Chapter 16: The Drum Blade (Six)

Cruelty, brutality, a lust for killing, and depravity were their nature; cowardice, selfishness, and heartlessness were also part of their character. Bandits would always remain bandits, even if they donned official uniforms and armor or carried the banners of the Tang army—they were still bandits. One could not expect them to fight for their homeland.

Li Kuo sneered. Watching the bandits push and shove in panic, he felt an indescribable sense of sorrow. It was a strange feeling. Logically, the bandits’ chaos should have worked in his favor, allowing the soldiers of Jianghuai to easily defeat these thieves who plundered the people. Yet he felt anger and concern—what if, in the end, the people of the Tang were forced by the court and the bandits down this path? Could the proud resilience of the Tang people gradually decay and turn into a mess of blood and pus?

After all, along the way from Ningling, he had seen countless instances of the court forcibly conscripting able-bodied men. These so-called conscripts were not all strong men in their prime; there were also children as young as fourteen or fifteen, as well as elderly people with gray hair. Although every citizen of the Tang needed to stand together to defend against foreign invaders in times of national crisis, wasn’t such a practice somewhat cruel? After all, the court’s ultimate goal was to reclaim lost lands and restore peace to the people. If countless families were destroyed in pursuit of this goal, wasn’t that an excessive price to pay?

“Commander, be careful!”

Lost in thought, Li Kuo was snapped back to reality by Dou Qing’s shout. He looked up and saw a burly bandit wielding a long axe, having knocked over several of his comrades and charging at him with fierce intent.

Furious, Li Kuo drew the black blade from its sheath at his waist and met the attacker head-on.

Qingfeng seemed to sense Li Kuo’s anger and kept neighing. It raced swiftly through the chaotic battlefield, and in no time, it was only ten steps away from Qi Laosan.

Kick, rise, draw a circle, swing the drum blade—slash!

The black blade traced a dazzling arc as it flew straight at Qi Laosan.

Li Kuo struck first!

A battlefield was different from ordinary duels; those who struck first usually had the advantage. Although Li Kuo’s swordsmanship wasn’t as flashy as that of the wandering heroes, its power was immense, capable of killing an enemy with a single strike.

Of course, Qi Laosan was no ordinary opponent. Seeing the deadly force behind Li Kuo’s strike, he dared not meet it head-on. He whistled and sidestepped, falling to the ground.

In the blink of an eye, Qi Laosan dived beneath a horse’s belly, narrowly avoiding Li Kuo’s fatal blow.

Such extraordinary skill was something even the best riders on the grasslands might not be able to achieve, yet Qi Laosan remained calm under pressure and made the right choice at the perfect moment, much to Li Kuo’s surprise. After dodging an attack, Qi Laosan emerged from the other side of the horse and swung a blade at Li Kuo. Li Kuo quickly raised his black sword in front of his chest, but with a crisp clang, the two blades collided, sparking sparks. What tremendous strength! Li Kuo was shocked inwardly. Though he had only fought Qi Laosan once, he could clearly sense that the other man’s strength was far beyond ordinary. He himself could already draw a five-stone hard bow to full tension, yet Qi Laosan’s strength clearly surpassed his own. Against such a bandit, force was useless; strategy was needed! Li Kuo took a deep breath, gently turned his horse, and began circling around Qi Laosan’s horse. Qi Laosan, excited by his successful strike, tightened his grip on the horse’s flanks and chased after Li Kuo. He had long realized that Li Kuo was the commander of this imperial army. Killing him would throw the army into chaos, giving his men a chance to escape. The imperial army was larger in number and more confident at the moment. If they continued to be led by this man, his men had no chance of winning. Since ancient times, officials and bandits had always been enemies—he was an official, and he was a bandit. If captured by them, he would surely die. Now, there was only one option: go all in! His horse seemed to sense Qi Laosan’s intent and followed Qingfeng’s pace with loud snorts. But no matter how hard it tried, it was always two horse lengths behind Qingfeng, a distance too great for a simple sword to reach. Qi Laosan was furious but helpless for the time being. He could only hold the reins tightly with one hand and pursue Li Kuo relentlessly. Seeing that his goal had been achieved, Li Kuo calmed down slightly. Qi Laosan was a brave but unwise man who only wanted to defeat him. He would just play along with him! “Go!” Whether it was because their horses were too fast or because the soldiers were too busy dealing with their enemies, no one stepped forward to stop them. The two of them raced through the army as if no one else was around。…… After chasing for nearly fifteen minutes, Qi Laosan began to sense something was wrong. This imperial army commander kept avoiding direct confrontation. Could there be some trick? Looking at his men still struggling in the sea of Tang soldiers, Qi Laosan suddenly slapped his head, realizing what was going on. No wonder this commander kept circling around him—his men’s individual combat skills were inferior to those of the imperial army, and they were also at a numerical disadvantage. He wanted to drag things out and gradually eliminate his men. Hey! What a cruel heart.

Although Qi Laosan hated Li Kuo to the point of teeth grinding, he had no choice but to give up—Qingfeng was too fast, and he couldn’t get close to Li Kuo at all. Continuing to chase would only play into Li Kuo’s hands.
“Hiss!”
Realizing this, Qi Laosan hesitated no longer and abruptly turned his horse around, heading in the opposite direction.
“Quick, retreat! Brothers, pull back!”
Holding high his simple sword, Qi Laosan slashed down and killed several cavalrymen from the government army who tried to block them, shouting loudly to tell his comrades fighting in close combat to stop killing and retreat immediately.
Only then did those fanatical bandits wake up as if from a dream. Gritting their teeth, they spurred their horses to follow their leader.
As they approached Heimian Yanjun, Qi Laosan called out, “Second brother, let’s go quickly! If we don’t leave now, all of us will die here.”
Heimian Yanjun nodded and after thinking for a moment said, “After leaving the city, don’t head straight north. First, travel east for dozens of miles. Once we’ve shaken off these evil guys, then head north again.”
Qi Laosan was momentarily stunned. “East? Isn’t that rebel territory? We…”
Before he could finish, he suddenly understood what Heimian Yanjun meant and patted his chest, saying, “Okay, second brother, I’ll follow your orders.”
Although the government army had fine armor and sharp weapons, they could only mess with weaklings like them. If they encountered even stronger rebels, they would be terrified and run away in panic. By leading his men east, the government army generals, fearing An Lushan’s power, surely wouldn’t dare pursue further.
This was also why they hung rebel flags while looting the county town. The bandits feared the government army, and the government army feared the rebels—it was something even children knew!
“You take the brothers and go first. The Eighth and I will cover the retreat. Meet at Heilongtan behind Erhu Mountain. Hurry up!”
Heimian Yanjun glanced at Qi Laosan and gave orders loudly.
“Second brother, you… Sigh!”
Qi Laosan seemed to want to say something, but for some reason, he swallowed his words.
“Be careful!”
“Quick, retreat! Brothers, pull back!”
Amidst the chaotic army, a jujube-red steed galloped by, followed by countless fleeing bandits on horseback…
Flames of red sunset spread across the clouds in the sky, painting a desolate and solemn landscape.
Looking at the bandits with their arms tied behind their backs, Li Kuo frowned.
“Why did you come back?”
Qi Laosan snorted coldly and remained silent.
“Damn you, you annoying bastard! The commander is asking you questions!”
Wang Xiaochun kicked Qi Laosan in the stomach hard, causing him to curl up in pain like a shrimp.
“Haha, hahaha…”

Qi Laosan paid no attention to Wang Xiaochun’s threats at all and opened his mouth wide in mocking laughter.
“You still dare to laugh? I’ll make you laugh!”
Wang Xiaochun, wounded in the chaos by Qi Laosan’s attack, was filled with anger and took the opportunity to kick him fiercely as an outlet.
“Xiaochun, stop kicking!”
Li Kuo sternly stopped Wang Xiaochun from taking revenge personally and sighed deeply. “Are you worried that I’ll kill all your brothers?”
Qi Laosan, who had been laughing nonstop, suddenly fell silent. After a long while, he sneered, “Isn’t that the case? In the eyes of the government troops, the lives of us bandits and outlaws are probably worth less than grass, right? Besides, it’s a time of chaos now. If you cut off these men’s heads and present them as rebels killed, you might gain quite a lot of fame, right?”
“Why do you think so?”
Li Kuo frowned. “The reason I came to stop you is that I happened to pass by here. After hearing Registrar Feng’s advice, I decided to rid the local people of this threat. You’re right—if you hadn’t come back, I would likely have ordered the execution of the captured bandits, but I wouldn’t claim their heads as military achievements.”
“So you’re despicable! A real man doesn’t run away like you shameless government troops who abandon their brothers. A real man stands tall! Come on, give me a proper death!”
After cursing Li Kuo, Qi Laosan closed his eyes as if accepting his fate.
Ever since he became a bandit, he had expected this day. Haha, in his lifetime, Qi Laosan had killed many corrupt officials—so it was worth it.
What’s death? Qi Laosan wasn’t afraid. Truly not afraid.