Chapter 239: Street Battle

Among the cavalry charging down the Official Road, riders kept falling from their horses. Chen Rulie recognized those as the Personal Soldiers' relay horses. The mounts they used were unfit for charging and fell far behind, mingling with the pursuing Mounted Bandits. As they galloped at high speed, they slashed wildly at each other. Those relay riders, lacking combat training, were nearly all cut down from their saddles.

In the chaos, they reached the street entrance almost simultaneously. The main road was already jammed with the Garrison Commander Battalion's mounts. Without their masters' control, the horses slowed on their own until they finally came to a halt.

The Garrison Commander Battalion's relay riders and the Roving Bandits dismounted one after another and began fighting each other right at the street entrance. Someone in the bandit horde shouted loudly, calling for the following Horse Soldiers. In groups, the Horse Soldiers left their horses outside the street and came charging in, brandishing their blades.

"Relay riders, fall back!" Chen Rulie bellowed, but his voice was drowned out by the shouting men and neighing horses all around.

At the street entrance's only second-floor window, the cavalrymen who had seized the formation position took up their bows and shot, yet they still could not stop those Horse Soldiers from closing in. The Horse Soldiers, their retreat cut off, fought like madmen, throwing themselves at the street entrance and hacking and slashing wildly at the horses before them. The attacked horses, drenched in blood, struggled desperately, their whinnies piercing as they nearly reared upright. But their heads were pulled taut by the reins, and against the resistance of the other horses, they were all pinned in place. The remaining horses, panicked and wanting to flee the attacked ones, strained their reins straight, making the other horses jump in place.

The horses linked on the outer edge toppled one after another under the Roving Bandits' assault, dragging down others of their kind. The horses' powerful vitality only prolonged their agony. The ground was covered with struggling horses, their writhing bodies and wildly kicking hooves turning the street into a death trap.

Some impatient Roving Bandits, heedless of the danger, charged straight into the street, trying to flee along the edges through the gaps. Among the horses were still some Garrison Commander Battalion soldiers. When the two sides met in the street, they hacked at each other, intensifying the chaos even further.

For a moment, the street entrance shook with earth-shattering battle cries. The herd of horses, terrified and unable to flee, seethed with agitation all along the street. Twisting horse heads were everywhere, and horse bodies slammed into the surrounding shop fronts, occasionally shaking tiles loose from the eaves.

Chen Rulie, standing in his stirrups, hurled a Throwing Axe outward. In the confusion, he had no idea whether it hit. The horses around him suddenly began ramming into each other. His leg was pinned between two horses, his foot trapped in the stirrup and unable to pull free. The horses beside him bucked violently. Now and then, a horse would rear up, its hooves brushing past Chen Rulie's arm several times. Trapped among these frenzied, massive animals, Chen Rulie felt Fear.

No longer caring to watch the Roving Bandits, the terrified Chen Rulie dropped the Waist Saber in his hand, grabbed the saddle with both hands, and flattened himself against the horse's back to reduce the chance of being struck. The horse beneath him struggled fiercely, straining against the two other horses it was linked to. As it twisted, its body kept colliding with the other horses.

Chen Rulie seized a moment of its movement to pull his foot free from the stirrup. He lifted his legs flat along the horse's back, as if flying. His mount bucked in place, and Chen Rulie felt like he was on a pitching boat.

At that moment, a horse to the side suddenly kicked backward with tremendous force, striking Chen Rulie's mount square in the belly. His horse let out a pitiful scream and staggered two steps sideways. But its head was again yanked by the two other horses, and it immediately stopped again. Exhausted after the extreme sprint, the horse collapsed with a boom under this heavy blow, pulling the heads of the other two horses toward the ground as well.

Chen Rulie was thrown, dizzy and disoriented. Just as he regained his senses, he saw a horse hoof coming straight at his face. He quickly rolled on the ground, ending up right under another horse. He scrambled to his feet and crouched, grabbing the stirrups hanging down on either side. As the horse moved, he used its body as cover to dodge the collisions around him.

After rushing to Fierce Tiger Bridge, he had not taken part in any fighting, yet he was drenched in sweat and utterly exhausted. All around him were horse legs, and from outside came the harrowing screams of men and horses. Chen Rulie's mind went blank. He simply followed the horse's movements on pure instinct. Every time the horse bucked, its belly slammed down onto Chen Rulie's head.

Chen Rulie had never experienced such a chaotic situation and could not help regretting why he had linked the horses together. Just then, a pair of human legs suddenly appeared to his right. Chen Rulie jolted alert. Blue trousers, cloth shoes on the feet, and the lower half of a Waist Saber. No one in the Garrison Commander Battalion dressed like that. It had to be a Roving Bandit.

Those legs paused and moved, cautiously avoiding the horses. His attention was entirely on the horses; he had not even noticed there was a person underneath.

After another collision from a horse's body, Chen Rulie suddenly realized he had reached the edge of the street. Looking out from under the horse's belly, he saw the Roving Bandit standing at the entrance of a shop. This was the best chance to escape the herd.

Without a second thought, Chen Rulie let go of the stirrups, darted out from under the horse, and lunged fiercely at the Roving Bandit. Caught off guard, the bandit was tackled around the waist by Chen Rulie and sent crashing into the shop, his lower back slamming hard against a table.

The Roving Bandit screamed in agony, his Waist Saber clattering to the floor. The two of them then tumbled to the ground. Chen Rulie, seizing the moment while the bandit was injured, sat on top of him and desperately tried to throttle his neck. The neck was slick with sweat, and for a moment Chen Rulie could not get a fatal grip. The Roving Bandit struggled with all his might, thrusting both hands up to push against Chen Rulie's chin. His arms were stronger than Chen Rulie's, forcing Chen Rulie to release his grip on the neck.

Chen Rulie tried several times to break free, but the Roving Bandit kept pushing back up. The two of them wrestled, panting heavily. The Chain Mail on Chen Rulie clattered noisily. Outside, men shouted and horses screamed as a large group of Roving Bandits drew near.

Anxiety surged in Chen Rulie's heart. His face was pushed upward, blocking his view of the opponent. He spread both hands and grabbed at the other man's face. By touch, he found the Roving Bandit's eye sockets and dug his fingers in with force. Then he felt a warm liquid.

A horrific howl came from beneath him, followed immediately by a sharp pain in his hand. Chen Rulie forced the Roving Bandit's hand away and saw that the bandit had bitten down on the edge of his thumb.

After flailing his arm to break free, the Roving Bandit, blood streaming from his eyes, howled and clawed wildly with both hands. As Chen Rulie stood up, the bandit grabbed his trousers, immobilizing him for a moment. Chen Rulie quickly snatched up a wooden bench nearby and smashed it down on the Roving Bandit's face several times.

The Roving Bandit's face became a bloody, mangled mess. His hand loosened, and he breathed no more. Only then did Chen Rulie, drenched in sweat, slump to the ground.

Before he could even catch his breath, a thunderous bang came from the doorway. The remaining half of the door panel suddenly shattered, and a horse crashed through into the shop. Its hind legs shuffled in a circle inside the shop, sending tables and chairs crashing down in a clatter. The horse was then immediately dragged by the other three horses and pulled back out the door.

Chen Rulie, still in shock, hid behind a table. After gasping for breath a moment, he realized he no longer had a single weapon on him. Even his Short Blade was gone, he knew not where. Seeing the Roving Bandit's Waist Saber lying by the door, he quickly crawled over and grasped it in his hand.

The sounds of battle outside grew closer and closer. Summoning his courage, he crept to the doorway and peered out. A continuous stream of arrows was raining down, densely studding the backs of those horses and driving the herd even more berserk.

Chen Rulie dared not go outside. From where he stood, he was diagonally facing the window of that two-story building. Three or four cavalrymen were up there shooting arrows. Chen Rulie steadied his gaze and looked closely. To his surprise, he saw Yang Xueshi, who had just drawn his Step Bow.

"Company Commander Yang!" Chen Rulie shouted several times in Excitement, but Yang Xueshi did not hear him.

Chen Rulie stuck his head out of the shop entrance to look. At the street entrance, red headscarves surged like a tide. The street was full of Roving Bandits. They flooded into the street, trampling over the horse corpses. Heads bobbed up and down continuously as all manner of weapons flailed. Horses kept falling. If they were not stopped, they would soon slaughter every last horse.

Chen Rulie did not need to think to know that the dismounted cavalrymen must have been squeezed into the shops by the horse herd and could not assemble to fight. To face those concentrated Roving Bandits in the street, they had to fight in formation. Now, the only place with possibly two Squads was on the bridge surface, since that was the tail end of the horse herd. Yang Xueshi was trapped in that building. Only he, Chen Rulie, could go and organize the soldiers.

Thinking this, Chen Rulie steeled his heart. He plunged into the street with his head down, dodging the horses in the street while braving the rain of arrows. All along the way, he pulled the cavalrymen hiding in the shops out and gathered them toward the bridge.

……

Twang! A bowstring sounded. Outside the street entrance, a Roving Bandit crumpled to the ground at the sound. His scream was swallowed by the shrill background noise, barely audible.

Yang Xueshi swiftly ducked back. Several Light Arrows slanted past him, thudding into the wall planks behind.

Yang Xueshi reached for his arrow case again, but his hand found nothing. The case, which held twenty arrows, was completely empty. Looking at the dense mass of figures outside the building, a surge of Anger rose in his heart. Had he known there would be such easy targets now, he should not have traded shots with those Horse Soldiers on the road, wasting nearly ten arrows.

There were two arrows stuck in the pillar in front of him. He reached out, grabbed an arrow shaft, and wiggled it up and down. The arrow came loose.

He turned sideways and aimed toward the street entrance. An endless stream of Roving Bandits was arriving there. More and more horses were left outside. Startled by the screams of the horses in the street, the mounts without their masters to Watch and Control them fled in all directions. The open field south of Fierce Tiger Bridge was full of galloping, riderless horses.

After this brief delay, just as Yang Xueshi drew his bow again, a Light Arrow suddenly flew at his face. It slashed a gash across his forehead with a whoosh. Yang Xueshi quickly ducked back, his face instantly covered in blood.

From the staircase behind came the sharp clang of clashing blades. Ignoring the need to bandage his wound, Yang Xueshi went to the stairwell. Two cavalrymen were fighting several Horse Soldiers attempting to storm the upper floor. The lead Horse Soldier wielded a Line Spear, its Spearhead already thrusting up onto the floor.

He quickly moved behind the staircase. The Roving Bandit's back was completely exposed. Yang Xueshi drew his bow to full draw. The arrow flew out, the sharp arrowhead burying directly into the Roving Bandit's back.

With a scream, the Roving Bandit lost his footing, flipped over, and tumbled down. The Roving Bandits behind him retreated as well.

Downstairs, horses screamed horribly. Yang Xueshi returned to the window. Hiding behind the pillar, he poked his head out to look. The Roving Bandits had already fought their way right below the building. They crowded the street, trampling over the horses' bodies as they stumbled and staggered, hacking down the remaining horses in the street.

"Stop shooting! There are too many below! Throw things!"

The several cavalrymen in the building put down their bows, grabbed the tables, chairs, stools, and cabinets in the room, and hurled them wildly down from the window into the street. Yang Xueshi found a few potted plants and threw them straight down without even looking.

A continuous string of startled cries rose from below. The densely packed Roving Bandits had nowhere to hide and scrambled into the shops on both sides. Their tight formation scattered, but more Roving Bandits were still pouring in from the rear.

"Company Commander, there's nothing left."

Yang Xueshi turned his head to look. Sure enough, they had nearly thrown everything out. Only a bed remained in the corner of the room.

"Take the bed apart."

The several cavalrymen hurriedly set to dismantling the bed. Taking advantage of this brief lull, Yang Xueshi hid by the window and looked out. The Roving Bandits in the street were shooting back at the upper floor. Now and then, objects like Throwing Axes and throwing blades flew in through the window, banging loudly against the wall planks.

Looking toward the main road to the southeast, riderless horses were everywhere. The Garrison Commander Battalion's infantry formation was advancing tenaciously. As the infantry Vanguard drew closer, the Horse Soldiers encircling them grew fewer and fewer. The Horse Soldiers' will to fight plummeted sharply. They spurred their horses to outrun the infantry, desperate to cross Fierce Tiger Bridge before the Garrison Commander Battalion's infantry arrived.

Some mounted Roving Bandits had already charged into the street. Unwilling to abandon their mounts, they made the street even more congested. The ground was littered with dead horses. The riders on horseback stumbled along at an extremely slow speed, occasionally crashing into the Horse Soldiers on foot and causing even greater chaos.

Those Horse Soldiers on foot cursed loudly. It quickly escalated into violence. They pulled the riders off their horses, and some even began hacking at each other.

More Roving Bandits bypassed the area below the small building and fled toward the bridge. The Government Troops' infantry was getting closer and closer. The Horse Soldiers on the outer edge scrambled to flee for their lives. No one shot arrows anymore. In the widespread panic, the Roving Bandits in the street had no time to finish off the remaining horses. Instead, they squeezed through the gaps one after another, engaging the Garrison Commander Battalion's cavalrymen in a chaotic melee among the horse herd.

The street was littered with corpses, blood flowing like a river. The thick stench of blood could be smelled even on the second floor. The several cavalrymen finished dismantling the bed. Yang Xueshi joined them, and together they hurled the planks and wooden slats down at the street below.

Amid the shouting men and screaming horses, Yang Xueshi wiped the blood from his face. When he looked out the window again, the first infantry Banner Team of the Garrison Commander Battalion was already within two hundred paces.

Looking toward the Bridge Head, at the junction where the street market met the bridge surface — which was also the end of the horse herd — three rows of dismounted cavalrymen in red uniforms stood arrayed in formation, waiting.