aircannonsinc Chapter 921: Pursuit, encounter, and bloody battle!
Chapter 921: Pursuit, encounter, and bloody battle!
In the end, reason overcame impulse. Yi Xiaochuan let out a long breath, his tense shoulders relaxing slightly. He made a decision: wait! Wait for Xiang Yu's main force to arrive. Unite their forces, concentrate their strength, and then pursue with overwhelming force. No matter how many tricks Gao Yao had, they would be powerless against his sheer might. While this might give Gao Yao more time to escape, it was the safest and most responsible option at the moment.
"Pass the order down. Rest in place. Send out scouts to explore along four routes, each ten miles long. Exercise caution. Return immediately upon encountering the enemy. Do not engage in a lingering battle!" Yi Xiaochuan gave the order in a deep, steady voice, leaving no room for doubt. He needed intelligence, but he could not afford to pay an unnecessary price.
The wait seemed incredibly long. Yi Xiaochuan rode his horse, his gaze fixed on the four roads leading to the unknown. He repeatedly deduced Gao's possible intentions, but the uneasiness in his heart remained undimmed. Gao Yao's military tactics increasingly made him feel an insidious and unpredictable pressure.
Yi Xiaochuan didn't have to wait long. The thunderous sound of hooves echoed again from the horizon, far more powerful than that of his vanguard. Smoke and dust billowed, flags fluttered, and a massive "Xiang" (General) banner fluttered in the wind. Xiang Yu, personally leading the main cavalry, swept in like a black torrent of steel.
As soon as the army halted, Xiang Yu, clad in jet-black armor and riding a black horse, impatiently galloped up to Yi Xiaochuan. His brow furrowed, his eyes filled with confusion and anxiety. He demanded in a resounding voice, "Xiaochuan, what's going on? Why are we standing still? Where's that villain Gao Yao?"
Xiang Yu expected that with Yi Xiaochuan's agility and the speed of his cavalry, even if they couldn't completely annihilate the enemy, they should at least be able to keep Gao Yao at their tail, constantly harassing and delaying his advance, thus creating conditions for the main force to close in. But now, Yi Xiaochuan had stopped at a fork in the road, and Gao Yao's army seemed to have vanished into thin air. How could he not be extremely anxious?
Yi Xiaochuan's face shone with a hint of resignation. He took a deep breath, dismounted, and saluted Xiang Yu. At this point, there was no need to conceal anything; he had to report the entire story. So, he gathered his thoughts and began by recounting how Gao Yao had exploited the cover of darkness to quietly withdraw his troops prematurely, causing him to miss the perfect opportunity to pursue them by the time he discovered them; how he had led his troops in pursuit, only to encounter stubborn resistance and confusion from smaller units; and, most crucially, the ambush and loss of life caused by his impulsive advance. He recounted everything in detail, without reservation.
His tone was heavy, tinged with deep introspection. Finally, he pointed to the four chaotic roads before him. "Your Majesty, please look. Gao Yao has dispersed his forces here, fleeing in four directions. When I arrived, I could no longer discern the location of his main force. Given our previous experience, Gao Yao is likely setting an ambush, waiting for an opportunity to counterattack. My forces are limited. If I divide my forces further to pursue him, I fear we will repeat the same mistake and ultimately fail miserably. Therefore... I must await King Xiang's decision."
After Yi Xiaochuan finished speaking, a brief silence fell around him, with only the rustling of flags in the wind and the neighing of war horses.
As Xiang Yu listened to Yi Xiaochuan's account, his expression shifted from initial eagerness and dissatisfaction to a complex one. His sharp eyes fixed on Yi Xiaochuan, then scanned the four confusing paths. He wanted to rebuke Yi Xiaochuan for his hesitation and mistakes, but after hearing the details of the ambush, seeing the lingering dust on Yi Xiaochuan's face and the fear and guilt in his eyes that he couldn't quite conceal, he swallowed the words back.
"This……"
Xiang Yu was momentarily speechless. A man of unyielding character, he favored direct confrontation. He felt a mixture of anger and disdain for Gao Yao's endless tricks, but he also had to admit they were effective, especially in stalling time and creating chaos. While Yi Xiaochuan's fate was certainly due to his impatience, it was ultimately due to Gao Yao's cunning and unconventional behavior. Such events were truly beyond the ability to predict and address with sheer bravery.
A wave of irritation washed over Xiang Yu. He was so close to catching up with and annihilating Gao Yao's main force, yet they were being delayed again by this tactic. He might even have lost his best opportunity. This feeling of punching cotton made him extremely frustrated.
Yet, amidst his irritation, Xiang Yu felt a subtle sigh of relief deep within his heart. First, the pursuit had failed, allowing Gao Yao to escape. Now, due to misjudgment and stagnation, the target had been completely lost. The primary responsibility for these consecutive failures clearly fell on Yi Xiaochuan, the vanguard. Although Xiang Yu considered Yi Xiaochuan a brother and was reluctant to see him shoulder the blame, from a broader perspective, capturing and killing Gao Yao would be a significant achievement. If they ultimately failed, Yi Xiaochuan's hesitation today and previous defeats would become crucial points for sharing the blame. This would prevent the commander-in-chief from bearing all the pressure and doubts alone. This thought flashed through his mind, not lingering, but it did ease Xiang Yu's resentment towards Yi Xiaochuan.
He snorted heavily, his eyes sharpening again as he scanned the four roads. "Hmph! That eunuch Gao Yao is only capable of these despicable tricks! Xiaochuan, although you made a mistake, it wouldn't be wrong to be more cautious. Now that the main force of our army has arrived, no matter how many tricks he has, I will defeat them all!"
Xiang Yu ceased to hesitate and began barking out orders, sending out more scouts to expand the reconnaissance area. He also summoned his generals to discuss and determine the direction of the main force's pursuit based on the scouts' latest intelligence. A more complex and intense pursuit was about to unfold across the vast Guanzhong region. Yi Xiaochuan, silently following behind Xiang Yu, felt a mixture of emotions: guilt for failing to complete the mission and deep anxiety about the upcoming battle.
The setting sun shone like blood, smearing the vast Guanzhong Plain in crimson. The wind blew up the loess, carrying with it the smell of gunpowder and blood, sweeping past countless fallen banners and mangled corpses. This was the end of a chase, and the beginning of a bloody battle.
Yi Xiaochuan rode his horse atop a low slope, clad in dusty leather armor, his brow furrowed as he gazed at the gradually closing encirclement ahead. Beside him stood the towering, mountainous figure of Xiang Yu. He rode a black horse, a tiger-headed, coiled dragon halberd in hand. His jet-black armor shone a cold glow in the setting sun, resembling an ancient god of war. His angular face was filled with the fury of being toyed with and the excitement of about to slay his enemy.
Behind them stood a full 40,000 elite cavalrymen! This was Xiang Yu's most vital force, the fierce, fierce division that had swept across the Central Plains and crushed the main force of the Qin army. Their hooves pawed the ground with a dull, thunderous clatter, and the knights' eyes burned with fighting intent, waiting only for their commander's command to tear the trapped infantry ahead into shreds.