Chapter 22: The Masterful Pen (6)

Lunchaha’s hoarse shouts yielded little effect—how could anyone or horse avoid the swiftly falling boulders from such a distance?
Under the dim light of torches, they could see countless rocks the size of mills crashing down from the slopes on either side, carrying immense force!
“Ah!”
“Ah!”
Alarms rang out one after another, filling the valley with wails.
A rock struck just a dozen steps away from Lunchaha; its razor-sharp edge split the warhorse in two!
“Ugh!”
Blood sprayed everywhere, and Lunchaha felt his stomach turn upside down. He vomited all the roasted meat he had eaten the previous day, leaving yellow and white substances covering his armor.
Bang! Bang!
More and more rocks fell, crushing many Hu soldiers along with their horses into pulp. Blood seeped through their armor, staining the white snow like bright red peonies.
Bang! Bang!
The sounds were like mallets pounding flesh, echoing like elegies. The Hu soldiers grew increasingly panicked. They pushed and shouted as they rushed forward, knocking their comrades off their horses.
They didn’t want to die—they didn’t want to die! What did it matter to them if their comrades died?
“Don’t push!”
“Don’t push! Go one by one! Don’t push!”
Seeing such chaos, A Lun Can grew furious. He drew his curved sword and shouted loudly.
But his commands had little effect. The soldiers who used to obey him without question now rushed forward desperately, trampling each other in their haste to reach the narrow pass. Their once orderly formation became chaotic, with many soldiers knocked off their horses and instantly crushed into pulp.
“Don’t push! Go one by one! Anyone who disrupts our morale will be executed!”
A Lun Can was near madness. When he saw a Hu soldier recklessly push past him, he stepped forward and beheaded him with a single slash.
“Such is the fate of those who disrupt our morale!”
Shouting hoarsely, A Lun Can raised the bloody head high as a warning.
His method of showing strength through killing finally worked—the noisy ranks fell silent. Under the command of their officers, the cavalry reformed into formations and rushed out of the narrow pass one after another.
Perhaps the Tang soldiers were exhausted—fewer boulders rolled down the valley. The occasional arrows shot from the night sky could be easily deflected by the soldiers’ leather shields.
Looking back at the gourd-shaped valley, A Lun Can felt a chill of fear.
Damn it! Those cunning Tang soldiers only knew how to use petty tricks!

A sudden night attack by the Tang soldiers in the valley dealt Allen Can a severe setback. He swore that one day he would make these arrogant Tang men pay double for their actions!
“Return to Tangzhou!”
Allen Can drew his sword and tightened his grip on the horse’s flanks, giving a sharp order.
The soldiers who had barely escaped pulled out their curved swords in response; under the moonlight, they formed a striking sight. …
“Boss Pu, they’re here! They’ve arrived!”
An observant bodyguard spotted a faint light around the corner and rushed to report to Pu Da Chui.
“Damn it! These bastards have finally shown up. I thought they’d all been killed by the governor’s stones. Heh, it seems I’ll have to step in myself!”
Pu Da Chui clenched the iron hammers in his hands. “Brothers, let’s use these barbarian dogs as practice today and show them what happens when they kill our people and insult our nation! We’ll avenge our fallen compatriots and make them pay with their blood!”
“Vengeance! Vengeance! Pay with blood!”
“Vengeance!”
One hundred steps, eighty steps, fifty steps—Pu Da Chui clearly saw the group of barbarian riders charging toward him. Yet he stood there with his iron hammers, not moving an inch.
The barbarian soldiers thought this Tang man was insane for daring to stand alone against an entire army. They spurred their horses to speed up and kill him to vent their anger.
Fifty steps, forty steps, thirty steps…
“Hiss!” “Hiss!”
The barbarian soldiers raised their curved swords. The moonlight reflected off their blades, casting dazzling glints. Just as they were about to swing down, their horses suddenly collapsed forward.
Bang! Bang!
The riders in the front fell along with their horses. Due to the suddenness of the incident, they didn’t have time to pull their legs out of the stirrups. The weight of hundreds of pounds crushed their legs, breaking them completely.
Painful screams filled the field, echoing terrifyingly.
The riders behind still didn’t understand what was happening when their own comrades’ horses tripped them and threw them aside.
Bang! Bang! Dull thuds echoed. Hearing this, Allen Can’s eyes turned bloodshot.
It was tripwires!
“Huh!”
Allen Can pulled hard on the reins and ordered sharply, “Get off the horses!”
He quickly kicked the stirrups and leaped off his horse.
“Swish! Swish!”
Several curved swords were drawn. The barbarian soldiers stared angrily at the Tang man just twenty steps away.
“Kill him!”
Allen Can roared fiercely, his eyes blazing with rage.

Hundreds of Hu soldiers shouted as they rushed over their comrades’ corpses toward Pu Da Chui. It was all this Tang man’s doing—because of him so many of their brothers had died or been injured, and they were determined to tear him to pieces! “Kill him! Kill him!” “Kill!” Pu Da Chui watched these Hu soldiers indifferently. When they were still ten steps away, he suddenly roared, “Break!” Suddenly, more than a thousand Tang armor soldiers emerged from the previously empty mountain pass. The moonlight shone on their armor, casting brilliant light! They were all veterans from the three battalions, each wielding a mo dao and clad in bright armor, staring fiercely at those ferocious Hu soldiers. One thousand five hundred! One thousand five hundred! They were the finest troops left by Li Kuo—the hope of slaying the enemy chiefs! Eight steps, seven steps… five steps. Five steps! Pu Da Chui ordered again, “Advance!” “Swish!” “Swish!” Hundreds of mo daos were raised at once and swung fiercely at the Hu soldiers. The mo dao was a standard weapon used by the Anxi Army; even elite armies like the Fanyang and Pinglu Armies did not have them. So these Hu soldiers were not afraid of these seemingly heavy and bulky swords. Shouting and wielding their curved swords, they charged at the soldiers with the mo dao. Over ten years, they had developed an unparalleled level of coordination and trust. Over ten years, they had become brothers who shared wealth and death. This strike took ten years—ten full years! The mo dao swept like snow! With each swing, magnificent arcs were drawn, and countless lives vanished instantly, turning into dust. “Ugh!” One Hu soldier leaped at his enemy’s lower body, but before the blade could even touch the enemy’s armor, he saw clearly the mo dao pierce through his shoulder blade and slice down along his waist. “Ugh!” The Hu soldier uttered a few single syllables in disbelief before closing his eyes in resignation. Another Hu soldier saw a mo dao coming toward him and instinctively raised his sword to block it. In an instant, the heavy mo dao severed his curved sword and struck straight at his head. “Thud!” The mo dao pierced his bone! The Hu soldier saw a flash of blood before his world turned completely dark. “Advance!” Pu Da Chui kept roaring, venting his fury. These scum, these beasts—they had slaughtered countless of his people. Today, they would pay with their lives! “Advance!” The art of the mo dao!

Hundreds ofMao dao warriors moved forward in perfect coordination. They had fought together for ten years, trusting one another—brothers, brothers who would die for each other!
“Advance!”
The techniques of theMao dao were extremely simple—no need for complicated sword manuals or varied moves. What was required was just a breath, a breath of resentment, a breath of determination!
Where the spirit is, the sword is; when the spirit perishes, the sword perishes!
“Ah!”
“Ah!”
TheMao dao warriors slashed with all their might, destroying every obstacle in their path.
Those who killed our people and destroyed our homes must die—all of them must die!
“Advance!”
It is the duty of soldiers to protect—to protect all the emotions we cherish and all the dignity we deserve!
Their swords were wielded for the Tang Dynasty, for the Tang Dynasty itself!
“Whoever stands in my way dies!”
Pu Da Chui swung his iron hammer with fierce power. Anyone hit by it suffered broken ribs and shattered internal organs. Pu Da Chui was like a demon freed from hell, slaughtering indiscriminately.
If humans stand in the way, kill them; if Buddhas stand in the way, kill them too!
“Advance!”
This single move was enough—to protect the dignity of a Tang man!
Panic began to spread among the Hu soldiers. They had never seen such formidable swords. Those Tang soldiers seemed to need do nothing but swing theirdaodaos to claim a life.
It was a one-sided massacre; they had no chance of winning!
“Run, run!”
The Hu soldiers at the front panicked and fled back.
“Advance!”
Pu Da Chui continued to issue orders calmly. He knew none of these Hu dogs could escape—none of them could.