Chapter 722

Such a relationship is far more useful to me than being a thousand-commander under Bolhu.

"The Grand General has issued his order—if you refuse to comply, prepare to be dismissed and investigated!"

Disobeying orders on the battlefield is a grave taboo!

"Yes, sir…"

The two thousand-commanders, helpless, ordered the Yuan troops just about to launch their fifth volley of arrows to charge.

528 Revenge! Revenge!

More than two thousand warhorses launched a united charge.

The rumbling sound was nearly like an earthquake.

The charge surged forward like mountains roaring and seas crashing, sweeping toward the Tang Army.

"Hah… these cowardly bastards are coming! Brothers, teach them a lesson!"

The Tang general, far from being alarmed, smiled with delight, raised his long saber, and shouted loudly.

"Tang will prevail!"

These Tang warriors, facing the terrifying charge, also roared out their battle cry.

Tang will prevail!

Regardless of the outcome of this battle, in their eyes, Tang will prevail!

Then, under the command of the Tang general, the Tang warriors formed a circular formation.

They formed their circle with round shields, had no palisades or other cavalry defenses, and possessed few long weapons such as spears or halberds.

The Yuan soldiers at a distance couldn't help but sneer.

To them, this Tang force was virtually one charge away from total collapse.

They dare to laugh!

Then let them taste the sharpness of our curved blades!

As the Yuan cavalry drew nearer, their grim, snarling smiles on the horses' backs were almost visible.

Yet the Tang warriors held their ground, each as still as statues carved from clay.

Are these Tang soldiers not terrified into madness?

The Yuan soldiers, seeing the Tang warriors frozen in place, nearly believed they were paralyzed with fear.

Just as the two armies drew within twenty paces, one Tang warrior suddenly leapt into the air and lunged straight at the Yuan forces.

"Brothers, I go first…"

Boom—

Before the Yuan soldiers could comprehend what had happened, a deafening roar suddenly erupted.

The next instant, the Tang warrior who had leapt into the air turned into a blazing fireball midair.

The fireball blazed with intense light and a tremendous sound.

It left the Yuan soldiers utterly stunned, unable to fathom what had occurred.

Even their warhorses were terrified.

No longer obeying their riders' commands, the horses began to panic and bolt wildly.

The surging charge collapsed in an instant.

"Now! Kill! Avenge our fallen brothers!"

The Tang general at the front roared, raised his long saber, channeled all his true energy, and slashed forward.

With that single slash, a row of bewildered Yuan soldiers had their heads severed and shot skyward.

"Kill!"

"Revenge! Revenge!"

Immediately, countless Tang warriors surged from behind their round shields, transforming into ferocious wolves as they charged at the Yuan forces.

The preceding thunderous explosion and blinding fire had not only left the Yuan soldiers utterly bewildered, unable to comprehend what had happened.

More crucially, it had disrupted their warhorses and shattered their charge momentum.

Behind them, Tang warriors launched a sudden counterattack, hundreds strong under the leadership of their general.

As if aided by divine power, they pierced through both Yuan thousand-man units almost instantly.

Without looking back, they pressed onward toward Bolhu's central command camp.

As for the two pierced Yuan thousand-man units, their fighting spirit had vanished; those still willing to fight were mostly unable to continue.

They had to calm their panicked horses and could not possibly return to battle anytime soon.

"Damn it, damn it…"

Beneath his banner, Bolhu saw everything clearly, and flew into a rage.

He never imagined that his two fresh thousand-man units, vastly outnumbering the enemy,

would be crushed by Tang soldiers who had guarded Yanmen Pass for seven days and seven nights, utterly exhausted.

A single cavalry charge against infantry ended in catastrophic defeat—the Tang broke through their formation and now charged straight toward his central camp.

Though the Yuan losses in this clash were not especially heavy,

these two thousand-man units were clearly out of action for the foreseeable future.

"Grand General, did the enemy deploy gunpowder?"

One of his bodyguards asked at this moment.

Though Jiuzhou reveres martial prowess above all, Daoist Priests remain numerous.

Martial Daoist Priests naturally seek immortality through martial cultivation.

Yet many possess poor martial aptitude, or have simply reached the limit of their Wu Gong advancement.

These people would find ways to progress from other sources.

For example, alchemy!

After all, even the Dao of Heaven has elixirs like the Eternal Youth Pill and the Mythic Breakthrough Pill, among many others tied to cultivation.

And the top power in the Nine Provinces even has an Elixir Tower!

Thus, many Daoist Priests across the land engage in alchemy.

While martial training requires talent, alchemy demands even more.

Many Daoist Priests failed to brew elixirs aiding cultivation, yet accidentally brewed gunpowder instead.

These matters had long circulated among the Three Imperial Dynasties.

Yet gunpowder's power might be somewhat useful against those below the Earthly Immortal Realm.

But once one enters the Earthly Immortal Realm, they fear no gunpowder.

Thus, though gunpowder existed, it had long been neglected over the years.

Who knew that during this Tang Army's desperate counterattack, someone carried gunpowder?

Even this Tang soldier embraced gunpowder and detonated it while charging headlong into the Yuan cavalry.

As a result, Yuan cavalry horses unaccustomed to gunpowder's blast were immediately disoriented, their combat effectiveness plummeting.

"It must be…"

Bolhu, as a great general of the Great Yuan, naturally knew of gunpowder; after a moment's thought, he nodded in agreement.

"Should we send two more thousand-man units, this time using mounted archery to harass the enemy?"

The bodyguard asked tentatively.

He was the commander of the bodyguards, and had an extremely close relationship with Bolhu, which allowed him to offer opinions on tactics.

"Hmm…"

Bolhu considered: his vast army had rarely trained against such an obscure weapon as gunpowder.

If he now ordered another cavalry charge, and the Tang Army repeated this tactic…

It might not inflict heavy losses on the Yuan forces, but it would severely damage morale.

A single gunpowder blast could render one or two thousand-man units combat-ineffective for a time!

Just as he was about to affirm the bodyguard commander's suggestion, he saw the Tang Army charging to within a thousand paces of the camp.

His mind shifted again.

If the Tang Army reached the edge of the central command camp—even breached its palisade—it would be his greatest humiliation.

Mu Huali, General Zhebie, even that traitor Chi Laowen, if they learned of it, would laugh at him as weak and easy to bully.

Thinking of this, he instantly changed his mind,