knife

Chapter 583 Battle
Enraged, Yang Lixin chopped down a large tree, as thick as a large bowl, in front of him with a single stroke.

Three thousand cavalrymen!
Before it even made a ripple, it was slaughtered like a chicken or a dog.

Although he disliked his former comrades who were undisciplined, unprogressive, and still full of bandit habits, their slaughter still made him extremely angry.

Although their discipline is poor, their fighting ability is not bad!

If they come together, they are an extremely formidable fighting force.

As a result, because of a little money and the inability to control what was in their crotches, they were separated and the enemy seized the opportunity to defeat them one by one.

Three thousand cavalrymen, that's a serious blow!
“Brother, the Chu cavalry that attacked them numbered only a little over a thousand. Judging from their fighting style, habits, and attire, I suspect they are Jiang Qian’s bodyguards.” The lieutenant general Xiao Zhongren said, “These people are too strong. When Lin Hong rebelled, thousands of cavalrymen gathered together, but they were defeated in one blow by the thousand-plus bodyguards led by He Han.”

Yang Lixin's expression was grave: "Are you sure it's this group of people?"

"The information we got from a few lucky survivors must be them!" Xiao Zhongren nodded and said, "Otherwise, I really can't imagine how ordinary cavalry could have such combat power. Our men may not be very good in character, but they are quite capable in combat. Yet they were slaughtered by them without any chance to fight back, and only a handful of them managed to escape!"

"Jiang Qian seems to be really desperate, she's even sent out her bodyguards!" Yang Lixin said.

"Of course we have to fight back!" Xiao Zhongren said, "If it were me, I would have to make one last stand! But brother, although this team only has a little over a thousand men, they are not to be underestimated. We absolutely cannot split up again. Judging from their fighting style, they are very good at infiltration, division, and then striking and leaving. Moreover, their frontal combat capability is also extremely strong. Once we split up, I'm afraid they will immediately rush in like cats that have smelled blood."

Yang Lixin nodded and said, "That's the way it should be! Zhongren, pass down the order: anyone who violates military regulations and discipline again will be executed without mercy."

"understand!"

"He Yiming is facing Kang Zhen's main force. Will he run into trouble?" Yang Lixin turned to look southwest. "If he can't hold on, we'll be in trouble here!"

“He Yiming and his group are quite strong!” Xiao Zhongren shook his head and said, “They have gathered the Canal Gang, the Demonic Sect, and a portion of Zhang Quanyi’s forces. To be honest, they have more experts than we do! Even if they defeat Kang Zhen, as long as they hold them off for a few days, and we take Macheng while Feng Kuan takes Yangcheng, the overall situation will be settled.”

"Too!"

"Besides, Kang Zhen can't be considered Jiang Qian's trusted confidant. If things really don't go well, he'll probably run away too!" Xiao Zhongren laughed. "Once Kang Zhen leaves, Jiang Qian will be trapped like a turtle in a jar."

Yang Lixin lowered his voice and said, "I heard from Feng Kuan that our General is quite interested in Jiang Qian. Speaking of which, it's been almost three years since the General's wife left, hasn't it? What do you think if we really caught Jiang Qian and made her marry our General?"

Xiao Zhongren chuckled: "The General is not a lecherous man. If the General really wants to marry Jiang Qian, it's probably because he sees the woman's influence in Chu. If she really becomes the General's wife, wouldn't it be a bit easier to plot against Chu?"

Yang Lixin stared wide-eyed at Xiao Zhongren: "There are all these tricks involved here?"

"Of course! Otherwise, there are plenty of beautiful women in the world, who would marry a tigress like Jiang Qian?" Xiao Zhongren said, "Brother, would you be willing to find someone as formidable as her?"

Yang Lixin shook his head vigorously: "We can't handle it, we can't handle it. It all depends on whether the General can subdue such a person. As for us, let's just forget about it!"

The two looked at each other and laughed.

The frustration of losing several thousand cavalrymen earlier finally vanished amidst this laughter.

As long as the outcome is good, some setbacks during the process are acceptable.

Yang Lixin had long since had enough of these former outlaws, but since they were all his former comrades, he couldn't bring himself to confront them directly. He would only offer kind words of advice, hoping they would abide by the rules. The real fighting force was no longer these former comrades.

The army is not a bandit gang!
Over the years, having traveled all over the country and witnessed countless elite armies and experienced numerous bloody battles, Yang Lixin has come to understand the difference between them.

They ignored their own advice and ultimately paid the price with their lives, which they deserved.

So be it, he's dead!

Anyway, it's not unjust. Those guys have taken three or five innocent lives with them!
The night is getting darker.

The moon disappeared into a large cloud layer, and the sky darkened instantly. Outside the camp, the sound of rapid hoofbeats and shouts could be heard.

The camp was completely silent; the officers and soldiers inside seemed to be asleep, showing no reaction whatsoever.

The sound of horses' hooves, after ringing out intensely for a while, gradually faded away.

After another watch, the sounds of horses' hooves and shouts rang out again.
If this continued, it caused a disturbance that lasted all night.

As dawn broke, the harassing groups gradually dispersed.

Xiao Zhongren looked at Yang Lixin, who was stretching as he walked out of the tent, with some regret and said, "These people are very cunning. I thought they were playing a game of deception, and that they would come to attack us when they were tired and complacent! It's a shame that the two of us took turns guarding us all night! If they really came, we could at least avenge our fallen brothers to some extent."

“They didn’t lose out either!” Yang Lixin said, “Although we took turns working, after a whole night of this, the brothers still didn’t get a good rest.”

"Fortunately, it's only two days away from Macheng!" Xiao Zhongren said. "There are only two or three thousand garrison troops there. I estimate that they have already fled after receiving the news."

"That would be best! To subdue the enemy without fighting, I like that!" Yang Lixin said.

“But if they run back to Yong’an County, it won’t be good for us. It would be best if morale collapsed and the entire army disintegrated!” Xiao Zhongren said.

"That would be great. By the way, when will the scouts we sent out this morning be back?" Yang Lixin asked.

"Soon, we've finished cleaning up here, they should be back soon!" Xiao Zhongren said.

The scouts sent out at dawn were to confirm where that formidable enemy had gone and whether they were still roaming the area. Otherwise, having such an adversary lurking nearby would make anyone uneasy. If they suddenly attacked while you were marching, even if you were prepared, it would still be very difficult, wouldn't it?
After lighting a fire, cooking, and eating and drinking their fill, the auxiliary soldiers had almost finished tidying up the camp. Amidst the sound of drums and bugles, the troops prepared to set off. Today, the 20,000 men would have to march another 50 li.

We'll arrive in Yangcheng tomorrow.

The sound of rapid hoofbeats reached their ears. Yang Lixin and Xiao Zhongren turned around and saw their scouts galloping back in the distance, though they looked rather disheveled.

The two exchanged a glance, Yang Lixin waved his hand, and Xiao Zhongren mounted his horse, leading the prepared cavalry forward.

Has that damned cavalry force come back again, haunting us once more?

If it really comes down to a fight, we're not necessarily afraid of them.

Xiao Zhongren spurred his horse up a gentle slope, but suddenly reined it in, his expression changing drastically.

In the distance, where is that small number of cavalry?
Formations of Chu troops, a dense, dark mass, were advancing in this direction, and in the gaps between these advancing Chu soldiers, cavalrymen darted back and forth, exuding a murderous aura.

"It's the Tiger Warriors of Chu!" Xiao Zhongren swallowed hard. Why were they here?

He suddenly understood the significance of the cavalry's repeated appearances last night.

They weren't harassing or planning a raid; they wanted to keep all their scouts inside the camp so their army could approach the area.

"Where did they come from?" A nearby officer asked, puzzled.

"Is there even a question? Of course, it's by water!" Xiao Zhongren said through gritted teeth.

"Isn't He Yiming's army over there? How did these tens of thousands of Tiger Warriors manage to bypass them? Are they deaf or blind?"

The officer was confused, and so was Xiao Zhongren.

But that doesn't matter anymore.

(End of this chapter)