The Hebei military camp was ablaze in an unknown location, flames lighting up half the sky in a crimson glow. The air was filled with the sounds of fierce combat and desperate shouts, sparks dancing wildly in the wind as chaotic figures clashed below, making it difficult at a glance to distinguish friend from foe.
From a high vantage point, the Liao cavalry resembled a sharp blade plunging deep into the heart of the camp.
With the camp under attack and morale wavering, Ling Ziyue couldn’t afford to remain sheltered in his tent. He had to stand shoulder to shoulder with his men and inspire them!
"Forget the supplies—protect the general!" Gao Dazhuang barked orders as he sprinted. "Mei Shisi, provide cover with your crossbow from concealment. The rest of you, follow me!"
"Yes!" the soldiers answered in unison.
Supplies could be replenished, but if Ling Ziyue fell, the Song Dynasty would struggle to find another general of his caliber anytime soon. Everyone wholeheartedly agreed with Gao Dazhuang’s decision.
An Jiu veered toward the northern woods, scaling the tallest tree she could find.
Her gaze swept over the nearby grassland, quickly detecting numerous hidden figures lying in wait. Satisfied, she turned her attention to the battlefield below, scanning the chaos until she finally spotted Ling Ziyue.
This was a decent spot for a camp—within a five-mile radius, there were no higher vantage points. The tree An Jiu perched on stood just over thirty feet tall, but with tents scattered everywhere, there were plenty of blind spots, making it less than ideal for sniping. Still, it was the best option available. Besides, her mental strength allowed her to shoot accurately even without a clear line of sight, compensating for the obscured angles.
Ling Ziyue had prepared a sound strategy against the Liao surprise attack. In theory, with ten thousand Song troops against one thousand Liao cavalry, the odds were heavily in their favor.
Yet reality often defied expectations. As Ling Ziyue watched the Liao light cavalry slice through his forces like a blade through paper, his initial shock quickly turned to fury.
This was impossible! While the Song army’s combat prowess was admittedly lacking, the men stationed here were seasoned veterans who had fought alongside him for years. They shouldn’t have been so easily overwhelmed.
Several lieutenants closed ranks around Ling Ziyue. One of them reported urgently, "General, we must retreat under our protection! The Liao have deployed elite forces—the vanguard of their light cavalry consists entirely of martial arts masters!"
These were Ling Ziyue’s most trusted subordinates, and in critical moments, their priority was always his safety.
"No retreat!" Ling Ziyue ground his teeth, his usual composure shattered. The sight of his painstakingly trained troops being crushed under the Liao armored cavalry was a devastating blow. And at this crucial moment, he refused to abandon everything he had worked so hard to build.
"Brothers, follow me—kill them all!" Ling Ziyue roared, his sword flashing as he cut down Liao infantrymen who dared approach.
The terrified soldiers around him, stirred by their general’s ferocity, suddenly found their courage. If death was inevitable, why not die fighting?
"Kill! Slaughter the Liao dogs! Defend our Great Song!" the lieutenants bellowed in unison.
One by one, voices rose in response.
"Kill!"
Kill! Kill! Kill!
The battle cries, once small ripples, surged into a deafening tidal wave, shaking the earth like thunder.
Against all odds, these ordinary men, fighting with desperate resolve, managed to halt the seemingly unstoppable momentum of the enemy.
Ling Ziyue needed to stabilize the situation and couldn’t recklessly charge ahead. Once the immediate threat around him was cleared, he could only stand firm, sword planted, and watch the battle unfold.Watching helplessly as familiar soldiers fell like moths to a flame under the blades of the Liao martial arts masters, his eyes burned with pain—but he couldn’t retreat, not even half a step!
This was the Hebei military camp, and Ling Ziyue was the god of war in the hearts of the border people. If a hundred thousand troops couldn’t even hold back ten thousand Liao cavalry, if even Ling Ziyue was forced to retreat, what hope was left for the entire Great Song?
The leading general at the front fell. Seeing the momentum they had just rallied beginning to falter, Ling Ziyue’s deputy said, "General, let me go!"
Ling Ziyue gripped his sword hilt tightly and gave a slight nod.
That barely perceptible movement weighed on him like a thousand pounds. Ling Ziyue knew—this man would not return. The deputy was only at the seventh rank, while the enemy had hundreds of martial artists above the fourth rank, not to mention numerous ninth-rank experts...
"Brothers, charge!" The deputy leaped into the fray, taking the fallen vanguard’s place.
Gao Dazhuang and the others lay hidden beside Ling Ziyue. Seeing this, Li Qingzhi was the first to raise his blade and charge forward.
The Liao forces met slight resistance but paid little heed to this last desperate struggle. Just as they were about to crush this surge of defiance with overwhelming force, two figures suddenly emerged—one wielding a sword swift as lightning, the other a broad blade roaring like thunder. They struck from opposite directions, and before the Liao light cavalry could react, several fell.
With this initial success, Li Qingzhi’s momentum surged, his strikes growing heavier, like thunderbolts and crashing mountains.
The Song soldiers around them, witnessing this, felt their waning courage reignite, their collective strength seeming to rise in an instant.
A man should live like this—worthy of being called a true warrior in this life!
Gao Dazhuang’s blood stirred, but he hadn’t lost his head. They were the shadow unit; their duty lay elsewhere. Whether they should throw themselves into this desperate battle was a question he needed to consider carefully.
Lou Mingyue held back again and again, but finally, she could bear it no longer. Drawing her sword, she rushed forward. She couldn’t kill Yelü Huangwu now, but the hatred festering inside her had grown suffocating. Only the blood of the Liao people could temporarily quell this murderous rage.
An Jiu observed the battle from the shadows. She had few arrows left, and her body had only just recovered from injury. She couldn’t afford to recklessly expend her mental strength—if she used it, it had to be at the critical moment. So for now, she held back.
Over there, Li Qingzhi and the deputy’s intervention briefly stalled the Liao advance. But with hundreds of martial artists, how could a mere two men block their path?
Soon, both men were wounded, especially Li Qingzhi. Skilled in assassination, he was not necessarily adept in the chaos of open battle. Though his martial arts were on par with the deputy’s, he was now relying purely on sheer ferocity to hold on. As the saying goes, the desperate fear nothing—on the battlefield, experience mattered little when one fought without regard for life.
Gao Dazhuang frowned and muttered, "Pathetic."
The others remained silent. No one could suddenly become invincible in such a situation.
"Commander, give the order," Sui Yunzhu said.
"Those two charged in—did I give the order?" Gao Dazhuang shot him a disdainful glance.
Sui Yunzhu understood. He exchanged a look with Qiu Yunxiao, then drew his sword and rushed forward.
Qiu Yunxiao hesitated briefly before following.
These men had been suppressed for too long, and their minds were all a little twisted. This battle was a fine outlet for their pent-up fury.Gao Dazhuang noticed a sharp gaze directed at him. His eyes flickered slightly as they met Ling Ziyue's hawk-like stare. (To be continued...)
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