Chapter 74

"It seems that in your master's heart, the Emperor is much more important than you!" Ling Ling Gong said with a smug look as he watched Ling Ling Fa jump down through the hole in the roof.

Upon hearing this, Ling Xiao waved his hand indifferently, "Believe me, I really don't care about this. If he wants to be gay, that's his business. I've seen plenty of that kind of thing! There are a lot of腐宅 (fuzhai, otaku who are into yaoi), and I don't discriminate!"

Ling Ling Gong paused and said solemnly, "What a pity! You and I serve different masters, otherwise, with your loyalty, I would definitely make you my friend!"

"Do you mean that not only can we not be friends, but you're also going to kill me?" Ling Xiao smirked and slowly pulled a bullet from his pocket and loaded it into his gun.

Ling Ling Gong showed no intention of stopping him. In fact, he didn't care about this weapon. Without Ling Ling Fa's cooperation, he couldn't think of any way Ling Xiao could pose a threat to him.

"You know very well that a gun can't hurt me, yet you still put on a calm face. Even if you want to buy time, you should at least do something meaningful! At least something that could help you survive," Ling Ling Gong advised.

Ling Xiao chuckled and stared into Ling Ling Gong's eyes, "You're very confident, but you're wrong about one thing."

"Which one?"

"I loaded the gun to give myself another way to deal with emergencies, not to deal with you!" Ling Xiao paused, "Do you think my master will support me, or I will support him?"

...

The confrontation between experts, though awe-inspiring, can never match the shock of a battle between armies.

The charge of the cavalry, the raising of shields by the infantry—these scenes from the age of cold weapons are unimaginable in the age of firearms!

Indeed, you didn't misread it; Baihu was now facing a group of infantry with raised shields!

The Jinyiwei is now under Baihu's sole command, but he doesn't want it to be this way; it's just that he has no choice. Back then, Qinglong, Baihu, Zhuque, and Xuanwu were all formidable figures in their own right!

Xuanwu, though not the most valiant, was cunning and skilled in deceit, making him an excellent strategist!

Zhuque was fierce but rash, often charging into battle, making him a perfect vanguard!

Qinglong was both wise and brave, adept at both strategy and deceit, making him the ideal commander!

Baihu was steady, resolute, and the most skilled in battle, making him the perfect general! Together, the four brothers could overcome any obstacle! Unfortunately, strong fortresses often crumble from within. In retrospect, Xuanwu's betrayal, though surprising, was inevitable. Despite treating him like a younger brother, they didn't give him many opportunities to prove himself! When people thought of the Jinyiwei, they first thought of Qinglong, the strongest in Jinyiwei history, followed by Baihu, known for his bravery. Zhuque and Xuanwu received little attention. While Zhuque, with her carefree nature, might not have minded, for the brooding Xuanwu, it was a torment! He truly yearned for that recognition!

Baihu's thoughts returned, and the burden of leading alone was exhausting. He often found himself missing the days when the brothers were together, Qinglong, Zhuque, and the naive little brother Xuanwu!

"I really envy Qinglong! No, now I should call him Wen Qing! Haha!" His sadness ended, and he roared, leading his men into battle.

The cavalry's charge against the infantry is not a complete dominance. If the infantry form a solid formation with shields and spears, the cavalry will find it hard to break through! If the battlefield is wide enough, the infantry can even spread out to reduce the cavalry's effectiveness. Of course, there are no absolutes in this world, and neither side has an absolute advantage. Everything depends on the commanders' responses, which is why the saying "it's easy to find a thousand soldiers but hard to find a good general" exists!

This is the main street leading to Changleyang. Though wide, it's not wide enough for the infantry to move freely. Raising shields is their only choice, but they infiltrated the capital secretly, and having steel knives and strong bows is already a rare feat. Long spears and war halberds, which are clearly regulated weapons, are out of the question! Even the shields were slowly ground out over a month!

Seeing the enemy raise their shields, Baihu was pleased. He wasn't afraid of a tough fight; he was afraid of not being able to fight! The priority now was to support Huixianyasu. If the enemy used strong bows to harass and block, it would greatly slow their progress!

"Charge!"

Baihu roared again, and the men's morale became even more solid, almost forming a tangible presence!

Boom! Baihu led the charge, his long knife clashing with the shields, producing a heavy, dull sound! The Jinyiwei formed a single unit, like a steel blade slicing through the enemy's defenses, with Baihu as the tip! The fusion of morale was not just for show; the enemies who were pushed aside by the Jinyiwei swung their knives at the horses' legs, but found that the almost tangible morale acted like a shield, deflecting their blades!

The enemies, just recovering from their shock, found long knives slicing through their necks! The uniform slashes, enhanced by the morale, were unstoppable, heads flying, and blood gushing, taking lives with them.

These enemies were elite forces infiltrated by the Jin Kingdom; they couldn't fail to see the talent among the Jinyiwei! In fact, from the moment the morale began to coalesce, they knew a battle formation wouldn't be effective. But the situation didn't allow them to change tactics, which would have caused chaos and greater casualties! By gritting their teeth and raising their shields, they effectively slowed the Jinyiwei's advance with the sacrifice of a few.

Under Baihu's leadership, the Jinyiwei pierced through the enemy's formation like a steel cone, but Baihu wasn't complacent. The enemies, except those in the center, were consciously engaging and then retreating, making their attacks less effective. There was no depth to the battlefield, so the cavalry charge could only happen once. After that, it would be a brutal melee!

"Dis mount! Jinyiwei Formation!"

Baihu issued another command, and the men dismounted in unison, abandoning their long knives and drawing the standard Xichun knives of the Jinyiwei! The Jinyiwei were not traditional cavalry; they knew cavalry tactics but excelled in infantry combat!

The Jinyiwei Formation was created by Qinglong, requiring minimal coordination among its members, unlike famous martial arts formations. For example, the Big Dipper Sword Formation requires a minimum of seven people, and the most effective formation is also seven, as it demands a high level of coordination, even to the point of telepathy. More people would only make it less effective! The Jade Maiden Heart Sword Formation requires only two people, but they must be genuinely in love. Many such special formations exist, and the more demanding they are, the more powerful they are!

The Jinyiwei Formation, however, is the opposite. It abandons defense entirely, focusing only on offense, with a limited set of moves like chopping, thrusting, and slashing. Even the timing and alternation of moves are strictly defined, but this simplicity fully leverages the Jinyiwei's numbers and ferocity! Each move is a must-save attack, each strike is made with the resolve to die with the enemy!

The Jin Kingdom's elite also formed a battle formation as the Jinyiwei dismounted, but theirs was a defensive formation commonly used in the military.

Baihu's brows furrowed. A defensive formation? They blocked the Jinyiwei's charge at great cost and now formed a defensive formation! They're trying to buy time!

Looking back at the distant Huixianyasu, it seemed like a giant beast waiting for its prey in the darkness!

"Just a little longer! Your loyal servant will be by your side soon!" Baihu said solemnly, his eyes filled with the resolve of a man ready to die in battle!

"Attack!"

The two groups clashed fiercely, and in the first exchange, over a dozen Jin Kingdom elites died. Their knives blocked the slashes but couldn't stop the thrusts from the Jinyiwei behind them! This was the power of the Jinyiwei Formation, with attacks like a relentless tide. Each move was deadly, and even if the enemy's knives cut into their bodies, they showed no hesitation or retreat.

Blood splattered, and screams echoed as the Jinyiwei, relying on their formation, took the upper hand! The Jin Kingdom elites tightened their formation, holding their steel knives horizontally, only defending and not attacking.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of steel clashing grew louder, and the Jinyiwei's knives grew heavier. The accumulated momentum from their attacks finally coalesced again, the tangible morale re-forming.

"Slash!"

Baihu's blade led the way, and the Jinyiwei roared in unison. The solidified morale formed a steel blade in the night sky, which fell with a terrifying force!

Boom! The explosion shattered the Jin Kingdom's formation! All the Jin soldiers within the slash's range turned into a bloody mist, and the shockwave sent the rest flying!

"Eliminate the evil, slay the enemy!"

Baihu was in a hurry. He could see that these Jin Kingdom elites were just pawns, cannon fodder to buy time! Every second he wasted here increased the Emperor's danger! Ling Ling Fa, Ling Xiao, you must hold on!

The Jin Kingdom could sustain a long war with the Ming Dynasty for a reason! Even in dire straits, these Jin soldiers did not retreat, fighting to the death with their injuries.

But the Jinyiwei Formation's ability to harvest lives was terrifying, especially with a fierce general like Baihu leading them!

Swoosh!

A head rolled to the ground, and Baihu personally took the last enemy's head. Throughout the battle, not a single Jin soldier begged for mercy or gave up resistance!

Baihu's thoughts grew heavy. The Jin Kingdom's elites were indeed formidable. On the surface, the Jinyiwei had the upper hand, but remember, the Jin Kingdom's elites were only the best among ordinary soldiers, while the Jinyiwei were rigorously trained in martial arts. Individually, the Jinyiwei were far superior, so this victory wasn't something to be proud of! But what if the ones blocked here were ordinary Ming soldiers?

Baihu shook his head; that wasn't his concern. "Report the casualties!"

"Thirteen lightly injured! No deaths!" a Jinyiwei responded.

Baihu nodded and waved his hand, "Mount up! Move out quickly!"

The men moved swiftly, continuing their ride to Huixianyasu, leaving behind a gruesome scene of blood and broken bodies.

...

Ling Xiao loaded the gun but didn't use it, putting it away and drawing his long sword from his back, pointing it at the ground.

Ling Ling Gong raised an eyebrow and laughed, "Use a sword? Bullets can't hurt me, do you think a sword can?"

Ling Xiao smirked, "We have to try, don't we!" He suddenly stepped forward, his sword aiming for Ling Ling Gong's eyes.

"I don't believe the Copper Statue Technique can protect the eyes!" He shouted, as if to boost his own courage, and his sword was blocked by Ling Ling Gong's golden arms.

Clang!

The sword felt like it hit an iron plate, causing a slight pain in his hand!

"You're right, the Copper Statue Technique doesn't protect the eyes, but can you hit them?" Ling Ling Gong said calmly, not rushing to attack.

Ling Xiao didn't respond, and in an instant, he struck with over a dozen sword strikes! It wasn't that his sword skills had improved, but Ling Ling Gong made no move, cruelly smiling as Ling Xiao attacked.

After a series of clangs, Ling Xiao panted and stepped back.

"Why did you stop? Tired? Let me take over!"

Ling Ling Gong sneered and punched, not even bothering to name his move, showing his utter contempt for Ling Xiao!

At that moment, Ling Xiao stopped panting, his serious expression turning into a smile, and his long sword, seemingly slow but actually fast, swung toward Ling Ling Gong's arm!

A chilling premonition instantly overwhelmed Ling Ling Gong's senses. Sensing the danger, he endured the pain of an internal injury and retracted his punch.

Swoosh!

The long sword still cut across Ling Ling Gong's forearm, blood flowing, and a half-inch deep wound was visible!

Watching the blood droplets slide down the sword, Ling Xiao said, "Too bad, at the critical moment, you flinched!"

Ling Ling Gong, feeling the pain in his arm, looked at Ling Xiao's sword and said seriously, "I never thought a martial arts prodigy who grasps sword intent would use such a weak and deceitful tactic!"

"I never thought a man so tough would soften at the last moment!"

(Clicks, recommendations, and favorites are still a bit low! Brothers, let's boost it up!)

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