Chapter 512: The Traitorous Hero

Bai Lang did not fight this time, and the day's battle ended in a draw. However, Zhu Jun on the other side was soundly defeated and retreated, leaving Huangfu Song's army stranded on the battlefield. With no other choice, Huangfu Song retreated to Changshe, where he was surrounded by the Yellow Turbans. The Yellow Turban generals, under the command of Bo Cai, kept challenging and attacking the city. At this time, Liu Dai ordered his volunteers to engage—the Han central army needed to reorganize and rest to conserve their strength. Huangfu Song had already devised a plan and was waiting for a clever scheme to defeat the bandits at night.

But before that, the city could not be lost. Therefore, General Huangfu also encouraged the volunteers, "After defeating the bandits, there will be great rewards; you can all become pillars of the nation!" Bai Lang was contemptuous of Huangfu Song's posturing, but the Yellow Turbans' performance at this moment was certainly not that of kind people. Bai Lang directly opened the city gate and led his hundred cavalrymen and over a thousand volunteers to charge out—of course, he couldn't let the Yellow Turbans calmly set up their siege.

Bai Lang took the lead, riding a Xiliang horse that had been assigned to him. Bai Lang wore scale armor, held an iron spear, and wore a tiger-swallowing helmet. He spurred his horse to gallop wildly. The Yellow Turbans first sounded the clappers, and arrows flew. Because they had opened the armory of the commandery, there were many crossbowmen among the Yellow Turbans. Bai Lang simply used his iron spear to deflect them, naturally creating a whirlwind that blew away these crossbow arrows. As for the few arrows carrying light, fire, ice, and thunder, Bai Lang carefully used his iron spear to knock them away.

This iron spear was also flashing with the light of thunder and fire; otherwise, the weapon would have been pierced or knocked away—some of the volunteers following Bai Lang suffered. Bai Lang's voice was like thunder as he rode his horse to kick away the spearmen blocking his path. He swept his iron spear horizontally to clear the spears, and then his horse crashed in, knocking people away. Bai Lang swung his iron spear, and the double-edged weapon immediately brought up a large splash of blood.

Bai Lang killed soldiers like cutting grass, breaking through the formation directly to face the Yellow Turban general of this unit. "Yellow Turban Ma Yuanrang! State your name!" This Yellow Turban general was nearly a zhang tall, a head taller than Bai Lang. Such a large man naturally had no horse to ride and had to settle for being a foot general. The long-handled axe in Ma Yuanrang's hand must have weighed seventy or eighty catties, indicating that Ma Yuanrang, who used this Xuanhua axe, was undoubtedly a top-tier fierce general.

"Bai Lang of Yanzhou." Bai Lang replied while on horseback, and as he spoke, he urged his horse forward, preparing to thrust his iron spear. "Split the head!" With a roar like a thunderclap, Ma Yuanrang jumped slightly, swinging his axe from bottom to top, bringing up a fierce wind that sucked people in, then tilted the angle slightly and slashed down from above like lightning. "A bit of skill." Bai Lang dismounted as Ma Yuanrang started his move, pushing his horse aside.

He could block it, but the horse probably couldn't hold up. Rather than having the horse's legs snapped, it was better for Bai Lang to do it himself. The fierce wind sucked Bai Lang forward, and then the axe fell from the sky. An ordinary person would have been split in two. However, Bai Lang extended one hand, and his iron spear blocked it horizontally. The two weapons, both flashing with "flames," collided with a clang, and the surrounding soldiers were sent flying.

Bai Lang also sank a bit, his two calves buried deep in the ground. "Good strength! If that's all you've got, I'll take your head in the next round." Bai Lang also revealed a ferocious smile. "Pick your teeth!" Ma Yuanrang roared, his axe hooking the iron spear and pulling it back, then using the momentum to thrust the tip toward Bai Lang's face. "A pity! That's all the skill you have!" Bai Lang spun his iron spear, directly shaking off the Xuanhua axe.

Then, with a thrust and a slash, he pierced Ma Yuanrang's heart and then slashed, opening half of his body. This Yellow Turban general was also brave; he just glared with wide eyes, his hair seemed to stand on end, and his eye sockets bulged, bleeding. "The Blue Heaven is dead! The Yellow Heaven shall rise! The year is Jiazi... Heaven..." He couldn't finish, and he died standing up. "Great peace under heaven! The Han's mandate is also coming to an end." Bai Lang finished the sentence for him.

The man collapsed with a crash. Bai Lang did not go to cut off Ma Yuanrang's head; he directly stepped over the corpse and killed his way toward the distance. Once Ma Yuanrang fell, the morale of the surrounding Yellow Turbans plummeted, and they began to flee and retreat. Bai Lang felt that shouting "Enemy shamed, I'm going to strip his clothes!" might also work, but he didn't shout it in the end. "Mere Wa nation of Yamatai..."

The Yellow Turbans scattered, and Bai Lang directly fought at the four gates, forcing the Yellow Turbans to retreat five miles before they could stabilize their formation. Outside Changshe city, the army inside could finally deploy and set up camp, reaching a stalemate with the Yellow Turbans.

Bai Lang's bravery was seen by those on the city wall. This Bai Lang killed soldiers when he saw soldiers and generals when he saw generals, cutting down generals and flags like boiling water on snow; he was truly a rare fierce general of the age. Huangfu Song was also overjoyed; his plan now had a greater chance of success. That night, a strong wind blew, and Huangfu Song ordered all troops to hold torches made of straw, leave the camp, and set fire to the grass downwind. The fire relied on the wind, and the wind aided the fire; the blaze spread along the grass outside Changshe city to the Yellow Turbans' camp.

It was also the Yellow Turbans' mistake; they had no experience in creating firebreaks by cutting down the thatch, and they had set up their camp downwind. The result was that the entire camp was reduced to ashes. The Han army took the opportunity to charge, and the Yellow Turbans at Changshe were soundly defeated. Bai Lang did not attack this time; the hundred or so cavalrymen under his command all looked at him. "If you want to take military merit, you may go yourselves. I am not going." Bai Lang had no interest in killing these Yellow Turbans.

With his permission, these cavalrymen mounted their horses and gave chase. Bai Lang just sat in his own tent to rest—a very small tent, but enough for one person.

After a night of slaughter, the Yellow Turbans retreated and joined Zhang Jiao, Zhang Liang, and Zhang Bao, heading directly to Guangzong. At the victory banquet, Bai Lang saw a general who had come to reinforce them—seven feet tall, with narrow eyes and a long beard, holding the rank of Cavalry Commandant, a native of Qiao Commandery, Pei State, surnamed Cao, given name Cao, courtesy name Mengde. At the banquet, Bai Lang, as a volunteer, was seated outside the generals, almost to the point of sitting outside—fortunately, there was a seat, so he didn't have to receive his reward food in his own tent like the other volunteer generals.

This was also out of respect for his martial bravery and the Rencheng Administrator Liu Dai. In any case, Liu Dai treated Bai Lang well, and even formally wanted to appoint him as a military officer in the commandery troops, assigning him a unit. A cavalry unit of two hundred men could not be said to be treating him poorly. Bai Lang's imposing and heroic appearance also caught the attention of Cao Mengde. This fellow was also a smart man; in just a few words, he found out Bai Lang's name, status, and his martial bravery.

Cao Mengde then walked up to Bai Lang. "Squad Leader Bai's bravery is the best in the three armies; you repelled the bandits at the city gate and killed a strong bandit in battle. Please drink to victory!" He directly toasted Bai Lang. Bai Lang also stood up—he truly and carefully looked at this traitorous hero of the ages. "Indeed, a heroic spirit!" Bai Lang thought to himself. "You flatter me!" With that, he drank the wine in his hand in one gulp. CaoCao laughed and toasted him again and again. The generals present were quite surprised—although Bai Lang was brave, in their eyes, he was just a commoner. He was neither a filial and incorrupt official nor from a powerful family; these generals really looked down on Bai Lang... ===== CHAPTER 513 =====