Chapter 916

First Volume, Chapter 916: The Situation Is Hard to Change

Facing the curses, the Garrison Deputy General's eyes showed not the slightest ripple; he sneered coldly: "Traitor? Lü Li ignored state policy, pursued personal vendettas, even betrayed the nation, turning us into meaningless cannon fodder—he is the traitor!"

This battle, planned with intent against unprepared foes, lasted only a short while, ending within the time it took to drink a cup of tea.

The Garrison Deputy General immediately ordered the corpses of Lü Family's personal guards stacked before the formation, then divided all soldiers into two columns, lining the left and right to clear the Official Road.

Meanwhile, the cavalry previously dispatched had encountered Ning Hu's reinforcements.

To rush to Qin Feng's aid, Ning Hu charged forward in one-Strike Victory fashion, without pause—not even stopping for food or water—and discarded two warhorses in succession, barely reaching Qingshan County by switching mounts.

At this moment, Ning Hu's eyes were bloodshot, filled with rage, his lips murmuring constantly: "Brother Qin, hold on!"

"If anything happens to you, I swear I'll lead my comrades straight to the Di Royal Capital and slay the Di King, that dog!"

At that moment, the forward scouts reported: over one hundred enemy cavalry were maneuvering on both flanks, preparing to ambush and block.

Ning Hu did not hesitate; he decisively waved his hand, and fifty Beixi cavalry surged from each flank, charging directly toward the enemy cavalry attempting ambush.

Though they had switched to spare horses, their mounts, worn from prolonged galloping, were too exhausted to catch the enemy cavalry—these hundred Beixi cavalry's mission was to disrupt the enemy's ambush rhythm, preventing them from easily approaching the main force.

Ning Hu's only goal was to reach Qin Feng's side as quickly as possible.

"Listen up, every last one of you! Anyone who stands in our way—no matter who they are—is to be killed without mercy!"

"Even if the Di King stands before you, crush him under your hooves!"

"Lord Qin must not die here—if he does, we are all eternal traitors of Beixi County!"

The hundred Tianji Camp Guards beside him, eyes red, teeth clenched, roared thunderously.

"Rescue Lord Qin!"

"Kill anyone who stands in our way!"

Ning Hu led the hundred Tianji Camp Guards with the freshest mounts, like a sharp blade, driving straight toward Wanggang Village.

Soon after, the forward scouts reported enemy troop movements ahead.

Ning Hu did not hesitate; he immediately ordered all Tianji Camp Guards to draw their halberds and prepare for charge.

Though launching a cavalry charge without caution was a grave military blunder, risking encirclement on all sides, Ning Hu no longer cared—he must rescue Qin Feng.

"Even if the enemy ahead is the Di's elite infantry formation, smash through it in one blow!"

At Ning Hu's roar, the hundred Tianji Camp Guards each unbound their halberds from the sides of their warhorses.

These first hundred Tianji Camp Guards rode in such loose formation precisely because their halberds were too long—these halberds were specially made for cavalry charge, over four meters in length.

The Tianji Camp Guards gripped the halberd at its one-third point, pinning the halberd shaft under their armpits—this allowed the long, heavy halberd to balance itself by its own weight.

The rear portion of the shaft was one point two meters, the front portion three meters; adding the distance from saddle to horse's head—one meter—the true effective killing length of the halberd was only two meters. That's why halberds generally exceed three to four meters—if the shaft were too short, and cavalry could not grip the tail end, the effective length would shrink drastically.

If cavalry used a two-meter halberd, they could only "side-attack"—engaging enemy cavalry in close combat from the flank; attempting a charge with such a weapon would be suicide.

As the dark mass of enemy troops appeared in sight, Ning Hu roared: "Charge!"

One hundred halberds, driven by the momentum of warhorses, surged toward the enemy line.

Meanwhile, the Garrison Deputy General, who had already prepared to surrender, heard the rapid, staccato hoofbeats—his heart leapt to his throat, for the enemy showed no sign of slowing, even launched a charge.

As the distance closed, under the moonlight, the Garrison Deputy General realized in horror: the enemy cavalry held halberds in hand.

"Damn it!"

"Damn those messengers—why didn't they warn Ning Hu that we've surrendered?!"

The Garrison Deputy General's mind flashed with the thought of resistance—but it vanished instantly; his men were Tuntian Soldiers, utterly without morale, incapable of standing against a cavalry charge with halberds—they would break and flee.

The Garrison Deputy General could only grit his teeth and hold firm, hoping the enemy would see his side's lack of hostility.

Ning Hu also noticed something odd: the soldiers formed in two flanks, deliberately clearing the Official Road, and heaps of corpses lay ahead.

Clearly, the enemy had turned against each other and decided to surrender.

But to prevent a Zha Xiang deception, Ning Hu gave no order to slow down—he charged straight ahead along the road.

When reaching the enemy line, the Tuntian Soldiers on both sides, terrified by the charging cavalry, scrambled and rolled away—they had never faced a cavalry charge head-on and could not endure this horror.

Even the veteran soldiers retreated, for they held no Chang Mao or Great Shield and could not stop a cavalry charge.

Ning Hu led the hundred Tianji Camp Guards, galloping past amid the terrified stares of the Tuntian Soldiers, heading toward Wanggang Village five li away.

The Garrison Deputy General exhaled in relief—he had narrowly escaped death.

But the Garrison Deputy General did not delay; he immediately shouted orders: "Follow Ning Hu! We now have our chance to redeem ourselves by suppressing the rebellion!"

The Garrison Deputy General decisively switched sides, turned his horse, and charged toward Wanggang Village.

Meanwhile, the hundred-plus cavalry on reconnaissance were entangled with Beixi cavalry, chasing and retreating, fighting as they moved.

Only when a messenger ran up and told them the Garrison Deputy General had defected, the Lü Family's personal guards were slain, and they now aided Ning Hu in retaking Wanggang Village, did the enemy cavalry finally awaken.

They all halted combat, signaling surrender to the Beixi cavalry.

The Beixi cavalry did not waste words; they ordered the enemy cavalry to dismount and prove their sincerity. Once the enemy cavalry dismounted and dropped their weapons, the Beixi cavalry commander gave no hesitation—he immediately ordered: kill them all.

"Leave none alive!"

The enemy cavalry, stripped of warhorses and weapons, could not resist the Beixi cavalry's repeated charges; amid screams and curses, every single surrendered enemy cavalryman was slaughtered in an instant.

The Beixi cavalry slaughtered them ruthlessly—first, fearing Zha Xiang, second, to avenge their ambush and killing of Qin Feng!

In this pitch darkness, kill them and no one will know what they truly were.