Chapter 45: Roar (5)

Having served by Pu Da Chui’s side for many years, the veteran soldiers of Tongwu knew their general’s character better than anyone else. Once he made a decision, not even ten oxen could pull him back.
So what choice did they have?
Over two hundred Tongwu veterans charged at the disorganized forces of Yeluo River like thunder, like a supreme sword plunged deep into a narrow alley. If the men from the other Jianghuai training camps were at a disadvantage due to lack of combat experience, these veteran soldiers of Tongwu feared not these so-called elite rebels at all.
Great Wall Fort, Fusi City, Jiuqu City, Shule, Suiye, Julan City…
After fierce battles, they had transformed into the bravest and most skilled warriors of the Tang Dynasty! Those who set out from Chang’an to Longyou had died or been wounded; those who survived possessed an intense desire to win. They were unyielding fighters who would fight until the last moment of their lives!
It had taken nearly ten years for them to forge deep and sincere friendships. On the battlefield, they trusted their comrades utterly, unwaveringly!
Brothers are like swords!
Once sharpened, their edge would shine brightly, sometimes even harming their own comrades. But as long as the blade remained unchipped, it would keep slashing, merely to buy time for their brothers to catch their breath.
“Zheng Dabao, Tu Changfeng, Lei Yidao—come on! Today, your big brother Da Chui will lead you to fight fiercely!”
Pu Da Chui knocked another Khitan rider off his horse and turned back, laughing loudly.
It had been so long since he’d felt this exhilaration! If it weren’t for that wretch An Lushan raising his rebellion, his hammer might have rusted away, never seeing blood again. After returning from Anxi, the emperor deliberately weakened his status as governor. Some so-called Jianghuai training commander—anyone with eyes could see it was a trick of promoting him while actually demoting him. Without Shule, without that invincible Shule army, what could a governor rely on?
There were still them, haha, there were still them!
The governor still had these comrades who had never left him, haha—they were his brothers-in-arms, brothers who shared life and death!
Haha, what are those damn imperial rules, those so-called hierarchies? The emperor is just afraid that the governor will amass an army and seize his throne! Haha, who does the governor think he is? Does the governor even care about that worthless throne? The reason the governor compromises is to protect his homeland! The homeland of every Tang person!
“Puh!”

Pu Da Chui swung his left hand violently backward, shattering the head of a Xixia warrior who tried to ambush him. The brain matter of that overconfident Hu soldier flowed out through the cracked skull, spilling all over the ground. Many of the Hu soldiers nearby vomited as well, instinctively frowning.

“What kind of so-called warrior? What kind of Yeluohe? Is that all you’ve got?”

Pu Da Chui swung his iron hammer with great excitement, killing a Hu soldier with each swing. These elite troops carefully trained by An Lushan seemed to turn into tame sheep in front of Pu Da Chui, utterly unable to fight back.

Heh, if it weren’t for loyal men like the governor still fighting bravely on the battlefield, how could the emperor sit firmly on his throne? Yet he was full of suspicion, endless suspicion! He didn’t guard against those who truly deserved it, instead scheming against loyal men—how disheartening!

If he were the governor, he’d have rebelled long ago!

The imperial court? Those two words are worth nothing!

Without the lives of these brave Han men, would there even be an imperial court?

An Lushan’s rebellion is good—haha, at least it lets the emperor see who are the true loyal officials and generals, and who are the traitors.

“Bang!” “Crack!”

From time to time, the sound of broken ribs could be heard, but Pu Da Chui showed no mercy at all, continuing to swing his steel hammer and claim lives.

The emperor isn’t a god—he certainly isn’t a god. The Tang Dynasty is great not because of one family or lineage, but because of the struggles, unity, perseverance, and determination of millions of warriors.

This is the Tang Dynasty—you can defeat my body, but you’ll never defeat my soul!

Because we are Tang people, the noblest people in the world!

“Kill them! Kill them all!”

Pu Da Chui reveled in this moment, swinging his hammer with force—clean and decisive, just like at the Great Wall Fortress.

They fight for themselves, for the Tang Dynasty!

For themselves, for the Tang Dynasty!……

“Why can’t Da Chui stay calm?”
Seeing Pu Da Chui’s vanguard gradually disappearing into the darkness, Li Kuo couldn’t help but shout. The narrow alley didn’t allow too many troops to pass at once, which meant their numerical advantage was offset by the Yeluohe. If Da Chui rushed in too quickly, they might be overwhelmed by a larger force!
“Order the entire army to attack! We must hold on at all costs—never let them get away!”

Li Kuo swung his whip fiercely and sped forward. Ever since Da Chui pursued Ashina Baxie and left, the Yiluo River forces had scattered and fled northward. Although Da Chui led the most elite troops in the army—the Bronze Warriors—there was no way they could defeat the Yiluo River forces in just one battle. This fight was far too strange, leaving Li Kuo filled with suspicion.

No matter what happened, Da Chui must not be put in danger!

Irrelevant to everything else, it was simply a promise between brothers…

Twenty steps, thirty steps.
Twenty steps, thirty steps!
Hey!

Every time Pu Da Chui accelerated, narrowing the distance to the Yiluo River forces to within twenty steps, they would suddenly speed up to pull away from him. Slow down, change direction, accelerate, slow down, change direction…

For nearly an hour, the Yiluo River forces had been using this tactic to provoke him, to provoke this half-group of elite Bronze Warriors. Those Hu dogs kept shuttling around the city, seemingly tireless. He could feel himself being dragged around in circles by them, but there was nothing he could do. Their warhorses were clearly faster than his own, giving them the ability to perform such maneuvers.

“General Pu, maybe we should take a break!”

Lei Yidao glanced back at the quiet street behind them and felt an inexplicable sense of unease. They were moving too fast; they had completely lost contact with Commander Li. Now, he was completely at the mercy of the Yiluo River forces. Continuing like this might lead to trouble.

“Stop talking nonsense! Can’t you see we’re about to catch up to them? Those green-faced wolf riders are just twenty steps away. Let me go ahead and smash that rotten flag to pieces, then I’ll go play with that Ashina Baxie. I heard he’s some kind of Turkic prince’s nephew? Haha, that’s hilarious! His own tribe was destroyed by our Tang Dynasty, yet he still dares to flaunt his status. Does this kid think he can restore his country by riding on An Lushan’s coattails?”

Pu Da Chui was in a killing frenzy and couldn’t hear his bodyguard’s advice anymore. He swung his whip again with force.

“Sigh!”

Lei Yidao sighed deeply, shook his head, and followed again…

“Where are they? I’m asking you, where are they?”

Li Kuo roared at a scout almost frantically, his veins bulging on his cheeks, his face turning a terrifying purple.

The scout was terrified and stammered, “I… I lost track of them…”

“Lost track? What the hell are you good for if you lose track? Lost track…”

Li Kuo grabbed the scout by the collar and kept questioning him.

“Commander, I’m useless… I’m useless…”

The scout hung his head, sobbing softly.

“Useless piece of trash!”

Li Kuo let go of him and closed his eyes tightly.

He had never cursed at his brothers as fiercely as he did today, but he really couldn’t hold on any longer. At first, he still harbored a faint hope that the Yiluohe forces would scatter on their own out of fear of his numerical advantage. But now it seemed everything was planned—they wanted to exhaust him through prolonged pursuit, then use their familiarity with the city’s terrain to shake him off and strike at Da Chui directly!
Yet Da Chui was completely unaware of this!
“Damn it!”
Li Kuo swung his whip wildly and cursed.
“Qilang, from what I can see, the enemy commander probably plans to fight us in the open fields outside the city.”
Zhou Wucui rode up and began analyzing carefully.
“They led us around the city’s alleys for a whole hour just to mislead us into thinking they’re still inside the city.”
Zhou Wucui paused and said, “In my opinion, what the Yiluohe are most proud of is their attacking power, but that advantage can hardly be utilized inside the city. If they really wanted to fight us, they would choose to do so outside the city.”
Dou Qing frowned and said, “But our numbers are almost twice theirs. If it really comes to a battle in the open, do they even have a chance?”
Zhou Wucui shrugged and said, “You’re wrong! While the number of cavalry is important, quality is just as crucial. A careful analysis of the two armies shows that although we have more men, aside from Qilang’s elite Tongwu Camp, the rest of our cavalry is no match for the Yiluohe. They must have realized this and decided to first exhaust this elite Tongwu Camp.”
After a brief pause, Zhou Wucui continued, “Now, nearly half of the Tongwu cavalry is under Da Chui’s control. If they manage to cause a collapse first and lure Da Chui to a certain place to wipe out this cavalry force before turning to fight us, they’ll be fighting with fewer troops against more. I’m sure the Yiluohe are fully confident in this plan.”
Boom!
The last pillar of faith in Li Kuo’s heart collapsed suddenly. He felt dizzy and even fell off his horse.