Chapter 3: An Unexpected Victory! Part 2!

The atmosphere was extremely tense.
Everyone knew the Vietnamese troops weren’t particularly strong, but they weren’t made of paper either—they fought with muskets, and their bullets could still kill people.
Just now, many people were whispering to each other, “Brother, if something happens to us this time, your sister-in-law will be up to you to take care of!”
“Dad…”
Jingshiyi, like Sima Tai, cared a lot about face. Having Jiang Ningxue at the forefront already annoyed him, and now it seemed she intended to go even ahead of Liu Yu, so he added, “Wife of A Yu, go to the back!”
Liu Yu needed an excuse: “Fighting is a man’s job; women shouldn’t get involved… Go to the back and cover our rear!”
There were dozens of guns there—a single volley could turn several people into pulp. He had died once before, but he didn’t want Jiang Ningxue to take such a huge risk for him: “Go to the back!”
As the young head of the family, he still had some authority. Jiang Ningxue bit her lip but stepped back behind him.
“The injured and sick should follow Ningxue too!”
Regarding Liu Yu’s decision, others added, “Sui Yun, go with the wife of A Yu. Your mother only has you as her child—if anything happens to you, she’ll die of grief!”
After those words, everyone fell silent.
Liu Yu and Sima Tai walked at the forefront of the group, each holding a gun on either side.
The night was terrifyingly quiet. Apart from the faint footsteps on the path and the scraping sound of Sima Tai’s bayonet sliding in its scabbard, all that could be heard was their own heavy breathing. His chest burned with anger, unsure of what to do to vent it.
He could sense everyone’s tension—they were all afraid of death, and even he was extremely nervous.
He imagined the battle scene: seventy or eighty Vietnamese soldiers, their bullets leaving bloody marks on his body, breaking Jiang Ningxue’s heart.
How should he fight? He should load his gun as quickly as possible and engage in a gunfight.
What if they got close?
Rifles couldn’t be equipped with bayonets—then he’d just smash them with the butt of his gun!
Dawn was breaking, with a gentle breeze blowing.
Sima Tai stopped and slowly removed his bayonet, attaching it to his rifle. Narrowing his eyes, he pointed at the faintly visible village ahead: “It’s over there!”
In their sight, there were a dozen dark figures, and they could even faintly hear some Vietnamese speech.
Liu Yu’s imagined battle also came to an abrupt halt. The passion in his heart turned into reality. He gave a signal backward, and the entire group set in motion: “I’ll lead the charge from the front; we’ll fight up close!”
Liu Yu was at the forefront.
Facing the wind.
In that moment, everyone let go of their tension, and their movements became swift.
Closer and closer!
Fight to the death!

The Vietnamese official troops assembled in an open area in front of the village, unaware of the enemy’s attack. Sima Tai and Liu Yu moved in unison; when they got a little closer, they raised their guns and pulled the triggers. With a “bang,” both Liu Yu and he were enveloped in a cloud of white smoke.

Amid the white smoke, Liu Yu couldn’t see the results of the earlier battle. He could only hear the noise from the opposite side, so he sped up. “Stop shooting! Keep charging!”

At this distance, aside from Sima Tai’s Mini rifle, the other shotguns were beyond their maximum range, and they added the speed of their charge.

The Vietnamese official troops screamed loudly as the wind blew past their ears.

“Bang!” Sima Tai fired again.

This time, what greeted him was more white smoke filling the air. The Vietnamese troops almost simultaneously fired six or seven shotguns, sending bullets flying in all directions, but at this range, they were almost harmless.

Yet Liu Yu’s movements were both more fierce and more cautious. He noticed that nearly one-third of the Vietnamese troops in his line of sight had disappeared. “They sent people around to flank us—be careful!”

They were getting closer, with gunshots echoing from time to time. Occasionally, bullets streaked across the open field, causing ripples in the young man’s heart. Finally, they entered the range of the shotguns.

In a narrow encounter, the brave prevail. Everyone raised their rifles, lit the fuses, and shouted loudly, “Fire! Fire!”

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Once again, Sima Tai fired first. After this burst of gunfire, two or three people in the enemy ranks collapsed. Then, like everyone else, Liu Yu began cleaning the gun barrels of spent powder, striving to load new bullets as quickly as possible and light the fuses.

Everyone repeated the same actions, followed by a long wait after firing.

The air turned tense. No one had extra thoughts—they were facing the scattered gunfire of the Vietnamese and were exchanging fire in the open field.

The two who had flanked from the side also arrived. Though their shots weren’t effective, they caused great confusion among the enemy.

Time passed, and they all felt their movements were too slow! The Vietnamese flanking troops could appear at any moment!

Faster! Faster! Faster!

Liu Yu lit his fuse and searched for targets among the enemy ranks, only to unexpectedly spot a familiar figure.

It was Jiang Ningxue!

She led a few wounded soldiers to the Vietnamese’s flank!

How was that possible? She had already retreated to the rear!

Bang! There was again Sima Tai’s familiar gunshot!

Along with his shot, Jiang Ningxue’s figure was covered by white smoke, and the Vietnamese official troops let out another chorus of shrill screams!

Liu Yu didn’t know what words to describe his feelings—he had no time!

After a sharp whistle, a Vietnamese soldier fell!

He heard the sound of bullets hitting bodies.

Liu Yu’s passion was ignited. Leading the Liu Yu Camp, he charged forward while roaring, determined to shatter their chests with angry bullets!

Closer! No matter how difficult the battle, it should be borne by men.

Sima Tai was also about to take a step forward, but in the next moment, he was stunned by what he saw!

After Liu Yu’s shot, groups of Vietnamese soldiers turned and ran, even throwing down their flags and weapons. Those who remained tried to resist, but upon seeing Liu Yu’s troops charging at them, they too dropped their weapons. Some raised their shotguns high, while others threw them on the ground, fearing they would bring disaster upon themselves. They shouted, “Stop fighting! Stop fighting! We surrender!” Victory! Yet Sima Tai also understood the situation: over thirty Vietnamese soldiers were kneeling and begging for mercy to Liu Yu’s much smaller force. “Stop fighting! We’ve killed all your leaders!” But Liu Yu had not forgotten his responsibility. That flanking unit consisted of at least twenty people, and he could deal with them in just one move. He aimed his gun at a small leader and asked, “Where is your flanking unit?”