Not all officers and soldiers are incompetent.
The rocks fell in the blink of an eye, and then a soldier dressed like a lieutenant general shouted:
"Raise your shield!"
After that shout, six or seven strong soldiers rushed to the front of the crowd, each carrying a shield. They stood the shields upright on the ground, knelt on one knee, and supported the shields with their shoulders.
Six or seven shields were closely linked together, and soon an impenetrable shield wall appeared on the narrow mountain path.
The rocks continued to roll down, crashing against the shield wall and preventing further progress.
But the impact of the rocks coming down from above was enormous; with each impact, the shield would move backward a few inches.
"Someone, go up and hold them off!"
After the deputy general finished speaking, many more officers and soldiers rose up and rushed behind the shields to help block the attack of the rocks.
"Release the arrows!"
Although Lin Wenyao was foolish, his deputy was a veteran with practical experience who knew how to fight this mountain siege: shields in front for defense and archers in the rear for attack.
Unfortunately, even those with strong arms can only draw their bows and arrows to a range of about 300 meters at most, after which they are at the end of their range and cannot exert much killing power.
Furthermore, since they were shooting from above, and gravity reduced their speed significantly, very few arrows were able to reach the mountain.
Even so, no one wanted to be grazed by the arrows. They all retreated or used their swords to slash the arrows away. Only Jing Zhe, a complete novice, stood there dumbfounded, like a silly kid.
An arrow flew straight at him, almost touching him. Lu Li stepped forward, her sword flashing as the arrow fell. Then she pulled him back by the arm, scolding, "Are you stupid? Can't you see them firing arrows? Do you think you're invulnerable?"
Although his tone was sharp, it was full of concern. Jing Zhe just smiled and felt very warm.
...
With a volley of arrows clearing the way and the rocks nearly all used up, there were hardly any people left at the entrance to the mountain.
Taking advantage of this lull, the officers and soldiers, shields in hand, slowly advanced up the mountain, pressing closer step by step.
Lu Li's eyes sharpened, and she flew down with her sword in hand.
Aside from seeing special effects or wire-worked performances on television, this was the first time Jing Zhe had ever seen someone actually fly.
Although the distance wasn't very far, it was already quite impressive.
He gained a new understanding of the world's military strength.
Compared to her lightness skill, Lu Li's combat prowess is even more astonishing!
When Lu Li was riding away with him and Chen Mo, he only showed a fraction of Lu Li's martial arts skills.
Now, she flew to the soldiers with her longsword in hand and cleaved through the hard shield with a single strike, breaking a hole in the seemingly impenetrable shield wall.
Next, she charged straight in with her sword.
Perhaps because the soldiers on the other side did not know martial arts, Lu Li simplified his moves, using only thrusting, slashing, and hacking techniques. However, wherever he went, swords and blades were broken, and no one could stop him.
Before long, the soldiers in front had already abandoned their armor and weapons and were in complete disarray.
Especially on the narrow mountain road, the nearly two thousand soldiers lined up in a long queue, unable to make full use of their numerical advantage. As they encountered obstacles at the front, they also suffered repeated defeats at the rear.
Seeing this, Fatty and the others also grabbed their weapons and rushed down.
Soon, the people of Mangshan gained the upper hand and pressed their advantage.
Watching this scene, Jing Zhe felt something was off and frowned in deep thought.
"They've already won?"
Chen Mo appeared behind him without him even noticing.
Jing Zhe nodded, then shook his head. Looking at the orderly retreating troops, he suddenly realized: This is bad, there's a trap!
Without saying much to Chen Mo, he shouted down the mountain, "Big sister, there's a trap down there! Don't chase after them!"
But Lu Li and the others were already some distance away from him, and the fierce battle was in full swing, with the sounds of swords clashing close by, so Jing Zhe's voice was drowned out.
Damn it!
Jing Zhe cursed and ran down the mountain.
Seeing this, Chen Mo followed.
...
Jing Zhe was still a step too slow. By the time he caught up with the others, they were already at the foot of Mount Mang.
The government troops, who had been scattered and disorganized just moments before, were no longer in a state of utter defeat. They had now formed an arc-shaped formation, with shields in front to block, spearmen behind, and archers at the rear, waiting for their chance to strike.
At this moment, Lin Wenyao, who was hiding in a corner of the crowd, sneered, "Heh, you really think I wasn't prepared?"
Jing Zhe had already reached Lu Li's side, tugged at her hand, and whispered, "Big sister, we've been ambushed!"
Lu Li glanced at him: "I'm not blind."
"..."
Even at this moment, she doesn't forget to make fun of herself; that's so Lu Li.
"Should we retreat?"
Lu Li glanced at the archers in the last row, their bows drawn taut, and said with a wry smile, "It's too late, we can't retreat."
They had pursued too deep and were a short distance from the entrance to the mountain. If they retreated, their backs would be completely exposed to arrows. If the enemy fired a volley of arrows, they would have no choice but to die.
There was no way to retreat; the only option was to launch a full-scale attack.
"Archers, prepare!"
Seemingly having guessed their thoughts, the lieutenant shouted, and the archers stepped forward. The soldiers at the front tilted their shields, creating narrow gaps between the two sides of the impenetrable shield wall, through which arrows peeked out, pointing directly at the crowd.
Jing Zhe gave a bitter smile. Now, not only was retreat impossible, but even an attack had become a pipe dream.
As long as Lin Wenyao gives the order, a volley of arrows will be fired, and they will be riddled with holes in an instant!
"Look!"
At this critical moment, one of the officers and soldiers suddenly pointed to their side and rear.
Jing Zhe looked in the direction he pointed and saw a large cavalry force approaching from the road behind them.
The cavalrymen wore shiny black armor, held long swords, and carried bows on their backs. What was most amazing was that even their warhorses were covered in iron armor, making them incredibly intimidating.
Compared to them, the officers and soldiers in front of them were like a ragtag army, utterly incapable of fighting.
Leading the cavalry was a female officer in her early twenties, dressed in maroon armor, with a heroic air about her. Her brows were slightly furrowed, and she exuded an air of authority without being angry.
A battle flag hung among the ranks, bearing the words "Jinghong" (惊鸿, meaning "Amazing Swan"), fluttering in the wind.
"This is terrible!"
Jing Zhe thought to himself.
————
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