Chapter 54

(Today someone mentioned merit, I must point out one thing: in this book, merit points absolutely cannot be traded or transferred. These merits are like honors on the battlefield; if they are yours, they are yours!)

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“Follow me and break through!!”

The black-faced, stout general roared and charged out of the valley, followed by a squad of elite bodyguards, all top-notch soldiers in the army. Most of these men were personal retainers and servants of the generals, trained in martial arts from a young age. Although they were not as strong as the true elite, they were far superior to ordinary soldiers. Thus, when he led over a dozen bodyguards out, they managed to break through the first line of defense set up by Zhao Futu, causing chaos among the Yellow Turban soldiers!

“What formidable strength! What swift swordsmanship!” Zhao Futu thought to himself with admiration.

The black-faced, stout general, though wielding a long halberd, used a saber technique, specifically the crescent moon saber technique commonly used by great generals. The most famous representative of this technique was undoubtedly Guan Yu. He wielded his halberd so skillfully that it formed an impenetrable barrier, and none of the numerous Yellow Turban soldiers could get within five meters of him!

This boosted the morale of the Han soldiers, who gathered and charged out with fierce roars.

Zhao Futu remained calm, his eyes sharp. As the Han soldiers approached, he ordered, “Form the formation!”

“Archers, ready!”

The greatest gain from his journey was not the wealth but the equipment. In a cold weapon war, the difference between having armor and not having it was like heaven and earth! At his command, the Yellow Turban soldiers on both sides parted, and a squad of iron-armored elite infantry stepped forward. The two flanks moved forward with their spears, and the archers lined up on both sides of the center, aiming their crossbows at the approaching Han soldiers!

“Charge!”

“Charge! Charge! Charge!”

Following Zhao Futu’s orders, the Yellow Turban soldiers, who had received military training, roared and quickly formed a goose formation. The elite sword and shield soldiers marched to the front, the spearmen on the flanks held their weapons horizontally in the front row and raised them in the back row, forming a simple spear formation. The archers stood ready, drawing their arrows!

This formation left the Han soldiers stunned.

When had the Yellow Turbans ever been able to form such a disciplined formation? In the past, they would charge in a chaotic rush at the sound of a horn, never displaying such military discipline.

Not only were the Han soldiers intimidated, but the black-faced, stout general, who had charged out first, was also frightened, wondering if he had encountered a famous Yellow Turban general. However, what they did not realize was that these Yellow Turban soldiers had been trained by Zhao Futu to take a few steps forward and then stop, a simple training that made them look impressive but not very effective in combat. They were useful for defense, but if they were to attack, their formation would likely fall apart after a few steps.

However, for the purpose of blocking the valley entrance, this simple training was quite effective. They did not need to advance, and they were not allowed to retreat; they just needed to stand in formation and support the attack. If the enemy could not break through the defense, they would be shot down by the archers. Zhao Futu also had a squad of iron-armored infantry, composed of Yellow Turban squad leaders, ready to reinforce any weak points in the formation.

“Fire!”

Over three hundred hunting bows and several two-stone strong bows, along with more than fifty military crossbows, were equipped by Zhao Futu's specialized archer unit. At this moment, it was as if a steel blade was placed at the throats of the Han soldiers. These Han soldiers had no armor, and even if they did, they had discarded it during their retreat for being too heavy.

The saying "discarding helmets and armor" was to reduce the burden and run faster. What protection could these fleeing soldiers have?

Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!

After two rounds of arrow rain, the Han soldiers suffered heavy casualties. Some of the bravest managed to reach the front of the formation but were quickly surrounded and killed by the overwhelming numbers. With three thousand soldiers surrounding five hundred, a six-to-one numerical advantage was more than enough to create a situation where the few were overwhelmed by the many. Moreover, the archers in the back ensured that any attempt to break through would result in death.

In just ten breaths, the Han soldiers were decimated, leaving only about a hundred survivors. The black-faced, stout general, who was Zhao Futu's primary target, had already lost all his bodyguards. As the battle continued, the number of Han soldiers dwindled, and in the end, only the black-faced, stout general and about twenty to thirty men were surrounded by over a thousand soldiers.

"These generals of this era are truly monstrous!" Zhao Futu watched the black-faced general, who cut down enemies like grass. If not for the promise of a heavy reward and the threat of death for retreat, and the presence of his first batch of reformed Yellow Turbans as military judges, these Yellow Turbans would have been overwhelmed by the general's ferocity. The black-faced general was so formidable that over three hundred arrows shot at him were all deflected by his halberd, and he even protected his horse.

This level of reaction was almost instinctive!

"No wonder Bao Xin could block my bullets with a saber!" Zhao Futu looked at the black-faced general, who had been fighting for fifteen minutes and was now surrounded. His body was covered in blood, mostly from his enemies, but some from himself. After such a long battle, his physical and mental energy was clearly depleted, and his reactions were slower. He had been hit by an arrow in the arm, and his horse had been killed, leaving him with no hope of breaking out. He was now fighting alone, supported only by his will.

A thousand soldiers surrounding one man.

And he had killed over three hundred, with half of the remaining injured. If this had happened in the past, Zhao Futu would never have believed it, but now it was happening right before his eyes.

He had no doubt that if he had charged in at the beginning, he would have been cut down by the black-faced, stout general!

"Crack!"

The black-faced general's weapon broke again, the sixth one to do so. As a result, he was hit by a sword on his back, and his breathing became labored. His physical energy was almost completely drained. From the start, he had used a wide, sweeping saber technique that covered a large area but consumed a lot of energy. To have lasted this long was already beyond human capability.

Zhao Futu was certain that even a giant werewolf could not have lasted as long as he did!

"Bang!"

When Zhao Futu's Desert Eagle fired, the black-faced general's body trembled, and a bloodstain appeared on his left leg. The bullet penetrated his skin but was lodged in his muscle. His incredible physical strength surprised Zhao Futu, as it caused less than twenty points of damage.

"Rebels! Give me your lives!" The gunshot revealed Zhao Futu's position. The black-faced general roared, filled with the resolve to die with his enemies. He took a deep breath and his body trembled.

—Crack! Crack! Crack!

His bones cracked, and his veins bulged like worms. In a moment of muscle movement, the bullet in his left leg was squeezed out. His eyes were bloodshot, his face filled with hatred and anger, and his body covered in blood, making him look like a terrifying demon from hell. His muscles expanded, tearing his armor apart, and he roared and charged at Zhao Futu!

An invisible golden light appeared, and a black-faced giant's image roared behind him.

Suddenly, a row of blood-red words appeared in the air:

"Contractor No. 1013, please note! Contractor No. 1013, please note! ... Target historical general has undergone a special mutation! ... Target historical general has undergone a special mutation! ..."

"The historical general has mutated, and the hidden soul has awakened prematurely! ... Contractor No. 1013 has triggered a hidden space mission! ... After killing the soul-awakened general, all rewards will be increased by 100%! ... The space law automatically locks the target! ... The soul drop rate after the target's death is 100%! ... This hidden mission is a mandatory main mission! ... Mission failure! ... Elimination!"

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{Piaotian Literature}