Chapter 140: Breakout (Four)

Wei Ke Na and the others heard that the main army had been completely wiped out, their hearts jolted—they never imagined they would lose so quickly; just moments ago on the mountaintop there were still five or six hundred men, and in only ten or so minutes not a single soldier remained. Knowing they had always had full confidence in the strength of their clan leader, Ne Sa, and had survived many dangers under her leadership, keeping the clan safe.

"Have you seen our clan leader? She's wearing purple clothes." Wei Ke Na asked urgently.

Rui Tong's face sank, and she slowly nodded.

"How is she?"

"She……she was the last to fall, surrounded by several hundred tree elves, struck by more than ten arrows yet still holding on—unfortunately, her helpers were too few……she was very brave……" Rui Tong saw a hint of despair in their eyes, hoping to comfort them, though at this point saying anything would be useless.

Many dark night elf warriors, upon hearing the grim news of their clan leader's death, felt the last shred of hope shatter; their resolve collapsed instantly, their weapons slipped from their hands and fell to the ground as they knelt there.

Now surrounded by enemy forces, we must not let them lose their fighting spirit at this moment. Li Bucai shouted loudly: "Is this what you call dark night elves? Where is your unyielding spirit? Are the brave and battle‑skilled dark night elves just going to be **** like this? Your clan leader has already died heroically for your survival; now your bodies are the hope of the dark night elves. If you do not pick up your weapons and fight desperately against your enemies now, then from this day forward there will be no dark night elves left in this world—pick up your weapons!"

"But……the clan leader herself isn't a match for them, how……how can we possibly break out?"

"Even if we cannot break out, as a brave nation we ought to die on the road of charge, not like now, laying down our weapons to be slaughtered! If we surrender now, can we face our ancestors? Death is death either way—now, those who wish to avenge our goddess, those who wish to avenge our clan leader, those who wish to avenge our clansmen, pick up your weapons and follow me out!"

As soon as these words were spoken, they ignited everyone's anger; they all seized their weapons, raised their right arms and shouted loudly: "Break out, avenge the goddess, avenge the clan leader, avenge our fallen sisters!"

At this moment, it seemed as if this person before them had become their new leader; everyone gathered around Li Bucai, no longer distinguishing kin from non‑kin.

Li Bucai waved his hand, the crowd fell silent, and he said: "We are here to avenge the tree elves, not to bring about our own destruction. Now they intend to encircle us and wipe us out; we cannot let them have their way. Follow me to break out of the encirclement, regroup, and then we will settle the score with them."

The crowd echoed in unison: "We will not let them have their way; we will break out of the encirclement, regroup, and settle the score with them."

He then led the troops toward the southeast.

The first wave of tree elf forces came from due east; the second and third waves swept toward the south; to the north lay He Rui Peak. Li Bucai intended to lead the men through the gap between the two waves and then proceed.

After traveling one li, Wu Zhuoyue reported: "My lord, the eastern and southern forces have spotted us and are converging, trying to cut off our retreat. The two forces together number 2000 troops."

Li Bucai could already see those two forces in the distance; they were still five li away from this side.

The Young Marshal said: "They outnumber us greatly—we have only about 300 men. It would be better to turn back and seek the goblin route through the valley, breaking out from there."

Li Bucai nodded: "Indeed we cannot clash head‑on, but the beacon fires have been burning for nearly half an hour; our cavalry will arrive shortly. If we now change direction, the cavalry will be caught between the two forces and annihilated. We must think of a way to break out from the front, send a few men to meet the cavalry, and join up with them."

The Young Marshal did not object.

Li Bucai immediately commanded the troops to feign a slow advance toward the southeast.

Seeing the enemy forces change direction, the two converging armies split—one turned toward the foot of He Rui Peak, the other pressed forward from the southeast. Their march was slow, intending to wait for the other three forces to appear before tightening the encirclement.

"Southeast direction has 1300 men, why does the east have only 700? You say this force is the most elite, or is there some plot?" The Young Marshal felt the disparity in numbers between the two enemy forces was strange.

Li Bucai replied: "If it were you, which route would you choose as the breakthrough point?"

"The one with more troops."

"Why?"

"A tough bone usually tastes better; if we can break through the larger force, it will more easily shake their morale."

"That makes sense—let's use the southeast as our breakthrough point, how about that?"

Rarely having his suggestion accepted, the Young Marshal said happily: "I'll lead the way, you cover the rear?"

"They are all archers; a moment's carelessness will cost us our lives."

The Young Marshal snorted dismissively: "You're afraid I'll steal your credit and ruin your efforts to win hearts?"

Li Bucai gave a faint smile, did not answer her, and said: "We are breaking out; the first charge must carve a gap. Do you see that person in pink clothing in the formation?"

"I see them; likely their commander."

Li Bucai halted the troops: "I will send you there; combine your five forces to take her down quickly, then charge out to meet the cavalry."

"You mean just me and my four subordinates will break out? What about you?"

"Judging the situation, the enemy will not yet have formed a solid battle line. I will hold them here for a while, waiting for you to bring the cavalry, so we can coordinate inside and out." If we simply charged out like this, with fewer than 300 men, we might break out but fewer than a hundred would survive; Li Bucai did not want excessive casualties.

"Alright, let's plan first—I'll lure the cavalry over, then decide which route to strike."

"Go around to the other side of the mountain and hit the rear force."

The Young Marshal nodded.

Li Bucai immediately handed command to Wu Zhuoyue, ordering her to keep the dark night elves in position, leading Yin Ji, Yan Ji, and the Young Marshal together with five others to rush quickly toward the southeastern enemy force.

When they advanced to within arrow range, Li Bucai ordered Yin Ji and Yan Ji to lead the way, drawing enemy fire; a rain of arrows fell like dark clouds. The two relied on their spear‑ and stab‑proof bodies, deflecting the arrows as they charged forward, drawing the attention of many enemy archers. Seizing the opportunity, the remaining few surged into the crowd; once inside, the enemy archers found it hard to shoot. As people closed in, Li Bucai and the Young Marshal split left and right, flashing past beside Yin Ji and Yan Ji, and executed a "Qinglong Tail Sweep," instantly sweeping away a large group of enemies.

"Stay with me." Li Bucai said, then unleashed two consecutive "Stab of the Gust" attacks, carving a gap through the dense enemy formation and charging straight toward the enemy commander in the center.

Seeing the enemy general approach, the tree elf commander's eight guards closed in. Li Bucai alone held off the eight, shouting: "The chance has come—now it's your turn!"

The Young Marshal and the five others responded, leaping over their heads and straight for the enemy commander……