Chapter 741: The Obsession of the Wolf Qiang

"No no no, uncle, I can't listen to you this time!"

"Shi Er's eyes were suffused with bloodshot veins, his expression gloomy and stubborn."

"\"Shi Er! \" his uncle roared, \"Your reason has been crushed by defeat; you are the last pride of our Wolf Qiang, you cannot be so muddle‑headed. It's only a loss in one battle, not the end of your life—don't be obstinate, snap out of it. \""

"Shi Er shook his head repeatedly, \"Uncle, I am perfectly clear-headed now, and I know exactly what I'm doing! \""

"\"Uncle, I could become the cost paid in this Great Linglu Clan Interior—you and I both know this is merely a campaign, yet we truly cannot afford to lose, we cannot afford to lose again. \""

"\"Uncle, look back—how many of our Wolf Qiang clansmen remain here? Only these, only these people. If we lose this battle, the alliance will no longer let me serve as Great Linglu. By then, our Wolf Qiang will truly… be completely finished. \""

"Shi Er's uncle said nothing, merely glaring at Shi Er angrily."

"\"Uncle! \" Shi Er shouted, turning his horse's head."

"\"I know Chen Wuji is skilled at using troops, and I know he is indeed step by step setting up Lìng today, trying to drive us to a dead end, to a road of death. \""

"\"But even if there's only a sliver of chance, we must try. As long as we kill him, even if we lose this battle, we will still be victors, and we will be reborn from the ashes in the pile of our clansmen's bones. \""

"\"But Shi Er, we can't win! \" his uncle shouted, his face pained, his voice low."

"\"It's not that I'm boosting his morale and crushing ours; it's that we truly lack this morale today. Chen Wuji fought this battle too cautiously, too meticulously—he almost calculated each of our steps. \""

"\"Those caltrops are blatantly thrown there—this is no accident, it's a blatant insult. They deliberately did this, deliberately letting us see the difficulty and retreat, then counterattack again! \""

"\"They deliberately made this arrangement; what awaits us behind is it a chance for victory? No, it must be a deeper trap that will bury us, bury our great army, bury our entire Wolf Qiang. Believe me, this time you must listen to me! \""

"Shi Er gripped the reins tightly with both hands, his eyes blood‑red as he stared at the caltrops on the ground ahead, then jerked the reins hard: \"Uncle, how about we play it by ear—fight if we can, retreat if we cannot. \""

"His uncle let out a hard sigh, and in an instant it seemed all his strength had drained away."

"Although speaking takes time, in fact Shi Er's argument with his uncle was only a brief moment."

"Finally having decided on a direction, Shi Er led his troops in a circle on the spot, then turned back to charge at Chen Wuji's infantry."

"The army had just begun a slow jog when a sudden change occurred."

"Warhorses neighed as they collapsed one after another to the ground, or fell directly into the pits, where the sharpened bamboo poles thrust upward pierced their bodies."

"\"There's a trap! \" his uncle shouted."

"At that very moment, his mount also suddenly staggered forward on its forelegs."

"Shi Er, quick‑eyed and quick‑handed, grabbed his uncle and hauled him onto his own warhorse, shouting, \"Chen Wuji, you damn bastard! I will kill you! \""

"\"Shi Er, conserve your strength, first find a way to escape! \" his uncle reminded loudly."

"Just then, a dense Arrow Rain suddenly flew from different angles in the thick forest."

"These arrows came in disarray, as if the entire mountainside were scattered with them—here a patch, there a handful."

"Shi Er's cavalry were struggling against the caltrops and traps, trying to flee this dangerous zone, when a sudden Arrow Rain struck them again, catching them off guard."

"Warhorses and men fell one after another."

"Of course, some people had several arrows stuck in them yet still ran at full speed."

"On the battlefield, anything novel could be seen."

"Wave after wave of Arrow Rain flew out; in the following roughly two ke (two quarter‑hours), the whole hilltop heard only the sound of arrows piercing the air, with not a single person in sight."

"Two ke was not the limit of arrows in the mountains, but the time it took Shi Er to lead his troops charging out of this trap."

"He left behind thousands of corpses, finally breaking free of that area."

"Shi Er's eyes again burned with fury."

"He was nearly driven mad with rage, his heart feeling as if it had been stabbed countless times."

"That couldn't even be called dripping blood—it was practically a river of blood."

"\"Uncle, your judgment is wrong—it's not that Chen Wuji has some deeper trap behind him. \" Shi Er said through gritted teeth, \"Those blatant caltrops are simply a feigned Mi Zhuang, meant to conceal a trap. \""

"Shi Er's uncle now had no energy left to speak."

"He was very tired."

"\"Go! \""

"Shi Er reined in his warhorse, glaring fiercely at the pursuing troops of Chen Wuji arriving late."

"\"Uncle, our fate rests on this one attempt! \" Shi Er said in a low voice."

"Break through them and kill Chen Wuji, or be buried here forever."

"Only these two choices remained."

"He now only wanted to make a choice between these two options."

"Fleeing for his life—forget it, he couldn't even be bothered to think about it."

"Although his uncle's words made perfect sense, Shi Er also knew that, indeed, it really was like that."

"But he didn't want to think about it."

"At Shi Er's command, the exhausted army reorganized its assault formation and charged again."

"After sprinting no more than a hundred and ten paces, the scene just witnessed suddenly replayed."

"Moreover, this time the fall was even harder."

"A warhorse that suddenly collapses in a headlong gallop can fling its knight several dozen feet away."

"Shi Er completely broke down."

"\"Damn it, damn it! Another trap! \""

"Yes, unfortunately they turned a circle and stepped into the trap again."

"Moreover, this time it was even worse."

"The pit here was dug much larger than the one over there—one fall and five or six horses would drop in at once."

"Shi Er just watched helplessly as his warriors fell one after another like dumplings into a pot, finally having their lives taken by those sharp bamboo spears."

"Once again the mountains rang with the sharp sound of something tearing through the air."

"Whoosh! whoosh! whoosh!"

This time it was somewhat different; it wasn't arrows, but crossbow bolts.

The soldiers hiding within could also see it.

They hid at the mountain's base, using bushes and tree trunks to conceal their figures.

Crossbow bolts are short and compact, yet their power is sufficient.

Especially at this not-so-distant range, these crossbow bolts can unleash their full power.

Even unarmored soldiers could have their chests pierced by a single bolt.

"Shi Er, stop dazing, hurry up—now isn't the time to remember your hatred!" Shi Er's uncle shouted loudly, "There's no chance of victory left; they're about to bag us."

"Once the bag closes, there will be no hope left; I know you have obsession, you have reason. But look back at these clansmen behind you—they all have homes; don't let your momentary obstinacy prevent everyone from returning."

Shi Er jolted awake.

He glanced back at the soldiers desperately struggling against the traps and crossbow bolts, then spurred his horse into a frantic gallop.