Chapter 61 – The Sparrow Spreads Its Wings (3)

Chapter 61 – The Sparrow Spreads Its Wings (3)

“Take down the officers first!”

Following So-mu's command, the members of the Wolf Fang Squad dispersed.

It was not difficult to locate the mounted officers of the Hui army. Not only were they clad in ornate armor that covered their entire bodies, but their warhorses were also draped in heavy barding.

So-mu's movements were as fluid as a fish darting through water. The moment he kicked off the ground and rose into the air, his cold blade unleashed a dazzling sweep of light. A crescent of sword energy shot from his blade, flying straight toward a nearby mounted officer.

Slash!

The mounted officer was cleaved in two before he could even register what was happening. Floating high in the air, So-mu began to unleash a flurry of slashes.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Dozens of streams of sword energy rained down upon the cavalry, triggering a series of violent explosions.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Some twenty cavalrymen fell from their mounts, screaming in agony.

“Argh!”

“Urgh!”

Landing back on the ground, So-mu charged like a bolt of lightning, weaving through the cavalry. Every time his sword flashed, riders and horses alike were swept away like autumn leaves in a gust of wind.

The Hui cavalry converged on the center of the battlefield, falling into utter chaos. Densely packed together, the riders became hopelessly entangled with no way out. With their officers slain first, there was no one left to give orders.

And the clustered cavalrymen were easy prey for the Wolf Fang Squad.

Slash!

“Sixteen!”

Splat!

“Seventeen!”

It was Cheol-du of the Wolf Fang Squad, counting aloud the number of enemies he had defeated.

Just then, a fist as massive as a house appeared before him, striking a horse's head with brutal force.

Boom!

The warhorse died instantly without even a whimper, and its rider was pinned underneath, completely motionless.

There was likely only one man in all of Shaanxi with such monstrous, absurd strength. Il-gwang looked at Cheol-du and grinned.

“Thirty-seven!”

Cheol-du could only shake his head at the demonic sight.

Glancing to the side, Cheol-du saw Adjutant Yang Yeon-jeong joining the fray and slaughtering the enemy. Behind him, thousands of infantrymen were entering the chaotic melee one after another.

Just then, the thunderous rumble of horse hooves shook the earth from behind.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

It was their own cavalry unit. Two thousand riders charged forward with their long spears leveled, shouting with high morale. At their head was Commander Han Baek, his face twisted in a fierce grin.

“Skewer them all!”

The cavalry charged at full speed, channeling all their strength into their spears.

The Hui riders looked on in horror at the devastating charge. In an instant, the tips of two thousand spears began to pierce through them relentlessly.

Squelch! Stab! Skewer!

“Ugh!”

“Argh!”

Hundreds of horses collapsed simultaneously, and the number of skewered riders was beyond count.

A cavalry's greatest asset is its swift breakthrough based on mobility. Trapped in the encirclement and throwing themselves into chaos, the Hui cavalry were already as good as dead.

It was then.

“Aim for the general! Take his head and retreat past the wooden barricades!”

It seemed one of the enemy cavalry commanders was still alive. Seeking to salvage something from this disaster, he targeted the opposing general. Under his command, about a thousand riders began to assemble. Turning their horses, they broke through the encirclement and charged straight toward General Jang-yang.

Spoting this, Commander Jin Lip of the archers shouted urgently, “Protect the general! Concentrate all fire on them!”

Whizz! Whizz!

Thud! Thud!

More than two hundred riders fell from their horses and rolled along the ground. However, cornered with nowhere to run, the enemy did not back down. Even with arrows piercing their armor and sticking out of their bodies, not a single rider stopped.

At that moment, Jang-yang, who had been silently watching the battle, ordered, “Archers, retreat to the left and right!”

If the archers were caught in close combat by the cavalry, they would suffer catastrophic casualties. Jang-yang wanted them to withdraw ahead of time to minimize damage. However, if the archers retreated, there would be no one left to protect the general.

Commander Jin Lip hesitated for a moment, but he could not disobey the order. As he ordered his archers to withdraw, he shouted toward General Jang-yang, “General, you must retreat as well! Join the adjutant's unit!”

The infantry led by Yang Yeon-jeong was not far away. However, Jang-yang had no intention of retreating. Someone had to draw the enemy's attention so the archers could withdraw safely. And as the general, he was the perfect decoy.

“I will be fine, so retreat first! That is an order!”

Before long, the enemy cavalry had closed to within twenty zhang of Jang-yang. Left alone, he silently leveled his sword.

Just then, a black mist suddenly began to coalesce in front of him. A moment later, the dark current dissipated, revealing a figure. It was the King of Assassins, Sal-wang. This was his first appearance on the battlefield. In his right hand, he held a heavy saber, and in his left, a whip three zhang long.

“Do not move a single step,” Sal-wang said.

The moment the lead rider came within five zhang, Sal-wang's whip lashed out in a straight line.

Swoosh!

The whip, extending three zhang, wrapped around the lead rider's body like a serpent.

Crack!

“Ugh!”

Hurled into the air by sheer force, the rider collided with the horseman beside him.

Crash!

With a swift rotation, the whip lashed out again, striking the oncoming riders.

Crack!

Three riders were split open along with their armor, falling from their mounts.

A whip is difficult to master, but in terms of pure power, it ranks among the deadliest of weapons. Imbued with Sal-wang's internal energy, it unleashed devastating destructive force. Every time the long whip lashed out, two or three riders collapsed helplessly.

Yet, even a weapon as destructive as the whip had a weakness. Because it relied on the tip for impact, it became useless if an enemy managed to close the distance.

Letting go of the whip, Sal-wang raised his saber to shoulder height. In that instant, a brilliant saber qi erupted from the blade, shimmering with light. The oncoming riders gasped in shock.

What was saber qi? It was a supreme state of martial arts that could not be achieved without deep enlightenment. However, it consumed an immense amount of internal energy, making it impossible to maintain for long.

Sal-wang intentionally displayed this overwhelming might to intimidate the enemy. Confronted by the brilliant saber qi, the riders instinctively hesitated. As Sal-wang executed his footwork, his figure split into multiple afterimages, and a fierce gale whipped up around him. His saber slashed dozens of times in a single breath, showing no mercy.

Slash! Slash!

Any cavalryman who came within a three-zhang radius was instantly shredded. Watching this terrifying display from the rear, the remaining riders had absolutely no desire to throw themselves into this living hell.

“Forget the general! Retreat past the barricades!”

Leaping over double-layered wooden barricades was no easy feat. But they had no other choice. Behind them, thousands of enemy infantrymen were charging like madmen to protect their general. Any hesitation meant certain death.

With grim faces, the cavalry bypassed Jang-yang and Sal-wang, parting like water. The warhorses leaped with all their might, but less than thirty percent successfully cleared the barricades.

Squelch! Stab!

The sharp spikes of the barricades skewered horses and riders alike, presenting a gruesome spectacle.

Even those who cleared the barricades were not safe.

Neigh!

The horses suddenly shrieked and collapsed. The Hui soldiers panicked.

“What the hell is this?!”

“What's happening?!”

It was caltrops, laid out in advance. The sharp iron spikes were long enough to pierce deep into the horse hooves. Sensing danger, the horses instinctively balked, and the following mounts collided with them, creating utter chaos.

Crash! Crash!

At that moment, thousands of arrows rained down from both sides. It was the archer unit, which had retreated to the flanks and reformed their ranks.

Whizz! Whizz!

Thud! Thud!

“Argh!”

“Urgh!”

They were trapped in a hopeless dilemma. To make matters worse, the infantry closed in on their rear. Leading the charge were the members of the Wolf Fang Squad, whose lightness skills were unmatched.

With the battle reaching this point, a structured retreat was impossible. The few surviving riders scattered in all directions, trying to escape. However, their numbers were negligible.

After another fifteen minutes, not a single living enemy remained on the battlefield. The battle was finally over.

Someone raised their sword high and let out a victorious roar.

“Wooaaa! We won!”

That was the spark. The collective cheers of the soldiers shook heaven and earth.

“Hooray!”

“We won!”

They had annihilated an enemy cavalry force of eight thousand. In contrast, their own casualties were a mere three hundred men. Most were only wounded, with only a few dozen dead. It was a miraculous victory.

Amidst the deafening cheers, the cavalry unit became the busiest. The riders quickly harnessed three or four captured horses to empty carts. The thirty makeshift carriages immediately began moving back and forth across the battlefield to transport the wounded. Their destination was the medical camp set up nearby.

* * *

Meanwhile, the number of volunteers gathering in Yangcheon Town had exceeded three hundred. Those who did not know martial arts were turned away. Most were martial artists from minor and mid-sized sects, along with a few warriors from nearby clans. In addition, retired soldiers and mercenaries had also joined, forming a diverse group.

Though small in number, they were a respectable force. The volunteers had contributed funds of their own accord, securing the immediate financial resources they needed.

Whenever hot-blooded martial artists gathered, excitement was bound to swell. Cheers and laughter rang out continuously from the open square of Yangcheon Town.

“General! May I request a lesson from you?”

As was her habit, So-so offered a cupped-fist salute.

“I am So-so!”

“I am Jang Pae, formerly an escort warrior of the Yonghua Escort Agency.”

The moment they finished introducing themselves, Jang Pae lunged forward.

He had heard that his opponent was a rejuvenated master who had returned to youth. Even if she looked like a child, he could not afford to hold back. Because of her small stature, it was difficult to target anything other than her head. The tip of his sword was aimed precisely between So-so's brows. However, his opponent was a child who had never learned the concept of holding back in a spar.

Lowering her upper body, So-so closed in like a flash of lightning. The moment Jang Pae's sword grazed over her head, her fist, small as a walnut, slammed into his abdomen.

Thud!

“Ugh!”

Retching, Jang Pae hastily raised a hand.

“I… I surrender.”

He conceded defeat after a single blow.

Dozens of martial artists had already suffered the same fate before him. The moment Jang Pae stepped back, another figure stepped forward.

“General, I am Xiahou Ji, leading the warriors of the Xiahou family. I would also like to request a spar.”

“Hehe. Sure!”