Chapter 648 Melee

"Prince, be careful!"

The man shouted and was about to pounce, but the wolf-faced prince remained calm, drew his curved sword from his waist, and swung it forcefully—

Everything happened in the blink of an eye.

With a "crack," the lightning bolt that was flying towards him was actually blocked by his sword, and the bow and arrow broke in two right in front of him and fell to the ground.

The man was both surprised and delighted, exclaiming, "The prince possesses divine power!"

However, the wolf-faced prince who created this "miracle" did not show any joy. He didn't even move his tightly pursed lips. After all, these arrows were shot from that fir forest, which was nearly a hundred feet away from them. The archers hidden inside must have been even further away for them to be out of sight.

Such a distance exceeds the range of ordinary bows and arrows.

Therefore, even though some of the soldiers in front of him were in the middle, the arrow shot at him had lost the killing power of a normal bow and arrow, which allowed him to cut it in half with one stroke.

Seeing their comrades being shot by arrows, the soldiers, who were initially panicked, were greatly encouraged. They drew their swords and swung them vigorously, and the sharp whistling of arrows and the crisp sound of curved swords striking arrows filled the air.

But this tactic proved effective; they blocked many arrows, and the men lying in ambush in the dense forest, seeing this, knew their surprise attack had failed and immediately began to retreat.

Only after retreating did they realize that so many people were hiding in the forest.

These people were all dressed in dark blue clothes. Although such a color wouldn't be easy to conceal in broad daylight, the overcast sky and the bluish glow of the fir tree branches in the dim light helped to hide most of their figures, allowing them to remain undetected. But now, upon seeing these figures, the wolf-faced prince was determined not to let them go.

He raised his arm high, the scimitar in his hand drawing a bright arc in the air—

"Kill them!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Western Turkic soldiers, already furious from the surprise attack, roared and mounted their horses, charging into the dense forest.

Although the Turkic cavalry were swift, they encountered obstacles everywhere once they entered the forest, slowing them considerably compared to the plains. Furthermore, the forest was extremely dense, with its thick foliage blocking out the sun and making it even darker than outside, as if it were dusk. This made it easier for the archers hidden in the forest to dart and run around nimbly, preventing the cavalry from catching up immediately. They were tightly pursued from both sides.

The man kept urging his horse to chase after the fleeing people, but he couldn't catch up. He gritted his teeth in anger: "Who are these people? Could it be—Yuwen Ye?"

Their biggest enemy, or rather their target, on this southward journey was Yuwen Ye.

The wolf-faced prince, who was walking alongside him, said in a deep voice, "No."

The man was taken aback: "Why?"

They hadn't even seen each other yet, so why was the prince so certain?

The wolf-faced prince, his face grave, galloped on his horse while gripping the reins, skillfully dodging the tree trunks blocking his path. Although the wolf-head mask covered most of his face and his eyes, his sharp gaze seemed to pierce through the mask and the dense forest, even more piercing than the arrows that had just been fired.

He said, "If it were Yuwen Ye, he would have used the Divine Arm Bow."

"..."

"So just now—"

Upon hearing this, the man immediately shuddered.

He was a participant in the Battle of Yanmen and witnessed firsthand how Yuwen Ye's divine crossbow shot down Shali Khan from a hundred feet away, even destroying the whistling arrow!

If that arrow had been shot by the Divine Crossbow, the prince before them might not be safe.

But if it wasn't Yuwen Ye, then who was it?

Now, the only ones who will come to Taiyuan's rescue and confront the Western Turks are the Yuwen clan from Guanzhong. And the most capable fighter in the Yuwen family, the one the Western Turks hate the most, is none other than Yuwen Ye.

Upon hearing this, the wolf-faced prince seemed to ponder for a moment, then said nothing more, simply stating, "Chase after them and you'll find out."

After saying that, he suddenly swung the reins again.

His steed galloped forward like an arrow released from a bow.

And so, the chase continued for nearly half an hour in the dense forest. However, the cavalry's advantage was completely ineffective in the woods. The more they went, the more confused they became. As night fell, the number of archers running and fleeing ahead dwindled, as if they had mysteriously disappeared into the forest.

What happened?

Just as a glimmer of hope appeared in the wolf-faced prince's heart, suddenly, the pursuing cavalrymen cried out in delight, "Light! We're going to get out!"

Everyone hurriedly looked up and saw dappled light shining through the dense foliage in front of them.

This vast, almost boundless fir forest is finally coming to an end!

Once they get out of this forest, their cavalry advantage will be fully realized. No matter where the archers flee, they will be able to catch up immediately.

This will help us figure out exactly who they are!

Thinking of this, the wolf-faced prince was overjoyed and brandished his scimitar, shouting, "Charge!"

His soldiers, filled with fervor, spurred their horses into a gallop, finally breaking through the densest patch of branches at the edge of the woods, as if piercing a barrier, and roaring outwards.

Beneath my feet was a slightly sloping earthen slope, below which lay a wide grassland, though not boundless, about a hundred feet wide. At the other end of the grassland rose a towering forest. Beneath my feet was a white ribbon, seemingly a long path worn by frequent travelers, winding and turning, leading directly to the narrow pass at the foot of two of the mountains.

But there wasn't a single person around!

The Turkic cavalrymen who had charged out of the woods, ready to wreak havoc, were suddenly stunned. They gripped the reins tightly, halting their horses, and stared in astonishment at their surroundings.

What happened?

They thought that once they rushed out of the woods, the archers who had ambushed them would have nowhere to escape, but why was there no one here? Did these people have the ability to fly and disappear into the earth, vanishing without a trace in just a short while?

Just as they were all in a bit of a panic, a gust of wind swept past them, and the wolf-faced prince also rushed out of the woods. His swift figure was like a bolt of lightning, and he rushed to the front of the group. He pulled on the reins, and his horse neighed and reared up, stopping abruptly at the edge of the earthen slope.

He raised his head and looked around sharply.

At this moment, the man rushed to his side. Like the bewildered Turkic soldiers around him, he was also confused. He looked around for a long time but couldn't find a single person.

He immediately asked, "Prince, what should we do?"

Don't panic!

Although the wolf-faced prince was also shocked, he knew he couldn't afford to be hasty at this moment. The fact that the other side had placed archers in this dense forest meant they were well-prepared. If he didn't calm down, he might fall into their trap.

Moreover—

He suddenly looked up and around. This was no longer the place they had planned to go.

According to their original plan, after replenishing their fodder in Shouyang, they should continue eastward and reach Taiyuan City. However, they had just rushed into the dense forest, following the archers at breakneck speed, and hadn't had time to look at the map. But judging from the light and their direction, they had been heading in a south-southwest direction, so they should be getting close to this place—

Qi County.

A glimmer of light had just flashed through his mind when an unusual gust of wind blew towards him from the front.

The wolf-faced prince immediately raised his head to look ahead.

He grew up on the grasslands and was surrounded by horses from a young age. He knew the smell of the grasslands, the scent of the horses, and the direction of the wind better than anyone else. Just now, he had sensed the sharpness carried by the wind and thus noticed the unusual atmosphere in the dense forest. Now, he sensed the strangeness in the wind once again.

However, it's a little different from before.

The man who had been following closely behind him was well aware of the prince's keen insight. At this moment, he immediately rode forward and whispered, "Prince, have you discovered something? Is there an ambush ahead?"

Just as he finished speaking, several riders suddenly rushed out from the mountain pass between the two mountains in front!

Everyone's eyes widened immediately.

Although they were so far apart, the Turks' eyes were as sharp as eagles, and they immediately saw that the cavalrymen were all wearing dark blue clothes, exactly the same as the archers who had just ambushed them in the dense forest!

Moreover, after that cavalry charge out of the pass, a large contingent of men followed closely behind them, marching out in a grand procession!

Sure enough, it was an ambush!

Those people just ambushed them in the forest, lured them here, and then confronted them with a large force. Now they have fallen into the enemy's trap. If they don't act now and let the enemy make the first move, they will lose all the initiative!

The man immediately raised his curved knife high, about to shout, when the wolf-faced prince suddenly stopped him: "Wait a minute!"

"Um?"

The man was taken aback and looked at him in surprise. He wondered what was the point of waiting for the prince at this point. Did he expect the other side to make the first move before they would fight back? What kind of war is this?

So he said urgently, "Prince, we can't wait any longer!"

The surrounding soldiers, already burning with rage, urged each other to charge: "Prince, let's attack!"

Don't give them a chance!

"Charge!"

Just as the crowd was filled with righteous indignation, an arrow appeared out of nowhere and flew past like lightning, striking the enemy's leading cavalryman. The man didn't even have time to utter a sound before he fell from his horse to the ground!

When he was hit by the arrow, the people around him panicked and hurriedly looked up, immediately seeing the large cavalry force on the earthen slope.

Immediately, they panicked—

"Enemies! Enemies!"

"Quickly prepare for battle!"