Chapter 84: The Blood Robe (9)

“Whoever stands in my way dies!”
One step, two steps, three steps…
With each difficult advance, a comrade would fall to the ground, staring blankly at the star-filled night sky in defiance. But there was no time to stop and rest—everything depended on their will. As long as they had will, they would survive; without it, they would perish!
“Brothers, hold your swords tightly and fight like real men!”
Li Sheng used his spear to knock over a Tibetan centurion, then cheered on his comrades with laughter.
Stab, thrust, sweep—each swing of his spear ended another Tibetan soldier’s life. Sweat droplets the size of beans slid down his temples, splashing on the ground like lotus flowers.
“Forward!”
With all his strength, Li Sheng thrust his spear forward, piercing through a spear-wielding soldier. He lifted the corpse and swept it forward, knocking over the surrounding Tibetan soldiers.
Yet another dozen Tibetan warriors closed in, stepping over their fallen comrades…
There were simply too many Tibetan soldiers. They were surrounded on all sides, too busy fighting to defend themselves. There was no place to hold out—the Tibetans could rush in unchecked and slaughter them all with their swords…
Straining to look into the distance, Li Sheng saw, in the faint light, hundreds of Tang cavalry charging toward him, wielding halberds and long spears. The leading general wore a black helmet and armor, riding a swift green horse—like a plum blossom blooming brilliantly in the cold winter!
Rubbing his eyes, Li Sheng stared again. Yes, he wasn’t mistaken! It was indeed Tang cavalry—his own commander!
In the darkness, the flickering lights grew closer and brighter, turning into a dazzling light dragon as they approached.
“It’s Commander Li! Commander Li has come to save us!”
An old soldier from the Copper Army pulled out his halberd still embedded in a Tibetan soldier’s abdomen and exclaimed in joy.
“It’s Commander Li! We’re saved! We’re saved!”
“Let’s charge out and join Commander Li!”
“Charge! Kill all these barbarians!”
The old soldiers of the Copper Army regained their fighting spirit, moving north side by side, shoulder to shoulder.
Just a hundred paces away fluttered the Tang army flag; in the midst of the barbarians, their commander was fighting fiercely against the Tibetans!
Li Kuo was leading his men into battle, ordered by Li Sheng to hold off the Tibetans for three hours—just to buy time for his plan. But who would have thought this man would be so stubborn!

Having lost several battles in a row and facing an enemy force many times his size, he still refused to withdraw—this was a man destined to die on the battlefield. With that thought in mind, Li Kuo continued to fight without pause. The young man held the reins with one hand while wielding the blood-soaked black sword in the other, slashing and cutting relentlessly. Against the Tibetan army dominated by infantry, he knew exactly how to take advantage of the speed of his warhorses. As long as he could disrupt the infantry’s formation, just a few hundred cavalry could carve out a path through the enemy ranks!
Cavalry against infantry—there must be no stopping; they had to charge with all their might, using that momentum to trample through the enemy soldiers!
“Charge forward! Save our brothers!”
The young man spurred his horse harder and shouted.
Zhang Yanji and Zhou Wucui beside him exchanged a glance and loudly repeated the commander’s orders: “Gather close! Form a cone formation around the commander to create a path for our comrades to escape!”
These soldiers were elite warriors selected from the veteran troops of Tongwu. As Li Kuo’s personal guard, they would never be sent into danger unless absolutely necessary. But now, they understood clearly the responsibility resting on them—the barbarians were surrounding their comrades, their brothers who shared meals and slept under the same tent!
They would never abandon a brother—that was the promise of a Tang man!
The Tang cavalry pierced deep into the Tibetan army like sharp cones, constantly stirring and tearing through their ranks. They used swords and spears, employing every weapon at their disposal to fight against the barbarians. They knew that every moment of delay increased the danger for their trapped comrades; they also knew that killing one more enemy raised their chances of survival.
“Stop them! Stop them!”
A Tibetan centurion, seeing hundreds of cavalry charging at him with fierce intent, panicked and frantically tried to give orders.
Dozens of Tibetan soldiers armed with spears reluctantly stepped forward, attempting to knock the warhorses over with their spears, but they clearly underestimated the horses’ speed. Before they could steady their spears, the warhorses were already charging at them on all fours.
“Ah!”
Cries of pain filled the air as these fools were knocked over by the horses and then trampled into pulp.
“Worthless! A bunch of useless idiots!”
The Tibetan centurion was furious but had no choice but to pick up his curved sword and lead his men into battle. Tibetan military discipline was strict—those who fled from battle were executed on the spot. To hell with it; rather than having his head cut off by his own men, he would charge forward and fight to the end.

With such a mindset, these Tibetans carried an extraordinary killing intent and formed small groups to coordinate their attacks. Dozens of Tibetan soldiers, led by a centurion, surrounded a blue horse—clearly the commander of the Tang army. Killing him would deal a severe blow to the Tang forces’ morale! A few eager Tibetan soldiers rushed forward first, swinging their curved knives at the Tang general. It was evident that this Tang officer held a high rank, and his head must be worth a fortune! But as soon as they reached the blue horse and before they could raise their knives, they felt a chill on their backs. “Ugh!” “Ugh!” The Tibetan soldiers let out muffled groans and turned their heads in disbelief. “Tch! I’ve held a spear for so long—I didn’t train in vain!” Zhang Yanji pulled out the spear from the Tibetan soldier and spat out a mouthful of phlegm. His guards followed his example, drawing their spears and holding them tightly at their knees. The Tibetan soldiers immediately collapsed to the ground, their bodies turning into mush, with blood streaming from the holes in their vests. The Tibetans surrounding the blue horse were terrified and dropped their spears, scattering in all directions. The Tang army did not pursue them but followed their officer deeper into Lu Chai. Now was not the time to seek glory—there were still comrades from the Tongwu Camp waiting there, along with a Tang flag! “Pfft.” Li Sheng was slashed in the lower back by a Tibetan barbarian, causing him to lean forward and nearly fall. Relying on his spear, he managed to stand upright, shaking his head with a bitter smile. These stubborn barbarians kept multiplying! “Hold on a little longer—General Li is on his way!” Seeing the Tang cavalry about thirty steps away, Li Sheng’s lips curled into a smile. His spear’s head was broken, so he simply drew the sword at his waist and charged into the swarm of enemies. Close combat was dangerous and unpredictable. But at that moment, he couldn’t care less—he would fight to the end! The Tang cavalry led by Li Kuo had slowed down significantly. The further south they went, the more Tibetan barbarians there were. Their warhorses neighed in distress, struggling to move through the dense crowd. Damn it! The young man cursed inwardly, hardened his heart, and pulled out the dagger from his boot to stab Qingfeng in the buttocks. “ neigh!” In pain, Qingfeng raised its front legs and stood up. The intense pain made Qingfeng extremely agitated, and it galloped forward. Seeing their officer’s action, the Tang soldiers understood immediately and drew the daggers from their boots to stab the horses’ buttocks. Though the soldiers cherished their horses, there was no room for hesitation now.

Hundreds of warhorses, in agony, neighed as they pushed aside the soldiers surrounding them and galloped south…
“Get on the horse!”
Li Kuo stretched his right hand toward Li Sheng, feeling as if his heart was being torn apart.
The once handsome man now had numerous knife wounds on his chest and legs, and his pale cheeks were completely covered in blood.
“Get on the horse!”
The young man shouted again before Li Sheng dared believe that the person before him was indeed his own commander.
“General!”
Li Sheng knelt on the ground and cried, “Li Sheng is incompetent; I have failed to live up to your trust. Brothers, brothers… I really thought I couldn’t get through this!”
“How could I abandon you? We are comrades, brothers who have shared life and death!”
A burst of flickering flames, a dancing light dragon, dispelled the gloom in the soldiers’ hearts.
With his black helmet and hair, holding his sword upright, the young man had won the respect of all the bronze-armored soldiers that night.