HLnovel Chapter 541 The Vanguard Death Squad Reborn? Zhang He and Zhang Ren Defeate Guan Yu!
Chapter 541 The Vanguard Death Squad Reborn? Zhang He and Zhang Ren Defeate Guan Yu!
Luocheng Council Hall
The sentry rushed over and reported to Liu Bei:
"Reporting to my lord! Cao Cao's army has made its move!"
"About 20,000 soldiers, seemingly the vanguard of Cao Cao's army, are heading towards Luocheng."
Liu Bei's expression instantly became extremely solemn.
Without Fazheng, Liu Bei felt as if an arm had been severed, filled with anxiety and unease.
Unfortunately, at this critical juncture, Zhuge Liang could only stay in Chengdu to stabilize the rear.
This meant that the only person in Liu Bei's army who could offer him advice at this moment was Guan Yu!
Hmm, that's very abstract.
Liu Bei plus Guan Yu vs. Cao Cao plus the four scourges of Cao Cao's camp.
"Brother, Cao Cao's 20,000 troops are probably just a test."
"Our army must respond with extreme caution."
"Otherwise, given the cunning of Cao Cao and his men, the main force would surely seize the opportunity to move."
Guan Yu cupped his hands and said.
Liu Bei nodded in agreement.
But soon, another sentry brought back the latest news.
"Report!"
"The commander of Cao Cao's 20,000 troops is Zhang He, and he has already captured Jin Yan Bridge!"
"Jin Yan Bridge? Zhang He?"
Liu Bei was somewhat dazed. When the Golden Goose Bridge was mentioned, the first person he thought of was Zhang Ren, not Zhang He.
But Liu Bei thought again and realized that he must have been overthinking things.
Zhang He and Zhang Ren are now both generals in Cao Cao's camp.
It would be reasonable to send Zhang He to lead troops to occupy Jinyan Bridge, or to send Zhang Ren to occupy Jinyan Bridge.
Guan Yu frowned.
Jin Yan Bridge is located east of Luocheng and is the only way for people from Luocheng to go east.
Chengdu is located southwest of Luocheng.
With Jin Yan Bridge occupied, there is no need to worry about a surprise attack by Cao Cao's army on the Chengdu side.
but……
Guan Yu felt that something was amiss.
After much deliberation, he volunteered to Liu Bei:
"Brother, I would like to lead 10,000 troops out of the city to take a look."
"The remaining 30,000 troops will be under the command of the eldest brother and the third brother, and should not be deployed lightly."
Liu Bei took Guan Yu's hand and said:
"Alright! Yun Chang, please be careful on your journey."
Guan Yu was very efficient, and his 10,000 troops were quickly ready.
But when Guan Yu arrived near the Golden Goose Bridge, his vision suddenly went black!
Near the Golden Goose Bridge, Cao Cao's troops were seen building ships.
The waterway leading from Jinyan Bridge to Chengdu is not suitable for large warships.
But no one said that the small boat was no good!
"Quickly! Stop the enemy!"
Guan Yu immediately made a decision and launched a surprise attack on Cao Cao's army at Jinyan Bridge.
To be fair, Guan Yu's military capabilities were quite impressive.
He dared to launch a surprise attack because he discovered that there were many halberd warriors not far away on the opposite side.
The halberdiers were Zhang He's elite troops, possessing high defensive capabilities but slow mobility.
Guan Yu could easily use archers to kite the halberdiers, keeping them busy and unable to cope.
"shooting!"
"shooting!"
Seeing that the halberdiers were preoccupied with their own danger, Guan Yu's eyes gleamed with fighting spirit. He turned and gave orders to the infantry behind him:
"Follow Guan in his raid!"
The shouts of killing resounded throughout the world.
Guan Yu's most elite swordsmen have been mobilized.
Guan Yu wielded his Green Dragon Crescent Blade with dazzling speed and power.
In a daze, Guan Yu seemed to recall the scene when he first entered the battlefield with Liu Bei and Zhang Fei.
The Yellow Turban Army had nowhere to escape the slaughter inflicted by the Green Dragon Crescent Blade!
but……
Zhang He, standing not far away, simply watched this scene with a smile, completely unperturbed.
suddenly.
Zhang He stepped back, revealing Zhang Ren, who was poised to attack, and the Bashu crossbowmen!
Guan Yu opened his eyes wide, his left and right brains battling each other, caught in a dilemma: retreat or continue charging.
Zhang Ren was a helpful person and didn't want to put Guan Yu in a difficult position, so he took the initiative to make the choice for him!
"shooting!!!"
The arrows were fired with tremendous force!
The crossbowmen of Bashu even used the latest repeating crossbow manufactured by Huang Chengyan.
That's a sour!
Those who have experienced Guan Yu's army all give it rave reviews!
"General, leave quickly!"
Hu Ban, Guan Yu's deputy general and commander of the swordsmen, shouted to Guan Yu.
The next moment.
Several powerful crossbow bolts pierced through Hu Ban's body!
The commander of the swordsmen is dead!
Zhang He and Zhang Ren exchanged a smile, everything understood without a word.
Guan Yu was both timid and bold in his military campaigns.
Timidity means that he generally won't take the initiative to attack when he's not confident of winning.
Boldness means that once he feels he has the upper hand, he will bet almost everything.
This is true now, and it was also true in the historical Battle of Xiangfan.
Zhang He and the halberdiers acted as puppets, leading Guan Yu to mistakenly believe that this army lacked mobility and ranged attack capabilities.
In reality, Zhang Ren had hidden behind Zhang He and the halberdiers with his Bashu crossbowmen, ready to deliver a fatal blow at the crucial moment!
The last time this tactic was used was in the Battle of Jieqiao between Yuan Shao and Gongsun Zan!
Zhang He was still Zhang He, but Qu Yi and the Vanguard Death Squad had been replaced by Zhang Ren and the Bashu Crossbowmen, whose weapons and equipment were far superior!
Guan Yu was wounded and fled, leaving him with less than a thousand soldiers.
In a simple battle at Jinyan Bridge, Zhang Ren and Zhang He reaped nearly nine thousand of Liu Bei's troops!
The two then ordered the construction of small boats.
Regardless of whether they could successfully launch a surprise attack on Chengdu by waterway.
If Liu Bei has the guts, let him come and attack us!
If he can be hit, then he's impressive.
……
"What!?"
"My second brother's shoulder is injured again? And he has less than a thousand soldiers left?"
Liu Bei fell heavily backward, but fortunately Zhang Fei caught him in time.
"Big brother!"
"This……"
Zhang Fei's own expression clearly wasn't so calm either.
at this time.
Another urgent message arrived from Chengdu, sent by Zhuge Liang.
Yong Kai released Liu Zhang, who had been imprisoned in Jianning.
Liu Zhang announced that he would lead the people and soldiers of Yizhou to join the Han Dynasty and accept the leadership of Cao Sikong!
Liu Bei's vision went black.
Isn't this tantamount to blatantly telling the people and soldiers of Yizhou that Liu Bei is a traitor?
Okay, from the perspective of the Han Dynasty court controlled by Cao Cao,
Liu Bei was undoubtedly a traitor.
But the fact that Liu Zhang took the lead in this matter made it all the more significant.
"My lord... this is a secret letter from Master Kongming. Please open it yourself."
The sentry then handed the letter to Liu Bei.
After Liu Bei opened the box, he clenched his fists, unsure of what to do.
Zhuge Liang's intention was to persuade Liu Bei to abandon Luocheng and retreat to Chengdu.
This was the result of Zhuge Liang's careful consideration.
If this had happened two weeks earlier, Zhuge Liang certainly wouldn't have advised Liu Bei in this way.
However, when inspecting the terrain, Zhuge Liang discovered that there was indeed a waterway near Chengdu connecting to the direction of Jinyan Bridge!
Although this waterway is relatively hidden, even the local residents don't use it much on a regular basis.
However, there are now many local Yizhou guides in Yangping Pass!
Among them were some very intelligent people who knew about this waterway.
Once the plan is presented to Cao Cao, Cao Cao's naval forces will certainly be mobilized quickly.
Although Zhuge Liang could have deployed troops in advance to block the only waterway leading to Chengdu.
However, once Cao Cao's army advanced by both land and water, Luocheng lost its original strategic value.
At that time, whether Liu Bei was in Chengdu or not was a completely different matter.
Reason told Zhuge Liang that the battle situation was ever-changing.
There is no other choice but to persuade Liu Bei to retreat to Chengdu!
……