Shushan: Extinction

Chapter 232: One for One
The sound of killing was deafening, the clanging of swords, the neighing of war horses, and the screams of soldiers were intertwined together, as if a tragic symphony was played in this Shura field.

In the firelight, human shadows intertwined, swords and sabers flickered, and blood splattered, dyeing the land and the sky red.

A large flag with black stripes and red letters was trampled under the feet of Hasar, who had a murderous look on his face.

On the tattered flag, the three words "Tianyong Army" were clearly visible, but they were stained with blood and were particularly eye-catching.

Hasar was tall, his armor was stained with the blood of the enemies, the scimitar in his hand was still dripping with blood, his eyes were as fierce as a wolf, and there was a sneer at the corner of his mouth, as if he was mocking the enemy's incompetence.

The beginning and process of this battle were very short, lasting only about an incense stick of time.

What’s even more special is that even Gong Tianwu had no idea that a battle had taken place outside the city. He only guessed that the people of Che Ming Country would most likely have a backup plan, but he didn’t expect that it would be such a dangerous “general” who would kill them.

Fortunately, General Gong Tianwu entrusted all military affairs to Hasar, the experienced old wolf. After he arrived outside the city with his men, he predicted that the people of Cheming Kingdom had a backup plan, so he sent out the scouts early.

Therefore, Hasar was able to receive the intelligence one step ahead and learned that a detachment of the Cheming Kingdom was heading for the attack.

In the absence of Gong Tianwu, Hasar made a decision based on his rich experience, which was to go forward.

Although we only had less than half an hour to prepare,
Even though the number of the attacking Tianyong troops was more than twice that of ours!!

When two brave men meet in a narrow road, the brave one wins. In his opinion, Gong Tianwu's army is already very strong, but it lacks soul, and this soul can only be tempered in a direct confrontation of blood and fire.

Therefore, in this rush, Hasar only caught a glimpse of opportunity:
That is to ambush the enemy near Ma Dengyi in the north of the city and gain a slight advantage.

In such a hasty moment, he only did two things.

First, they sent about thirty people to the Stirrup Post Station, carrying fire and other things to prepare for setting fire.

Second, he led the army to the north of Ma Dengyi.

Why the north? Because the enemy came from the west, and the terrain on the side of Ma Dengyi was slightly sloping, about 6 to 7 degrees, not very obvious.

When Hasar led his men to charge from north to west, it was equivalent to charging from the top of the slope to the bottom of the slope, which gave them a slight advantage.

In fact, the collision between the two sides was short and intense.

If Gong Tianwu had not equipped the Wulou Guard with fifty of the latest "Wild Wolf" standard inscribed crossbows, they would have killed and injured more than fifty of the enemy cavalry before the two cavalrymen came into contact.

These fifty people are almost all the elite and brave warriors of the Tianyong Army. Otherwise, it would be hard to say who will win the battle in the end.

At this moment, a scout came to report:

"Sir, a scout came to report that Lord Tazan had killed his way through the enemy camp and was chasing after the enemy general."

Hasar immediately cursed:
"My military order clearly told him to charge and return immediately, not to fight any more!!"

The scout could not answer.

At this moment, Tazan was in trouble. He was like a ferocious beast, waving a heavy stick in his hand and charging into the enemy camp, but the Wulou Guards who followed him had almost been killed.

At this time, his body was covered with scars, and blood was flowing down his armor, but his eyes were still as fierce as a wolf, as if he could not feel the pain.

Tazan has realized one thing, that he has unfortunately fallen into the ambush trap set by Zhao Shang.

In fact, Zhao Shang was a cautious and suspicious person. He was in the rear army. When he found out that he was attacked, he immediately led his troops to evacuate quickly and leave the chaotic battlefield first.

Then, after running three or four miles, he immediately realized that the number of the enemy troops that suddenly appeared was not large, so he took advantage of the cover of darkness to set up an ambush, and then led dozens of cavalry back to the battlefield, trying to use himself as bait to lure the big fish.

Then Zhao Shang met Tazan.

Needless to say, the reckless Tarzan was overjoyed and set his eyes on the big fish, chasing it relentlessly, only to be ambushed accidentally.

The next second, the sound of bowstrings vibrating suddenly rang out from all around. Dozens of arrows shot out from the darkness. Tarzan barely avoided them, but the remaining few people around him fell off their horses one after another.
Tazan was also shot in the shoulder by a sharp arrow, and the thick two layers of armor lost their defensive power due to damage. Blood flowed down instantly. Tazan's mount was also hit by three arrows, and it let out a mournful cry and fell down in pain.

Facing the embarrassed Tazan who got up, Zhao Shang walked out from the darkness and looked at Tazan coldly, with a hint of sarcasm in his tone:

"I'll give you a chance to live. Will you surrender or not?"

"I'll count down ten times. If you refuse to turn back from your wrong path, today will be the day you die!"

Tazan clenched his teeth, a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes. The word "surrender" could never appear in his mind.

He knew that he had already fallen into a desperate situation. If there was no miracle, it would be difficult to escape. However, he still had a trump card that he hadn't used yet! !

So, Tazan sighed, dropped the heavy stick in his hand, knelt down on the ground dejectedly, and slowly took off his armor.

Seeing this scene, everyone around including Zhao Shang felt relieved. After all, it is easy to get thousands of soldiers but difficult to find a good general. A brave general like Tazan who can charge into battle and serve as a spearhead is something that every force needs.

As a result, after Tazan took off the two heavy layers of armor on his body, he suddenly took out a crossbow with a unique shape from his arms. It looked like he was holding a wolf head in his right hand. It was the Wild Wolf Crossbow that Gong Tianwu had given him.

The reason why Tazan took off his armor was just to make himself a little faster when he took out the crossbow next time.

After all, the two layers of heavy armor on Tazan weighed sixty kilograms, so it was impossible that it had no effect on the crossbow.

And this tiny moment of time may very well determine life or death!
Zhao Shang was immediately shocked when he saw this, and quickly dodged, trying to avoid it. The guards next to him also rushed forward with shields raised.

Zhao Shang successfully hid behind a guard holding a shield. At the same time, he also launched an attack on Tazan. It can be said that arrows rained down and instantly turned him into a hedgehog.

However, just when Zhao Shang breathed a sigh of relief, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his chest, and then all the strength in his body seemed to disappear rapidly.

He lowered his head in disbelief, and was shocked to see that a black crossbow arrow had been stuck in his chest at some point!

This arrow is so fast that people cannot react, and so fierce that people cannot resist!

It was like an arrow of death shot from hell, with a whistling sound that tore through the air, and instantly penetrated the heavy shields of the guards. In front of it, the shields were like paper, and had no power to resist.

Immediately afterwards, the crossbow arrow pierced through the body of the personal guard, and with its remaining force, it directly nailed into Zhao Shang's chest.

The guard fell to the ground and died.

Zhao Shang widened his eyes, his pupils filled with disbelief.

His lips trembled slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but he could only spit out a few mouthfuls of blood. His body slowly fell backwards, and the sword in his hand fell to the ground with a "clang" sound, making a crisp metal collision sound, and then he fell into a coma.

The guards around were stunned. They had never seen such a terrifying crossbow.

Shields, armor, and flesh and blood were as fragile as thin paper in front of this crossbow arrow. Their commander, the cautious and shrewd Zhao Shang, was killed just when he had an absolute advantage!

Not far away, Tarzan's body was full of arrows, and blood was flowing down his armor, but he seemed to feel nothing. He then raised his hands and laughed wildly towards the sky.

He knew that he had completed his final mission.

"Zhao Shang... you finally... died in my hands..."

Tarzan murmured quietly, a hint of relief in his voice.

At this time, Tazan could no longer hold on and fell to the ground.

The surrounding enemy soldiers also surrounded them in great anger, and swords and knives fell like rain.

Tazan closed his eyes, and many past events emerged in his mind, finally freezing into the figure of Gong Tianwu.

He knew that his mission had been accomplished. Once Zhao Shang was dead, the enemy would surely be defeated:

"My Lord, I will die without regrets."

***
It probably only took a cup of tea for Hasar to arrive with a group of Wu Leak Guards. After seeing Tazan's body, he could only let out a long sigh.

Accustomed to seeing life and death, he quickly calmed down and ordered:
"Find a place with good feng shui and bury him with honor!"

At this time, there was a sudden noise in the distance, and then several men came to Hasar with two prisoners:
"Sir! When we found these two men, they were already seriously injured. They must have been abandoned by their companions."

The two captives obviously did not have the awareness of facing death and sacrificing their lives for the country, and they begged for mercy in a hurry.

Hasar said coldly:

"Useless people are like burnt cow dung, worthless, and they will die."

One of the captives immediately begged:

"Sir, I know we have an accomplice in Sansheng City."

Hasar sneered:

"I knew about this three days ago. You'd better tell me something I don't know. Otherwise, you'll be turned into wolf shit!"

At this time, another prisoner suddenly saw Tarzan being carried away and immediately said:

"Your general is very brave. Although he was trapped, he still shot and wounded our commander."

Hasar's eyes lit up when he heard this:

"Oh? Tell me quickly."

The prisoner then recounted in detail what had happened.

After hearing this, Hasar immediately narrowed his eyes and shouted to the person beside him:
"Chase! Keep chasing! Tazan likes to smear aconite poison on the crossbow arrows. Zhao Shang was hit by the crossbow in the chest. Even if he survives, he will be seriously injured. It is impossible for him to ride a horse alone!!"

Sure enough, just as Hasar predicted, although the grassland knights he sent out were already at the end of their strength, they soon caught up with Zhao Shang's personal soldiers.

It was because Zhao Shang was completely paralyzed after being shot by an arrow, so his personal soldiers could only carry him away with two people on each horse.

In this situation, they could still barely escape at first, but after a long time, the pursuers could easily catch up with them. After all, most of Khasar's men were of grassland origin and had lived on horseback since childhood.

After a chase, Hasar's men easily captured Zhao Shang. At this time, he was foaming at the mouth, dying, and unconscious.

Fortunately, Hasar knew that he was poisoned by Aconitum and gave him the antidote in time, which finally saved his life, but he was inevitably paralyzed.

***
Of course, the most anxious people at this time are Gu Nan and his gang in the city. They are full of expectations, sharpening their knives, gathering their strength, waiting for the arrival of external aid so that they can immediately rush out and seize the city gate, thus putting a perfect end to this conspiracy of swallowing up.

But they waited and waited.
Wait till the sky turns white.

When the turmoil in the city gradually subsided,
When the almost paralyzed city gradually resumed its order and function,
Still, they failed to wait for the Tianyong Army to appear outside the city gate.

Of course, Gu Nan and the others' fiery enthusiasm also cooled down quickly, and in the end, it was like being drenched with ice water, turning directly into bone-chilling cold. Only the last bit of hope in their hearts refused to extinguish.

Suddenly, Gu Nan said slowly:
"Don't wait any longer. We can't wait any longer. The Tianyong Army won't come."

Gu Nan said the last four words "it won't come" very slowly, softly and with difficulty, but it seemed as if he had exhausted all his strength.

By the time he finished speaking, Gu Nan seemed to have aged ten years.

Qin Shuang took a step forward and said in a trembling voice:
"Perhaps the Tianyong Army is unfamiliar with the terrain and got lost in the darkness? How about we wait a little longer?"

Gu Nan sighed:
"I can't wait any longer. If I wait any longer, we'll all be wiped out."

Every word he spoke seemed to be squeezed out from between his teeth, heavy and difficult. His voice was very light, but it was like a heavy hammer, hitting everyone's heart hard.

The four words "all gone" were like a basin of ice water, instantly extinguishing the last hope in everyone's heart. The secret room was dead silent, with only the candlelight flickering slightly, reflecting a few pale and desperate faces.

After Gu Nan finished saying this, he seemed to have aged ten years in an instant. His back was slightly hunched, and his eyes revealed a deep sense of fatigue and weakness.

He slowly stood up, walked to the window, looked at the gradually brightening sky, and murmured softly: "We... lost in the end."

Qin Shuang looked at Gu Nan's back, and an indescribable sadness surged in his heart. He knew that Gu Nan's words were not only disappointment in the Tianyong Army, but also complete despair in the entire plan. Everything they had carefully planned had now come to nothing.

They still don't know until now that it was Hasar, a subordinate of Gong Tianwu, who seized the opportunity and directly dealt a fatal blow to their plan by cutting off their support and cutting off their retreat.

"Leader, what should we do next?" Qin Shuang asked in a low voice, with a hint of trembling in his voice.

(End of this chapter)