Chapter Sixteen: Another Turmoil Begins, a Busy Expedition
Li Shun frowned and quickly drew his sword to parry.
Zhong Lishuo was completely different from before. The eight-foot-long sword was flexible and heavy in his hands. Li Shun gritted his teeth and looked at the long blade that was slashing straight down. He raised his sword to block it, but his arm felt like it was broken. The long blade slammed down on him with such force that it felt like it would split him and his gun in two.
"How is it?" Zhongli Shuo's eyes were full of sharpness. He arrogantly raised his head and looked at Li Shun, who was lying on the horse's back and had no power to fight back.
Li Shun was still unconvinced. He snorted coldly, regrouped, and charged forward again with his sword. Seeing this, Zhongli Shuo also calmed down, turned his sword, and slashed at Li Shun's thin blade.
After several exchanges, Li Shun was already exhausted, but he still fought relentlessly. Seeing Li Shun getting the short end of the stick, his lieutenants quickly surrounded him. Zhongli Shuo stood on the saddle bridge without giving an inch, and swung his saber at the three men.
The blade was extremely heavy and long, forcing the three men to retreat repeatedly, giving them no chance to get even a sliver closer to Zhongli Shuo. The war drums thundered, greatly boosting the morale of the soldiers behind them. They pounced on the enemy like a pack of wolves, pressing them down so they could barely move.
Li Shun was completely flustered. He gritted his teeth, pulled on the reins, turned his horse around, and lashed out with the whip. The warhorse neighed and galloped away. He looked back at his adjutant and hurriedly waved his hand, "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
Seeing this, Zhongli Shuo couldn't help but laugh heartily. He slung his sword behind his back and waved to the soldiers behind him, "Brothers! Pursue! We must take Qingzhou this time!"
The soldiers behind him immediately roared, and the war drums beat even more vigorously. Rows of soldiers surged down like a flood amidst the deafening sound of drums and horns, heading straight for Li Shun's fleeing soldiers.
Before Li Shun could reach the front of the turned-around troops, he saw that the troops in front of him were in complete chaos. He could not care about anything else and had to spur his horse forward. He saw that the soldiers in front of him had already been routed. On the opposite hilltop, several red-edged flags fluttered in the wind, with the character "Yang" clearly written on them.
"Damn it," Li Shun's hands, gripping the reins tightly, were instantly soaked with sweat. "Could this be the female general they just recruited..." He couldn't help but glance back at Zhong Lishuo, who was chasing after him with great vigor. Before he could turn around, he saw the lieutenant who hadn't caught up sweep straight off the saddle by the back of the scythe. Zhong Lishuo's soldiers moved with fluid grace and quickly bound him and captured him alive.
With a formidable enemy in front and pursuers behind, Li Shun glanced back at the captured deputy general. Before he could recover, his warhorse suddenly neighed and reared up, startling him so much that he quickly grabbed the reins and lay down on the horse's back.
"Don't run!" A gust of wind, accompanied by a voice that was both heroic and amused, came from above him. Li Shun looked up in alarm and saw a spear tip pointed directly at his throat. A female general sat on the saddle, smiling and holding a spear, her eyes full of arrogance. The chestnut warhorse beneath her also raised its head triumphantly, seemingly glancing at him as well.
The battlefield fell silent. The drumbeats gradually subsided, and the dust that had been kicked up by the chaos settled. Li Shun looked at Yang Xiao's resolute expression, threw down his broadsword, sighed, and took off his helmet. "I'm not running away anymore. I'm outmatched. I admit defeat."
Yang Xiao smiled and turned her gun around, hiding it behind her back. She looked up at Zhong Lishuo, who had ridden out from behind Li Shun on horseback. "Now you've avenged yourself, haven't you? It was too much trouble for you to fake defeat."
Zhong Lishuo smiled at Yang Xiao and then scolded her, "We were supposed to wipe away our humiliation in this battle, but you stole the limelight."
"You're blaming me now?" Yang Xiao shook her head with a smile. "If I hadn't fought my way back from over there, it would have been even harder to fight once their ambush arrived."
"How about Langya?" Zhongli Shuo stopped teasing and nodded at Yang Xiaoyi.
Yang Xiao breathed a sigh of relief. "Although this battle was dangerous, fortunately our offensive was swift and the enemy was caught off guard. General Bai is currently leading the majority of his troops to garrison Langya."
"That's good." Zhongli Shuo nodded, then looked at Li Shun behind him, "So, Brother Li, are you convinced or not?"
Seemingly completely taken aback by Zhongli Shuo's attitude, Li Shun was momentarily stunned. "I admit it, but you called me... Brother Li?"
Zhongli Shuo sheathed his longsword and laughed, "You looked down on me before, and now you're in my hands, aren't you? So, are you willing to surrender?"
"What?" Li Shun was stunned again. He stared incredulously at Zhongli Shuo's nonchalant expression and frowned, "You're not going to kill me?"
"Why would I kill you?" Zhongli Shuo smiled and shook his head. "Just now, we were enemies, each serving our own master. The battle is over. If you were willing to join me, why would I kill you?"
“This…” Li Shun looked at Zhongli Shuo and asked tentatively, “What if I am unwilling to submit?”
“You are unwilling to submit?” Zhongli Shuo glanced at him. “Most of Qingzhou has been recovered by our army. The defeat of the Qingzhou governor’s army is inevitable. If you do not submit, we will have no choice but to release you back into civilian life after recovering Qingzhou. However, such a talented general will be left to wander the world.” Zhongli Shuo chuckled regretfully. “It is truly a pity.”
"With such sincerity from the general, how could I not accept it?" Upon hearing this, Li Shun quickly clasped his hands and bowed to the two men. "I have also come to understand the rumors that Lord Zhongli and his generals are as close as family. I am grateful for the general's kindness and am willing to sincerely surrender after the war."
“That’s excellent,” Yang Xiao said with a smile, looking into Li Shun’s sincere eyes. “In this way, our lord will have another capable person under his command.”
"A capable person?" Li Shun frowned, repeating Yang Xiao's words, and clasped his hands in a fist salute as he looked at the two spirited men before him. "General Zhongli, you previously said that someone like me was unworthy of your attention, so why are you saying this now..."
“How could you believe all the threats you made on the battlefield?” Zhongli Shuo couldn’t help but laugh upon hearing this. “Although you fled in defeat, you never surrendered. Even knowing that you were no match for me, you still fought me to the last moment, until Lingyu stepped forward and blocked all your escape routes. With such perseverance, how can you not be considered a capable person?”
"Alright, alright, don't belittle yourself," Yang Xiao waved her hand with a smile, "It's normal for the two of us to lose when we're beating you alone."
"Report—" Before the words were finished, a scout came running hurriedly from a distance. Yang Xiao frowned and quickly went to meet him. "Don't worry, what happened?"
"Reporting, General," the scout panted from his horse, "Xuzhou has dispatched troops. It seems they have no intention of helping Qingzhou, but..."
Yang Xiao's hands immediately broke out in a cold sweat. "Could it be that they see me reuniting with Yu De and want to take the opportunity to reclaim Langya?"
The scout nodded, panting. "I'm afraid so."
Zhong Lishuo also rode up to the scout's side, turned his head and exchanged a glance with Yang Xiao, "It seems we must send troops to aid Zhao Qing immediately."
“Yes,” Yang Xiao nodded, “If Xuzhou sends troops, Qingzhou will definitely not remain unmoved. You and I will split up and march into Langya, and in the meantime, completely wipe out Qingzhou.”
"Alright, let's not delay..."
Before Zhongli Shuo could finish speaking, Li Shun clasped his hands in a fist salute and asked, "Generals, may I go and lend my assistance?"
Just as Yang Xiao was about to send out his troops, he turned back to look at Li Shun upon hearing this, and frowned. "It would be very inconvenient for you to come along. If you still have old ties with the Governor of Qingzhou, then don't blame Yu De and me for killing you ruthlessly."
“This…” Li Shun hesitated.
Zhong Lishuo went over and patted him on the shoulder, "Given the circumstances, if anything goes wrong, we can't care about saving face."
Taking advantage of the situation, Yang Xiao turned the troops around and beckoned Zhang Ping, who had been promoted to deputy general.
"General, what are your orders?" Zhang Ping, unusually sleepy, asked Yang Xiao with clasped hands.
"Take two hundred men and escort General Li back to Jizhou," Yang Xiao frowned as he looked at Zhang Ping. "Don't get sleepy, keep a close watch on him, and don't let anything go wrong."
Zhang Ping glanced at Li Shun and nodded solemnly, "Don't worry, General." Then he rode up to Li Shun and began to arrange for his men to escort him back.
Zhongli Shuo also composed himself and spurred his horse forward. "Lingyu, you are a shrewd strategist. First, lead the Eagle Cavalry to the side road to meet Zhaoqing. I will take the main road and arrive shortly after."
"No problem." Yang Xiao nodded, waving his gun at the soldiers behind him. "Brothers, follow me!"
The cheers were deafening, and the Eagle Chariot followed by eight hundred soldiers, waving flags and shouting as they ran with Yang Xiao towards the mountain path.
-
As Yang Xiao had predicted, Xuzhou and Qingzhou simultaneously dispatched troops to surround Langya, intending to attack from both sides.
Bai Ming gripped the reins, frowning as he stared intently at the enemy troops surging towards him, his hand tightening on his spear. The setting sun cast golden light on the tip of his spear, while the war drums behind him thundered, seemingly trying to shake the sunset clouds from the horizon.
Despite being outnumbered, we are not without a chance of victory. As long as we can break through, there will still be room for maneuver.
Seeing the enemy troops getting closer and closer, Bai Ming spurred his horse, bent down, picked up his spear, and charged forward. The approaching general was not to be outdone and immediately set up his stance to confront Bai Ming.
As dusk settled, the rosy clouds vanished like wisps of smoke, leaving only the glow of torches in the pitch-black night. The clanging of clashing weapons mingled with the thunderous shouts of soldiers.
Bai Ming chuckled as he looked at the enemy general who was now at a disadvantage but still full of disdain. He raised his spear, ready to launch a fierce attack. The enemy general quickly reined in his horse and retreated, pointing the tip of his sword at Bai Ming with a defiant look, saying, "Boy, remember your arrogance now! When the entire army of Xuzhou arrives, you'll be in for a world of hurt!"
Before he could finish speaking, a group of soldiers and horses appeared in the distance, with two generals leading them carrying torches and galloping towards the city gate. Bai Ming stared intently at them, then turned to look at the enemy generals before him. "Eight hundred men? Can they really be called the Xuzhou army?"
The enemy general looked gleefully at the reinforcements behind him, then turned to stare at Bai Ming. "You only have a mere six hundred men behind you, don't you?" He gripped his sword and smiled contemptuously. "These men are more than enough to deal with you!"
Bai Ming looked at the reinforcements rushing towards him and, for some reason, breathed a sigh of relief. "Take this!" Before the man could react, he charged forward with his gun raised. The drumbeats behind him intensified, blending with the bugle calls, like a surging wave, deafening the heavens.
And behind that battle formation, a red shadow swept past like lightning.
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