The chaotic battle had raged for a full hour, leaving all sides exhausted.
Under normal circumstances on the battlefield, both sides would have likely sounded the retreat long ago, allowing their soldiers to return to formation and rest.
If soldiers' stamina isn't replenished during intense combat, they can even be worked to death. This is often the reason why seemingly evenly matched battles can suddenly collapse on one side.
Therefore, good generals will ensure their troops have opportunities to rest in shifts during fierce fighting.
However, that wasn't possible now.
The two sides were already locked in a melee, and neither would give the other a chance to rest. Anyone who showed signs of fatigue would be immediately pounced upon by the enemy.
Ju Yi felt his heart pounding fiercely in his chest. He signaled for two armored halberd soldiers behind him to step forward, taking the opportunity to retreat and recover his breath.
He watched as the Xiongnu soldiers on the opposite side grabbed the shafts of the halberds, desperately hacking at his own armored soldiers. Although most of the blows were futile against the armor, the sheer number of attackers was overwhelming.
Of his twenty-plus armored soldiers, two had died and three were wounded, while the Xiongnu had already lost more than twenty men.
Ju Yi looked towards Zhao Yun's position in the distance, where they were also engaged in a fierce battle. His own sword and shield soldiers were being desperately held back, forced to fight individually. If this continued, even if they won, the price would be high.
The situation on the battlefield was now completely chaotic, and he had no time to command.
The Xiongnu soldiers were also displaying their ferocity, charging forward fearlessly under the leadership of their Hun general. Now it was a question of who would break first.
Qu Yi roared, raised his long halberd, and charged forward again.
Yuan Xi, positioned high above, saw that the valley below was locked in a bitter struggle, which was somewhat beyond his expectations.
This Xiongnu tribe, which had come out to plunder, was not a disorganized band of stragglers. On the contrary, their various units coordinated well, indicating that they had raided the Central Plains many times before and were experienced in this type of operation.
They must not be allowed to escape!
He led his men and killed all the dozen or so Xiongnu archers on the hillside, even using up all the captured arrows.
He pulled the arrow that was embedded in his armor, tied his ring-pommel sword to his wrist, and shouted, "Kill all the barbarian dogs today, and you will be rewarded double according to your merits!"
Upon hearing this, the already tired soldiers cheered excitedly, not just Yuan Xi's soldiers, but even Zhao Yun's!
Zhao Yun had already dismounted and was using his spear to kill the charging Xiongnu soldiers. He smiled wryly, wondering how, in the midst of the battle, his men had become like Yuan Xi's subordinates.
But, to be fair, Yuan Xi's willingness to personally charge into the enemy ranks was something that ordinary aristocratic young masters couldn't do.
During the Battle of Jieqiao, Yuan Shao had also taken the lead and charged to the front, greatly boosting morale and leading to a decisive victory over Gongsun Zan. Zhao Yun thought that although the Yuan family was known for favoritism and autocracy, they weren't without their merits.
Yuan Xi led his men down the hillside, directly attacking the enemy's flank. He didn't just charge recklessly, but constantly guarded against being surrounded by the enemy, continuously directing his men to attack one enemy with several soldiers, maintaining superior numbers and gradually whittling down the opposition.
Only unparalleled brave generals could survive by simply relying on brute force, and he didn't think he had that ability.
The valley was a scene of chaotic fighting, with corpses scattered around the dozen or so large carts. The woman with the scarred face hid under a cart, taking out a dagger she had found in the arms of a dead Xiongnu soldier.
She reached out from under the cart, groping to use the dagger to pick the lock on the chest above her head. Her arm was aching, but she gritted her teeth and persevered.
Inside this chest were the valuable possessions left behind by her deceased father, which had been stolen along with her. She was determined to get them back.
She carefully concealed herself while constantly trying, and finally, with a snap, the lock popped open.
She was overjoyed, but then she noticed a few raindrops falling in front of her.
It was raining.
The autumn rain came so suddenly, enveloping the valley in a mist of water. The soldiers of both sides fought in the mud, their bodies covered in mud and blood, but no one had time to care.
The woman withdrew her hand again, knowing that even if she opened the chest now, the contents would be soaked and damaged.
At this moment, the sound of footsteps approached. In the thick rain and mist, a dozen or so Xiongnu soldiers guarded a figure as they approached the cart.
The woman quickly retracted her hand, recognizing from the sound that the person being protected in the middle was the Xiongnu chieftain.
Several of his lieutenants said, "Lord, we can't hold on much longer, let's retreat first!"
The Xiongnu chieftain, while cutting down the charging Han soldiers, angrily said, "A great humiliation, a great humiliation!"
"When I return to the northern lands, I will definitely ask my father to send troops to kill all these Han soldiers!"
"If I break this oath, may Liu Bao be condemned by all!"
The lieutenants exchanged glances, thinking that their lord, as the son of the Southern Xiongnu Chanyu, was originally disguised as a chieftain of a small tribe to raid and gain experience in Han territory, but unexpectedly, he had encountered a tough opponent here!
The hundreds of Xiongnu soldiers accompanying him this time were not ordinary tribal warriors, but carefully selected elite soldiers from the Southern Xiongnu!
However, the two Han armies they encountered were even more difficult to deal with than they were!
As Liu Bao passed the cart, he glanced at it angrily, knowing that if they fled now, the plundered wealth could not be taken away.
He saw the popped lock and paused slightly. Then, bending down slightly, he saw the ugly woman hiding under the cart, her face filled with fear.
He was enraged and raised the short bronze spear in his hand, stabbing it towards the woman.
Seeing this, the woman frantically rolled away to avoid the attack, but was still hit in the shoulder by the spear, and blood gushed out.
The pain made her vision go black, and she almost fainted, thinking, 'Am I going to die here today?'
But then she heard a shout, "This is the Xiongnu leader, attack with me!"
The woman lay on the ground, watching a group of people in lamellar armor rush forward and engage the Xiongnu chieftain and his dozen or so men in a fierce battle.
She covered the wound on her shoulder, watching as blood flew and limbs were severed, and people screamed and fell from time to time.
Yuan Xi, holding his ring-pommel sword, slashed at the chieftain leading the attack.
Unexpectedly, Liu Bao reacted extremely quickly, using his bronze spear to stab to death a soldier who was approaching from behind. With his other hand, he swung an iron mace at Yuan Xi's head.
Yuan Xi blocked with his ring-pommel sword, but felt the opponent's great force and weight. The ring-pommel sword flew out of his hand.
Fortunately, he had tied a rope to the ring at the end of the ring-pommel sword and attached it to his wrist. He pulled his arm and grabbed the hilt again.
Liu Bao was also enraged. He saw that Yuan Xi had been directing the crowd and must be of high status. Now was a great opportunity to kill him and vent the anger in his chest!
He roared and launched a simultaneous attack with both hands, stabbing and smashing, immediately causing Yuan Xi to struggle and retreat repeatedly.
Ju Yi, seeing this from afar, thought something was wrong. This Xiongnu chieftain was not a mediocre opponent!
He wanted to rush over, but was entangled by the Xiongnu soldiers in front of him and could not break free for a while. He had no choice but to order the people around him to attack Yuan Xi's side fiercely.
Yuan Xi retreated step by step, already with his back against the cart. Liu Bao stabbed him in the chest armor with a spear, and the force of the impact made him unable to breathe.
Yuan Xi gritted his teeth and slashed at Liu Bao's hand with his sword, but it was blocked by his arm armor.
Both were wearing fine armor, and for a time, neither could do anything to the other.
Seeing that Yuan Xi's armor was troublesome, Liu Bao lunged forward and knocked Yuan Xi to the ground.
He straddled Yuan Xi and smashed the iron mace in his hand down on Yuan Xi's head!