The Splendor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 56 Baigou Canal

The half hour seemed endless. The sun was setting, the wind and snow were getting stronger, and the soldiers were shivering from the cold, but they endured it on their own.

Xiao Yi sat next to Fan Si, occasionally moving his fingers to maintain his grip on the knife.

The dull sound of horses' hooves approached from afar, causing a slight tremor in the ground.

coming!

More than a hundred riders appeared in the distance, galloping towards them.

Xiao Yi dared not make a sound, letting them approach the old forest at the crossroads a hundred paces ahead.

Fan Si slowly pulled out an arrow, nocked it, and strung it with a soft "creak".

Waiting, waiting.

"Do it!"

Suddenly a loud shout rang out.

"By order, execute the traitor Liu Jirong! The rest of you, dismount and surrender!"

Chen Guanghui's roar was like a thunderclap.

This was followed by Cao Wei's calm yet even more lethal command.

"My lads! Liu Jirong is a treacherous and wicked man; follow me and kill him!"

"..."

Xiao Yi could only see the scene over there through the reeds.

Liu Jirong's guards surrounded him, their spears forming a forest.

Chen Guanghui's twenty-odd riders did not charge blindly, but instead kept shouting and waving excess flags to create the impression of a large force, while shooting down those around Liu Jirong.

The Fengtian Army's troops were like a swarm of wasps that had been disturbed, unable to distinguish friend from foe.

"Kill the traitors!"

Finally, Chen Guanghui shouted and led a group of men to charge into the enemy lines. The sounds of clashing swords and spears, neighing warhorses, dying screams, and terrified curses mingled together.

Liu Jirong kept shouting.

"They've rebelled! They've rebelled! Cao Wei has rebelled!"

"Kill these traitors..."

From within the reeds, Old Pan whispered, "Make your move!"

More than ten men led out their warhorses, mounted them, but did not rush to charge. Instead, they first made a great commotion to continue their intimidation with their shouts.

"Kill!"

Liu Jirong's confidants suffered another major blow to their morale.

Subsequently, Cao Wei personally killed a soldier, thus solidifying the situation.

Xiao Yi and the others then traversed the reeds to cut off the retreat of the routed soldiers.

His gaze was fixed on Liu Jirong's bright cloak in the distance. He saw Liu Jirong panicking like a headless fly, trying to run away several times, but Cao Li pulled him back each time.

Cao Li was indeed a fierce general. Wielding a long spear, he knocked down two soldiers from Chanzhou who were blocking his way, protected Liu Jirong, and led four or five guards to turn their horses around and retreat.

"coming!"

"Stop them!"

Old Pan gave a low shout and led his men to flank from the side, firing arrows intermittently.

"Captain, watch me."

After Fan Si finished speaking, he suddenly shot an arrow that hit the target.

Immediately, a horse neighed, and Cao Li's mount was struck by an arrow, collapsing to the ground with a thud.

Liu Jirong was terrified and whipped his horse hard, galloping forward at breakneck speed.

Xiao Yi rode his horse to block him, facing him head-on.

"Chief Xiao?!"

But then Liu Jirong's panicked face lit up with joy. Like a drowning man grasping at a straw, he rushed toward Xiao Yi, screaming for help.

"Captain, save me..."

Xiao Yi spurred his black horse, Wuzhui, to meet him.

He held the reins in one hand and the knife in the other, and when the two were only a few steps apart, he gripped the rope tightly.

The warhorse neighed, reared up, and its forehooves left two afterimages in the air.

Xiao Yi turned his body slightly to the side.

Charge up, then swing the sword.

His right arm suddenly swung out.

The blade flashed a cold, sharp arc, precise and ruthless.

"Pfft-"

Liu Jirong's cries for help came to an abrupt halt. For a moment, his eyes looked down, but perhaps all he could see was the warhorse carrying his body as it continued to gallop wildly.

Blood gushed out like a fountain from the severed neck.

Xiao Yi twisted his wrist, retracted the horizontal blade, and the blood droplets on the blade dripped down the edge, hitting the snow and instantly freezing into tiny blood droplets.

The black horse's front hooves touched the ground.

"Boom."

At the same time, a head fell to the ground.

Xiao Yi looked back and saw Liu Jirong's headless body swaying on the horse's back before falling to the ground.

The empty horse let out a panicked neigh and flew away.

Upon seeing this, the two of Liu Jirong's henchmen froze, shouting, "Surrender! We surrender..."

"kill!"

Xiao Yi uttered a single word, as cold as wind and snow.

Soon, only Cao Li remained fighting on the battlefield. His right leg was injured by his wounded horse, and his spear was broken in half, yet he still gripped the wooden handle, fighting valiantly despite his blood loss. Old Pan, with four soldiers from Chanzhou, surrounded him, forming a tight small formation, occasionally thrusting their spears forward.

Cao Li was brave, but he could only fight on the sidelines, constantly inflicting new wounds, and was gradually bleeding to death.

"Commander Xiao...we're brothers...Cao Dang is a friend I'd risk my life for..."

Xiao Yi remained silent, his eyes cold and ruthless.

Had he not known the course of history, he might have also pledged allegiance to the emperor and Li Ye. It should be noted that behind the shrewd choices made by Cao Wei, Wang Yin, and Li Hongwei lay a wealth of information inaccessible to ordinary people.

But having experienced so many failures, he knew all too well that the world is ruthless and does not tolerate weakness.

Then... let's wrap up filming.

Before long, Cao Li was covered in blood from being stabbed. He swayed and fell heavily onto the snow.

Old Pan stepped forward, kicked the corpse, and confirmed that it was no longer breathing.

"This guy is a tough one, but unfortunately he chose the wrong path."

"Wrap up the head that Xiao Du Tou cut off, salt it, and wrap it in oilcloth."

Old Pan cleaved Cao Li's head off with a single stroke and threw it to his men.

The tone was casual, as if he were talking about marinating freshly obtained ingredients.

After the battle, the banks of the Baigou Canal returned to deathly silence, with only the howling wind carrying the stench of blood and snowflakes as it swept across the withered reeds.

Cao Wei walked over, escorted by two guards, his black cloak splattered with bloodstains.

His gaze swept over Cao Li's head, a hint of regret flashing across his stern face, followed by an almost inaudible sigh that was quickly blown away by the wind and snow.

Then, he looked at Xiao Yi and nodded.

"You did a good job."

"I have fulfilled my mission." Xiao Yi also returned the salute with clasped hands, saying, "It is good that General Cao is well."

He briefly recounted the events in Chanzhou and relayed that Wang Yin had sent people to Kaifeng to protect the Cao family.

Cao Wei's expression finally relaxed, and he looked towards Yedu with a sense of excitement.

He summoned his soldiers and spoke again, as if issuing a military order.

"Once this matter is settled, we must travel day and night to Yedu to meet the Commander-in-Chief. We will rest here for a while and then set off immediately!"

Xiao Yi hesitated for a moment, then reached into his robe and took out an object wrapped in oilcloth from his inner pocket.

When opened, the imperial guard's tally and the seal of the Privy Councilor gleamed with a cold, eerie light in the glow of the setting sun and torches.

"Please take this item with you, Commander Cao, and present it to Commander Guo."

Cao Wei took it and glanced at it, a look of surprise flashing across his face. He asked in a deep voice, "Where did you get such a powerful artifact?"

“I was originally an adopted son of the Prime Minister’s family, but I became a servant in the Shi family, so I came from the Shi family.”

"This item concerns the deployment of troops throughout the land. Why don't you present it to the commander-in-chief personally?"

Cao Wei softened his tone, as if afraid that Xiao Yi wouldn't know the benefits this thing could bring.

Xiao Yi glanced at the talisman and spoke, his tone calm and firm.

"Grand Tutor Shi has already publicly stated that he would hand over the Grand Secretariat to Commander Guo. It is fortunate that it has been returned to its rightful owner. Commander Cao's transfer not only relieves Commander Guo's immediate crisis but also avoids any suspicion of me overstepping my bounds. Besides..."

He paused, then looked back.

"Before I left the capital, I was entrusted by Madam Chai to protect two women and children from the Guo family. They are right behind me. I have been entrusted with this task, and I must see it through to the end. They are still going through all kinds of dangers to get here. If I go to Yedu first for the sake of the talisman, I will be going against my conscience."

"You'll regret it."

“Things are inanimate, but people are alive,” Xiao Yi said. “I think that for Commander Guo, family is more important than these few brass pieces.”

Upon hearing this, Cao Wei paused for a moment, then suddenly broke into a smile.

"What a little monkey!"

He didn't say anything more, casually put the talisman into his pocket, looked around, beckoned Chen Guanghui, and said, "Arrange a team to protect Chief Xiao and make sure he stays behind."

"Here."

Chen Guanghui looked around, pointed to a captain with a sharp and capable look, and shouted, "Xu Sheng, take your men and stay here to protect Captain Xiao and take care of the wounded."

Xu Sheng was taken aback, then, stiffening his neck, said, "General, our brothers have come all the way from Chanzhou through countless hardships, all for the sake of a better future! The credit for beheading the bandit leader went to Old Pan, and now we want more..."

"shut up!"

Chen Guanghui flew into a rage, slammed his sword sheath out, and cursed, "You son of a bitch, you're trying to embarrass me in front of Commander Cao, aren't you?!"

Xu Sheng dared not say more, clenching his fists, clearly unwilling to accept defeat.

Seeing this, Old Pan quickly spoke up, his voice hoarse but steady, saying, "General, let Captain Xu go. I'm too tired to run anymore, so I'll stay here to look after the wounded and clean up the bodies of my comrades."

"Approved, let's call the people."

"Here."

Old Pan turned his head, and the soldiers all lowered their heads.

Xiao Yi followed his gaze and saw two people willing to stay. One was a new recruit called Wu Gouzi, with a blood-soaked bandage wrapped around his left arm; the other was a scout nicknamed Hu Deng, who limped over.

"It'll be the two of them," Old Pan said.

"Count me in."

Another scout, a small monkey, darted out and said with a grin, "I'll stay and keep Hu Deng company. I can figure out every nook and cranny in Hebei with my eyes closed. I'll be your guide."

"Yun, Lao Pan, I'm leaving this to you."

Chen Guanghui glared at Xu Sheng again, her eyes like ice, freezing Xu Sheng so that he dared not utter another word.

"Let's go. If you dare to say another word on the way, you'll be court-martialed!"

Xiao Yi glanced at Fan Si behind him and said, "You will also go to Yedu with Commander Cao and receive the credit first."

Fan Si shook his head without hesitation and moved closer to Xiao Yi.

"Captain, I've been following you. You don't seem to be feeling well."

Seeing the determination in his eyes, Xiao Yi felt a warmth in his own eyes, said nothing more, and nodded.

Over there, the large group of people did not linger any longer. The sound of horses' hooves rang out on the official road like thunder, and soon disappeared into the twilight at the edge of the wilderness.

(End of this chapter)