Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

As the Han army marched, a fast horse came galloping from the rear of the team. A scout dismounted and breathlessly presented a small bamboo tube:

"General! This is a carrier pigeon message from General Geng Hui of Hongdu City!"

Huo Guang's eyes narrowed suddenly, and a hint of vigilance flashed across his eyes.

He immediately took the bamboo tube, crushed the sealing wax, took out the silk inside, and quickly browsed through it.

As his gaze moved, his expression quickly became extremely gloomy, and the fingers holding the silk trembled slightly due to the force.

The description in the letter of the Chu army's strength, fierce offensive and critical situation far exceeded his expectations!

He suddenly put away the silk, his eyes flashing with coldness, and ordered sternly:

"Order! Cavalry battalion, assemble immediately! I will personally lead 5,000 light cavalry and rush to Hongdu at full speed!"

Deputy General Yang Yongjun was horrified when he heard this and quickly rode forward to dissuade him: "General! No! Absolutely not!"

"Since the Chu army was able to gather such a large force to attack Hongdu, how could they not be on guard against our reinforcements?"

"You are only leading 5,000 cavalrymen. Your force is too weak. If you encounter an ambush by a large force of the Chu army, the consequences will be disastrous! General, please reconsider and wait until our main force advances with you. It will be safer!"

Huo Guang snorted coldly, his face showing an almost paranoid determination and a hint of tactical luck:

"The main force of the Chu army must be attacking the city with all their might right now. How could they have expected our army to arrive so quickly?"

"I will lead my light cavalry to charge forward and catch them off guard. We only need to disrupt their siege formation and relieve the pressure on General Geng. We do not need to engage their main force head-on! This opportunity is fleeting, how can we delay?"

After saying this, he ignored Yang Yongjun's desperate dissuasion and suddenly waved his hand:

"Follow the military order! Cavalry Battalion, follow me!"

He kicked his horse's belly, took the lead and rushed out of the group.

Behind him, five thousand elite cavalry responded with a roar and broke away from the main force like a whirlwind.

They kicked up a cloud of dust and rushed towards the city of Hongdu, leaving the deputy general's worried shouts and the slow-moving main infantry far behind.

Little did he know that at the end of the seemingly peaceful road ahead, an elaborately woven web of death was quietly waiting for his arrival.

The five thousand Han cavalry led by Huo Guang were like a galloping iron stream, advancing at full speed along the official road towards Hongdu City.

The war horses' hooves were flying, trampling up billowing dust. Every knight's face was a mixture of anxiety, fatigue and a determination to rush into the battlefield.

Huo Guang kept urging him, with only one thought in his mind:

Hurry! Hurry even faster! We must rush to Hongdu and rescue General Geng!

The terrain ahead gradually narrows, and the mountains on both sides rise up, forming a dangerous pass. This place is the "Falling Eagle Stream" marked on the map.

The road in the stream is winding, with steep slopes and dense forests on both sides, making it a natural ambush site.

If it were normal times, Huo Guang would definitely send out a large number of scouts to carefully survey the mountains and forests on both sides.

But at this moment, he was driven by the imminent danger of Hongdu City and his inner anxiety. In addition, he judged that the main force of the Chu army should be attacking the city, so his vigilance towards this place was reduced a little.

The vanguard scouts reported that they had found no obvious abnormalities, so he did not stay for too long. He just ordered the troops to be vigilant and prepare to pass through the ravine quickly.

However, just as his cavalry vanguard had completely entered the narrow area of ​​​​Falling Eagle Gorge——

“Swoosh—bang!”

A flare arrow shot into the sky with a sharp scream and then exploded!

This seems to be a signal!

In an instant, the dead silent forest erupted with earth-shaking killing roars like a giant beast awakening!

"kill!!!"

"Big man Huo Guang, accept your death!"

On the hillsides on both sides, countless Chu soldiers in black clothes and armor appeared from behind the woods and rocks like ghosts!

The archers who had been ready drew their bows and arrows, and dense arrows poured down like a rainstorm, covering the marching Han cavalry with the whistling sound of death!

"Pfft! Pfft!"

"what!"

"My horse!"

People turn their backs!

The Han cavalry, caught off guard, immediately fell into great chaos!

The sharp arrows easily penetrated the thin leather armor of the light cavalry. The warhorses fell to the ground with mournful cries, throwing the knights on their backs away, causing heavy casualties in an instant!

"There's an ambush! Raise your shields! Form a formation!"

Huo Guang was, after all, a veteran of the battlefield. Although frightened, he remained calm. He waved his spear to block the arrows shot at him, and roared at the top of his lungs, trying to keep his composure.

But how could the ambush carefully designed by Zhao Yu be so simple?

Before the Han army could recover from the initial rain of arrows, loud rumbling sounds came from the hillsides on both sides!

The huge rolling logs and rocks were pushed down by the Chu army, crashing down the steep hillside with unstoppable force!

The Han cavalry had nowhere to hide in this narrow terrain and were immediately smashed into a bloody mess, with their formation becoming even more chaotic.

"Don't panic! Get closer to me! Defend in a circle!"

Huo Guang's eyes turned red. He knew he had fallen into a trap! Moreover, he was ambushed by an absolutely superior force!

He shouted desperately, gathering the personal soldiers and cavalrymen who were still able to move around him, trying to form a temporary defensive circle to withstand the attacks from the cliffs on both sides.

However, the Chu army's attacks continued wave after wave.

As soon as the rain of arrows subsided, a large number of Chu army infantrymen armed with long spears and sharp blades rushed down the hillside like a tide, cutting directly into the chaotic Han army formation and engaging in brutal hand-to-hand combat!

The cavalry lost its speed and faced unfavorable terrain, and its advantage was completely lost when facing the well-prepared infantry.

Luoying Gorge suddenly turned into a huge slaughterhouse. The sounds of metal clashing, shouts, screams, and the neighing of war horses were endless, and blood quickly dyed the road at the bottom of the gorge red.

Huo Guang led the charge, stabbing and sweeping his spear left and right, knocking down several Chu soldiers who rushed in front of him, but his heart was cold.

He looked around and saw that his soldiers were falling continuously. The number of Chu troops was far beyond his imagination, and they were obviously well prepared. The level and rhythm of the ambush were very well controlled.

"General! There are too many enemies! We are completely surrounded!"

A captain covered in blood rushed to Huo Guang, his voice filled with despair.

Huo Guang gritted his teeth. He knew that with only his 5,000 light cavalry, it would be impossible to break through such a perfect ambush.

If we continue to fight hard, the only outcome will be annihilation of the entire army!

Need help!

"Contract the formation! Hold on!"

Huo Guang shouted at the captain, then turned around abruptly and gave a hasty order to the messenger who had been following closely behind him:

"Quick! Release all the carrier pigeons! Tell General Yang Yongjun that our troops have been ambushed by the main force of the Chu army at Luoyingjian. The situation is extremely critical!"

"Order him to speed up all the main infantry forces and rush to the rescue at all costs! Quick!"

"Yes! General!"

The messenger also knew that the situation was critical, and immediately took out a special pigeon cage from next to the saddle, which contained several well-trained carrier pigeons used for emergency communication.