Chapter 1045: with translation of chapter title

Song Bo was very angry.

They had often beaten the Qiang people, renowned for their archery under heaven, but they had not readied bows and arrows for this fight; consequently, Chen Wuji was the first to employ them.

You treacherous dog!

Watching his subordinates fall like wheat stalks, one after another, shot from their horses, Song Bo decisively abandoned his curved blade and picked up a bow and arrow.

At the outset he did not choose to use bows and arrows not because he wanted some fair, honorable horseback duel, but because his troops had marched eighty li in a forced march and immediately charged into battle, unable to steady their bows; it was simply better to fight with swords on horseback.

He knew that Da Yu's soldiers were not skilled in horse archery, and he saw no bows among this cavalry, so he confidently assumed they lacked bows and could safely engage them in melee.

But he never imagined that these bastards had no bows, yet they possessed crossbows!

"Damn it, I'm really addled today!" Song Bo cursed, then ordered his troops to give chase; casualties no longer mattered, the enemy's arrows were so thick that one even struck his buttock, and death had become commonplace.

After a brief clash, it turned into a chase of you after me.

Still, Chen Wuji fled while Song Bo led a vast multitude of ten thousand cavalry in frantic pursuit.

But they hadn't even run five li before the gap instantly widened.

Song Bo's mounts could not endure; many warhorses frothed at the mouth and their hooves trembled from exhaustion.

At a steady pace, this distance is nothing for the endurance of the Uyghur warhorses.

Yet they marched at speed in a charging posture.

It was a full eighty li, and most of that route was mountainous terrain, traversed on horseback.

Even the hardiest warhorses could not withstand such strain.

Song Bo watched the backs of Chen Wuji's cavalry recede, and he gradually eased his pace.

Well then, if we can't catch them, the Great King certainly won't behead me for this!

He had already prepared to order a tally of losses and head back, but at that moment the figures of Chen Wuji's cavalry reappeared in his sight, and they turned about, launching a horse‑spear counter‑attack.

Damn it, you're going too far! We workers were ready to let you go, and yet you return!

Song Bo flew into a rage and ordered his men to form an arrow formation on the spot.

The Uyghurs' mounted arrow formation was learned from Da Yu, derived from his most ancient chariot arrow formation; it later became a signature tactic of Uyghur cavalry, and in their battles against the Qiang people it left the Qiang suffering greatly.

The black cavalry surged forward like a rolling flood, drawing ever nearer in his view.

Song Bo stood in the formation, knife in hand, eyes blazing, constantly calculating the distance between the two sides.

He intended to utterly annihilate this reckless enemy beneath their invincible arrow formation.

Before the order to release arrows could leave his lips, countless black, spark‑spitting iron lumps suddenly flew in from afar.

Song Bo's eyes widened in shock!

He slapped himself hard across the face, then, with his cheeks burning, he bellowed a retreat, wildly reined his horse about, and bolted backward at full speed.

He truly deserves to die!

How could he forget that Chen Wuji also possessed the terrifying Shocking Heaven Thunder, a weapon of mass destruction?

That damned thing—why does he still alone hold the secret formula for the Shocking Heaven Thunder?

With so many spy and jianghu forces in the world, how could they fail to obtain the secret of the Shocking Heaven Thunder? Sweet rain, oh dear!

Boom!

Boom!

The roar of the Shocking Heaven Thunder echoed across the hills and fields, black soil, green grass, and red blood mingling together in clusters, like splendid fireworks rising from the earth.

Song Bo practically dragged his troops away, retreating three or four li while stumbling and crawling.

Upon turning to count, he found that over forty percent of his ten thousand cavalry had been lost.

The initial arrow rain had killed few—perhaps not even a thousand.

Most perished in the recent Shocking Heaven Thunder strike.

The Shocking Heaven Thunder, a weapon coveted by many, is inherently a massive killer; cavalry encountering it are especially vulnerable, for the mere sight and sound of it terrify even the gentlest warhorses into madness.

Song Bo suspected that only a few were actually killed by the Shocking Heaven Thunder itself, while the majority died from being trampled by panicked horses.

But he lacked the courage to investigate further.

What should have been a sure‑win pursuit turned into this disaster; returning now, he is essentially as good as dead.

Deputy General walked over with a grim face, "General, we... are we still chasing?"

Song Bo wiped his face impatiently, "Old Shi, your question is unnecessary; now it's not about whether we chase or not, but whether Chen Wuji is willing to let us go."

"Don't keep thinking about how to chop Chen Wuji's head off while chasing him; think about how to defend and save our necks. They have one person with two mounts; we can't catch up or outrun them; now they hold the advantage."

Deputy General fell silent for a moment, then said, "General, I actually... had this feeling from the start; it seems they were just leading us on, deliberately trying to drain our stamina."

Song Bo snapped his gaze up, locking onto the deputy general, "Old Shi, you can say that to me, but I advise you not to say it outside; your feeling is surely wrong!"

Deputy General startled a moment, nodded, "Yes, I really was talking nonsense."

Hmm.

Deputy General saw Song Bo fall silent into thought, couldn't help but ask anxiously, "General, what should we do? Perhaps we should retreat and send for reinforcements?"

"Reinforcements? We have ten thousand cavalry chasing Chen Wuji's mere few thousand, yet we end up retreating and asking for help—how would the Highness and the Left General view that? What would they think?" Song Bo, like a mouse stepped on its tail, his voice shot up.

Deputy General lowered his eyes, voice low, "General, we've trapped Chen Wuji, but he holds the Shocking Heaven Thunder, a lethal weapon; our warhorses are startled, and he may have a chance to break out, so I request reinforcements."

Song Bo's heart lurched, "But what if Chen Wuji doesn't chase? If this lie is exposed, neither of us will come out well."

"Reinforcements arrive too late, Chen Wuji breaks through heavily wounded, our forces suffer heavy losses!" Deputy General, without hesitation, immediately came up with a very plausible explanation.

Song Bo's eyes lit up; he slapped the deputy general's shoulders hard, "Old Shi, I never realized you had such stratagems before; you're too modest and low-key—you can't stay like that from now on."

Deputy General chuckled, "Just a spur-of-the-moment idea, General—I also don't want to lose my head. When we marched out, you set up a Military Order before the King. Other military orders can be remedied somewhat, but a Military Order sworn before the King... I truly fear..."

Song Bo's face darkened, "Who would have thought Chen Wuji so crafty... well, quickly arrange for someone to go ask the Highness and the Left General for reinforcements."

Yes!

Song Bo had just sent someone back to the Lìng to request reinforcements when the sight of Nan Jun Cavalry appeared.

"General, they're here!" the deputy general shouted.

"Circular arrow formation! Don't be living targets!" Song Bo ordered urgently.