Chapter 24 Killing God
More and more Tartars charged towards the fortified village, greatly easing the pressure on Qi Rong's cavalry.
However, the pressure on the battle formation led by Lin Changning was increasing.
Qi Rong led his troops to charge into the Northern Yuan cavalry and split the column apart, while another column was surrounded by a veteran general who had fought many battles.
The two men completely disrupted the cavalry's formation and divided them into pieces, quickly drawing them into the encirclement of the Xuan infantry.
Without their speed advantage and unable to charge, the Northern Yuan cavalry were like tigers with their claws and teeth removed, facing a battle formation of long swords and spears, destined to die.
Qi Rong watched as the main force steadily harvested the spoils, then turned and led his dozens of personal guards to charge towards the fortified village.
Wherever they went, it was like a locust swarm passing through; not a single Tartar stood still.
The cavalry that followed were also a ferocious bunch; every time their long swords fell, they could take the life of a Tartar.
Surrounded by the Tartars who wanted to reclaim their warhorses, Lin Changning, with his long sword in hand and riding his steed, coordinated with the battle formation behind him like a tiger descending the mountain, cutting down one enemy after another, and two enemies after two. Lin Changning, who was at the forefront, had his armor splattered with blood.
The sight of the border soldiers falling behind her only fueled her ferocity, and she swung her long, slashed sword so fast it left afterimages.
In a battle between two armies, the most important thing is courage. Once courage is lost, the Tartars are nothing more than fish in someone else's hands, at the mercy of others.
Lin Changning, who was leading the charge, unleashed his full fury, each strike swift and deadly. The border troops behind him also emboldened, howling as they surrounded the lone cavalryman.
Before long, more than a hundred people died on the battlefield under Lin Changning's leadership and under her long sword.
The remaining cavalry, still providing support, were caught red-handed by the Qi Rong. Seeing the situation was dire, the leader quickly turned around and ordered a retreat.
The Tartar commander hurriedly sounded the retreat horn.
What's the point of fighting? A total of over a thousand people came, and in less than half a day, more than half of them were killed or wounded. They didn't even manage to gather any hay, and instead lost so many lives and warhorses.
If this drags on any longer, we might all be heading to the Eternal Heaven.
"Commander!! The Tartars are trying to escape!!"
Qi Rong cut down a cavalryman with a single stroke and ordered again, "Pursue! Leave no one alive!!"
The border guards who received the order quickly relayed the message, and as soon as the bugle sounded, the war drums began to thunder.
The drums of attack roused the howling border troops, who had been putting up with these bandits for a long time. They would come to steal their hay every few days, never giving them a moment of peace.
In war, the first attack is vigorous, the second weakens, and the third exhausts the strength.
They gained nothing and lost many men. Most of the Tartars lost their will to fight and began to retreat in droves as soon as the horns sounded.
Daxing isn't a place where you can just come and go as you please.
Qi Rong led the way, helping to clear out the cavalry below the fortified village before turning back and chasing after them.
Lin Changning followed Qi Rong's personal guards, with a group of border soldiers shouting and yelling behind him.
It would be foolish not to seize this opportunity to take a few lives. Commander Qi and his personal guards ran the fastest, caught up with the lagging Tartars, and took a vicious bite.
Lin Changning was also in a killing frenzy. He rode his horse closely and followed the orders, slashing anyone he caught. His ferocity made Qi Rong's personal guards feel uneasy.
"Who is this kid? Why is he so fierce?"
"I don't know, he looks thin, but he's really ruthless when he kills Tartars."
Lin Changning's border guards were also in a bloodthirsty frenzy. They fought in groups of three or four. After Lin Changning cut down a Tartar, the border soldiers behind him quickly surrounded him. Before the Tartar could even react, they were stabbed in the face with swords, spears, and halberds. Their main goal was to leave no one who escaped and to kill them thoroughly.
Lin Changning, who was following Qi Rong, kept up with the Tartars. Even Qi Rong's personal guards lagged behind her by two steps. Their swords were chipped, but they were still slashing people with bloodshot eyes.
Just as Qi Rong was about to chop down a backward Tartar, Lin Changning, who was in a bloodthirsty frenzy, rushed forward with his blade. The chipped blade cut a gash in the Tartar's neck, causing him to fall off his horse. Several border soldiers stationed on the city wall rushed forward with howls and hacked him to death.
Qi Rong was stunned by the robbery. He turned his head and saw that the skinny soldier, who was bloodthirsty, had a chipped knife and was not good at using his weapon. The soldier, who could not kill anyone with one blow, was still staring fiercely at every backward Tartar.
Just like a tiger cub just out of its den, it is fierce and bloodthirsty.
The guards following behind him also gasped. This kid was a true warrior, managing to snatch a head from Commander Qi's hands.
Truly brave! A true warrior!
Qi Rong paused for a moment, then casually drew his other sword and tossed it to Lin Changning: "Use mine!"
Lin Changning took the sword, his mind clearing up a bit. He was surprised for a moment when he looked at the city wall behind him, which was now far behind.
"Keep up!"
Upon hearing Commander Qi's magnetic voice, Lin Changning dared not think any further. This was a battlefield where life and death were at stake; even the slightest distraction could mean death on the frontier.
Thinking of this, Lin Changning once again closely followed Commander Qi. The two of them, one in front and one behind, were like killing gods, and they would cut down a group of lagging Tartars.
After killing one squad, they continued the pursuit, and the normally wicked Tartars were chased like lambs.
Within half a day, all of the more than a thousand cavalrymen were wiped out.
Lin Changning abruptly followed behind Qi Rong. After they surrounded the last group of Tartars and cut them down from their horses, Commander Qi finally had a moment to look at Lin Changning.
"A martial arts expert?"
Lin Changning gripped the sword he was commanding, finding it extremely convenient: "Yes, I learned staff fighting from an old beggar when I was young."
Qi Rong scrutinized the seemingly frail and refined young man before him: "I've heard that you have the strength to lift a cauldron?"
Lin Changning shook his head: "That's an exaggeration, but he is indeed quite strong."
Qi Rong was a little suspicious: "So what if you're like this? Didn't your family feed you when you were little?"
Qi Rong had never seen anyone who was as thin as a skeleton but still had great strength. In short, Commander Qi felt that this was not scientific.
He then pondered that perhaps the lack of food at home when he was a child had hindered the development of a promising talent.
Qi Rong took the sword from Lin Changning and casually squeezed Lin Changning's arm: "I'll tell the kitchen to give you some extra food. You've really gotten a bit thin."
"......"
The guards around her burst into laughter. Lin Changning was speechless. She figured the commander had misunderstood something, but she wasn't going to explain. After all, who would complain about eating too much food? At worst, she could take it back for Shiro to eat, saving herself a portion of rations.
After saying this, Commander Qi spurred his horse to return to the city. One of the lagging guards imitated Commander Qi, pinching Lin Changning's arm and remarking, "Kid, you've definitely lost some weight."
After saying that, he let go and looked at Lin Changning with a smile: "You're lucky, kid. You caught the commander's eye. The cooks can give extra meals, but only a thousand-man commander has that power. You should be secretly happy."
The others came up and patted Lin Changning on the shoulder: "That's right, you have a bright future ahead of you, young man."
"Not bad, not bad."
"Once the battle merits are tallied, you can get your waist badge. Judging by the number of heads you've chopped off, you should at least be a captain."
After giving Lin Changning his instructions, his guards turned and rode off with Commander Qi to return to the city.
Lin Changning dismounted and looked at the group of border guards who had followed him. Wan Jin patted Lin Changning with a happy smile: "I picked up three lucky ones. I think I can get promoted to a junior officer this time, hehe."
Lin Changning smiled and said, "Congratulations."
Sensing Lin Changning's low spirits, Wan Jin followed her gaze to the group of border soldiers who had come out. There were more than fifty brothers when they came out, but now only about half remained. Wan Jin immediately understood why Lin Changning was down and sighed.
"Changping, that's how war is. It's either you die or I live. Don't put too much pressure on yourself. At least we'll survive."
Lin Changning nodded but didn't speak, then turned and spurred his horse to return to the city.
She wanted to achieve great things and climb higher; she wanted to bring her family to live on in this world; she wanted to avoid the original trajectory—these were all things she was destined to experience.
On their way back to the city, the wounded border soldiers, supporting each other, slowly made their way into the city.
Lin Changning stopped his horse beside a border soldier with a gash in his leg, dismounted, and helped the man back onto his horse.
The border soldier, pale from blood loss, thanked Lin Changning and mounted his horse with her help. The other soldier also appeared to be injured.
Lin Changning watched as he walked and beckoned Wan Jin and his brothers to fetch captured warhorses to transport the wounded soldiers.
Wan Jin responded and went with the others to fetch the horses.
The man sitting on horseback looked at Lin Changning with a hint of gratitude in his eyes: "Thank you, brother."
Lin Changning shook his head, leading the horse: "It's my duty. I'll lead the horse and take you back for treatment."
Back in the city, Lin Changning squatted by the campfire. Beside him was a group of border soldiers he didn't recognize. One of the soldiers handed him a water bag: "Have some water to hydrate yourself. Where are you injured? You look as pale as a ghost."
Lin Changning took the water and thanked him. After taking a sip, the cool water refreshed his somewhat numb body.
A series of sharp pains came from her arms and back. The wound on her arm had scabbed over and then reopened. She had probably been scratched on her back. When her adrenaline surged, she didn't feel any pain at all. But now that she had some free time and was drinking some water to relax, the pain started to come.
"Ouch, the cut on my arm has split open..."
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