Guiyi Fei Tang

Chapter 337: Destroying the Tianping Army
"Crackling..."

In the pitch-black night, the moonlight faintly shines on the earth, as if it is the only source of light.

But ever since humans learned to control fire, the fire has dispelled the darkness and become the second source of light at night.

But in this chaotic world, the greatest role of fire is to burn everything in war.

"No, Junyemen!"

"My daughter is still young! Jun!"

"You bastard, we went south to kill bandits for you, so what's wrong with letting your daughter serve you?!"

"roll!!"

The flames that shot up into the sky illuminated the area for miles, dyeing the night sky blood red.

The woman's miserable screams and the man's cries for help intertwined together, piercing the silence of the night and startling countless birds.

In the dark night, this nameless village trembled in the sea of fire, like hell on earth.

In a shabby hut, a woman was roughly pressed on a couch by several Tianping soldiers.

Her clothes were torn to shreds, revealing her wheat-colored skin.

The woman's eyes were filled with fear and despair. Tears rolled down her cheeks. She begged in a hoarse voice, "Please... let me go... let me go..."

"Damn it, this woman's skin is quite smooth!"

Her plea did not bring salvation, but only the soldiers' grim smiles.

They paid no attention to the woman's pain and only cared about venting their own desires.

The woman's struggle and crying not only failed to awaken their conscience, but instead aroused their bestiality.

The windows of the dilapidated house were illuminated red by the firelight. Apart from her own pleas, the only sounds the woman could hear were the soldiers' dirty words.

"Scream! Scream louder!" A soldier grinned, his movements becoming increasingly violent.

Another soldier panted and laughed, "This woman is quite stubborn, but the more stubborn she is, the more interesting she is!"

The woman's voice gradually became weaker and the light in her eyes gradually dimmed.

Under the ravages of the soldiers, her body seemed to have become a soulless shell.

After venting their anger, several soldiers tied their leather belts and walked out of the shabby house contentedly.

Compared to the scene inside the house, the scene outside is even more shocking...

Countless bodies of villagers in tattered clothes were lying on the ground, and their blood had dyed the land red.

Several dilapidated houses were set on fire, flames shot up into the sky, animal sheds were destroyed, livestock were slaughtered, rice jars were smashed, and grain was spilled all over the ground.

Hundreds of Tianping Army soldiers were busy in the village drying yard, happily preparing meals with smiles on their faces.

They seemed to be oblivious to the tragic scene before them and were only concerned with enjoying the pleasure brought by this "victory".

These were not all the soldiers. A small number of soldiers remained in the remaining dilapidated houses and continued to vent their desires.

From more than a dozen relatively intact houses, women's cries for help and pleas continued to be heard, but these sounds became jokes for the soldiers.

"Listen! The women in that room are screaming so loudly!" A soldier pointed to a room not far away and laughed.

Another soldier licked his lips and said obscenely: "I'll try it later to see if it's really that exciting!"

"Hahahahaha..."

Their laughter echoed in the night air, forming a sharp contrast with the woman's pleas.

The flag of the Tianping Army was particularly conspicuous in the firelight, and the word "Tianping" on the flag seemed to be an irony.

These soldiers were not mob soldiers from the south, but regular Tianping troops who came out of Tianping Town and were ordered to rush to Xuzhou to provide assistance.

They were supposed to be soldiers defending their country, but now they have become devils who burn, kill and loot.

Things that need to be taken into consideration in this town are lawless outside the town.

No matter it is rape, looting, murder or arson, as long as they want to do it, no one dares to restrain them!

Time passed, and the village under the cover of night gradually turned into ashes in the sea of fire. The woman's pleading voice gradually disappeared, leaving only the soldiers' hideous grins and the crackling of flames.

This tragedy is just a microcosm of the chaotic world. No one cares about the lives of these villagers...

"Damn it, they are more cruel than us!"

Under the cover of night, several Silver Blade Army soldiers who were lying in the grass could not help but gasp in amazement, but the old soldier among them sneered:

"We are all in Xuzhou, and we have to rely on Xuzhou's untouchables to farm and weave for a living. Naturally, we won't do such a thing."

"But if we have to go out of town to fight, who will care about the lives of those untouchables outside the town? Isn't it enough to just have your own fun?"

The old soldier's words made several soldiers who had just been selected from bandits to join the Silver Knife Army swallow their saliva. They looked at each other and felt that their behavior when they were bandits in the past was considered good compared to this guard.

"Alright, we have almost found out everything. Leave five of you to guard, and the rest will report to me."

The old soldier gave a few instructions and then groped his way away with five other soldiers.

A quarter of an hour later, they found the draft horses they had hidden and rode them toward the south.

After walking and stopping for half an hour, they went south for nearly twenty miles and went into the nearby forest.

Soon, the sound of horses began to appear in front.

"who!"

"Captain of the third group of the second team of the second regiment of Jiamadu!"

In the darkness, as the two parties were talking, a fire suddenly appeared.

Several Silver Blade Soldiers raised their chins and gestured, "Go in!"

"Yes!" The old soldier led several new soldiers into the valley quickly, and soon they saw their comrades hiding in the mountains and forests.

More than 3,000 Silver Knife Soldiers and nearly 10,000 bandits were hiding there. They were brought to Pang Xun and others.

"What's the situation ahead?" Pang Xun asked the old soldier, who quickly explained:

"Reporting to the commander, there are about 200 vanguard troops ahead. The soldiers are very lax. I don't know how far they are from the central army."

After the old soldier finished his report, he left the place on his own accord.

"Damn it! These 200 people must be the Tang Army or the front army. They can't be too far away from the central army. We should attack them by surprise and kill them before dawn in two hours!"

Xu Ji suddenly spoke, and Pang Xun nodded slowly upon hearing his words: "Order the three armies to move immediately!"

As Pang Xun finished speaking, the Silver Sword Army in the mountains and forests began to rise and march northward.

The distance of less than twenty miles was not far for the Silver Sword Army and the bandits who were marching quickly.

However, Pang Xun ordered that the journey must be completed within two hours, and that a surprise attack must be launched when the Tianping army is off guard. Therefore, the generals in the army kept urging them, and the team moved at an astonishing speed.

The sounds of horse hooves and footsteps mixed together, like an unstoppable torrent.

However, such a forced march was a great test for the bandits in the army. Most of them had not undergone rigorous training and their physical conditions varied. Soon, some of the weaker bandits began to fall behind.

They panted heavily, staggered and fell behind the team, and finally disappeared slowly into the night...

Pang Xun didn't care about these people who fell behind, and didn't even bother to look at them.

At his urging, three thousand Silver Sword Army soldiers raided the south of the burning village in less than an hour.

At this moment, the village was still two miles away from them and the fire was still burning.

The five remaining soldiers were brought before Pang Xun. Their faces were filled with fatigue, but their eyes were gleaming with excitement.

"General, the troops are resting, and the village is totally unprepared!"

A soldier reported in a low voice, with a hint of pride in his tone.

Pang Xun nodded and glanced grimly in the direction of the village.

He clenched the knife in his hand, and without any hesitation, he drew the knife, pointing the tip of the knife directly at the nameless village.

"All troops, listen up!" Pang Xun's voice was deep and powerful, like a beast ready to attack: "Go into the village, and leave no one alive!"

"kill!!"

"Uuuuuu——"

Following his order, the soldiers of the Silver Sword Army rushed towards the village like tigers descending from the mountains, followed closely by the bandits. The shouts of killing and the sound of trumpets shook the earth.

The Tianping soldiers in the village were awakened from their sleep by the sudden shouting and screaming, and frantically searched for weapons and armor, but it was too late.

"Kill them!"

"Leave the lieutenant here, the commander has something to interrogate!"

"Straight bitch!"

Three thousand Silver Knife soldiers poured into the village, and with the assistance of the bandits, they continued to kill all the Tianping Army soldiers.

In the firelight, blood splattered and screams rang out one after another. Countless bandits were scrambling for the armor, hoping to rely on the armor to become a member of the Silver Sword Army.

Pang Xun rode on his horse, stopped outside the village, and watched everything coldly.

Half an hour later, the screams in the village gradually disappeared, replaced by the cheers of the Silver Sword Army soldiers. After the battle, the Silver Sword Army soldiers began to clean up the battlefield.

They piled the bodies together, threw thatch and firewood from the broken houses on top of them, then lit a fire and burned all the bodies.

The firelight shone on their faces, making them look particularly hideous.

"General, this is the captain of the Tianping Army!"

As the sky brightened, several Silver Knife Army soldiers, led by Zhao Keli, came before Pang Xun, escorting a captain of the Tianping Army.

The colonel's face was covered in blood, and many of the wounds on his body were scabbed. His armor had long been stripped off, and his hands were tied tightly with ropes.

At this moment, his eyes were filled with fear and unwillingness as he looked at Pang Xun, but he did not dare to resist at all, because he saw the flags of the Wuning Army and the Silver Knife Army behind Pang Xun.

He didn't bother to guess how this group of soldiers appeared here. Now he just wanted to save his life.

Looking at him who remained silent, Pang Xun said with sarcasm in his tone: "Don't you Tianping Army claim to be elite? How come you are so vulnerable?"

The lieutenant bowed his head, his voice trembling: "Pang...Pang Jieshuai, we are just following orders, please spare my life..."

Pang Xun sneered, then asked: "How far are you from the central army? How many soldiers are there in the army? Who is the officer leading the army?"

"Did I say you can survive?" Lie Xiao's eyes flashed with hope, and Pang Xun nodded: "Of course."

"The one leading the troops is my Lord Yang, and there are 1,800 infantrymen in the rear, 20 miles away from here."

Lie Xiao told him all the information in one go, and before he could beg for mercy, Pang Xun suddenly drew his sword and chopped at him.

The huge head rolled to the ground, and blood spurted out for several feet, splashing on many soldiers.

"Are you qualified to negotiate terms with someone?"

Pang Xun snorted coldly, then wiped the blade with his cloak, sheathed the sword, and looked at Xu Ji beside him:

"Send the order down, send 200 men to put on the armor and flags of the Tianping Army, march south for ten miles and rest by the roadside."

"The rest of you continue to ambush on the official road outside this village. When they arrive, kill them by surprise!"

"I obey your command!" Xu Ji nodded in agreement, but in his mind he recalled how ruthlessly Pang Xun killed the colonel, and a chill rose in his heart.

The sky gradually brightened, and the faint light of morning light sprinkled on the earth, dispelling the chill of the night.

Following Pang Xun's orders, more than 200 bandits put on the armor stripped from the corpses of the Tianping Army, held the flags of the Tianping Army, marched ten miles south, and then stopped to rest.

Their mission was to disguise themselves as the Tianping Army's vanguard and lure the main force of the Tianping Army into an ambush.

At the same time, Pang Xun led three thousand Silver Knife Army and four to five thousand bandits, ambushing in the half-human-high weeds on both sides of the official road, waiting for the arrival of the main force of the Tianping Army.

The key to an ambush is patience, so Pang Xun didn't speak and no one dared to question his decision.

Time passed little by little, from the dawn of the morning to noon, three hours slowly passed.

The sun in the sky gradually rose higher, dispelling the remaining chill of the first month of the year and bringing a touch of warmth to the Silver Sword Army and bandits ambushing in the grass.

However, the long wait gradually made the soldiers impatient, and some even began to complain in low voices.

"Why haven't you come yet? Did you take a detour?"

"yes……"

"Shut up! The commander has his own plans. It's not your turn to talk!"

Many bandits complained, but they would soon be scolded by the Silver Sword Army soldiers.

The scolded bandits could only shrink their necks and dared not speak anymore. During this time, Pang Xun still looked ahead calmly, not caring about the anxiety of the soldiers.

Finally, when everyone was gradually losing patience, a group of people appeared at the end of the official road.

As they gradually got closer, the Silver Knife Army and the bandits finally saw their specific situation clearly.

The 1,800 men were divided into 180 teams, each with an ox cart piled high with armor and weapons.

The soldiers wore only breastplates, held long spears, and had short swords on their waists, and walked on both sides of the ox carts.

Their armor including ponchos, helmets, crotch guards, leg skirts, as well as bows, crossbows and arrows were basically placed on the ox carts, apparently to reduce the burden of the march.

In the center of the team, an official in a scarlet robe riding on a tall Turkic horse stood out.

There were more than a dozen elite cavalry guards beside him, and he was obviously the commander-in-chief of the Tianping Army.

A hint of coldness flashed across Pang Xun's eyes, and he whispered to Xu Ji beside him: "Pass the order, blow the horn after half a cup of tea!"

"Yes!" Xu Ji nodded and quickly passed on the order.

The Silver Blade Army and bandits in the bushes clenched their weapons tightly, with bloodthirsty gleams in their eyes.

The main force of the Tianping Army gradually entered the ambush circle, but they were unaware that they were heading towards death step by step.

The official in scarlet robe rode on his horse with a relaxed look, as if he was unaware of the danger around him.

Time passed, and when the Tianping Army reached the official road where Pang Xun had set up an ambush, dozens of Silver Knife Army soldiers immediately took out their horns and blew them.

"Uuuuuu——"

"kill!"

The horn sounded, and three thousand Silver Sword Soldiers and four to five thousand bandits stood up one after another, holding spears, daggers, golden hammers and other usable weapons, and rushed towards them shouting and killing.

"Enemy attack! Form a six-flower formation!!"

"Fire arrows!"

The shouts of the Silver Knife Army shook the earth. The Tianping Army soldiers who were on their way were completely stunned by the sudden attack. In panic, they tried to form a formation and put on armor, but Pang Xun did not give them a chance.

Three thousand fully armed Silver Sword Soldiers rushed forward and engaged in hand-to-hand combat with them.

The bandits were armed with bows and crossbows, constantly shooting arrows to disrupt the Tianping Army, which only had breastplates.

"what happened?!"

"Why hasn't the front army sent back any news?"

On horseback, Yang Gonghan, the governor of Tianping Army, was in a panic. If he had not been protected by more than ten elite cavalrymen, he would probably have been shot by an arrow and fallen off his horse in the first moment.

"Envoy, quickly give the order to break out to the north!"

The Tianping army, which had not seen war for a long time, hurried to persuade them that although Yang Gonghan was a military governor, he knew nothing about military affairs.

Now that he saw that the general was urging him to break out, he immediately reacted and said quickly: "Break out, break out to the north to Teng County!"

"Walk!!"

After receiving the military order, several generals on horseback will immediately try to break out to the north.

They rode on horseback, holding Yang Gonghan in the middle, and raised their shields to defend against the continuously falling arrows.

"Stop them, don't let them break through!"

Pang Xun gave stern orders, but the bandits seemed timid in the face of the charge of more than a dozen elite cavalrymen.

Even the well-trained Silver Sword Army did not dare to stop the charge of the elite cavalry without forming a battle formation.

Before the encirclement was formed, Yang Gonghan abandoned his army and broke out to the north.

Pang Xun was so angry that he chopped down a retreating bandit, while Xu Ji and others rode on more than ten draft horses and pursued them to the north.

Pang Xun had no choice but to stay and continue to command the army to encircle and suppress the soldiers of the Tianping Army.

"Those who surrender will not be killed! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

Calls for surrender continued to be heard. The Tianping soldiers, who had lost the command of Yang Gonghan and the generals and colonels, soon became exhausted and many of them chose to surrender.

Seeing them surrender, the soldiers of the Silver Sword Army quickly tied them up with ropes, but the bandits still did not abide by the rules and took the opportunity to steal the armor and weapons on the ox carts.

The battle ended quickly, and the Eighteen Hundred was completely defeated. Hundreds of corpses lay on the official road, dyeing the land red.

Pang Xun cast his eyes towards the bandits who had managed to snatch the armor, and he couldn't help but feel angry.

"These bandits are useless. They need to be trained, or something bad will happen sooner or later!"

Pang Xun suppressed his temper, and at this time Xu Ji and others also turned back.

Seeing that there was no gain behind them, Pang Xun knew that Yang Gonghan had broken through.

"Straight bitch!"

He couldn't help but glance at the four or five thousand bandits, secretly cursing their incompetence in his heart.

Thousands of people were unable to stop even a dozen cavalrymen, and allowed the backbone of the Tianping Army to escape back.

Although he was angry, Pang Xun remained calm and discussed with Xu Ji and Zhao Keli:
"The Tianping Army was badly defeated. Yang Gonghan will definitely send a letter to the troops in each town. We can't stay here for long."

"Order the three armies to rest for two hours, and then march north. We must recruit the bandits in Yanzhou, Yunzhou, and Puzhou to our side before the government troops react, break into the city, and capture their armor!"

The Silver Sword Army now has 5,000 armored soldiers, but Pang Xun is not satisfied.

There are differences between armored soldiers and armored soldiers. Judging from the quality of the armored bandits under his command, if they were to fight in a formal battle, they would probably be defeated by the guards of other vassal states like cutting melons and vegetables.

He must first obtain a large amount of armor and train his troops as he marches.

Thinking of this, Pang Xun immediately shook the reins and led his troops back into the ruined village to rest...

(End of this chapter)