My father-in-law Guan Yu, I persuaded Liu Bei to launch a surprise attack on Xiangyang at the beginn

Chapter 218: The Strongest Cold Weapon in History! Cao Cao, from now on, when you see me, Liu Bei, you must bow your head and behave like a human being!

The cavalry rushed like the wind, attacking the right wing of the Chu army.

Zhang He was proficient in cavalry warfare and naturally knew that the left wing of the Chu army was close to the Si River, which formed a barrier to a certain extent and was not conducive to the maneuverability of the cavalry.

The right wing is the weak point of the Chu army.

In an instant, the Wei cavalry had approached the Chu formation by more than a hundred steps.

Zhang He looked into the distance, and a hint of doubt flashed across his eyes.

Liu Bei was a veteran of the battlefield and had a lot of experience. Since he was personally commanding the army, he would certainly be on guard against their cavalry raids, and his flanks would certainly be protected.

Zhang He had anticipated this.

On the right wing of the Chu army, there were indeed thousands of soldiers lined up, ready to fight.

However, the formation of these thousands of Chu troops made Zhang He confused.

There were about two thousand sword and shield soldiers in the front row, holding swords and shields, blocking the front.

The two thousand armored Chu soldiers in the back row all sat cross-legged on the ground!

When the battle was about to begin, instead of standing up to form a battle formation, they all sat on the ground. What was going on?
Zhang He was a veteran of many battles, but he had never seen such a style of fighting.

After a brief moment of doubt, Zhang He suppressed his suspicions, brandished his sword, and shouted:
"Soldiers of Youyan, listen to my order! All the troops advance forward and crush the enemy!"

The five thousand Wei cavalry, still using the same tactics, launched an attack on the Chu army.

In Zhang He's view, what he feared most was that the Chu army would be equipped with strong bows and crossbows, and would imitate the battle in which they defeated the Baima Yicong in Xiandeng Camp to deal with his cavalry.

Even if we don't have strong bows and crossbows, we should at least meet the enemy with a formation of spears.

The Chu army had neither!
Liu Bei only deployed more than 2,000 sword and shield soldiers in the front row.

The mere sword and shield soldiers were like paper in front of the iron cavalry and posed almost no threat.

As for the two thousand Chu soldiers sitting cross-legged on the ground behind the sword and shield soldiers, Zhang He guessed that they should be heavy armored infantry.

Although heavy infantry poses some threat to cavalry, they cannot form a restraining relationship.

No matter how thick your armor is, I can't break it, and it will be smashed to pieces by a collision!

As long as you are not a heavy crossbowman, what do I have to fear?
Zhang He's confidence was rekindled, and he was already looking forward to the extraordinary feat of crushing the Chu army in one fell swoop and capturing Liu Bei alive...

In a blink of an eye, the cavalry was more than thirty steps away from the Chu formation.

The impact is imminent.

Inside the Chu formation.

The young general slowly stood up and shouted:
"Modao Army, listen up! Stand up!"

The order was passed down.

The two thousand heavily armored infantrymen who were sitting cross-legged suddenly stood up and stood proudly like a solid wall of steel.

The double-edged swords in their hands were nearly ten feet long, and the blades were still leaning against the ground.

The young general was Xiao He's brother-in-law, Guan Xing, the second son of his father-in-law Guan Yu.

The two thousand heavily armored infantrymen held in their hands the world-famous Mo Dao.

The most powerful cold weapon in history!

It was with the help of this Mo Dao that the Tang army swept across the various Hu tribes and was invincible.

The killing power of this sword is ranked first among cold weapons, and it is said to "break both men and horses into pieces". It is the Tang army's most powerful weapon for defeating cavalry.

Although this knife has been lost, the general forging process has been more or less passed down.

As early as a year ago, Xiao He asked Zhang Song, an insider in Shu, to find the weapons master Pu Yuan and invite him to Chu. He told Pu Yuan the general forging process of Mo Dao and asked Pu Yuan to forge this most powerful cold weapon.

Pu Yuan once forged 3,000 swords for Zhuge Liang in Xiegu, all of which were extremely sharp and earned him the reputation of being the best swordsmith in the world.

Under the guidance of Xiao He, this talented master, after repeated experiments, finally created the legendary Mo Dao that frightened gods and ghosts.

However, the forging process of this sword is extremely complicated and the cost is extremely high. With Liu Bei's full human and financial support, Pu Yuan only made 2,000 of them.

This sword weighs about 20 to 30 kilograms and can only be used by people with extraordinary arm strength.

In addition, in order to deal with cavalry attacks, they must wear heavy armor, so the soldiers selected must be strong and brave.

At Xiao He's recommendation, Liu Bei ordered Guan Xing to secretly select two thousand strong men as strong as tigers and bulls to form and train this "special forces" wearing heavy armor and holding Mo Dao.

Just now, Guan Xing and the two thousand Modao soldiers sat cross-legged just to save energy as much as possible, so that they would have enough strength to fight with all their strength at the critical moment.

At this moment, when Cao Wei's cavalry had rushed nearly thirty steps, the Modao army finally stood up and prepared to launch a "both man and horse shattered" attack.

Twenty steps...

Ten steps...

Five steps...

The next moment, five thousand cavalrymen, like a steel torrent, crashed into the two thousand sword and shield soldiers in the front row.

Destroyed and vulnerable...

Faced with the overwhelming charge of the iron cavalry, the two thousand sword and shield soldiers, even the brave and incomparable Northern Army soldiers, were like paper and were easily crushed to the ground.

A sneer of contempt appeared on Zhang He's lips.

The Chu army is elite and brave, but unfortunately they are still flesh and blood. What good can they do even if they are not afraid of death?

Under the iron cavalry, he was like a mantis trying to stop a chariot and was vulnerable to a single blow.

Zhang He then urged his cavalry to continue to advance. If they could crush the two thousand heavily armored Chu troops again, they could directly attack Liu Bei's central army.

Unfortunately, he had no idea that the two thousand Chu soldiers with swords and shields were only trying to slow down the speed of his cavalry's charge and give the Modao soldiers in the back row a chance to draw their swords.

Otherwise, the cavalry would be too fast and the Modao Army would not have time to draw their swords and would be knocked to the ground by the cavalry.

Seeing the enemy cavalry slowing down, Guan Xing's eyes focused and he shouted:
"Modao Army, listen to the order, raise your swords!"

Two thousand fierce warriors immediately raised their long swords weighing twenty to thirty pounds that were leaning on the ground.

In an instant, the more than three-meter-long Mo Dao formed a dense, hair-raising wall of swords.

The next moment, the Youyan cavalry, breaking through the sword and shield blockade, finally rushed to the front.

Guan Xing took a breath and shouted:
"Modao Army, kill!"

Before he could even shout, the veins on Guan Xing's arms bulged and seemed about to burst, and the Mo Dao in his hand slashed out diagonally.

"Kachacha~~"

There was a loud tearing sound.

The enemy cavalry that came head-on were all chopped down by the Mo Dao, including their horses.

The screams of the people and horses were heard, and their shattered bodies fell to the ground with a loud bang.

Almost at the same time, hundreds of Modao soldiers in the front row slashed down with Modao weapons.

Countless Wei cavalrymen were like paper, and were chopped to the ground along with their horses.

The fierce strength of the Modao soldiers, coupled with the full force of the twenty to thirty jin heavy sword, can truly be described as "both the men and the horses are shattered"!
In an instant, hundreds of enemy cavalry who rushed forward were chopped down like vegetables and melons.

The arrogant Wei cavalry had never seen such a terrifying sword formation before. They were all horrified and stopped in their tracks.

Zhang He, who was following behind, became even more distraught and hurriedly reined in his horse.

"What kind of sword is this? How can it break my cavalry?"

Zhang He was so shocked that his eyes widened as if he had seen a ghost.

He thought to himself that he had been on the battlefield for a long time and had seen a lot, and he knew all kinds of enemies.

But he had never heard of a legion that could raise a ten-foot-long sword and chop down his cavalry like paper, with one blow.

For a moment, Zhang He was so shocked that he was completely confused and froze in place.

The Wei cavalry's charge was completely blocked, and they were temporarily unable to move forward.

"Modao Army, attack!"

Guan Xing found an opportunity and shouted again.

The counterattack begins.

Two thousand Modao soldiers advanced like a wall, waving their Modao swords and mechanically repeating the simple movements of swinging and slashing.

Just with this one swing and one slash, these two simple actions are invincible and always successful.

Two thousand people were like two thousand messengers from hell, waving sickles in their hands and reaping lives non-stop.

The neighing of war horses and the screams of soldiers rose one after another.

In an instant, the 5,000 Wei cavalry suffered heavy losses.

"Fell into a trap!"

Zhang He, who was in shock, suddenly came to his senses.

He finally understood why Liu Bei dared to lead 60,000 Chu troops to face 100,000 Wei soldiers head-on. One reason was that he relied on his elite troops and had enough confidence that 60,000 could defeat 100,000.

One is that he secretly formed this terrifyingly powerful legion and was absolutely confident that he could restrain their cavalry.

From the very beginning, Liu Bei was confident of victory and had nothing to fear.

Their Duke of Wei did not know Liu Bei's strengths and weaknesses, and thought that he could rely on his superior military strength and cavalry to decide the outcome of the battle in one go and capture Liu Bei, but he did not expect to fall into Liu Bei's trap.

If they continue to fight like this, his five thousand cavalrymen will be slaughtered by the Chu army like cutting vegetables and melons!

"Retreat, the whole army retreat~~"

Zhang He was awakened by the shock and immediately shouted hoarsely and panicked without caring whether Cao Cao had sounded the horn to call back his troops.

Zhang He turned his horse and rode away.

The remaining Wei cavalry, who had been killed to the point of screaming and howling like ghosts, fled in panic as if they had been pardoned.

Five thousand Wei cavalry collapsed!
In the center of the army, the Chu army's thunderous cheers rang out.

"Bo Wen, the Mo Dao Army has won!"

"You are right, your Mo Dao Army is truly the strongest army in ancient and modern times!"

"Bowen, Bowen, could it be that your Mo Dao is truly a divine weapon or immortal blade?"

Liu Bei was ecstatic and looked at Xiao He excitedly, so excited that he could hardly control his emotions.

Xiao He just smiled and pointed at Sishui in the distance and said:
"Lord Chu, Cao's cavalry has been defeated. It's time for our cavalry to take the stage and deliver the final blow to Cao."

Liu Bei withdrew his thoughts and shouted happily:
"Quickly send a message to Wenyuan to lead his Tiger Guards ashore and attack Cao's center."

"Send a message to the Modao Army to pursue the enemy while they are victorious!"

Two orders were issued in succession.

Guan Xing urged the Modao Army to follow the defeated Wei cavalry, chasing them like a wall.

On the western side of the Si River, dozens of warships that had been drifting for a long time received orders and immediately landed on the east bank.

Zhang Liao, commanding eight hundred brave soldiers, immediately landed and marched in a roundabout way towards Cao Cao's central army.

The Chu army also had cavalry. Although their number was small, they were all elite.

After Zhang Liao surrendered, Liu Bei trusted him and, at Xiao He's suggestion, ordered Zhang Liao to rebuild his Tiger Cavalry.

In order to allow Cao Cao to mobilize all his cavalry in this battle, Zhang Liao's 800 Tiger Guards did not go ashore and form a battle line, but instead cruised on the Si River with the navy.

The battle had now reached a decisive moment, and Zhang Liao's Tiger Cavalry suddenly landed and caught the Wei army off guard.

At this moment, the Wei army's center.

Cao Cao's body was stiff, his mouth was wide open, and his eyes were bulging as if he had seen a ghost.

"Zhang...Zhang He was defeated?"

After being stiff for a long time, Cao Cao finally came to his senses and let out a trembling cry.

More than 5,000 cavalrymen went ahead with murderous intent. In the blink of an eye, most of them were killed or wounded, and they returned in a panic!

Cao Cao looked at Xun You in astonishment.

Xun You's face was pale and covered in cold sweat. He was also shocked and confused, and obviously couldn't figure out why.

The Wei king and his ministers racked their brains but could not figure out what tricks Liu Bei used to easily defeat his 5,000 cavalry with only a few thousand infantry!
"The cavalry, it's the cavalry of the big-eared thief, it's that traitor Zhang Liao!"

Xu Chu suddenly pointed in the direction of the flank and shouted excitedly.

Cao Cao glanced quickly and saw a cloud of dust coming from the flank.

The big flag with the word "Zhang" on it was leading eight hundred tiger soldiers, who were approaching from the side.

If it’s not Zhang Liao, who else could it be!
"The big-eared thief actually hid the cavalry on the warship?"

"Or that traitor Zhang Liao?"

Cao Cao's face was grim, and his expression was filled with shock and anger again.

Xun You sighed bitterly and said helplessly:
"Our infantry is no match for the enemy, and Zhang He's cavalry has been severely defeated. Now Liu Bei's cavalry is counterattacking!"

"Duke Wei, the situation is hopeless. Withdraw your troops immediately!"

Cao Cao's body trembled, and in an instant his heart felt as if it was pierced by thousands of arrows, and he felt a sharp pain.

One hundred thousand versus sixty thousand, he has the upper hand!

It was originally thought that this battle would be a crushing victory. Even if Liu Bei could not be captured alive, the Chu army would be severely damaged, Xuyi would be captured in one fell swoop, and the eastern gate of Huainan would be opened.

But now.

The reality was so cruel that it was completely different from what he had imagined!

How could he keep his dignity when his army of 100,000 was defeated by Liu Bei's 60,000?
When the news spreads, the people of Wei will be greatly shocked, and the morale of the Wei army in the west and the middle will be severely damaged!

These are secondary. The key point is that he had fought with Liu Bei many times before, and had never lost to Liu Bei in such a fair confrontation!

If he lost this battle, wouldn't it be announcing to the world that Liu Bei had surpassed him in all aspects of military power?

No matter it was infantry combat, naval combat or cavalry combat, no matter it was conspiracy or head-on confrontation, he was no longer Liu Bei's opponent!

"I'm not willing to accept this. I'm not willing to be defeated by that big-eared thief like this~~"

Cao Cao gnashed his teeth.

Xun You was anxious and shouted:
"Duke Wei, victory and defeat are common in war. How can you act on impulse?"

"If we don't retreat now, and wait for the entire army to collapse, our 100,000-man army will be in danger of being annihilated!"

"By then, Xuzhou will be lost, Qingzhou will be lost, and the Central Plains will be lost too!"

Cao Cao shuddered, suddenly woke up with a startled cry.

"Order, sound the horn, the entire army retreats north, retreats back to Xiaxiang City—"

Cao Cao no longer cared about his face, screamed loudly, and rode away.

The gong sounded.

The remaining fighting spirit of the 100,000 Wei soldiers who were suppressed by the Chu army collapsed, and they turned around and fled.

The Wei army fled north across the board.

Seeing the situation, Liu Bei immediately ordered a full-scale pursuit by land, sea, infantry and cavalry.

A big chase begins.

The 100,000 Wei troops threw away their weapons and armor and fled along the east bank of the Si River, all the way to the heart of Xuzhou and towards Xiaxiangcheng.

The 60,000 Chu troops advanced by land and sea, pursuing them relentlessly all the way.

Cao Cao was like a frightened bird, running non-stop for more than two hundred miles in one breath. He only recovered from the shock when he returned to Xiaxiang City.

Upon hearing that Cao Cao was still alive, the generals and the defeated troops fled to Xiaxiang City one after another and gathered there.

Of the 100,000-man army, countless were killed, wounded, and captured, leaving less than 60,000 men...

At nightfall, inside the mansion.

Cao Cao's face turned pale as he listened to Zhang He, who was half-kneeling on the ground, describing the disastrous defeat.

"You mean that Liu Bei's two thousand swordsmen, armed with swords over ten feet long, shattered both men and horses and defeated your five thousand cavalry?"

Cao Cao's eyes widened, and the anger on his face turned into unprecedented surprise.

All the generals and counselors on his left and right were extremely surprised.

Xun You on the side rolled his eyes and said hurriedly:

"Duke Wei, You suspects that Liu Bei must have acquired some skilled craftsman who created a new type of weapon specifically designed to counter our cavalry."

"This must be the reason why Liu Bei was so fearless and unafraid of my cavalry advantage, daring to use only 60,000 troops to fight against my 100,000-man army."

Cao Cao suddenly understood, but his eyes were still confused. He asked:
"How could there be such a weaponsmith in this world who could create such a powerful weapon?"

Everyone looked at each other, all with confused expressions, not knowing what was going on.

Zhang He's eyes twitched, and he suddenly remembered something and said hurriedly:

"Your Excellency, Duke Wei, during my retreat, I captured several enemy soldiers who were pursuing isolated troops. I have interrogated them thoroughly."

"The prisoners confessed that they had just learned that Liu Bei's long sword was called the Mo Dao, his army was called the Mo Dao Army, and that the commander was Guan Yu's second son, Guan Xing."

"It is said that the method of forging this Mo Dao was invented by Xiao He, and it was forged by Pu Yuan, a famous craftsman from Shuzhong!"

As soon as this statement came out, the whole hall was in an uproar.

Cao Cao was so shocked that he almost fell off his seat, and exclaimed in a trembling voice as if he had seen a ghost:

"You mean to say that Xiao He, that demon, is not only a master of cunning and calculations, but is also proficient in the art of making weapons, and has created a magical weapon that can destroy our iron cavalry?"

(End of this chapter)