Chapter 268: Charge
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
The warhorses trotted through the meadow without encountering any resistance. Then they galloped through the woods, and the Golden Roc Fort camp that was at the entrance of the valley came into sight.
The swordsmen were arranged in groups of four to five, with the Dragon King at the forefront. A weapon carrier was behind him while the others following closely behind him. They were carrying a makeshift Black Blood Flag that was made from long robes.
The warhorses neighed with uneasiness. They were heavily breathing as their hooves dug deep into the ground and loosened the soil. They were fully rested and were waiting for their owners to loosen the reins for them to run wild.
The machetemen had been binge drinking for two days. In this remote and backward place, they could only find enjoyment from drinking superb wines. The enemy was far away, so why not enjoy themselves a little?
Fighting for life and death, was it all not for this? Several machetemen woke up early with hangovers. They hazily saw a group of men who were at a far distance away from the camp. "Hey, more have come again. If we don't take them down, then we aren't manly men."
A thin layer of smog was shrouding the area all around them, and the black flag that was slightly flying in the morning breeze seemed to go unnoticed. "Who are they? They don't look like machetemen from the city."
Gu Shenwei sheathed his saber. This type of saber was too short and was unsuited for riding into battle on horseback. He pulled out a guardian saber from the weapon carrier's back. Its length was five foot and four inches, and its handle was nearly one foot long.
He looked back at his soldiers. No matter how many shortcomings these swordsmen had, they were born and bred warriors: eager to fight, eager for blood, eager for glory, and there was no need for words to motivate them. He only needed to point them in the direction of the enemy.
He patted the horse's buttocks with the saber, and the warhorse spread its four hooves and gradually accelerated toward the enemy camp.
The sounds of horse hooves galloping forth became clearer and finally woke up the few machetemen that got up early. They hadn't even had their trousers on, so they frantically ran to their tents to get dressed. Heart tearing, lung spitting screams rippled throughout the camp, "The Dragon King is coming!"
"Kill--" Gu Shenwei's high-pitched roar drowned out the outcries within the camp. The ending syllable prolonged, and gradually became a clear whistle. The swordsmen cracked their horsewhips, and the excitement that had been suppressed within their hearts were crying out like roaring thunder.
The machetemen who were still in their sleep suddenly woke up and heard the sounds of their enemy's ambush. They felt that they were completely surrounded. Most people didn't even bother to pick up their sabers. They rushed out of their tents only to be completely confused and disoriented, before fleeing in all directions.
This was the creed of machetemen: Grab all the merits when you can, but run when you encounter danger. A dead macheteman can never make money, but a living macheteman, no matter how cowardly they are, can always be hired.
Gu Shenwei knew their temperament well.
The cavalry brandished their heavy swords like huge pikes, as they deeply pierced into the camp of the Golden Roc Fort. The tents were torn like skin, and blood was splashing around like the frantic crowd.
They charged all the way to the end of the camp before immediately turning their horses around with Gu Shenwei leading the assault. This charge was perfect, the swordsmen strictly adhered to the Dragon King's orders and there were no stragglers at all. Only a few people's warhorses were tripped over, but they continued to swing their heavy swords to kill the enemies as they followed the Dragon King's Black Blood Flag on foot.
The first round of the charge tore the camp in half. After turning around, the second round started from east to west, but the tents in this path were more condensed.
A group of shadowy figures that Gu Shenwei was familiar with came out of a tent in front of him. It was a small number of people and their slender bodies were fully clothed in black. The iconic brown belts were attached to their waist and their faces were covered. Each person was holding a saber in their hands.
This was a group of more than 30 brown belt killers. They were slightly higher in rank than the apprentices but they have yet to accomplish the title of official killers.
At this moment, Gu Shenwei understood the strong fighting desires of the Great Snowmountain swordsmen. Seeing the men in black wielding their sabers, his first reaction was to switch to the Five Peaks Saber, jump off his horse, and contest with his juniors.
However, he was no longer a killer. Instead, he was the Dragon King who was leading an assault battalion of more than one hundred people.
"Kill--" He screamed again. The swordsmen's shouts were higher and longer lasting than the first time. Their heavy swords cut down and, as long as something was blocking their path, they would be cut into two. It didn't matter if it were people or objects.
This was the first time these teenage brown belt killers had encountered this kind of battle. How did their training compare to these opponents? They had never seen the fierce cavalry that had flooded in. If they were experienced old killers, they would have run faster than the machetemen and judge the situation from afar until it was safe for them to turn around. Unfortunately, these teenagers were hesitant between greeting the enemy and fleeing from the enemy.
The galloping warhorses didn't give them time to think. Hundreds of iron hooves slam the lives and dreams of the brown belt killers into the dirt. Some people leaped high and collided into the dense forest of swords. It was a scene of a lonely boat being swallowed by giant waves.
Gu Shenwei saw that a few swordsmen had fallen off their horses, but he did not lead the team to rescue them. Instead, he once again changed direction and rushed toward the west of the camp.
After three assaults, the sky was completely bright. There were more than a hundred swordsmen riding behind the Dragon King. The dozens of swordsmen on foot could not catch up with the Black Blood Flag, so they wielded their heavy swords and chased after the machetemen who had not been able to run away.
A great number of machetemen had escaped; only a few were able to mount their horses while others had fled on foot.
The camp was a complete mess, and it looked as if a hurricane had swept by. Gu Shenwei continued to chase the fugitives, but the battle was not over yet. The number of people from Great Snowmountain was too small to completely eliminate the enemy, but they were capable of killing as many as possible, and thus, instilling great fear into Golden Roc Fort.
The fleeing machetemen knew that the safest direction to run toward is the east. Dozens of horsemen in the forefront ran ahead a few miles, and a group of swordsmen on foot was killed in their spurs. The swordsmen, who were already impatient, were hot on their tail and became irritated the screams of their comrades that were cut down.
Fifty stalks of the heavy swords cut down, and only a few people made it out on horseback. Most of the others were killed and only a few had resisted.
Most of the feeling machetemen had no intentions to fight. In spite of their greed for money: those who could run, ran; those who could not run, either plead for mercy or fought for their lives.
When the cavalry led by Gu Shenwei caught up to them, the two sides were already in fierce combat. Gu Shenwei still hadn't dismounted, so he continued the chase until he saw the crossroads at the western boundary of Jade City. He then turned back to kill the overtaken machetemen.
Countless bodies littered along the main road one after the other like a wandering serpent.
The battle ended when he returned to the ambush point of the swordsmen on foot. The 30 or more surviving swordsmen gazed at the corpses and killed those who were still breathing.
Only one wounded person was spared.
This man was dressed in black and he wore a red belt. It was a killer who was rarely seen in the Golden Roc Army.
Shangguan Qingqi's right leg was injured and he could only be supported by his left leg. He leaned forward and stood still. He knew that his life was coming to an end. His heart was a little nervous, and he felt empty inside as if all of his viscera was missing. However, he remained calm with a trace of pride.
His surname is Shangguan, and as a blademaster, he should maintain his dignity in front of a defected killer.
Gu Shenwei returned the long-saber to the Weapon Carrier, dismounted the horse, and the swordsmen gave way to him.
The killer and the blademaster had no contact in the Stone Castle. There was just a very unclear impression of each other between them. Shangguan Qingqi appeared to be somewhat old. His had passed his prime and his instincts had dulled, but his ability to kill was still very good.
Gu Shenwei drew out his saber and walked toward Shangguan Qingqi before stopping five steps away. The blademaster had stood on one leg for a while, causing it to go numb. His body could not help but sway as if it was displaying his weakness. He felt deeply ashamed and said, "Traitor, you will always... "
The saber passed through his throat, which prevented him from completing his sentence.
Shangguan Qingqi covered the wound with his hands, and the blood flowed down the fingers. He didn't feel the pain, but he was becoming colder and colder. His heart sank like a stone falling into the water, and the darkness quickly drowned him.
At the entrance of the Golden Roc Fort camp, dozens of swordsmen placed their heavy swords on the ground and waited for their punishment. They had not followed the Black Blood Flag and had violated the orders of the Dragon King.
"Those who fell down from their horses are acquitted of their crimes." Gu Shenwei forgave everyone. The swordsmen were delighted and immediately picked up their swords. They were not afraid of death, but they were afraid of losing face in front of their companions.
In this campaign: more than 200 Golden Roc machetemen were killed, more than 70 were imprisoned, and hundreds had fled; Half of the camp was still intact with many usable supplies, and Great Snowmountain only lost a little more than ten people. This was a great victory.
The captives were gathered in a pile and their faces paled. The legend of the killings of the Dragon King and the Demon Bird were repeating in their thoughts. Thankfully, there were no dark clouds drifting through the sky this time, so their eyes would be preserved even if they died.
"Go back and tell the Supreme King that I have returned. Tell the machetemen in the city: don't die for money."
The Dragon King threw the head of Shangguan Qingqi at the captives. They almost fainted at the sight, and barely stood straight with each other's support.
The swordsmen gave way, and the captives realized that they had preserved their lives. They trembled in fear as they walked out of the camp slowly, and ran as soon as they reached the exit.
A young swordsman with tears in his eyes came with a brown belt killer's body, and hoarsely said, "Dragon King, this is my brother."
Golden Roc Fort was fond of children from Great Snowmountain. Every year, they would abduct a large number of people and trained them to become killers. Then they would be ordered to kill their former relatives.
"His death was caused by Golden Roc Fort." Gu Shenwei closed the eyes of the corpse and comforted the sorrowful swordsmen. "We will avenge him."
"Revenge! Revenge! "The swordsmen shouted in unison to symbolize the end of the first battle.
Gu Shenwei looked up to the hillside deep in the valley. He also had hatred. It used to be his home. The ruins of the Gu family's manor still stood in the same place.
Three days later, panic spread across the entire Jade City. Golden Roc Fort doubled the salary but they still could not recruit several machetemen.
Five days later, another army arrived. Thousands of people were stationed at the west side of the mountain pass, while the Great Snowmountain had set up camp half a day's distance away. Both sides were very cautious and were busy building strong camps as well as sending out scouts to test each other. No one launch a large-scale offensive.
Gu Shenwei was waiting for the arrival of his main troops, but he wanted to know what Golden Roc Fort was waiting for.
Ten days later, the main force of Great Snowmountain arrived. Fang Wenshi waited for others to join their advance from Shu-lik City. Then, scouts came back with news that Golden Roc Fort's army had also increased in numbers by about three to four thousand.
A great war was brewing. The military counselor Fang Wenshi, despite being covered in dust, asked for a private audience with the Dragon King as soon as he arrived. He didn't like to fight, he really didn't like it at all, so much that he proposed a strategy that everyone could not accept.