Chapter 10

The Xiaodi Army's infantry camp was hit so hard that the military flag had fallen, and the soldiers were at a loss as to where to go. They were surrounded by enemy cavalry on all sides, making escape as difficult as climbing to the heavens. Even more disastrous, they encountered the second wave of Han Army infantry, leading to a brutal melee where the fighting was unbearably fierce.

On Guo Shao's side, the entire camp of over five hundred men, led by Commander Wang, was already in disarray, with soldiers fleeing to both flanks. Guo Shao and Yang Biao cooperated, fighting while retreating, hoping to escape the losing area with the flow.

Yang Biao, astride his horse, wielded a heavy iron saber with a wide, powerful swing, creating a cacophony of "clinks" and screams as he cut through the enemy. Guo Shao, not skilled with long weapons, held a short saber, guarding Yang Biao's blind spots and back. Although they had never fought side by side before, they now worked together seamlessly, both in attack and defense, showing remarkable coordination.

Suddenly, there was a "ding" sound, and Guo Shao felt a collision on his leg. Initially, there was a moment of numbness, followed quickly by intense pain. He looked down to see a heavy arrow piercing through his chest armor and into his thigh. Stumbling, he nearly fell, but he plunged the short saber into the ground to support himself, kneeling on one knee.

"Commander Guo!" Yang Biao immediately noticed the empty space behind him and turned to support Guo Shao's arm.

Guo Shao exhaled a deep breath and cursed, "With so many people around, why did they hit me?" Yang Biao asked, "Can you still walk?" Guo Shao replied, "I doubt it."

Yang Biao stuck his long saber into the ground, pulled out a short knife from his chest, and bit it between his teeth. He then lifted Guo Shao's chest armor, and without a word, used the short knife to cut the arrow in half, discarding the rear part. Guo Shao endured the intense pain, gritting his teeth to keep from crying out, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He spat out the blood in his mouth, which tasted sweet and metallic, realizing it was not his own but from the blood splattered on his face during the fight.

"I'll carry you," Yang Biao said definitively, without asking. He grabbed Guo Shao's arm and placed it over his shoulder, then lifted his long saber and started walking.

At this point, the enemy and allies were intermingled. After just a few steps, they encountered pursuing soldiers. With Guo Shao on his back, Yang Biao couldn't maneuver well and quickly dropped him to fight the enemy. After a while, when he returned, Guo Shao said, "Brother Yang, go on ahead, don't worry about me."

In all honesty, this was just a polite gesture. The injured Guo Shao certainly didn't want Yang Biao to leave him behind, but the words slipped out before he could think. Perhaps it was like those who insist on paying the bill, sometimes saying things they don't really mean.

To his surprise, Yang Biao didn't respond and really did leave. Guo Shao sat there, feeling a mix of emotions, but he didn't blame Yang Biao. The situation was chaotic, with Xiaodi Army soldiers fleeing and fewer Zhou Army soldiers around. If Yang Biao stayed to fight the organized enemy, they would both die. Any sensible person would make a decisive decision in such a situation.

Guo Shao struggled to stand, but the slightest movement of his leg caused the muscle to pull the arrow, sending a sharp pain through his thigh. An enemy soldier noticed the living Guo Shao and rushed forward with a spear, but the thrust lacked force and was immediately grabbed by Guo Shao, who pulled the spearhead back. The enemy soldier, surprised, almost lost his weapon but quickly grabbed the spear shaft and pulled it toward himself. Guo Shao, changing the direction of his force, pushed forward, knocking the enemy soldier over and seizing the spear.

The enemy soldier, seeing this, did not advance but instead called for help, drawing the attention of more enemy soldiers.

Guo Shao sensed that he was about to be surrounded and felt a sense of despair. He had come to the battlefield with the sole intention of achieving glory, but for whom? And why had he risked his life to rise to prominence?

Just then, Yang Biao turned back, cursing as he approached and helped Guo Shao up. "I saw the Zhou Army starting to counterattack. Hold on a bit longer, and we might have a chance!"

"Brother Yang, I will never forget your kindness today," Guo Shao said, feeling a glimmer of hope.

Yang Biao replied, "We owe each other nothing now!"

As they spoke, a group of enemy soldiers approached, one of them leading the charge with a long spear. Yang Biao, without hesitation, sidestepped and struck the enemy's helmet with his heavy saber, causing the enemy to clutch his head and scream. Yang Biao then prepared to face the next wave of enemies. Guo Shao, gritting his teeth, followed closely behind, finishing off the fallen enemy by stabbing him in the forehead with his short saber, the enemy's terrified scream almost a cry.

Yang Biao wielded his long saber with such ferocity that no one could withstand a single blow. Guo Shao guarded his rear and close range, preventing the numerous enemies from getting too close.

Soon, two archers raised their bows and fired. "Thud, thud," both Guo Shao and Yang Biao were hit by arrows, but their armor protected them from serious injury.

The other infantry soldiers, seeing their bravery, hesitated to advance, only surrounding them. Because of Guo Shao's injured leg, Yang Biao did not initiate attacks, leading to a brief standoff. Yang Biao's heavy saber, perhaps too heavy, showed signs of fatigue from continuous fighting.

At this moment, a Northern Han general leaped forward. Yang Biao immediately attacked with his long saber, and the Han general quickly defended with his sword. They exchanged several blows, and the Han general, though skilled, was at a disadvantage due to the distance. Yang Biao, already exhausted, was not as fierce as before. The Han general seized an opportunity, dodging Yang Biao's thrust and charging forward. The situation turned critical, as long weapons were difficult to use at such close range.

At the most crucial moment, Guo Shao, with all his might, lunged forward with his short saber. "Clang!" The collision of the saber and sword caused the blade to vibrate violently. Guo Shao's short saber, being light, was at a disadvantage in the collision. The Han general took advantage of this, thrusting his sword toward Guo Shao's left arm. However, Guo Shao, instead of retreating, used his armor to block the sword, took a large step forward, and swung his right hand, a half-foot short dagger flashing in the air.

The short dagger, easy to handle, found its target in an instant. The sharp tip pierced through with such speed that even the onlookers couldn't see the movement. In a split second, Guo Shao moved like a rabbit, swift and deadly, as if he were not injured.

The Han general's face turned pale with fear, his mouth agape and neck muscles tensing. The speed of Guo Shao's arm was so fast that it created a gust of wind, making the shoulder cloth on the Han general's neck flutter. Blood splattered onto Guo Shao's face.

A brief moment of silence, almost imperceptible, followed. "Yah!" Suddenly, a group of soldiers rushed forward, shouting and swinging their weapons in a frenzy.

"Roar!" Yang Biao, eyes wide with anger, swung his long weapon, making a final desperate effort with his remaining strength.

At that moment, a barrage of arrows rained down, the feathered shafts embedding themselves in the ground like a field of reeds. A voice shouted, "The safety of the nation depends on this battle!"

Guo Shao and the others turned to see a Zhou Army general with a dark face, wielding a club, charging forward on horseback, followed by a large group of armored cavalry accelerating behind him. "Reinforcements have arrived!" Yang Biao exclaimed, feeling a surge of excitement.

Thank heavens, the Zhou Army had arrived just in time!

The enemy soldiers surrounding Guo Shao and the others, seeing the Zhou Army cavalry charging in formation, turned and fled, no longer caring about the rest. Soon, countless Zhou Army cavalrymen galloped past, riding past Guo Shao and the others.

The galloping horses, the agile soldiers, and the beautiful spears, the Zhou Army cavalry charged forward one after another, shouting bravely. Guo Shao could swear he had never seen such a magnificent sight of iron horses and warriors in his life!

Guo Shao, unable to contain his excitement, supported Yang Biao and raised his arm to the cavalry, shouting, "Defeat the Northern Han, the Zhou Army will surely win! Long live the Emperor!"

The soldiers, busy with the battle, paid no attention to the two bloodied and injured men, occasionally glancing back, perhaps thinking they had gone mad.

...

In this battle, the Zhou Army turned defeat into victory.

Guo Shao and the others, injured, withdrew from the battlefield, but the fighting continued, lasting until the afternoon. The Northern Han Army suffered a major defeat, and the Khitan forces retreated. The Zhou Army continued to pursue and annihilate the remaining Northern Han forces.

After the battle, the injured soldiers were helped by civilian laborers who had been conscripted to transport supplies and perform other tasks. They were taken to the rear camp for treatment.

The difficult day finally ended, and as night fell, the air was filled with a faint, lingering scent of blood that the wind could not disperse. In just one day, countless lives had been lost! The Shanxi Basin corridor had always been a blood-soaked path of contention, and no one knew how many battles had taken place on this ancient land. Now, countless more people had buried their blood and souls here, adding another chapter to the story.

Guo Shao, mentally exhausted but slightly relieved to be alive, thought to himself that he might have ended up as one of the countless corpses, hastily thrown into a mass grave and buried without ceremony...

The arrow wounds and bruises on their bodies were not severe, but the deepest wound was the arrow in Guo Shao's left leg. Half of the arrow was still embedded and needed to be removed. After removing his armor, Guo Shao quickly checked the damaged area of his chest armor to ensure no fragments were in his wound. If not properly treated, the wound could become infected and abscessed, and in this era, without medicine, even a life saved from the brink could be lost.

By the fire, Guo Shao said, "Brother Yang, you saved me from the pile of corpses today."

Yang Biao glanced at him and said, "We're even."

Guo Shao smiled bitterly, "From now on, we will be brothers. In this world, without brothers, it's hard to survive."

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