chapter 50

Just the brief collision .

The Qin army felt something was wrong . But this feeling wasn’t because the Zhao army was stronger than anticipated or because there was a trap .

Rather, these Zhao soldiers just didn’t die .

Ever seen a man run completely through with a spear, yet still clutch onto life? Or a man with his hands lopped off, biting to attack his enemy? Even one man lunged at the legs of a horse, tangling with it as his bloody body was repeatedly trampled .

It was an incomprehensible sight . Even the Qin Iron Cavalry, veterans of countless battles, had never seen this .

The Zhao soldiers that were suicidal rushed to the front, acting as meat shields to cushion the Qin cavalry charge .

With one suicidal person, a shock cavalry rider could blow them away like a leaf in a breeze . Two people, some effort may be needed . Three people, the horse’s momentum may be halted, not to mention four or five people .

The tens of thousand strong cavalry force, at the moment of impact, soon found themselves in a disadvantageous position .

The Qin cavalry discovered that the foremost soldiers were all old or disabled . Behind them, the young and healthy charged forward, stepping over the bodies of their newly-fallen comrades, cutting towards the enemy riders .

A group of madmen .

After just a dozen short seconds, the Qin cavalry felt an uneasy feeling . However, it was too late now . Their horses were stalled and encircled .

Countless swords greeted them .

Partly because of their elite training, partly because of their good armor, they were still able to inflict heavy casualties . But as their fighting grew slowed, as the Qin riders felt some despair, the Zhao also counterattack dulled .

No, looking around, it was not that Zhao was slowing down, but the fighting momentum had shifted .

The rear cavalry force descended, and to the right side of the force, Meng Wu was unleashing his internal qi . His lance sent gusts of wind with each strike . Even if an enemy escaped the horrifying blows, the waves of air bursting out shook their footing . The Zhao soldiers quickly retreated from him .

Behind him, a group of nearly a thousand Iron Cavalry stabbed into the newly-formed opening .

The same situation unfolded on the left side, but this time . it was not led by a man . A woman with a white robe charged into the lines . Her dark horse was like a whirlwind, blowing away the Zhao soldiers . All along the battlefield, new reinforcements rescued the embattled cavalry .

“What are you looking at! Get back into formation!”

The woman shouted at the Qin cavalry before turned around, plunging back into the mass of Zhao soldiers .

The area around the black horse became a no man’s land . It leaped over the heads of the soldiers . As the white figure approached, the Zhao soldiers felt their bodies shake in fear .

The white robe was the same as the one that stood atop of walls during the Zhao assault . The walls of the camp were not wide, and many soldiers were able to see it .

A warrior with the strength of a thousand men .

“Kill!” The Qin Iron Cavalry reorganized and returned into the fighting .

Neither army relented and the sounds of melee intensified . No one knew why the Zhao army fought with such madness today, but it was this unlikely variable that made the Qin army very unsettled .

After the two forces fought for a dozen minutes, the Qin infantry arrived . The original plan was to have the cavalry break through the Zhao defensive lines, charging the infantry through the decimated lines and obtaining victory in one fell swoop .

But now, not mentioning breaking through, it’s difficult to even advance a single step .

As the Qin infantry was still dazed by the unexpected development, the Zhao army rushed forward to exploit this . Soon the main forces of the armies were engaged into a chaotic melee .

An advantageous position and sound military planning were ruined by a single unpredictable factor .

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“Shit . ” Wang He’s sword sliced through a charging Zhao soldier . Looking around, he cursed to himself .

We must retreat .

It wasn’t that he did not want to fight, and it also wasn’t that they could not win . But this Qin army wasn’t mustered to merely fight at Changping . Rather, it also needed to capture the Zhao capital, Handan, and destroy the Zhao in one swift motion .

But because of this, it’s essential that the casualties be minimal .

Although this current battle isn’t too disadvantageous to the Qin army, to the Zhao army, who was to facing defeat anyways, it was a severe advantage .

It is still possible to fight . Under the full force of the Qin army, the Zhao camp will still fall . However, this will certainly be at the great cost of many Qin soldiers . If the Qin army suffers half-losses, not to mention capturing Handan, the State of Qin itself will be eyed by the other nations .

Damn it, Old Bai really guessed it . This Zhao army still had some spirit left in it . These madmen, they are trying to drag us down with them .

Wang He looked around the chaotic battlefield . Deeply frustrated, he gritted his teeth .

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“Pff, ci!”

The spear plunged into the chest of a Zhao soldier . He glared back with a maddening gaze, but he could not free himself . Before he died, he spat on Gu Nan’s armor .

Gu Nan’s eyes narrowed and swung the spear . The corpse was like a rag on a stick and thrown off into the distance .

“Long time no see . ”

A voice in front of her called out .

Gu Nan looked up and saw a young man standing in front of her . His clothes already soiled with blood .

Cracked armor, disheveled hair, and roughly holding his spear, nothing remained of his elegant demeanor .

An acquaintance…

Gu Nan’s eyes were cold . “Zhao Shi, or Zhao Kuo?”

She is not a fool . Who was this person? She had inklings of it in her heart, but it was never voiced out .

Zhao Kuo stood opposite of her and directly stated, “Zhao Kuo . ”

“Very well . ” Gu Nan’s spear made a sweeping motion . The cold point made a half-circle motion across her chest .

The soldiers all around scattered off . Perhaps they are just expendable units that could die when ordered, but that didn’t mean they were stupid enough to interfere here .

“Then receive this!”

As the voice fell, Zhao Kuo only felt like a blur in front of his eyes . A moment later, he could feel the cold metal approaching his neck, aimed square for his head .

“Then come!” Zhao Kuo laughed aloud . His spear quickly reacted and deflected the strike . His spear was meant for cavalry use, being shorter and more nimble than Gu Nan’s .

“Vhm!” The two spears collided, and Zhao Kuo again masterfully shifted the incoming strike away .

With brute force, Gu Nan managed to keep the spearhead pointed forward and preventing an opening . With a sweeping of the spear, the wind whistled as it passed through her hair .

“Deng! Deng! Vhm!!”

Both spears were clashing in rapid succession, wielded with precise and efficient movements . In a moment, the countless collisions made it feel as though the air was tumbling .

“Ha ha ha, good!” Zhao Kuo laughed and said, “Miss Gu is truly a heroic woman, worthy to be mentioned in the sentence as I, Zhao Kuo . If it were only a few years earlier, I would have tied you up and brought you back to be my wife . ”

“Shame then, you and I can only be enemies . ”

In Gu Nan’s eyes, Zhao Kuo was trying to disturb her concentration and gain the advantage .

Naturally, she’s not fooled .

“I still say that I have no interest in men!”

Gu Nan’s spear hand grew calmer, yet Zhao Kuo felt a greater urgency . He didn’t continue talking due to this .

They clashed again, this time even more intensely .

In the distance, the Qin signal for a retreat was issued .

Gu Nan feigned a lunge but followed through with a sweeping motion . A tacit understanding between her and Blackie resulted in him taking a few steps backward to create a gap between the two .

Gu Nan looked back and over the Qin army .

This kind of combat, it’s disadvantageous for the Qin army . Retreating would be normal .

She turned back to Zhao Kuo . “May we fight another day . ”

She pulled on Blackie’s reins and withdrew .