Chapter 89: Wu San Dog Exchanges Life for Life (3)
Shi Jin stood on the city wall, and for the first time he saw with his own eyes how terrifying an array could be. Originally, he thought that arrays were so powerful because of the coordination between different types of troops within them, and that an array was like a trap - once you fell into it, you would be controlled everywhere and slaughtered at will. Just like when he and Chen Da charged into the Northwest Great Camp, they saw a small array with hooks, bows, arrows, pikes, and long guns, each having its own defensive and offensive capabilities, with killing power both near and far. But now, seeing Meng Du's large array being tested by Wu Sanlang and others, he suddenly understood something. The so-called "array" was not just what he had thought before - the coordination between troops and the utilization of terrain were not the source of an array's power. Its true essence lay in its control over the entire battlefield.
In a large formation, the roles of various positions are different, and the effects of each department are determined by the will of the person who sets up the formation in advance. This ensures that the entire battle can start without any mistakes according to the original plan and end with the expected results. Moreover, the formation is not like a castle or a camp, which is fixed and immobile. On the contrary, the formation is alive, and the movement of each position and the changes within the formation will produce unexpected effects. Just like this large formation now, if Shi Jin's guess is correct, it will move the vanguard camp to transfer the dare-to-die hundred people who are trapped in it unknowingly to the other side of the formation, completely cutting off their way out, and there will be no way for external aid to arrive, thus achieving the effect of controlling the situation and occupying the geographical advantage.
At this moment, the two small arrays led by the crescent shield array are moving faster and faster in opposition to each other. The long spear arrays on both sides of the left and right wings also began to kill like a tiger's mouth, trapping the daredevil hundred-man team inside. At this moment, the hundred or so people also sensed something was wrong, watching the soldiers rush up from both sides like a sea, knowing that the last blow had come, either way they would die, rather than drag a few more soldiers to block their backs, at least on the road to the Yellow Springs it wouldn't be so desolate. So everyone shouted and killed with all their might, wielding the weapons in their hands with great ferocity. They fearlessly rushed towards the soldiers in front of them one by one, this momentum was indeed chilling to see for the soldiers, but although they were brave, they were already outnumbered, which had already been decided on this small battlefield.
Shi Jin saw that they were determined to die, exchanging their lives for the enemy's, and his heart was deeply moved by their heroic act. He finally understood why Wu Sanlang had toasted him with the last jar of wine, and why the brothers had eaten so happily in front of the officials' humiliation. It wasn't that they didn't have dignity or loyalty, but rather they had made up their minds to die when they ate that meal, knowing it was their last. Shi Jin now looked at them fighting fiercely in the midst of the enemy's camp, and thinking back to how they had devoured their food with gusto, he felt that they hadn't been weak or humiliated at all, but rather heroic, making him feel inferior by comparison. As Shi Jin thought about this, his heart began to ache, his eyes welled up with tears, and even his eye sockets turned slightly red from being choked back.
At this moment, Wu San Dog was already covered in blood, while Meng Du Jian continued to slash at him with one knife after another, not giving him any chance to rest. After a move that Wu San Dog barely dodged, Ling Kong's knife came down again. Although Wu San Dog was enraged and his hands moved extremely fast, he raised his long spear to block the attack, but unexpectedly Meng Du Jian took advantage of his superior position and with incredible force, cut off Wu San Dog's long spear with one slash.
Wu San Dog's heart sank as soon as he saw the broken gun, and at this moment, Meng Du Jian's knife edge was too powerful to be withdrawn in time. Wu San Dog seized this last opportunity, gritted his teeth, and threw the broken gun barrel at Meng Du Jian's face. At the same time, he grabbed the reins of Meng Du Jian's horse with one hand and borrowed strength to jump up. Meng Du Jian saw that Wu San Dog had made a desperate move and knew that the man in front of him was determined to die together. However, it was too late for him to defend himself with his large knife, so after dodging the gun stock that came flying at his face, he immediately loosened his grip on the stirrup, lifted his leg, and kicked Wu San Dog who was flying towards him.
Just as Meng Du's foot kicked into Wu San's chest, Wu San felt his ribs break, he gripped the other half of the gun barrel with his right hand, using all his strength to thrust the gun head into Meng Du's abdomen.
Meng Dujuan was originally bleeding from two places, and at this moment, his lower abdomen suffered the last fatal blow. He couldn't hold on anymore, and his body lost balance, falling off the horse to one side. Wu Sandog, who had been kicked flying, also fell to the ground, and the surrounding soldiers rushed up and stabbed him with their guns. Wu Sandog didn't even have time to struggle, and in an instant, seven or eight long spears pierced his clothes and chest cavity. Wu Sandog only saw the blood gushing out before his eyes, and a stream of blood surged up with the intense tearing pain, hitting his throat and making him feel that the blood was getting hotter and hotter, while he himself was getting cooler and cooler. He wanted to hold onto this warm blood, wanted to turn his head and take another look at Huayin County, but there was no chance. The long spears were pulled out one after another and stabbed into his body again and again, and he could no longer feel the pain. He only vaguely looked at a place not far away, where Meng Dujuan was being rescued in the chaos, and was hastily taken away by the crowd of generals, gasping for breath, looking like he wouldn't live much longer.
Wu San Gou watched as the temperature seemed to dissipate from his body with each thrust of the long guns, and the screams of the daredevil hundred men who followed him grew fainter. The shouts of the officers and soldiers around him also became increasingly indistinct. In the last moment of his life, although he could no longer see Shi Jin and his three brothers, he had killed Meng Du, and it was worth dying for, to avenge his brothers and the brothers of the entire Shao Hua Mountain stronghold. Wu San Gou smiled, and the scorching hot blood finally flowed out from the corner of his mouth, he could no longer feel the temperature, his body stiffened and fell to the ground, and he stopped breathing.
Wu San Dog is dead, and those brothers who came together are trapped in the formation, surrounded by enemies, outnumbered. By this time, most of them have died miserably under the long guns of the government soldiers. The bloody and tragic scene deeply pains Shi Jin's heart. He clenches his fists tightly, his fingernails digging deep into the flesh of his palm, and blood flows out along the lines of his hand, dripping onto the city wall. He watches as Wu San Dog and the brothers fall one by one in the enemy formation, never to get up again. He sees those desperate brothers being killed by the government soldiers, their bodies torn apart, but facing such a powerful enemy, he can't take action, nor can he afford to. Shi Jin knows why Wu San Dog chose to die so bravely. If he were to charge out now, it would only lead to the government soldiers counterattacking, and Huayin County would be lost, Chen Da would also die. Then Wu San Dog's sacrifice would have been in vain, and his death would have no meaning.
Shi Jin could only watch as the hundred dare-to-die men fell one by one in the enemy formation, powerless to do anything... until the last brother was also brutally killed by the government soldiers and fell to the ground, never to get up again.
