"Yes, lord!"
This time, regardless of whether it was the soldiers under Wang Chong's command or Bai Siling's commands, they responded decisively.
In the last few days, Wang Chong had already won their respect through his actions and capabilities.
Chapter 342: Fight!
Chapter 342: Fight!
The atmosphere suddenly grew grim. Killing intent suddenly burst from the Great Tang veterans, and in that instant, it seemed as though everyone was plunged in the middle of an intense battlefield.
Sensing the changes in her surroundings, Bai Siling was stunned for an instant. With a slightly dazed expression, she turned to look at Wang Chong's silhouette.
The same sixteen-year-old youth, but his figure suddenly towered before her.
At this moment, Wang Chong didn't notice the changes occurring around Bai Siling. Instead, feeling the strong killing intent exerted by the forty Great Tang military veterans, he nodded in satisfaction.
Even though Great Tang was treading down a path of decline, its military was still standing strong.
With such a team, putting aside facing bandits who outnumbered them tenfold, Wang Chong would dare to even engage an organized official army of the same number!
Wang Chong suddenly turned to Bai Siling and said, "Siling, I'll have to trouble you to cooperate with me in the battle later on."
"Ah!" Alarmed by Wang Chong's sudden words, Bai Siling panicked for an instant. However, she swiftly covered it up.
"Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll do my best to cooperate with you!" Bai Siling nodded earnestly. As expected of a lady of the Bai Clan, she was able to recover swiftly.
"Alright, let's set off!" With Wang Chong leading the way, the forty cavalrymen of Great Tang charged in the direction of the battle cries.
---
"Chief, another group of cavalry is heading our way."
Just as Wang Chong was charging over, a pigeon suddenly descended from the sky, headed toward a boulder located in the forest beside the main road. On the boulder, the military advisor of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen, Zhou An, raised his right hand and grabbed the pigeon. He untied the note from the pigeon's leg before passing it over to the massive Iron Cloak Li beside him.
"Hahaha, since they are coming here, we should give them a welcome. Relay my orders, slow down the attack. It isn't easy for us to bait them here, I don't want to scare away our guests!"
"Yes, chief!"
Zhou An quickly issued the relevant instructions, and Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu finally gained an opportunity to catch a breather.
Di da da!
---
Around half an incense stick time later, Wang Chong, leading the group, finally caught sight of the battlefield.
Bandits and highwaymen with wildly different clothing densely filled the main road, forest, and slope.
Surrounded by this huge group, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's group seemed no different from skerries amidst an endless ocean, isolated on a steep slope thirty zhang away from the main road.
An overwhelming stench of blood drifted in the air. Innumerable corpses of bandits, highwaymen, soldiers, and steeds alike were littered on the way from the main road to the slope.
Upon seeing this sight, Wang Chong, Bai Siling, and the other forty Great Tang cavalrymen found their eyes reddening in fury.
This was the first time such huge casualties had occurred among the eighty of them. Even though Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu had managed to fend off the attacks of the Iron Cloak Highwayman through effective utilization of the complex geographical terrain, their initial force of forty was still reduced to just twenty-four.
The death of sixteen True Martial realm veteran cavalrymen was truly a huge loss.
What was even more unacceptable was that they had died at the hands of mere bandits and highwaymen.
Beside Wang Chong, Ma Song clenched his fists tightly and muttered furiously, "Lord, I'm going to slaughter all of them!"
A soldier shouldn't die at the hands of mere bandits and highwaymen.
"Have you forgotten my words? Calm down! Trust me, we'll slaughter those Iron Cloak Highwaymen. However, charging in blindly won't do us any good. Look before you, how many men do they have?"
Wang Chong was burning with anger as well. As one who had lived his life on the battlefield, he felt those sentiments deeply than anyone else. However, he knew that this wasn't the moment to let his emotions get ahead of him.
"Besides, even though they have died in the hands of the bandits and the highwaymen, at the very least, they gave up their lives to protect Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu. On this aspect, at least they died in the midst of accomplishing their duties. Their deaths aren't meaningless!"
Wang Chong's words managed to bring some rationality back into the minds of his men. Indeed, at the very least, they managed to protect their commanders.
Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu might not be members from the military, but from the moment the change of command ceremony was conducted, they had become their commanders.
From that aspect, their deaths were indeed honorable.
Otherwise, considering their superior strength, there was indeed a high chance they could have survived.
Ma Song and the others turned to Wang Chong and said grimly, "Lord, relay your commands. We'll obey them!"
Wang Chong fell silent for a short moment. A moment later, he suddenly slapped the side of his steed and sprang forward from the formation.
"Wait here for me. I forbid any engagement with the enemy without my command."
Leaving behind those words, Wang Chong charged up to the battlefield. At this moment, he was already less than fifty zhang away from the Iron Cloak Highwaymen.
(~180m)
Behind him, Bai Siling fell into silence. Gritting her teeth, she also jolted her steed forward to follow Wang Chong.
"The Iron Cloak Highwaymen aren't an ordinary bandit band," Bai Siling said grimly. "Their number of True Martial realm experts are on par with us!"
"If only that's all!" Wang Chong sighed deeply as he said with a lowered voice which only Bai Siling could hear.
In the previous operations, Wang Chong had hardly seen any formidable True Martial realm experts.
However, the group before him couldn't be assessed by the standards of the bandits before. While most of them were below True Martial realm, there were still around eighty True Martial realm highwaymen around him.
If not for the fact that the troops he had in hand were veterans who had gone through innumerable battles, Wang Chong would have immediately retreated as soon as he saw these highwaymen.
"... Siling, have you not realized? With just a glance, it's clear that they are just a huge bunch jumbled together. Yet, someone was able to maneuver them effectively to encircle Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu amidst this complex terrain, where the might of a cavalry would be considerably reduced.
"While Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu are still able to fend them off at the moment, there is no doubt that they are cornered. It is clear that there is a master strategist among them!" Wang Chong sighed.
The main reason why the military was superior to highwaymen was because the latter knew nothing about coordination. In a battlefield, an army under a skilled commander could easily crush a group of equally powerful highwaymen.
However, if someone skilled were to coordinate the highwaymen together, the nature of the matter would change.
"Is this the military strategist that the bandit from before talked about?" Bai Siling uttered in shock.
"That isn't all. Have you realized that the war cries in the area have quieted down considerably after our arrival?" Wang Chong said.
"You mean that..." Bai Siling was stunned for an instant before realization struck her, and her face paled.
"Un." Wang Chong nodded, affirming her guesses. "If I'm not mistaken, these guys sure are ambitious!"
---
Wang Chong and Bai Siling's arrival had attracted Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's attention as
well.
"Siling and that brat are here!"
Beneath the tree, Huang Yongtu gazed at the army on the main road, and he trembled in agitation.
Time seemed to pass slowly for him for the last few minutes. For a few instances, he even despaired.
How could forty men possibly withstand a force consisting of seven hundred bandits and highwaymen?
It was only a primal instinct to clutch onto life that had driven him this far.
Huang Yongtu had never expected Wang Chong and Bai Siling to arrive at the moment of his deepest despair.
He opened his mouth to call Wang Chong's name, but at this awkward moment, he suddenly realized that he actually didn't know the latter's name.
"It's no use. They won't be able to break through the encirclement."
Just as excitement was filling Huang Yongtu, a cold voice from the side dampened his mood: Lieutenant Zhang Lin. At this moment, his breathing was ragged and irregular, and his face was ghastly pale. Due to overexerting himself, his body seemed to be sapped of strength.
The desperate battle had brought him many deep cuts, and fresh blood drenched his entire body.
Even though Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were supposedly the leaders of the group, it was still the experienced Zhang Lin who had stepped up at this crucial moment to lead the team.
It was him who led the group to fend off the endless waves of attack and saved Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu on multiple occasions.
But at the same time, this had caused his injuries to be more severe than anyone elses.
At this moment, Zhang Lin had no idea how long he could hold on.
The sole responsibility of a soldier was to fulfill commands, and the main reason why Zhang Lin was still obstinately holding on was his will to send Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu out of here safely.
At the same time, his pride wouldn’t allow him to die dishonorably under the blades of a bandit. This was what he deeply believed in!
"Lieutenant Zhang is right. There are simply too many of them, we aren't their match at all. Even if Siling and the others were to join us, that won't change a thing. Besides, the bandit chief hasn't made his move at all. You also saw how fearsome he is, it is impossible for us to escape under his eye. Siling and the others are just courting death by coming to our aid," Xu Gan said from where he was leaning against a tree.
His right hand was pressed against his chest, and crimson blood was flowing through his fingers.
Chapter 343: Charge!
Chapter 343: Charge!
As one of the commanders of this operation, the twenty men under Xu Gan had devoted their lives to protecting him. But despite their effort, he had still sustained significant injuries.
At this moment, the rivalry he had with Wang Chong had already vanished altogether.
His only wish was for Wang Chong and the others to escape as swiftly as possible, and not fall into the same plight as him.
"You... Are you a fool? Siling and the others are the only hope we have now! Even if you intend to die, don't drag me down with you. Siling! Siling!!"
Huang Yongtu leapt up and shouted for Wang Chong and Bai Siling as he waved his hands fervently. At this moment, he had already forgotten how he had insulted Bai Siling as a traitor and a bitch previously.
"HAHAHA! Stop our archers from shooting him, allow him to continue calling for them!" At the back of the battleline, Iron Cloak Li laughed heartily at the sight.
"Yes, chief!"
"Wait, don't make it too obvious, either.. Have the bandits located at the eastern end put up a fight against them."
"Yes!" Several highwaymen hurriedly moved to relay the orders.
Despite being outlaws, the highwaymen had specific roles in the group, be it sentry, commander, archer, vanguard, or defense. At this point, they resembled soldiers more than highwaymen.
On the other hand, hearing Huang Yongtu's desperate voice, like a drowning man clutching to his final straw of hope, a ripple struck Bai Siling and Wang Chong's hearts.
"Siling, how is your archery?" Wang Chong suddenly asked.
"Not too bad. Why?" Bai Siling asked, unable to comprehend the rationale behind Wang Chong's question.
"Shoot an arrow for me to send something over." Wang Chong said calmly as his gaze swept across the highwaymen and bandits before him.
After a moment of observation, he had noticed a few minute details.
"We need Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu to maintain the morale of their men. Also, after holding on for so long, they should have quite a few injured among them. Even Xu Gan and Zhang Lin seem to be severely wounded. We'll have to send some pills to them."
"Understood!" Bai Siling nodded as a hint of admiration flashed across her eyes.
The seemingly unfathomable young man before her was truly incredible. Regardless of whatever problem that lay before them, he seemed to be able to always maintain his composure and come up with a countermeasure to deal with it. Unknowingly, she found herself forgetting her fear as well.
It felt as if she would be able to get out of the most difficult of situations just by following the man before her.
This was the capability, as well as the charm that he possessed!
"Bring me my bow!" Bai Siling raised her hand, and a soldier behind them swiftly brought a huge steel bow over.
She was one of the rare ones in the Bai Clan who practiced archery, and had achieved considerable mastery in it. On this aspect, Wang Chong had indeed chosen the right person to ask.
The military provided charcoal pens for Ten-Man Squad Leaders and above to use for communications in times of emergency.
Wang Chong tore a cloth from his sleeve before swiftly writing a few lines of words on it. Then, wrapping a recovery pill within it, he passed the cloth over to Bai Siling.
Hong!
Pinning Wang Chong's note at the tip of the arrow, Bai Siling drew her bowstring and shot the arrow around a hundred zhang away. Eventually, it struck the tree behind Huang Yongtu.
"Bastard! Aren't those fellows acting too arrogantly?" Upon seeing this sight, the bandits couldn't help but spit viciously on the floor and curse.
Even though the chief and the military advisor had issued strict commands not to touch them, the other party sure was acting arrogantly to disregard their presence.
"With so many of us here, why should we fear them? They would drown even if each of us were to spit on them once. Isn't the military advisor being a little too wary?"
"Indeed! They are just brats! Commanders my ass. Brothers, let's take them down! Kill the men and take the women, let's have some fun later on!"
The provocative gesture had left some of the bandits impatient.
Bandits and highwaymen were simply too used to being unrestrained. If it was a stronger enemy, they might still be compelled to obey Iron Cloak Li's command.
However, their enemies only numbered in the dozens, and the commanders were only two children. At this moment, they had already forgotten how frightened they were when they heard Wang Chong and the others had completely eradicated many dens outright.
"Chief, some of our brothers are starting to get impatient." A ferocious-looking highwayman pointed in the distance and said. "They are already forgetting your orders even though you just issued them a moment ago. Shall I go to restrain them?"
"There's no need for that!"
The one who replied wasn't Iron Cloak Li, but the military advisor Zhou An beside him.
"Let them be. They won't learn until they suffer a little. A few casualties here and there should teach them to remain obedient. At the same time, we can also test the prowess of this group and grind down their forces," Zhou An said impassively as he stroked his beard.
The previous intelligence he received suggested that one of the commanders had a deep understanding of their means, and none of the bandits who encountered him was able to get away.
Those fellows trapped on the slope hadn't shown anything extraordinary, so chances were that the commander was i
n the other group.
The highwayman hesitantly turned to look at Iron Cloak Li, only to see the latter nodding slightly.
Noting his response, the highwayman fell silent.
---
But while Iron Cloak Li and Zhou An intended to have the other bandits test out Wang Chong's hand, the situation developed in a different way as they had anticipated.
"Hm? Siling, it seems like they have some objections to the arrow you shot?" Wang Chong instantaneously sensed the malicious intentions of the bandits around him.
"Why? Are you intending to surrender?" Bai Siling chuckled lightly.
It should have been impossible for her to laugh under such circumstances. But perhaps because of Wang Chong's influence, she subconsciously forgot about it.
"Hehe, how is that possible? Since a fight is what they want, a fight is what they will get. Let's not trouble them with making the journey here, let's go to them instead," Wang Chong smiled.
"What do you intend to do?" Bai Siling rolled her eyes. Her casual gesture carried a seductive charm that even dazed Wang Chong for an instant.
"Section One, move out. Section Two, standby!" Wang Chong gestured to the men behind him, and five Great Tang cavalrymen immediately galloped out of the formation, like a sword drawn from its sheath.
"Siling, I'll trouble you to follow us," Wang Chong said as he drew his sword and pointed it to the sky.
Hong long!
In the next instant, the five cavalrymen from Section One, along with Wang Chong and Bai Siling, charged forth like a flood dragon rising from the ocean.
Just a mere group of seven, but they carried the momentum of an army of thousand.
Even the great earth seemed to tremble beneath their charge.
This was the first time Bai Siling truly witnessed Wang Chong's men in action. Even though the soldiers they had received were of equal cultivation realms, and they had received the soldiers on the same day, these five cavalrymen in Wang Chong's group seemed to carry a vastly different vibe.
In contrast to how they leisurely cleared away the bandits before, at this moment, the ferocity and power of their movements carried a compelling power that seemed to make one's soul tremble!
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