Chapter 141 Defended

The third prince waved his hand, in high spirits: "Go, Tatar warriors!"

The Tatar warriors, eager to show their loyalty, grabbed their double hammers and, with dozens of guards, raced toward the road Lin Changning was on.

With such lucrative military achievements delivered to his doorstep, why not seize this man instead of Qi Rong? The delighted man rode off happily to intercept Lin Changning.

Upon approaching, the warrior impatiently waved aside the cavalrymen blocking his way: "Get out of the way, get out of the way! Watch me take this man's head for the prince!!!"

One of the cavalrymen warned, "Chief, this man..."

Before he could finish speaking, the warrior charged forward on his horse, shouting, "You brat from Da Xuan! Take this from Grandpa!"

Lin Changning sneered, "They rushed in without even asking around. The Tartars are really stupid."

He turned and went to meet him. The two clashed with their swords and hammers. The silver sword blocked the hammer. The warrior saw that Lin Changning had directly blocked his hammer. The two collided and the impact made his hands go numb. He did not expect this person to be so strong.

Another hammer came crashing down, but Lin Changning caught it with one hand, snatched it back, and yelled, "Give it to me! What are you showing off for!"

Before he could finish speaking, the hammer was snatched away by Lin Changning, leaving the warrior wide-eyed and bewildered.

Where's my hammer? Where's the hammer that big in my left hand?

Before the warrior could react, Lin Changning snatched the hammer from the warrior's right hand and then smashed him off his horse with a single blow: "Go!"

The warrior's own hammer struck him, and he fell off his horse with a dull thud.

I felt an unbearable pain in my chest, and a mouthful of blood was stuck in my chest.

Lin Changning, riding Moyun, stomped hard on the warrior, who rolled on the ground to avoid the horse's hoof.

Lin Changning didn't give him a chance to stand up; with a flash of light, he took the warrior's head.

The warrior continued running forward for a few steps before collapsing with a thud.

The surroundings fell silent for a moment as several guards rushed forward, attempting to overwhelm Lin Changning with their numbers and avenge their leader.

Lin Changning, on horseback, narrowed his phoenix eyes and stood with the others. He shouted and led his cavalry in a fierce charge toward the southeast corner, approaching Qi Rong.

The Tartar soldiers raised their spears to block him, but Lin Changning brandished his longsword, slashing left and right, carving a bloody path for the cavalry behind him.

The iron hooves of warhorses trampled mercilessly on the corpses of the enemy, and the blood stained the wasteland dark red.

Under Changning's leadership, the remaining cavalrymen bravely charged forward and finally broke through the enemy's encirclement, successfully joining forces with the Qi Rong.

Qi Rong was almost covered in blood. Only when Lin Changning got closer did he realize that Qi Rong's armor was tattered beyond recognition, and he didn't know how many people he had been hacked at to get to this state.

Qi Rong paused when he saw Lin Changning, almost getting hit by the attack, but Lin Changning rushed forward and killed the attacker with a single blow.

"Why did you come down? Didn't I tell you to stay up there?!"

Lin Changning smiled and wiped the blood from his face: "Come down and take the commander back!" As he spoke, he swiftly chopped down the Tartars beside him.

Blood gradually soaked into the long sword in Lin Changning's hand.

She held Qi Rong firmly behind her, her warhorse neighing as it trampled over the corpses of the Tatar cavalry: "Go! Command!"

Lin Changning roared, and his blade flashed through the air, slashing a cavalryman who was trying to launch a surprise attack from the flank and knocking him off his horse.

The warm blood rain splashed on her face, but it only made her eyes more ruthless.

The Tatar encirclement tightened like an iron barrel, and the wall of death composed of scimitars and spears continued to approach. The shouts of battle made the Xuan Army archers on the city wall grip their bowstrings tightly.

Old Ma and Old Zhang grabbed the bows and arrows and began trying to shoot at the Tartars around Lin Changning and his group. Unfortunately, the distance was too far, and the arrows fell limply to the ground before they could even reach the Tartars.

Qi Rong's left leg was still bleeding, but he forced himself to keep up and charge forward with Lin Changning. The Tatar cavalry seemed to be wary of the blood-stained blade, and their several charges were forced back by Lin Changning's ten-against-one momentum. Wherever the blade pointed, the leather armor and flesh were torn apart like paper.

The Tartars were almost wiped out by this general who would cut off heads at will, and it seems that they were also traumatized by the slaughter.

For a moment, few dared to stop them. Seeing this, the Third Prince frowned, turned to look at the other tribal leaders, and gestured for them to fight.

Lin Changning's voice boomed in Qi Rong's ears, carrying an undeniable calmness.

"Hold on a little longer, Commander, we're almost there!"

Her gaze was fixed on the city wall not far away, their last chance to survive.

If they can shake off the Tartars and get into the city, they will be saved!

The Tatars were clearly aware of this as well, and suddenly a troop of cavalrymen, wielding spiked clubs, charged out from the side, intending to intercept and kill the two men beneath the city wall.

It was the Tartar leader who had come down to intercept and kill the two after hearing the Third Prince's orders.

Lin Changning suddenly pulled on the reins, and the warhorse reared up, its iron hooves crushing a cavalryman's helmet.

"Charge!" Lin Changning shouted, spurring his horse's flanks and propelling Qi Rong toward the city wall like an arrow.

The Tatars were forced to retreat under Lin Changning's blade, tearing a bloody gash in the encirclement. Lin Changning was overjoyed and wanted to rush out.

But then another group of Tatar cavalry charged out from the side.

This distance is too close.

Even if they could get in, the Tartars could easily follow. The risk was too great, and we couldn't take the risk.

Qi Rong also stopped his horse. The two knew perfectly well that they could not enter the city gate.

A hundred wounded riders formed a crescent formation in the twilight, their armor covered with dark red scabs of blood, and their blades gleamed coldly in the dying rays of the setting sun.

Lin Changning looked up at the sky, suddenly laughed, turned around on his Moyun, and was already prepared to die here today.

The setting sun gilded the two of them. Qi Rong sighed and looked up: "I'm sorry, Liu Lang, I've dragged you into this."

Lin Changning smiled with a relieved expression, his handsome face softening: "Why apologize now?"

He then threw his head back and laughed loudly, using his long sword to sever the Tatar's head.

"We, the sons of Daxing, swear to never regret it, even unto death!"

Qi Rong tore off his blood-stained helmet, revealing a somewhat gruesome wound on his forehead. He pulled out a broken arrow from his chest, bit it in his mouth, and held his long sword horizontally in front of his chest.

"Pass on my order! Even if I die on the battlefield today, Daxing must not open its city gates. Today, fight to the death! Do not retreat! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

Lin Changning raised his sword, his handsome face filled with determination: "Fight to the death! I will not retreat!"

The shouts of the hundred remaining riders soared into the sky as they followed the two men without hesitation into the densely packed Tartar army.

Knowing it's impossible, I will still do it; though there are thousands of people against me, I will go!

Lin Changning charged into the enemy ranks first, his blade flashing, sending leather armor and flesh flying like rain.

Qi Rong followed closely behind, his long sword aimed at the lower body, and the screams of the cavalrymen falling from their horses rose and fell.

The Tatars surged in like a tide, their silver waves of scimitars instantly engulfing Xuan Jun's figures.

Lin Changning was shot in the left shoulder, but he pulled the arrow out with his other hand and stabbed it into the enemy's throat; Qi Rong's armor was slashed with three bloody marks, but he still managed to cut down the Tartar cavalrymen in front of him.

Blood dripped down the blade, forming a winding stream on the scorched earth.

The two were eventually dragged off their warhorses.

Mo Yun and Yun Zhui lay weakly on the ground, their manes stained with blood.

The cavalry slowly disappeared into the surging tide of Tartar soldiers.

On the battlefield, it seemed that only two people remained on the Da Xuan side.

As the sun completely sank below the horizon, a sudden, terrified howl erupted from the Tatar army ranks.

Lin Changning and Qi Rong stood back to back, covered in blood. The former's knife was still dripping blood, while the latter had lost his sword at some point and was now just holding a broken flagpole and waving it around like a stick.

Dozens of corpses lay piled at their feet, their blood-stained faces resembling demons in the night.

Even though the two were seriously injured, no one dared to move forward.

Lin Changning looked up at the setting sun and murmured, "It's getting dark. Commander, we did it!"

Qi Rong, whose body was supported by the flagpole but whose head was drooping, did not answer. Blood dripped down Qi Rong's cheeks.

Lin Changning turned around, put Qi Rong's arm on his shoulder and lifted him up, muttering to himself again, "Commander, we really did it."

Her consciousness was already fading, but Lin Changning dared not faint. Just as she was about to collapse in her dazed state, she suddenly heard a deafening battle cry behind her...