Chapter 527

"Who goes there!" Bai Lang roared. The man, with a ferocious expression, held a long-handled broadsword. "I am Yan Liang, a top general of Hebei! I have come specifically to behead you!" Hearing it was Yan Liang, Bai Lang immediately spurred his horse and raised his spear to meet him. They had not fought for three rounds before Yan Liang's defeat became apparent, his sword techniques becoming chaotic and messy. Immediately, another general rushed out, also with a "resolute" appearance, wielding a long spear to intercept Bai Lang's long spear. After a few rounds, he too could not hold his own.

By this time, Yan Liang had caught his breath, brandishing his broadsword and spurring his horse back into the fray, joining the latecomer, Wen Chou, to fight Bai Lang together. Both men had exploded their Qi, their bodies erupting with streaks of ice and fire light as they clashed with Bai Lang. "To think one is ice and the other fire; no wonder they are mentioned together." Bai Lang, while fighting, still had the leisure to critique them. The warhorses beneath them had also transformed into a Fire Dragon Steed and an Ice Dragon Steed, which actually made Bai Lang worry they might die of sudden exhaustion once the fight ended.

Since these two had exploded their Qi, Bai Lang felt he had to show some respect, so he also gave a token explosion of his own Qi. A razor-sharp white wave of Qi erupted from his body, transforming into Geng Metal wind blades that swirled around him. The Xuehuaqing horse beneath him immediately had its mane bristle like a demon's, its eyes bulging wide, and its mouth seemingly growing sharp teeth. This animal was called a 'Bo', resembling a horse with a white body and black tail, tiger teeth and claws, feeding on tigers and leopards.

Bai Lang brandished his long spear, circling the two men. After fighting for more than ten rounds, another general spurred his horse out, wielding a large axe. Following closely behind, yet another general came wielding a long spear. Both men exploded their Qi, surrounding Bai Lang and attacking fiercely. "The Four Pillars of Hebei, I presume." Bai Lang sneered, dancing his Cloud-Water Spear to fight all four generals, not losing the upper hand in the slightest. After dozens of rounds, the men were still holding up, but the horses seemed unable to take it anymore.

"It is time to use my true ability." Bai Lang thought to himself. He leaped directly from his horse, kicking the warhorse behind him with a soft force, and stood firmly on the ground to fight the Four Pillars of Hebei. Once Bai Lang's feet were planted, his combat power increased by more than thirty percent; it was not just a change in strength, but his techniques also became infinitely varied. Unlike Bai Lang, the Four Pillars of Hebei relied entirely on mounted combat, and their foot combat was thirty percent inferior to their mounted combat.

What Bai Lang did not quite understand was that the Qi of these mounted generals contained some special techniques used to strengthen their warhorses, which were far more sophisticated than Bai Lang's simple method of making his horse look like a 'Bo'. The four men circled Bai Lang like a revolving lantern, but inevitably, they fell into a disadvantage. Bai Lang was someone even Lu Bu feared slightly in foot combat; since their warhorses were not as spiritually connected as Red Hare, and their martial arts were not as good as Lu Bu's, they naturally could not block Bai Lang's attacks.

Bai Lang pushed his Qi explosion up another level, his entire person transforming into a leaping, roaring, upright tiger. As his long spear swept across, the four men were drenched in sweat. Seeing they were no match, they each roared and unleashed their full power. After their Qi connected, they all unleashed their ultimate techniques in a desperate bid, then immediately turned their horses and fled. Bai Lang's long spear transformed into a full moon, cleanly splitting their fierce attacks. Seeing the four men running away, he laughed and prepared to chase them down and kill them.

However, a rain of arrows arrived. These were powerful bows and heavy crossbows fired by mechanisms and infantry, specifically designed to break a martial general's Qi. Bai Lang brandished his long spear, blocking many of the flying arrows, and was forced to stop his pursuit. Bai Lang tapped his toes on the ground, flew backward, and mounted his warhorse again. Taking advantage of the momentum, he split left and right, attempting to charge the vanguard of the Hebei Four Pillars' army. However, the enemy had many archers and crossbowmen, who held their ground firmly.

Bai Lang's charge was unsuccessful, and he was forced to retreat temporarily. The enemy also contracted their army, hiding within their camp and hanging out a 'No-Battle' sign. Later that evening, Bai Lang's infantry arrived and began to set up camp. The next day, they fought again. The Four Pillars of Hebei intercepted Bai Lang once more to fight. This time, the four of them sought only to avoid mistakes rather than achieve merit, and the two-thousand-strong main army behind them suddenly moved out, pressing toward Bai Lang's army. The three thousand elite troops were deadlocked with the Yuan army when a cannon blast sounded, and a detachment of troops emerged from behind Bai Lang, bearing the character 'Tian'.

Caught in a pincer attack from front and rear, Bai Lang's army was routed. After forcing the four generals back, Bai Lang turned around to charge and slaughter, saving many of the surrounded soldiers. He then carved out a path for his subordinates to escape, blocking the rear himself, killing one for every one that came, until his warhorse was shot dead, at which point Bai Lang retreated. Not a single person dared to pursue him.

"This time, we have lost." Bai Lang counted his troops; only fifteen hundred of the three thousand remained. Jinyang was certainly lost, and he could not hold his ground here, so he had to retreat directly to Lishi. After occupying Jinyang, the Yuan army's morale soared, and they split into two routes. One route went to Wuyuan, intending to take Wuyuan Commandery, while the other followed the Taiyuan road that Bai Lang had retreated along to take Xihe. The two armies totaled one hundred thousand, with Yuan Benchu himself leading the route along the Taiyuan road to take Xihe.

Seeing this, Bai Lang said to his various units, "It seems Xihe cannot be saved. The only plan now is a desperate strike against Yuan Shao's main force. If it fails, we shall go elsewhere." After saying this, Bai Lang laughed, thinking that he had actually ended up like Lu Bu, and perhaps even like LiuBei, leaving him truly speechless. Since Bai Lang could still laugh, his subordinates' morale would not collapse. Although they had been defeated and retreated, their rations remained, and they had plenty of horses, so they simply moved everyone on horseback.

Bai Lang mobilized on a large scale, preparing to raid the camp at night. When he charged into the Yuan army's main camp, it was empty. Suddenly, fires broke out everywhere. "I have waited a long time." Bai Lang saw a middle-aged scholar shouting from the rear camp, and then arrows fell like rain as ambushes rose from all sides. Bai Lang sighed, led his troops to turn south, and charged out a bloody path. The ambushers were naturally the Four Pillars of Hebei, yet none could block Bai Lang's charge.

"Truly, his courage is the best in the world!" Standing on high ground, Yuan Benchu saw Bai Lang charging left and right in the camp below, unstoppable, with only the Four Pillars combined able to block him. However, after a moment, the four men would be exhausted and retreat, then mobilize archers to shoot fiercely and pin Bai Lang down. Bai Lang would then turn to fight elsewhere, carving out a bloody path to allow his subordinates to escape. "If I could obtain this man, the world would be settled." Yuan Shao sighed.

Bai Lang led less than a thousand cavalry out of the encirclement, having killed more than his fair share. After this escape, he would not return to Lishi; Bai Lang went directly to Hedong Commandery. With this defeat, Yuan Shao could occupy the entire Bing Province, and when he turned back to fight Gongsun Zan, he would have no further worries.

Xiliang's Ma Teng and Han Sui led their army straight to Chang'an. Ma Teng's eldest son, Ma Chao, beheaded Wang Fang and Li Meng in battle. However, Guo Si and the others held the passes firmly and would not fight. After only two months, the Xiliang army exhausted their rations and retreated. Guo Si and Li Jue led their troops out to slaughter them, and Ma Teng's army was soundly defeated. Turning back, Li Jue, because Fan Chou had secretly released Han Sui, set an ambush of swordsmen at a banquet. Halfway through the wine, Li Jue suddenly changed color and said, "Why did Fan Chou collude with Han Sui and plot rebellion?" Chou was shocked and had not yet replied when the swordsmen swarmed out and beheaded Fan Chou at the table.

Bai Lang had by now arrived in Hedong, with only three hundred cavalrymen left by his side. He found a small city to take shelter in, adjacent to CaoCao. At that time, CaoCao was the Administrator of Dong Commandery.