The Rong cavalry surged forward like a waterfall, so powerful that Li Jun even thought that if a mountain were to stand in their way, it would be shattered by their thunderous attack. Based on his experience as a mercenary, he knew that against such an opponent, unless a similarly powerful cavalry counterattacked, defeat was inevitable. He felt a mixture of anticipation and worry. He longed to see Lu Wudi, the deputy marshal of the Su Kingdom's army, demonstrate his brilliant tactics and bring the seemingly invincible enemy to their knees. He worried, however, whether Lu Xiang and Lu Wudi, with their smaller forces, could truly reverse the situation under such overwhelming force.
Cavalry naturally has the advantage over infantry. War experts have calculated that the combat strength ratio of armored cavalry, light cavalry, armored infantry, light infantry, and regular soldiers (Note 2) is roughly 1:2:3:6:10. According to this formula, at least 15,000 armored infantry would be needed to deal with this light cavalry force of about 10,000 Rong people. However, Li Jun already knew that Marshal Lu's troops for this expedition numbered only 2,000 armored infantry, 3,000 light infantry, and 4,000 regular soldiers. Such a strength comparison was far too difficult.
As expected, the soldiers who came to meet them scattered before even making contact. Li Jun asked himself if he would have fled too. To his slight surprise, the speed at which the Su soldiers fled was astonishing—making him wonder if these men had been specially trained to run away. Li Jun later learned that his suspicions were correct; these soldiers were the result of Lu Xiang's special selection and training. Their specialty was simply escaping. Lu Wudi even said that the faster they fled, the greater their merit would be.
The soldiers' chaotic rout greatly excited the attacking Rong cavalry. Their raids into Su territory had yielded little, which was why they had ventured so deep. Ahead lay the Liuhe Plain, Su's most fertile land; if they could defeat this enemy force, they could freely plunder its beauty. Thus, the Rong cavalry quickened their pace, and their formation began to disperse.
The dream lasted only a moment. On the road through which the Su soldiers fled, it was as if countless traps had appeared out of nowhere. The earth seemed to open its mouth, mercilessly swallowing the Rong people who couldn't rein in their horses. The first wave of Rong soldiers almost all fell into the traps, impaled along with their horses by the sharp tree stumps within. The second wave managed to rein in their horses thanks to their superior horsemanship, but a third wave, for reasons unknown, charged forward, causing a chaotic massacre and even pushing some of their own men into the traps.
"Those cunning Su barbarians!" the Rong people cursed loudly. Victory had blinded them, preventing them from seeing that the fleeing Su soldiers had retreated along a fixed route.
This was just the beginning. The Rong people, who could no longer maintain their charging formation, were still busy breaking free from the chaos when countless rockets were launched from behind the hill. Just as they were wondering what use the rockets would be on such a flat area without firewood, piles of firewood were thrown from the air.
They actually used catapults to throw firewood! Li Jun shook his head in disbelief. For the Rong people, who still had an army of nearly 10,000, this amount of firewood would be of little use except to cause chaos.
The rocket ignited the firewood, but to Li Jun's surprise, the firewood didn't burst into flames; instead, it emitted thick smoke. The wind carried the smoke into the Rong people's midst, but the Su soldiers, prepared in advance, covered their mouths and noses with cloth.
Have you ever imagined the scene of nearly 10,000 people sneezing? Stimulated by the thick smoke with the strong smell of chili peppers, the Rong people could hardly sit upright on their horses, nor could they dodge with their usual agility. When the Su army's powerful bows and arrows rained down, the Rong people's only choice was to flee.
Only a thousand or so Rong people at the rear managed to escape the smoke zone. As they rejoiced that they had not fallen into the same predicament as their comrades, what greeted them was two thousand armored infantrymen of the Su Kingdom standing like a wall.
Desperate for survival, the Rong people had no choice but to charge at the heavily armed enemy. The instant they reached the armored infantry, long spears rose like a forest, piercing the horses. The momentum of their charge propelled their bodies forward, but they quickly collapsed. Although a few Rong men managed to break through the spear barrage, they were quickly overwhelmed and killed by the heavily armored infantry. In a single charge, these thousand-odd Rong men, fighting like cornered beasts, vanished into a sea of armored infantry.
Li Jun watched the sudden turn of events with the eyes of someone watching a magic show. He had never imagined war could be fought this way, nor had he ever thought that chili peppers could be used as a weapon. The outcome was already predictable: although the Rong people still possessed considerable fighting power, being divided and surrounded, and having lost their cavalry's offensive momentum, there was no possibility of reversal.
The light sound of horses' hooves pulled him from his thoughts of the battle. Looking around, he saw about a dozen Soviet soldiers also climbing the hill. As the highest point in the vicinity, this hill was the best place to observe the battlefield situation.
Li Jun's gaze was immediately drawn to a middle-aged man in the crowd. The man's armor gleamed a dark yellow in the moonlight, and beneath his ordinary helmet was a gentle face with eyes that shone with a depth like the sea. He had a short beard and an extremely peaceful expression, as if he were not on a battlefield amidst thousands of troops but in a teahouse in a small rural town. Without needing an introduction, Li Jun knew this was Lu Xiang, Lu Wudi, the most outstanding general of this era.
The generals following Lu Xiang watched the mercenary-looking youth warily. Only Lu Xiang gave Li Jun a gentle, even slightly shy smile and nodded. For a fleeting moment when their eyes met, Li Jun wanted to fix his gaze on him, but Lu Xiang only glanced at him gently before looking away. Li Jun felt an urge to immediately prostrate himself before this man. He felt only fear, not submission, towards dragons, but he couldn't resist the aura of this middle-aged man, someone he could see in any rural teahouse. He suppressed this impulse and, like Lu Xiang, turned his gaze back to the battlefield.
The Rong people seemed to realize their divided situation. About two hundred Rong, led by a chief on a red warhorse, charged towards the small hill. Li Jun heard Lu Xiang say softly, "Only now they realize it? Too late." Then, turning to his left and right, he declared with boundless pride, "Who will take that enemy general's head for me?"
For some reason, Li Jun shouted, "I'll go!" and rushed towards the Rong man on the red horse. Hearing Lu Xiang make a low "hmm" sound behind him, he felt extremely proud and increased the speed of his forward stride.
The Rong man rode a remarkably fine warhorse, leaving his companions behind and arriving before Li Jun in mere moments. Just before the Rong man's saber fell, Li Jun leaped into the air, extremely confident in his recent improvement in skill. But the Rong man sidestepped, dodging the attack from under his horse's belly.
In the blink of an eye, the red horse had already passed Li Jun and charged towards the mountaintop. Li Jun felt a pang of shame, as if he would be scolded by Lu Xiang for failing to stop the Rong people. He turned around and saw a warrior galloping out beside Lu Xiang.
Li Jun roared, "Take this!" and threw his short sword out like lightning. The Rong man turned around and drew it with his saber. Li Jun flicked his finger, and the short sword suddenly bent in mid-air, piercing the Rong man's waist. The Rong man let out a surprised scream and then saw clearly that a long, thin chain was attached to the back of Li Jun's short sword.
Using the short sword that Mo Rong had forged for him, Li Jun pulled the Rong man's corpse off his horse. The red horse, now without its master, stopped and licked the face of the dead body. Li Jun beheaded him with the Rong man's own saber, then led the horse back up the mountain. He heard the Su general who had charged out cry out in alarm, turn back, and throw his short sword again. The sword pierced the throat of the foremost Rong man, who looked up at the sky, blood gushing into the air like a fountain, before falling to the ground with his corpse. In that instant, Li Jun sheathed his short sword.
The third Rong man yelled and used his sword to protect himself, maintaining a certain distance from Li Jun. Li Jun suddenly dropped his spear, turned around, glared, and shouted. The Rong man, terrified, turned his horse to flee, but Li Jun's short sword had already pierced his back. Seeing three riders killed by Li Jun's flying sword in succession, the remaining Rong men, not noticing the thin iron chain behind the short sword, mistook Li Jun for a legendary sword immortal and scattered in fear.
Lu Xiang waved his hand, and the dozen or so riders behind him charged out, joining the pursuit of the fleeing enemy on the battlefield. He himself showed no excitement at the victory, but Li Jun instead found a hint of weariness in his eyes, smiling as he welcomed Lu Xiang back.
Li Jun led his horse, threw the Rong people's head on the ground, then knelt down in front of Lu Xiang and said loudly, "This humble one, Li Jun, greets the deputy commander. I am fortunate to have fulfilled my mission."
Lu Xiang dismounted and helped Li Jun up. He looked at Li Jun with the same gentle gaze and said calmly, "I dare not, I dare not." After making eye contact with Li Jun for the second time, Lu Xiang sighed and said, "At your age, you should be at home with your parents, enjoying their company, instead of making contributions on the battlefield."
Li Jun was momentarily disappointed, but was immediately enveloped by an even stronger feeling of warmth. Although Lu Xiang hadn't praised him, he felt that Lu Xiang's words moved him more than any praise.
"Look, this is war." Lu Xiang embraced Li Jun, pointing to the battlefield below, a scene of near one-sided slaughter. "Blood flows like rivers."
Li Jun noticed that Lu Xiang was a head taller than him. He didn't think about why Lu Xiang would say those words to him. Leaning against Lu Xiang, he felt an unprecedented warmth. He said, "War is either killing or being killed. I'm used to it. Will there ever be peaceful days in the Divine Continent?"
Lu Xiang released his shoulder and stared at him intently for a while. He felt a strange fondness for this cold-eyed young man, but the young man's words frightened him. He sighed again, "When will there be no distinction between countries or races in the world? When will the civil officials of Shenzhou stop plundering the people and the generals stop being afraid of death? Then peace will come to the world of Shenzhou."
Li Jun pondered Lu Xiang's words, feeling only a vague understanding. If the world of Shenzhou were at peace, what would a mercenary like him do, and what would a renowned general like Lu Xiang do? For some reason, he stopped pondering Lu Xiang's words and began to think about this question. His first meeting with the invincible general Lu Xiang had shaken him far beyond his expectations.
Seeing that the battle was over, Lu Xiang issued the order to cease pursuit, and the sound of the retreat echoed throughout the battlefield. Li Jun saw everyone busy cleaning up the battlefield and escorting prisoners, unsure of what to do, until a young officer approached him, smiling and saying, "The deputy commander invites you... Brother Li. You're younger than me, so is it alright to call you Brother Li?"
Li Jun smiled back at him, almost with envy for the young general. His smile was so natural and gentle, so much like Lu Xiang's—it must be because he spent so much time with Lu Xiang. In comparison, Li Jun felt his own smile was much stiffer.
"My name is Meng Yuan, you can call me Brother Meng, haha, finally I can be the big brother." The young general introduced himself readily, extending his warm hand to Li Jun. Li Jun hesitated for a moment, then extended his hand as well.
Li Jun never produced Lei Hun's letter of introduction, thinking it was unnecessary.
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Note 1: Rong people: Humans living on the grasslands, their appearance is not much different from ordinary people, slightly taller, with slightly darker skin. If it weren't for their fire element (fire-type attack and defense increase by 50% to 100%), it would be almost impossible to distinguish them from ordinary people. The Rong people were a nomadic people, living in large tents that were easily moved. Rong cavalry units were always among the most commonly used assault forces in wars between various countries. Historically, the most famous Rong king, Sihai Khan, launched the "Million Ears" expedition, bringing almost half of the Central Plains and Western Guang'e Continent under his rule. Because the enemy's ears were used as a marker of defeat during the campaign, this expedition was called the "Million Ears." Besides their religious beliefs, they also worshipped the legendary war god Potian, who supposedly shattered the sky. The Rong people's curved sword was a long, easy-to-use sword for mounted combat, light and sharp.
Note 2: Frequent wars meant that soldiers in the Divine Continent often went to the battlefield without being fully equipped. Soldiers who only had one weapon and had not undergone long-term formal training were called sergeants. They were often recruited from slaves, and their morale and combat effectiveness were unreliable.
Section 3
The northwest wind howled in my ears like a pack of wolves. Large snowflakes fell in a flurry, creating a white expanse before my eyes.
"Damn this weather!" Meng Yuan pulled on his warhorse, his breath instantly freezing into ice crystals that fell with a soft patter. Winter had never come so early or been this cold in northern Su. According to the superstitious old folks, this was a sign of a great upheaval in the land.
The snow was too deep to ride, so Meng Yuan and Li Jun pulled their horses along behind Lu Xiang. Hearing Meng Yuan's complaints, Li Jun joked, "How can you complain about the weather? You should be thanking it. Otherwise, how would we have had the chance to ambush Wu Yin?"
Meng Yuan said somewhat unconvinced, "Actually, it doesn't matter whether it's a sneak attack or not. Our invincible army can definitely take the city smoothly by attacking it head-on."
Li Jun shook his head and said, "All they know is how to attack head-on. The deputy commander said, 'Warfare is based on deception,' and 'All's fair in war.' The way of a general is to achieve the greatest victory with the least losses..."
Lu Xiang listened to the two young men's argument with a smile, feeling much warmer than the heavy snow in the desolate wilderness. Li Jun, the boy he had taken in on the battlefield three years ago, had now grown into an outstanding general. It had to be admitted that only war could truly temper a person. He interrupted them, saying, "Those words weren't mine; I learned them from a military strategy book that came from outside the Divine Continent."
Li Jun and Meng Yuan smiled. Lu Xiang was a major difference from the vast majority of other Su generals: he never sought personal credit, and even after each victory, he would distribute all the rewards from the court to the ordinary soldiers.
By this time, Li Jun was already as tall as Lu Xiang, a head taller in three years, a difference made up for by the vigorous growth of a young man. He had grown a short mustache, but it only made him look more immature. His face shape hadn't changed much, and his eyes were much gentler than before. Although a glint of ambition still occasionally flickered in them, most of the time he was quite approachable. Unconsciously, he had also learned to smile as gently and naturally as Lu Xiang.
This time, the three of them broke away from the main force and braved the snow to rush to Wuyin City, a major town in the north of Wuling, in order to seize this large city controlled by the Lan Kingdom. As long as Wuyin is captured, the main force of the Invincible Army can advance unimpeded and recover the half of the country that has been occupied by the Lan Kingdom for twenty years.