Chapter 88

The form of a knight's duel usually involves both sides charging at each other on horseback. Each knight holds a long weapon such as a spear, lance, or halberd, and charges towards the opponent head-on. When they enter the range of their weapons, they use the momentum of their horses to thrust at each other. If one is hit, they will be pierced through the abdomen and die. If not, they continue forward, and after the horses stop, they turn around for a second charge. Each charge is called a "round." During this process, except for the moment when the horses meet, the rest of the time can be used to catch a breath and recover strength.

At this moment, Lu Yao had no chance to catch his breath. He was surrounded by the Hu knights, and at every moment, several long halberds were thrust at him. He parried left and right, shouting and urging his horse to charge, but he could not break through the encirclement. The Hu knights, seeing his skilled martial arts and tight defense, extended their long spears and halberds to stab at the horse under Lu Yao.

Lu Yao was in a panic and in a very awkward situation.

A few days ago, he had been on reconnaissance duty and wore a light leather armor. After the fierce battle during the night raid on Qiao Xi's camp, it was already in a state of disrepair. Now he was wearing a temporary cylindrical-sleeved armor. The tips of the enemy's halberds and blades struck the fish-scale patterned armor plates and the cylindrical sleeves on his shoulders several times, making a "clang clang" sound.

In no time, the fine armor was torn in several places, and Lu Yao had two more bloody wounds on his back and thighs. Although he instinctively tightened his muscles when the blades passed over him, making the injuries less severe than they appeared, his control of the horse and the movement of his long spear were affected, and the situation became increasingly dangerous.

At this point, his body and armor were covered in blood, both from the enemy and from himself. Even the spear handle was soaked in blood, making it slippery to hold. He knew that it was a matter of life and death, and if he did not break free, it would be a disaster. He gritted his teeth and used several desperate moves to take down the enemy.

Wang Yang was indeed brave, but he was not foolish and would not risk his life against a cornered and defeated general. After blocking a few times, he opened a path. Lu Yao did not hesitate and spurred his horse to retreat towards the pass. Several Hu knights drew their bows and shot arrows, but he deflected them all with his spear. Although he could not protect his horse, the green horse's hindquarters were hit by two arrows, which made it run even faster.

At this point, everyone could see that this Jin army was in a dire situation, and their destruction was imminent. They were already short of troops, and today's battle had caused heavy casualties. Losing the last key pass in the central hills of Taiyuan would make it impossible to resist the Xiongnu army's offensive.

How could a pack of wolves let their prey escape when they saw blood? Seeing Lu Yao escape, without waiting for Shi Le's order, hundreds of Wuhuan cavalrymen spurred their horses to chase him, and the foot soldiers followed with loud cries.

A large number of warriors soon passed through the pass, like a flood breaking through a dam, unstoppable. The galloping horses trampled the ground, raising a cloud of dust. Dozens of military flags appeared and disappeared in the dust, passing through the Tuanbai Valley.

Once they crossed the pass, the terrain gradually became lower, and a flat official road curved through the forest. Lu Yao lowered his body and galloped along the road as fast as he could. Just now, he had fought alone against a thousand enemies, appearing invincible, but in reality, his physical and mental strength were severely drained. His vision was already blurry, and his limbs were gradually weakening due to blood loss. The whistling sounds of arrows came from behind, as some Wuhuan cavalrymen shot at him. Fortunately, their aim was not good, and most of the arrows passed by him. A few stuck to his armor or hit the horse's hindquarters.

Thanks to the momentary delay caused by Lu Yao, the Jin army that had retreated from the pass had already run far away. Lu Yao spurred his horse to gallop and shouted loudly, "Fire arrows! Fire arrows!"

The official road was empty, and the only one waiting for his order was a warrior with a drawn bow.

The bow was an excellent one. The bow body was made of the best mulberry wood, extremely strong and solid, with a metallic sound when struck. The bow tips were made of carefully selected cow horns, smooth and fine like jade. The bowstring was made of flexible deer sinew. The glue, silk, and lacquer used were all of the highest quality. The entire bow took several years to make. Such a three-stone strong bow was not something ordinary craftsmen could make, and after the great fire in the Luoyang armory during the Yuan Kang period, such fine bows were rarely seen in the army.

The arrows were also excellent. Each arrow was 22 inches long, and the arrowhead, shaft, and fletching were all finely crafted, with no flaws. There were twelve arrows in total, arranged in front of Shen Jing. Unlike usual, the arrow shafts were wrapped in hemp cloth soaked in oil.

Shen Jing, the archer, was a rare first-class archer. Originally a key general in the Bingzhou army and a trusted lieutenant of the cavalry commander Chen Yong, he led a elite light cavalry. He had the skill to shoot with both hands and from both sides, and could shoot a three-stone strong bow to hit a target at a hundred paces. His reputation as an excellent archer was well-known among the Bingzhou army.

Shen Jing had been hiding in the forest not far from the north slope of the Tuanbai Valley pass for a long time. Just now, the two armies were fighting to the death at the pass, but he did not participate, instead conserving his strength. Now, following Lu Yao's order, Shen Jing roared and drew the bow with all his might, and the arrows flew out with a sharp whistling sound.

A three-stone strong bow, if not considering its killing power, could have a range of up to five hundred paces. These twelve arrows were like twelve light and graceful firebirds, drawing beautiful arcs in the air as they flew towards the pass. Yes, like firebirds. Because before each arrow was shot, it was lit on a fire pot!

The moment the firebirds landed, a huge flame shot up into the sky.

Under the seemingly randomly piled wood at the pass, there were actually many flammable materials such as sulfur, oil, and dry branches. Wherever each flaming arrow landed, a ball of fire immediately rose. Twelve flaming arrows meant twelve sources of fire, and in the blink of an eye, the entire pass was engulfed in a sea of flames. From a distance, it looked like a giant beast spewing flames, squatting at the pass, shaking its head and tail!

At the moment the flaming arrows hit their targets, dozens of fires simultaneously broke out in the forest on the north side of the pass. Although it was late spring, the weather was not yet humid. The recent continuous sunny days had dried the trees and grass. With the north wind blowing, the wind fueled the fire, and the fire fueled the wind, and in a moment, the fire spread, the red flames dyeing half the sky.

The majority of the Xiongnu army had already passed through the pass. This fire immediately cut off their retreat. Instantly, the troops were in chaos, with some screaming, some fleeing, and some at a loss. Even the officers' continuous shouts could not stop the originally orderly formation from turning into a disorganized mess.

Actually, after passing the pass, the terrain suddenly opened up, and there were large open areas in the forest, as well as several small streams. Even if the forest caught fire, the Xiongnu could have dispersed their troops to the open areas or places with water, and many could have escaped. The problem was that in the face of such a disaster, most of the soldiers panicked.

The brave soldiers who never feared strong enemies were running around in all directions like headless flies, trying to find a way to survive. The more panicked they were, the more likely they were to put themselves in danger. Some who were already on fire quickly turned into balls of fire, rolling around and moaning, eventually being consumed by the flames. The screams of the soldiers, the whinnies of the horses, and the unique sound of the flames burning together created a symphony of death.

******

On Baidu Zongheng, a great author said that a surge of 900 collections is considered passing, and a surge of 2000 collections is common... I counted yesterday's data, and the collection increased by 69... Yes, excellent, I know it will flop.

To all the readers who have already collected this book, your support is even more touching!

Finally, thank you to turboram for your support.

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