Chapter 1377 - 1053: Fierce Battle 2

Just as the pursuing troops at Hulao Pass charged forward like a pack of hungry wolves, Yu Wenye remained calm and composed, directing the people around him, "Mu Xian, take a few men south; Nie Chong, take these men north. Remember, don’t linger in battle!"

Hearing his words, it was clear he intended to disperse the enemy’s forces.

Although Mu Xian was worried, he had to follow orders once the battle started, so he immediately turned his horse south, leaving only a brief "Be careful, Your Highness" before leading his men away, with a squad of cavalry instantly following behind him.

On the other side, Nie Chong hesitated a bit and turned to Yu Wenye, saying, "Your Highness... they’re coming for you..."

Yu Wenye said, "Don’t worry!"

Seeing Yu Wenye’s confidence, Nie Chong didn’t dare to delay, called out to his men, and ran north, with another squad of cavalry splitting off from Shan Shiyu’s group to chase after them in a cloud of dust.

Thus, three groups of troops surged forward, kicking up vast clouds of dust like deep crevices cut into the earth, the deepest and most perilous being the center path. Shan Shiyu pursued Yu Wenye’s silhouette, his troops pressed closely behind, and in an instant, the distance between their front and back was reduced to less than ten yards. Seeing this, Shan Shiyu was ecstatic and raised his hand to the archers behind him, shouting loudly, "Don’t shoot, capture alive!"

The archers who had been readying their bows immediately stopped.

Capturing alive was indeed far more valuable than gaining a corpse.

It could not only break the enemy’s formation but also unsettle their morale. Yu Wenye was not an ordinary general; he was the esteemed Prince Qin of the Dasheng Dynasty, the son of Yu Wenquan. Capturing him could yield immeasurable benefits.

Thinking of this, Shan Shiyu nearly laughed out loud.

The surrounding leaders and soldiers understood his intentions, swarming forward, seemingly about to encircle Yu Wenye, Shen Tu Tai, and others. Yet, Yu Wenye remained calm, glancing at Shen Tu Tai who was clearing a path of enemies with satisfaction in his eyes, then turned to the slightly dazed Shantong’er, saying, "Just stay by my side, no need to act!"

His words were partly because Shantong’er was young and small in stature, but also because Shantong’er didn’t use long weapons, making him unsuitable for horseback combat. Hearing this, Shantong’er did not object, merely responding with a low "Mm."

Yu Wenye glanced at him again, said nothing, and drew a few arrows from his arrow tube.

Almost simultaneously, seeing Shen Tu Tai stabbing down several generals in succession, Shan Shiyu’s expression turned grim. He had known of Shen Tu Tai’s reputation, but even legendary figures could be formidable opponents. Nonetheless, this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Even if it meant sacrificing all his men today, he was determined to capture Yu Wenye!

With this in mind, he waved his hand at the squad beside him. "Attack!"

The soldiers shouted and charged toward Shen Tu Tai.

Facing these wolf-like enemies, Shen Tu Tai showed no fear, swinging his long spear with even greater ferocity. As his horse galloped steadily forward, he spotted a soldier moving up from the rear diagonally and reflexively swung his long spear, piercing the soldier’s chest before his knife could swing down!

"Ah—"

A scream echoed as the soldier was impaled and lifted up, Shen Tu Tai unleashed a powerful cry, flinging the man fiercely towards the trailing enemies.

Caught off guard, those men were knocked from their horses by the flying body, the swirling dust blinding a group of soldiers behind them. While rubbing their eyes, still charging forward, several bolts of silver light, like lightning, shot through the dust toward them. They were Yu Wenye’s arrows aimed backward.

"Ah!"

More screams followed as several men fell from their horses!

In that moment, Yu Wenye and Shen Tu Tai’s seamless cooperation—close combat from one, ranged attack from the other—combined with the diversion by Mu Xian and Nie Chong, almost cleared Shan Shiyu’s men. In a blink, Shan Shiyu realized the soldiers by his side were nearly wiped out.

Though the larger army still followed, they were now dozens of yards behind!

Shan Shiyu’s expression suddenly turned pale.

After all, he was young—barely thirty. Despite having followed Liang Shide through numerous battles, he had never encountered such a situation. The Prince Qin, Yu Wenye, dared to breach his Hulao Pass with only a dozen personal soldiers, not once but twice, even in the face of a thousand cavalry. They systematically retreated while engaging in combat.

No, not retreating...

Seeing the two ahead clearing obstacles and slowing down their horses’ speed, Shan Shiyu finally began to grasp the situation.

They were baiting him!

Yu Wenye was using himself as bait, drawing him out from Hulao Pass!

Realizing this, Shan Shiyu’s face turned ashen. He looked back again at his pursuing cavalry, who were desperately galloping after him, but the distance they had once closed now seemed far off. Yu Wenye and Shen Tu Tai, evidently having completed their initial plan, now had Shen Tu Tai’s horse slowing to nearly match his pace.

And ahead, Yu Wenye drew the last arrow from his arrow tube, nocked it, and aimed its cold, glittering point at Shan Shiyu!

Shan Shiyu’s heart screamed, sensing imminent danger!

He immediately pulled the reins hard, trying to turn his horse, but it was already too late. Shen Tu Tai had retreated right before him, his formidable, tiger-like face filled with battle fury, and his eyes bore immense killing intent. His long spear, stained with blood and the warmth of Shan Shiyu’s fallen soldiers, was now aimed at him!

Damn!

Shan Shiyu tensed up inside but refused to give in easily, gripping his long knife tightly.

As he was about to strike, a sudden shout rang in his ears, "Hey!"

The voice, full of spirit yet youthful and clear, made Shan Shiyu instinctively turn his head. A boyish figure charged in front of him, swinging a copper hammer at him.

This was—the young soldier who had been by Yu Wenye’s side all along!

Shan Shiyu was alarmed, not expecting him to suddenly appear by his side, but combat instincts suppressed any surprise or doubt, and he swung his long knife horizontally at the young soldier!