Chapter 187: Counterattack

The Nanjiang army pressed hard on their heels.

A Nanjiang general brandished his great blade and shouted.

"Brothers! That surnamed Xu is already wounded! Keep chasing!"

"Take the Da Yin commander alive!"

"Win this battle, and when we get back the Great King will surely reward us handsomely!"

Hearing this, the Nanjiang soldiers grew fired up and chased even harder.

"Charge!"

Talug, however, watched the direction Xu Zhongquan and the others were fleeing toward, his brow tightly furrowed, an inexplicable unease stirring in his heart.

"Wait a moment!"

He reached out and grabbed Shaguna beside him—the very general who had spoken earlier.

"Let's head back instead, be careful of an ambush."

Shaguna thought it over and nodded cautiously.

"What you say does make sense."

Then he turned his head and ordered a small squad of soldiers.

"You lot go chase them! Kill one soldier by the Da Yin commander's side, twenty taels of silver! If you can take the Da Yin commander alive, a thousand taels of gold and a promotion of three ranks!"

Hearing this, every Nanjiang soldier was as if pumped full of fighting spirit, but General Shaguna hadn't picked them, so most could only watch with envious eyes as that small squad chased into the mountain valley.

In no time they had caught up with Xu Zhongquan and the others.

Looking at the surrounded Xu Zhongquan, barely resisting, with several more fresh wounds on his body, Shaguna's face broke into wild, arrogant laughter, and he cast a casual glance at Talug beside him.

"See? You're overthinking it."

Saying so, he flicked his horsewhip, preparing to lead the main force in for the kill.

Talug reached out and stopped him once more.

"But I just feel something's not right."

Slapping his hand away roughly, Shaguna shot him a sidelong glance and spoke in a barbed tone.

"Talug, since when did you turn into a coward?"

He swung his great blade and pointed forward.

"The enemy commander is gravely wounded, right here so close to us, and besides, our numbers are greater than theirs."

"No matter how you look at this battle, we hold every advantage. A golden chance to wipe the enemy out in one net is right before our eyes—why give it up?"

He gave Talug a deep look and snorted, his meaning unreadable.

"If you don't want this merit, then stay right here and wait—don't get in my way!"

Saying so, he kicked his horse hard in the belly and charged to the very front of the troops.

In the dense forest above the mountain valley, a soldier watched the scene below anxiously. Seeing General Xu's wounds piling up one after another, he was frantic with worry.

"Prince's Son, General Xu and the others can't hold on much longer!"

"When do we make our move?"

Cheng Sitao stared fixedly at the situation below, his eyes blazing with fury, but even more with worry, his fists clenched so tight the knuckles bulged white.

"Wait, wait a little longer."

The men down there were sent as a probe; the real big fish were still behind.

It was as if confirming his thought.

The next instant, a cloud of dust billowed up, and the thunderous sound of hoofbeats came rolling in.

"Charge!"

Cheng Chengxuan's right hand lifted slightly, his gaze fixed intently on the man's position.

Once Shaguna led his men into the blast range, he seized the moment and brought his hand sweeping down hard.

The counterattack begins!

Almost at the same instant, a rain of arrows trailing sparks rained down in unison—some struck the Nanjiang soldiers besieging Xu Zhongquan's group, some thudded into the grass, beside the dirt mounds…

Receiving the signal, while the Nanjiang men were in chaos, Xu Zhongquan and his group hurried deeper into the mountain valley.

Talug, who had stayed behind in place, also sensed something was wrong and hurriedly shouted after them.

"Come back, come back quickly!"

But it was already too late. Arrows trailing flames struck the ground, and soon ignited the fuse left exposed. In just a few breaths, the gunpowder was lit.

"Boom—"

"Boom!!!"

"……"

The gunpowder buried in different spots was detonated one after another.

The Nanjiang soldiers' screams were drowned out by the deafening explosions.

Talug could only clutch his head and crouch awkwardly behind a large boulder, watching helplessly as it all unfolded.

He stared in horror at the severed limbs blown over from not far away.

What were those?!

Had they drawn down heavenly thunder and earthly fire?

Since when did Da Yin have such a fearsome weapon?

Severed limbs and broken bodies covered the ground. Many soldiers had their throats slit or bodies pierced by shards of jars blown apart by the blast, dying on the spot.

Many soldiers writhed back and forth on the ground, trying to ease the searing pain on their bodies; others curled up on the ground, wailing in agony…

A bloody smell, laced with the stench of burning and a sharp, acrid odor, lingered around his nose, growing thicker and thicker, refusing to dissipate for a long time.

One scene after another made Talug's eyes blaze with fury.

Gradually, the explosions stopped, but the howling and cries of pain grew louder and louder.

A large contingent of the Cheng Family Army charged down the hillside.

Seeing this, Talug emerged from behind the rocks and shouted at the remaining Nanjiang soldiers.

"Retreat now!"

"Back to camp first!"

After shouting, he swung onto his Horse and didn't even spare a backward glance at Shaguna's condition.

"Everyone hear my order—back to camp!"

The Nanjiang army had long since had their courage shattered by the explosions, fleeing like headless flies.

After having his men seize Shaguna—who had taken an arrow in both legs and lost the ability to move—Cheng Sitao adjusted his mask, gave a hurried order, and led his men in pursuit.

"The rest of you look after General Xu and keep clearing the battlefield!"

Xu Zhongquan clutched his wound and anxiously stretched his hand toward the retreating back, shouting.

"Young M—"

"Be careful!"

With one hand gripping the reins and the other holding his Long Sword, Cheng Sitao leaned his body slightly forward, his sharp gaze fixed dead on the Nanjiang soldiers fleeing in panic ahead, killing intent blazing in his eyes.

Talug!!!

Talug, at the very front, was mentally mapping out the best route when he turned his head and saw the pursuers.

A scheme suddenly came to him.

They had the numbers—why fear just a few ten-thousand pursuers?

Only he wasn't certain whether Da Yin had hidden more of those devastating weapons elsewhere.

Thinking of that rain of arrows trailing flames, his eyes suddenly lit up.

Got it!

Head for the river!

Since they need fire to ignite them, by the river they'll surely have no way to use them!

Thinking this, he steered his Horse onto another path.

Seeing the direction they were running, Cheng Sitao behind them narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Whoa—"

Reluctantly bringing his Horse to a halt, he gestured to the men.

"Halt!"

Seeing they weren't continuing the pursuit, Talug grew all the more certain of his guess and kept running toward the river.

He hadn't been happy for long before, for no apparent reason, a large flock of birds in a nearby grove was suddenly startled into flight.

A vast, dark mass of them in the sky.

The Horses ridden by the Nanjiang soldiers pawed the ground in agitation, and no matter how they were cursed or whipped, they refused to take another step forward.

Talug warily surveyed his surroundings, his Adam's apple bobbing as he nervously swallowed.

For some reason, his hair stood on end, his whole body trembling, the hairs on his back bristling.

Something's wrong here!

The Horses' unease finally spread to the Nanjiang soldiers, who were still in a state of terror.

The men gripped their weapons tightly, faces full of panic.

The next second, a long howl rang out from nearby, one that made all who heard it tremble with fear:

"Aow—"

Immediately after, the trees and undergrowth around them shook as one Tiger after another charged down the hillside.

"Aow!"

In an instant, tiger roars rose one after another.

"Tigers! Run!"

"Help!"

Sensing danger, the Horses lost control and began charging wildly; nearly every soldier on their backs was thrown off, and many on the ground were sent flying as well.

The Nanjiang army was nearly thrown into total chaos—men and Horses tumbling together.

Talug barely managed to control his mount and roared at the men.

"No one panic!"

"It's just a few Tigers! With so many of us, are we to fear a few… a few dozen beasts?!"

Damn it!

What rotten luck—how did they happen to run into a Tiger pack out hunting?

But the next second, Talug realized just how naive and simple his thinking had been.