Chapter Eighteen
Following the tactics set up the previous night, Commandant An and Commandant Pu divided their 100,000 light cavalry into four groups, flanking and encircling the enemy, launching rapid attacks without prolonged engagements, retreating after each strike, with reinforcements following in turn. In the instant swords clashed, the rapid advance of the light cavalry, while numbing the hands of the Yunxiu soldiers wielding their spears, greatly restrained the power of the Dongliang iron cavalry.
Not far away, Captain Chen led 20,000 elite archers, retreating to within firing range, and ordered them to fire at the legs and eyes of the enemy horses. The archers took full advantage of the brief pause in the horses' movements during the clash of weapons, successfully hitting some of the horses in the eyes.
Hundreds of thousands of troops, with overwhelming momentum, clashed weapons, creating a sound like metal and stone. The Eastern Liang Kingdom and the Yunxiu Kingdom had finally fought a war that resembled a war.
Marquis Haitang immediately spotted the archers led by Colonel Chen, and immediately brandished his scimitar, pointing it at the Yunzhao Army archers, and shouted, "The nearest Ironclad Cavalry will attack the archers!"
Lieutenant Chen remained unhurried, having already followed the general's orders from the previous night, dividing the 20,000 archers into four teams. With a "whoosh," he drew his sword and loudly commanded, "Cease fire and divide into four teams."
All the archers immediately laid down their bows and drew their swords, forming four teams. In battle, no more than three arrows are needed. When Mo Yinghuo had Shu Rong train the 50,000 archers of the Yunzhao Army, he demanded not only superb archery skills but also mastery of close combat. Therefore, all the archers carried swords at their waists, switched to melee weapons, and transformed into cavalry to meet the enemy.
However, no matter how skilled these archers were in close combat, they were no match for the Dongliang Iron Pagoda. The enemy was cavalry, their horses heavily armored, and a single scimitar could be fatal. Captain Chen wore a calm smile, unlike Captains An and Pu. Captain Chen always had a kind and benevolent expression, even in battle. His demeanor gave the impression of a trap, that he was about to unleash a powerful attack.
Sure enough, the Marquis of Haitang, who was not far away, glanced in this direction and suddenly felt uneasy. Before he could think further, he saw Mo Yinghuo leading a group of men, under the cover of other light cavalry, heading straight for the city gate of Suzang, the capital of Dongliang.
Before Marquis Haitang could think further, he shouted towards the archers and the Ironclad Cavalry, "Be careful, it might be a trap!" He then tightened the reins and turned to chase after Mo Yinghuo. Captain An's eyes gleamed sinisterly, as if he had spotted prey; Captain Pu's bushy beard twitched excitedly.
"Remember, tomorrow morning I will lead my troops to attack Suzang first. If the Iron Pagoda commander pursues, let him follow; don't stop him." Last night, the general specifically instructed them, and now, the two had a feeling that everything was going according to Mo Yinghuo's plan. Although Colonel An and Colonel Pu often disagreed, they were extremely in sync on the battlefield. They exchanged a knowing glance, and seeing other Yunxiu soldiers going to pursue, they spurred their horses and immediately stepped forward to block them.
The archers led by Colonel An had received orders from their general before the battle: if the Dongliang cavalry attacked, they should quickly retreat and not engage them head-on. At this moment, the archers loosened their reins and nimbly rode their horses backward. Before the battle, all the horses of the archers and light cavalry had been fed plenty of millet, and the Ironclad Cavalry were heavily armored. In no time, the archers had created distance between themselves and the Dongliang soldiers.
Hearing Marquis Haitang's warning of a trap, and seeing that the archers offered no resistance but simply fled, the pursuing Iron Cavalry felt a growing sense of unease and bewilderment, suspecting a possible ambush ahead. The cavalry unconsciously slowed their pursuit, especially when they saw Captain Chen's face, which always carried a hint of kindness and composure. A chill ran down their spines, and they became increasingly convinced that an ambush might indeed be brewing ahead.
As a result, the archers of Yunxiu Kingdom and the iron cavalry of Dongliang were locked in a stalemate, each harboring their own secrets.
Not far away, the light cavalry, after striking the iron cavalry, galloped away in a swarm, then joined forces, taking turns in an orderly fashion, relentlessly bewildering the formidable ironclad cavalry of Dongliang, leaving them with nowhere to vent their anger. Some even swung their swords wildly, thinking that a barrage of bullets would surely send someone to their death. Little did they know, the Yun Zhao army was already prepared, their warhorses spirited and incredibly swift in their movements.
Elsewhere, Mo Yinghuo led a large force and launched a direct attack on the city gate of Suzang.
Behind them, Marquis Haitang, leading dozens of Ironclad Cavalry soldiers, wielding curved swords, pursued closely.
The archers fired arrows backward, but the Ironclad Cavalry were heavily armored, and shooting while running was inherently difficult. Only a few arrows hit the enemy horse's legs, while the rest were dodged by the Ironclad Cavalry. Marquis Haitang, worthy of being a general of Dongliang, repeatedly swung his scimitar, cutting the incoming arrows in half at the waist.
Mo Yinghuo tightened the reins slightly, then thrust his silver spear nimbly into the bird's wing ring's victory hook. He then snatched a longbow from an archer beside him, turned slightly, and flicked the string. With a "thud," three arrows flew out in succession.
"Awooo!" Several pitiful neighs and groans of horses rang out. Mo Yinghuo tossed the longbow back to the archer, spurred his horse, and sped towards the city gate. The archer glanced back and saw that all three of the Ironclad Pagoda's warhorses had an arrow lodged in either their left or right eyes. Sudden, intense pain combined with severely impaired vision caused the horses to sway from side to side, their speed gradually decreasing.
Such ruthless and accurate archery! The archer was suddenly startled.
Marquis Haitang clenched his fist, gripped the arrow in the horse's eye, and with a whoosh, pulled it out. Blood gushed from the horse, which collapsed, its limbs convulsing, foaming at the mouth as it weakly and painfully whimpered a few times. The nearby Ironclad Cavalry immediately reined in their horses, and Marquis Haitang mounted another warhorse. Two cold and ruthless gazes shot from beneath his blue armor, landing on the silver figure that was getting closer and closer to the city gate.
Above the city wall of Suzang, among the Dongliang soldiers guarding the city, stood two men who were not in military uniform, motionless, one dressed in black and the other in white, their gazes fixed on Zhao Shu and Mo Yinghuo with a sinister look.
Marquis Haitang, who was chasing behind, stared through his blue mask at the two figures in black and white atop the Su Zang city wall. Suddenly, his upper body stiffened, though his mount continued its relentless gallop. "Could it be that something has truly changed in the imperial court?" A sense of foreboding flashed through his mind.
Zhao Shu looked up, his eyes meeting those of the two men in black and white. His gaze was sharp, his pale, glass-like pupils carrying a mixture of indifference and arrogance, coldly settling on the two men in black and white. A slight hint of disdain flickered across his lips.
The two figures in black and white on the city wall swayed slightly, as if a single glance from him had struck a vital spot. After exchanging a few words in hushed tones, they hurriedly descended the city wall and disappeared from sight.
The walls of Su Zang were tightly shut, and Mo Yinghuo's large army was about to arrive. She looked at Zhao Shu beside her and was about to ask a question when suddenly, a fist-sized black sphere floated in front of Zhao Shu.
Mo Yinghuo stared intently at the suddenly appearing black sphere, a strange emptiness washing over her as she felt a small yet bottomless abyss gripping her heart. It seemed to devour all light around her; even her gaze, if she lingered any longer, felt as if her very soul was being pulled from her pupils and poured into this sphere. Mo Yinghuo quickly averted her gaze.
As soon as the spherical object appeared, Zhao Shu slightly turned his head and said, "General, I'll go open the city gate."
The way he said this made Mo Yinghuo feel that there was just a door in front of him, and he was about to walk over and open it naturally with a gentle knock and push, just like he would normally open a door.
In an instant, Zhao Shu vanished into thin air along with the black sphere that was floating in the air.
A flicker of surprise crossed Mo Yinghuo's face, quickly vanishing without a trace. Last night, while discussing with the three captains how to breach the gates of Suzang City, Zhao Shu suddenly appeared, declaring that he would take charge of the gates. Mo Yinghuo had wondered at the time if Ye Lanxing had sent more than one person, perhaps with an inside man. But now it seemed he intended to enter the city alone and open the gates.
Those around him who happened to catch a glimpse of Zhao Shu disappearing into thin air for a moment were all wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief. Some even rubbed their eyes vigorously with the backs of their hands while holding their weapons, wondering if there was something wrong with their eyes or if it was just an illusion.
Before anyone could react, the azure city gate in front of them slowly opened. Through the crack in the gate, a man and a horse appeared. He was dressed in black armor, carrying a black sword. His gaze was calm and composed. He sat upright on his horse, standing in the center of the city gate, looking straight ahead, as if he had been waiting for everyone outside the gate for a long time.
The bodies of the soldiers guarding the city lay scattered all around Zhao Shu.
No one knew what had happened inside. Even the soldiers on the Suzang city wall realized that the city gate had been breached when they saw Mo Yinghuo leading the Yunxiu Kingdom soldiers into the city. They quickly grabbed their weapons and ran down the city wall to defend against the Yunxiu Kingdom soldiers, creating a chaotic scene.
Seeing this, Yun Zhaojun had long forgotten the mysterious disappearance of Zhao Shu. His light cavalry stormed through the gate, their spears aimed directly at the Dongliang defenders. Instantly, both sides were enraged, blood gushing forth and staining the city walls crimson.
On the city wall, a Yunzhao soldier pierced the chest of an Dongliang soldier standing under the Begonia Green Banner with his spear. The soldier fell straight down, and the Yunzhao soldier seized the long sword from his hand and swiftly cut the flagpole in half.
The blue banner of the Begonia Army, fluttering down from the city wall, crashed just in front of the Begonia Marquis, who was galloping towards the city gate with dozens of Ironclad Cavalry soldiers. He abruptly reined in his horse, glancing down at the broken banner on the ground, which bore a blood-red begonia flower. The eyes of the Ironclad Cavalry commander, numbering fifty thousand, instantly turned as bloodshot as the begonia flower on the banner. He pulled the reins to the left, bypassed the banner, and galloped into the city. The Ironclad Cavalry soldiers behind him rushed into the imperial city from either side of the banner.
Led by scouts, Mo Yinghuo and Zhao Shu rushed directly towards the main hall of the imperial city.
“General, this is the main hall of the Eastern Liang Kingdom,” a scout said.
Before them stood a palace with a red roof and green doors, green-tiled windows, white jade steps, sandalwood steps, and carved eaves, exuding a solemnity unlike that of Yunxiu Kingdom.
The palace gates were tightly shut, and there wasn't a single guard around. It was as if no one had been here for many days.
Mo Yinghuo and Zhao Shu exchanged a glance, dismounted, and walked towards the palace. Upon reaching the palace gate, they were surprised to find vibrant, dazzling crabapple blossoms carved upon it. Mo Yinghuo frowned and sighed softly, "I never imagined that the Eastern Liang Kingdom was so obsessed with crabapple blossoms. I've always believed that those who love flowers are compassionate. If people are like that, then a nation should be too. But I don't understand why they repeatedly invade the borders of Yunxiu Kingdom, oppressing our people."
After she finished speaking, Zhao Shu said unhurriedly, "Those who love flowers either pick them or admire them; it's just a matter of which."
Mo Yinghuo was a little surprised. Two parts were naturally related to what she had said about picking and appreciating flowers, and the rest were all responses to what he had said to her. You see, for more than a month, Mo Yinghuo had gotten used to asking and answering herself. Apart from matters related to the Stone Spirit Kingdom, Zhao Shu was extremely sparing with words.
Zhenzhen, I'm here on official business.
Zhao Shu glanced at her, regained his usual calm and quiet expression, then took two steps forward, turned slightly to the side, put one hand behind his back and held a knife in the other, his expression calm, and kicked open the main hall door.
Inside the hall, on a gilded, intricately carved throne, sat a man nearing the end of his life. His withered, aged hands rested on the armrests, his body slightly hunched, like an old, worn-out bow. His disheveled white hair was like the limp bowstring, no longer capable of shooting a good arrow, no longer capable of stirring a ripple of life. Only his magnificent and imposing court robes, accompanied by the violent heaving of his chest from coughing, made one realize that this was an old man, his life force rapidly fading, yet still alive, already in his twilight years.
Behind him stood two soldiers with swords. A woman in a noble, light blue satin palace robe, though around forty years old, still possessed a graceful and slender figure. She was kneeling beside the magnificent and imposing old man, repeatedly calling out to the person on the throne.
Mo Yinghuo listened carefully and couldn't help but frown.
The two words the woman kept repeating were, "My son, my son..."
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