The Great Han Dynasty 62: The Battle of Red Cliffs (Part 2)

  A long, long time ago, Liu Ying had also heard such a sound of war and slaughter at a very close distance.

  It's been really, really long time.

  That was ten years ago.

  Ten years ago, in the midst of chaos and war.

  That year, he was only six years old and not yet the crown prince of Han, but just the son of the King of Han. That year, the Chu-Han war broke out, the Han army retreated, and the King of Han fled with his general Xiahou Ying, while the Chu army sent people to Feng Pei to capture the family members of the King of Han.

  Sister pulled him to run in the field, he kept looking back, couldn't understand why yesterday was fine, but today had to leave home. On the main road, they occasionally passed by carriages and horses, and they had to be careful not to be seen. He couldn't find his grandfather or mother.

  A self-sufficient little world in the countryside was trampled by the iron hooves of Chu and Han overnight. At the age of six, he was actually too young to understand anything or do anything. When he met his uncle, he and his sister were overjoyed and completely relieved, thinking: Now it's all right.

  No matter what happened outside, Father would protect them.

  A bright red sun rises from the east, its light and heat discerning human nature, unafraid of worldly right and wrong.

  "Report." The long voice of the messenger came from the east of the mountain ridge, one knee knelt on the ground and raised his head, with a face full of bloodstains and the sun behind him in the same color, "The rebel army's offensive is fierce, Lu Xun and others can't hold it back, and they are gradually retreating to General Fan's place."

  "Uh-huh." He responded lightly, indicating that he knew.

  Beside him, Zhang He asked, "What are the casualties on both sides?"

  "The rebels were fierce and fearless, and the lieutenant and his men fought to the death. Both sides suffered heavy casualties. However," the young messenger's voice rose in excitement, "General Fan used a large crossbow to kill several of the most ferocious rebels, greatly boosting our army's morale."

  "Uh-huh."

  He actually has no impression of his father.

  He was born soon after his father raised an army to rebel against Qin. He has been on the run ever since. For years, he hasn't had a chance to return home even once. In his impression, what he saw more often were his mother's slightly furrowed eyebrows and the calluses on her hardworking hands.

  Everyone says that King Han is a great hero.

  But why should the hero's wife and children stay at home in anxiety?

  The Chu army's pursuing cavalry was getting closer and closer, Xia Hou Uncle exhausted all his strength to urge the carriage to run. The horse was already tired, it was dragging too many people, it really couldn't run fast.

  His father's gaze swept hesitantly over Xiahou Shu, his sister, and himself. In the dilapidated carriage, his sister clutched his hand, trembling uncontrollably. He looked up, not understanding the meaning of his father's gaze, but a child's instincts told him that it would be a cruel decision for himself.

  "Ying'er, be good and wait here with your sister. Father will come back to pick you up after shaking off the pursuers." He smiled on his face, a picture of kindness and joy, but his hands pushing them away had an irresistible force.

  "Bang, bang, bang......"

  The sun rises above the mountain peaks, a beam of sunlight shines down through the treetops, and the dark-colored banner flutters in the wind. The sky is vast and open.

  "Knock knock, knock knock, knock knock..."

  "Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom..." The urgent war drums came from afar and grew louder, merging with the frequency of heartbeats until they sounded like thunder.

  "The rebels are about to kill us!" a nameless soldier shouted.

  He seemed to hear the sound of horseshoes on the highway, ten miles, a hundred miles away.

  When he fell off the car, no one knew. At that moment, he was shocked beyond words.

  Xiahou Uncle lifted him back onto the carriage, but Father pushed him down again. Finally, Father glared with wide eyes and got angry, "If we keep going like this, we'll all be caught up by the pursuing soldiers."

  So you chose to abandon your son, did you?

  At the age of six, his sky was trampled by the iron cavalry of the Chu army. He had hoped that his father would help him repair this piece of sky, but his father couldn't do it.

  Later, Father made him the crown prince, father and son were very close, Mother returned home, and Elder Sister got married.

  Everything looks harmonious and perfect now.

  He also gradually forgot that moment of shock when his father pushed him off the carriage with a canopy.

  The wind was still, and he could smell the bloody air, the sounds of slaughter never-ending in his ears.

  "The boom, boom, boom" of the drumbeat sounded like a dense rain. The guards beside him drew their swords, their faces cautious and on guard.

  The deafening drumbeat shattered the veil that had been covering my memories, and only then did I catch a glimpse of the mottled scars on my heart.

  All these years, he didn't go to see or think about it, but he knew that the wound was festering and suppurating under the gauze, gradually spreading into a kind of illness.

  The sun is in the eastern sky, it's about 9:30.

  One, two... three!

  The dark armor of the Huanan rebels appeared at the foot of the mountain ridge.

  More than a thousand rebels from south of the Huai River paid the price of eighty percent casualties, and finally brought these one hundred and eighty-two companions to this mountain pass below, in front of themselves.

  "Throw stones." Liu Ying said solemnly.

  Large boulders rolled down from the mountain ridge, instantly crushing several people to death. The momentum of the Huainan rebels also had to slow down a bit.

  He drew his sword from his waist with a "whoosh" sound, and the clear sound of the sword leaving its scabbard was like the beating of a drum.

  The drumbeat started booming in the nearest place. The 800 elite soldiers had already been stirred up by the killing sounds from the mountain below, their eyes were red with excitement. In that place, thousands of Han soldiers paid the price of their lives to delay the start of the drumbeat on the mountain top.

  In the past I went away, willows were lush and dense. Now I come back to think, rain and snow are swirling around.

  They can't go back anymore.

  "Clang." The first sound of two swords clashing.

  "Hsss." The first sound of the sword blade entering his opponent's chest.

  Blood splattered on his face and body, Liu Ying didn't have time to wipe it off, he swung his sword, cutting off the arm of a Huainan soldier who rushed in front of him, clean and efficient.

  He is the crown prince of the Great Han Dynasty, but he is not a young master with no strength.

  After that year of sword and soldier calamity, he had been urging himself to practice riding, shooting, and sword fighting all these years. Just so that if he encountered such a thing again, he wouldn't just tremble with fear and seek protection from others.

  He got up early every morning to practice swordsmanship.

  If even one's own father cannot be relied upon, in a situation of utter despair, who else can be depended on?

  There will never be another Xiahou Dun in this world.

  The matter on the road of Yangyang is a wound in his life, even if he kills the enemy with his own hands, it cannot be healed.

  The Han army and the Huainan army engaged in fierce battle. The Huainan rebels looked around, trying to determine which one was the true prince of Great Han. On the hillside, layers of Han military guards surrounded Liu Ying, Zhang He, and Xu Xiang, vowing to fight to the death.

  "It's him." Suddenly, someone pointed at the young man in white fish-scale armor under the Han banner and said, "He looks like a bookworm, can't even hold a sword properly, must be the little white face prince of the Han court."

  At this point, over a hundred rebels from Huainan exerted all their strength to charge and kill the young man in white, for a time. The young man's face turned pale, but after touching his waist, he quickly calmed down. His expression was filled with a kind of blood intention that would rather die than be humiliated.

  "Hey." Liu Ying was both shocked and amused, crying with laughter as she shouted out, but was grasped by Zhang Ge's hand and pinched.

  "Hurry up and protect the prince." Zhang He shouted in a low voice, pointing at the white-armored young man under the Han flag.

  The guards all nodded in agreement. They all rushed to the Han flag, but still had a tendency to lean towards Liu Ying's side. The Huanan army rallied their remaining strength and launched attack after attack, leaving behind corpse after corpse, but were repeatedly repelled by the Han army. Blood from both sides flowed out, dyeing the grass on the entire hillside red.

  The sun is approaching its zenith. The time has approached noon.

  There were countless times when the sword blade was cut towards him, and it was always blocked by the slanted edge of the sword. He had no idea how many people he had killed on the mountain ridge. The corpses piled up like a carpet, and the Han and Huai armies continued their endless struggle on this carpet.

  Suddenly, a familiar guard in front of him showed a look of horror, shouted "Your Highness", and rushed over to push him away.

  Liu Ying did not understand what was happening. All he heard was the sound of a bowstring whizzing through the air, brushing past his cheek and shooting into the forehead of this guard.

  Fresh blood mixed with brain matter flowed down, and the guard slowly fell over.

  Under the setting sun by the river, the child who was pushed off the car got up unsteadily and walked step by step towards his father.

  Liu Ying had no time to go and assist Wei, turned around and raised her sword, using all her strength to block the heavy sword blade.

  Where you fall down, you must get up from there. After getting up, pat the sore wound and continue moving forward with your head held high.

  And in this one turn, he took a big step forward, from six years old to sixteen years old.

  My heart has just stopped racing.

  "Your Highness." The newcomer glanced at another young man under the banner, his laughter was thick and loud, wearing a dark armor, with a full beard, looking handsome and radiant. "The abacus is well played, but I suppose you didn't expect me to come in person, did you?"

  Liu Ying only felt a sudden weight in his tiger's mouth, his hands went numb, and he involuntarily took a step back, releasing the sword's momentum. He raised an eyebrow and smiled, saying, "How could that be? Uncle Ying, I've been waiting for your arrival."

  Huainan army is the best in the world, who is the most powerful general in the army?

  It is Embu.

  So this army which held all his hopes, how could he not be among them?

  For a time, the situation on the mountain changed again. The Han army used Xu Xiang as bait to mislead the Huanan rebels and ensure Liu Ying's safety. Although it was a clever plan, it also indirectly led to the situation where Ying Bu and Liu Ying faced each other, and most of the Han army could not catch up in time.

  In an instant, the entire mountain ridge fell silent. So everyone watched in silence.

  Ying Bu was born with a heroic temperament, and if one sword didn't hit the mark, he would immediately strike again. Liu Ying only felt a blank in his mind, and couldn't think of any strategy to counterattack. He could only follow his instincts and continue to defend against Ying Bu's offensive. However, after three swords, he had already retreated seven steps, and felt that his arms were trembling, the sword given by the emperor was getting heavier, and it was already difficult for him to lift it up.

  But these seven steps have already been slow enough to pause for a moment.

  Suddenly, a large crossbow bolt came flying down from the mountain, with at least six stones of force, aiming directly at Ying Bu's vital spot. Ying Bu dodged to the left and right, and in an instant, he caught a glimpse of a large number of Han soldiers rushing over, surrounding Liu Ying heavily from behind.

  "Old, old." Ying Bu sneered in his heart. If he were ten years younger, the last sword just now would have been enough to cut off Liu Ying's sword and chop off a segment of his arm.

  He was a hero of the world, and one strike did not hit, but he was not discouraged. He concentrated on responding to the Han general who threw down his bow and arrow and rushed over.

  After everyone left, Liu Ying inserted the sword into the ground, his face pale. Suddenly, he heard a loud crash and the surrounding guards whispered in shock. After being stunned for a while, he discovered that the Emperor's Sword, which was inserted into the ground, had broken off neatly from the middle.

  Before the cold sweat on his back had a chance to roll down, he heard a loud and shrill cheer beside him.

  "Your Highness, reinforcements have arrived, reinforcements have arrived."

  Looking back, sure enough, under the mountain ridge, a line of cavalry could be seen galloping and rushing in from afar, with smoke and dust under their hooves. On the black flag with a heavy tail at the front, there was a big "Han" character printed on it.

  The sun is high in the sky.

  "When he was six years old, his world was shattered by the iron hooves of the Chu army. He had hoped that his father would help him rebuild this sky, but his father couldn't do it. To think that a child who is fleeing for his life is pushed off a horse carriage by his own biological father, such a painful experience can cause psychological illness."

  Lu Yuan and Liu Ying both have post-traumatic stress disorder after the Han 2 years, which is not usually visible, but at a certain time, they will unconsciously recall. Lu Yuan chooses to seek refuge in love, while Liu Ying uses iron-blooded war to heal himself.

  This is the difference between men and women.

  To use a common metaphor, the father is the roof and the mother is the wall, they jointly support a family. So for this couple who first established their home, Liu Bang did not hold up the roof of his children's home, the father plays a very important role in the eyes of the child, his performance can hold up the child's spine, help the child avoid many detours. As a father, Liu Bang is unqualified. And as for Lü Zhi, I guess that wall was too thick and she even forgot to set a door, she wanted to keep this pair of children forever trapped within her walls, it was both protection and confinement.

  Although one is very serious and the other is not, neither of them qualifies.