stonecrandall Chapter 868: Xiang Yu came but we didn’t fight. What’s going on?
Chapter 868: Xiang Yu came but we didn’t fight. What’s going on?
No less than 50,000! Heading straight for Yangping Pass!
These words were like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard. Xiang Yu's main force had actually made a comeback, with more troops and more powerful momentum!
Gao Yao's pupils suddenly constricted, and his fingers unconsciously clenched, his nails practically digging into his palms. He quickly calculated in his mind: Thirty miles, for the Chu army's elite charging at full speed, would take no more than two hours! Perhaps even faster!
He had just estimated that reinforcements from Nanjun would take three or four days to arrive at the earliest, but that brief moment of peace of mind was shattered by reality. Distant water cannot quench immediate thirst. The surging waves before him were about to crash upon the crumbling walls of Yangping Pass!
All his slack, all his luck, was completely purged at this moment. Gao Yao's battle-hardened iron-blooded aura and determination once again permeated his body. He took a deep breath, the breath icy and piercing, but it instantly cleared his chaotic thoughts.
"Beat the drums! Assemble!" Gao Yao's voice was no longer volatile, only a cold, murderous determination remained. "All troops, stand guard! Strike all crossbows, prepare rolling logs and rocks! All archers, mount the city walls! Quick!"
Commands were issued one after another, like ice beads hitting a jade plate, rapid and clear. The entire Yangping Pass, the war machine that had just taken a breather, suddenly began to operate frantically at maximum efficiency, accompanied by the sudden and shrill sound of war drums, one after another.
Gao Yao once again stepped onto the blood-soaked, fire-soaked walls of Yangping Pass. Atop the walls, the atmosphere was so dignified it could almost be squeezed out of water. The soldiers previously dispatched to harass and delay the Chu army had, with the exception of a few who had tragically died in battle or were lost, largely retreated back inside the pass. This brought the number of defenders at Yangping Pass back to over 3,000.
Gao Yao knew full well that the fighting power of these 3,000 defenders was vastly different from the 3,000 fierce and ferocious personal guards he had brought upon his arrival at Yangping Pass. It could even be said that they were far inferior. Over half of these 3,000 men were originally from the prefecture stationed there, many of them improvised, lacking in training, and perhaps even untrained. They might have stood firm out of a momentary fervor and an instinctive desire to protect their homeland, but facing the overwhelming onslaught of Xiang Yu's elite troops, their morale would be easily shaken, and the risk of their immediate collapse was extremely high.
Over the past few days, Gao Yao had barely paused, personally inspecting and rewarding the soldiers, generously distributing the gold, silver, and silk he had brought. He also promised even more generous rewards of land, money, and grain if the Chu army was defeated. A generous reward always inspires courage. These tangible benefits truly galvanized the soldiers' resolve to fight to the death, emboldening them to grasp their weapons and face the powerful enemy head-on.
But Gao Yao knew this was merely a stopgap measure, a temporary fix. The promises of money, grain, and land, while grandiose, could only temporarily boost morale, but they couldn't fundamentally change the county soldiers' feeble fighting qualities and coordinated combat capabilities. Once the battle descended into the brutal, bloody hand-to-hand combat for the city walls, their weaknesses in training and experience would be magnified, and the situation would likely take a sharp turn for the worse, leading to an unpredictable rout.
Despite this, Gao Yao's eyes remained remarkably resolute. At this moment, there was no way he could retreat. From a strategic perspective, he had successfully delayed Xiang Yu, buying valuable time for Hanzhong and Xiao He's overall planning. His strategic objective had already been initially achieved. Even if the worst-case scenario occurred—the eventual fall of Yangping Pass to the Chu army—it wouldn't be the end of the world.
He calmly analyzed the situation: Even if the Chu army captured Yangping Pass, they would only possess a battle-ravaged pass. Meanwhile, reinforcements from Nanjun were racing day and night, arriving the next morning. By then, using fresh troops to siege a devastated pass held by an exhausted army inexperienced in defense and lacking in defensive equipment (the Chu army's main force was cavalry), retaking Yangping Pass might only take a few days. The Chu army would be unable to exploit this pass to advance directly into Hanzhong and wreak havoc. Therefore, the impact of a temporary gain or loss on the overall situation was minimized.
Atop the city walls, rolling logs and rocks piled like mountains. Crossbows unleashed their cold iron strings, and arrows gleamed coldly in the sunlight. Soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, their gazes tensely fixed on the distant horizon beyond the Great Wall. The air was filled with the stifling silence of the eve of a major battle. After several days of rest, Gao Yao's personal guards had largely recovered their fighting strength. Their sharp eyes silently guarded key positions, like a rock, forming the solid core of this mixed force.
Time passed by minute by second in the extremely tense atmosphere.
Half a minute passed...there was no movement outside the pass.
A quarter of an hour passed... In the distance, there was still only dust blown up by the wind.
An hour passed...the expected smoke and dust from the incoming Chu army did not appear.
Two hours passed... There was a dead silence between heaven and earth, as if the urgent report from the messenger was just an auditory hallucination.
Gao Yao's brow furrowed deeper and deeper, his doubts growing like vines. This was unnatural! Thirty miles—for Xiang Yu's elite cavalry, who moved like the wind, even if they maintained a steady advance, two hours would be enough to reach the city! Even if they encountered sporadic resistance or terrain obstacles, the scouts ahead should have reported back with new intelligence long ago.
But the fact was that there was dead silence outside the pass, and no messenger came rushing over.
An inexplicable, intense feeling of unease quietly gripped Gao Yao's heart. This unease was rootless, yet so palpable. He had anticipated that Xiang Yu, upon discovering his delaying tactic, might become enraged and launch a counterattack. This simple deception couldn't deceive Xiang Yu and Fan Zeng for long; their purpose was to buy a few crucial days.
But...time dragged on for so long, and the enemy remained completely silent. This completely contradicted Xiang Yu's fiery, vengeful character! This eerie silence was even more disturbing than the sound of a charging horn. Gao Yao stared intently at the empty expanse of space in the distance, his confusion and vigilance reaching a peak.
Xiang Yu... What the hell are you doing? Behind this unusual silence!
Just when Gao Yao's uneasiness and doubts reached a peak and he almost doubted whether the initial urgent report was a false alarm, the sound of hurried horse hooves was heard again outside the pass, coming from far away and getting closer!
A scout cavalryman crossed the suspension bridge at lightning speed and rushed into the pass, his horseshoes tapping on the bluestone slabs in a crisp and anxious rhythm.
Gao Yao's spirits lifted, knowing this must be accurate news. He immediately turned and strode towards the city wall. Xiao He, who had been coordinating and awaiting news from below, could no longer contain his excitement and rushed forward. His brow furrowed, his face also filled with confusion. According to common sense, the Chu army should have already reached the city and launched a fierce attack. This unusual silence made him extremely uneasy.