"Should we report to the commander and let him decide?" Meng Yuan asked.
“No need.” Meng Yuan shook his head, his tiger eyes flashing with a predatory glint. He said, “The terrain in the canyon is rugged, how can it be a place to camp and rest? Xue Qian must have had no choice but to rest here. If I were to launch a surprise attack on him now and catch him off guard, by the time we wait for the commander’s instructions, the enemy scouts would have already discovered our army, and the opportunity would be lost.”
"But this doesn't match Commander Li's prior arrangements..."
"It's alright. The battlefield is ever-changing. How could Commander Li possibly predict every step the enemy takes? In my opinion, we should attack immediately. There's no need to use too many troops in this battle. The terrain is narrow, and too many people will only hinder our deployment. Brother Lan, you lead three thousand brave warriors to charge from the front, while I will lead the main force as backup. If things go badly, please retreat from the canyon. If we win, we will pursue them!"
"Very well!" Lan Qiao's eyes shone brightly when he heard that he was to lead the assault, and he temporarily put aside his doubts about the battle situation. Three thousand brave warriors were quickly selected, and the rugged terrain was just right for the Peace Army's Crimson Dragon Formation to perform.
At this moment, a strong wind was whipping up snowflakes and fiercely battering from north to south. The Peace Army was positioned to the north, while the Lotus Army was downwind. They had barely caught their breath and were all looking for sheltered rocky outcrops to rest. Before they could even warm up, the three thousand daredevils of Blue Bridge had already stealthily approached, riding the wind and snow.
The sound of the wind and snow masked the movements of the three thousand men and obscured the vision of the Lianfa army sentries. They hadn't expected the enemy to suddenly appear in this blizzard. Most of the Lianfa soldiers assumed the Peace Army was either still besieging Huai'en City or warming themselves by fires in their houses within the city; why would they launch a surprise attack in such terrible weather? They forgot that they themselves had also failed in their long-distance raid in this same awful weather.
When the wind howled like tearing cloth and suddenly mingled with the battle cries of the Peace Army, the Peace Army had already appeared before them. Three thousand Peace Army soldiers, all dressed in white armor, charged into a flock of sheep like three thousand tigers. In the blink of an eye, their blades were stained with blood, and screams and shouts echoed like lightning from one end of the canyon to the other, reaching deep into the hearts of the Lotus Army.
Just as they were reeling from this sudden turn of events, the war drums thundered, their rain-like beats causing the cliffs on either side to tremble as if they too were terrified by the deadly intent emanating from the drums. Fear made the Lianfa soldiers tremble, while the bloodshed only fueled the Peace Army's suicide squads. On the narrow post road, the Lianfa army stretched out like a long snake, unable to deploy head-on. Only a few thousand men were able to engage the Peace Army at the front line, and most of these men, terrified by the surprise attack and the ensuing carnage, turned to flee. Soldiers behind them tried to charge, while those in front tried to escape. Tens of thousands of Lianfa soldiers huddled together in chaos, unable to move. Xue Qian mounted his horse, attempting to direct his soldiers in an effective resistance, but unfortunately, his messenger could not get through the throng, and his voice was drowned out by the wailing and howling of the enemy.
Lan Qiao, gripping his greatsword in both hands, charged forward. Although he was already skilled in mounted combat, infantry warfare was far more agile and advantageous here. After this brief skirmish, his armor was stained with blood. He himself had lost count of how many had groaned, had limbs severed, been beheaded, or perished at his hands. If the three thousand Peace Army daredevils were likened to arrows piercing the Lianfa army, then he was the arrowhead. Wherever his gaze fell, there was blood. The Lianfa army's soldiers, lacking long-term and effective training, could hardly survive more than two exchanges with him. Moreover, his greatsword was not sharpened; a single slash or thrust often cleaved an opponent in two, resulting in a gruesome death!
The wind and snow seemed to be aiding the Peace Army, intensifying their attack. The blizzard forced the Lotus Army, facing the wind, to keep their eyes closed, while the Peace Army, with their backs to the wind, benefited from its force. On the battlefield, even the most cowardly can be infected by the concentrated killing intent of their own side, turning into a fierce and frenzied killing machine; similarly, even the bravest can be swayed by the overwhelming momentum of the enemy, becoming a coward who only knows how to run for their life. Lan Qiao was now infected by the bloodshed he had unleashed. He could only distinguish friend from foe, dead from alive, but not whether they had lost the ability to resist or had already fled in terror. He knew only one word: "Kill!" Kill! Kill! Kill!
"Lanqiao! Lanqiao!" Meng Yuan had caught up from the rear lines without anyone noticing. He had brought another thousand warriors to replenish the Peace Army's losses in the first wave of the attack. In truth, so many men were unnecessary. In this battle, where they had all the advantages of timing, terrain, and popular support, the Peace Army had suffered only five hundred casualties, most of whom were only lightly wounded. Seeing Lanqiao almost in a frenzied state like a Qiang man, focused solely on hunting down the scattered, fleeing enemies on the battlefield, Meng Yuan had to rouse him from his daze.
"What? Where are the enemies?" Lan Qiao stared at Meng Yuan with bloodshot eyes, his gaze hungrily fixed on him. He even licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. Meng Yuan, a fierce general, was unmoved by the great Asura God before him (Note 1). He pointed his broadsword at a small group of Lianfa Sect soldiers who were gathering under the command of a priest, and said, "Don't just focus on killing these remnants. Leave them for the warriors behind. Over there, don't let the bandits organize!"
With a wave of his hand, Lan Qiao temporarily separated over three hundred Peace Army warriors from the main battle, charging with astonishing speed towards the five hundred-plus Lotus Army soldiers who were forming a defensive posture under the urging of the High Priest. The Lotus Army, realizing what was happening, began to assemble under the command of some High Priests and low-ranking officers, hoping to halt the Peace Army's offensive momentum and prevent their morale from collapsing. Lan Qiao's attack was now aimed at the closest of these soldiers. If these religiously fanatical believers, encouraged by the High Priest, formed a defensive formation and engaged in actual combat, the Peace Army, while achieving a minor victory, would not have achieved its goal of defeating the enemy. Meng Yuan might be a third-rate general in terms of overall strategic planning and tactical maneuvering, but in terms of battlefield command and tactical flexibility, deeply influenced by Lu Xiang, he possessed qualities uncommon among generals. Therefore, he realized this and sent Lanqiao to this crucial point, while he himself did not rush into the chaotic battle, so that he could always decide the next tactic of the Peace Army from the perspective of the entire battlefield.
The defensive formation of the small Lianfa army squad was gradually taking shape. Due to their long march, these soldiers were not wearing heavy armor, but the shield bearers raised their large shields, forming a wall in an attempt to slow down the Peace Army's offensive. The archers, meanwhile, huddled behind their shields, looking for opportunities to eliminate the charging Peace Army soldiers with stray arrows. However, because the two armies were in close contact and their movements were heavily mixed, their effectiveness was greatly reduced. Dozens of spearmen used their spears to launch mid-range attacks and harass the sporadic Peace Army soldiers who were charging forward, while the Lianfa soldiers wielding various other weapons took advantage of the gaps to kill the Peace Army warriors. In this confined space, this small group of men appeared particularly tenacious; in a short period of time, more than ten Peace Army soldiers had already fallen before this small group.
"The Crimson Dragon Formation must not be dispersed!" Meng Yuan realized that the Peace Army's Crimson Dragon Formation was showing signs of disarray due to the pursuit of the enemy, which would give the Lotus Army an opportunity to counterattack. He shouted loudly. His shout carried on the wind to the ears of both sides. An enemy archer swiftly fired a cold arrow at him, but due to the headwind, the arrow fell to the ground a few steps away from Meng Yuan.
At this moment, Lan Qiao had led his three hundred men to the stubbornly resisting Lianfa army. Taking advantage of the wind, the leading Qiang shield bearers smashed through the enemy's shield wall with their large shields. These berserk warriors, with a strength that the Lianfa army's shield bearers, composed of ordinary men, could not resist, broke through the shield wall in more than ten places. The Peace Army soldiers following closely behind quickly moved in and cut through the Lianfa army. Seeing that the situation was not good, the chief priest who was in charge of the resistance drew his sword and personally went into battle, but he was confronted by Lan Qiao.
Blue Bridge, his face covered in blood and his eyes bloodshot, grinned at him, revealing his white teeth that gleamed with the light of death. The priest was so taken aback by the coldness and cruelty in that smile that he momentarily thought he was facing the Grim Reaper himself, forgetting that the Grim Reaper was none other than the great god Youming, whom he worshipped and who had transformed into him to fight.
His legs trembled almost uncontrollably. The courage he had just possessed vanished with Lan Qiao's smile, and the priest could barely lift his sword. The deaths and cries of his subordinates, which he had previously ignored, suddenly became exceptionally clear. From Lan Qiao's smile to Lan Qiao swinging his greatsword, it should have been a fleeting moment, but for the priest, it felt like an eternity, as if that moment before death was an entire lifetime.
The greatsword pierced a large hole in the priest's chest. Lanqiao kicked the still struggling corpse aside and swung the greatsword at another enemy. The enemy felt a heat on his face as the greatsword, stained with the priest's hot blood, splattered on his face. Then the greatsword cleaved into half of his skull, and his head above the mouth was split open by the heavy sword and rolled to the ground several feet away.
Without their commander, the Lotus Army, though still fearless in the face of the Peace Army's Crimson Dragon Formation's division and slaughter, had reduced their resistance to a mere formality. The tragic deaths of the resisters shattered the Lotus Army's courage and time to regroup; the battle's outcome was decided in this small, localized conflict. Although some priests and demon soldiers still attempted to regroup and resist, they were overwhelmed by their own retreating comrades. Their shouts and cries were swept away like the wind, and they too were forced to join the fleeing ranks.
Swept along by the defeated soldiers, Xue Qian, protected by over a hundred close guards, finally broke out of the canyon, escaping this living hell. Together with these defeated troops, they ran wildly for several hours at a speed they themselves could not have imagined, before finally reining in their horses and looking around. Of the 30,000 troops, only 500 cavalrymen remained by his side.
He couldn't help but feel disheartened. This crushing defeat meant not only the loss of Huai'en, a strategically vital town for the Lianfa Sect's righteous army in eastern Chen, but also the loss of 30,000 assembled warriors. A city can be recaptured, but can warriors lost on the battlefield be retrieved from the netherworld? This attack made him realize that real war was not as simple as the game they had played with Chen's troops, like capturing bandits.
"Thirty thousand... thirty thousand..." he wailed, and the soldiers beside him were no less dejected than he was, so no one came to comfort him. His eyes darted around, as if searching for someone, and finally he found them, and a cruel joy appeared on his face.
“You’re still alive, that’s wonderful… that’s wonderful…” He urged his mount forward, slowly approaching Jiang Shidao, who was looking at him with anxious eyes, his tone filled with relief.
“Master…Master…” Jiang Shidao heard the unspoken meaning in his tone. His ashen face showed a resigned expression, as if he had already foreseen his fate. But at this last moment, he still did not give up his words, hoping to use them to save his life again, just like before.
"Master, you can't kill me... I've always been loyal to the Divine Sect... I may not have made any great contributions, but I've certainly put in the hard work..." His tongue betrayed him at this moment; his once sharp tongue could only repeat these meaningless words.
"Yes, even if we didn't achieve great things, we still put in a lot of effort... the effort of sending 30,000 soldiers to the Great God..." As he retorted, Xue Qian slowly drew his waist knife. In the silence of the wind and snow, the sound of the waist knife breaking from its sheath was particularly jarring.
“The villain is guilty!” Jiang Shidao began to disregard everything. “Then is the master who used the villain’s scheme also guilty? I said long ago that we should not rush. So is the master who ordered the whole army to camp and rest in a dangerous place also guilty?”
But his words ended there. Xue Qian's sword had already pierced his neck. Without wiping the blood off the sword, Xue Qian looked around blankly. The surrounding soldiers were not surprised by his actions. Only after Jiang Shidao's body fell did his master's mount let out a mournful neigh, stretch its head to nuzzle Jiang Shidao's body twice, and lick the blood off his face.
"Don't worry, after I settle your score, I'll naturally settle my own. Great God, I'm coming!" Xue Qian muttered to himself.
Chapter Four: Undercurrents
Section 1