Sweep Yuan

Chapter 99 A General's Bravery Can Defeat Ten Thousand Men
After the Battle of Wudu Village, Fu Youde expanded his troops to nearly a thousand men.

Both were commanders under Shi Shan, but Fu Youde's troops were better than Chang Tietou's in terms of troop strength and equipment, and they also had a stronger fighting spirit.

Therefore, when Xue Xian led his army through Qingyang Station and invited him to join the expedition to Sizhou, Fu Youde readily agreed. However, to be cautious, he left 300 men to guard the station and only took 700 men with him on the expedition.

However, Fu Youde explicitly rejected Xue Wanhu's joint venture proposal, citing a lack of cooperation between the two departments.

Unlike the battalions of Chang Tietou and Deng Shunxing, which were temporarily transferred, Fu Youde still belonged to Shishan's troops. Only because the Qingyang Station he was stationed at was far from Hongxian County, and he could not withdraw in time before the troops were dispatched, did he have the opportunity to contact Xue Xian alone.

Xue Xian was cruel, but he also had a straightforward and generous side. He admired heroes like Fu Youde who had real skills, and he even tolerated Fu Youde's disrespectful behavior.

Because they were traveling downstream and had no elderly or weak soldiers to carry them, Xue Xian's troops marched much faster than the "Red Heart Battalion." When they received the urgent report from Hong County, they were less than thirty li away from Sizhou.

Xue Xian also knew that Hong County was the army's rear route and could not be lost, so he rushed back that very day.

However, the return journey was not as smooth as the journey there. Heading north, they faced headwinds and currents, and the transport of supplies required laborers to pull the ropes, making the journey very slow. In addition, the large number of able-bodied men they had taken along the way also slowed down the march.

After only one day of marching, Xue Xian could no longer bear the slow pace and wanted to abandon his baggage and advance with light troops to recapture Hong County, but was dissuaded by Fu Youde, Deng Shunxing and others.

Based on everyone's opinions, Xue Xian handed over the young men and most of the baggage to his commanders to escort, while he himself led the main force and some of the baggage ahead.

After that, Shi Shan's messenger arrived and informed Xue Wanhu that the "Red Heart Battalion" had set off for Hong County. He asked Xue Wanhu not to be anxious, to march steadily, and to agree that the two armies would meet up before seeking out the Tartars for a major battle.

But Xue Xian didn't take it seriously at all.

After all, with the government troops already besieging Hong County, how could they allow the two Red Turban armies to reunite and fight again?

Moreover, the "Red Heart Battalion" was already small in number, and having just captured Wuhe, they needed to divide their forces to guard it, leaving them with even fewer troops available. It was uncertain whether they could even make it back to Hong County.

Even if Shishan arrives at the gates of Hongxian, he can only make a token effort; the real task of defeating the enemy still depends on Xue Wanhu.

When the army returned to Qingyang Station and learned that the government troops had not appeared at the station, Xue Xian became even more convinced of his previous judgment—the government troops were besieging the "Red Heart Camp" and his troops needed to speed up their march.

Another day passed, and the army marched to the Dragon King Temple, less than seventy li from Hong County.

After marching for eight or nine days, the troops were already exhausted, and more and more soldiers were falling behind. The soldiers hastily set up camp, ate dinner, and then fell into a deep sleep.

Deng Shunxing was uneasy and worried about the defensive fortifications around the main camp. He also set up deer antlers and chevaux-de-frise outside the village militia camp and arranged for his sworn brother Zheng Zhongliang, Han Tieyi and his eldest son Deng Youlong to take turns patrolling at night.

Chang Tietou also sensed that something was wrong.

But not against Xue Xian's troops, but against the entire Red Turban Army in Xuzhou.

Although he often criticized Shishan for betraying his friends, he had to admit that Shishan's insight was far beyond that of ordinary people. He could always find opportunities in crises. Following Shishan, even if one could not see the road ahead clearly, at least one would not be afraid of having no way out.

Chang Tietou originally thought that all the Red Turban Army members were like this, and that their direct subordinates would be even better.

However, it was only after being transferred to Xue Xian's command for a short period of ten days that he saw the true nature of the Red Turban Army.

Xue Xian was not as strict with military discipline as Shi Shan. It was much more pleasant to be a leader under him. However, the army attacked cities for the sake of attacking cities, without any strategy (a term that Chang Tietou learned from Shi Shan).

Originally, based on Shishan's previous management, even if tens of thousands of government troops besieged Hong County, it wouldn't be impossible to hold it. But as soon as Xue Xian arrived, he urged them to send troops. Fine, send troops if you want, but why advance on two fronts at the same time?

As a result, once his escape route was cut off, he panicked like a dog and rushed back without a care in the world. He was even worse than a bandit. At least Lao Chang would scout out the location and determine more than two escape routes before daring to commit the crime.

It is said that Xue Xian was one of the top generals of the Red Turban Army in Xuzhou. Is this all there is to him?

Chang Tietou had something on his mind, but he didn't show it on his face. He even mocked Deng Shunxing for being a coward. It wasn't until after dark that he called a few of his old brothers into the tent to plot.

At night, the northwest wind rose.
"Tartars! The Tartars have stormed our camp!"

Xue Xian was fast asleep when he was startled awake by the shouts of battle. He jumped up, grabbed his spear, and rushed out of the tent.

"Put on the armor! Quickly, put armor on Wanhu!"

The camp was in complete chaos. The cold wind whipped sparks into the air, and everywhere you looked, there were burning tents and Red Turban soldiers running around like headless flies.

Amidst the flickering firelight, the Tatar cavalry charged left and right, like ghostly riders from a dark spring, leaving heads rolling and blood splattering wherever they went.

Several guards quickly helped Xue Xian put on his armor and then immediately helped him mount his horse.

"My lord, we've been defeated! Retreat! Ah!"

"Get the hell out of here!"

With a dark expression, Xue Xian stabbed the cowardly guard to death with a single spear thrust, his eyes wide open as he glared at the crowd.

"Our retreat is cut off. We're all listed traitors. Where can we go? Hold onto Grandpa's banner, charge with Grandpa, and slaughter these Tartars!"

"Form the formation! Form it quickly—"

A Red Turban Army centurion shouted hoarsely, trying to calm the panicked soldiers, but he exposed his identity and was dragged by the neck by the Tartar cavalry that rushed out from behind, his boots scraping two bloody grooves on the ground.

The soldiers gathered around the centurion dropped their spears and turned to flee, only to be crushed in the chest by an iron hoof charging from the flank. Blood and fragments of internal organs spurted from their mouths, smearing the head and face of another soldier who had just crawled out of a tent. This soldier, terrified, stumbled backward, tripping over the tent that had already softened from the intense heat. In his struggle, he was wrapped up in a ball and rolled into the burning flames beside him.

As the soldier struggled and was engulfed in flames, several Tatar cavalrymen grinned and searched for their next target.

Suddenly, a towering man leaped across the flames on his horse, thrusting his spear repeatedly. Instantly, two Tatar riders fell to the ground. Several Red Turban Army cavalrymen followed suit, leaping across the flames and charging towards the remaining Tatar riders.

"Stop chasing, come with me!"

Xue Xian had already killed more than ten people, and had even changed his spear twice. He was covered in blood, but he became more and more courageous as he killed. Inspired by him, more and more Red Turban soldiers gathered around.

"This way!"

Xue Xian was tall and, being on horseback, had excellent visibility. He quickly spotted the fewest fires in the southwest corner of the village militia camp, indicating that Deng Shunxing had stabilized the situation and was preparing to move towards that direction.

"Where is the thief general?!"

Suddenly, a group of Tatar cavalry charged from the side.

"Bah!"

Xue Xian's voice was like thunder, and his spear moved with lightning speed. Before the young Tatar general at the front could finish his sentence, a violent force pierced his chest, sending him flying off his saddle and crashing heavily to the ground.

Xue Xian quickly turned his horse around and charged straight at the Tatar cavalry squad. He swiftly took the iron mace from his waist, used his left arm as a shield to parry the Tatar cavalry's swords, and used the mace in his right hand to smash the Tatar cavalrymen's skulls with a whooshing sound.

With a loud thud, like a crisp melon being smashed, white and red splattered all over the ground.

Before the second Tatar rider's body could collapse to the ground, Xue Xian threw his iron mace, which struck the third Tatar rider squarely in the face. He then twisted his body to the left, reached forward with his right hand, grabbed the spear that was thrusting at him, pulled the Tatar rider off his horse, and spurred his horse forward, causing the Tatar rider's chest to cave in under the iron hoof.

"Hahaha, that was great! Let's do it again!"

Xue Wanhu seemed possessed by a god of war, inspiring the Red Turban soldiers to charge straight at the Tartar cavalry.

"Quickly protect Wanhu!"

Xue Xian swung his spear again, piercing the back of the fleeing Tatar cavalryman, and cursed:

"Why hasn't Fu Bailian arrived yet?!"

Not far away, Shulun Timur also noticed the abnormality and immediately led his men over.

To accomplish this raid, Shulun Timur concentrated 90% of the army's horses, and in addition to all the cavalry, he also brought 500 infantrymen on horseback, for a total of 1,200 men.

This bandit army numbered around four thousand when it set out from Hong County; if it was just a surprise attack, twelve hundred men would have been enough.

Upon arriving at the location, Shulun Timur discovered that although the rebel army's camp was far less well-organized than that of the Five Rivers rebel army, they had set up a small camp three miles northeast of their main camp. The two camps were positioned to support each other, leaving only three hundred men to hold back the small camp of rebels.

The battle started suddenly and went smoothly at first. The only unexpected thing was that there was another camp in the southwest corner of the main camp. They also discovered the attacking government troops immediately and quickly formed a defensive formation.

However, once the main camp of the remaining bandits is destroyed, the few hundred bandits left with incomplete armor and weapons will not be a threat.

Unexpectedly, just as the rebel army was on the verge of collapse, it gradually regained its backbone under the fearless charge of its generals.

If this thief doesn't die, his army can be rebuilt at any time.

"Traitorous general, watch out for the arrows!"

The sound arrives before the arrow does.

Shulun Timur fired three arrows in quick succession while galloping on his horse. Xue Xian blocked one arrow, but the other two were aimed directly at his warhorse.

hiss!
The warhorse neighed in pain, and before it could fall, Xue Xian had already jumped off, rolling forward to dissipate the impact.

"Here comes the gun!"

Grabbing the spear thrown by his personal guard, Xue Xian stood on the ground, knocked down the leading Tatar rider, and then pulled hard on the reins, leaping forward.

As soon as Shulun Timur grabbed the bandit general and turned his back to him, he shot an arrow. The arrow flew like a meteor, piercing through the gaps in Xue Xian's armor plates and penetrating the inner leather lining, drawing a spray of blood.

Just as he was about to rush forward and kill the bandit general, he was caught off guard by another arrow coming straight at the gap in his armor from the side and rear. The arrow pierced through the inner leather armor as well. The force of the arrow was so great that he couldn't even hold onto the precious carved bow in his hand.

Knowing he had encountered a master archer, Shulun Timur dared not turn around. He quickly crouched down and lay prone on his horse, only then realizing that the bandit army in the small camp outside the main camp had broken through the blockade and appeared inside the main camp.

"withdraw!"

Although the outcome of this battle was not ideal, the main force of the rebel army had been severely damaged. They were just waiting to return to Hongxian City and reunite with Lord Jinbo's army. They still had the option to fight or retreat.

Just as Shulun Timur turned his horse around, he heard the sound of a sharp weapon cutting through the air. A long spear whistled through the air and pierced the horse's unarmored belly.

"You bastard, you hurt me and you think you can just leave!"

(End of this chapter)