Chapter 64

Bai Lang didn't know which kind of pill it was, but when he saw that fellow called Chen Shi-yi again, the man was dressed in a blue robe and small cap like a servant, serving behind Governor Sun. Bai Lang gave him a few looks and saw him trembling… Governor Bai just laughed and didn't intervene. Bai Lang was attending as Governor Deng's representative; Governor Deng himself, with his consolidated Zuo Liangyu army, would be stationed in the south and might not take part in this great battle.

It was originally like that; if both commanders were present, who would be the chief and who the deputy? Whose orders would they follow? A slip could easily cause conflict, so at first the two sides only agreed on strategic cooperation: Governor Deng would deploy on the flank and would not actively join the battle, mainly to pressure the Roving Bandits on the flank and prevent them from fleeing south. After Zhang Xianzhong's army was annihilated, its head captured and the remaining forces scattered, the Ming Imperial Army held a great advantage in this decisive battle.

Xiangyang, as a fulcrum, strongly upheld the southern defensive line, and Governor Deng could also provide logistical support to Governor Sun. Even the remnants of Zhang Xianzhong's forces that fled north and joined Li Chuang's army could not alter this strategic situation. Those escaped Zhang Xianzhong troops also spread Bai Lang's reputation into Li Chuang's camp… "Among the opposing Imperial troops, the newly appointed Right Deputy Governor and Pacifying West General…?" During the council, Li Zicheng and the other generals also discussed this; if Bai Lang were to lead his troops to break the formation, what should be done?

A simple way to deal with the Imperial troops is to feign defeat, scattering gold, silver and jewels; almost every time the Imperial troops scramble for the treasure, their ranks become chaotic, their formation stretched, and they are then counter‑attacked and beaten. However, in many cases the peasant army fails to feign defeat and ends up truly defeated—the Imperial forces are not weak, especially the elite troops of the Nine Frontiers, even more so if they are drawn from the Eastern Barbarian front.

Both sides were moving troops and adjusting commanders; Li Zicheng still planned to maneuver the Imperial troops over a wide area, but here in Xiangyang Governor Deng, with his original Zuo Liangyu army, stood in strict formation, and the area around the besieged Kaifeng, which had not fallen, offered little room for maneuver. Governor Sun only commanded the main army's deployment and handed three thousand light cavalry to Bai Lang to harass Li Zicheng's main force; after confirming Li Zicheng's movements, a decisive main battle would determine victory. If they win, the more than twenty‑year Roving Bandit rebellion would be essentially quelled; if they lose… the Ming pill.

Bai Lang understood the crux of this—Governor Sun regarded him as a martial commander, a rough and uncultured warrior who need not explain strategy in detail, only to charge into battle, especially for this type of combative fierce general. Yet Bai Lang had undergone a formal sixteen‑year education, his insight likely broader than that of most people in this world. He could certainly grasp the importance of this campaign, and his commentary was essentially a gamble on the nation's fate……

"The odds of victory are still quite high, and as long as I'm here, we will definitely win!" Bai Lang had great confidence in himself; otherwise how could he have practiced the Tiger Form True Meaning? Where else in his fists and kicks would that domineering aura come from? He donned the mountain‑pattern armor—this time forgoing the chainmail to reduce weight and free up his horse's power. This is a finely crafted mountain‑pattern armor used by generals; its surface, never painted, shows the bright silver steel, while the cotton layers draped over it are multicolored, overall leaning toward plain white.

Both his chest and back were protected by heart shields, and his phoenix‑wing helm, as always, bore the white tiger's gaping mouth; this time Bai Lang even skipped the cape. His weapon remained primarily a long sword; he abandoned his former Azure Dragon Crescent Blade for a long‑handled great sword with a slimmer, longer blade, which is easier to stab than the Azure Dragon blade, and the extended blade enhances Bai Lang's slashing range. Additionally, Bai Lang carried a long spear—a retro spear whose blade is more than twice the length of a typical spear, though its shaft is correspondingly shorter.

Besides that, he only slung a goose‑feather saber, and the two long weapons in his hands together did not weigh more than his original Azure Dragon Crescent Blade, though their actual lethality was likely greater. The last time Bai Lang broke formation he had tried wielding a long weapon in each hand and found it quite suitable, so he naturally went with what worked. Is this also part of his martial cultivation? In any case, in the end he fought hand‑to‑hand……

The three thousand light cavalry actually amounted to about fifteen or sixteen hundred mounted troops, though the number of horses exceeded three thousand, along with some wagons for supplies. Bai Lang brought three horses: one for regular riding, one for a change of mount, and the last for charging into battle. "This time we can't act on a whim and kill," muttered the White Tiger Star Lord, a figure famed within the army, as a few commanders and a thousand‑household officer leading these cavalry stood beside him, along with staff sent by Governor Sun. The actual command lay with these officers and staff—who also knew that Bai Lang was a brave general, not a commander.

The light cavalry moved swiftly, and within three days they had latched onto a peasant army—Bai Lang's cavalry route had been set during the council, and its mission was to lure and bite Li Zicheng's main force, holding them within a defined area so Governor Sun could bring his main army into a decisive battle. The peasant army ahead was a mixed mounted‑infantry force, roughly five or six thousand strong, without the old and weak, perhaps the elite among the bandits.

Bai Lang didn't care; he simply shouted, "Form up, follow me in charge!" After waiting a little over half an hour for the auxiliaries to help him don a half‑coat, he charged straight out…… The light cavalry had just finished forming, but the commander leapt ahead on his own horse, which actually boosted the troops' morale—there aren't many generals who lead the charge themselves…… Especially at the third‑rank level, most are commanders, and hardly any actually wield a blade to cut down foes.

Nevertheless, Bai Lang did just that: his horse like a dragon, he like a tiger, roaring like a tiger with his right‑hand long‑handled great sword and left‑hand iron spear as he charged into the peasant army. The enemy, of course, also spotted the Imperial troops and quickly formed an infantry line—since the Imperial forces were all light cavalry, anyone trying to flee would be doomed, so they chose to fight to the death. Of course, the peasant army promptly dispatched cavalry to call for reinforcements from nearby units.

This also presented an opportunity; the all‑light‑cavalry Imperial force was certainly elite, and if they could be held long enough for the rebel king's troops to annihilate this Imperial unit, it would severely damage the morale of the Imperial forces led by Governor Sun. But what about this lone Imperial general who had surged forward a great distance? He alone intends to charge? His armor and the horse's barding clearly mark him as a high‑ranking commander—what kind of general charges alone?

At this moment, the assembled light cavalry raised Bai Lang's banner and began the assault. The winged White Tiger flag rose aloft, and the peasant army instantly recognized who it was—among the Imperial troops stood a ferocious senior general, the one who had slain the Eight Great Kings, a fact already known to all……