Chapter 49

In the next moment, a large amount of dust rose up far ahead of Bo Cai, and the ground shook slightly. Faintly, two large banners came into Bo Cai's view, inscribed with the characters "Han" and "Liu."

The moment Bo Cai saw the large "Liu" character, a bad premonition instantly arose in his heart. He remembered a person, and that person was Liu Yao. To explain how Bo Cai knew Liu Yao, it was all thanks to Cheng Yuanzhi. Originally, Cheng Yuanzhi went to Youzhou to develop his strength, but under Liu Yao's suppression, the Yellow Turbans found it impossible to make any progress in Youzhou. Thus, news of Liu Yao reached Zhang Jiao, and Zhang Jiao instructed his thirty-six commanders to be cautious of Liu Yao, a terrifying figure who could even subdue the Wuhuan people.

As the dust settled, Bo Cai was dumbfounded when he saw the troops in front of him. He muttered to himself, "What on earth is this?"

He saw a unit of troops charging in his direction. Leading them was a young boy, about fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a metal armor with a helmet, riding an exceptionally fine yellow horse, and holding an enormous battle axe, which looked extremely out of place with his slender body.

Behind him were four generals, each riding a carefully selected horse. Behind them was a formation of five thousand elite cavalry in a long snake array, followed by five thousand infantry. Surprisingly, these infantry ran almost as fast as the cavalry.

But that wasn't the most critical part. The most critical part was that every one of the five generals, the five thousand cavalry, and the five thousand infantry was clad in thick, fish-scale-like metal armor. They also wielded strange but formidable weapons. Even more astonishingly, the horses of the cavalry were covered in thick armor, exposing only their eyes and hooves.

Bo Cai was instantly filled with indignation. This was truly a case of people making others angry. As the commander of over a hundred thousand Yellow Turbans, he could only wear light armor. The Han army in Changshe could at most wear leather armor. Iron armor was reserved for high-ranking commanders like Huangfu Song and Zhu Jun. Yet, the待遇 of a single soldier on the opposite side was better than that of the Han army's commanders. Looking at the Yellow Turbans' simple cloth uniforms, this was clearly a case of bullying.

But as the commander, Bo Cai naturally did not show any fear. Clenching his teeth, he shouted at the approaching troops, "Who are you?!!!"

"Hmph, I am Liu Yao, the Grand General of the North and Governor of Youzhou. Bo Cai, rebel, prepare to meet your doom." The response was a loud roar.

Bo Cai was momentarily startled but quickly recovered, thinking, "Indeed, it is Liu Yao, the Governor of Youzhou. But so what? You have only ten thousand men, while I have over a hundred thousand. A single spittle from each of my men could drown you."

"Ha, so what if you're the Grand General of the North? If you want my life, you'll have to show you have the ability to take it," Bo Cai said angrily.

Liu Yao ignored Bo Cai's words and, with a spirited air, said to those around him, "Shi A, protect the strategist. Gao Shun, command the Vanguard Camp. As for Han Sheng, Zhao Yun, and Zhang Fei, are you interested in joining me in a charge?"

"Ha ha ha, Lord, I've been waiting for this day," Zhang Fei laughed heartily.

"Lord, if you have the interest, I will naturally accompany you," Zhao Yun echoed.

"My life is already yours, Lord. Wherever you point, that's where my great saber will swing," Huang Zhong said firmly.

"Ha ha ha, Charge Camp, follow me!" Liu Yao laughed and said. In the next moment, the five thousand men of the Charge Camp instantly accelerated, pulling away from the Vanguard Camp.

Seeing the fully armed cavalry charging fiercely, Bo Cai was momentarily panicked and shouted, "Quick, everyone, charge at them!" Soon, many Yellow Turban soldiers rushed towards Liu Yao's troops.

As the distance between the two armies gradually closed to five hundred steps, Liu Yao pulled down the visor of his iron helmet and roared, "Charge Camp, raise the repeating crossbows!" Instantly, all the soldiers of the Charge Camp picked up the repeating crossbows that were already prepared on the saddles.

After some improvements over the years, the range of the repeating crossbows had reached 150 steps. The distance of over three hundred steps was quickly covered by the cavalry's acceleration. Seeing the right moment, Liu Yao roared, "Repeating crossbows, cover fire!"

In the next moment, countless arrows from the repeating crossbows of the five thousand cavalry flew towards the Yellow Turbans. The leading Yellow Turbans were instantly turned into pincushions. The distance of a hundred steps was enough for only three volleys of arrows. After three rounds, a large number of Yellow Turbans fell.

Bo Cai watched the scene in shock. He had never seen a repeating crossbow that could fire continuously, and he was momentarily stunned.

At fifty steps, Liu Yao continued to command, "Charge Camp, lower the crossbows, raise the lances, charge!!!"

In the next moment, the entire Charge Camp uniformly rehung the repeating crossbows on the saddles, picked up the Western knight lances that were no shorter than Zhang Fei's spear, gripped the handles, and placed the lances on the opposite side of the saddles, charging straight into the Yellow Turbans.

Liu Yao, Zhang Fei, and the other three charged into the crowd first. Liu Yao wielded a massive battle axe, almost as large as a door panel, sweeping through the surrounding Yellow Turbans, instantly cutting them down. Indeed, Liu Yao wielded a battle axe. This battle axe was personally crafted by Oufeng, and Liu Yao named it the "Primordial Thunder Axe," weighing 140 catties, about twice the weight of Guan Yu's Green Dragon Crescent Blade. It was arguably the heaviest weapon in the Three Kingdoms.

To explain why Liu Yao started using an axe instead of a spear, there was a story behind it. When Liu Yao first saw Zhao Yun's "Hundred Birds Paying Homage to the Phoenix" spear technique, he immediately asked Zhao Yun to teach him. Zhao Yun did not refuse. However, reality was harsh, and Liu Yao had no aptitude for spear techniques. After a year of training, he made no progress. Reluctantly, Liu Yao gave up.

In the end, it was Huang Zhong who gave Liu Yao a suggestion. Since Liu Yao had innate strength, he might as well use an axe. After all, an axe was heavy and powerful, requiring less skill. Liu Yao readily accepted this, leading to the creation of the Primordial Thunder Axe. If it were a one-on-one duel, Liu Yao might not even match Gao Shun. But when it came to the battlefield, in terms of sheer destructive power, even Zhang Fei and the others could not match him.

Behind Liu Yao, Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong wielded their weapons with great skill, creating a series of afterimages. The four of them cut through the Yellow Turbans like a sharp blade, carving out a bloody path through tens of thousands of enemies.

The Charge Camp that followed them like a whirlwind charged into the Yellow Turban ranks, their sharp lances reaping lives.

For a moment, cries of pain echoed, and occasionally, Yellow Turbans would swing their weapons at the Charge Camp soldiers, but their attacks were deflected by the sturdy armor, creating sparks without causing any harm. Instead, they were impaled by the lances of the Charge Camp soldiers and met their end.

As for Bo Cai, watching the bloodbath before him, his Yellow Turban soldiers were completely helpless against the enemy, and he was utterly stunned.

Liu Yao led the five thousand Charge Camp soldiers from one end of the Yellow Turban formation to the other, leaving nearly ten thousand Yellow Turban corpses in his wake.

"Charge Camp, turn your horses, disperse and slaughter," Liu Yao commanded again.

In the next moment, the five thousand Charge Camp soldiers scattered, slaughtering the Yellow Turban soldiers near them.