Chapter 46: Canglang (5)

“Ugh!”
“Ugh!”
Soon, casualties appeared among the rebels on both sides of the valley. Many rebel soldiers had their heads and throats pierced, their deaths terrifying.
“Worthless idiots! If you don’t want Tang invaders to cut off your heads, shoot back! Show the same ferocity you use with women in bed! Stop acting like cowardly women!”
Zheng Shanglun was furious as the Tang forces regained the advantage with a single volley of arrows. He stamped his feet angrily and cursed loudly, waving his whip.
A Xi soldier, about sixteen years old, had his left leg struck by a Tang arrow. He gritted his teeth in pain, breathing heavily. The Tang arrows were poisoned, and though the Xi soldier didn’t die instantly, he felt sharp, stabbing pains spreading to his chest. Trembling, he stood up, pulled out a horn bow from his backpack under the dim light, and aimed carefully at the Tang troops in the valley.
After drawing the bow, the young man lacked the strength to shoot the arrow. Sweat droplets rolled down his cheeks, his face pale as death.
Suddenly, a Tang arrow with a black tip flew toward his face. He trembled violently, unsure whether to duck. His pupils dilated as intense pain struck, and his world turned black. He fell backward, blood streaming from his left eye socket, an arrow with a feathered tip trembling inside it…
“Idiots! Aim properly before shooting! Extinguish the torches! Extinguish them! Worthless bunch of idiots!”
Zheng Shanglun was infuriated by these barbarian soldiers. Did he have to teach them everything?
By lighting torches and shooting arrows into the valley, weren’t they signaling to the Tang troops that they were right there? Standing there like living targets, who else would the Tangs shoot if not them?
Damn it! Barbarians were just brutes with big brains and weak limbs. How had he ended up leading such people into battle? If he had led the troops from Xingyang, he would never have given the Tangs a chance to shoot at targets.
Fear of death made the rebel soldiers instinctively extinguish the torches. But most of them were inexperienced recruits. Under normal circumstances, it might have worked, but now they were shaking like leaves—how could their arrows be accurate or powerful?
The scattered, uncoordinated arrows lost most of their force by the time they reached the dense forest. Some slipped off the bushes, while others missed entirely, embedding themselves in the grass.
“Sss!”
“Crack!”
Under Li Kuo’s orders, the Tang forces also lit torches and launched a full-scale counterattack.
One arrow, two arrows…

More and more rockets struck the dead trees on both sides of the valley, instantly forming a wall of fire along the narrow valley floor. The burning dead trees made a creepy crackling sound that was truly terrifying.
“Whoosh!”
A rocket hit a pile of dead trees five steps away from Zheng Shanglun, igniting flames that reached ten feet high.
“Don’t panic! Don’t panic! Raise your shields, form a formation! Don’t panic!”
Zheng Shanglun drew the curved sword at his waist and waved it frantically, trying to calm the panicked troops.
“Swish!”
An arrow struck a rebel soldier’s shoulder, tearing through his muscles and piercing into his bones.
“Ah!”
In pain, the rebel soldier jumped around wildly, desperately trying to pull the arrow out. But before he could muster enough strength, flames spread from his left shoulder to his right, then to his back, burning his entire body in just a few moments!
“Ah! Ah, save me! Someone, save me!”
Now completely engulfed in flames, he fell to the ground and rolled around desperately, trying to extinguish the fire. But it was too late—the flames quickly consumed him, and within seconds he stopped struggling. What had been a lively rebel soldier moments ago was now unrecognizable, reduced to a pile of smoldering charcoal.
The smell of burnt flesh mixed with toxic smoke drifted with the south wind, making it impossible to keep one’s eyes open even a hundred steps away!
“Ugh!”
A nearby Turkic recruit, horrified by the sight, vomited. He forced himself to get up and crawled backward, but after a few steps, he felt a chill in his neck and collapsed heavily.
“Form a formation! Those who flee from battle will be punished as traitors and executed without mercy!”
Furious, Zheng Shanglun swung his sword and beheaded a Luo rebel, holding the severed head while shouting loudly…
“Snort!”
The warhorses snorted impatiently, stamping their hooves and raising clouds of dust.
Li Kuo glanced at the flickering flames in the valley not far away, took a deep breath, and shouted, “Set off! Charge up the slope!”
Immediately, the soldiers mounted their horses, whipped them into motion, and spurred them forward. The Tang troops from Jianghuai gradually gathered together, forming a sharp cone that rushed upward toward the valley under the leadership of their general.
Tang generals such as Zhou Wucui, Li Sheng, Xianyu Yucheng, and Wang Xiaochun protected their commanders closely, surrounding them like stars around the moon to ward off any threats from the outside. Meanwhile, the severely injured Dou Qing rode with his personal guards in the middle of the formation.

Each warrior held a burning torch, allowing them to see clearly the path ahead—and, of course, the faces of the rebels. The thundering sound of horse hooves grew louder, like rolling winter thunder. In no time, the Tang army rushed onto the plain of Luolong Valley and launched a deadly assault on the rebels in the sea of fire. “Swish!” Li Kuo swiftly drew his long bow and shot an arrow tipped with feathers, killing one of the rebels’ standard bearers on the spot. As the rebel flag fell, the five thousand rebels in the valley became even more panicked. “Follow me—don’t engage in battle!” Once the speed of warhorses was gained, it was unstoppable. Thousands of Tang cavalry charged forward like meteors and lightning at the rebels. It was these barbarians who had killed hundreds of his comrades earlier; it was these barbarians who had seriously wounded General Dou Qing in Qinglang Valley. He must avenge General Dou and his fallen comrades! “Kill them!” “Crack! Crack! Crack!” The Tang generals at the front used their lances to lift the obstacles in their path and throw them into the grassy areas beside them. “Charge forward—don’t stop!” A deep horn sound rang out among the Tang cavalry, though it was quite urgent, carrying a mournful tone. “Swish! Swish! Swish!” Li Kuo shot three arrows in quick succession, killing three rebel officers. The fierce light of the fire illuminated the night sky, casting deep shadows on the far side of the plain. In an instant, the shadows vanished, and thousands of bright red lotus flowers bloomed vividly among the rebel ranks. “Tang invaders! Tang invaders!” “The Tang invaders are coming! Run!” “Don’t run, fools! Don’t run!” Zheng Shanglun was furious, constantly slashing at the soldiers who tried to flee. But by now, the morale of the Yan army had completely collapsed; no matter how many he killed to assert his authority, it was of no use. “Tang invaders! Stop them! Stop them!” A Khitan officer, seeing the tide of Tang cavalry charging toward him, was terrified. He frantically waved his arms, ordering his men to meet them head-on. The soldiers, with no choice, raised their spears to resist. But how could infantry withstand charging cavalry? Before they could thrust their spears, the Tang generals swung their swords and severed their heads. “Gurgle!” Blood gushed from the throats of the Turkic soldiers, and their heads rolled across the ground several times. The Turkic soldiers trying to block the Tang cavalry were knocked down by the warhorses and trampled underfoot. “Ah!” One after another, cries of pain echoed as more and more Turkic soldiers fell to the ground, their ribs crushed.

The howling wind, the loud shouts, the rapid beat of war drums, the soldiers’ cries and curses, and the gurgling sounds of those on the verge of death all merged together to create a tragic and solemn anthem.
“Just charge at the camp! Don’t engage in a prolonged battle!”
Li Kuo held the reins in one hand and shouted the orders.
Though he harbored deep hatred for these Hu soldiers, he had to put that hatred aside for now.
Because at this very moment, inside Suiyang City, Xiao Zhang, Brother Nan, Brother Lei, and countless comrades were waiting for him.
A true man must consider the overall situation when taking action!
“The general orders: just charge at the camp! Don’t engage in a prolonged battle!”
“Just charge at the camp! Don’t engage in a prolonged battle!”
“Just charge at the camp…”
The shouts spread like waves from the core, reaching the back of the troops.
That night, within the secluded Luolong Valley, a magnificent fire dragon ignited.