Translator: Ink Hub
Editor: Yoog

BOOM!

A clap of startled thunder tore through the clouds, and a torrential downpour crashed down, drenching the world of men.

Amid the cacophony of the rain, the rumble of war drums echoed. It was Xiao Shaoyou, beating the drums to gather the troops, calling upon every soldier in the city to rise and slay the enemy.

The heavy rain extinguished countless torches. Inside and outside Yunyang Pass, everything was plunged into an abyss of darkness. The soldiers of both sides could not distinguish the flow of the battle, only the roars of fury and the shrill screams of the dying permeating the curtain of rain.

A cavalry formation of nearly a thousand men was stationed five li outside the west gate. The “Wanyan” military banner was held high in the air, radiating a chilling, solemn aura.

Luo Yu had made the right gamble. Wanyan Chang had not led his troops into Yunyang Pass; instead, he sat in command outside the city. Initially, he could still see the fires burning throughout the pass, but now Yunyang Pass was shrouded in the night and the rain, a void of pitch black.

“General, the rain is too heavy. Why don’t you return to the camp to rest? We will keep watch here.”

“No need. It won’t be long before the city is occupied. I will wait right here.”

Wanyan Chang offered a faint smile.

“It seems that Kong Xian is more useful than Li Chengxiao. He is a talent we can use.”

He had truly received two secret letters of surrender. This was why he had unhurriedly set up camp to rest, holding his troops back. He knew that even if one Li Chengxiao died, the gates of Yunyang Pass would eventually open on their own.

“Kill!”

“Enemy sneak attack! Stop them!”

“Quick!”

Before his smile could fade, a series of furious roars erupted from the eastern side of the cavalry formation. The faint sounds of fighting drifted over, causing Wanyan Chang to frown.

“What is happening?”

“Report!”

A messenger arrived on a galloping horse, his voice urgent. “Great Qian troops are raiding our formation! Troops have already been dispatched to intercept them!”

“At a time like this, someone still dares to leave the city for a sneak attack? How many troops?”

“The night is too dark to see clearly, but the momentum is massive. It feels like a significant force. I vaguely heard someone in the battlefield shouting the name Luo Yu.”

“So it is him?”

Wanyan Chang narrowed his eyes. After a moment of thought, a cold sneer curled onto his lips.

“It seems he is coming for me. This boy truly cannot be underestimated. In such a desperate situation, he didn’t think of fleeing for his life but actually wanted to kill me to turn the tide. His courage is indeed extraordinary.

“Nothing more than a pipe dream.”

A vice general cupped his fists. “General, shall we withdraw some troops from the city to surround and suppress these Qian soldiers?”

“Unnecessary. They couldn’t scrape together a thousand cavalry from the entirety of Yunyang Pass. What is there to fear?”

Wanyan Chang gave a light wave of his hand. “Take eight hundred riders. Bring me Luo Yu’s head.”

“Understood!”

A large contingent of cavalry turned east, surrounding the direction of the battlefield. Wanyan Chang shook his head with contempt.

“A good idea, but unfortunately, what use are such petty tricks in the face of absolute strength?”

* * *

“Kill!”

“I am the Luo Yu you’re looking for! Come on! If you have the guts, step forward and kill me!”

“He is Luo Yu! The general has ordered that whoever takes his head will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver! Kill him!”

In the chaotic battlefield, a burly man roared at the top of his lungs. His spear tip flashed repeatedly, piercing through several Qiang soldiers and knocking them off their mounts. He was peerlessly brave, constantly bellowing that he was Luo Yu.

Looking closely, it was clearly Meng Hu!

Qiang cavalry charged at him from three sides, but he did not panic in the slightest. Gripping the spear shaft with one hand, he swung it forward. The strike looked effortless, yet it contained immense power. The three Qiang riders used every ounce of their strength but failed to block the blow. Instead, they were smashed back, vomiting blood.

“Strong! Haha!”

Little Wu’s figure appeared on the flank. Although his strength was far inferior to Meng Hu’s, his spear techniques were well-practiced. He urged his warhorse forward toward a Qiang soldier, thrusting his spear in a diagonal strike that pierced the enemy’s back, cleanly picking him off his horse.

The current Little Wu was no longer the recruit he once was. In these few battles, the number of Qiang soldiers who had died by his hand was at least seven or eight.

“Haha, you’re not bad either!” Meng Hu laughed loudly. “There’s nothing to fear about these Qiang bandits! One thrust still leaves two holes! Brothers, let’s give them a good slaughter today!”

Nearly a hundred riders rampaged through the battlefield, completely ignoring their formation. It was pitch black anyway, and no one could see anyone clearly. The Qiang soldiers were indeed confused about how many Great Qian troops there were, feeling as though enemies were attacking from every direction.

Every man was risking his life to fight the Qiang because they knew deep down that only by pinning down these eight hundred Qiang riders could they grasp a single hope of victory.

“You are Luo Yu?”

The leading Qiang vice general fought his way through the roars. His voice carried a hint of doubt. He had caught a glimpse of Luo Yu in the formation that other day. Why did this man not look like him?

“That’s right.”

Meng Hu gave a savage grin.

“I am your Grandpa Yu! If you want to live, hurry up and run! My spear doesn’t kill cowards.”

“Presumptuous!”

The vice general was instantly enraged, leveling his spear as he charged.

“A mere recruit! How dare you act so arrogantly before me!”

“Watch my spear!”

“Watch your damn head!”

Meng Hu didn’t care if the man was a commander or a subordinate; in his hands, they were all the same. He swung out seven or eight strikes in succession, each one heavy and powerful. The vice general’s expression turned to one of shock. His arms went numb as he muttered in astonishment.

“This fellow… what incredible arm strength.”

“Try another one of mine!”

Meng Hu pressed in close, using his full strength to smash his spear down. The vice general’s face twisted. In his desperation, he hurriedly held his spear horizontally across his chest to block. However, the force of Meng Hu’s strike was simply too great. The shock caused the vice general’s throat to bob as a mouthful of fresh blood sprayed out.

The two were too close. The blood-spitting vice general finally saw Meng Hu’s face clearly and gasped in shock.

“You are not Luo Yu!”

“Congratulations, you guessed right.”

Meng Hu gave a savage grin. “Unfortunately, it’s too late!”

“Not good! It’s a trap!”

The vice general’s face turned ashen. He urgently tried to roar.

“Inform the general immediately—”

Puchi!

He had only finished half his sentence when a long spear plunged into his chest. Meng Hu spat on the ground.

“Still want to send a message? In your dreams!”

Rumble!

Rumble!

Another burst of rapid hoofbeats rang out through the night, but this time, it wasn’t from the east of the battlefield. It came from the exact opposite direction—the west.

Wanyan Chang, who had been standing still to observe the battle, frowned instantly. He whipped his head toward the west, where a unit of cavalry seemed to be charging fiercely toward him.

“Another ambush?”

Wanyan Chang suddenly realized the truth. His brow furrowed tightly, and his eyes turned completely cold.

“So it was a ‘diversion’ tactic. Good lad, you surprise me more and more.”

The cavalry charging from the west were even fewer in number—only fifty riders—but they were the fifty strongest men under Luo Yu and Xiao Shaoyou. Every one of them had a cold expression, harboring the resolve to die.

If an hour ago they were thinking about how to save their lives, they now had only one thought.

Slaughter Wanyan Chang and hold Yunyang Pass!

Luo Yu, charging at the front, curled up his lips into a cold sneer. “To capture the bandits, first capture their king” required a bit of technique. Thus, he had split his forces, leaving a portion to Meng Hu to draw the enemy and disrupt the Qiang formation, while he personally led the most elite fifty to deliver the fatal blow!

This gamble required Meng Hu, Little Wu, and the others to fight to the death. Though it was cruel, it was the best plan Luo Yu could devise.

Two hundred riders charging a thousand had a very low chance of success, but fifty riders against a hundred-plus Qiang soldiers was a different story.

With one heart and one mind, the advantage is mine!

Facing the Qiang cavalry who were turning in panic to meet the attack, Luo Yu was the first to level his spear and charge, letting out a sharp roar.

“Those who do not fear death may find life!”

The resolute roar pierced through the rain, reaching the ears of every soldier. Every man spurred his horse forward, roaring in unison.

“To the death!”

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