Chapter 561: Occupying Xiangyang

Just like the hundreds of times he had charged into formations in the past, Bai Lang roared and took the lead, using his long spear to flick away the deer-caltrops, charging straight into the enemy's rain of arrows. Bai Lang's long spear flew and poked, knocking away almost all the incoming arrows; the few he couldn't intercept were blocked by the armor and horse armor reinforced by his bursting fighting spirit, unable to pierce through the armor. Bai Lang was more than ten yards ahead of everyone else; this was precisely so that after he broke through, he could completely disrupt the opponent's next round of archery, so that the cavalry behind him wouldn't necessarily be hit by arrows when they charged.

Bai Lang stepped into the vanguard, while behind him, Xiahou Dun had already ordered that no one was allowed to leave their own army formation and camp without authorization, only to line up in their own units. His order was for everyone to fight their own battles, never giving Bai Lang a chance to trample the chaotic army. The other army formations also set up heavy crossbows, aiming at the formation Bai Lang had just broken into, ready to cover it with heavy crossbows at any time. And the eight hundred cavalry behind Bai Lang also killed their way in, and Xiahou Dun's vanguard immediately collapsed.

With one order, the armies on the left, right, and rear immediately began to fire arrows mercilessly, while Bai Lang didn't stop at all and charged into another army formation. The eight hundred cavalry behind him also followed him, their bursting fighting spirit connecting into a white tiger shape as they rushed out. At this moment, suddenly a clapper sounded; on the left was Zhang Yide, on the right was Guan Yunchang, and in the rear, Guan Ping and others started the fire. In an instant, the Cao army was in chaos. Bai Lang slaughtered his way into the heart of the enemy, causing havoc. Xiahou Dun was busy commanding the army formation to intercept this guy, so the left and right were broken into by Guan Er and Zhang San...

The Cao army was routed, and the fleeing people even trampled out the fire that had started in the rear. Bai Lang easily beheaded Xiahou Lan in the formation, and the other Cao generals all fled. Counting the troops, Bai Lang's eight hundred cavalry had only lost three. With Lang's bravery, his merit naturally ranked above all the generals. When he returned to see Xuande and Kongming, Bai Lang was the first to dismount, and the generals behind him also dismounted one after another to salute Xuande and the military advisor Kongming.

When CaoCao saw Xiahou Dun defeated and retreating to Xuchang, he was furious and immediately wanted to mobilize an army of five hundred thousand to fight LiuBei, "With Bai Yuzhu's help and now the Crouching Dragon, we cannot win without heavy troops." Mobilizing the army and transporting military grain would take at least until the thirteenth year of Jian'an before they could send troops.

Liu Biao was seriously ill and urgently invited Liu Xuande to entrust his son to him. This time, Bai Lang did not go, but ZhaoYun followed. Bai Lang did not follow; the jade fish on his chest had already begun to emit a warm light. "I can't stay much longer. I wanted to restore the Han Dynasty and revive the Ji Han, but now it seems a bit difficult." Bai Lang felt that he might not be able to hold on until entering Shu, and the subsequent Battle of Jingzhou and Battle of Yiling were probably even more impossible. "I can only take Han Zhong for Xuande and occupy half of Sili Province."

Regardless, they had to repel CaoCao in the thirteenth year of Jian'an to have any possibility. LiuBei went, but Liu Biao had not yet died; he only told Xuande that he wanted to give him the position of Provincial Governor, which Xuande firmly refused, saying he could pass the position to the eldest son, Liu Qi. After saying this, Xuande returned to Xinye, not expecting that Liu Biao would die the next day, and the group of officials under him, led by Lady Cai, directly pushed the young son, Liu Cong, to be the Jingzhou Governor. At this time, CaoCao's grand army was ready and had already charged straight toward Xiangyang.

Liu Xuande was also preparing for battle in Xinye. Bai Lang simply took the cavalry and moved forward to patrol near Xiangyang, ready to give the Cao army's vanguard a painful blow at any time; this was agreed upon by Kongming. Bai Lang also knew that Liu Cong would surrender to the enemy, but he didn't know that Liu Cong had already taken the position and surrendered. This was only notified to Xuande after Guan Er Ye captured someone, and then Xuande sent someone to notify Bai Lang. "What?!" Bai Lang was also shocked.

He immediately became hot-headed, "Follow me to attack the Cao army! The Cao army must be unprepared now. Let's give them a head-on blow first. Otherwise, it's over for Xuande." At that moment, Bai Lang mobilized all eight hundred elite cavalry of his unit and charged straight toward the Cao army in Xiangyang. The vanguard of the Cao army, Wang Lan, was stabbed off his horse by Bai Lang with a spear before he could even reply. Then he led the army to cover and kill, and the vanguard of the Cao army suffered countless casualties and fled directly to the rear.

Bai Lang took advantage of the momentum to break into Xiangyang City. The Cao army entering the city was in chaos, and quite a few cavalry generals and cavalry wanted to intercept Bai Lang, but they were all killed and scattered by him. Bai Lang and the eight hundred cavalry charged wantonly inside and outside Xiangyang City. The vanguard of one hundred thousand Cao troops collapsed in one day and were simply driven out of Xiangyang City by Bai Lang, straight to CaoCao's main army. The great generals of CaoCao's army all came out, but they only blocked Bai Lang, preventing him from forcefully breaking into CaoCao's main army. However, Xiangyang City was actually lost just like that.

Bai Lang defeated Xu Chu and Dian Wei, and wanted to charge at CaoCao's army, but was forced back by a rain of arrows. The eight hundred cavalry also retreated with him, and he closed the Xiangyang city gate. Bai Lang held his sword and went to the palace, killing all the Jingzhou scholars. People like Fu Xun, Kuai Yue, and Cai Mao, who had surrendered or had thought about harming Xuande, were beheaded by Bai Lang in the palace, and he conveniently let his own cavalry go and kill their entire families. Lady Cai and Liu Cong were brought out. Liu Cong cried, "It was not my wish." Lady Cai also cried, "How could a woman have such insight."

Bai Lang smiled, "Liu Jingsheng is lonely underground, wouldn't it be better for the two of you to go on the road early to accompany him?" After saying this, he swung his sword and cut off two heads. Another person, the dwarf Wang Can, was lifted up by Bai Lang and casually thrown to the ground, falling to his death. The military generals like Wen Ping did not dare to block Bai Lang's sharpness, and seeing Bai Lang look over, they all huddled together like rats and birds. "Quickly go and report to Lord Xuande, I have already captured Xiangyang! We should mobilize the entire army to fight CaoCao to the death in Xiangyang!"

Bai Lang ordered five hundred cavalry to guard the city gate and wait for Xuande to lead the army to arrive, while he took three hundred cavalry to go out of the city again to challenge. He must not let CaoCao's grand army calm down and proceed step by step. Bai Lang launched thirteen urgent raids in one day, broke into the Cao camp eleven times, changed horses six times, killed sixteen Cao camp generals, defeated all the great generals of the Cao camp, and killed thousands of Cao troops. Bai Lang's armor was covered in blood, and when he returned to the city at night, every step he took dripped blood.

The Cavalry Commandant under him came to report, "The scholars in the city have all been killed." From then on, the aristocratic families of Jiangling and Jingzhou, such as the Cai family, were directly wiped out. There were also people in the city who tried to close the city gate to block Bai Lang outside, but seeing Bai Lang's bravery from day to night, they were all terrified, and some simply abandoned their posts and fled. Bai Lang also lit up the lights at night, and he himself rested on the city wall, ready to join the battle at any time.

The next evening, Xuande, Yunchang, Yide, Kongming, and others all arrived, bringing the infantry of Gao Shun and Gao Gan as well as the main army of others, and the troops in Xiangyang City also had to be reorganized by Xuande one by one. When Xuande entered the city, the first thing he did was to comfort the people and meet with the Jingzhou generals one by one. Seeing Bai Lang, Xuande even wanted to bow, but Bai Lang quickly supported Xuande, "Why must the Lord do this! I am just doing my duty."

Now Fancheng and Xiangyang formed a pincer position, and with Xinye City in hand, Liu Xuande had the confidence to fight CaoCao. However, CaoCao was powerful, and Liu Xuande had a heart to withdraw the people in the city, "I am afraid that the Cao thief will slaughter the city." ===== CHAPTER 562 =====