Chapter 55

When Yueyang stepped out of the tent, he heard a faint commotion from the east, interspersed with the neighing of warhorses. Upon hearing this, Yueyang's expression immediately changed. He turned to Shunbao and said, "Gather the men and follow me! If we can't talk it out, we'll fight!"

"Yes!" Shunbao replied, but then hesitated and asked, "Young Master, are we really going to fight the Tartars? This is Mongol territory!"

"Territory my ass!" Yueyang said irritably. "They are defecating on our heads, and you still want to be a coward?"

To be honest, after the incident with Ao Bai and Daisan yesterday, Yueyang felt a bit uneasy. After all, the科尔沁草原 (Kerqin Grassland) was just a step away from the Later Jin. If he really fought with Daisan, he knew the outcome would be disastrous. Yueyang had also reflected on whether he had been too impulsive. This was not the modern world where he could call 110 for the police to save him. In this era of the survival of the fittest, human life was the cheapest.

But that's how people are. Last night, he was still reflecting on his actions, but today, as soon as Shunbao mentioned the Later Jin people causing trouble, Yueyang's temper flared up again.

Yueyang, fuming, jumped onto the prepared horse and galloped towards the source of the noise...

When Yueyang arrived at the scene, he saw dozens of soldiers in Gothic armor facing off against over a hundred Later Jin cavalry. Hu Lao San was restraining his own men, while many Mongol cavalry stood by, some even cheering on both sides. The scene was chaotic. Yueyang also noticed a tall man in yellow-embossed armor, Ao Bai, standing with his arms crossed, watching the commotion with a smile.

"Stop!" Yueyang's angry voice rang out.

"Stop! What are you trying to do!" Yueyang, who had rushed over, spurred his horse and glared at the soldiers facing off.

"Young Master is here!" Seeing Yueyang, Hu Lao San, who had been anxious, ran over and shouted, "Young Master, you finally came! If you hadn't, I wouldn't have known what to do."

Yueyang, with a stern expression, asked, "Hu Lao San, tell me what's going on!"

Mentioning this, Hu Lao San's face darkened. He said angrily, "Young Master, these Later Jin people are too arrogant. They came with over a hundred men and insisted on inspecting our goods, saying we had contraband. I refused, but they tried to force their way in, and that's how this started!"

"Oh... is that so?" Yueyang's expression also darkened. He knew this was Ao Bai's deliberate provocation.

Yueyang ignored Hu Lao San and turned his gaze to Ao Bai, who was smirking.

Looking at Ao Bai, Yueyang rode up and said slowly, "Ao Bai, you came to my camp early in the morning to provoke me. Aren't you being too bold?"

"Provocation, hahaha!" Ao Bai laughed loudly, looking disdainfully at the young man before him. "You Ming dogs are too full of yourselves. You are nothing but ants. Do you think our Jurchen warriors would provoke you? I can crush you with just one finger. If you don't believe me, come and try. See if I can kill you with one punch!"

"You bastard!" Before Yueyang could speak, Hu Lao San, who was already seething, couldn't hold back. In China, there is an old saying, "When the master is in trouble, the minister is disgraced; when the master is disgraced, the minister dies." As Yueyang's leader, Hu Lao San felt it was his duty to stand up for him. If his boss was insulted, he couldn't just stand by.

"You Tartar, how dare you insult my young master! Do you want to fight? I, Hu Lao San, will take you on!" Hu Lao San said, stepping in front of Yueyang without waiting for his response, and glared at Ao Bai.

"Oh, you want to fight me too?" Ao Bai, riding a tall red horse, looked down at Hu Lao San with disdain. "You, a lowly Ming dog, want to fight me? Do you have the qualifications? Let my men teach you a lesson!"

With that, Ao Bai waved his hand, and two Later Jin cavalrymen charged at Hu Lao San. The hooves of their warhorses thundered on the ground, and it was clear they were coming to attack.

Seeing the charging horses, Yueyang's face changed. The two Later Jin cavalrymen were wearing thick red cotton armor with large copper studs, and their rough faces were twisted in cruel smiles. Yueyang was certain they intended to trample Hu Lao San and himself to death.

Without time to think, Yueyang shouted, "Form up, prepare for battle! Target the two cavalrymen ahead!"

As soon as Yueyang spoke, the thirty-odd soldiers, who had been restrained by Hu Lao San and were already seething, quickly formed up according to their training. Although they were only thirty-odd in number, with about fifteen spear soldiers and ten sword and shield soldiers, they showed no fear.

The spear soldiers quickly moved forward, crouching and planting their three-meter-long spears in the ground, the sharp tips pointing at the charging Later Jin soldiers. The ten sword and shield soldiers behind them quickly drew their crossbows from their belts, loaded the bolts, and aimed them at the front. If Yueyang gave the order, they could fire ten bolts in less than five seconds, hitting the two approaching cavalrymen.

Seeing this, the faces of the two charging Later Jin cavalrymen changed slightly, but then they showed a mocking smile.

At that time, the Later Jin had a saying: "The Jurchens are not ten thousand, but if they are, they cannot be defeated." This was a boast of the Later Jin soldiers' bravery. Over the years, the Ming had taken a defensive stance against the Later Jin, losing more battles than winning, which fueled the arrogance of the Later Jin. In the eyes of these Later Jin cavalrymen, even the most elite border troops of the Ming were no match for them, let alone the guards of merchants. These men, at most, looked a bit more formidable in their armor, but they had no courage to fight the Later Jin. Therefore, as they charged towards Hu Lao San and Yueyang, they did not slow down but instead spurred their horses faster. They thought that if the two Ming men were trampled to death, it would be no big deal.

Seeing the charging Later Jin cavalrymen, Ao Bai's face also showed a cruel smile. In fact, the situation had already gone beyond his control. Daisan had only asked Ao Bai to test Yueyang's reaction and stage a fight with his troops to see the quality of their weapons and armor. But Ao Bai, filled with hatred for Yueyang, had forgotten Daisan's original intention.

Yueyang's words from yesterday had already filled Ao Bai with a desire to kill. Now, Ao Bai had only one goal: to take the life of the man who dared to insult him!

At the same time, Yueyang, on his horse, raised his right hand high. He had no time to think; he knew he had to stop the two Later Jin cavalrymen from charging, or he and Hu Lao San would surely die. Yueyang could even see the murderous intent on Ao Bai's face, less than two hundred meters away.

The cavalrymen were getting closer to Hu Lao San. They were now less than thirty meters away, and it would take them only a few seconds to reach Yueyang and Hu Lao San.

Yueyang finally brought his hand down and shouted, "Fire!"

"Thud, thud, thud..."

A dull sound of springs and mechanisms rang out as a row of bolts flew forward at lightning speed. At a distance of less than thirty meters, the sword and shield soldiers needed no precise aim to hit the Later Jin cavalrymen. Most of the bolts struck the two charging Later Jin soldiers.

"Thud, thud, thud..."

The Later Jin cavalrymen paid the price for their arrogance. In a few seconds, over a hundred bolts pierced their bodies. The sharp bolts penetrated their cotton armor and pierced their flesh, and blood immediately flowed from the blood grooves on the bolts.

Their warhorses also suffered the same fate. They let out a mournful cry, their legs buckled, and they fell to the ground, throwing their riders off. For a moment, everything was silent...

PS: Brothers, have you voted for today's recommendation and the Three Rivers vote?

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