Chapter 21: Remnant Soldiers

At first light, the army broke camp and set out.

Shiniu rode a date‑red horse at the front of the column, shouldering the pair of golden hammers.

Morning light fell on the hammer faces, shimmering with a dull gold hue.

Wang Gui rode beside him, gnawing on a dry biscuit as he asked, "Shiniu, how many servings of breakfast did you have this morning…?"

"Six mantou and three bowls of porridge," Shiniu replied honestly.

Wang Gui choked almost, then exclaimed in surprise, "Those… Firehead Soldiers didn't hurry with you?"

"No, General Chang said, I eat as much as I get, enough to fill me." Shiniu grinned as he answered.

From behind came the sound of hooves; Lan Yu spurred his horse forward, his complexion much better than in previous days.

After Chang Yuchun was revived, this hot‑tempered general's gaze at Shiniu changed.

"Shiniu, come here," Lan Yu waved at him.

Hearing that, Shiniu, puzzled, urged his horse forward.

Lan Yu sized him up, then suddenly slapped his shoulder hard, saying, "Good kid… I, Lan Yu, have never submitted to anyone in my life, and now I submit to you!"

The blow was so strong that Shiniu's body didn't even sway.

"I didn't do anything," Shiniu scratched his head.

"Didn't do anything?"

Lan Yu glared, "You saved my brother‑in‑law; that's more important than killing ten thousand Tatars. From now on, you are my brother. Anyone who dares to bully you, I'll skin them!"

Shiniu nodded earnestly, "Hmm, thank you, General Lan."

Lan Yu patted his shoulder again, then spurred his horse away.

Wang Gui leaned in, whispering, "Simpleton, General Lan's words aren't given lightly. He's hot‑tempered but keeps his promises; from now on in the army you'll have a solid backing."

Shiniu didn't quite grasp what "backing" meant, but he thought Lan Yu was a good person.

The column continued onward.

Autumn on the Grassland, the wind carried a chill.

In the distance, herds of wild horses ran, and farther still rose continuous mountain ranges.

At noon, a scout ahead suddenly turned back, his face frantic as he reported, "Report! Thirty Li ahead we've spotted the Yuan army! About two thousand riders heading toward us!"

Lan Yu reined his horse, his expression dark, asking, "Yuan army, where did this Yuan army come from?"

Lan Yu now couldn't wait to see the Yuan army, eager to vent his fury.

He also hoped to avenge his brother‑in‑law properly.

"By the banners, they're remnants of some Northern Yuan tribes! They're looting nearby tribes and happened to run into us!"

Lan Yu turned his head toward the central army.

Chang Yuchun had already spurred his horse forward; though his face was still a bit pale, his spirit was fine: "Barbarians, those defeated subordinates still dare to come?"

He looked at Lan Yu and said, "Take a thousand cavalry and wipe them out."

"Yes!"

Lan Yu clasped his fists, then turned to Shiniu and called, "Shiniu, follow me!"

Shiniu nodded, tightened his grip on the horse's belly, and the date‑red horse surged forward.

A thousand cavalry quickly assembled, racing forward with Lan Yu and Shiniu.

Thirty Li away, the cavalry rode at full speed and arrived in half an hour.

On the horizon ahead, a mass of dark cavalry indeed appeared.

The Yuan army's banners fluttered in the wind, and distant horse whinnies and shouts could be heard.

Lan Yu reined his horse, squinting, "It is indeed a barbarian banner, but just remnants that were driven out of Helin and now surface to loot—asking for death."

He drew his sword, glanced back at the cavalry and said, "Brothers, there are two thousand Tatars ahead, we're a thousand—are you scared?"

"Not scared!" the cavalry roared.

Lan Yu grinned, "Then charge with me! Kill one Tatar, five taels of silver reward! Kill ten, promotion one rank!"

"Kill!"

A thousand cavalry surged like arrows, charging the Yuan army.

Shiniu led the charge. His left hand held the reins, his right arm raised a golden hammer, the head gleaming in the sun.

The Yuan army opposite also spotted the Ming forces and began a full‑unit charge.

The two cavalry units drew ever closer.

Five hundred steps, three hundred steps, one hundred steps…

Shiniu saw clearly the Yuan General at the front.

The man's face was covered in flabby flesh, clad in leather armor, holding a long axe.

"Kill!" the Yuan General roared in Mongolian.

Shiniu didn't understand, but he knew what the opponent intended.

In the instant the two horses crossed, Shiniu's right‑hand golden hammer swept sideways.

No fancy technique, just the simplest slash.

The hammer head, whistling with wind, struck the Yuan General's long axe.

"Clang..."

The massive clang of metal on metal numbed the ears.

The long axe flew from his hand, the Yuan General's palm split, blood gushing.

He hadn't reacted when the hammer head already slammed into his chest.

"Puff..."

The leather armor dents, and the sternum shatters.

The Yuan General is thrown off his horse, spitting a mouthful of blood in the air, and is already lifeless upon hitting the ground.

Shiniu's horse maintains its speed, charging into the Yuan Cavalry formation.

He swings his Double Hammers together, sweeping left and right.

One hammer strikes a Yuan Cavalryman's head, the helmet shatters, and brain matter splatters.

The other hammer smashes a rider's shoulder, crushing both man and armor, and even the warhorse is knocked down.

Shiniu is like a ferocious tiger charging into a flock of sheep; wherever he passes, men tumble and horses overturn.

Jin's hammer is too heavy; a direct hit kills, a graze maims.

With a single clash, seven or eight Yuan soldiers are smashed into the air.

The Ming Cavalry behind stare dumbfounded.

Lan Yu rushes in beside them, slashing a Yuan soldier, and takes a moment to glance at Shiniu; no matter how many times he looks, he feels utterly awestruck.

"This simpleton... truly a monster!"

The Yuan army also spots this dreaded star.

Over a dozen cavalry turn their horses and encircle Shiniu.

Spears, sabers, Wolf Fang Clubs, and various weapons are hurled toward Shiniu.

Shiniu neither dodges nor evades; his Double Hammers spin into a golden circle.

"Clang clang clang..."

The clashing of weapons continues incessantly.

A spear thrusts forward; Shiniu's hammer smacks the shaft, snapping it in two, and the Yuan soldier's arm holding the spear goes numb.

A saber swings in, and Shiniu's other hammer meets it, crushing the saber into a deformed shape that flies from the hand.

A Wolf Fang Club hammers toward the back of Shiniu's head; Shiniu doesn't turn his head, but swings a hammer backward in a sweeping motion.

"Bang!"

The Wolf Fang Club is smashed away, and that Yuan soldier, man and horse together, is jolted back several steps.

Shiniu urges his horse forward, unleashing consecutive blows with his Double Hammers.

Each hammer strike takes a life.

Some have their heads smashed, some have spines broken, some have their chests crushed inward.

Blood blossoms spray, and cries of agony never cease.

In the blink of an eye, the dozen or so Yuan soldiers that gathered become corpses.

Shiniu is drenched in blood, but it is all enemy blood.

He wipes his face, then continues to charge forward.

The Yuan formation is thrown into chaos by his solo charge.

Lan Yu seizes the opportunity, leading the Ming Cavalry in a fierce charge.

One thousand to two thousand, a numerical disadvantage, yet the momentum completely overwhelms.

The Yuan army begins to rout.

Those with little courage turn their horses and flee.

One runs, prompting ten; ten prompt a hundred.

The defeat falls like a mountain collapsing.

Lan Yu roars, "Pursue! Leave none behind!"

Ming Cavalry pursues the fleeing troops; across the Grassland, Yuan soldiers scatter while Ming forces give chase.

Shiniu catches up to a Yuan Hundred Household Officer, and a hammer strikes the horse's hindquarters.

The warhorse whinnies and collapses; the Hundred Household Officer falls, and before he can rise, Shiniu's second hammer is already upon him.

"Spare me..." the Hundred Household Officer shouts in halting Mandarin.

The hammerhead hovers three inches above his head.

Shiniu looks at him and, in a simple tone, asks, "Can you speak Mandarin?"

"Can... can a little..." the Hundred Household Officer's face turns ghastly.

"Why raid the tribe..." Shiniu asks.

Stunned, the Hundred Household Officer didn't expect this dreaded star to ask, stammering, "We have... no grain... the main army dispersed, we can only loot..."

Shiniu furrows his brow and asks, "Loot your own people?"

"On the Grassland... there's nothing to eat, we can only loot..." the Hundred Household Officer replies, his voice trembling.

Shiniu watches him for a moment, then slowly applies force with the hammer in his hand.

"Bang..."

As Shiniu's hammer descends, the Northern Yuan barbarian's head erupts with a thunderous boom, and colorful, mottled matter oozes from his skull.

Lan Yu rides over, looks at the lifeless barbarian, and, out of curiosity, asks, "What did you ask..."

"Nothing! Hehe..." Shiniu replies with a goofy grin, scratching his head.

Lan Yu, seeing this, shakes his head.