Jinting Han people

Chapter 111 Giant (4k)

The military sage Sun Wu once described the highest realm of military command as follows: "Swift as the wind, silent as the forest, swift as fire, immovable as a mountain."

An unstoppable army should be as difficult to catch up as the wind when marching quickly; as impenetrable as the lush green forest when slowing down; as bravely forward as a raging fire when attacking; and as unshakable as a standing mountain when stopping.

Liu Xian was still in the battle novice and had never seen this kind of army. In this small battlefield in the rear hall of the Eastern Palace, whether it was the death squad trained by Yang Ji or his own Eastern Palace guards, they were far from this description.

But Liu Xian couldn't help but think of this sentence, because when the giant in front of him moved, only three words came to his mind: "The mountain moved."

Before, this giant stood in the crowd, and everyone could only see his tall outline. But as he slowly moved forward and walked to the front, he revealed the specially made tall armor on his body. Layers of scales hung down, swaying and ringing in the moonlight, like a waterfall composed of bells. The two-meter-long spear in his hand made people think of a flag without a flag, just like the headless Xing Tian in the myth.

People had to look up at him, and the closer the giant got, the more they craned their necks. Only when he was right in front of them did they realize that the phrase "blocking out the sky and the sun" could also be used to describe a person. His mere presence made people feel small and helpless, just like seeing the mountain peaks winding towards you after an earthquake.

All the guards of the East Palace gasped, and then subconsciously retreated, at least to an angle where they could see the moonlight.

But they stumbled and then realized: they had already climbed the stairs and had no way to retreat, so they had to fight.

Lu Yao saw that something was wrong and immediately shouted, "Shoot! Shoot!"

The archers in the rear had already drawn their bows and strings. They immediately bent their bows, drew their arrows, aimed, and fired. The sound of arrows breaking through the air whizzed non-stop.

But these things that looked like poisonous snakes to ordinary people were no more than locusts in front of this giant. He just stretched out an iron gauntlet to shield his eyes. These arrows penetrated his armor and stood upright on his body, and had no effect on his movements at all.

How is this possible? The palace guards were even more incredulous when they saw this.

Previously, the palace guards wanted to suppress the rebels and let their companions retreat first, so they just fired rapidly and long-range shots without caring about the accuracy. In addition, it was dark, so the two sides shot back and forth for a long time without many casualties, which meant they looked rather embarrassed.

But now, with the moonlight reappearing, the giant was extremely conspicuous. Most people tried their best to aim before shooting, and the closer the distance, the greater the power of the arrow. However, the giant seemed to be nothing happened, and he rushed in under the rain of arrows as if he was strolling in the garden in the spring rain!

Wang Dun was the first to realize what was going on. He murmured, "Could it be that he's wearing two layers of armor?"

Liu Xian also realized that seeing how bloated this strongman was, he must be wearing two layers of armor! One layer of iron armor on the outside, and one layer of leather armor on the inside. For an ordinary archer to shoot through one layer of armor with two crossbows is already very good, but to shoot through two layers of heavy armor, you must be a sharpshooter.

But the archers couldn't be blamed. After all, anyone who could move freely in a single layer of armor was already a warrior. But the giant before them, able to launch an attack while wearing two layers of heavy armor, was completely beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

The only solution right now was to use a heavy crossbow to penetrate the armor. But the East Palace's defenses were lax. They didn't even have a normal crossbow ready, let alone a heavy crossbow. Where could they find one? The enemy wouldn't give them time.

When he got close enough to a speed where he could accelerate, the giant shouted loudly, raised his halberd high, and ran with his legs like drumsticks. Behind him, more than a hundred death warriors followed closely behind him, shouting loudly and launching a fierce attack on the palace guards like a tsunami.

Seeing this, the palace guards in the front row tried to form a battle formation and launch a counterattack, but when they saw the tall figure pressing down on them, they were all terrified and their hands and feet were powerless.

At this moment, the giant wielded a halberd and swung it down like a boulder falling from the sky, smashing directly into the head of a palace guard. Even though the guard was wearing an iron helmet, the blow only produced a dull thud, and the guard fell to the ground. He opened his mouth, making a hoarse sound, but no scream escaped him. In an instant, blood streamed down his face, and he expired.

The palace guards nearby were stunned and unable to move, but the giant just grinned indifferently, swung his hand to the left, and the long spear picked up an armored palace guard and threw him out like a chicken.

The giant paused for a moment, his face flushed in the darkness, and he raised his halberd again, sweeping it across the crowd.

This move was truly like that of a god. There were four palace guards blocking his way in front of him, and he hit them all. Even if their armor was not broken, those who were hit by the spear would all have broken bones and fall to the ground, unable to get up again.

In just a moment, the giant knocked down six palace guards, and his burly body was densely covered with dozens of arrows, as if they were born on the armor, becoming a terrifying decoration for the giant.

In front of such a giant, the palace guards in front were completely frightened. Even though they were on a narrow staircase with people standing behind them, they didn't care. Rather than being smashed into pieces by the giant, they would rather swing their swords at their companions.

So they turned around, crowded and trampled towards the rear, completely exposing their backs to the enemy, which was exactly the wrong choice.

Yang Ji's assassins took advantage of the situation and launched a tidal attack, which led to the collapse of all the palace guards.

Liu Xian was standing next to the military drum, taking in everyone's expressions.

Despair was written all over the palace guards' eyes. The rebels attacked like a tide, and the palace guards retreated like a tide. People were constantly hacked to death and wounded on the retreating path. Screams and wails echoed like roosters, and broken limbs and blood were scattered on the steps like dirt.

What's worse, some of them simply knelt on the ground and surrendered, but no one paid any attention to them. The rebels behind them rolled in and soon overwhelmed these people.

This was Liu Xian's first defeat in the initial battle. His original strategy of shrinking the front line and resisting layer by layer on the steps suffered a complete failure simply because of the appearance of one person.

Although this person is a giant who is about ten feet tall.

But the giant is also a human being, and his physical strength is not endless. After killing six people in a row, he was wearing two layers of heavy armor and was inevitably panting. He stood there to rest. Liu Xian was repeatedly retreated by the impact of the fleeing soldiers, but his eyes were fixed on him, thinking in his heart: There is a chance, there is a chance to defeat him!
As the crowd retreated, they quickly reached the main gate of the palace. Looking back, they could see the pale prince holding a wine glass and the trembling Princess Yingchuan. Most people had lost their fighting spirit, and only a few were able to stand without falling down.

It has become a matter of life and death.

In this perilous situation, Liu Xian knew he couldn't hold back. If he allowed the situation to continue, and the Crown Prince fell into Yang Ji's hands, he would be unable to report to the court, regardless of his life or death. Even if King Sima Wei of Chu intervened, he wouldn't be able to protect him. He would be letting down those who had placed such high hopes in him, and those who were still waiting for his return home.

He must step up now.

So without any hesitation, he grabbed the axe from a soldier beside him, shouted loudly, and without greeting anyone, he rushed towards the forefront of the rebel attack with his sword against the tide of the crowd.

The surrounding palace guards were still retreating, but the rebels chasing them were also caught off guard. The palace guards fled in disarray, and the rebels also fled in disarray! Liu Xian was like an arrow shot from a bow, shouting as he advanced, "You who lack courage! Just run! I'll show you how truly courageous people die on the battlefield!"

With that, Liu Xian lowered his footsteps, bent, and turned, suddenly accelerating. The sharp knife in his hand struck out like lightning, instantly piercing a rebel's eye and piercing his brain. The rebel was caught off guard, not expecting a counterattack. Before he could even see the blade clearly, Liu Xian had already pulled it out.

Liu Xian grabbed the still warm and trembling corpse with one hand and pushed it hard down the stairs. The rebel behind him was hit hard and fell to the ground.

This allowed Liu Xian to ignore what was in front of him and turn to the enemies on his left and right.

He was holding a sword in his right hand, so he naturally chose to attack the rebel closest to his right. With his usual bow step, Liu Xian only needed to change direction once, and the opponent was caught off guard and had his throat slit.

At the same time, before the rebel on the left could react, Liu Xian had already fiercely kicked him in the lower limbs, and then kicked him in the abdomen. The man cried out in pain and could not help but bend over and cover his stomach, but this exposed his neck.

Liu Xian was quick-witted and quick-handed. He changed to holding the knife with both hands and slashed along the neck. The blade went from flesh to bone, and from bone to flesh. In an instant, the man's head and body were separated.

Liu Xian's strike was a masterful one, a beautiful one. Even if he were asked to do it again, he might not have been able to do it. But for the man being struck, the scene was far from satisfying. His head rolled down the stairs like a balloon, his body falling backward as blood gushed from his neck like a fountain, splashing onto the bodies, hands, and steps of the surrounding rebels. Even the damp heat could be felt through their armor.

Such a bloody way of killing is rare even on the battlefield, which made the rebels stop chasing and turn their attention to Liu Xian.

Liu Xian was now splattered with blood, his face and even his eyes stained crimson, but he held his axe, his eyes wide with anger, and fought to the death. Every swing of the axe, every roar of anger, emanated an unbearable pressure in the moonlight. He was like the Asura in Buddhist stories, a demon crawling out of hell.

This made the rebels feel frightened. They stopped for a moment and stopped chasing.

Jiang Tong, who was standing behind him, was shocked at first when he saw this scene. He had never known Liu Xian's martial arts skills were so advanced. Then he realized that this was a good opportunity to rally morale and immediately shouted to everyone, "Prince Anle has charged into the battle! What are you afraid of?! Are you really going to wait for death like cowards?"

The fleeing palace guards reacted instantly. Initially overwhelmed by the giant's might, they hesitated and became fearful. But seeing a nobleman like Liu Xian charging forward, killing several men in quick succession, they couldn't help but think: "Yes, we still have the Prince of Anle here! He's a descendant of Liu Bei and Zhang Fei. Perhaps he can turn the tide of the battle? Even dying alongside him would surely be a glorious achievement."

Then some people reacted and became more courageous. They turned around on the spot without any neat formation and followed Liu Xian to launch a counterattack against the rebels.

Morale works like this: if you are weak, the enemy is strong; if you are strong, the enemy is weak.

Liu Xian seized the momentum and snatched a halberd from the enemy's hand. Then, leaning down, he thrust directly at the rebels' lower bodies. The lower steps, soaked in blood, had become quite slippery. Liu Xian only needed to apply a little force to the enemy's calves, causing them to lose their footing and easily fall.

The palace guards who came up from behind also followed suit. They held their spears like a forest and stabbed the enemy from below again and again, while the rebels looked up and fought back. However, the rebels were attacking from above and had difficulty exerting their strength. The palace guards, thanks to the inertia of gravity, always stabbed more forcefully than the rebels. As a result, the palace guards were at most injured, while many of the rebels had their armor broken and eventually fell to the ground and died.

Faced with an unfavorable exchange, the rebels wisely stopped their attack and retreated, and the palace guards did not pursue them, but reorganized their troops on the steps.

This is just the end of a wave of attack and defense.

Both sides knew that the decisive moment was yet to come.

Arrows began to fly in the air again, and the soldiers on the steps began to take a short rest, or more accurately, they gasped for breath and then took the time to drink water down their throats.

Liu Xian was also guzzling water. Jiang Tong handed him a canteen, and he tilted his head back to drink. His throat kept throbbing with the icy sensation. But Liu Xian's eyes remained open, fixed on the towering figure below the stage.

The charge just now had exposed his true strength. Although it was a secret unknown to all except those closest to him two quarters of an hour ago, he was now a master known to everyone.

Liu Xian saved the morale, which meant that in the following battle, he had become the source of morale for the palace guards. He could no longer retreat and had to fight to the end, otherwise, as soon as he retreated, the palace guards would collapse again.

Fighting to the end, in this scene, has only one meaning, and that is to face the giant who can be called a monster.

Under the moonlight, Liu Xian noticed that the giant was pulling out the arrow from his armor, his eyes looking straight at him.

Obviously the other party thought so too.

Can he succeed? Liu Xian put down the kettle and threw it to the palace guard beside him. The palace guard was very cautious and even said to Liu Xian, "Your Highness is very brave." It seemed that Liu Xian's performance just now had captured everyone's admiration.

Liu Xian thought that if this matter could be concluded smoothly, he should be able to at least be promoted to a higher rank and then be granted the title of Marquis of Ting.

He used this kind of wild imagination to disturb his inner anxiety, because he really had no confidence in defeating the giant.

Liu Xian looked at the giant and suddenly thought: "I don't know his name or what his parents look like, but they could actually give birth to such a terrifying person!"

Then he thought: "How did Yang Ji win over the people's hearts and minds to get such a strong support! What a pity that such a good man has become my enemy."

While deep in thought, Liu Xian heard some exclamations around him. He suddenly woke up and looked at the battlefield in front of him.

The other side had finished resting, and the giant once again raised the flagless banner and strode upwards, still exerting an oppressive force like an earthquake.

But this time, he only had Liu Xian in his eyes.

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(End of this chapter)