knife

Chapter 249 If you can't beat them, you have to run away.

Mr. Jinbao experienced the benefits of being part of a powerful group.

As a former bandit of the fifth rank of Qi Control, he was naturally assigned to the Heavenly Battalion, which was personally commanded by Li Dachui, after being conscripted.

Moreover, they became part of the heavily armored troops charging into battle.

If one is not a martial arts practitioner with a level of Qi control or above, wearing that heavy armor for combat would not last long, and it would also put too much strain on the warhorse.

Therefore, wearing heavy armor signifies that one is a martial arts practitioner with the ability to control qi.

The heavy armor, weighing two hundred pounds, was carried with ease on their bodies, and even their warhorses felt little burden, galloping as fast as the wind.

Before the war started, Jinbao was somewhat apprehensive.

He is essentially a coward who fears death.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have chosen to do business in Tai'an City after the war against the Yan clan ended.

However, even when he goes into business, he is still part of this larger system.

Even after the entire system is fully mobilized, he still can't escape this circle.

But when the battle actually began, he suddenly realized that was all there was to it.

The guy who looked like he was going to be tough was blocked by their leader, Li Dachui.

The loud noise made Mr. Jin, who was speeding past, hear a ringing in his ears.

He thought that if he were to take a blow from this barbarian, he would most likely be beaten until his brains splattered and he died a gruesome death.

With strange thoughts running through his mind, he found himself involuntarily following the other ninety-nine heavily armored cavalrymen as they charged toward the surging Northern Yuan cavalry.

With one blow, a guy on the other side, who was at least a head taller than Jinbao, had his brains splattered and fell off his horse.

It's not that Jinbao himself is particularly capable.
Before Jinbao struck this guy with his stick, the guy had already exchanged blows with one of the heavily armored men in front of Jinbao. The two were evenly matched and both were a little dizzy when Jinbao went up and took advantage of the situation.

The armored cavalry charged forward like a roaring, surging tide, wave after wave, but they never lingered in battle, retreating after a single engagement. Those they couldn't defeat quickly were handed over to their comrades behind them.

Of course, most of the time, they solve the problem completely with one strike.

The light cavalry behind them raised their crossbows, the whirring of which was deafening. These powerful crossbow bolts were a nightmare for the simply armored Xihu cavalry.

The Qin people didn't aim at all; they just fired in a sweeping, saturation pattern.

The Xihu cavalry were quite accurate with their arrows, but most of the time they were unable to break through the Qin soldiers' excellent defenses.

You see a Qin soldier riddled with arrows, yet he's still full of energy and fighting you fiercely.

An Xuan was shocked to discover that his proud subordinates were being pushed around by their opponents.

He was at the forefront.

But even at this point, his men still hadn't caught up. Instead, as far as the eye could see, Qin soldiers dressed in brown robes surged past him like a tide.

This only shows that their own troops are retreating.

But our own troops have even more men!
How could five thousand elite troops be driven back by these small Qin soldiers?
If Li Dachui knew that An Xuan had called them Qin people short, Li Dachui would definitely curse.

In comparison, people inside the Great Qin Pass are shorter than those outside.

However, the men outside the pass were generally over seven feet tall. Six feet was considered short outside the pass, and there were even men under Li Dachui's command who were nine feet tall.

Of course, compared to these Western Hu people, the Qin army was generally inferior in height.

These Xihu people were generally over eight feet tall.

It looks quite scary.

However, it's true that ordinary people with great strength don't suffer losses.

But for martial arts practitioners and warriors, victory or defeat in battle is never determined by height.

Just like An Xuan was a head taller than Li Dachui,

But now he was being hacked at by Li Dachui and was somewhat clumsy.

One cut after another,

Each strike is faster than the last.

What made An Xuan even more upset was that the aura on the opponent's blade changed erratically, sometimes yin and sometimes yang, sometimes soft and sometimes hard. Just when you thought he would deliver a devastating blow, he would give you a gentle, tactile attack. Just when you thought his attack would be sinister, he would send sparks flying.

An Xuan had encountered many opponents stronger than himself, but he had never met one so bizarre.

Moreover, the other party is so young.

Li Dachui became more and more excited as the fight went on, while An Xuan became more and more terrified.

The fangs on his two short-handled spiked clubs had been almost completely shaved off by the opponent's Minghong Blade, making them look like two clothes-beating clubs at first glance.

He couldn't beat them himself, and neither could his subordinates.

What should I do?
The obvious answer is to run.

Forcing a fight has never been a characteristic of the Xihu people. If they can win, they'll wipe them out completely.

If you can't win, run away first.

In order to find an opportunity to start over.

So An Xuan found an opening, turned his horse around, and fled.

In this regard, he is extremely experienced, having been through countless battles.

As the gong signaled the end of the battle, Jinbao breathed a sigh of relief and quickly reined in his horse.

The latter half of the battle became even more difficult for him, as the Xihu cavalry began to scatter, and the armored cavalry of the Tianzi Battalion began to disperse to reap the spoils of war, leaving Jinbao all alone.

Of course, he has his methods.

He didn't compete or fight; he just followed behind an older brother, seizing any opportunity to strike, and protecting the older brother's flanks when there wasn't. As for plundering spoils or making any great contributions, he had no ambition.

He's not short of money.
They didn't want to get promoted or make a fortune.

He came to fight simply because it was an obligation he had to fulfill as a silver medal holder of Tai'an City.

If he fails to fulfill this obligation, he will lose this status.

This was unacceptable to him.

It was earned with my life on the line!

However, being in this group, Jinbao is now brimming with confidence that he will return home safely.

As Li Dachui slowly rode past, Jinbao and the other cavalrymen cheered with raised arms.

Having such a god-like figure on the battlefield is truly wonderful for them.

If Li Dachui hadn't stopped Xi Hu's leader, many of us would probably have died.

Although there have been casualties, they are still within an acceptable range.

At least among the heavily armored cavalry, none died, only were wounded.

"Deputy Protector, why aren't you chasing him?" Zhu Zhe caught up with Li Dachui on horseback, somewhat puzzled. Beating a drowning dog is a tradition in cavalry warfare, and generally speaking, the greatest victory is achieved at this time.

However, Li Dachui called it a day and then withdrew.

"No rush, no rush!" Li Dachui said with a smile, "Don't pursue a desperate enemy. These Xihu people are quite good at individual combat. Don't be fooled by their escape; if it really comes down to a fight, we won't gain much advantage. Their strength lies in individual combat, while our strength lies in group combat. Zhu Zhe, haven't you noticed? Once we start pursuing, we'll lose the advantage of group combat and become individual combat, which will increase a lot of unnecessary losses. It's unnecessary, it's unnecessary!"

Zhu Zhe suddenly realized and cupped his hands, saying, "I understand. Combat cannot be rigid and inflexible; it needs to be tailored to the individual. Different enemies require different tactics!"

“That’s right. In the past, when we fought bandits, the Yan family’s army, and even the Yuan army, we were not at a disadvantage in terms of individual combat. But against these Western Hu people, we can’t gain an advantage in individual combat. Since we can’t gain an advantage, there is naturally no need to fight them head-on!” Li Dachui explained patiently to his young subordinate.

"Thank you for your guidance, young master!" Zhu Zhe respectfully bowed and withdrew.

"Go on, let everyone rest for a while, eat and drink their fill, and then we'll go after them!" Li Dachui laughed. "When the enemy is tired, we attack; when the enemy is stationed, we harass them. We can't let them have it easy!"

"Alright!" Zhu Zhe laughed and rode off.

Watching Zhu Zhe's departing figure, Li Dachui happily dismounted, found a place to sit cross-legged, and carefully pondered the insights he had gained from his fight with An Xuan.

Opportunities to fight to the death with such top experts are actually very rare, so Li Dachui cherishes every single one.

At home, neither Xiao Changche nor Li Kaixin could achieve the same effect as training with him.

Because no matter what, they wouldn't harbor any murderous intent towards Li Dachui. No matter how fierce the fight, the final result would probably just be that they broke a sweat.

An Xuan led his routed soldiers on a wild run for dozens of miles. Only after confirming that the enemy was not pursuing them did he finally settle down. He needed to rest, otherwise his warhorse would not be able to take it.

It's been five days since we set out, and the bag of grain next to the saddle is already half empty.

The key point is that after the first encounter with his opponent, An Xuan had given up hope of winning on his own.

They must move closer to Zhebie in the center to have any chance of turning the tide.

An Xuan now believes that the Anxi Protectorate has definitely abandoned the central battlefield. They must be concentrating their forces to attack the two flanks, defeating the troops on both flanks first, and then going to fight Jebe in the middle.

Now that we've realized we're no match for them, the best course of action is to move to the center as soon as possible and preserve our strength.

If Che Zhe on the right wing also can't defeat his opponent, then Jebe can't really say anything about himself.

If Li Dachui is already so formidable, then Xiao Changche, the head of the Anxi Protectorate, must be even more so. I had heard some of my Yuan colleagues mention this person when I was in Qingtongxia.

As he gnawed on the hard, dry flatbread and tore apart strips of salty meat, An Xuan suddenly realized that life was really tough.

No matter where they are, it seems they don't have a good life at all!

How can there be so many powerful people in this world!

An Xuan, who was gnawing on the meat strips in a fit of rage, suddenly jumped up. The scouts who had been sent to cover the rear were now frantically spurring their horses back, blowing their bamboo whistles at a deafening bang.

The enemy is coming!
Mount up and gallop!
(End of this chapter)