Chapter 324: then translation of chapter title, then ===GLOSSARY=== then list

Bai Lang changed horses and drove the carriage, with eighteen cavalrymen following him as they left Luoyang, swaying grandly southward along the main road. Along this route, which passed through the territory of the Wagang Army, not a single person dared to intercept him; they saw him off as if sending away a plague god, wishing he would flee as far as possible—if one were to ask why the world seems so awry, almost everyone in Wagang Village knows Bai Lang is heading to rescue the Flying Horse Ranch.

「A sieve leaking wind everywhere. 」 Bai Lang muttered on horseback, along the way the Wagang Army had actually cleared out all the patrolling troops stationed on the road—it seems they didn't even give him an excuse to kill. Being so sensible, it actually made Bai Lang want to let Li Mi be the Duke of Connaught.

Does the Wagang Army want the Flying Horse Ranch? Of course, otherwise how would Li Mi's son have appeared at the Flying Horse Ranch initially? Isn't it just that they want to take this ranch into their own hands? Once they seize the ranch, it means thousands of cavalry can be formed instantly.

Speaking of cavalry, Bai Lang recalled the Li Er who had once fallen into his hands, 'I always feel this future Tang Taizong is completely unlike what the histories say—is this a beautification or a vilification of Li Er?' Bai Lang couldn't tell either; historically, Li Er was resolute and decisive, fundamentally impossible to be as 'weak' as the one he had encountered.

Moreover, in the category of founding emperors, the historical Li Er ranks among the highest in martial prowess; the histories record more than once him leading a handful of cavalry, even just a single guard, to break through enemy lines—perhaps even stronger than Zhao Da who toppled four hundred military prefectures with a single rod.

However, given the martial ability of the Li Er that Bai Lang has encountered, he is still quite far from that level. So how will the future Battle of Hulao be handled? That is Li Shimin's matchless display of heroic vigor. What kind of man is Tang Taizong? He had the world's heroes bound in his hands while still young, and pacifying the world was nothing more than his twenty-fourth year.

Compared to the Li Er he has seen, there is no comparison—'So it is said, the world 'created' by colonial writers...... how could they possibly depict even a fraction of the world's heroes?' Bai Lang sighed, feeling deep down that the big boss had established a demon realm, which might very well draw nourishment from some unknown source, gradually transforming this world in ways we cannot know.

After all, Bai Lang has also figured out who Dayan is—couldn't he be the second-generation Tang Sanzang from the later Journey to the West? He just doesn't understand how this Tang-era monk became a heavenly demon, and perhaps he is also a formidable figure among the demons. Anyone capable of becoming a good monk should not be underestimated.

Since Dayan is a Tang person, he surely respects the cultural and martial achievements of Emperor Taizong Wen from the bottom of his heart; perhaps he will indeed introduce the 'real' Li Er—in any case, Bai Lang waits with bated breath.

After traveling several hundred li, there were no more lawless types daring to rob the road—let alone anything else, just the eighteen cavalrymen were enough to make many bandits give up on highway robbery. The saying 'men like tigers, horses like dragons' is no exaggeration; after practicing Bai Lang's martial arts, these men's fierceness shows outwardly, each one exuding brutal energy with no hint of restraint.

Originally, soldiers are supposed to display might outwardly to intimidate enemies, not to restrain their breath like assassins. Moreover, Bai Lang himself possesses a formidable aura; the face of that big-bearded, handsome-looking man immediately reveals extraordinary heroism, and nineteen people riding horses while pulling a wagon truly exude the presence of ten thousand troops.

This time Bai Lang's rescue didn't involve going straight to the Flying Horse Ranch; in his plan, he would simply charge straight through Zhu Zan's army, break through from the rear in an open and aboveboard manner, and then head to the ranch. Zhu Zan's army is entirely a beastly force; wherever they pass, they plunder exhaustively, leaving nine out of ten homes empty, with prefectures left in ruins, and those locals who cannot escape are even kept as military rations, available for consumption at any time.

From this perspective, Zhu Zan is no different from a demon; Bai Lang has always been keen on killing such demons. This time he learned his lesson, and did not bring two weapons—because that would be too heavy—but instead took a longer Zao Yang spear, and then neither men nor horses wore armor, thus he set out with the eighteen cavalry and the wagon, swaying grandly as they marched to attack Zhu Zan's forces.

Zhu Zan's forces at the time were stationed inside the city, with encampments stretching several li outside; over 100,000 Zhu Zan troops, dragging along over 10,000 civilians, pressed against the forward force of over 10,000 from the Shuanglong Army and the Flying Horse Ranch's offspring, which numbered only several thousand cavalry and lacked capable commanders. Among them, the Shuanglong Army and the Flying Horse Ranch were merely in tacit alliance; on the Ming surface they were not united as one, and the Flying Horse Ranch even established the deer antlers—these deer antlers protected themselves on three sides, likewise blocking the Shuanglong Army from outside.

It's possible that Kou Zhong is no longer the Kou Zhong of the past, and I don't know whether Xu Ziling is still the Xu Ziling of the past. Bai Lang, at this moment, didn't bother with those details; he simply leapt onto his horse, raised his spear, and with ease used the hook on the Zao Yang spear to sweep open the deer antlers, then he himself was the first to charge in.

Bows and arrows are hardly worth mentioning; he himself is impervious to blades and spears, while the eighteen cavalry had already donned armor before battle, and he also fitted armor for his warhorses beneath them, and the wagon in which Wei Zhenzhen rode—likewise the horses were armored, and the wagon had an open canopy to keep arrows from entering. Moreover, after Bai Lang led the charge, where would there be any reckless archers with a gap to shoot at the wagon?

Bai Lang's advance was just a matter of swinging the Zao Yang spear in flat cuts; that seventy-two-catty lethal weapon, wherever it swung, brought forth blood and flesh. Before the horses there was no equal opponent; even the few cavalrymen who tried to challenge on horseback from Zhu Zan's forces were shattered, man and horse alike, by Bai Lang's casual strike.

Such a weapon could easily smash a warhorse into meat paste. The only regret is that sustaining horsepower is difficult; the warhorses can't keep up. Bai Lang has also learned his lesson—he cannot rely solely on his own true qi to overdrive the horses' strength, or else he'd end up without a mount.

So after he felt his warhorse's neck and found it already soaked, Bai Lang decisively dismounted, untacked the horse, and had one rider lead it to the rear to hang behind the wagon and proceed on foot. Meanwhile, the eighteen cavalry he brought are now nearly exhausted of horsepower—since each man has his own horse, their horsepower is being consumed relatively quickly.

Thus these cavalrymen tied their warhorses to the rear, leaving two to guard and drive them; the rest split into four to protect the wagon, while twelve followed behind Bai Lang to continue the advance and kill. Their weapons also changed from eighteen-foot lances to long-handled blades about the same length as Bai Lang's Pu Dao but much narrower, lighter, and more convenient—later this blade would be given the name mo dao.

With Bai Lang as the spearhead, the twelve formed a goose‑flight formation behind him to left and right—this is the arrow‑tip formation. Bai Lang swung the Zao Yang spear with fierce thrusts, his steps steady; each step forward was a strike, and whoever stood before him was shattered.

Bai Lang also brandished the Zao Yang spear to block the incoming arrows, shielding the troops behind him; their fine mail armor also deflected the stray arrows, causing them no harm. Bai Lang let out a tiger's roar, and the hundreds of archers arrayed before him instantly collapsed and scattered—even though they were still more than ten zhang away.