Chapter 337: Thunderclap

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The novel [Title Name], by Fenghuo Xizhu Hou

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A Bei Liang squad consists of fifty men.

The combat power of a single Ranger squad far surpassed that of three hundred ordinary armored soldiers. Bei Liang Rangers could be used as scouts, but not all scouts could become Rangers, who were selected from one in a thousand. This time, without the squad leader needing to speak, Li Hanlin and the other brothers in the squad sensed something unusual. This was no ordinary small-scale skirmish deep within Longyao Province. Li Shiyue and a few other young scions of generals were eager for action. They all knew perfectly well that, damn it, after years of waiting, a major war was finally upon them.

Provisions and fodder always preceded troops. Besides supplies, a large number of scouts were invariably scattered ahead of the main army like thrown beans, concealing their movements and quietly eliminating obstacles. As favored elites of the Bei Liang army, the Rangers were authorized to carry the sharpest Bei Liang blades, wield the most penetrating light crossbows, and ride the best, most explosive warhorses. All Ranger cavalry covered their horses' hooves with cloth, bending low over their saddles as they charged north. Li Shiyue, impatient by nature, sped up his horse, falling only half a horse-length behind the squad leader. He whispered, "Squad leader, towards Wazhu? That's Longyao Province's primary military town. Are tens of thousands of our brothers following us?"

The squad leader turned and glared, initially not wanting to answer. After a moment's thought, he said in a deep voice, "Less talk. Remember, if we encounter those northern barbarians' horse corrals this time, don't leave any survivors. You don't even need to bother cutting off heads; don't delay military intelligence! If we encounter a large army, we'll turn back. Otherwise, let alone a corral, even a formation of three to four hundred Bei Mang cavalry, we'll fight to the death. Are you afraid to die? If you are, get out now."

Li Shiyue cursed, "Afraid of your grandpa!"

The squad leader, a veteran of twenty years of military life, was clearly in an excellent mood. Uncharacteristically, he smiled and joked, adding, "I truly am your grandpa. I've been a father and a mother to you rascals all these years."

They were accustomed even to the squad leader's leather whip that flayed skin, let alone his constant scolding. And frankly, the squad leader wasn't wrong. Li Shiyue's Ranger squad, once ridiculed as a unit of pampered idlers, consisted of light cavalry. Before enlistment, few were truly kind, gentle, and modest; most were scions of military families accustomed to throwing their weight around in local counties. Even the occasional harmless ones were inherently arrogant. Once in the squad, they were all disciplined into proper behavior. Even a fart from the squad leader was more effective than the well-meaning admonitions of their high-ranking fathers. Li Shiyue's eyes gleamed. Not daring to chatter with the squad leader, he slowed his horse and rode alongside Li Hanlin and Lu Dou, the man with double pupils. He chuckled, "We guessed right. It really is a big battle."

Li Hanlin snapped, "Shut up. Do you want me to give you a bamboo token as a reward?"

Li Shiyue retorted impatiently, "Do you think I'm a rookie? That's what new scouts use when they can't control their mouths. I wouldn't dare disgrace myself like that!"

"You're not far off from a rookie, actually," Lu Dou said coldly.

Li Shiyue's face flushed. He was about to curse, but quickly deflated. Due to accumulated military achievements within the squad, Lu Dou, the man with double pupils, already held equal standing with the squad leader and his deputy. Only Li Hanlin could compare to him. After several real engagements, Lu Dou had achieved remarkable military exploits and had fully integrated into the squad. Although still taciturn, even Li Shiyue, who initially glared at him like a tortoise glaring at mung beans, now regarded him as a brother, wishing he could offer his sister to him. Lu Dou's relationship with Li Hanlin, Li Shiyue, and the others was excellent. A quiver for spears hung from his saddle, holding more than a dozen short spears. Rangers typically carried a powerful crossbow, and even the squad leader had curiously asked about Lu Dou's spears. But with his stubborn temperament, Lu Dou always feigned ignorance and played the fool, answering "I don't know" to every question.

Li Shiyue no longer wore a jocular expression. He reached up and tightened the strap of his soft leather helmet around his neck, pulling it deep into his flesh. Instead of feeling uncomfortable against his bones, it brought a reassuring sense of familiarity. He recalled his initial days in the Bei Liang army, when he wasn't yet qualified for mounted drills, only familiarizing himself with military formations as an infantryman. After a single day, he felt utterly exhausted, and the next day, wearing that chainmail weighing less than twenty jin, his entire body ached. Li Shiyue twitched his lips. How did he muddle his way into becoming a Ranger? Back then, in his county, he relied on his martial prowess to commit misdeeds and was frequently injured. Though he wasn't afraid of pain, he was ultimately afraid of death. Perhaps it was because his father personally sent him into military service, and he saw his father fawning over a general who was supposedly a family acquaintance. During their conversation before parting, Li Shiyue had even cursed his father for being pathetic—a fourth-rank official acting like a subordinate. Yet, his father, who had been obsessed with maintaining face his entire life, didn't refute him, only patted Li Shiyue's shoulder. No one truly feared death, but Li Shiyue feared disgrace more. Perhaps from that moment, Li Shiyue resolved to return home as a glorious general, or at the very least, die gloriously on the battlefield.

Li Shiyue exhaled, his gaze resolute.

The western front of the Liang-Mang border was notoriously "loose on the outside, tight on the inside," forming a mutual trap to draw enemies in. It was a test of who had the courage to venture into that vast, battle-hardened territory to collect heads and accrue military merit.

Li Shiyue's squad finally encountered the northern barbarians—an elite cavalry unit, only slightly inferior to the "Crow Riders" trained by Bei Mang's formidable general Dong Zhuo. Crucially, they numbered two hundred. The lead rider, clad in bright clothes and heavy armor, carried no spear or lance, only a beautiful Mang blade. Li Shiyue, who was in ambush with Li Hanlin and Lu Dou, realized this was a Bei Mang commandant patrolling the border. Bei Mang imperial family members and aristocratic scions, if well-connected, would be granted a fancy title, borrow troops from several great generals, and ride south to boast upon their return. The number of troops they commanded depended on their family's wealth. Bei Liang Rangers particularly favored these suicidal "flower vase" types; encountering them usually meant a massacre. However, they were typically escorted by fewer than a hundred riders. This young noble, appearing so relaxed today, clearly came from an extremely prestigious background. The three riders who first detected them dared not act rashly. Li Hanlin, as the corporal, ordered Li Shiyue to ride back and report the military situation, while he and Lu Dou continued to observe from a distance.

Ordinary scouts from both Liang and Mang forces had their own signals, with whistles resembling bird calls. However, after twenty years of mutual confrontation, their probing had largely run its course, forcing their communication methods to become increasingly varied and bizarre. This was a far cry from the many blunders of incompetent scouts during the Spring and Autumn period. For instance, during surprise attacks, lines were already intertwined, and due to identical signals, they sometimes nearly mistook enemies for their own until close quarters. The Rangers of Bei Liang and the "horse corrals" of Bei Mang were undoubtedly the most cunning and skilled scouts in the world. Li Shiyue brought back the squad leader's order: Since the enemy insisted on continuing south, this was a juicy piece of meat—either devour it all or choke on it. There was no other option!

While called northern barbarians, most people in Guse and Longyao provinces were actually remnants of the Spring and Autumn period, and the faces of their armored soldiers were almost indistinguishable from those of Bei Liang.

Facing a sudden and silent ambush, the two hundred Bei Mang light cavalry did not lose formation. The deputy general reined in his horse, turned, and approached the young imperial relative, whispering and communicating in the royal tongue. The young man raised an eyebrow, his face full of scorn, seemingly shaking his head to dismiss the deputy's suggestion. Initially, seeing the Bei Liang Rangers forming a sparse encirclement, with powerful crossbow bolts raining down like locusts, the young general's sneer deepened. Only after two swift volleys of crossbow fire, and when close-quarters combat erupted simultaneously from several directions, with his cavalry universally cut down by the Bei Liang riders, did he frown. Yet, he still showed no thought of retreat, resting a hand on his horse's back, gently calming the warhorse that had grown restless from the scent of blood. The deputy general, however, was visibly worried. Apart from his brightly colored armor, which differed from common soldiers, his other battle gear was identical: a single-handed spear, a saber at his waist, and a rack in front of his saddle for weapons. For long marches, additional hooks could be attached to the sides or rear of the saddle for bows, crossbows, and quivers.

The young man watched with keen interest, completely unconcerned that his two hundred cavalry had failed to gain an advantage. He even sent his personal guards, including the deputy general, into the fray, remaining alone to observe the bloody slaughter where horses moved quickly and men died even faster.

Real cavalry battles were not like those fabricated in romanticized tales. There were no generals, whose brains must have been kicked by a donkey, engaging in duels before their armies, with the loser precipitating a rout. Nor was it common for a general to halt his horse amidst the ranks, surrounded, yet still raining down spear thrusts on enemies from horseback. In grand cavalry charges involving thousands, especially tens of thousands, besides volleys of arrows, what followed was immense, penetrating damage, as if being cut by a blade. When one rider swept past, they would strive to press forward and kill, desperately pushing on even if their warhorse could gain just one more step. After a spear thrust, because the spear was difficult to withdraw, one would discard it and draw a saber. Speed was crucial for impact. In the rapidly shifting formation, if one's own rider inexplicably stalled and became a stationary target, they were a criminal.

In small-scale cavalry skirmishes, such as those involving scouts, the principle remained unchanged: whether pursuing or retreating, speed was paramount. However, scouts had more room to display individual combat prowess.

It was a great taboo for a general's armor to be too conspicuous. Firstly, most such armor was inlaid with gold and silver, making it overly ostentatious and impractical. Secondly, it drew too much attention, as if begging the enemy to kill them. This imperial tent member, whether his surname was Yelü or Murong, clearly lacked this awareness. Soon, two Bei Liang Rangers, appearing to be corporals, tore through the already thin enemy line and charged. The young cavalry general was not in a hurry to draw his saber. Only when a Bei Liang blade chopped down did he draw his own saber like a startling rainbow. His Mang blade struck the Liang blade, sending it flying, then swiftly severed the arm of the Ranger corporal. He then flicked his blade up, slitting the corporal's throat, blood gushing out. Not content, he then sliced off the corporal's cheek. His own horse stood motionless as the instantly dead corporal's horse galloped past. Before sheathing his saber, he did not forget to lightly prod with the tip of his blade, pushing the body of the corporal, who had never died in a hundred battles, off his horse. He did not even glance at the corpse.

The series of continuous moves was very flashy, but it ultimately killed someone. He possessed superb martial arts skills, far exceeding the typical scope of a cavalryman, which qualified him for such displays.

He flicked his wrist, executing a beautiful spinning saber flourish, and smiled calmly in the Southern Dynasty language, "Both are the most famous curved-spine sabers in the world. So, the Bei Liang saber is nothing special after all."

Mounted combat emphasized speed, and also the use of sabers instead of swords. Especially the standard military sabers of both Liang and Mang forces: both types had slightly curved backs. Leveraging the momentum from a galloping warhorse, they could be swung forward, and upon contact with an enemy's body, the blade would instantly create a large, continuous curved slide, resulting in astonishing cutting power. Even if it accidentally struck armor, it was not easily dislodged, allowing for quick recovery and further combat. This effect was absolutely unattainable with a straight-spined saber of the same weight, which was why the Bei Liang saber was renowned throughout the world. The curve, thickness, and weight of a Bei Liang saber were all nearly perfect. The Bei Mang saber was almost entirely replicated from the Bei Liang saber in its design and manufacture, differing only in having a longer blade and a greater curve. For infantry combat, straight-spined sabers were naturally superior. However, whether it was Bei Liang's three hundred thousand iron cavalry or Bei Mang, where every man could draw a bow, who didn't resolve all battles through cavalry engagement?

The battle erupted instantly, with no one spared. The two sides combined numbered just over three hundred, and their formations were far from dense. Because the Bei Liang Rangers seized the initiative with a surprise attack, a swift engagement resulted in the successful killing of over thirty Bei Mang cavalrymen. The Bei Mang forces, unable to consolidate their strength on the front line immediately, still had approximately sixty cavalrymen unable to effectively draw their sabers when the second wave of contact occurred. Therefore, in the subsequent fighting, the Bei Liang Rangers maintained their advantage. According to the widely acclaimed military doctrine of Chen Zhibao in White Robes, advantages accumulate bit by bit. As long as the generals' later strategies don't involve major blunders, the opening can determine the outcome.

The Bei Mang royal member spurred his horse. The warhorse, of excellent breed, possessed astonishing explosive power and instantly entered a peak sprinting state. With a single saber stroke, he split a Bei Liang Ranger and his horse in two. The ferocity of his saber technique and the wide arc of his swing were evident.

The slaughter was not as noisy as common folk imagined; there was only a deathly silence. This was true for killing and wounding, and even more so for falling from a horse and dying in battle.

Li Shiyue was completely consumed by bloodlust.

In terms of individual combat power, the Rangers held a definite advantage. However, once that young Bei Mang general joined the fray, wherever he went, he effortlessly left behind seven or eight corpses of Bei Liang cavalrymen.

The Ranger squad leader, withdrawing his saber from a severed head, charged without hesitation towards the young Bei Mang cavalry general.

In every fight to the death, generals die first, then commandants, then squad leaders and corporals.

This was Bei Liang's iron rule.

Here, his rank was the highest; there was no reason for him not to die.

If he had only fought for official titles all these years, he could have long since become a general and retired to a Bei Liang province or county beyond the border to enjoy his old age.

As they brushed past each other, the young man, who crushed all with his martial prowess, let out a sound of surprise.

This Bei Liang cavalryman wasn't dead?

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No one took the front row????

I thought this chapter was finished.

Reply to "The Allure of Magnets":

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Not only was the squad leader's web of skin between his thumb and forefinger bleeding, but a large chunk of flesh had also been cut from his shoulder by the Bei Mang saber. Yet, this old veteran continued his swing to kill a Bei Mang cavalryman behind the young man. After galloping dozens of steps, he turned and resumed his charge.

The second time their horses brushed past each other, the squad leader's armor was breached by a saber, and his intestines spilled over his saddle.

Before turning for another charge, the squad leader tore off a piece of his clothing, twisted it, and tied it around his waist, then continued his sprint expressionlessly.

Li Hanlin, who had already slain four enemy riders, saw this scene. Gritting his teeth, he ignored the surrounding pursuit and galloped towards them.

The young Bei Mang rider, wearing yellow armor, sliced the squad leader in half at the waist. Turning to look at the body rolling on the ground, he sneered, "Worthless trash. I'm done playing with you."

He then looked up, surveying the entire situation, thinking of picking a few more worthy opponents to toy with. As for how many of his two hundred accompanying cavalry would remain, he was indifferent.

Ten paces away, Li Hanlin leaped high from his horse's back, gripping his saber with both hands, and cleaved down at the scoundrel's head.

The man effortlessly raised his saber to parry, retreating a few steps with his horse. But that was all. He sneered, and not wanting to bully an opponent without a warhorse, he simply dismounted, fighting on foot. A Bei Liang crossbow bolt shot towards his face, but he caught it with one hand without even turning his head, twisted it, and threw it to the ground.

Li Hanlin spat out a mouthful of blood and fixed his gaze on this formidable opponent.

A horse leaped past, and Li Hanlin showed a hint of surprise: it was Lu, the man with double pupils. Li Hanlin was hoisted onto the horse's back by Lu Dou, who then dismounted with his pack and ran wildly towards the northern barbarian.

At the same time, a short spear was hurled.

The short spear flew fiercely. The young man who killed the Ranger squad leader, holding his saber but not using it, was extremely arrogant, reaching out to grasp the small spear. Unfortunately, he failed. The short spear sliced through his palm and, trailing blood, aimed for his eye. He hastily turned his head, and it scraped his cheek.

Lu Dou did not engage in close combat, instead circling twenty paces away, forcing a grim smile as he stiffly said, "I'll play with you."

The second spear was thrown, its momentum even greater.

No longer daring to be overconfident, the dismounted cavalry general used his Bei Mang saber to swat away the short spear. His arm, to his surprise, felt a strange numbness.

That damned Bei Liang foot soldier fought with his pack, the short spears inside not only flying at him but also having the leisure to pierce the bodies of surrounding Bei Mang cavalrymen, without exception breaking skulls and killing. He was even capable of casually hunting from twenty paces away, retrieving a few short spears in the process.

The Bei Mang royal youth, who had gained no advantage whatsoever, was now furious. Disregarding his composure, he was intent on engaging in close combat and hacking this unknown foot soldier to pieces.

He was, after all, a warrior trained by a top master. At the painful cost of a spear piercing his shoulder, he gained a close-quarters opportunity. When he was ten paces away, his Mang blade's aura surged, no longer giving him a chance to throw spears.

The scout soldier simply showed a surprised smile.

Feigning surprise.

Followed by a grim smile of successful conspiracy.

The young imperial tent member, whose mind was not dull, knew something was amiss. However, he refused to believe that a Ranger who only knew a few petty tricks could possess extraordinary abilities. He still insisted on closing in, drawing his saber swiftly.

Lu Dou no longer reached into his pack for short spears. One hand met the sharp, armor-piercing Bei Mang saber, and his palm actually grasped the blade's edge. The young man from the royal court's imperial tent felt a surge of joy. He suddenly brought his full strength down to cleave—and it didn't move an inch?

Lu Dou twisted his wrist, forcefully breaking the meticulously crafted Bei Mang saber. Then, he delivered a punch to his opponent's abdomen, directly rupturing his intestines.

The young Bei Mang noble, who should have risen swiftly under his family's protection, instantly lost all combat ability.

Lu Dou spread his hands, gripped the enemy's arms, and with a sudden tear, ripped the nameless young general clean in half!

Blood splattered all over the man with double pupils.

Lu Dou kicked the wide-eyed corpse away. He didn't wipe away the blood nor did he pay attention to the newly deceased, but turned back and re-entered the battlefield.

In this bloody battle, the squad leader, his deputy, and a third person all died in action. Not one of the two hundred Bei Mang cavalry escaped; there was no time to send a message.

Corporal Li Hanlin became the temporary leader.

Lu Dou quietly retrieved all his short spears, then, with Li Shiyue, hastily buried the squad leader. He then stood behind Li Hanlin.

Li Hanlin calmly said, "The wounded will return south, taking back military intelligence. The remaining thirty-six men will select warhorses with me and continue north. If I die, Lu Dou will lead you north."

These scout battles, where one side was destined for annihilation, continuously occurred along the border front.

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It's healthier to interject.

A squad of 50 men. From the battle situation, 12 died in action.

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Three days later, Wazhu Army, numbering eighteen thousand and based in Bei Mang's primary southern stronghold, fully marched out under the command of Hong Gu'an, a dynamic and valorous general whose reputation was subtly nearing that of Dong Zhuo this year. They engaged the Dragon Elephant Army in a large-scale cavalry battle within the vast Qingwa Basin.

Hong Gu'an, just over forty, possessed an elegant scholarly demeanor, yet his troop deployment was exceptionally ruthless and decisive. Unwilling to defend the city and await reinforcements, he vowed to completely annihilate the invading enemy in a single strike.

Only when his army was thirty li from Wazhu did Hong Gu'an learn that it was the ten-thousand-strong Dragon Elephant Army. However, after strategizing, this scholarly general simply told his fierce commanding generals to "await good news." He then calmly sat atop the city wall, setting up a chess board and chatting cheerfully with a national chess master.

The Wazhu Army outnumbered the Dragon Elephant Army two to one.

How could they not win?

Hong Gu'an was convinced that once his chess game was won, the battle outside the city would also be won, surely becoming a timeless tale.

The Qingwa Basin was extremely advantageous for cavalry charges.

Both sides displayed immense momentum.

Most of the refugees who fled north during the Spring and Autumn period now had descendants. The older generation, impressed by Bei Mang's national strength and formidable military power, gradually forgot the thundering hooves of the Bei Liang iron cavalry. And in recent years, these newcomers had never even heard that sound.

The Bei Liang iron cavalry once trampled their way through the Spring and Autumn era.

But wasn't that ancient history?

When the citizens of Wazhu city first heard of the battle, they felt a slight panic, but it didn't last long. Soon, they began to collectively mock Bei Liang's paltry ten thousand men for daring to "strike a stone with an egg" by coming to Wazhu.

The two armies clashed and surged like two great torrents.

The Wazhu cavalry roared so loudly it shook the heavens, their momentum seemingly far surpassing that of the still-silent Bei Liang cavalry during the charge.

Only when they were five hundred paces apart.

The Bei Liang army simultaneously shouted one word.

"Kill!"

On the city wall, Hong Gu'an's eyelids twitched.

The chess board before him trembled, the vibrations growing stronger until the pieces themselves began to jump.

A black-clad, barefoot youth ran at the very front alongside a black tiger.

He left the Bei Liang elite cavalry, who galloped like thunder, far behind.

The sallow-faced youth, his hair braided, grabbed the gigantic black tiger and hurled it towards the enemy army.

Then he bent his knees, rising into the sky, and plunged into the enemy formation.

Utterly terrifying!

Did this simpleton intend to become a one-man army, an enemy to ten thousand?

The black tiger, upon falling, instantly crushed and killed over thirty cavalrymen.

The black-clad youth, unarmed and unarmored, simply ran in a straight line. Anyone who collided with him was dismembered.

The Wazhu Army had cultivated a special corps of martial cavalry, numbering around three hundred, dedicated to eliminating enemy generals and brave warriors. All were dressed in ordinary armor but were robust, strong, and agile, hailing from renowned martial arts sects and exceptionally skilled in combat. Yet, even when these three hundred men, dispersed among the main army in ten teams, were urgently concentrated to either block or pursue this black-clad youth, it was useless. He still penetrated through more than half of the Wazhu Army. Once the two armies mingled, the youth's pressure dramatically decreased, and he moved like a fish in water, charging directly towards the city gate on the northern high ground of the Qingwa Basin. Man and tiger rushed towards the city wall. The youth stepped on the black tiger's back, leaped onto the wall, and after asking a dumbfounded Hong Gu'an a question, he severed Hong Gu'an's head from his body.

This time, the Battle of Qingwa Basin.

The Butcher's second son, Xu Longxiang, made his debut, transforming Wazhu—a formidable stronghold that the Liyang Dynasty considered a tiger's lair—into a ghost town.

The hooves of the Bei Liang iron cavalry thundered like thunder.

Ten thousand Dragon Elephant Army, were ten thousand thunders.

Of the eighteen thousand Wazhu Army, boasted as Bei Mang's iron army, half died in battle, and the surrendered soldiers were buried alive. The entire army perished.

Bei Mang heard the thunder.

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Downstairs....

Cheering and applauding, it has the style of Gu Long.

Leaving my name here.

Deserves a reward! It's so satisfying to read, like drinking ice-cold mung bean soup in summer! Comforting to the core.

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