Chapter 66

Li Laibin was the head of a small team. The guards did not have a strict hierarchy, with only Liang Xing and Yang Qiu being on the same level as the chief. Below them were team leaders like the Jiang brothers, and Li Laibin and a few others were team leaders among the porters. Most of these porters had become unemployed and ended up at Heyu Sheng. Among them were many cunning and slippery characters, but most of them could not withstand the daily physical and weapons training, nor were they as brave and combative as La Hu. Gradually, they were weeded out. The remaining porters were mostly those with strong wills, bold spirits, and robust bodies, and they were less slick than La Hu, who spent his days in the market. In today's situation, the front team of La Hu had all run away, but the porters did not. They formed a line under Wang Changfu's shouts. As the bandits charged, everyone realized that turning back would mean exposing their backs to the enemy. At this moment, as long as they held their ground, even if they were told to run, they wouldn't.

The fierce bandits charging forward were led by Zhou Wu. He had been through many things, but today's situation was particularly confusing and uncomfortable. The guards and Zhang Han did not seem particularly formidable, but those few muskets were deadly. Each shot took down several of his men. If this continued, with only about a hundred bandits, how many rounds could they withstand before they started to run?

Zhou Wu knew his men well. They were good at cutting down the innocent, but when it came to a tough fight, it was a different story.

Now, they could only rely on their spirit. Zhou Wu personally led the charge, aiming to cut through the guards who had formed a line, then chase Zhang Han and his group. Killing them might be difficult, but driving the guards away would count as a win.

Zhou Wu was filled with a deep anger. He no longer hoped to kill Zhang Han. Reflecting on today's plan, it seemed too presumptuous. Even if Zhang Han had no backup, with his men, it would be impossible to ambush and kill Zhang Han unless the archers hid by the road and fired together. Otherwise, if Zhang Han really wanted to run, how could they stop him?

This plan was devised by Zhou Bin and Ning Yicheng. Zhou Wu cursed Ning Yicheng in his heart, not knowing how many times he had cursed his grandmother.

Now, they were on the battlefield. Zhou Wu reminded himself. He held his breath, his axe was the right size and weight, his eyes were like those of a venomous snake, and his body was coiled like a spring. His men were already surging forward, many of them thrusting their weapons, but after running this distance without forming a line, the bandits were entangled and could not quickly form an advantageous formation. In contrast, the guards, who had initially been in a column, had spread out into a line, their formation much more orderly than the bandits.

Zhou Wu was unaware of these details. He stared straight at the guard opposite him. The man was in his late twenties, with a mustache on his lower lip, small but determined eyes, and a steady demeanor. Zhou Wu knew this was a tough opponent. He coiled his body, but found it hard to concentrate. On either side of the guard were men with long weapons, and many of them had already thrust their weapons forward. Zhou Wu subconsciously used his peripheral vision to watch the sides, seeing the gleaming long weapons. He exhaled a deep breath and cursed under his breath.

These guards had better weapons than the border troops!

Suddenly, the man opposite him lunged forward, startling Zhou Wu. Then, the long knives, iron spears, and tridents from all sides thrust forward, a blinding flash of light pressing down on him. Zhou Wu instinctively hesitated, unsure of what to do. At this moment, Li Laibin, with all his might, lunged forward. Zhou Wu wanted to dodge, but the men around him were also dodging. Usually, when he charged forward, many of his men would follow, protecting him in dangerous situations. But now, despite outnumbering the guards, his men were falling and screaming, their blood splattering on his face.

At this moment, Li Laibin's spear tip had already thrust forward. Zhou Wu tried to dodge, but there was no space. The spear tip pierced his abdomen, penetrating his body without hesitation and emerging from the other side. Li Laibin roared and, following the training, twisted the spear tip inside the wound.

Zhou Wu let out a shrill scream. He had taken countless lives, and many places feared his name. Men were slaughtered, women were raped, and no one dared to resist. Today, however, he was impaled by an unknown guard with a long spear. Zhou Wu could hardly believe what was happening.

His skills were truly exceptional, or he would not have dared to charge forward. At this moment, Zhou Wu desperately twisted his body and threw his axe at the guard's face.

Li Laibin saw the axe coming but had no way to react. It was a split-second decision. His hands were still tightly gripping the spear, trying to pull it out of the bandit's abdomen. He could not block the axe.

"Bang!"

The axe flew swiftly, but it hit a wooden shield covered with thick cowhide. The axe tip embedded itself in the shield, a small point protruding from the other side, but it was blocked.

In front of Li Laibin was Wang Yikui's bearded face. They both wanted to smile but couldn't, only nodding at each other. Li Laibin's legs were steady, and he pulled the spear with all his might. The bandit opposite him let out a terrifying scream as the iron spear was pulled out of his abdomen, the pain unimaginable.

At this moment, the entire guard formation was the same. Long knives, tridents, and iron spears thrust forward, while the bandits' formation was chaotic. They surged forward, hoping to overwhelm the guards with numbers, but the guards' formation was so orderly that the first round of thrusts and slashes left the guards almost unscathed, while the bandits suffered over a dozen casualties.

Among them was Zhou Wu, who lay dead on the ground.

"The target is tough."

"Really tough, what do we do?"

"Bad, the boss is dead?"

"What? The boss is dead?"

"My God, the boss is dead!"

Nearly a hundred bandits crowded together, the front ranks having suffered heavy losses. The more they suffered, the more they hesitated to spread out, and the more they hesitated, the more they crowded together, making their formation even more disadvantageous. Despite outnumbering the guards by several times, they gained no advantage.

Meanwhile, more and more bandits noticed Zhou Wu's body on the ground. Their steps became even more hesitant, and no one dared to charge forward.

There was no caravan, no women, no silver, and no women. They were fighting for rewards, but with the boss dead, who would give them the rewards? A new leader? Would the army come to suppress them?

At this moment, the archers and servants in the rear slowly put away their bows. Lai Shiyi was dead, Zhou Wu was dead, and Zhou Bin was severely injured. The guards' main force had arrived, and this was a crushing defeat. They had lost everything. The archers glanced at the dying Zhou Bin, exchanged looks, and immediately led a few horses from the rear, mounted them, and rode away.

"Forward, thrust!"

Li Laibin took a few more steps and thrust his spear forward with all his might!

During training, Wang Changfu had clearly defined the distance, timing, and formation for each thrust. However, in battle, without clear orders from an officer, the hierarchy among the guards was not very strict. The formation was already somewhat chaotic, but the bandits were even more disorganized. Li Laibin's thrust hit another man, piercing his throat. The man held a simple fork, his clothes tattered, and his yellow teeth showed as he screamed. Li Laibin did not hesitate, pulling the spear back, splattering blood, and the man fell to the ground, clutching his neck and writhing before dying.

"Defeated, defeated, run!"

One bandit shouted, and more and more followed, dropping their weapons and turning to flee.

This left their backs exposed to the guards. There was no need to hold back. Wang Yikui, Li Laibin, and others charged forward, thrusting their spears or slashing with their knives. The trident wielders no longer provided cover, but joined the charge. The shield bearers, mostly La Hu, and some guards who picked up discarded short knives, dropped their long weapons and charged forward, slashing continuously.

Under the guards' pursuit, the bandits ran even faster. Some ran to get their horses, some climbed the mountain, and others fled in panic. Those who climbed or rode quickly disappeared from sight, while those who ran forward were mostly caught and killed with a single slash to the back.

"Changfu, stop running, look back."

Zhang Han was led forward by Wang Changfu, and Yang Qiu and others had already caught up, but they all looked shocked. Zhang Han turned back and saw the guards in formation, killing the bandits one after another. He grabbed the reins and stopped the horse, calling Wang Changfu to look back.

Wang Changfu turned back, his face showing a complex mix of emotions: joy, surprise, and some shame.

"Master, this is a variation of the Mandarin Duck Formation. Two columns join to form a line, called the Two Talent Formation. If there are three teams, it's called the Small Three Talent Formation. If you add the mobile cavalry, the vanguard, the shock troops, the reserve, and the center, it's the Three Talent Formation, which requires hundreds of men. These are all tactics from General Qi Jiguang, and I usually train them this way..."

At this point, Wang Changfu felt some shame. As the leader, he was not there, but his men had held their ground and defeated the bandits.

Zhang Han nodded, not blaming Wang Changfu.

Just now, he had thought they were doomed. Who could have predicted this outcome?

It seemed that bandits really couldn't match regular troops. The guards, though few in number, had a strict formation and were well-trained, even more so than the border troops. Their weapons were also better. The bandits couldn't compare, and even ordinary soldiers couldn't match them.

Moreover, the guards were selected for their strong bodies and bold spirits. Defeating the bandits, upon reflection, was not surprising.

After all, when Qi Jiguang's formations were used, and his troops were well-trained, they often defeated larger, more ferocious enemies. With a few thousand men, they could defeat tens of thousands of fierce Japanese pirates, often with only a few dozen casualties while taking over a thousand heads. The Japanese pirates, though inferior to the Ming army, were still much stronger than ordinary soldiers. The guards, though not as strong as Qi Jiguang's Yiwu troops, were still stronger than ordinary soldiers. This made everything clear.