"What a blindly loyal man!" Li Jun's mind raced, but he suddenly realized, "Why would I criticize someone who takes Marshal Lu as his role model? Could it be that deep down, I also criticize Marshal Lu in the same way?"
Section 02
The wind grew stronger and stronger. The south wind blowing from the Qionglu Grassland was different from the east wind blowing from the sea. It carried the unique desolate atmosphere of autumn on the grassland.
Eight hundred cavalrymen, using Dong Cheng as the tip of their arrows, cut through the wind and charged straight towards Li Jun's main force. One thousand feet! Eight hundred feet! Six hundred feet! Four hundred feet! The approximate distance they could see was rapidly decreasing, but the target of their attack seemed to have no reaction. There was no panic or tension; they simply stood quietly, as still as the night.
"Three hundred feet!" Dong Cheng was overjoyed. If eight hundred cavalrymen broke into the enemy's main camp, there was no need to defeat the enemy or kill Li Jun. As long as his men shouted "Kill Li Jun!", the morale of the Heping Army would be thrown into chaos. This is what military strategy means by "seizing the commander of the three armies".
Just then, Li Jun's deep yet clear and powerful voice seemed to ring in my ears: "Don't fire arrows, capture Dong Cheng alive!"
With a "whoosh," a crimson dragon battle flag suddenly unfurled behind Li Jun, swaying from side to side in the south wind, and tens of thousands of Peace Army soldiers shouted wildly, "Kill!"
The combined roar of tens of thousands of people was more powerful than a thunderclap. Five thousand heavily armored cavalry charged into battle in that instant, forming a goose-wing formation—a perfect counter to wedge formations—beside Li Jun and his generals. The mounted cavalrymen wielded heavy lances, each a foot longer than ordinary lances, their tips gleaming in the sunlight like stars, or the piercing gaze of a venomous snake lurking in the shadows.
"Not good!" Looking at the enemy formation, as thick as a wall, Dong Cheng immediately realized that his risky tactic had failed again. Now, there was only one way out: to die here and allow his wife to receive the honors she desired. However, she insisted on coming to Wakou Pass to watch the battle; after his death, would the Peace Army let her go?
Even heroes have their weaknesses, and tender feelings for their children are fleeting. These feelings only flashed through his mind before he cast them aside. "To die for one's country, what need is there for wife and children?" Dong Cheng raised his long spear, and in that instant, he was no more than a hundred feet from the enemy lines!
The armored cavalry began their charge. Because they were heavily armored and not the exceptionally strong Qiang people, the mounted warriors relied on their horses' strength to wear such heavy armor. With such a heavy load on their backs and chainmail on their bodies, the horses naturally couldn't charge as quickly as the light cavalry, nor could they match their endurance. However, in this short charge, the sheer weight of their armor exerted greater pressure on the enemy than on the light cavalry.
Even a fierce tiger in the mountains is powerless against a hedgehog covered in armor, especially one much larger than a tiger. Dong Cheng brandished his spear and cried out in despair, "Victory or death!"
"Victory or death!" These eight hundred light cavalry were all his long-time subordinates. Although they knew it was a dead end, they still followed him closely. In an instant, the sharp killing intent of the eight hundred fast riders materialized and broke through the south wind, piercing straight into the armored cavalry formation of the Peace Army. Even through three layers of soldiers, Li Jun could feel the killing intent that made his blood boil!
Just as the two armies clashed, Li Jun frowned slightly. The heavily armored cavalry had actually managed to break through the enemy's mere eight hundred men!
Dong Cheng's spear flew up and down in front of him, deflecting the lances thrust out by the armored cavalry. The heavily armored warriors, barely able to muster their strength to attack again, were already struck by Dong Cheng's spear through the joints of their armor, throwing them from their horses. Without the support of the horse's hooves, and under the weight of their armor, the warriors struggled to even rise, let alone fight. They could only watch helplessly as the enemy riders closed in, their hooves pounding heavily on their chainmail, deforming the metal. A sharp pain shot through their chests; their inevitable demise was imminent.
"Kill!" Dong Cheng swiftly dispatched several enemies. When he turned back, he found that only fifty or so riders remained behind him. The vast majority of them were separated by a sea of armored soldiers. Amid the neighing of horses, there were occasional mournful cries and heavy thuds as they landed. His thunderous attack had little effect against the enemy's solid formation.
The isolated defenders, unable to see their commander, were filled with fear, and their initial fighting spirit wavered. The armored cavalry's wedge formation had already closed in, forming an encirclement. Although they were fighting like cornered beasts, they felt weak and unable to continue.
The fierce battle raged on the hills on both sides, where the fighting was even more intense than on the front. The defenders clearly saw the crisis below, but were powerless to provide support. The defensive formation, which had originally formed a pincer movement, was now fragmented by the Peace Army due to insufficient manpower, and it seemed that only defeat awaited them.
Just then, the sound of drums suddenly came from Wakou Pass. The soldiers who had been focused on the fierce battle in front of the pass stopped beating their drums. Now, someone had snatched a drumstick from a soldier and started hitting the largest drum at the pass with all their might.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" Dong Cheng, who was trapped in the encirclement, heard the unusual drumbeats. He glanced at Guan Tou and his heart was filled with excitement. He felt that he had strength all over his body.
"Charge forward and break through the enemy lines!"
The drummer shouted shrilly, and the soldiers on the gate turned around in surprise, only to see Lady Sun in full military attire, exuding a commanding presence. Her once gentle and delicate face was now filled with a resolute expression, and her eyes seemed to be burning. She beat the drum with all her might, and the other drummers followed suit, beating their drums with all their might. On Wakou Gate, the drums thundered and the battle cries shook the heavens.
"Kill! Break through the enemy lines!" The soldiers from Guanzhong also charged out, surging like a tide towards the battlefield where the fighting was raging. The terrain in front of Wakou Pass was narrow, which was originally not conducive to the deployment of a large army. After the armored cavalry of the Heping Army came out to fight, it was already full. Therefore, when these thousands of infantrymen rushed out from Guanzhong, for a moment the strength of the two sides on the front line seemed to be almost equal.
Seeing his beloved wife personally leading the troops into battle to encourage them, Dong Cheng felt as if his whole body was on fire. A surge of resentment emanated from his spear, knocking the armored cavalry of the Peace Army off their horses.
"Li Jun, prepare to die!" He didn't care if there were any other subordinates around him, and charged forward with all his might. Li Jun was already within reach!
"Clang!" His outstretched spear was blocked by a broadsword. The man who blocked it shouted and stumbled back several steps, horse and all.
"Die!" Dong Cheng temporarily shifted his target. This man was in front of Li Jun. If he didn't defeat him, how could he kill Li Jun? So his spear, like a venomous snake, found an opening and thrust it towards the general's throat.
Before he could react, and just as he was about to be pierced through the throat by a spear, another spear suddenly appeared from the side, deflecting Dong Cheng's spear.
"Brother Tang, you owe me a life!" The man who saved him pushed aside Dong Cheng's spear and said this, but his spear technique never stopped. In one breath, he unleashed more than ten moves in succession. With the overflowing energy, Dong Cheng had no choice but to return his spear to defend.
"Luo's Lightning Continuous Spear Technique!" Dong Cheng thought to himself. This man's spear technique was as swift as lightning, continuous and uninterrupted. At first glance, each strike seemed to have little power, but when he parried, the force transmitted from the spear showed that each strike had the power of thunder. This must be the Lightning Continuous Spear Technique of the Luo family, a family of spear masters in the State of Su!
"Luo family brat, watch me defeat you!" To wield the Lightning Chain Spear to this extent, one must be a direct descendant of the Luo family. I never expected that a descendant of the Luo family, who has always been devoted to the country, would also produce someone who betrays the country and joins Li Jun! Dong Cheng was furious and suddenly roared, thrusting his long spear straight out at a speed several times faster than his opponent.
This spear thrust was his full power; he no longer held back against Li Jun. Li Jun, watching from twenty paces away, saw it clearly and his expression tightened. The Luo family's lightning-fast continuous spear technique was too fast, so fast that even the attacker couldn't control it. Speed was both its strength and its weakness. He had fought this subordinate named Luo Yi before and knew that if someone was familiar with the Luo family's spear techniques and had their weapon ready, Luo Yi would run right into it. And at this moment, Dong Cheng's spear tip was aimed at the path Luo Yi would inevitably take with him!
But the other man was still thirty paces away. Even with Xiaoyue Feishuang's speed, it was impossible for him to save him before Luo Yi's next move. With his mind racing, Luo Yi's spear pierced straight out, and his arm collided with Dong Cheng's spear, piercing right through it!
Luo Yi cried out, threw down his spear, and tried to turn back. Dong Cheng, hating him for treason, spurred his horse forward and swung his spear again, aiming for Luo Yi's back. Tang Peng, whom Luo Yi had saved earlier, swung his broadsword to deflect the spear for Luo Yi.
"You gave it back to me..." Luo Yi turned around and saw this scene. The intense pain in his arm made him gasp for breath. Sweat and blood gushed out like a fountain, but he still didn't stop talking and said at an extremely fast pace.
"Hurry back to the rear, Luo Yi!" Li Jun gently urged Xiaoyue Feishuang. His beloved horse, understanding his meaning, trotted forward. The sight of men and horses neighing on the battlefield seemed to excite it as well, and it kept snorting. Wei Zhan waved his paper fan and tapped it twice on his left hand, but still shook his head with a wry smile, not uttering the words of advice to Li Jun not to take such a risk.
Dong Cheng forced Tang Peng back with three consecutive spear thrusts, and was about to seize the opportunity to kill him when an intense, almost irresistible pressure enveloped him. He looked up and saw Li Jun, wearing the famous Crimson Dragon Helmet, right in front of him.
The appearance of a formidable enemy did not frighten Dong Cheng. On the contrary, he felt his blood surging even more, as if he was extremely eager for a life-or-death battle with Li Jun.
"Take this!" he roared, thrusting his spear forward. Li Jun twirled his halberd, the heavy blade moving with effortless grace in his hands. The two weapons clashed, producing a piercing metallic clang. Dong Cheng was jolted, but Li Jun's expression remained unchanged. Back in Lu Xiang's time, Li Jun and another valiant general, Meng Yuan, were known as the "Twin Peaks of Lu's School." Some even believed that these two had nearly reached Lu Xiang's level on the battlefield, becoming the second or third strongest warriors in the Su Kingdom. Now it seemed their reputation was indeed well-deserved.
This couldn't be resolved in just a few moves. Dong Cheng felt a slight anxiety. He had launched a surprise attack to relieve the danger on both sides of the hills and to disrupt the Ping Army's formation, but now it seemed his objective hadn't been achieved. No matter how brave he was, he couldn't possibly defeat this army of thousands. If Li Jun withdrew and retreated into the camp, killing him would be as difficult as ascending to heaven; he only had a fleeting opportunity!
He glanced around out of the corner of his eye; the Peace Army soldiers were already closing in. "The art of war says, 'If you fail in one strike, retreat with your life intact.' Now is the time for that." He thought to himself, determined to kill Li Jun within three moves. If he couldn't kill Li Jun, he would have to find another way. The courage he had shown in the battle just now was slightly shaken by the immense pressure from the Peace Army soldiers.
Li Jun failed to discern the subtle shift in Dong Cheng's mood from his face. With a flick of his halberd, the heavy halberd conjured up a forest of light and shadow, the wind it stirred up sounding faintly like muffled thunder. In this extremely short space, to be able to generate such power, one would expect the qi transformed from spiritual energy on the halberd to be incredibly fierce. However, Dong Cheng did not feel any pressure from the qi in Li Jun's moves.
This terrified Dong Cheng even more. He thrust his long spear diagonally, piercing through the shadows of Li Jun's halberds like lightning. The barrier of countless halberd shadows did not stop his spear; it passed smoothly through the shadows like a serpent entering its hole. But what terrified him was that his spear seemed to be sucked into the vortex of Li Jun's halberds rather than being thrust in by him. The spear felt as if it were not in his hand, beyond his control.
The two horses passed each other, and Dong Cheng could only take advantage of the moment when the two were far apart to forcefully retract his spear. Li Jun gave a slight snort, and the suction force on the halberd suddenly disappeared. Dong Cheng, who was exerting his strength, missed his target and swayed on his horse, almost falling off. All the spiritual energy he had released returned to Li Jun's body, causing his chest to churn.
"Let it go!" he roared, letting out the pent-up anger in his chest. He was relieved that he hadn't lost his spear. With a flash of inspiration, he charged into the densest part of the Peace Army's formation, leaving Li Jun, who was turning his horse around, behind.
Seeing that he had abandoned his horse and rushed behind him, Li Jun was slightly puzzled, but then he understood. He squeezed his horse's flanks hard and shouted, "Zeng Liang!"
Dong Cheng charged with all his might, unstoppable, into Li Jun's cavalry, abandoning his men and heading straight for the guard carrying the Crimson Dragon Battle Banner. The entire Peace Army relied on this banner for commands; if it were captured or destroyed, the Peace Army would inevitably fall into disarray. Seeing that the banner bearer could not dodge, Li Jun's guard captain, Zeng Liang, shouted, "Charge me!" and leaped forward, his spear aimed straight for Dong Cheng's heart.
Dong Cheng's eyes widened, his once dignified face now radiating murderous intent. He thrust his spear upwards, deflecting Zeng Liang's long spear. Zeng Liang's block allowed the flag bearer to retreat unscathed, avoiding a direct confrontation with him, and shattered Dong Cheng's last hope of turning the tide.
But Dong Cheng immediately followed up with another spear thrust, this time aimed directly at Zeng Liang who was blocking him. Zeng Liang tried his best to block, but still couldn't get through. He cried out and fell off his horse, rolled on the ground, and then quickly got up, his face turning pale.