She was told not to act rashly, not to confront the opponent head-on, not to... In short, a whole pile of things was said.
Cheng Xiaoxiao was highly skeptical; was it her previous performance that was not brave enough or not ruthless enough that led them to think she was weak?
What she didn’t know was that Vice General Lin was projecting the anxiety of an old father, worrying that no matter how formidable his daughter was, she might still get hurt, or face so accident. That’s why he nagged on and on, until Cheng Xiaoxiao’s ears could no longer endure it.
In the anti, the troops had already assembled, including the lightly wounded, totaling three hundred and fifty-two people.
Thanks to the battle just now, twenty-sothing warhorses had been seized, bringing the total number to forty steeds. The Grassland Tribe’s horses looked rather comndable.
Once the headcount was completed, along with equipnt and supplies, Vice General Lin spoke a few words of encouragent, then mounted his horse and charged forward, soon galloping away.
Cheng Xiaoxiao rode beside Vice General Lin, following the troops out of the city gate towards the battle zone.
The soldiers lying in ambush in the woods waited long without sighting the Grassland cavalry. Then they saw flas rising high in the town, realizing they might have fallen victim to the enemy’s strategy of luring the tiger away from the mountain.
"What should we do, General?" Vice General Luo was extrely anxious.
"Lead the Cavalry Guard Camp ahead, I’ll be right behind." Even as he said this, Cheng Duhu vaguely sensed that the opponent might be after sothing else entirely.
Just as the cavalry burst out of the woods, trying to rush back to aid the town, they fell into the enemy’s trap halfway, with the frantic horses whinnying, hastily trying to save themselves.
They were driven back by the enemy, surrounded by nurous adversaries.
A clash between the two sides was imminent.
All around were Grassland Soldiers, including two hundred cavalry and three to four hundred archers, with a dense formation of infantry behind them, totaling no less than two thousand.
Such a grand display truly took ticulous effort.
Using the situation against itself, trapping him outside the city, it appeared the Grassland Tribe had pooled resources, producing quite a few skilled talents, with intricate, interlocking strategies.
A fierce aura emanated from Cheng Duhu’s resolute face; these people should never have set fire to the hos painstakingly built by the locals.
When he first ca here, it was barren and dilapidated, with only a thousand soldiers guarding the place, while the rest were exiled prisoners and rootless, transient people.
Without identity proof, they couldn’t enter Wanyuan City, forcing them to settle in this remote place, leading impoverished and humble lives.
Occasionally, a few Grassland Soldiers infiltrated the city to commit theft and robbery, but this place was too destitute. Even moderately wealthier Grassland People wouldn’t bother coming here since there wasn’t anything valuable to steal, and getting caught might endanger their lives.
It was truly a thankless place.
After three years of restoration, the town finally prospered, soldiers had their own hos, and lives had hopeful prospects, but everything was destroyed today.
His fierce gaze swept over the square-faced Grassland Leader, the very man who had once been defeated under his hand.
The man was the Leader of the Qianglian Clan, and they had dealings when he first arrived. Back then, the Qianglian Clan was rely a small tribe of over a thousand, where royal princes fought fiercely for leadership, eventually resulting in this man killing his brothers to rise to power.
Unexpectedly, within a few years, they developed rapidly, seizing many smaller tribes during this severe cold, gaining a standing among the major tribal groups.
The Qianglian Clan was initially far from Qiao Town, but now they had annexed several tribes neighboring Qiao Town and set their sights on him, clearly exhibiting a treacherous deanor.
All this effort just to settle the old score?
Seeing the fierce approach of the enemy, though outmatched, the soldiers showed no signs of retreat. Thinking of their relatives in the town suffering under the tornt and abuse of the Qianglian Clan, a deadly hostility surged in their eyes, eager to tear the enemy apart.
The man on horseback glared coldly at the people ahead, intent on reclaiming all past humiliations today.
At his command, hundreds of arrows were loosed.
"Defense!"
To say ’defense’ was ironic without shields.
Yet this defense was unlike any other.
Cheng Duhu, together with Vice General Luo and two other Village Chiefs, each took a position, posing a protective stance. All four exerted force simultaneously, their blades slicing through the air, bodies surging with Qi Force, which gathered in their arms, stirring powerful airflow to lift swirling dust. A tempest ensued, seemingly disrupting the magnetic field, blocking the first wave of arrows.
Their defense also obscured the enemy’s view for another volley.
The Soldiers seized the chance and shifted positions, creating makeshift shields. Repeating this, they repelled several waves of arrows with only a few injured.
Yet such consumption depleted Qi Force significantly, leaving the two Village Chiefs showing signs of exhaustion, their bodies hollowed, though they concealed it well from all but the discerning General.
Cheng Duhu had no better option to preserve most of the soldiers’ lives.
Fortunately, seeing their ineffective strategy, the enemy ordered a cavalry charge.
The Grassland cavalryn, eager to engage, galloped fiercely, shouting as they advanced, wielding long whips with curved sabers tied to the ends, twirling them, poised to throw and spill blood, inducing a palpable threefold fear.
"Form ranks and break them one by one."
Upon receiving the Protector General’s command, each Village Chief led their troops to form battle circles.
The soldiers set their formations, guarding positions, faces solemn and resolute, bracing for the ordeal of battle.
Cheng Duhu’s expression was grave, having suspected that the battle plans had leaked, indicating internal betrayal.
He blad himself for being too trusting towards his brothers, lacking any precautions. Among those aware of the plans, Vice General Luo could be ruled out, having been with him all the way.
Vice General Lin accompanied him to Qiao Town, close as father to son—officially superior and inferior, but privately rare confidants. The last suspect was Vice General You, stationed here for a long ti.
The outco was obvious but particularly hurtful, unable to comprehend why the betrayal happened. Dislike for him as the General could have led to opposition or even relinquishing the position.
Why collude with evil, aiding outsiders in persecuting fellow natives, forcing innocent townspeople into holessness?
In such harsh weather, survival was already tough; this would directly cost them their lives.
It was all his fault, fearing he’d wrong his loyal brothers who had battled life and death with him.
The agony nearly engulfed him, turning into ferocity and charging forward.
"Kill!"
The clash of weapons, shouts, and slaughter marked the day—life or death was inevitable.
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