Chapter 323

Under the cover of the Feather Forest Cavalry, the main force of the Feather Forest Army was able to withdraw smoothly from the battlefield.

Their figures gradually faded into the night, leaving only the smoke and chaos of the Ye Sha Jun army spreading across the battlefield.

The night was as dark as ink, with sparse starlight.

The main force of the Feather Forest Army had already withdrawn, yet Huo Qubing and Ran Min remained on the battlefield.

They led the Feather Forest Cavalry, preparing to inflict a final heavy blow on the Ye Sha Jun army.

Huo Qubing wore silver armor, held a long spear, and his eyes were sharp as an eagle's.

Ran Min wore black battle armor, wielded a double-bladed spear and a hook halberd, his face full of resolve.

As the chaos in the Ye Sha Jun Da Ying gradually subsided, a small contingent of Ye Sha Jun cavalry pursued.

They brandished their weapons, shouting as they charged at the Feather Forest Cavalry.

The Feather Forest Cavalry responded in unison, their voices shaking heaven and earth, revealing boundless heroism and ambition.

"Feather Forest Cavalry, follow me and break out of the encirclement!"

"Hahaha, the famed Ye Sha Jun army is nothing more than this!"

Huo Qubing raised his long spear high and shouted loudly.

The Ye Sha Jun cavalry gradually collapsed under the fierce assault of the Feather Forest Cavalry, panicking and fleeing in all directions.

That commander fell at the cry, and the Ye Sha Jun cavalry completely collapsed.

Yet Huo Qubing and Ran Min did not stop; they led the Feather Forest Cavalry in relentless pursuit, delivering a final blow to the enemy.

Huo Qubing laughed loudly and boasted.

Each charge came with the force of thunder, causing the Ye Sha Jun cavalry to suffer successive defeats.

Yet Huo Qubing gave a cold smile, his long spear flying out like a dragon, straight for the enemy's back.

"Follow this commander and charge out of the Ye Sha Jun Da Ying!"

Huo Qubing and Ran Min showed no fear, calmly directing the Feather Forest Cavalry to meet the enemy.

"Feather Forest Cavalry, hear my orders!"

The Feather Forest Cavalry's morale was high; they closely followed Huo Qubing and Ran Min, bravely slaying the foe.

At this moment, the battlefield held only the cheers of the Feather Forest Cavalry and the neighing of warhorses.

"Yes!"

On the battlefield, blades flashed and blood rained, yet the Feather Forest Cavalry felt no fear.

A Ye Sha Jun commander, seeing the tide turn, sighed deeply and fled.

Ran Min swung his double-bladed spear, beheading another enemy, and roared loudly.

Immediately, under the leadership of Huo Qubing and Ran Min, the Feather Forest Cavalry surged like a flood toward the exit of the Ye Sha Jun Da Ying.

Huo Qubing lifted his spear and pierced a Ye Sha Jun cavalryman, knocking him from his horse.

The guards of the Ye Sha Jun Da Ying panicked, trying to block the flood, but they were as futile as a mantis trying to stop a cart.

The Feather Forest Cavalry brandished their weapons, shouting as they charged out of the camp.

Their figures faded into the night, leaving only devastation and chaos within the Ye Sha Jun Da Ying.

After charging out of the Ye Sha Jun Da Ying, Huo Qubing and Ran Min did not halt; they led the Feather Forest Cavalry in continued pursuit of the fleeing Ye Sha Jun troops.

Their warhorses galloped across the wilderness, their iron armor flashing with a cold light.

Each charge was accompanied by the enemy's wails and blood, the Feather Forest Cavalry reaping lives like the scythe of death.

The wind on the wilderness howled, as if cheering the bravery of the Feather Forest Cavalry.

Their silhouettes gleamed in the moonlight, each swing of their weapons appearing both elegant and powerful.

Meanwhile, inside the Ye Sha Jun Da Ying,

After this battle, though the Ye Sha Jun camp's losses were not severe, it caused the entire army to be jittery, imagining threats everywhere, everyone feeling endangered.

Especially the officers on duty and the patrolling soldiers, who were terrified, fearing that any mistake would make them the scapegoats for this incident.

Inside the commander's great tent, the atmosphere was unusually oppressive.

Gongsun Yang and Yan Qifeng sat facing each other at the table, before them lay a freshly compiled casualty list.

Gongsun Yang's face was dark as water, while Yan Qifeng's brows were tightly knit, clearly shocked by this raid.

"How are our casualties from this raid?"

Gongsun Yang asked in a low voice, his brow betraying an undisguised gloom.

Although Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and Ran Min's assault on the Ye Sha Jun Da Ying mainly caused casualties in the front of the camp,

the rear of the Ye Sha Jun main force saw little chaos.

Moreover, Yan Qifeng's timely appearance stabilized the situation, preventing the front‑camp chaos from spreading to the whole camp and disturbing the ordinary soldiers in the rear.

Yet, dozens of front‑camp officers were beheaded in battle, thousands of elite soldiers died, and the wounded numbered over ten thousand.

For an army of only sixty thousand Ye Sha Jun troops, this is not a small number.

Most crucially, the blow to morale from this battle was truly heavy.

Furthermore, the feeling of being struck at one's own doorstep made Gongsun Yang extremely displeased.

"Just who carried out this battle?"

Gongsun Yang's face grew somewhat dark, although he knew that such combat power could not belong to an ordinary force.

"In this Hengzhou region, aside from the Great Qian army, there is only the east!"

"But the timing of this battle is too coincidental."

"To say there is no foul play—even if you killed Gongsun Yang, he would not believe it."

"Unclear!"

Yan Qifeng set down his feather brush, shook his head helplessly, and said: "However, judging by their tactics, it must be the elite cavalry of the Qian army, and the commander of this force must be a person exceptionally skilled in both strategy and martial arts."

"How can you tell?"

Gongsun Yang asked doubtfully.

"To be able to inflict such heavy casualties on our army in such a short time, and to retreat without hesitation, shows they are well trained. Moreover..."

A glint of admiration flashed in Yan Qifeng's eyes, and he then said: "I originally thought I had already overestimated their strength, merely laying out three simple defensive lines; I never expected they could actually break through two layers and directly reach the front of the main commander's tent. If I hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid even the commander's tent would have been taken."

"Such military tactics, such ability to break formations—how could an ordinary person achieve that?"

Gongsun Yang's face grew even uglier by a few degrees, although he knew Yan Qifeng's words were not false.

But to have his opponent praised like this, his face also lacked some luster.

"Hmph!"

Gongsun Yang let out a cold snort from his nostrils: "Even if your military tactics and martial arts are superb, what of it? You're still like a bereaved dog, driven back by General Yan Qifeng!"

"You're wrong!"

Yan Qifeng shook his head and said solemnly: "The reason I could repel them was merely that I had the advantage of terrain, and also that their forces were likely insufficient, not wishing to engage in a prolonged battle."

"That's why I could repel them immediately; if it were a head-on clash, the outcome would still be uncertain."

As a veteran commander, Yan Qifeng naturally knows that at any time one must not underestimate the opponent.

Especially when the opponent's strength is not fully known.

"What's more..."

In Yan Qifeng's mind, the figure of that strategist inevitably appeared.

Especially those eyes, bright as stars yet deep as the night sky.

Although it was only their first meeting, although they had not exchanged a single word.

But Yan Qifeng knew that that commander-in-chief must have an extraordinary background.

(End of chapter)