Chapter 76

Chapter 710: When Fortune Comes Like Spring, There Will Be Joy in the Camp (2)

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‘The Eight Banners?’

Bi Yang had to doubt his ears for a moment at the mention of the Eight Banners.

In fact, Guan Xiu knew little about the armies of Guandong. How could the Qiang tribes know about such things? However, the term "Eight Banners" was familiar to him.

Thanks to the gossipy enthusiasts, even baseless rumors could travel a thousand miles.

The story that An Liang, the commander of the Guandong army, had been defeated by Zhao Yun, who was listed as the last of the Eight Banners, had been quite a topic of discussion even in Guanxi.

‘An Liang, Wen Chui said he was the best in Guandong, but there was a story that the youngest of the Eight Banners defeated An Liang. If the youngest could do that, then the leader...’

Bi Yang thought again about the unbelievable strength that Gao Shun had shown. Suddenly, without being told to do so, he took out a small horn from his bosom and put it in his mouth.

Piiii!

The horn emitted a sharp, piercing sound, as if it were the cry of a fierce enemy. This was the signal Bi Yang, who was guarding the rear, had agreed to use only in truly urgent situations.

The urgent situation was obvious. It was when there was a problem with Chui Huo's safety.

* * *

Duan Wai, who was defending the eastern side of Hanguan, was struggling against the continuous onslaught of enemy troops.

“Yaaaaah!”

Duan Wai, who had leaped up onto the wooden palisade, fell back down with his sword.

One enemy soldier was cut in half by his sword, sliced from the top of his head to his crotch.

However, Duan Wai's sword was still thirsty for more blood. As he moved through the enemy ranks, cutting them down, he occasionally glanced around to assess the battle situation.

The five thousand Xiliang soldiers he had led were now down to less than three thousand. He knew he needed to delay the attack, but the situation was not in his favor.

‘Already pushed back this far!’

Seeing the fallen palisades and the cold, stiffening corpses, Duan Wai felt a great sense of crisis. Despite his unwavering belief in the bravery of the Xiliang soldiers, they were powerless against the Jiang Yiduan.

After all, among Dong Zhuo's armies, Duan Wai's forces were not as strong as those of Li Jue, Guo Si, or even Xue Ying.

Still, they could be called regular troops, but individually, they could not match the Jiang Yiduan.

Perhaps it was because they could not use cavalry. A battle fought solely on foot was not something easily found anywhere.

Especially for the Xiliang soldiers, whose strength lay in their cavalry, fighting without mounting their horses must have hindered their performance.

However, there was no time to complain about the situation. To buy time, he needed to keep the enemy's attention on himself.

“Come on! I, Duan Wai, will take on as many of you as I can!”

The army of Jiang Yiduan, which was attacking the eastern side of Hanguan, was now left with only the last line of defense formed by Duan Wai's forces.

Ji Zehongque, the leader of the Jiang Wuzhang and the general commander of the Jiang Yiduan, clenched his fist and waited for news.

Piiii!

The sharp, piercing sound that spread through the air made Ji Zehongque's expression twist.

“This sound...?”

As the general commander of the Jiang Yiduan, Ji Zehongque could not be unaware of the meaning of this sound. He was the one who had given the short horn to Bi Yang.

“Call Bulip and send Song Huo to Chui Huo!”

Ji Zehongque was leading the assault on the eastern side of Hanguan, with Bulip and Song Huo's forces from the Jiang Wuzhang supporting him.

However, he was now planning to hand the main attack to Bulip and send Song Huo's forces to Chui Huo.

Ji Zehongque's forces would also head to Chui Huo, but it would take time to switch places with Bulip. Therefore, he decided to send Song Huo's forces first.

Despite giving the order, Ji Zehongque's heart was filled with frustration and regret.

‘If only we had a little more time...’

Given that they were on the verge of breaking through Duan Wai's defenses, Ji Zehongque's regret was significant. However, for him, Chui Huo's safety was more important than capturing Hanguan.

If anything happened to Chui Huo, Ji Zehongque would not be able to escape the responsibility of endangering his lord.

Ji Zehongque consoled himself by recalling the turmoil the tribe had faced when Chui Huo had encountered trouble in the history of the Nuozu tribe.

* * *

The attack on Hanguan temporarily ceased as Bulip's forces prepared to take over from Ji Zehongque's.

Duan Wai was puzzled by the sudden halt but was content to catch his breath for a moment.

Song Huo's forces, which had been assisting Ji Zehongque in the attack on Hanguan, rushed towards Chui Huo's camp.

Song Huo, the general commander of this force, was at the forefront.

He was the fastest among the Jiang Wuzhang and the only one of the five commanders who used a short sword as his favorite weapon.

While shorter than long weapons like spears, halberds, or guandao, the short sword was much quicker to wield. Its agility made it a perfect match for Song Huo's swift movements.

Moreover, in close combat, he could throw his short sword to kill the enemy, which was why Ji Zehongque had sent him first to Chui Huo.

When Song Huo's forces arrived at Chui Huo's camp, Song Huo was stunned by the scene of carnage before him.

‘What on earth happened here?’

Amidst the chaos, Song Huo searched for Chui Huo's banner.

Chui Huo's safety was the primary reason he had rushed here, leaving the attack on Hanguan behind.

Song Huo soon found the precarious main banner. It was not broken or damaged, but it was moving around, indicating that Chui Huo was likely under threat.

Before he could see Chui Huo, Song Huo encountered several soldiers from the Han Jin Ying. They were moving separately during the chaos to assess the battle situation.

Gao Shun rarely used armor or long weapons, so riding a horse would not have made much difference. However, the view from horseback was much better for assessing the battle situation.

The Han Jin Ying soldiers were acting as Gao Shun's eyes and ears, patrolling the outskirts of the battlefield to guard against any sudden attacks.

The five Han Jin Ying soldiers Song Huo's forces encountered split into two groups. Three stayed behind, while the other two quickly left to inform their comrades of the appearance of the enemy reinforcements.

The three remaining soldiers' task was to buy time. They stood in front of Song Huo's forces, their swords, which were already stained with blood, held at the ready.

‘Light cavalry?’

Song Huo's expression was one of confusion.

Light cavalry were special units that moved quickly without armor or long weapons, often used to capture or kill enemy commanders. They relied on surprise attacks and would die if their movements slowed.

Light cavalry had existed since before the Warring States period, and many countries had established light cavalry units. The fact that they continued to be used was a testament to their effectiveness.

The Han Jin Ying soldiers blocking Song Huo's path were also unarmored and wielding short swords, so Song Huo assumed they were light cavalry.

‘If light cavalry are here, Lord Chui must be in great danger. But why... Could it be that Bi Yang's forces have been defeated...’

Song Huo's thoughts were cut short.

Before he could give the order, several of his soldiers had already charged at the Han Jin Ying soldiers.

However, to his shock, the soldiers who had charged with such momentum were quickly reduced to corpses.

Song Huo then personally raised his sword and charged, followed by thousands of his troops.

The three Han Jin Ying soldiers, seeing this, abandoned any thought of fighting and fled.

“Where are you going...!”

Song Huo's hand moved like lightning, and he threw three short swords at the fleeing Han Jin Ying soldiers.

Piiii! Piiii!

None of the three short swords missed their targets, yet Song Huo's expression was not one of satisfaction. The sound of the short swords piercing the backs of the Han Jin Ying soldiers was not the sound of flesh being torn.

‘These bastards! They were wearing armor under their clothes!’

Song Huo gritted his teeth.

His short swords never missed their mark, and their blades were coated with poison.

It was not a lethal poison that would kill with a mere scratch, but if the short swords had hit properly, the three Han Jin Ying soldiers should have been lying on the ground.

Yet, they continued to flee even with the short swords embedded in their backs.

* * *

Song Huo found it hard to understand how the Han Jin Ying soldiers could still be alive and fleeing after being hit by his short swords. He assumed they must have been wearing armor under their clothes.

No matter how sharp a short sword was, it was still a throwing weapon.

A throwing weapon could not possibly pierce iron armor.

However, Song Huo had overlooked a crucial detail. The sound his short swords made when they hit the backs of the Han Jin Ying soldiers was not the sound of metal clashing.

Coincidentally, one of the three fleeing Han Jin Ying soldiers stumbled and fell.

Song Huo, looking smug, stopped in front of the fallen soldier.

The other two also began to slow down, seemingly leaning on each other for support.

Song Huo's soldiers rushed past him, targeting the fallen Han Jin Ying soldiers.

Although the general commander had not given an order, Song Huo did not stop them.

He should have punished them for acting without orders, but that thought did not cross his mind. His mind was filled with the desire to confirm that his throwing skills were not lacking.

The Han Jin Ying soldier who had been hit by his short sword lay motionless. Song Huo kicked him to turn him over.

At that moment, the supposedly dead soldier suddenly lunged with a short sword. Song Huo's reaction was incredible. Before the Han Jin Ying soldier's short sword could reach him, Song Huo's sword had already pierced the soldier's chest.

However, the Han Jin Ying soldier's short sword eventually stabbed Song Huo's leg, piercing the inside of his thigh. Song Huo did not seem to mind.

He twisted the sword embedded in the soldier's chest, tearing the flesh to ensure the soldier's death.

“Cunning bastard...”

Even as he died, the Han Jin Ying soldier did not let out a single groan, a smile lingering on his lips.

His sword had only pierced Song Huo's inner thigh, so why did he die with a smile? Song Huo was curious but soon understood.

He felt his pants become damp, as if he had urinated without removing them. In the dim light, he involuntarily looked down.

His shoes and the ground were already soaked with blood—his own blood. A small moment of carelessness had led to this disaster. Nothing could better describe the current situation.

The Han Jin Ying soldier had never intended to target Song Huo's abdomen or chest. The easiest target with a short sword was Song Huo's lower body.

The most certain target was a vital point. The most vulnerable vital point in the lower body was, of course, the groin.

He could not aim for an obvious target and had to choose a place to induce Song Huo's carelessness. Thus, the target became the femoral artery.

The single, life-risking strike took Song Huo's life. Song Huo soon collapsed, his body trembling violently.