Chapter 162 - Plan To Recruit Black Flag (1/2)
Chapter 162 – Plan To Recruit Black Flag
Translated by Bloodfalcon, Edited by Krayto
The retreat of Sun Ce’s army was due to Huang Zhong’s merit. Originally Sun Ce wanted to keep persisting in occupying Wancheng city, but his Danyang soldiers were all cut down by Huang Zhong, leaving him in a very distressed state. No one was able to withstand Huang Zhong’s strike, not even the elite Danyang soldiers.
During two bouts of battle with Sun Ce, Sun Ce already could not withstand Huang Zhong’s strike. So Sun Ce can only give up and retreat. Otherwise, when Liu Mang is killed, he will also be killed. The weather also started to get cloudy, making visibility a-lot worst. In ancient times, there was no light bulb that was powered by electricity. Only the moonlight can be used as a means to illuminate the night. If there was no moon, then at night time one cannot see anything. This is the bad luck of Sun Ce, as his Danyang soldiers started cutting down each other due to zero visibility. So in the end, Sun Ce decided to return to his HQ for a spell.
When all of Sun Ce’s army retreated, all that previously fought on the city walls were very relieved, but that relief was short lived, because tomorrow those 100,000 troops will be swarming again like flies.
This day’s casualty took a huge toll. 8,000 troops were cut down severely. The Urban Army was only left with 1,000 troops. The Liu clan’s private soldier were all decimated.
“Everyone, speak your mind. What should we do tomorrow?!” Liu Mang spoke in a very bitter tone. He knew that siege warfare in the cold weapon era was very brutal, but this? This a battle of annihilation. His 8,000 troops left were dwindled down to 1,000. The Danyang soldiers and Sun Ce army also suffered major losses. Dismissing the Chu division which already left the battlefield, their casualties amounted to more than 10,000 troops and they also lost one of their commanders.
Corpses are everywhere, the city wall was dyed red by blood.
“Little lord, we must abandon the city!!!” Huang Zhong is the one who replied first. Huang Zhong based his decision with his experience being besieged by Lu Bu in Huangzhou city and his vast experience as a general, while Liu Mang is just beginning his career as a general. Wancheng city was already impossible to defend. The personnel they had amounted to 1,000 troops and all of them were already wounded.
“Abandon the city?!” Liu Mang muttered. Liu Mang unconsciously waved his arm and groaned due to the pain and making him profuse in cold sweat. That move Conqueror Destroy Cauldron is truly an inhuman skill.
“No, we must not abandon the city” Liu Mang thought. Only with great difficulty, Lu Bu’s army finally had a good domain and a home to come to. If this city is lost again, then Lu Bu’s army will return to the time where they are wandering in all four directions. If it was just Liu Mang or Lu Bu themselves that were expelled it would still be okay, but they are responsible for their soldiers, Lu Bu’s family, and Lu Bu’s soldiers family as they are0 Liu Mang family’s too. However, not abandoning Wancheng city, meant to die tomorrow.
“Father, we already cannot abandon Wancheng city, there is no other way to escape!!!” Huang Xu opened his mouth. Wancheng city’s four gates already had the enemy’s camps and they have put alarms on each gate. If one escapes, the alarm will sound and all of Sun Ce’s army will swarm on that gate, rendering the escape useless.
Moreover, Wancheng city is already devoid of warhorses and if escaping, one can only depend on one’s two feet to run, but that cannot get you very far and they also had the family with them, it is impossible to have casualties when one is walking that slow. Staying in Wancheng city can prolong one’s life for one day, if they escaped now, the end will come to them sooner.
“So, we already cannot leave!!!” Liu Mang muttered. If Liu Mang could go back to the future, the issue of warhorses can be solved easily but the CD did not give the slightest response.
“Then we die!!!” Liu Mang gritted his tooth. With him saying that words, he had resolved to fight to the end!!! More than 8,000 comrades died for him, even in death, he will not be lonely.
“Aiyah, if we have at least another 1,000 troops, we can fight again!!!” Huang Zhong also sighed. He himself can escape by brute force alone, but not his troops. If no more incidents happened, the Bing Province Heavy Cavalry will reach here in two days. As long as they have at least 1,000 troops, they still can persevere and defend Wancheng city.
Today the battle took too many lives. That is because Sun Ce use his Danyang soldiers. The Zuo division of Danyang soldiers was decimated today and Sun Ce only left with Chu division. Sun Ce will not hesitate to use them tomorrow, even if they are tired, even if they do not want to fight Lu Bu army. So, as long there were 1,000 people, the battle can be prolonged more.
“1,000 troops reinforcements?!” Liu Neng quickly opened his mouth “Little lord, don’t you remember, we still have another set of private soldiers?!”
“Hrm?!” Liu Mang’s brow wrinkled. What does Liu Neng mean? Does the Liu clan still have hidden soldiers? This d.a.m.ned boy, we are at a big dire strait, but he still do not want to go all out? What the h.e.l.l does this mean?
Seeing that Liu Mang’s brow wrinkled in anger, Liu Neng quickly knew that Liu Mang had misunderstood his words and said “Little lord, our Liu clan’s private soldiers are already extinguished!!! All of them died in battle including our butlers and gardeners!!!” Their soldiers truly only amounted to those 8,000 troops which possessed the potential of 500 troops.
Logically speaking, the Liu clan, one of the Han Dynasty clansmen, had been deep rooted in Lujiang for more than 100 years, starting with Prince Zhongshan of Jing. A number of their private soldiers should be tenfold than those of Zhou clan who only had two generations who managed to become one of Three Ducal Ministers and one of 9 Ministers. But during Emperor Huan of Han’s rule, he issued an edict that said, all of Han Dynasty clansmen are forbidden to raise their own forces and when Emperor Huan died and Emperor Ling became the emperor, he further enforced this rule. Only Liu Zhang and Liu Biao who controlled 1 fertile province each, managed to build their own army secretly. Liu clan of Lujiang was not so lucky as those two, as every action they took was monitored by Emperor Ling and those two who are posing as “Emperor Ling’s securities” in order to get rid of their weakest enemies. Therefore, the Liu clan of Lujiang can only weep in the shadows and desperately raised their own soldiers from their own servants and butlers in secret, but due to them lacking good trainers and generals, they were unable to create elites and only able to create part-time soldiers. So, 8,000 troops that the Liu clan was able to raise secretly was already very good for a n.o.ble who was constantly under surveillance, but that force is gone now in Wancheng city.
“Little lord, yes, there are 3,000 troops in the prison. They can serve as our reinforcements!!!” Answered Liu Neng.