knife

Chapter 77 Where there is a tide, there is also a ebb.
Xiao Dongwei reined in his horse, looking at a cavalry unit not far ahead with a complicated expression.

That was the Heavenly Battalion under Li Dachui's command.

With a wave of his hand, the vanguard battalion, which had been on high alert, relaxed. On the other side, a lone rider broke away from the formation and headed straight for them.

Judging from his figure, it was undoubtedly Fang Xiaomao, the commander of the Tianzi Camp.

Upon approaching, to Xiao Dongwei's surprise, Fang Xiaomao dismounted and bowed to him.

"Fang Xiaomao has come to serve under General Xiao on the orders of the young master, until the city of Baoping is captured."

Caught off guard, Xiao Dongwei paused for a moment, then subconsciously asked, "Come and serve under me?"

Fang Xiaomao nodded: "Yes, from now on, Fang Xiaomao and his three hundred brothers will obey General Xiao's orders until we capture Baoping City."

Xiao Dongwei rubbed his black eye patch, feeling a slight itch in his blind eye, which hadn't reacted much in a long time. Frankly, their biggest concern about this collaboration was the difficulty in commanding Li Dachui's bandits, given the strict discipline of the military.

Although Li Dachui was quite different from ordinary bandits, Xiao Dongwei and other generals who had been in the military for many years actually had doubts in their hearts.

After all, this opponent is not weak. Otherwise, Xiao Changche would not have agreed to the cooperation between the two departments. It is precisely because neither of them can defeat the other in one fell swoop that they need to join forces.

Dismounting, Xiao Dongwei returned the greeting with a cupped hand, saying, "Commander Fang, then I won't stand on ceremony."

Xiao Dongwei had dealt with Fang Xiaomao before and knew his status among Li Dachui's bandits. More importantly, Fang Xiaomao's martial arts skills were much higher than his own.

Last time, he personally witnessed how Fang Xiaomao, clad in heavy armor, slaughtered enemies like dogs.

Moreover, the general has also said that in a one-on-one fight, he would not be a match for Fang Xiaomao in ten rounds.

Of course, he was polite as he was, but when it came to matters of command, Xiao Dongwei wouldn't hold back.

"Of course!" Fang Xiaomao said, "I am not as good as General Xiao in commanding a large army. General, please give the order, and my troops will be willing to be at the forefront!"

Hearing Fang Xiaomao's statement, Xiao Dongwei was finally completely relieved.

My opinion of Li Dachui has risen several notches.

"My scouts have just brought me the latest news from Yan Dong!" Xiao Dongwei said, "This man is leading his five thousand cavalrymen towards us. What are your thoughts, Commander Yan?"

Fang Xiaomao smiled and said, "Yan Dong is fierce on the outside but cowardly on the inside. He's already scared. This battle will be easy."

"How to say it?"

"The General of Chariots and Cavalry commands three thousand elite cavalry, a fact known to all beyond the Great Wall. Since Yan Dong already knows that the approaching force is the General of Chariots and Cavalry's army, his wisest choice would be to mobilize all his troops and use a combined infantry and cavalry force to confront us. Gu Xiaoman's forces at Mao'er Mountain number only about two thousand. Even if Yan Dong abandons them, Gu Xiaoman has little ability to shake his army. Now, Yan Dong has split his forces into two groups, which is tantamount to courting death. Trying to leave himself a way out without daring to fight to the death will ultimately leave him with nothing. That's all a man can do," Xiao Mao analyzed.

Who is Gu Xiaoman?

"Gu Xiaoman is the wolf, and the wolf is Gu Xiaoman!" the kitten laughed. "Now we are allies, family, so there's no need to hide it from General Xiao anymore. We started planning this five years ago, otherwise the Yan family wouldn't have fallen for it so easily this time!"

Xiao Dongwei took a long breath. Just as he suspected.
Looking up, he saw billowing dust in the distance, and a large cavalry force was rapidly approaching. He immediately composed himself and asked the small enemy, "Your armored cavalry can serve as our vanguard, crushing their vanguard with heavy hammers and destroying their morale. Can you take on this task?"

"I obey!" Fang Xiaomao didn't hesitate at all. He cupped his hands in greeting, leaped onto his horse, and rode away.

The three thousand cavalrymen continued forward, but the formation began to change, from the initial marching formation to a combat formation, and Fang Xiaomao's three hundred Tianzi Battalion naturally blended in.

On the boundless snowfield, the two cavalry forces launched a brutal and direct attack on each other without any probing.

You can only truly appreciate the strength of your opponent when you stand opposite them.

Xiao Changche had a long-standing reputation, but Yan Dong had never been convinced of it, always feeling that if they were in each other's shoes, he could do just as well.

What I lack is nothing more than an opportunity, a favorable wind that can propel me to the highest heavens.

Today, he stood before Xiao Changche's army.

Moreover, it's a castrated version.

Because Xiao Changche was not in the army.

Yan Dong had no time to think about why Xiao Changche wasn't in the group; he was filled with despair.

You won't know until you compare.
Only by comparing them can you see the difference between the two.

Even without Li Dachui's Heavenly Battalion, those three thousand iron cavalry were not something Yan Dong could withstand.

After Fang Xiaomao, leading the Tianzi Battalion's first hammer, smashed Yan Dong's vanguard, he roamed freely across the battlefield. Wherever he found stubborn resistance, they immediately rushed over and crushed the opponent.

As for the subsequent harvest, that's Xiao Dongwei's job.

Yan Dong knew that defeat was inevitable. He had now completely lost control of the army, and only about a hundred personal guards remained by his side, and the number of these guards was constantly decreasing as they advanced.

The main force has collapsed.

Xiao Dongwei did not chase after the scattering cavalrymen; he set his sights on Yan Dong, this big fish, and he absolutely could not let him escape.

No matter how Yan Dong charged left and right, under Xiao Dongwei's command, he always remained at the very center of the encirclement. Yan Dong's advance was like Xiao Dongwei peeling an onion, shaving off layer by layer the protective layers around Yan Dong until the commander was revealed.

Fang Xiaomao had already returned to the central banner and was watching intently as Xiao Dongwei waved the banner and deployed his troops.

He has always been a studious person, and naturally he couldn't let go of such a rare learning opportunity.

Despite Xiao Dongwei's martial arts cultivation not being at the Xuan Yuan level, he is extremely experienced in commanding troops in battle.

Three people go together there must be my teacher!

"Commander Fang, you shall deliver the final blow!" Xiao Dongwei pointed to Yan Dong, who was charging and fighting fiercely in the army formation, and said, "It is said that his martial arts cultivation has reached the eighth rank of Xuan Yuan. He is indeed the bravest in the army. In one-on-one combat, none of my subordinates, including myself, can match him."

Fang Xiaomao smiled. The army has many ways to kill martial arts masters. Xiao Dongwei was being modest.

Entrusting the harsh winter to me is a way of giving myself face and credit, but isn't it also a way of testing my strengths and weaknesses through my confrontation with the harsh winter?
Moreover, at this stage of the war, if a one-on-one duel were to result in the slaying of an enemy general, it would completely crush the enemy's morale, which would be of great help in the subsequent attack on Aquarius City.

With his sword drawn, Fang Xiaomao spurred his horse forward.

"This man is mine!"

Amidst the sound of bugles, the soldiers who had just surrounded Yan Dong like an iron barrel, with countless soldiers taking turns to fight, retreated like a tide.

Yan Dong wiped the blood from his face and looked around. There was no one left to follow him. His personal guards had all been killed or wounded. Looking up, he could only see the remaining Yan family knights riding their warhorses, running away like wolves and rats, getting further and further away.

I was all alone now.

Yan Dong laughed in disappointment.

He knew that the Yan family was doomed.

The Yan family, which has been passed down for hundreds of years, will surely be uprooted this time.

But no one can be blamed for this.

As the tides rise and fall, and people come and go, some eventually take the stage while others step down from their seats.

The only fault is that the Yan family didn't plan ahead, early enough, or far enough.

The ancients were right: more calculation leads to victory, less calculation leads to defeat.

Looking at the burly man in iron armor, carrying two swords, slowly approaching on horseback, Yan Dong shook his aching wrists and called out, "Fang Xiaomao? Are you here to see me off on my final journey?"

“Exactly!” Fang Xiaomao nodded and said, “You have been fighting hard for a long time, and I have taken advantage of you today, but this is war, not a martial arts contest.”

Yan Dong nodded: "There's nothing to say. I just want to ask one question: Is that Wild Wolf one of Xiao Changche's men or Li Dachui's men?"

"Wild Wolf is called Gu Xiaoman, he's my senior brother!" Fang Xiaomao said.

"Li Dachui, Li Dachui!" Yan Dong said with regret, "Five years ago, they had already begun plotting against my Baoping Prefecture. At that time, in our eyes, Li Dachui was no different from an ordinary bandit. By the time we realized it, it was too late. We didn't lose this battle unjustly! Today, with such a major event, capable of annihilating the main force of my Yan clan, why didn't Xiao Changche and Li Dachui come? Did they look down on us that much?"

"It's not that I look down on you, it's just that they have more important things to do!" Fang Xiaomao tapped the two knives together, making a clanging sound: "Yan Dong, set off soon. You won't be lonely on this journey; everyone in the Yan family will accompany you."

"When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact?" Yan Dong sighed to the heavens.

A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.

The Yan family occupies the wealthy Baoping Prefecture and controls the vital transportation route where the two rivers meet. Who wouldn't be envious? Over the years, Linghu Ye has been pressing them step by step, isn't his goal to truly control this place?
It was precisely for this reason that Yan began to consider surrendering to the Northern Yuan.

With the arrival of the Northern Yuan, in order to control the region, they will inevitably appease the Yan family, which will at least bring them several more decades of peace.

Unexpectedly, Linghu Ye's talk was all bark and no bite, while Li Dachui, the bandit, actually put his words into action.

The impoverished Xiao Changche was naturally motivated to join forces with Li Dachui to pull off this heist.

The blade moved like a bolt of lightning, and in the dead of winter, the body rose with the blade, unleashing the profound inner strength accumulated over decades without reservation.

Since death is inevitable, let's try our best to make our deaths more valuable and dignified!

(End of this chapter)