First Battle of Blood
"Raise your shields—!"
Tu Sui's roar was drowned out by the shrill whistling of the arrows tearing through the air, like a stone thrown into a raging sea. The sound wasn't a single shriek, but a terrifying hum, powerful enough to crush souls, formed by the simultaneous flapping of thousands upon thousands of death wings! It came from the darkness across the river, stained crimson by the flames of war, carrying the chill of hell, and instantly enveloped the entire Qin army camp!
Xiao Yuxuan felt his scalp explode, and his blood seemed to freeze instantly! Almost instinctively, he pressed all his strength onto the rough, heavy wooden shield! The heavy rawhide shield was violently lifted, and the impact sent a jolt through his arm, numbing his bones! The wooden shield emitted a chilling "thud, thud, thud" sound! Those weren't raindrops, but the fangs of steel! The heavy bronze arrowheads slammed into the leather-covered wooden shield with astonishing force; each impact was like a heavy hammer striking a drum, slamming through the shield and hitting his arm and shoulder! Splinters of wood and shattered leather flew everywhere before his eyes!
"Ah—!" "Help!" "Mother—!"
A bloodcurdling scream, almost inhuman, suddenly erupted beside him! It was from a recruit who hadn't been protected by a shield, or whose shield had been pierced instantly! Out of the corner of Xiao Yuxuan's eye, he saw a young man a short distance away, a thick crossbow bolt piercing his chest! The young man's body jerked backward, his eyes widening as if they were about to burst, spitting out a mouthful of frothy blood. Before he could even scream, he collapsed backward like a piece of rotten wood! Another arrow, whistling through the air, pierced the calf of a soldier next to him. The man screamed, clutching his leg and rolling around, instantly trampled and swallowed by the chaotic crowd!
"Hold on! Hold on for me!" Tu Sui's roar sounded so weak amidst the rain of arrows and screams, yet it carried a ferocious ferocity bordering on madness. He brandished his halberd, deflecting several stray arrows aimed at him; the bronze halberd collided with the arrowheads, sending sparks flying.
The rain of arrows seemed endless! The sky was obscured by countless black dots, like a swarm of dead locusts pouring down destruction. They landed on the tents, piercing the canvas with muffled thuds; they embedded themselves in the wooden palisades, their fletchings trembling with a persistent buzz; and many more mercilessly reaped the lives exposed. The hastily assembled circular formation of the recruits was instantly torn to shreds. Fear spread like a plague; the new recruits screamed and cried, frantically searching for shelter that never existed, like headless flies. Each pause between arrow volleys was accompanied by more desperate cries and the dull thuds of heavy objects falling to the ground.
In the chaos, Xiao Yuxuan braced himself against the wooden shield with the strength of his shoulders and entire body, the excruciating pain from each arrow strike causing him to clench his teeth. The force from the shield grew increasingly concentrated and heavy! He could feel the shield groaning, cracking! Through the narrow gap at the top of the shield, he saw figures moving about on the blood-red Gobi Desert across the river! More enemy archers were gathering, like a black swarm of ants, spreading along the riverbank, drawing their bows and nocking arrows! The next, even fiercer rain of arrows was brewing!
"Archers! Suppress the enemy on the other side!" A hoarse roar echoed from deep within the Qin army camp.
Almost simultaneously, "Buzz—!"
The Qin army's counterattack arrows finally took to the air! The powerful crossbows and bows, controlled by experienced veterans, fired arrows with even greater density and lethality! A black cloud of death, carrying a vengeful howl, crashed down upon the opposite bank! Screams and chaos erupted from the enemy ranks on the opposite bank, and the density of the arrow rain noticeably slowed!
"The enemy has crossed the river! Prepare for battle!"
A piercing roar, like a thunderclap, cut through the brief pause in the rain of arrows! Everyone's attention was instantly drawn to the riverbank!
On the turbid, swift-flowing river, countless black dots had appeared out of nowhere! They were numerous makeshift rafts, leather rafts, and even enemy soldiers clinging to logs! Like bloodthirsty leeches, they were recklessly exploiting the brief moments of chaos when the Qin army was suppressed by the rain of arrows and was counterattacking, frantically attempting to cross the river! The river water was churned even more turbidly, pounding against the makeshift crossings. Every now and then, figures were swept away by the surging waves and disappeared in an instant, but even more dark figures continued to fearlessly rush towards the Qin army's side of the riverbank!
"Elite Battalion! Frontline! Hold the beachhead!"
"Talented soldiers! Right flank! Fill in! Quickly! Push them forward!"
Tu Sui's roar exploded again, carrying an undeniable, mad rage that threatened to destroy everyone! He pointed his spear sharply at a relatively flat area on the right bank of the river, where several elite Qin phalanxes were rapidly advancing, shields like walls, spears like a forest, attempting to block the landing point. However, the enemy's crossing points were too scattered, and a clear gap had appeared on the right flank. More and more enemy soldiers, soaking wet, were scrambling onto the mudflats, brandishing various weapons, howling like wild beasts, and charging towards the Qin lines!
"Charge! Charge forward! Block the breach! Those who cower will be executed!" Tu Sui, like a maddened beast, took the lead, brandishing his bronze spear, and charged towards the chaotic breach in the beachhead! The officers behind him also roared like wild beasts, waving their weapons to drive away the chaotic recruits.
There was no time to think! The whip of death lashed down on his back! Xiao Yuxuan felt a tremendous force, a mixture of fear and primal survival instinct, surge from his feet to the top of his head! He let out a roar that was not human, and with all his might, he stumbled and rushed toward the gap in the beachhead, riddled with arrow marks and teetering on the brink of collapse, in the direction Tu Sui had pointed!
Beneath their feet lay a slippery, muddy riverbed, a mixture of icy water and thick, dark red sludge. The air was thick with a nauseating stench of blood, the stench of the river, and the indescribable stench of torn flesh. The deafening shouts of battle, the clang of metal on metal, the screams of the dying, the splattering of weapons into flesh—all mingled together in a massive, chaotic vortex of sound, assaulting their eardrums and tearing at their nerves!
Xiao Yuxuan charged forward almost with his eyes closed, driven by instinct and a desperate, brute force. His eyes were fixed on the ochre-colored shield wall ahead, violently colliding with the black tide—the phalanx of Qin's elite soldiers. He had to reach it, to hide behind that seemingly impregnable barrier!
"Kill—!" A soaking wet, ferocious-looking enemy soldier, wielding a heavy bronze halberd (similar to an axe), roared as he charged from the side! The soldier was shirtless, his muscles bulging, his body smeared with strange paint, his eyes flashing with a beast-like ferocity, and he carried a strong, pungent stench!
Xiao Yuxuan's heart nearly leaped out of his throat! A tremendous fear gripped him instantly, and his hands and feet turned ice-cold! Almost instinctively, he slammed his entire weight, along with the momentum of his charge, into the wooden shield in front of him!
A muffled thud!
The wooden shield trembled violently, and a tremendous force, almost enough to overturn him, surged through its surface! He slipped and stumbled backward! The enemy soldier was also knocked off balance, his bronze axe missing its mark and crashing heavily into the muddy ground beside him, splashing up a large amount of mud!
Life or death hung in the balance! Xiao Yuxuan's mind went blank, and the instinct for survival overwhelmed his fear! He practically crawled out of the cold mud, not even having time to pick up the wooden shield that had fallen to the side. His right hand instinctively gripped the sharpened bronze halberd that he had been holding in his hand all along!
The enemy soldier regained his footing, his eyes blazing with ferocity. He roared once more, raised his bronze axe, and brought it down with a force as powerful as splitting mountains and shattering rocks!
There was no way to dodge! Xiao Yuxuan's eyes were instantly filled with the falling weapon! The shadow of death was like ice water poured over his head! Just at this critical moment, a bronze spear suddenly thrust out from the side! The spearhead, carrying a hint of cold light, accurately and ruthlessly pierced the enemy soldier's ribs!
"Thud!" The sound of a sharp blade piercing flesh was dull yet clear.
The enemy soldier, who had been holding aloft his bronze axe, froze abruptly, his forward charge halting abruptly. The ferocity on his face was instantly replaced by disbelief, pain, and astonishment. He looked down at the spearhead protruding from his ribs, making a strange "hoarse" sound in his throat. His body swayed, and he fell heavily forward, splashing mud all over Xiao Yuxuan's face.
Xiao Yuxuan looked over, still shaken. It was the platoon leader! The usually taciturn Qin army veteran with an old scar on his face! His eyes were cold, and his movements were swift and decisive. He abruptly pulled back his spear, drawing a spurt of warm blood. He didn't even glance at Xiao Yuxuan, but simply roared hoarsely, "Don't stand there! Follow me! Form ranks!" before thrusting his spear at another enemy charging at him.
A piercing clang of metal clashing rang out beside me!
Xiao Yuxuan turned around abruptly, his pupils shrinking! He saw Sheng Guo's face ashen, her hands gripping a bronze short sword tightly (Qin soldiers were mostly issued short swords for close combat), trembling as she parried a scimitar slashed by an enemy soldier! The enemy soldier was incredibly strong; the short sword in Sheng Guo's hand almost flew out of her grasp, and she was thrown back several steps, tripping over a corpse and falling heavily into the mud!
"Sheng Guo!" Xiao Yuxuan's eyes widened in fury!
The enemy soldier grinned maliciously, raised his curved sword high, and slashed down fiercely at Sheng Guo, who was lying on the ground, powerless to resist! The blade gleamed with a cold, deadly light in the dim light!
"No—!" Xiao Yuxuan roared like a wild beast! All fear and hesitation were ignited at this moment, transforming into a destructive madness! He forgot about the shield, the formation, and all the "rules" instilled by Tu Sui, leaving only the most primal and violent killing impulse!
He gripped the heavy bronze halberd tightly with both hands, and with all his might, charged towards the enemy soldier who was raising his sword like a madman! It was no longer the clumsy slashing and thrusting of the training ground, but like swinging a hoe to smash an enemy, carrying the weight of his whole body and his deep-seated hatred, he fiercely swept out the long and sharp blade of the halberd!
"puff--!"
The sound of the blade tearing through flesh and severing bones was so clear it sent chills down your spine!
The enemy soldier's arm, which was raising his scimitar, was severed at the shoulder by this seemingly chaotic yet utterly hateful strike! The severed arm flew off along with the scimitar! Blood gushed out like a fountain, instantly staining the muddy ground red!
"Agh—!" The soldier let out a horrific scream. The excruciating pain caused him to lose all his strength in an instant. His body fell backward like a broken sack, writhing and howling in agony in the mud, blood gushing from his severed arm!
Thick, scalding blood, with a strong, metallic smell, splattered onto Xiao Yuxuan's face, neck, and clothes like hot raindrops! The sticky, still-warm touch felt like a red-hot iron, burning his skin and piercing his soul!
An indescribable stench, a mixture of blood and entrails, suddenly assaulted my nostrils! My stomach churned violently!
Xiao Yuxuan stood frozen in place, his hands still gripping the blood-dripping bronze halberd tightly, but his body trembled violently as if all his strength had been drained away. He looked down at the enemy writhing and howling in the pool of blood and mud, gradually losing his breath, and then looked down at his own hands and clothes splattered with sticky blood.
This wasn't a cold wooden stake on the training field. This was a living, breathing person! His arm had been severed by his own hands! The gushing blood, the twisted and painful face before death, the desperate screams... were like countless cold awls, piercing his mind!
I killed someone... I killed someone...
The thought, like a cold, venomous snake, instantly coiled around his heart, bringing a suffocating pain and dizziness. His stomach churned even more violently, and he bent over abruptly, retching violently, but nothing came out; only the bitter taste of bile burned his throat.
"Watch out!" A hoarse roar, accompanied by the sound of metal cutting through the air, rang in my ears!
Xiao Yuxuan felt a tremendous force slam into his shoulder, knocking him away! He staggered and fell into the mud.
"Pfft!"
Almost simultaneously, a sharp bronze spearhead, gleaming with a cold light, pierced the body that had knocked him aside! It was the squad leader!
The sergeant's body stiffened abruptly, the old scar on his face twitching violently. He looked down at the spearhead piercing his abdomen, a flicker of disbelief in his eyes quickly turning into an almost numb calm. He slowly raised his head, his cloudy eyes fixed on the young enemy soldier gripping the spear shaft, his face equally astonished, a bizarre, blood-splattered smile spreading across his lips.
"Hah..." The squad leader uttered a muffled syllable, then suddenly spread his arms wide, like a dying beast, and used his last strength to tightly embrace the enemy soldier! At the same time, the bronze short sword in his hand plunged fiercely into the man's abdomen!
"Ugh—!" The two screamed in agony at the same time, like venomous snakes intertwined, tearing at each other, before collapsing heavily into the cold mud and blood, never to make a sound again.
Xiao Yuxuan lay prone in the cold, muddy water, his body covered in sticky blood and mud, breathing heavily. His eyes were fixed on the two corpses stacked together a few steps away, still twitching slightly. The squad leader's cloudy eyes remained wide open, staring blankly at the gray sky. The frozen, strange, and calm smile on his lips was like the deepest brand, seared fiercely onto Xiao Yuxuan's retina!
Fear! Boundless fear! A mixture of intense stench of blood and the putrid smell of entrails, like an icy tide, instantly engulfed him completely! All the sounds of the battlefield—the shouts of battle, the screams of agony, the clash of weapons—seemed to vanish in an instant, leaving only the deafening pounding of his own heart in his chest and the buzzing of blood rushing to his head!
What did he see?!
Not far from the platoon leader's body, in the mud, lay a corpse dressed in an ochre-colored robe. It was a young Qin soldier, seemingly younger than him, half his face mangled and bloodied from being struck by a blunt weapon, one eye wide open in terror, staring blankly at the sky. His one hand lay limply in the cold mud, clutching tightly in his palm half a dark brown bran cake, stained with mud and blood! The shape of the cake, the familiar rough texture… it was exactly the same as the one Sheng Guo had secretly given him!
Braised rice cakes from Longxi!
"ah--!!!"
A bloodcurdling scream, so piercing it was inhuman, suddenly erupted from the depths of Xiao Yuxuan's throat! It wasn't from pain, but a wail of a soul being utterly torn apart! He sprang up from the mud like a wounded beast, brandishing his blood-dripping bronze halberd, and slashed fiercely at the nearest blurry figure—a Qin soldier also dressed in ochre robes, fighting his enemies with his back to him!
"Kill! Kill! Kill!" he roared, his eyes bloodshot and unfocused, completely losing his mind, left only with the madness ignited by bloodshed and death!
"Brother Xiao! It's me! Sheng Guo!" A scream filled with sobs and extreme fear rang in his ears!
Xiao Yuxuan's bronze halberd suddenly stopped in mid-air! He turned his head blankly, and in his bloodshot vision, he saw a face covered in snot and tears, mud and blood, filled with extreme terror—it was Sheng Guo! He was clinging tightly to Xiao Yuxuan's waist, dragging him with all his might!
"Wake up! Brother Xiao! Wake up! Those are our own people!" Sheng Guo cried out, her voice trembling.
One of our own?
Xiao Yuxuan stared blankly at the soldier he had almost struck. The soldier, still shaken, turned around, his eyes filled with lingering fear and confusion. He was wearing the same ochre-colored robe as Xiao Yuxuan…
"Ugh..." A wave of intense dizziness washed over him, his stomach churning violently! Xiao Yuxuan could no longer hold on. He abruptly pushed Sheng Guo away, collapsed to his knees in the cold, muddy pool of blood, and began to vomit violently. His stomach was empty, only acrid bile mixed with blood and foam gushing up his throat, burning his esophagus. He coughed violently, each cough accompanied by excruciating pain throughout his body.
The chaotic battlefield seemed to be silenced at that moment. Xiao Yuxuan knelt in the cold mud and blood, breathing heavily and vomiting. His vision was blurred, and all he could hear was his own heavy breathing and the pounding of his heart. He subconsciously reached out to touch his chest, and through his coarse linen clothes soaked in blood and mud, he touched a hard, small piece of cloth.
The blood-stained mark with the character "安" (peace/safety) on the mother's body.
That faint yet persistent burning sensation, like the only glimmer of light in a dark abyss, pierced through the heavy stench of blood and madness, subtly pricking his almost broken nerves.
Live on... for the sake of "peace"... live on...
A voice, faint yet clear, resounded deep within the soul. It was not a roar, not a howl, but a whisper that was almost a lament.
He struggled to lift his head. His gaze passed over the chaotic fighting crowd, over the ever-growing number of corpses on the mudflats, over the turbid, roaring river, and looked towards the Gobi Desert on the opposite bank, still a blood-red expanse illuminated by the flames of war.
There, a huge black banner embroidered with a ferocious wolf's head fluttered wildly amidst the blood-red smoke and fire, like a banner summoning souls.
The truth of war? Is this the truth of war? Is this the battlefield he was willing to fight to the death on? For whom? For what?
There was no answer. Only the cold river wind, carrying the pungent smell of blood, filled his chapped, bile-bitter lips. He struggled, using the blood-dripping bronze halberd to support himself, swaying as he tried to stand. His eyes were empty, like extinguished embers, revealing only the deepest weariness and a blood-soaked blankness.
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