Chapter 200
Chapter 200 Chase (1)
Translated by Gamer @ EndlessFantasyTranslations.com
“Chase!” The two generals commanded. The deputy had no choice but to follow the command and continued the chase. The Wolf Cavalry in front still did not stop. The scene imagined by Zhang Kai where the Wolf Cavalry struggled with their horses did not happen. Rather, the horses seem to be speeding up.
“Wrong! Wrong!” Taishi Ci calmed down after chasing for a while. He realized that he has been influenced by Zhang Kai and profits. Taishi Ci was a warrior good at archery. His skills with the bow was not inferior to his martial arts. Even in the original Three Kingdoms history, Taishi Ci was only outmatched by Huang Zhong and Lu Bu. He has shot down thieves before with a bow. Even the people around him praised his skills.
What is means is Taishi Ci’s archery was extremely good. On one occasion, he followed Sun Ce on an expedition to hunt thieves. At that time, the soldiers on the tower were shouting curses and a man was supporting himself my holding the crossbeam. He shot an arrow and nailed the man’s hand to the beam.
Cao Cao who was watching from behind admired his skills. When the Caos heard his name, they conferred him a territory and presented him with danggui. (TN: Female ginseng) Sun Quan also entrusted Taishi Ci with the south.
Cao Cao truly admired Taishi Ci. They had to send him a letter that was sealed in a box. When the box was opened, there were only danggui inside. The meaning was self-explanatory.
Cao Cao who was a talent admiring person recognized Taishi Ci. The amount of talented officers in Cao Cao’s service was not few. He gave Taishi Ci medicine and hoped that Taishi Ci would pledge allegiance to him.
One particular trait of someone who are good at archery is that the strength of their eyes is very good. He can see things several hundred meters away from him clearly. The Wolf Cavalry in front is only a few horses away. At first he did not notice but the horses in front was not foaming at the mouth. It’s mouth is open. This means that they can still run. It may be tired but it is definitely not at its limit like the Yuzhou Cavalry. (TN: You can see the mouth from the back of the horse? Which mouth?)
“Stop! Stop!” Taishi Ci knows that even if he offended Zhang Kai, he must not allow Zhang Kai to continue chasing with the Yuzhou Cavalry. He they continued to chase they would definitely be wiped out.
The Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry still had a lot of strength. On the other hand, they were so tired they were about to drop. At this point, numbers would not matter. If they had no strength, fighting the enemy would feel endless. Not the mention the fact that the cavalry will die once they become tired. Without horses, how could you call them a cavalry? They would be called infantries! In fact, they would be worse because they were all wearing heavy armor, the armor would become a burden. This is because after riding the horse they would become bow-legged (TN: Genu varum. A physical deformity.)
To sit on the horse without falling off, they would have to firmly hold the horse between the two legs. As the generals refined their body, their bow legs could recover. The ordinary soldiers were not so lucky. Their bow legs made them crippled. If they could not even run, how could they fight a war?
“Detestable!” Zhang Kai also noticed something wrong. This is because the chase was so long that some of his horses have suddenly died. However, the none of the Wolf Cavalry soldiers separated from the main body. As Zhang Kai have been commanding cavalries for so many years, he knew that the condition of the Wolf Cavalry was much better than theirs. Nevertheless, Zhang Kai gave the order to chase while feeling apologetic. Now Taishi Ci shouted for them to stop. Zhang Kai also easily followed the suggestion and ordered the Yuzhou Cavalry to stop.
The Yuzhou Cavalry followed the command and stopped. The cavalry could no longer stand as they had been chasing with all their might. They did not feel tired when they were concentrating but now they have calmed down. They could no longer stand as they were tired. Their horses were even more exhausted than them. Chasing with their full strength for 10 km while wearing hundred pounds of armor. Their body was filled with sweat and the armor was even cleansed by the sweat.
The soldiers took off their helmet. As the heavy armor was difficult to remove, they only took off their helmet to cool off. The horses that stopped also collapsed. They foamed at the mouth and continued to twitch.
Zhang Kai also looked distressed. The Yuzhou Cavalry belongs to him. They were Zhang Kai’s troops and horses. They were Sun Ce’s subordinates. They are the ones that allow him to earn merits. The horses on the other hand looked like they were about to die. Could he still call this a cavalry? He also does not know when Sun Ce would be able to obtain more horses so each horse is extremely valuable.
Give up like this! Zhang Kai was so unsatisfied that he punched the air. He was smug at first. During the earlier clash with the Wolf Cavalry, both sides end up with numerous corpses. Although about a thousand Yuzhou Cavalry soldiers perished, they still had 3 times as many people as the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry and could continue to fight. If he could defeat the Wolf Cavalry, even if the Yuzhou Cavalry was completely destroyed, he would still be the winner. However, the Wolf Cavalry escaped. The Wolf King ran away even though cavalries were supposed to charge. When a cavalry tries to escape, according to common sense, they would only face defeat. The Wolf Cavalry are the ones who taught Zhang Kai that a retreating cavalry can escape.
If Lu Bu was around, Zhang Kai would definitely be pointing at Lu Bu’s nose and raining curses at him. What God of War! What Marquis Wen Lu Bu! Aren’t you a Wolf King! Aren’t you a fierce tiger! What king of cavalry! Why did you retreat! Are you scared! Are you terrified! Now that they let the Wolf Cavalry escape, they should prepare a new attack. No. It should be prepared to exchange lives with them.
To compare strength with the Wolf Cavalry, Lu Bu could only laugh at Zhang Kai. It is true that the Wolf Cavalry were all using many heavy weapons and some of them are even using a large shield. However, one must not forget that all these equipments were brought by Liu Mang from the heavens. Not only does the armor have amazing defense but they were also light. These equipment, add up to less than 40 pounds. On the other hand, the Yuzhou Cavalry were carrying more than double the weight.
The horses of the Yuzhou Cavalry were all fine and strong horses that were transported from Liaodong. The ones with that were weak all died on the ship. In that case, would the horses owned by Lu Bu be inferior species? All of their horses are what Lu Bu calls Ferghana horses. On the other hand, Liu Mang knows them as Arabian horses. They are pure blood horses. The modern people crossbreed Asian and European horses together for it. Compared to the horses during ancient times, these horses were much stronger. They were stronger in equipment and endurance. How could the Yuzhou Cavalry defeat the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry? They could only be left behind. At first, Lu Bu could have just escaped from the Yuzhou Cavalry but he did not do so. He just kept a distance of three horses. It was to let Zhang Kai think they could catch up and would push their horses even more.
“Stop chasing already!?” Lu Bu felt a bit of pity. He saw that some of their horses looked as if they were dying. He also knows that the horse could probably run again as a good horse should not be abandoned. It was the result of Zhang Kai attempting to catch up with Lu Bu. This was Lu Bu’s stratagem. He had intended to exhaust the Yuzhou Cavalry so that the Lu Bu’s Army could defeat them with minimal casualties. Like how Liu Mang has dealt with the Black Flag Army, Lu Bu is beginning to learn from Liu Mang. Knowing that Liu Mang was in Wan Cheng, Lu Bu thought to himself if he could make the enemy surrender. This was just an experiment and he found out that the horses of the Yuzhou Cavalry were much weaker. He could make the Yuzhou Cavalry give up.
In the end, they gave up pursuit. However, would the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry let them go? No. Even if Lu Bu promised to let them go, the 500 casualties would not promise them that. The remaining 1,000 wolves will also not agree. A debt of blood can only be repaid in blood. As running is tiring and they were hungry, it is time to hunt.
“Army, turn back!” Using his halberd like a command flag, Lu Bu ordered his soldiers to turn around and charge towards the Yuzhou Cavalry.
“The Wolf Cavalry is coming! The Wolf Cavalry is coming!” Taishi Ci and Zhang Kai naturally send out scouts the moment they took a break. It would not be funny if they received a surprise attack the moment they took a break. Now the scouts they send out came back with a message that the escaping Wolf Cavalry has returned.
“Courting death!” Zhang Kai grit his teeth. This Lu Bu has played him like a monkey once. He could have escaped earlier but instead baited the Yuzhou Cavalry to chase for such a long time. Zhang Kai stomach was full of fire and he did not know how to contain it. Now that the Wolf Cavalry is coming he shouted. “All units get up the horse!” Zhang Kai was not afraid of the appearance of the Wolf Cavalry. Rather, he was worried that they do not show up. They initially could not catch up to Lu Bu but now Lu Bu is coming to them. In that case, don’t blame Zhang Kai.
“This is..!” Taishi Ci got up his horse. He could no longer underestimate Lu Bu or the cavalry. It can be said that Taishi Ci is finally using his brain. He may be part of the marines but there is not much difference. The best move based on principle would be for Lu Bu to return after gathering the 5,000 wolves. After that only challenge the Yuzhou Cavalry to fight to the death.
Now not only did Lu Bu not leave but he also did not go and find the other Wolf Cavalry soldiers. What is he thinking? Do they think themselves superior now that the Yuzhou Cavalry is out of strength? He wants to clash again? That is just dreaming! Although the cavalry is tired, they can still fight. Lu Bu is the one that will suffer losses.
“It will definitely not be so simple! Definitely not!” Taishi Ci shook his head. He does not believe Lu Bu would be an idiot. Perhaps he could not see that the Yuzhou Cavalry still has a little bit more of fight left in them. However, the large quake shows that a large cavalry is approaching. Is this not the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry?
“Get moving!” Only a charging cavalry would have combat effectiveness. A jogging cavalry is not called a cavalry. They are called infantries. Although the Yuzhou Cavalry were tired, they managed to speed up under the leadership of Zhang Kai. The horses slowly increased their pace. The 5,000 Wolf Cavalry once again show their strength. Zhang Kai was in high spirits as he imagines the Yuzhou Cavalry tearing their enemy to pieces.
The two cavalries approached each other. In about half a stick of incense worth of time, the two cavalries will clash. The killing atmosphere continues to thicken.
“Come on! Come on! Lu Bu! This will be your burial place!” Zhang Kai shouted with a smile on his face. Originally, he thought that Lu Bu has escaped and he would not get any merits. Together with the loss of 1,000 soldiers, Sun Ce would be in bad mood. At that time, he does not know where to cry. Now that the merits have returned to court death, he could not be happier. Once he take Lu Bu’s head, there is no longer any problems from the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.
As they got closer, both sides are now able to see the appearance of their enemies.
“Whole army! Tear them apart!” Zhang Kai roared. He became crazy. The Yuzhou Cavalry also became crazy. They were played like monkeys for so long. They were not just tired but also furious. Some of their officers were killed by the Wolf Cavalry and they were even underestimated. Their eyes returned to show expression of anger and their morale is at its peak.
“The morale is high!” Taishi Ci nodded in approval. This Yuzhou Cavalry is truly a heavy cavalry. They are also worthy of being called a trump card. Yuan Shu has used this cavalry to fight back invaders. Cao Cao only manage to besiege Yuan Shu only because the Yuzhou Cavalry have already dispersed. If not, even Old Cao does not want to mess with Yuan Shu.
Now the Sun Ce is the owner of the Yuzhou Cavalry. It became the trump card of Jiangdong’s army. With their help, the Jiangdong army can become second to the emperor or heroes. Also, once they have exterminated the Wolf Cavalry, they would have one less competitor.
“Hehe!” Lu Bu smiled as he looked at the Yuzhou Cavalry. Come on, come on! Shout more! Become crazy! Release all of anger and discontent! Seeing that the two cavalry was about to clash, Lu Bu brandished his halberd and led the Wolf Cavalry soldiers away from the enemy. (TL: God of Troll Lu Bu.)
Lu Bu was not a fool. There is no one under the heavens that can match his tactics in cavalry. Now the morale of the Yuzhou cavalry is high. Their soldiers went crazy. Fighting head on with this people will just injure you even if they were weak. There would be no profits if they were to fight now.
“What!? Ran again!?” Zhang Kai angrily hit the air again. How does he want to describe this feeling? Sullen. Extremely sullen. If they were to fight and lose it would be one thing. However, this time they raised their morale and charge at the enemy only for the enemy to suddenly run. All the anger and morale became wasted.
“Chase!” Zhang Kai was so angry that he could not take Lu Bu’s provocation. The hand that would give out the command was caught by Taishi Ci. He looked at Zhang Kai sincerely in the eyes. “General Zhang Kai, look at the overall situation!” Now the only one with a clear head in the battlefield is Taishi Ci. Now the Yuzhou Cavalry is crazy and if they continued to chase they would die from exhaustion. At the end, they might not even reach the enemy. Isn’t that the objective of the Lu Bu’s Army? To completely defeat their enemies without wasting lives.
Zhang Kai also calmed down. He also knew that he would not catch up but he was still unhappy. “Stop and rest! Stop and rest!” Just as soon as Zhang Kai called for the army to rest, the Wolf Cavalry came back.
“Kill!” The Yuzhou Cavalry started to charge again. In the end, the Wolf Cavalry started a smalle scale battle with the Yuzhou Cavalry. Both cavalries fought using archery. As the Wolf Cavalries used to fight beyond the Great Wall, they are used to the fighting style. They learned horseback archery before charging.
At this point, horseback archery was already a normal for them. A rain of arrows fly towards the Yuzhou Cavalry. These Yuzhou Cavalry do not have heavy shields like the Wolf Cavalry. Their heavy armor offered protection to most as long as they were not hit at the vitals. However, their horses had no protection. The horses were also extremely tired. When the arrows collided with the cavalry, a few hundred horses perished. This made Zhang Kai grit his teeth so hard it almost break.
“Lu Bu! I want to kill you!” Zhang Kai said ferociously. He still had his high spirits from earlier and also his insanity from the disappointment.
“Let’s fall back!” Taishi Ci also saw the scenario and knew that today’s entire scenario was being played out by the Wolf Cavalry. Their numbers may be small but their mobility and skills are strong. They will not allow the Yuzhou Cavalry to rest and would also avoid a direct confrontation.
Now they can only go back and allow the cavalry to rest. They can only retreat back to Lu Su to seek shelter from his soldiers.
“Fall back!” Zhang Kai also knew that staying would only increase the casualties.
“Fall back? Fall back where!” Lu Bu looked at the Yuzhou Cavalry that was preparing to retreat and laughed coldly. “All units pursue!” Half a day later, the entire scenario has reversed. Now the ones in front was the 5,000 Yuzhou Cavalry while the ones pursuing is the 1,500 Wolf Cavalry.
Now Taishi Ci and Zhang Kai understood the horror of the mobility of Lu Bu’s Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry. No matter how they run, the Wolf Cavalry would overtake them. Even if they left behind 1,000 Cavalry to take up the rear, the Wolf Cavalry would catch up. Now they are in an area with a lot of open space and rivers. The Wolf Cavalry just bypassed the detached soldiers and chased the main force of the Yuzhou Cavalry. The detached force could only eat the dust from the back of the Wolf Cavalry.
While chasing, the Wolf Cavalry also shot arrows towards the Yuzhou Cavalry to make some people fall off their horse.
“Not like this! We cannot go down like this!” Zhang Kai’s heart felt like it was bleeding. The 5,000 Yuzhou cavalry, including the 1,000 detached forces, now only had 3,000 soldiers remaining. At this rate, the whole army could be destroyed. If the Yuzhou Cavalry is lost, Zhang Kai does not want to think about how Sun Ce would deal with him. He would probably be executed immediately. Both of these was not something Zhang Kai would accept. Now he can only risk his life.
“Turn around!” Zhang Kai grit his teeth. He wants to risk his life. If he went on like this, the whole army would be destroyed. Even if the whole army was not destroyed, there would be heavy casualties. This went according to Lu Su’s plans to trick the Lu Bu’s Army to come here. In an actual fight, the Yuzhou Cavalry is inferior. This Yuzhou Cavalry was something that Sun Ce spend a fortune on. Both Sun Ce and Zhang Kai would not be willing to waste it. Now several thousand soldiers were already lost. Even if they could reach Lu Su, what is the point without any soldiers? All of his hopes and dreams of fame and wealth has been lost! If Zhang Kai was a trusted subordinate, then it would not be so bad. This is because there would be some form of emotional attachment to old generals. Zhang Kai also knew that he only got this position because there was no one else with the knowledge on cavalries. If there was a substitute, Zhang Kai’s position would not be strong. This is especially true since he has already lost so much.
That is why now the only thing he can do is to risk his life fighting Lu Bu. If he were to lose, he would be cut into pieces. If he were to win and killed Lu Bu, the Yuzhou Cavalry would be able to survive and Sun Ce could reward him!
“General Zhang Kai, do not be swayed by emotions!” Taishi Ci looked at Zhang Kai and quickly stopped him from risking his life.
“Does General Taishi Ci have a better way!” Zhang Kai looked at Taishi Ci with glowing red eyes.
“Huh?” Taishi Ci shook his head. “No!” Taishi Ci is the general of the navy. If it was water combat, he would be able to give some advice. Unfortunately, this is a cavalry battle. Taishi Ci is really unfamiliar with cavalry battles.
“In that case shut up!” Zhang Kai was already impatient and angry. “The troops under my command are my brothers and horses. They are not your, Taishi Ci’s navy. You are willing to watch them die! I am unwilling!” Zhang Kai began to say outrageous things. What do you mean ‘my troops and horses’. All of these belong to Sun Ce. It belongs to the Jiangdong Army.
However, Taishi Ci did not care about it. If the ones that were lost was Taishi Ci’s navy, he would also go crazy! To let themselves be attacked by the enemy yet was unable to do anything would make anyone crazy!
“Lu Bu, your hundreds should not, your thousands should not, they should not defeat my thousand soldiers! Now I will show you how powerful my Yuzhou Cavalry really is!” Zhang Kai waved his command flag and once again commanded his Yuzhou Cavalry to advance towards Lu Bu’s Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry.