Chapter 3: Leaving the Frontier (III)

The earth was trembling! The clatter of horse hooves echoed loudly, as if trying to tear the world apart.
Tens of thousands of cavalrymen rushed in from the north, wielding long curved swords, slashing down any living thing in their path. They were all clad in black chainmail, armed with black curved swords, and riding black steeds. They raised their swords and slashed, their eyes filled with indifference.
“Kill them! Kill all these two-legged sheep!”
A man resembling a Tubo officer shouted as he appeared before Li Kuo, raising his curved sword.
The light from the torches flickered, growing brighter and brighter, casting a dazzling arc on the curved sword.
Several flaming arrows were shot into the camp, setting the haystacks and tents on fire. The flames spread rapidly across the camp, while the Tubo cavalry struck like arrows straight at the Tang army.
“Enemy attack! Enemy attack!”
The sound grew louder, and the fierce faces of the Tubo warriors gradually twisted into Li Linfu’s face, always wearing a smile.
“Ah!”
Just as the young man stepped forward, that face transformed into Crown Prince Li Heng, his lips curled in a cold smirk as bright red blood flowed down his chin.
“No, no!”
The young man nearly went mad. He stood up, shouting, and swung his sword at that figure. The cold blade struck the figure, but it seemed to lack force. The figure twisted slightly before turning into a mass of black nothingness.
“Ah!”
The young man sat up abruptly, gasping for breath.
It was just a nightmare. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked into the distance.
Under the dark gray sky, figures were moving about. The sounds of fighting and shouting hadn’t disappeared with the dream—they had become even clearer. A real battle was underway!
“Who’s on duty? Why didn’t they wake me up?”
Li Kuo roared like a wild beast. He couldn’t understand how the scenes from his dream had become reality, nor why his sentries hadn’t given an early warning!
“Sir, it’s bandits!”
Seeing Li Kuo hesitating and acting wildly, Dou Qing quickly stepped beside him and whispered a reminder.
“Bandits?”
The young man gradually calmed down. These weren’t Tubo warriors. He was now at the border between Guanzhong and Longyou—these enemies were bandits targeting caravans! After understanding the situation, Li Kuo steadied himself and ordered loudly,
“What’s the status of the battle?”
“Sir, there are about three to four hundred bandits, one per horse. They’re currently attacking the cargo city.”
Dou Qing thought for a moment before reporting the situation to Li Kuo in the simplest terms possible.

“Tell Zhang Yanji to lead one brigade to block the north side—under no circumstances let them charge into the cargo city. You and Zhou Wucui each take a group to block the west and east sides. Order Pu Dachui to lead a group of soldiers in a sword formation in front of the caravan, ready to adapt and fill any gaps. Hand the rest over to Xianyu Yucheng, who should divide them into two groups of archers to shoot randomly into the sky!”
Li Kuo analyzed the situation and came up with the most appropriate countermeasures.
Even though Li Kuo had made thorough preparations, everyone was still shocked when they saw the horse bandits’ formation. It was more like an army than mere bandits. There were three or four hundred men riding tall warhorses, charging toward them at full speed. Each of them held a curved sword, staring straight ahead.
“Get ready!”
Xianyu Yucheng shouted, and the soldiers nocked their arrows, ready to shoot.
Two hundred paces, one hundred paces!
“Fire!”
At Xianyu Yucheng’s command, over a hundred short-tipped arrows flew toward the horse bandits. In an instant, dozens of those at the front were pierced, with cries of pain filling the air.
“Don’t stop! Charge past the cargo city and wipe them out!”
The bandit leader shouted loudly. Since the enemy had the advantage of terrain, they had to charge before the enemy could fire a second round of arrows, using the momentum of their cavalry to break through the barrier and slaughter all the sheep inside!
The cavalry’s explosive power was astonishing. After a brief adjustment, the bandits charged another thirty paces.
When the bandits were only seventy paces away from the cargo city, Xianyu Yucheng’s archers fired a second round. But due to the short range, the arrows lacked force and failed to exert effective pressure, often slipping off as soon as they reached the bandits’ sides.
Li Kuo was furious. He roared, drew his black bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed it at the bandit leader.
The bow was like a full moon, the arrow like lightning! An arrow streaked through the night sky, flying toward the bandit leader.
Everyone thought this arrow would surely kill the bandit leader, but the outlaw was extremely agile. He ducked, and the arrow passed by his left shoulder, hitting a bandit behind him. That bandit was instantly pierced through the head and fell without even making a sound.
Yet the other bandits ignored their comrade’s death and continued charging forward.
Zhang Yanji, who was guarding the north side, grew furious. “Leave thirty men to protect the caravan; the rest, follow me!”

The brave soldiers were already ready with their swords on horseback. At the commander’s order, they immediately crossed the obstacle and rushed down the slope at lightning speed. Their leader had given them a strict order to hold the defense line of the cargo city. Now, the bandits were only seventy steps away from the obstacle. If they allowed them to charge in, the cavalry’s momentum would be too strong for them to resist. Rather than wait to die, it was better to fight!

In a clash of armies, the brave prevail!

In an instant, close combat ensued, with the clashing of weapons producing a harsh sound. The bandits slashed at anyone they encountered, sparing no effort. The situation became extremely chaotic; people were constantly knocked off their horses and trampled to death by their own mounts. With their superior numbers, the bandits quickly gained the upper hand. They would surround a single soldier with several of them, working together to overwhelm him and put him in a desperate situation.

To capture the bandits, capture their leader first! Zhang Yanji shouted loudly and charged at one of the bandits with his sword. But the bandit just sneered, whistled, and immediately, a dozen bandits appeared to flank Zhang Yanji.

Unaware of the danger, Zhang Yanji continued to spur his horse forward, charging at the bandit leader.

“Get out of the way!”

Zhou Wucui rushed past, raising his sword—blood splattered everywhere as a large head was severed.

Zhang Yanji was stunned for a moment before regaining his senses and retreating with Zhou Wucui. He had been so absorbed in fighting that he had unknowingly left his own camp and was now surrounded. Seeing him in trouble, Zhou Wucui didn’t hesitate and rushed over on his horse.

The two covered each other’s flanks and fought their way back to their own camp.

“You fat idiot, at least you’re loyal!” Zhang Yanji said loudly, giving Zhou Wucui a punch.

“Hmph, stop talking nonsense. You rushed in recklessly—see how you explain this to our leader!” Zhou Wucui wasn’t grateful and turned to face his men.

After the initial attack, the bandits had assessed the strength of the brave soldiers. These soldiers were neither imperial troops nor border guards. Imperial troops wouldn’t be this weak, nor would their discipline be so poor! They were just a bunch of inexperienced recruits trying to gain fame by fighting, with no real combat experience!

All they had to do was draw their swords and slash these prey, watching them fall in agony as they lost their last drops of blood in a sea of blood and darkness!

But Zhou Wucui couldn’t retreat—there were his comrades trapped there, and he had to bring them back safely!

We are comrades, brothers who have shared life and death.

It was a promise to his brothers, and no one could stop him.

Although the disparity in strength between enemies and allies was enormous, and though he knew the odds were slim, he still had to charge in. Only by doing so could those trapped comrades have a chance of being saved! It was like a high-stakes gamble—both sides had to risk everything, for the loser would lose everything, including their lives!

The group led by Zhou Wucui rushed into the bandits’ ranks and vanished instantly in the sea of people. By now, both sides were fighting to the limit; every swing of a sword drained the last remnants of their strength. Yet Zhou Wucui, as if guided by divine power, swung his sword relentlessly, slashing through the bandits’ ranks like a demon.

“Ah!”

Pu Dachui, seeing Zhou Wucui lost in the crowd, grew frantic and broke into sweat. The number of bandits was several times theirs. Even if Zhou Wucui’s men were extremely brave, they wouldn’t stand a chance against an enemy outnumbering them. Moreover, they were just inexperienced recruits who had never seen blood! Meanwhile, he himself still had to protect the caravan at all costs—what the hell, it was infuriating!

Pu Dachui glanced back and was struck by a flash of cold light. Several large chests inside the cargo city had been overturned when Zhang Yanji and his men rushed out, spilling their contents. Under the moonlight, they gleamed with a terrifying cold light. These were nothing but elite Da Tang mob swords! (Note 1) Pu Dachui’s chest burned with passion as he shouted, “Brothers, grab weapons! Those chests contain our Da Tang’s finest mob swords. Use them to cut down those bastards, along with their horses!”

With that, he grabbed a giant hammer and charged out of the obstacle, swinging it at the bandits. He was incredibly fierce—each swing knocked down a bandit, and in no time, dozens were dead. The bandit leader, enraged, shouted and charged at Pu Dachui. Pu Dachui sneered, raised his hammer to meet him, and in an instant, the two weapons collided with lightning speed. The bandit leader’s sword was shattered, and the hammer struck him in the chest.

After that blow, the bandit leader spat out a mouthful of blood, barely staying on his horse through sheer willpower.

As for the bandits who had followed him, they could see the cargo city right ahead—how could they retreat? They only needed to leap over the obstacle to slaughter every victim inside. Those recruits were like sheep ready to be slaughtered; without the advantage of terrain, death awaited them!

Huh? There were actually some reckless recruits charging out—infantry, no less?

In the face of cavalry’s momentum, any infantry would be crushed to pieces. These infantry dared to try and stop them? Hahaha, they really didn’t know their limits.

What? It’s a Mo Dao! Only when they rushed up close did the bandits realize the weapons in the soldiers’ hands—those deadly blades slashing at them with a howling sound!
The warhorses stood on their hind legs, neighing in despair, but it was too late. The Mo Dao blades swung down with a fierce noise. The bandits’ smiles vanished instantly as blood streams appeared on their foreheads, splitting them in half along with their horses!……
Note 1: Mo Dao: A long, double-edged sword that is relatively heavy, weighing about 25 kg. It was an important weapon in the Tang army. From the wars to unify the country at the beginning of the Tang dynasty to all domestic and foreign conflicts during the peak of the Tang dynasty, the Mo Dao emerged as a weapon of unprecedented influence in the history of cold weapons. It was thanks to the Mo Dao that the Tang army managed to turn the tide against the cavalry!