Chapter 140 Fighting to the End
Uled raised his scimitar and charged towards Qi Rong. Qi Rong glanced at the pursuer and went straight to meet him. In a battle between experts, the outcome would be clear in a short time.
The curved blade narrowly grazed Qi Rong's neck, leaving a bloody gash on his shoulder that quickly stained it. Qi Rong frowned, rode Yun Zhui back, and fought again. His long blade slashed through Wu Le De's armor, and in the instant it brushed past him, it left another deep wound on Wu Le De's waist and abdomen.
Qi Rong was like a slippery fish, dodging Wulede's attacks multiple times while leaving Wulede with extremely tricky wounds.
Uld's eyes burned with fury as he clutched his bleeding wound on his abdomen, his hateful gaze fixed on Qi Rong, whose face remained calm and composed.
"You surnamed Qi, I will tear you to pieces today!!!"
As the third prince of the Tatars and a strong contender for the throne of the Great Khan, he had been defeated by Qi Rong more than once.
This is a humiliation and a disgrace. The Tatar warriors will surely avenge this humiliation and make the Han generals pay a heavy price.
Qi Rong, riding Yun Zhui, stood tall in the center of the cavalry. Blood trickled from his silver armor, dripping into the ground. His long sword, still gleaming coldly after the battle, was the same sword he had given Lin Changning, forged in the same furnace. It was a precious sword given to him by his uncle, and it was indeed a sharp and fine blade.
Three thousand men surrounded Qi Rong and his cavalry. Despite being surrounded by the army, Qi Rong remained calm and composed, seemingly unafraid of death.
Uld withdrew from the cavalry encirclement and waved to his soldiers to capture Qi Rong.
At the sound of the command flag, the Tartar cavalry surged forward like a tidal wave, the dust kicked up by their hooves obscuring the sky. Qi Rong roared and led the cavalry behind him straight out of the encirclement like a volley of arrows. Qi Rong led the charge and the two sides clashed. The sound of metal colliding, the neighing of warhorses, and the occasional screams of agony formed a rather tragic symphony.
Lin Changning, standing atop the city wall, couldn't help but feel a pang of worry for Qi Rong. Qi Rong led the charge in the formation, his longsword flashing and taking lives in his path. His swordsmanship was quite different from Lin Changning's fierce and domineering style, but each strike was ingenious and skillful.
One by one, the Tartars were cut down by Qi Rong's long sword. After falling from their horses, more Tartars poured into the breach. Wave after wave of Tartars charged forward recklessly, and Qi Rong's pressure increased. Lin Changning and the others' hearts were also on edge.
Uld stood outside the formation, sneered, and waved his hand to signal his men to go up. Beside him, a fat and strong Tatar warrior clasped his hands in acceptance, mounted his warhorse, and galloped towards Qi Rong in the center.
In the very first exchange, he slashed fiercely at Qi Rong, aiming straight for Qi Rong's throat. Qi Rong dodged to the side, and the longsword countered in the same manner. With just one blow, Qi Rong's hands went slightly numb. This person was extremely strong, although not as strong as Chang Ping, but still not to be underestimated.
"He's a troublesome character," Qi Rong thought to himself.
We're already surrounded. If this person holds us back, it'll be hard to break out. And the cavalry behind us are dwindling...
The newcomer seized the opportunity and slashed down with his sword. Qi Rong was unable to dodge in time, and a deep wound was slashed on his shoulder, the blood immediately staining his battle robe red.
Qi Rong rode backward in an attempt to shake off the approaching men, but they were relentlessly pursued by those behind them, who seemed to be on steroids.
The Tartar soldiers behind them roared angrily. With a wave of the command flag not far away, the Tartar army immediately changed formation, tightly surrounding Qi Rong and his cavalry in the center, forming an impenetrable encirclement.
Arrows rained down from all directions, and Qi Rong and his cavalry could only raise their swords to defend themselves, but many still fell from their horses.
Qi Rong deflected the arrow aimed at him with a single stroke, his brows furrowing deeply. He glanced at the sky; it was already afternoon.
Qi Rong looked unwell. He could probably make it through the night on the city wall, but he probably wouldn't survive.
They were surrounded by Tartars from all sides, and the remaining few dozen men couldn't break through.
Qi Rong closed his eyes, and with the thought of dying together with his enemy, charged towards the Tartar warriors behind him.
There were no more Tartars attacking the city walls; everyone wanted to get Qi Rong's head and claim a victory.
Old Ma turned his head away with a hint of reluctance, Old Zhang's eyes also reddened, and Old Zhou punched the city wall, feeling extremely frustrated.
Lin Changning closed his eyes briefly, then opened them and said in a hoarse voice, "Old Ma, I'll take three hundred men down to rescue the commander. If we come back, then we'll continue fighting. If I don't come back, you take over command and make sure we hold out until all the civilians have evacuated."
Old Ma grabbed Lin Changning's arm and said in a low voice, "Changping, don't be impulsive. I know you want to save the commander, but taking two hundred men down there is just suicide!"
Lin Changning turned his head, pried open Lao Ma's palm, and nodded: "I know Lao Ma, but I want to give it a try. Everyone should be impulsive twice in their life. I think I should go, even if it means dying without regret."
Old Zhang gripped the knife hilt tightly and said in a muffled voice, "I'll go with you, Changping."
Old Zhou chimed in, "I'll go too!"
Old Ma gritted his teeth: "Then me too."
Lin Changning, a rare smile playing on his lips, patted Lao Zhang and Lao Zhou on the back and interrupted, "Defending the city is important. I don't have the energy to rescue you one by one. Don't make things worse. Saving the commander is troublesome enough!"
Lin Changning waved his hand and jogged down the city wall. After counting enough cavalry, he sat on Mo Yun's back and waited for the city gate to open.
The moment the door opened, he quickly led his men out, because most of the Tatar soldiers had gone to pursue Qi Rong, and there weren't many Tatars left at the door.
Lin Changning brandished his long sword and charged out with his men, slashing and killing anyone he saw along the way. Lin Changning took the lead, hacking and slashing left and right, and killed four or five Tartars in a single encounter.
The cavalry behind him seemed to be injected with adrenaline, roaring and charging after Lin Changning.
Once outside Qi Rong's encirclement, looking at the thousand-strong battle formation on the outer perimeter, Lin Changning plunged in without hesitation.
The third prince, Uld, chuckled mockingly: "All brawn and no brains, trying to rescue Qi Rong with only two hundred men—is this guy a fool? Hahahaha..."
The generals around him laughed along. They all thought Lin Changning was probably a crazy, reckless man.
"A mere two hundred men, do they think they can take on our army of several thousand? One person and one sword could chop them into mincemeat, hahaha...!!"
"I bet he'll be hacked to pieces by our Tatar warriors within an hour!"
"I'll bet half an hour!"
A group of generals rode together on horseback, laughing and joking. A Tatar warrior patted his muscular chest, his large muscles jiggling, and volunteered, "Prince, I am willing to take this man's head and present it to you!"
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