aircannonsinc Chapter 923 Returning after a great defeat, rushing to Xianyang!
Chapter 923 Returning after a great defeat, rushing to Xianyang!
"Gao Yao! Is that all you can do?" Xiang Yu shouted, and with a flick of his wrist, the Coiling Dragon Halberd, like a living thing, changed from a smash to a sweep, with a shrill sound, sweeping across Gao Yao's waist. If this sweep had landed, Gao Yao would have been cut in half!
Gao Yao's pupils constricted. In this life-or-death situation, he displayed astonishing agility and reaction speed. He didn't even try to block the blow. Instead, he jerked his body backward, practically lying flat against the horse's back, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. The cold halberd's tip brushed against his nose, and the gust of wind it brought stung his cheek.
The moment he dodged the sweep, Gao Yao's body bounced up like a spring, and the long sword in his hand did not stab Xiang Yu, but stabbed the neck of the black horse under Xiang Yu's crotch like a venomous snake! He knew that he could not defeat the enemy with force, so he attacked the enemy's most vulnerable point, using tricky and ruthless methods!
"How dare you!" Xiang Yu shouted angrily, tightening the reins. His black horse suddenly sprang to life, and he stood up, avoiding the sword. At the same time, Xiang Yu's halberd slammed down, hitting Gao Yao on the head.
Gao Yao's strike missed, and he immediately changed his tactics, swinging his sword upwards to deflect the halberd's shaft. Using the momentum, he slid back several steps, creating distance between him and Xiang Yu. He panted heavily. Just two moves had already left him feeling an unprecedented threat of death. Xiang Yu's bravery far exceeded his imagination.
But Gao Yao's fierceness was also fully unleashed. He no longer attempted a contest of strength with Xiang Yu, but instead, capitalizing on his relative agility and the sharpness of his sword, engaged in a roving fight. His swordplay was unpredictable, sometimes like a venomous snake, attacking the crevices and joints of Xiang Yu's armor; other times, like a ghost, he moved elusively, feinting eastward and attacking westward, seeking to find Xiang Yu's weaknesses. He even resorted to underhanded tactics, such as blowing sand and feinting attacks on the lower body, using every possible means.
Despite Xiang Yu's overwhelming strength, his martial arts prowess, and his unparalleled ferocity, he found it difficult to adapt to Gao Yao's slippery, cunning, and insidious fighting style. The Coiling Dragon Halberd's powerful force weighed heavily, and each swing consumed considerable energy, while Gao Yao's daring movements were clearly intended to wear him down.
But in fact Gao Yao's real purpose was not like this. Xiang Yu thought he had suppressed Gao Yao, but in fact Gao Yao was constantly taking advantage of Xiang Yu's attacks and fighting and retreating close to the edge of the melee.
"You rat! All you can do is dodge?" Xiang Yu roared, his halberd techniques becoming increasingly violent, clearing out any approaching soldiers from both sides, creating a small vacuum. But every time he launched a decisive attack, Gao Yao dodged it with unsightly yet effective tactics, or used clever tactics to deflect some of the force. Although each block sent Gao Yao's blood churning and his arms tingling, he was still unable to defeat him.
Yi Xiaochuan watched from afar with a shudder of fear. He saw Xiang Yu's absolute advantage, and every encounter put Gao Yao in peril. But Gao Yao's tenacious, venomous fighting style also gave him a chill. Gao Yao was gambling his life, betting that Xiang Yu would grow impatient after a prolonged attack, and that the battlefield would present uncertainties.
However, the commander's stalemate could not change the overall trajectory of the battle. The Chu cavalry's numerical and quality advantages were too great. After Xiang Yu's personal guards broke through the central line, Chu cavalry from other directions also successively broke through the Gaoyao infantry's defenses. The entire Qin infantry phalanx was being gradually fragmented, surrounded, and eroded. Resistance weakened, and a rout began to set in. Seeing their commander tightly entangled by Xiang Yu, unable to escape, and their comrades falling around them, fear and despair spread like a plague.
"Hold on! Hold on!" Gao Yao roared at the top of his lungs in the interval between his life-and-death struggle with Xiang Yu, but his orders were no longer conveyed effectively. The defeat was overwhelming!
A general from the Southern Border Army attempted to rescue Gao Yao, but Xiang Yu struck him with his halberd, cleaving him in half, horse and body. Blood splattered all over Gao Yao, making him look even more ferocious.
opportunity!
The moment Xiang Yu was distracted, intent on dealing with the general, Gao Yao's eyes flashed with a fierce gleam! This was the opportunity he'd been waiting for! He didn't retreat, but instead lunged forward, practically gliding across the ground. The sword in his hand condensed all his strength and hatred, transforming into a piercing, cold ray of light, piercing Xiang Yu's throat! This strike was swift! Accurate! Ruthless! It condensed all his lifelong martial arts training and all his hatred!
"Brother Yu, be careful!" Yi Xiaochuan saw it clearly and cried out in shock!
Xiang Yu is Xiang Yu after all! At the critical moment, he showed the terrifying intuition and reaction speed of a peerless general. He suddenly tilted his head,
"Hey!"
The sword brushed past Xiang Yu's neck, leaving a bloody mark and cutting off a few strands of hair. At the same time, it also made Xiang Yu unstable and fell off his horse. Gao Yao took the opportunity to turn around and leave, constantly killing the Chu cavalry.
Yi Xiaochuan wanted to support Xiang Yu in taking Gaoyao, but Ying Bu was also constantly harassing and even suppressing Yi Xiaochuan. Yi Xiaochuan had not expected that there was such a brave general in the Southern Border Army. However, Yi Xiaochuan did not know who the other party was at this time.
On the other side, after suffering a loss, Xiang Yu quickly jumped on his horse and planned to continue the pursuit.
Gao Yao almost shouted at the top of his lungs, "Retreat! Break out towards Xianyang! Every man who can escape is a king!"
The remaining Southern Border troops, already on the brink of collapse, heard this order, and their last vestiges of resistance crumbled, leading to a complete rout. Everyone, officers and soldiers alike, desperately rushed towards Xianyang. The situation was completely out of control.
"Chase! Don't leave any one alive!" Xiang Yu was unwilling to let them go, and shouted loudly, waving his spear.
But the defeated army's desperate desire to escape was astonishing. They discarded their armor and weapons, trampled on each other, and formed a chaotic stream of people, which to some extent hindered the cavalry's pursuit. Furthermore, the growing darkness, the complex terrain, and the strewn corpses and abandoned baggage made pursuit very difficult.
Gao Yao, protected by his last few dozen loyal warriors, blended into the stream of fleeing soldiers and charged desperately. He picked up a short halberd from the ground and swung it wildly like a wounded beast, actually carving a bloody path.
Xiang Yu and Yi Xiaochuan led their cavalry in pursuit, arrows raining down like raindrops, and the fleeing soldiers fell in droves. But Gao Yao's figure eventually disappeared in the chaotic night and the crowd of fleeing soldiers.
When the last Southern Border Army soldier who dared to resist fell, the battlefield was filled with the roar of the Chu cavalry and the groans of the dying. Xiang Yu stopped his horse, gazed towards Xianyang, and slammed his fist down on the saddle. He had won, a resounding victory, nearly annihilating Gao Yao's main force. However, Gao Yao himself had escaped, leaving him with a bitter taste in his mouth. The wound on the side of his neck was a burning reminder of his narrow escape.