Chapter 34 – Famous General and Incompetent General (5)

Chapter 34 – Famous General and Incompetent General (5)

General Jang-yang and the two assassins were evenly matched. It seemed the fight would not be settled easily.

Just then, So-so approached, wearing a pouting, apologetic expression as she spoke.

"Oh… I'm sorry, misters!"

However, contrary to her outward appearance, she was smiling inside. Slipping into the gap between them, she began swinging her blunt sword wildly, as if beating a stray dog.

Her movements, as nimble as a squirrel, left the assassins utterly bewildered. Pinned down by Jang-yang, they had no way to defend against So-so's strikes.

Crack! Thwack!

"Aaagh!"

"Urgh!"

Wherever So-so's sword landed, the assassins' limbs bent at unnatural angles, accompanied by the sickening crunch of shattering bones. Writhing on the ground in agony, they cried out in frustration.

"Dammit! What is this brat?!"

"W-Where on earth did she come from?!"

They could not believe it. They were professional assassins who had undergone years of rigorous training. Yet, they had been effortlessly defeated by a child who barely reached their waists.

The assassins, instantly rendered combat-ineffective, glared at her with indignant eyes. Even Jang-yang blinked in disbelief, completely speechless.

But their complex emotions were of no concern to So-so. She was having far too much fun.

Due to her promise to So-mu, she was normally forbidden from using martial arts. She had been suppressing her instincts all this time. But now, she was allowed to use her skills to protect herself.

She couldn't help but be excited. Once this situation was over, there was no telling when she would get another opportunity to fight.

"Grandpa, I'll be right back!" So-so yelled, before suddenly leaping into the air.

Springing upward like a coiled wire, she landed gracefully on the roof of the office. Quickly scanning her surroundings with her small face, she looked for her next target.

Just below her, Yang Yeon-jeong was defending the entrance of the office. She was holding her ground alone against a dozen assassins, refusing to yield an inch.

Since that fight didn't interest her much, So-so looked further away.

About ten paces away stood a man wearing a bamboo hat, distinct from the other assassins. He was the leader directing the raid.

Seeing that the situation was dragging on, he drew his sword from his back. Unable to watch any longer, he decided to step in himself.

Taking a brief breath, he shot forward in a straight line. His target was Yang Yeon-jeong. The level of his light movement technique was in a completely different league compared to the other assassins.

At that moment, So-so leaped from the roof. Like a sparrow diving from the sky, she descended upon the lead assassin.

The assassin's eyes flashed beneath his bamboo hat. He swung his blade upward to meet her.

Clang!

It was a strike meant to cleave her in two.

However, after the clash, his opponent seemed entirely unfazed. And to his shock, it was a little girl.

"Judging by your movements, you must have had a fated encounter. But you've met the wrong opponent today."

A milky white haze shimmered along the assassin's blade. He was a master capable of projecting sword qi.

But instead of being frightened, So-so giggled and shouted, "Hehe! I can do that too!"

Suddenly, hundreds of beams of light erupted from So-so's sword, enveloping the blunt blade.

For the first time, the assassin's gaze wavered. A girl who looked barely seven years old was projecting sword qi. Had such a thing ever occurred in the history of the Jianghu? Even seeing it with his own eyes, it was hard to believe.

"Impressive. If you come with us, I will spare your life. What do you say?"

He could not help but covet the child's talent. If she were trained properly as an assassin, she could one day become a top-tier killer, or perhaps even the Shadow King.

But So-so frowned and yelled, "No!"

"Then you must die here today."

So-so raised her sword to shoulder height and took a half-step forward. It was the starting stance of the One Hundred and Eight Winds Rapid Sword.

As the assassin moved, So-so's sword swept up from the ground, tracing a curve before thrusting forward in a straight line, unleashing a flurry of strikes.

Clash! Clash! Clash!

The assassin parried her strikes, waiting for an opening to strike back. He planned to decapitate her the moment her technique ended.

However, he soon realized something was terribly wrong.

Normally, a martial arts technique requires a brief pause to breathe after a series of strikes. But there was no pause in So-so's attack. Her continuous chain of strikes had already surpassed twenty moves.

'H-How is this possible…?'

What flustered him even more was So-so's height.

As an assassin, he was trained to target vitals like the throat and heart. But So-so's height was far below an adult's chest. It was difficult to target her, and her attacks flew from completely unpredictable angles.

Once driven onto the defensive, he could not turn the tide. He had no choice but to wait for her technique to end.

"W-What is this?!"

By the time he parried thirty strikes, the child's speed had increased noticeably.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

As the strikes surpassed forty, the sound of tearing wind filled the air.

The assassin parried frantically, retreating in sheer panic. "Why is your technique not ending?!"

"It's the One Hundred and Eight Winds!" So-so chirped.

"Are you insane?!"

She was barely halfway through. And her attacks were still growing faster.

Clash! Clash! Clash!

Once the exchange passed sixty moves, the situation grew even worse. A fierce gale began to whip around them, kicking up dust and dirt that swirled into a vortex, swallowing the assassin. At this point, the speed of her strikes far exceeded his ability to defend.

Realizing her opponent could no longer resist, So-so withdrew her sword qi. Instead, her blunt blade began to pummel his body.

Screams of agony echoed through the dust storm.

"Aaagh!"

The screams sounded terrible.

Hearing them, So-so panicked. She had no intention of killing him, but the One Hundred and Eight Winds Rapid Sword had a critical flaw: once unleashed, it could not be stopped easily.

As the vortex of dust cleared, the assassin's form was revealed. With his eyes rolled back, he slowly collapsed forward.

Thud!

"Oh no… What do I do…?" So-so crouched down, clutching her head. She hadn't meant to kill him.

Steeling her courage, she reached out with a small finger and poked the fallen assassin.

"Are… Are you dead?"

There was no reply. A sigh escaped her lips.

"Phew…"

Having seen dead bodies before, she wasn't scared. But she felt an anxious weight in her heart.

Just then, Jang-yang approached her from behind. The battle was over.

"Oh… Grandpa, what do I do?" So-so sniffled, tears welling in her eyes.

Jang-yang lifted her in his arms and patted her back. He found her incredibly endearing.

"Haha. You saved this old man's life, So-so. He is merely unconscious, his life is not in danger. Do not worry."

Listening closely, So-so could hear his faint breathing.

Her face instantly brightened. Feeling comforted by the praise, she calmed down.

With the crisis averted, she suddenly felt starving. Projecting sword qi consumed a massive amount of internal force.

"I'm hungry…"

"Tell me, child. What do you wish to eat?"

"Dumplings!"

"Hahaha. Of course. We shall have as many dumplings as you want."

Jang-yang smiled. Turning his head, he saw soldiers blowing whistles as they rushed toward the office.

Yang Yeon-jeong, who had just walked over, barked at the soldiers, "Lock up the ones who are still breathing! I will interrogate them myself!"

* * *

The Song forces assembled on the Namso Plain had no choice but to halt their northern march. Since their plans to secure grain through pillaging had failed, they had no choice but to ration their remaining food and return to their respective headquarters.

Disbanding before the campaign could even begin was an unprecedented disgrace.

However, dispersing in unsecured territory was risky, so the commanders agreed to march together until they reached a safe region.

"Why were we in the front when marching north, but we're at the very tail during the retreat?" Iron-head of the Wolf Fang Squad grumbled.

Marching in an army of a hundred thousand, he did not like that the Wolf Fang Squad was placed at the very rear.

Walking beside him, Hyeonjeong, the former Mount Hua disciple, replied, "When an army marches, the strongest units are always placed at the front and the rear."

"How do you know that?"

Hyeonjeong had not been with the Wolf Fang Squad for long, but her basic tactical knowledge, gained from her years in the Jianghu, far surpassed that of the other squad members.

"It's the same in the martial world. If the vanguard crumbles easily during a surprise attack, the entire formation collapses. But if they hold their ground, the allies' morale rises while the enemy is thrown into confusion."

"Ah. That's why they put us at the back."

A rare smile appeared on Hyeonjeong's face. "Haha. Not always. Sometimes, they place you there as sword shields to buy time for the main force to escape."

"Ugh. I knew something felt off."

Just then, So-mu, who was leading the Wolf Fang Squad, suddenly stopped. The squad members halted and looked at him in confusion.

Closing his eyes, So-mu's ears twitched. He had sensed something approaching from the distance.

'The ground is vibrating.'

The vibration grew stronger by the second. It felt as if an earthquake was rapidly approaching from the horizon.

"Does it sound like horse hooves to you?" So-mu asked.

Everyone quieted down to listen. The distant rumbling was definitely growing louder.

A few squad members yelled in alarm, "R-Raid!"

"The enemy is attacking!"

Panic erupted at the rear of the column. As the soldiers turned back, the long marching line rippled like a snake. But nothing was visible yet. Just as someone was about to shout in annoyance—

Flags began to appear on the horizon one by one. They were definitely the colors of the Hui Dynasty.

Horn trumpets began to blare from the middle of the column. Officers from the vanguard rode down the line, shouting frantically, "Raid on the rear!"

"Prepare for battle!"

Faced with a sudden engagement, anxiety crept onto the soldiers' faces.

A massive cloud of dust swept toward them like a sandstorm. The ground shook violently, mirroring the rising panic in the soldiers' hearts.

As So-mu estimated the enemy's size, he shouted to his squad, "Wolf Fang Squad, form up!"

It was a drill they had practiced countless times. The hundred squad members lined up in a single row, gripping their shields.

The force pouring across the vast plain was a massive cavalry unit. Riders clutching great axes and long spears charged forward in an endless wave, resembling a tidal wave crashing onto a shore.

Those facing the charge directly felt a chill run down their spines. Even the members of the Wolf Fang Squad flinched.

"W-Why are there so many?!"

"How are we supposed to block that?!"

So-mu's expression grew grim as he estimated the enemy's strength. The enemy cavalry numbered at least fifty thousand.

In a battle on an open plain, a single rider was said to be equivalent to ten infantrymen. The Song Empire, lacking horse-breeding regions, relied mostly on infantry. Even the three thousand cavalrymen they did possess were at the front of the column, useless for defending against this sudden rear assault.

It was the worst possible situation.

The commanders stood paralyzed with fear, unable to issue a single command as the enemy drew closer. Terror and despair slowly consumed everyone's minds.

Il-gwang spat in frustration, "What the hell are the commanders doing?!"

Even for the Wolf Fang Squad, there was no way to survive against such a massive cavalry charge.

As panic threatened to overwhelm the ranks, So-mu's voice, infused with internal force, boomed across the field.

"Wolf Fang Squad, advance thirty paces!"