flstandardbreds Chapter 396 Lu Xun's Doomsday (5)
Chapter 396 Lu Xun's Doomsday (5)
In a fight, the weak are always afraid of the strong, the strong are afraid of the ruthless, and the ruthless are afraid of the reckless.
The same applies to warfare. Before a battle, you can employ all sorts of schemes and tricks, constantly weighing the pros and cons, but when it comes to the final decisive battle where bayonets are drawn, you must discard your clever mind, abandon all selfish thoughts and distractions, and just charge forward relentlessly.
In a narrow encounter, the brave prevail; when swords clash, courage and will prevail. Only those who are fearless in the face of death can achieve ultimate victory.
Conversely, if you get scared and turn around to run away during a fight, you're doomed.
Ding Feng was also a fierce general who had risen from the bottom ranks. He was experienced and courageous. He knew that if he retreated now, all the previous sacrifices and efforts would be in vain, and the Wu army would no longer have the courage to charge. Therefore, he decisively abandoned the idea of retreating to the fire wall, brandished his sword and charged forward again, ready to fight the Han army to the death and fight for survival.
Seeing Ding Feng's bravery, Wu Jun instinctively moved closer to him, forming an arrow-and-bee formation that charged mercilessly into the Han army's ranks like arrows released from a bow.
On the arrow tower behind, Guan Xing frowned as he looked at the brave and fearless Ding Feng and said, "He's isolated by the wall of fire but doesn't think about retreating and keeps charging. This Ding Chengyuan is very brave, but what can he do with only three or four hundred men by his side?"
"Order Deng Hong to engage the two flanks head-on and kill Ding Feng before Wu's reinforcements arrive, regardless of whether he lives or dies."
With the constant support of the catapults, the fire on the wall of fire grew stronger and stronger. The stronger the fire, the higher the heat wave was. People standing several meters away could feel the heat, let alone charging through the wall of fire. Wu Jun was not the ZY Army of later generations, so how could he have that kind of will?
In other words, Wu Jun, blocked by the fire wall, would definitely not rush into the fire wall to support Ding Feng. Instead, he would put out the fire first and then rescue him. This would take a lot of time, enough time for Guan Xing to wipe out Ding Feng's hundreds of men.
Upon receiving Guan Xing's order, Deng Hong immediately led his troops to charge towards Ding Feng, while simultaneously ordering his two battalion commanders to bypass the left and right flanks and surround Ding Feng.
Deng Hong quickly reached Ding Feng, slashing at him with his sword while shouting, "General Ding, you're surrounded, so stop your futile struggle and surrender!"
Ding Feng immediately swung his sword in retaliation, shouting, "You're overthinking it! There's no Ding Chengyuan who surrenders, only Ding Feng who dies in battle. Prepare to die!"
As soon as he finished speaking, his longsword clashed with Deng Hong's battle sword. The two swords collided, sparks flying, and the immense force of the blows sent both men staggering backward. Before they could regain their footing, they charged at each other again, engaging in a fierce and bloody battle on the second line of defense.
Meanwhile, behind the firewall.
Liu A was ordered to support Ding Feng, but he was a step too late. When he arrived, the fire wall had already been raised. He wanted to take advantage of the fire just starting to rise and force his way through, but the fire rose too quickly and he was forced back by the scorching heat before he could get close.
Liu A hurriedly said, "Immediately lift the Han army's bamboo rafts and the bamboo rafts in the pit over to cover the flames, and then rush over on the bamboo rafts."
Bamboo rafts are also flammable materials. Using bamboo rafts to put out a fire is like adding fuel to the fire. Not only will it not extinguish the fire, it will also make the fire grow bigger. But there is no other way but to do so.
It takes time for the flames to ignite the bamboo raft, and time is of the essence. Therefore, Liu A must use the bamboo raft to cover the flames, and in the brief moment when the flames do not ignite the bamboo raft, rush through the wall of fire to support Ding Feng. Otherwise, if this drags on any longer, Ding Feng will be in danger.
Lu Xun, who was beating the drum, also saw the wall of fire and hurriedly shouted, "Li Yi, take some men with shovels and go up to put out the fire with soil. Remember to be quick. We must put out the flames quickly and open a passage so that the soldiers can pass through smoothly."
The fire could not continue burning, because there was another trench below the fire wall. The Han army had built a layer of bamboo rafts over the trench for passage. Once the bamboo rafts burned out, the Wu army would have to face the trench full of bamboo sticks again. Would the Wu army, sweating profusely from the heat, still have the courage to charge again?
Lu Xun was unaware of this and could only order Li Yi to lead men to quickly put out the fire.
Liu A quickly dismantled the bamboo raft slope left behind by the retreating Han army and threw it into the fire. Then, without delay, he braved the heat and rushed towards the wall of fire on the bamboo raft.
After rushing through the wall of fire and looking up, Ding Feng had already rushed more than a hundred meters away and was heavily surrounded by the Han army.
Ding Feng kept charging forward to maintain morale, but Deng Hong retreated continuously to create space for Ding Feng to be outflanked and to separate Ding Feng from the Wu army that was coming to annihilate him. As a result, Ding Feng penetrated more than a hundred meters into the enemy lines in a short period of time.
In other words, Liu A and Ding Feng were separated by more than 100 meters at this moment, and Ding Feng was already surrounded by the Han army. Outside the Han army surrounding Ding Feng, there was also a group of Han archers who were on high alert to block the Wu army reinforcements who broke through the wall of fire.
Therefore, as soon as Liu A rushed over the wall of fire and saw the battlefield ahead, the Han archers released their taut bowstrings and fired countless arrows at Liu A.
Liu A's expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly swung his sword to block. However, the Wu soldiers behind him were not so capable. Those who were shot fell backward and screamed in agony. Some of the wounded even accidentally stepped out of the bamboo raft and fell into the wall of fire, becoming human torches. While rolling on the ground, they let out shrill screams comparable to those of pigs being slaughtered.
Hearing the screams, Ding Feng turned around and saw that Liu A was indeed rushing to his aid but was being blocked by the Han army. Without thinking, he swung his sword to force Deng Hong back, adjusted his direction, and prepared to go back to provide support.
In this situation, one cannot turn around on the spot; one can only move slowly in circles. Ding Fengshen, as the arrowhead, can change direction. The question is, will Deng Hong give him the opportunity to turn around and rescue him?
Once again forced back by Ding Feng, Deng Hong did not attack Ding Feng this time, but instead charged towards the Wu army behind him.
After this period of bloody fighting, less than two hundred of the three or four hundred Wu soldiers who charged with Ding Feng remained. Once these two hundred were eliminated, Ding Feng would be left with no troops. At that time, even if you, Ding Chengyuan, were as brave as the Overlord, you would be beaten to death by the Han army.
Driven by rage, Deng Hong hacked and slashed wildly among the enemy ranks. The other Han soldiers, realizing the critical moment had arrived, unleashed their high fighting spirit and, taking advantage of their numerical superiority, charged into the enemy lines, quickly cutting the two hundred Wu soldiers behind Ding Feng into countless pieces.
Soon, Ding Feng was left with less than ten men. Although the others were not annihilated, they were separated and could not be contacted for a short time.
Enraged by this, Ding Feng cursed on the spot and mercilessly swung his sword at the Han soldier in front of him. The blade sliced across the soldier's abdomen, nearly severing him in half. Knowing he was doomed, the Han soldier, instead of dodging, lunged forward, letting the blade pierce him. He then threw away his weapon, mustered his last strength, and grabbed Ding Feng's sword hilt with both hands. He grinned at Ding Feng with a triumphant smile, as if to say, "What can you do to me?"
Ding Feng was startled by his laughter and instinctively tried to draw his long sword, but the hilt was gripped and he couldn't pull it out. Helpless, he tried to swing the long sword to throw the corpse away, but the corpse's hands gripping the hilt were like locks, so he couldn't throw it away. Time on the battlefield is measured in seconds, and there's no way to handle things slowly. If he couldn't throw it away the first time, the Han army would never give him a second chance.
Seeing that Ding Feng's attempt to throw the corpse failed, the nearby Han soldiers decisively leaped up and used their bodies as war hammers to smash at Ding Feng. Caught off guard, Ding Feng was knocked off balance and staggered. Before he could regain his footing, another Han soldier kicked him in the back. The force of the kick was transmitted through the soldier's body to Ding Feng, causing the already unsteady Ding Feng to fall to the ground.
Then the rest of the Han soldiers rushed forward, piling up on Ding Feng like a human pyramid. No matter how strong Ding Feng was, he couldn't lift the weight of more than a dozen people in an instant. Not only did he struggle in vain, but he was also almost suffocated by the pressure.
Seeing Ding Feng being suppressed, the Wu army behind him rushed to his aid, but they were outnumbered and were quickly surrounded and isolated by the Han army.
At the same time, Ding Feng was also completely knocked unconscious, and the Han soldiers on his body stood up, took off Ding Feng's belt, and tied him up to death.
Ding Feng has been captured!