Chapter 1071 Fierce Battle
Emerging from Hulao Pass was Xue Lin, a deputy general under Yuwen Ye. He was the second son of Xue Daotong, a court official, and had just turned twenty a few days ago. He had followed Yuwen Ye on his campaign to Luoyang.
Although he had fought several battles with Yuwen Ye before, this was his first time leading troops into battle. As he rode out of the crowd and looked at the dark mass of enemy troops ahead, Xue Linxia immediately felt a cold sweat on his palms, soaking the reins in his hands.
He gritted his teeth, gripped the reins tightly, and spurred his horse forward: "Who dares to invade my territory?"
Upon hearing this, laughter immediately erupted from the other side, and someone shouted, "Hulao Pass belongs to Luoyang. You haven't even taken Luoyang, so what makes you think this is your territory?"
"That's right, in my opinion, we should dismount and surrender as soon as possible, and go back to call our mothers."
"Hurry back, hahaha."
A chorus of vulgar laughter made Xue Lin's face gradually turn pale. Just as he gritted his teeth, wanting to curse back, he saw Shi Yutao riding forward, looking him up and down with a disdainful expression, and then saying, "You, hurry back and bring out someone I know."
Xue Lin frowned: "What?"
Shi Yutao weighed the broad axe in his hand and sneered, "I don't strike down nameless nobodies with my axe. If someone can withstand three blows from me, don't say I'm bullying a child."
Upon hearing this, the soldiers behind him burst into even louder laughter.
Xue Lin was so angry that his face turned pale, but he refused to back down. Instead, he shook the reins and spurred his horse forward two steps, saying, "My name is Xue Lin."
Shi Yutao looked at him coldly: "What merit have you made?"
Xue Lin said, "Today, defeating you will be my greatest achievement!"
After saying that, he suddenly roared, spurred his horse forward, and brandished his spear, thrusting it fiercely into Shi Yutao's chest!
His sudden attack caught even the men following behind off guard. In the blink of an eye, Xue Lin had already rushed in front of Shi Yutao. However, Shi Yutao seemed to have been prepared. He stood still without any intention of dodging. But just as the spear was about to pierce his chest, he suddenly picked up his battle axe and blocked it in front of his chest.
With a clang, the spear tip struck the axe.
Xue Lin glared angrily and charged forward with all his might, but Shi Yutao remained motionless. His hand holding the axe didn't even tremble. On the contrary, Xue Lin, unable to move forward, kept sliding his hand holding the spear shaft forward, and he could see that his body on the horse was becoming unsteady.
Yuwen Ye, who witnessed this scene from the city tower, frowned slightly.
Shen Tu Tai said, "It's too hasty."
The next moment, as if to prove his point, Shi Yutao suddenly withdrew his axe. With no resistance, Xue Lin lost his balance and lunged forward. Taking advantage of the moment when Xue Lin staggered, Shi Yutao dodged the spear thrusting towards his chest and swung his axe backhand, the handle of which stabbed fiercely towards Xue Lin!
At this, the people following Xue Lin became anxious.
Just as they couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, Xue Lin, who had been lunging forward and was about to fall off his horse, suddenly stopped and dodged Shi Yutao's axe. It turned out that in the instant he lost his balance, he had hooked one of his legs into the stirrup and tied himself directly to the horse's back.
At this moment, although his body was already swaying, he used the stirrups to pull himself back, and somehow managed to shrink back into place.
Upon seeing this, the soldiers behind him immediately turned their exclamations into cheers, and even the soldiers behind Shi Yutao stopped their mocking and taunting.
Shi Yutao's expression immediately turned grim. He realized that this young general was not someone he could underestimate, and he never dared to completely underestimate an enemy before they fell. His axe strike missed, and Xue Lin had already swung his spear down at him. Shi Yutao immediately raised his axe to block. Xue Lin, not to be outdone, thrust several spears at Shi Yutao's brow, throat, chest, and even shoulders, his movements as nimble and ruthless as a viper probing acupoints, each strike deadly. Shi Yutao's axe, though heavy and large, was wielded with extreme agility. With several clangs, he blocked Xue Lin's deadly attacks, then, using the momentum, swung his axe with the force of a thousand armies, aiming to cut Xue Lin in half at the waist!
"careful!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and Xue Lin didn't dare to be negligent. He immediately raised his spear to block, but this axe not only borrowed momentum but also had the immense force of Shi Yutao's arms swinging. It struck the spear and actually dented the steel spear. Xue Lin's arms were numb from the shock, and the enormous force almost swept him off his horse!
Seeing that he had blocked the attack, Shi Yutao gripped the axe handle tightly with his left hand and gently pulled back with his right hand, seemingly retracting the axe by half a foot. But before Xue Lin could even catch his breath, Shi Yutao immediately thrust the axe forward heavily, directly slamming it into Xue Lin's chest!
Xue Lin was completely taken aback. He couldn't retract his spear in time and had no power to resist. He could only fall backward and lie flat on the horse's back.
The axe grazed his nose as it passed by!
But as soon as he dodged the attack, Shi Yutao didn't give him a chance to get up. He thrust his right hand upward and chopped the axe directly at Xue Lin's face!
At that moment, Yuwen Ye's breath hitched, and Shen Tu Tai also subconsciously held his breath, his brows furrowed so deeply that his thick, dark eyebrows almost covered his eyes.
Just when everyone thought Xue Lin would be struck down by Shi Yutao's axe, his horse suddenly neighed and leaped forward two steps!
With just these two steps, he barely dodged Shi Yutao's axe!
Just moments before, when he nearly fell backward in a disheveled state to dodge Shi Yutao's attack, Xue Lin seemed to have anticipated that this move would be followed by a series of attacks. So, the instant he lay down, he kicked the horse's belly hard with his right heel, startling the horse into leaping back two steps, which saved his own life!
"good!"
Upon seeing this, Shen Tu Tai couldn't help but whisper a cheer!
He breathed a sigh of relief, then turned to Yuwen Ye and said, "I didn't expect this kid to be so capable on his first battle. Not bad at all."
After he finished speaking, Yuwen Ye lowered one hand from the wall, leaving two deep finger marks on it. He breathed a sigh of relief and murmured with a hint of relief, "Fortunately, I left my father someone who knows how to fight."
Shen Tu Tai glanced at him but didn't say anything.
Xue Lin is the second son of Xue Daotong, a court official. Xue Daotong has been by Yuwen Yuan's side since childhood and is now a confidant of the emperor. His eldest son, Xue Jing, has been physically weak since childhood and cannot practice martial arts. He currently serves as a tutor in the Crown Prince's residence.
Seeing Xue Lin's first battle, though he was restrained at every turn, he did not fall behind. Yuwen Ye breathed a sigh of relief and then turned to Shen Tu Tai and whispered, "Go down and help him in the next battle."
Shen Tu Tai was taken aback upon hearing this.
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