Chapter 148: Facing Certain Death to Find a Way Out

"Follow me and charge!!!"

A hoarse roar echoed, and the three armies shouted in unison.

This explosive shout was enough to startle birds into flight, causing Yu Jin in the distance to frown slightly. This Chu Feng made the first move to seize the initiative, and his momentum was truly extraordinary.

Yet, did he really think he could trample through his military formations with fewer than three thousand troops? If he allowed him to pass through his sector, what face would he have left to face Cao Cao?

However, he clearly underestimated their combat prowess.

In the blink of an eye, the three armies closed in on the battle array.

Led by Chu Feng, the armored cavalry trampled the terrain, followed by the infantry. Almost at the very first encounter, they shattered the first defensive line laid down by Yu Jin, followed immediately by the second and third.

Instead of worrying, Yu Jin was delighted. He was setting a trap; he wanted to let Chu Feng charge in and then encircle him. Yet, he overlooked one detail—Chu Feng's gaze was fixed on the center army, not his vanguard.

Having broken through several lines, Yu Jin changed his command flags, directly reinforcing both flanks to begin the encirclement. Concealed arrows fired from time to time also killed a considerable number of Chu soldiers.

At that moment, an arrow struck the standard-bearer.

"How can the battle flag fall? Hold the banner and follow me in the charge!" Chu Feng turned his head and shouted sternly.

Liang Gang gritted his teeth, immediately grabbed the flagstaff with both hands, and feeling the battle flag snapping wildly against the wind, his gaze grew deep. He knew very well that the standard-bearer was a living target, but he had no time for hesitation.

"Change course, kill!!!"

Chu Feng pulled up on the reins. Originally charging straight toward Yu Jin's center army, he now abruptly changed direction, cutting across at an angle. Clearly, he was toying with Yu Jin.

The crucial point was that Yu Jin still had to defend; otherwise, with his front left empty, Chu Feng would not mind hacking down Yu Jin first.

"Deceitful! Arrogant!"

Yu Jin gripped the hilt of his sword, consumed with anger.

He knitted his brows fiercely. This Chu Feng was truly arrogant. In such close-quarters combat, he dared to bypass him and charge straight for the center army. Did he not know that once he recovered his footing and ordered the three armies to encircle him, he would face an attack from the front and rear?

With already so few troops, once caught in a pincer attack, how could he possibly survive?

An incompetent general implicates the entire army.

He had completely seen through Chu Feng; the man was merely a reckless brute with courage but no strategy. This was simply throwing oneself into a desperate situation with no way out. He refused to believe Chu Feng could shatter the center army anytime soon.

"Pass the order, encircle and annihilate!"

Yu Jin looked solemn as he gave the cold, stern command.

Several thousand men turned back to close the ring. He had originally thought this battle would take some time, but now it appeared Chu Feng was eager to bring this meaningless conflict to a swift end.

In the blink of an eye, Chu Feng was about to pierce completely through Yu Jin's vanguard array.

Beneath the chariot canopy in the center army.

Cao Cao gazed from the heights, unable to keep from frowning.

This Chu Feng truly did not play by the conventional rules. With a mere two thousand and odd men, he actually dared to dream of charging his center army? His center array was strictly disciplined and composed entirely of elite Qingzhou troops.

Let alone two thousand men, even if there were twenty thousand, what was there to fear? It was nothing more than throwing away their lives!

To have such a general in an opposing army was truly the nightmare of any army.

"My lord, Chu Feng is getting desperate. General Yu Jin has already rallied the troops for an encirclement." Guo Jia stroked his beard, smiling faintly as he watched Chu Feng about to plunge into a death trap.

Nearby, Liu Bei had used the previous moments to simply tend to his wounds. At this point, he was no longer fit to ride a horse, but considering his own men might worry, he dared not voice it.

Watching Chu Feng step by step approach total desperation, the expression Liu Bei had worn with lingering melancholy finally broke into a smile. Once Chu Feng fell into his hands, he would surely carve him to pieces.

Moreover, he had heard that Chu Feng's wives and concubines were peerlessly beautiful. When the time came, he would ravish them right before Chu Feng's eyes to avenge the humiliation of having his own wife stolen, and finally subject Chu Feng to death by a thousand cuts.

At this thought, Liu Bei laughed like a madman.

Meanwhile, within the military formation, Chu Feng had already slashed his way through Yu Jin's detachment. With deep eyes, how could he not know what he was doing? He was playing with fire.

While others fought with their backs to the river, he had actively rushed forward to trap himself in an encirclement. Was this fighting with one's back to the army? This was no longer foolish; it was supreme stupidity.

Behind him, those armored soldiers closely followed his footsteps.

Chu Feng knew that his vanguard cavalry were reaching their limits with their frantic charges and sudden maneuvers, and his infantry, having fought consecutive battles, were likewise exhausted.

If he dragged things out and stalemated with Yu Jin, it would be no different from a slow death. That was why he chose to court death in order to find a chance at life.

As long as he could breach Cao Cao's center army and beat back Cao's forces, their three armies would inevitably collapse. This was the hope upon which he pinned his victory—a gamble of nine deaths and one life pushed to the absolute extreme.

"This battle is nine deaths and no life! Are you afraid?"

Chu Feng reined in his horse and came to a halt. Yu Jin's forces had just been cut through, and it would take time for him to regroup and pursue. He needed a brief readjustment before launching one final, sweeping charge.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!"

Three consecutive shouts shook the deafening void.

Those who could follow Chu Feng this far had long since cast aside thoughts of life and death. While emotional contagion was one aspect, the most important factor was that they had nowhere left to retreat. Furthermore, with Chu Feng personally leading the charge, what did they have to fear?

In the distance, the entirety of Cao's army was shaken with terror.

Cao Cao narrowed his eyes in a frown. Having commanded armies for over a decade, seeing such battle intent erupting amidst such an adverse situation genuinely made Cao Cao feel a trace of panic.

This Chu Feng had to be eliminated!

"Very well, today let us fight to our heart's content, and never stop until death!" Chu Feng slowly shifted the angle of his halberd, his voice icy as he let out a furious roar.

"Never stop until death!"

"Follow the commander's banner, charge with me!" Chu Feng roared, his halberd pointing far into the distance, staring straight at Cao Cao's command standard. To slay the general and seize the flag—today, he would capture Cao Cao's command banner.

In an instant, the Chu forces drew near.

Archers bent their bows and nocked arrows, though the glaring sun remained harsh, causing them to lose some accuracy. A rain of arrows fell, killing a hundred men.

Beneath the Chu banner, an arrow struck Liang Gang's shoulder armor. Blood instantly welled up, causing Liang Gang to break out in cold sweat from the pain, yet it transformed into a roar as he raised the flag and pressed forward in pursuit.

He could not fall behind, he simply could not!

As they closed in, Chu Feng took the lead, with Xu Chu wielding his saber close behind. The enemy arrayed a forest of spears; he had to break the formation from the front, otherwise a single encounter would crush dozens of riders to death.

"Break for me!"

Chu Feng swept his great halberd outward, directly clearing away the lances and spears braced before him. Following the momentum, he thrust upward, his immense strength directly shattering the shields of the two men in front.

At the same time, Chu Feng leaped his horse into the air, his halberd striking, piercing, and parrying, tearing open the gap in the blink of an eye. The armored soldiers who rushed to fill the void were likewise cut down by Chu Feng's sweeping halberd.

Xu Chu was likewise unstoppable. As his broadsword danced through the air, rows of large shields splintered, and armored soldiers were sent flying backward.

As for the cavalry behind, some charged straight ahead. Though pierced through by lances and spears, their plunging mounts still carved open gaps for those behind them to charge through.

Cao's military array was heavily layered. Even if Chu Feng wanted to cut straight through in a short time, it was hardly realistic. Yet behind him, countless cavalrymen charged forward with a reckless disregard for their lives.

To charge forward had only one outcome: death!

"May my lord protect my wife and child!" another man cried out. Even as he shouted, he whipped his horse into a gallop, his eyes filled with a lethal determination as he rushed frantically ahead.

"My lord, I shall follow you once more in the next life!" another robust man shouted, a look of fervent fanaticism mingled with utter fearlessness on his face. With such grand momentum, if all three armies were like this, what was there to fear from Cao's forces?

"I am Li Gan of Shouchun!"

"I am Zhang Hui of Hefei! Father, Mother, your son shall serve you again in the next life!"

Tragic and stirring cries rang out one after another. These men launched suicidal charges against the enemy array, all to breach the formation so they could slay Cao Cao and protect their wives and children.

Chu Feng gritted his teeth so hard they nearly broke, a heart-rending roar tearing from him as his halberd swept and parried. Yet he was powerless to save them; he could only strive to pierce through the enemy array to the utmost of his ability, shattering the whole by breaking a single point!