bookrandom Chapter 1992: More danger than good
Chapter 1992: More danger than good
The surviving Chu soldiers were stirred by his words and roared in their final fury. Although the roar was not as loud as before, it carried a heart-wrenching tragic grandeur.
Tuowujin, the leader of the Black Wolf Scorpion Clan beside Wang Zhongsi, was already impatient. He was anxious because he had not been able to completely annihilate the Chu army.
Seeing Xue Dingshan's blatant disrespect, he flew into a rage, his beard bristling, and roared, "You sharp-tongued little beast! Since you're so eager to die, then this great king will grant your wish!"
"Send the order: the entire army will advance. Leave no survivors. Slaughter these Chu dogs to the last man, leave not a single one alive!"
"kill--!"
With Tuojin's brutal order, the Tang army and the Scorpion Clan's allied forces finally ran out of patience.
The even fiercer and more frenzied attacks, like a flood bursting its banks, launched a devastating assault on the Chu army's last, crumbling positions.
Arrows rained down like locusts, and swords flashed like snowflakes, instantly engulfing Xue Dingshan and his loyal soldiers.
The final movement of Black River Valley, amidst the clash of blood and steel, played its most tragic finale.
The Black River Valley, this dried-up riverbed has been transformed into a massive whirlpool that devours life.
The pale sunlight shone on the land littered with corpses, weapons, and broken flags, reflecting a chilling light.
The heavy, pungent smell of blood in the air was almost solidified, and every breath carried a salty, rusty stench.
The deafening shouts of battle, the clanging of metal, and the agonizing cries of the dying mingled together.
Like a lament from hell, it echoed repeatedly in the valley, striking the nerves of every survivor.
Xue Dingshan felt as if he had fought in this inferno of blood and fire for an entire cycle.
Each swing of his halberd felt like pulling it out of a viscous swamp; his arm ached, felt heavy, and he almost lost all feeling in it.
That once gleaming divine weapon is now riddled with countless nicks and covered with layers of dark red and black bloodstains, its former sharpness long gone.
His luminous armor was dented and torn in many places, and a deep, bone-revealing wound on his shoulder was still gushing blood, staining the silver armor plates a glaring scarlet.
The Chu soldiers around him suffered even heavier casualties. The originally well-organized circular formation had now been compressed to its limit, like a small boat that could capsize at any moment in a storm.
Few soldiers remained standing; all were wounded, their armor shattered. With their last shred of unyielding will and trust in their commander, they held their shields tightly, mechanically parrying and slashing with their dulled blades and spears.
With each step backward, he stepped on Tong Ze's still-warm corpse.
An atmosphere of despair spread like a plague, and every attack launched by the Tang army and the Scorpion Clan alliance was like a giant wave crashing against a dam on the verge of collapse.
"Protect the general!"
One of the guards shouted hoarsely and shielded Xue Dingshan's flank with his body. He was then pierced by several spears at the same time and died a heroic death.
Xue Dingshan's eyes were bloodshot with rage. He swept his halberd wildly, smashing the Tang army captain holding the spear away, armor and all. However, he himself staggered due to exhaustion and almost fell over.
He leaned on his halberd, breathing heavily, sweat mixed with blood sliding down his forehead, blurring his vision.
Looking at the seemingly endless layers of enemies around him, an unprecedented sense of powerlessness gripped him.
Am I really going to die here today?
Wang Zhongsi stood on a high slope in the distance, calmly surveying the entire battlefield.
The Chu army's resistance had reached its limit. Although the tattered "Xue" banner was still stubbornly flying, it was clear that it could not hold out for much longer.
Xue Dingshan's bravery was indeed astonishing, but that was all.
Faced with an absolute disparity in strength, individual bravery ultimately cannot turn the tide of battle.
He slightly raised his hand, preparing to issue the final order for the all-out attack, to completely crush this tenacious enemy.
However, at this critical moment——
An unusual tremor began to emanate from the ground.
Initially extremely faint, it was almost imperceptible amidst the deafening noise of the battlefield.
But soon, the tremors became more and more obvious and intense, like the rumbling thunder before a summer storm, rolling in from the distant horizon and rapidly approaching!
Not only Wang Zhongsi, but many experienced veterans on the battlefield also sensed this unusual commotion.
The rhythm of the battle paused slightly, and many people subconsciously looked in the direction from which the tremor came—the southeast side of the valley.
On the horizon, a thin black line first appeared, and then it quickly expanded and thickened, transforming into a surging wave!
The figures of countless cavalrymen appeared and disappeared amidst the billowing dust.
Their armor was gleaming, their swords and spears were like a forest, and a crimson Vermilion Bird battle flag fluttered wildly in the wind at the very front of the column!
"Reinforcements! They're our reinforcements!"
A sharp-eyed Chu soldier mustered his last strength and roared, his voice filled with the ecstatic joy of escaping a desperate situation.
This shout was like a spark falling on a barren grassland, instantly igniting the hope in the hearts of all the surviving Chu soldiers!
The morale, which was on the verge of collapse, was miraculously boosted. The remaining soldiers mustered their last strength and fought hard to push back the approaching enemy slightly.
The cavalry was incredibly fast, their hooves thundering, shaking the entire valley.
The leading general, a burly man wielding a thick-backed broadsword, was none other than Guo Feng, renowned for his bravery in the Vermilion Bird Legion!
He led 10,000 elite cavalrymen of the Vermilion Bird Legion, like divine soldiers descending from the sky, and charged fiercely toward the flank of the Tang army and the Scorpion Clan allied forces with unstoppable momentum!
"Report——!"
A scout scrambled to Wang Zhongsi's horse, his face ashen and his voice trembling with urgency.
"Reporting to the commander! A large contingent of Chu cavalry, numbering over ten thousand, has been spotted to the southeast. They are flying the Vermilion Bird banner and are less than five li from here!"
When Wang Zhongsi heard the word "cavalry," his face instantly turned extremely gloomy, and his previous composure and confidence vanished without a trace.
He stared intently at the approaching tide of cavalry, his knuckles turning white from gripping the reins so tightly.
"Cavalry...it's actually cavalry..."
He muttered to himself, his voice low and cold: "Ten thousand infantrymen came last night, and now another ten thousand cavalrymen."
"The Vermilion Bird Legion was able to send 20,000 reinforcements to aid Black River Valley at the same time."
An extremely ominous, even terrifying thought slithered into his mind like a venomous snake, sending a chill down his spine.
He abruptly turned his head, looking towards the direction of Luoxia Mountain, his eyes sharp as knives.
"Helian Wujiu's 40,000 troops are probably... probably doomed!"