Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 445: The brave one wins when we meet on a narrow road
The siege was extremely brutal. Despite the magical enhancements, the white-robed soldiers still suffered heavy casualties.

This was the first time they had suffered such heavy casualties since the start of their campaign. Soldiers were constantly wounded and fell while scaling the walls, or were hacked to death by enemy soldiers after reaching the top.

But to Chen Qingzhi's drumbeats, they did not back down and charged forward wave after wave. Finally, after paying a heavy price of five hundred men, they captured Xingyang City and took the defending general Yang Yu and two Northern Wei princes prisoner.

With so many Taoist priests accompanying the White Robe Army, those who hadn't died in battle could generally have been rescued. In other words, these five hundred men all died on the spot and couldn't be saved... The extent of the White Robe Army's losses is unimaginable.

This time, Chen Qingzhi did not spare the lives of those who surrendered; instead, he beheaded all Wei officers of the rank of battalion commander and above. His purpose was twofold: first, to avenge the five hundred fallen soldiers; and second, to give a strong deterrent to any other Wei soldiers who dared to resist.

~~
The day after capturing Xingyang, Erzhu Zhao's reinforcements arrived.

He was Erzhu Rong's nephew, known as the fiercest general of the Qihu, but his biggest flaw was that he was brave but lacked strategy.

Originally, he was in Jinan following Erzhu Rong to attack Xing Gao. After receiving the order to reinforce Xingyang, he rushed to Xingyang without stopping, hoping to catch the White Robe Army off guard.

Erzhu Rong had originally arranged for another general, Lu An, to lead 9,000 cavalry and infantry to return to the rescue with Erzhu Zhao, but Lu An left him far behind, and the two armies became completely separated.

Erzhu Zhao also noticed this, but he didn't care at all. After Erzhu Rong defeated Ge Rong's million-strong army with only seven thousand cavalry, he and the Qihu cavalry had become extremely arrogant.

What kind of bullshit White Robe Army is this? The moment my five thousand Qihu soldiers arrive, they'll immediately reveal their true colors!
As a result, he ran hundreds of miles in one breath, and when he arrived at the city of Xingyang, he saw that the banner with the character "Chen" was already flying on the city wall.

Erzhu Zhao was stunned. He had planned to stab the White-Robed Army in the back while they were attacking the city. But he hadn't expected them to arrive so quickly, and the White-Robed Army had already captured Xingyang City.

How are you going to stab someone now? It's more like kicking a steel plate...

Just as Erzhu Zhao was in a dilemma, he suddenly saw the city gate slowly rise, and three thousand white-robed cavalrymen rushed out of the city and charged towards his five thousand Qihu cavalrymen.

"You choose the path to heaven but refuse to take it, while you choose the path to hell!" Erzhu Zhao was overjoyed at the sight. As long as he could eliminate this wave of Liang troops, he could save face.

"Kill them!" he shouted in the Qihu language, leading his fierce Qihu cavalry to meet the enemy!

The sound of hooves thundered like a dense drumbeat, striking a chilling symphony across the land. The cavalry of both sides kicked up plumes of dust that quickly merged beneath the walls of Xingyang.

Chen Qingzhi led his troops to watch the battle from the city wall, and everyone was worried for Ma Fonian's white-robed cavalry. However, he said with great confidence:
"Erzhu Zhao has come from Jinan at breakneck speed without a moment's rest. As the saying goes, 'Even a spent arrow cannot pierce silk,' so no matter how fierce the Qihu cavalry are, their fighting power will be greatly reduced. Our army is well-rested and ready to fight, and we will surely achieve a great victory!"

~~
Under a thick blanket of yellow dust, the two cavalrymen charged face to face.

When the two sides were less than ten zhang apart, the white-robed cavalryman pulled the trigger of his crossbow, firing a series of magical arrows of various colors. Fire crow arrows, ice arrows, thunder arrows... exploded at close range in the enemy ranks, and large numbers of Qihu cavalrymen screamed and fell from their horses.

The Taoist priests at the back of the row then performed rituals together, bestowing upon the cavalrymen in the front row the 'Copper Head and Iron Arm Talisman' and 'Great Vajra Talisman'...

The white-robed cavalrymen shone with golden light, like celestial warriors, and their orderly formation plunged straight into the ranks of the Qihu cavalry.

They held their spears level, creating a series of sharp spear shadows. The spear tips pierced the Qihu soldiers, easily penetrating their armor, the sharp blades sinking into flesh with dull thuds!
The front-row Qihu cavalrymen screamed and fell from their horses like dumplings being dropped into a pot, their bright red blood splattering everywhere and splashing onto the dusty ground.

The Qihu cavalry were not to be outdone. The rear cavalrymen roared wildly, brandishing their gleaming scimitars and slashing at the white-robed soldiers. These Qihu cavalrymen were all fierce and ruthless, their swordsmanship powerful and heavy. The scimitars crackled with blinding arcs of electricity, and a single strike could cleave an enemy soldier and his horse in two.

However, when their longswords struck the white-robed soldiers, they only produced a blinding yellow light, and the white-robed cavalrymen were unharmed.

Taking advantage of the Qihu cavalry's momentary shock, the white-robed soldiers drew their short-handled, sickle-shaped swords and slashed at them.

The Qihu cavalry did not possess such invulnerability, and another group of them was cleaved off.

Even more serious was the blow to their morale. The Qihu cavalry were already exhausted, relying solely on a false sense of positivity. Now that they had met their match, their morale plummeted, their limbs felt heavy, their bodies were weak, and their fighting spirit dropped drastically.

On the battlefield, the brave prevail when paths cross, and if one's will to fight is weaker than the opponent's, defeat can easily be swift and devastating.

The white-robed cavalry seized the opportunity and launched increasingly fierce attacks. They continuously broke through the Qihu cavalry's defenses, dividing and encircling the enemy.

The Qihu cavalry were thrown into complete chaos, losing contact with each other and forced to fight individually. But in this life-or-death situation, they rallied and, with their fearless spirit, engaged in a desperate battle with the White-Robed Army.

Erzhu Zhao was completely enraged, never expecting that he would come all this way just to get beaten up.

In an attempt to turn the tide, he quickly used a secret technique, biting his finger and writing the name "Heavenly Slaughter God" on his forehead. He transformed into a red-haired Asura over two zhang tall, wielding flaming blades with both hands, and cleaved a Liang soldier and his horse in two.

Upon seeing this, Ma Fonian quickly raised his spear to meet Erzhu Zhao.

Both were at the Nine Apertures level, but with the blessing of the Heavenly Slaughter God, Erzhu Zhao's strength far surpassed that of a Nine Apertures cultivator. He deflected Ma Fonian's spear with just three strikes. Just as he was about to sever Ma Fonian's head, a white figure appeared in front of him, saving Ma Fonian.

It was Ren Yuan who arrived. His spirit simultaneously left his body, wielding the Demon-Slaying Blade to fight Erzhu Zhao.

After saving Ma Fonian, the deity used his finger as a brush to draw the 'Blazing Sun Heavenly Ashes Talisman' and attacked Erzhu Zhao.

One was a powerful and omnipotent being, while the other was extremely fierce and possessed by a god of death. For a time, they fought back and forth, and it was difficult to determine who was superior.

Erzhu Zhao was caught up in the heat of battle when he suddenly caught a glimpse of his Qihu cavalry being wiped out. He was instantly filled with shock and anger, and before he knew it, Ren Yuan’s Yao Guang sword pierced his left eye. He screamed in pain and rolled on the ground, clutching his face.

The generals hastily unleashed their demon-binding ropes, attempting to capture him, but Erzhu Zhao transformed into a streak of blood and vanished. All the demon-binding ropes missed their mark…

Ma Fonian thanked Ren Yuandao, and then said with lingering fear, "What a powerful Qi Hu! He's already far beyond the Nine Apertures, just like you."

“Because he has become a divine messenger,” Ren Yuan said in a deep voice, “he can now borrow a portion of Erzhu Rong’s divine power.”

"Good heavens, how are we going to deal with Erzhu Rong?" The generals couldn't help but gasp in astonishment.

“That’s not our concern,” Ren Yuan said, showing Chen Qingzhi’s token. “Come with me.”

(End of this chapter)