Free Web NovelChapter 678: 678 Ambush on Cao Cao
Passing by a harvested field, they saw large stacks of straw piled up.
On the main road, soldiers hurried along, none of them checking the straw piles for anything amiss...
Moreover, the straw piles weren’t high, scattered haphazardly on both sides, hardly looking like places to hide.
Standing on a hillside, Xu Rong picked up the telescope Lu Ming had personally gifted him. It was made of bamboo, and the words "Xu Rong" were engraved on its surface.
This was undoubtedly an affirmation of a military general!
Every military general longed to possess a telescope, a telescope engraved with their name—that was true honor!
Through the telescope, Xu Rong saw a large group of soldiers rapidly passing through the rice paddies. He then said to the messenger, "Wave the flags, tell them to fire arrows!"
In ancient times, armies primarily communicated using flags, which required considerable practice to understand. ƒrēewebnovel.com
Without such flags, an army wasn’t considered a proper army, nor could it be considered combat-effective. After the signal was given, rockets began to be launched from the opposite hilltop.
Arrows were tied with cloth soaked in kerosene; once lit, the cloth wouldn’t extinguish after being fired.
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Countless rockets were launched, without any deliberate aim, only the ability to ignite was needed.
The arrows struck the dry straw piles, quickly setting them ablaze. Together with the remaining sections of harvested straw in the fields, a continuous fire engulfed the column!
"Kill!"
"Kill!"
Xu Rong positioned his most elite soldiers at the rear.
After the fires ignited, these second-tier heavy guards charged out from their ambush points, forming a shield wall that blocked the main road from the rear.
An impenetrable barrier completely blocked the pursuers’ path. These veteran soldiers could withstand even fiercer attacks...
Moreover, the guards themselves served as human shields; their lethality was less than that of archers, but their defensive capabilities were astounding.
"What’s going on? An ambush!"
Cao Cao hurriedly pulled his frightened warhorse, clinging to its back as much as possible to avoid being thrown off.
"An ambush! Damn it! The fire is too big! We can’t pursue anymore, we must retreat!"
Guo Si, as a veteran general, immediately realized they had fallen into a trap.
The rain of arrows, coupled with enemies blocking their path from both sides, meant that if they didn’t find a way to break through, the oncoming flames would completely engulf them.
Being consumed by flames was definitely not a pleasant prospect!
"My lord, I’ll cover your escape."
Cao Hong stepped forward without hesitation. In times of crisis, one’s own brothers are the only reliable support! At this moment, neither Guo Si nor Cao Cao had any intention of pursuing them.
Given Lu Ming’s style, their escape was a stroke of luck.
This invincible war god had actually anticipated their pursuit and quickly deployed an ambush, catching them completely off guard!
"Help!"
"Ah! Help me! I’m on fire!"
"Get out of the way! Don’t block my path!"
Screams rose and fell.
Faced with the raging flames, this fury of nature, no one wanted to confront it head-on.
That would be suicidal.
Some fled, some begged for mercy, some refused to surrender—all were visible.
In the panic, even the team leader couldn’t command his men.
And in the chaos, even retreating was extremely difficult.
Looking at the chaotic scene, Cao Cao said to Guo Si, "General Guo, the only way now is to cut down these disobedient soldiers and charge back together. Only then will we have a chance of survival!"
Guo Si, of course, knew this. Charging forward was impossible...
Because rows of soldiers had already raised their shields ahead. Even if they managed to break through, who knew what awaited them?
One ambush could lead to another. He wouldn’t gamble his life on such an absurd probability and luck!
*Thud*
The soldiers cut down by their own men never dreamed they would face such a day, that they would die so tragically!
Watching themselves being hacked to death, not by the enemy, was the most humiliating thing!
Of the five thousand men, only three or four hundred died in the fire... but seven or eight hundred were killed by their own men.
To survive, anyone who stood in their way was killed—it was a bloodthirsty rage, a self-destructive act! Having barely broken free of the fiery circle, they were met with a hail of large yellow crossbow bolts!
These large yellow crossbows, fired horizontally, could pierce through three ordinary soldiers before losing power...
The first soldier pierced was instantly blown to pieces.
The gruesome scene was unbearable to witness!
"First rank, retreat. Second rank, advance."
"Fire!"
The firing was carried out in an orderly, rotating fashion. Xu Rong had arranged five groups of crossbowmen, each group consisting of only twenty men.
This rotation allowed for uninterrupted firing.
Reloading the large yellow crossbows took time; it required stepping on them with both feet to reload, making it extremely cumbersome.
It was precisely because of this inconvenience that their destructive power was so formidable.
There are always trade-offs; simplicity and power are always linked.
If not, it certainly wouldn’t have been invented in this era. *Thud thud thud!*
Unlike the whooshing sound of arrows piercing the air, this dull thud was far more chilling.
Combined with the sound of crossbow bolts shattering bones, it was a nightmare! An endless nightmare!
If, after falling, one was lucky enough to survive and could still scream, it would plunge their own men into panic—perfect!
The continuous barrage of crossbow bolts continued for a full half hour before stopping...
The fire had already engulfed the road.
Guo Si seized an opportunity to charge desperately, only to crash into the impenetrable wall of armor and be instantly hacked to death!
The other soldiers who had survived the spear attacks frantically slashed at the shields, but aside from a few sparks, they had no effect whatsoever.
The next second, a spear thrust through, piercing Xin Ni; after a moment of stillness, he collapsed limply to the ground!
Cao Hong, leading Cao Cao, charged out through a less flammable rice paddy fire. A frontal breakout was certain death; they had to take a flanking maneuver!
Cao Cao, in his panic, was desperate. Compared to the undisciplined and weak Yellow Turban rebels, Lu Ming’s soldiers were veritable killing machines, a nightmare to be reckoned with.
If they didn’t run now, they might not be able to escape later!
