentum, Fei Yao and Hao Zhao will not only be unable to catch up with Huang Quan, but will also fall further and further behind him.
Huang Quan slapped his thigh excitedly and said, "Great idea! Let's go back to the camp to eat and rest first."
They've been working so hard and definitely need to rest. Only after resting can they have the energy to continue their journey. Sharpening your axe won't delay your work.
The two men, arm in arm, returned to camp with the spoils of war. In addition to three thousand horses, the spoils included over a thousand bushels of grain and a number of arrows.
Back at the Qianyang Town camp, Huang Quan dispatched a large number of scouts to gather information on Fei Yao and Hao Zhao, and ordered the rest of the army to rest in batches. He himself became a maid and personally selected usable warhorses.
Of the nearly three thousand warhorses, only eight hundred and fifty-two were selected as usable, but Zhang Fei was still overjoyed.
Having warhorses is not enough; you also need warriors who can ride them. The Han army was not very good at riding, and there were not many soldiers who could ride horses.
Fortunately, the Han army has a large and numerous force, so selecting 800 men from 20,000 should not be difficult.
Before nightfall, Zhang Fei assembled eight hundred cavalry, leaving three hundred for Huang Quan to deal with possible attacks, while he led five hundred to act alone.
They rested in place at night instead of traveling, and only started their operation at dawn. Huang Quan led the main force and three hundred cavalrymen to travel at full speed. This time, they had no more worries and could move at a faster pace.
Since Guo Huai has already been crippled, he should not have the strength to harass them for a while. Even if he does, Huang Quan's three hundred cavalrymen are more than enough to handle him.
Zhang Fei did not travel with Huang Quan, but instead led three thousand elite soldiers and five hundred cavalry to cover the rear.
Around noon, the scout returned and bowed before Zhang Fei, saying, "General, Fei Yao is leading four or five thousand troops and is heading this way. They are less than fifty li away from us. At their speed, they should arrive before dark."
Zhang Fei exclaimed in surprise, "Fei Yao is so fast! He's risking his life! Where is Hao Zhao?"
The scout remained silent. "I'm in charge of Fei Yao's line. How would I know where Hao Zhao is?"
Zhang Fei realized he had asked a pointless question, so he immediately changed his mind and said, "Fan Jiang, you stay here and deal with Hao Zhao. I'll go and take care of Fei Yao."
Without waiting for Fan Jiang's reply, he led his troops away, running twenty miles along the road Fei Yao had come from, and stopped to ambush Fei Yao.
We can't run any further; if we do, the sound of the horses' hooves will wake Fei Yao and give him time to prepare.
Anyway, Fei Yao is also on his way here, so we can just wait patiently and wait for him to come to us. There's no need to rush in and scare him away.
Around 5 PM, a scout reported that Fei Yao had arrived ten miles away. Zhang Fei quickly mounted his horse and prepared. Upon seeing Fei Yao, he led his cavalry to attack without saying a word.