Chapter 1336 - 326: Stars (6)

Chapter 1336: Chapter 326: Stars (6)

So, Liang Cheng decisively ordered the soldiers to split into two groups,

charging towards the flanks of the Chu army, intending to slice through the sides before enveloping them in a pincer movement.

The Snow Sea cavalry, already well-versed in battle formations, split into two wings. If there was an opening, they would charge in; if there wasn’t, or their own comrades blocked the front, they would start shooting arrows.

The reputation of the rattan armor soldiers was actually quite famous, because in the water forts and swamps of Long Creek County, they could move deftly and pursue aggressively, rendering them invincible in the face of ferocious water bandits.

But when facing the well-armored soldiers of the Snow Sea, the disparity in equipment quickly became apparent.

The bandits... well, where would bandits get full sets of equipment?

And the armor on the Snow Sea cavalry was really the accumulated wealth of Lord Zheng and his demonic commanders, cast into the forge without hesitation!

If it truly wasn’t as good as the so-called rattan armor,

then fine,

there’s no need for casting anymore, start a nationwide rattan-growing campaign at Snow Sea Pass; rattan armor is so much better, so cost-effective and effortless!

So, facts proved that the principle of getting what you pay for holds true everywhere.

The formation was broken,

in close combat, the enemy’s armor was evidently stronger in defense, and whether on horseback or fighting on foot, their killing ability was no weaker than theirs.

Looking around,

it seemed as if Yan people were galloping on horseback everywhere;

finally,

this Baipu troop,

collapsed!

In fact, the fact that they managed to hold on until now before collapsing was already commendable, even exceptional.

During the previous southern campaign against the Qian people, their formations generally crumbled at the first charge of the wild people, losing all morale, but this Baipu troop held on for quite a while before really reaching their limit.

From panic to gritting their teeth in perseverance, then seeing no hope, followed by despair, numbness, and finally... collapse.

Large batches of soldiers began to drop their weapons and surrender; they didn’t want to flee, but they couldn’t escape from their military camp.

This time, the Yan army didn’t kill prisoners, and even when they saw Chu soldiers dropping their weapons and kneeling, they didn’t strike but moved past them to find the next opponent still resisting stubbornly.

This scene prompted even more Chu people to abandon further resistance and choose to surrender.

Beneath the tower, several Yan cavalrymen used hooks to latch onto two support beams, then urged their horses forward to pull.

Before the tower fell, Chi Mingyi jumped down in advance.

He intended to wield his blade to kill enemies; he had no intention of surrendering nor fleeing. After all, as a trusted son-in-law of the Bai Family, even now if he had nothing else, he still had his dignity.

The battle situation was already broken; he, as the commander, was powerless to reverse it.

He no longer bothered to think about the nearby allied forces he never saw, focusing instead on taking as many Yan bastards with him before he died.

However, the Yan people didn’t fulfill this wish for him, perhaps knowing he was a high-ranking Chu official, so the surrounding cavalrymen immediately threw ropes to capture him.

Chi Mingyi mustered his energy and broke free from the ropes, but was hit by two arrows.

One pierced his knee, the other struck his right arm, the hand holding the sword.

Then another circle of rope came down, ensnaring him.

"Ah!"

Chi Mingyi let out a furious roar, grabbed the rope with his left hand, and yanked it hard towards himself.

The cavalryman was pulled off his horse, but before Chi Mingyi could pull him closer, another rope was already looped around his neck, and the cavalryman spurred his horse into a gallop, dragging Chi Mingyi to the ground and hauling him backwards.

Then,

two more cavalrymen rushed forward and pinned him down.

One even used a hooked lock to pierce his shoulder blades, a device invented by Xue San specifically to capture martial artists.

Chi Mingyi was locked up, restrained in humiliation.

By this time, the slaughter in Yangshan Village was also coming to an end.

Lord Zheng rode in on horseback, A Ming on his left, the Sword Saint on his right, and their battle flag behind them, arriving fashionably late.

The area that was the village gate of Yangshan Village could be described as a field of corpses piled several layers deep.

The corpses of warhorses and soldiers from both sides, along with many wounded, lay on the ground, groaning in pain.

"Spare the prisoners?" the Sword Saint asked.

"Right now, manpower is crucial," Lord Zheng said. "When sieging in the future, having them wear Chu armor and fly Chu flags will further shake the morale of the Chu troops."

"Tsk, that’s dirty," the Sword Saint remarked.

"Are you saying that ordering the execution of prisoners now would be merciful?"

The Sword Saint didn’t respond,

knowing he couldn’t out-argue him.

Fanli, clad in full iron armor, stood at the front, looking somewhat lonely.

In the past, during sieges, he was often the main vanguard, but this time, the wild cavalry had performed so well that Fanli felt a bit like a hero without a stage.

In this sweltering heat, wearing armor for so long seemed pointless, just resulting in a sweat-soaked body.

"Raise the wolf smoke," Lord Zheng ordered the flag bearer beside him.

"Yes!"

The color of the wolf smoke could be adjusted by mixing additives; Lord Zheng had already brought these additives along.

Soon,

three plumes of red wolf smoke rose,

signifying to the four fields that the battle here was over.

Sitting on the back of Pixiu, Lord Zheng stretched lazily, his eyes dimly focused.

The casualties were much lower than anticipated.

But that’s if one doesn’t count the wild people’s casualties.

Counting the wild people’s casualties, it was estimated that there were no fewer than five thousand casualties in this battle. Many of these injuries were severe, or even if healed, the soldiers would find it hard to ride horses again and would have to retire.

Without the wild cavalry as vanguards, the sixteen thousand troops of Snow Sea Pass brought out this time would have suffered a one-third loss, including those with the highest combat effectiveness and loyalty among the savage soldiers.

At this moment,

the wild king who earned the greatest honors in this battle,

was cradling the dying Sang Hu, sitting on a heap of corpses.

Sang Hu’s mouth was full of blood, yet he still spoke:

"King... are there really stars... after I die... can I go to the stars...?"

Tears twinkled in the wild king’s eyes as he reached up to wipe them,

smiling and cursing:

"There’s no damn stars."

Sang Hu smiled,

and said,

"Right... there’s no... damn stars..."

Then,

Sang Hu’s last breath left him, dying in the wild king’s arms.

The wild king tried to close Sang Hu’s eyelids but found he couldn’t, and cursed:

"What do you mean by dying with your eyes open, are you deliberately trying to make me uneasy!"

Saying this,

he reached out to close them several more times, but without success.

Finally,

the wild king gave up, using the Snow Wolf skin flag to wrap Sang Hu’s head,

then continued to hold Sang Hu,

his body,

gently rocking.

"Actually, I also hope there really are stars."