C125. Puncture Power: The Three-Bow Crossbow.

C125. Puncture Power: The Three-Bow Crossbow.

Li Li actually sent unarmed civilians onto the battlefield to serve as human shields.

Yuan Li felt a tremor in his hands.

He knew that in times of chaos on the battlefield, such things could happen, but seeing it with his own eyes made him feel both absurd and angry, along with a deep sense of powerlessness.

That's how the world is.

That's how chaotic times are.

No one cares about the lives of the common people, and the rulers high above would not even glance at the ants under their feet. If the common people die, it's of no concern, whether it's ten thousand or a hundred thousand, as long as there are survivors, the population will gradually increase.

No one thinks about whether the people are willing, scared, or even the value of a piece of armor or a sword, which is more important than a few lives.

Exploitation, plunder, disregard.

Taxation, conscription, war, hunger, suffering...these are the things a commoner would experience from birth in a tumultuous era.

They are at the bottom of society, struggling just to survive, with no thought of rebellion. Farmers who died on the battlefield used as shields may never have even had a decent meal before death. They may never have tasted the flavor of salted food or felt the warmth of winter without cold invading.

This is a chaotic era, where no mercy is given to the common people.

Lu He walked by casually, glanced indifferently, then withdrew his gaze, continuing on. A muffled remark carried by the wind reached Yuan Li's ears, "Li Li is really stingy..."

Yuan Li found it ridiculous and laughed.

No one thought it was wrong, and no one felt angry about it. They even believed that anyone who was angry about the deaths of these civilians were just pretending for show, while those with genuine feelings were the odd ones.

This is a battlefield, after all, isn't death a common occurrence?

Oh, the dead are ordinary farmers without armor or weapons, so what's the difference?

Yuan Li said nothing, calmly standing up and calmly surveying the mountains of corpses.

Chu Hechao's expression was not much better, a cold smirk on his lips as he sneered, "Sending farmers to the battlefield, no wonder Luoyang is short on food."

If the farmers who till the land are dead, can the land not lay fallow?

Chu Hechao looked down on people like Li Li and disdained such actions. But he had seen it all before, had become accustomed to it, and his heart felt no disturbance.

He averted his gaze, quickly reaching out to embrace Yuan Li's shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze and whispered, "Don't feel bad."

Yuan Li shook his head, "Let's go back."

The battlefield was littered with corpses, the stench of blood thick in the air.

Upon returning to the camp, Yuan Dan and Zheng Rong were pale and retching in a corner.

This was the first time they had witnessed such a bloody scene up close, unable to withstand the shock, their legs feeling weak.

In contrast, Yuan Li remained calm. The excitement and exhilaration from before vanished upon seeing the innocent deaths of civilians. Yuan Li felt that his mind was at its calmest moment, realizing vividly that war was not an occasion for excitement.

Yang Zhong chuckled upon seeing them and mocked, "Looks like these two are in for a rough night."

Yuan Li sighed, "If you can't handle it, go rest first."

Yuan Dan and Zheng Rong shook their heads, insisting on joining the discussion to strategize.

Having finally made it out to experience the world, neither of them wanted to waste this opportunity.

After washing away the blood from their bodies, the group gathered in the camp to discuss their next move. Yuan Li was not a professional at warfare, so he listened quietly to the others' discussions and also learned slowly in his heart.

In the end, Chu Hechao made a decision to pursue their victory.

As long as they broke through Hulao Pass to the west, they could enter Luoyang in one fell swoop.

The army did not delay their opportune moment and quickly packed up their camp and set off for Hulao Pass. Scouts dispersed to the southeast, northwest, and northeast to investigate the enemy's movements.

Before Hulao Pass, Chu Hechao encountered Yan Hui's vanguard troops twice.

These vanguard cavalrymen were obviously prepared and engaged Chu Hechao in a field battle. They harassed him from all sides, fighting when they could and running when they couldn't.

After several rounds, Chu Hechao's scouts were exhausted, the soldiers were repeatedly on edge, and their march was much slower.

Chu Hechao made a quick decision to change the watchmen, then set up camp in the same place to calm the restless hearts of the soldiers day by day.

That evening, Chu Hechao wore armor, held a large sword, and sat in a camp chair with his eyes closed, resting.

In the middle of the night, Yuan Li woke up, groggy, and asked, "Has Yan Wei sent anyone yet?"

"No," Chu Hechao opened his eyes, looking a bit weary, he rubbed his forehead, "Le Jun, come over and give me a kiss to wake me up."

Yuan Li sat down beside him. Chu Hechao pinched his chin and kissed him, feeling like he was his miraculous elixir that instantly boosted his spirits. Thinking this, he couldn't resist biting Yuan Li.

Yuan Li frowned, the last remnants of sleepiness disappearing, "Don't bite me."

Chuhai Chao nodded, then caressed his cheek, his rough fingers touching him earnestly. He wasn't wearing those ugly leather gloves, and his hands, uglier than the gloves, touched Yuan Li's handsome face, highlighting just how unsightly they were.

There was no candle lit inside the tent, only pale moonlight seeping in, casting a blurry atmosphere. Yuan Li covered Chu Hechao's hand with his own, softly asking, "Are you tired?"

"I'm okay, touching you makes me feel better," Chu Hechao replied in a low voice.

Yuan Li chuckled silently, as Chu Hechao's thumb traced the curve of his lips, causing a small smile, "Did you sleep well?"

"Not really," Yuan Li admitted honestly, "I keep worrying that Yan Hui might send someone to attack unexpectedly."

Chu Hechao slowly rubbed his lips, occasionally pressing a bit harder, then easing up, his voice soft, "He will. The tactic is obvious, first constantly engaging me, probing my strengths and weaknesses, then draining my energy. If I truly camped and stopped, it would mean falling into his scheme, proving that he has made me feel threatened, and my soldiers are becoming restless."

With a light chuckle, Chu Hechao continued, his smile grim and chilling in the darkness, tinged with mockery, "That's Yan Hui's method. So as soon as he sees me set up camp, he will send troops to burn our provisions, launch a sneak attack, trapping me in a dilemma, unable to advance or retreat. Once successful, he will lead his army in a direct attack on me."

Yuan Li playfully nudged Chu Hechao's hand, smiling, "But you've seen through it."

In the dimness, their faces blurred, Chu Hechao's large hand moved from the side of Yuan Li's face to the back of his head, guiding him for a kiss, whispering hoarsely, "Exactly."

In the darkness, the two men kissed in silence, the only sound the whisper of swallowing, as they waited quietly.

Waiting for the attackers to arrive—

About a quarter of an hour later, there was suddenly a commotion outside the tent, torches hurriedly passing by, someone shouting, "General, the enemy is attacking!"

Yuan Li's eyes lit up, and he pushed Chu Hechao with force.

Unhurriedly, Chu Hechao finished one last sweep with his lips before slowly pulling away, wiping Yuan Li's lips, then decisively gripping his sword and stood up, striding confidently towards the tent opening, his eyes ablaze, "Capture them!"

*

Yan Hui spent a sleepless night, waiting for news from the advance cavalry.

Wan Liang and another one of his subordinates were also sleepless, anxiously waiting in the tent together.

As Yan Hui aged, his spirits were not as good as when he was younger. In the early morning, he couldn't help but snore lightly, then suddenly woke up, asking, "What time is it?"

Wan Liang, exhausted, replied, "General, it's almost dawn."

With dawn nearing, Yan Hui furrowed his brow, "Hasn't anyone returned yet?"

Wan Liang shook his head, "No."

Yan Hui felt his heart sinking, his eyelids twitched, a sense of foreboding rising, and he immediately got up and walked out.

His subordinates followed him outside, and not long after, a sentry hurriedly arrived, his face full of alarm, "Report! Outside, outside..."

Without letting him finish, Yan Hui quickly walked towards the outer perimeter of the camp. Even before he reached, he could see a group of soldiers huddled together, their faces filled with fear as if they had seen something extremely terrifying.

Wan Liang shouted angrily, ordering the soldiers to disperse. Yan Hui's expression was grave as he walked through the path the soldiers cleared, and his pupils widened in shock.

Not far from the camp, rows of thin wooden stakes were ruthlessly driven into the ground, each adorned with bloody heads.

The blood flowed down the wooden stakes, the faces of these heads looked familiar - they were the forward cavalry that Yan Hui had spent a lot of effort and resources to train!

Yan Hui's hands trembled, anger and fear surged in his heart.

All of his cavalry had been killed!

And when were these heads hung there?!

Unconsciously breaking into a cold sweat, suddenly, a scout rode urgently towards the camp, not yet arriving he shouted loudly to Yan Wei, "General! The enemy's large army is attacking!"

"The enemy's large army is attacking!"

Yan Hui's heart trembled, he turned around and roared, "Quickly, prepare the troops!"

*

The two large armies faced each other once again.

One side was full of aggression, while the other appeared fearful, Yan Hui's soldiers still reeling from the shock of the gruesome heads from that morning.

As if anticipating their thoughts, Chu Hechao ordered the banners to be waved and the drums to be beaten. The thunderous sound reverberated like thunder, striking at the hearts of the enemy soldiers, boosting their morale while the enemy's morale waned.

Seeing this, Yan Hui knew it was not good. He had to quickly disrupt the momentum Chu Hechao had built, so he immediately shouted, "Archers, fire!"

The disciplined archers stepped forward, under the protection of shield bearers and peasant shields, shooting arrows at the enemy.

After several rounds of attacks, a thousand households came to report, "Report! The enemy is out of our range!"

Out of range?

Yan Hui's brow furrowed tightly, realizing that if Chu Hechao was beyond their range, then they were also out of range of the Yu Zhou troops. What was Chu Hechao planning?

"Advance," Yan Hui felt that no matter what Chu Hechao was up to, he needed to interrupt it promptly, using a fierce attack to regain the momentum for his own side. Without hesitation, he ordered, "Increase the density of arrows."

The army moved forward, with Wan Liang following closely behind Yan Wei, closely watching the movements of the enemy. Soon, he caught sight of someone in the enemy's formation pushing several things resembling carts forward.

"What is that?" Wan Liang felt uneasy, "General, what do you make of that?"

Yan Hui looked over, hesitating, "I don't recall seeing anything like that before."

Of course, they had never seen anything like it before, because it was a three-bow bed crossbow that had never been seen by the public.

With a range of eight hundred paces, needing thirty men to fully draw, the three-bow bed crossbow was a formidable weapon.

To catch Yan Hui and others off guard, Chu Hechao had not used the three-bow bed crossbow in previous battles with Wan Liang.

But now was the time to unleash this secret weapon.

Everyone who had witnessed the power of the three-bow bed crossbow believed that after this day, the world would be shocked and fearful of its might.

Hundreds of three-bow bed crossbows were pushed forward, trained soldiers moved skillfully, with thirty men working together to pull the thick strings of the crossbow with all their might.

"One, two... one, two..."

The thick ropes were fully drawn, iron spear-like arrows were placed in the grooves.

Once these arrows were released, they would soar over the enemy archers and shield bearers, deeply penetrating the heart of the enemy's formation.

Such a powerful weapon was best suited for siege warfare, as each arrow was essentially a iron pike, requiring a huge expense to produce. Using it to kill enemies would be a wasteful use of arrows and manpower.

However, when a hundred three-bow bed crossbows were aimed at the enemy general, it was no longer a waste.

Because out of a hundred iron spear arrows, at least one would pierce the enemy general's chest.

Chu Hechao narrowed his eyes, sneered, raised his hand, and in a commanding voice ordered, "Fire."

The strong soldiers wielded their axes, mercilessly cutting the rope triggers. The iron spears broke through the quivering air with a sharp, piercing sound, swaying with a chilling gleam, a hundred large and formidable arrows aimed fiercely in Yan Hui's direction!