Jianghu Qimen Lu

When our main force arrives, it will inevitably disrupt the formation, turning the tightly organized array into scattered units. Ultimately, everyone will fight individually based on their own strength. At this point, the units on the side that formed the formation will be dispersed, unable to effectively deploy their attacks or form a cohesive force. Conversely, the attacking side will deploy its attacks effectively and concentrate its forces efficiently. The Eight Trigrams Formation will become a chaotic mess, a complete mess, and how can it not be defeated!

At this point, Red Moon suddenly became solemn and delivered a stern speech: "Now I command the entire army to divide into four routes. One route, led by White Lightning and the Thirteen Protectors of Blackwater, will attack the enemy's Heaven and Earth Wind and Cloud Formation. Another route, led by Jade Ruyi and the Six Famous Fists of Jiangnan, will attack the enemy's Dragon, Tiger, Bird, and Snake Formation. The third route, led by General Yue Zhongqi and the heroes of Moqing Society, will attack the Four Symbols Formation. Each of you three routes will lead five thousand troops, and the remaining large force will be led by me to be responsible for mobile warfare, controlling the sixty-four smaller formations of the main formation and the twenty-four formations of the mobile troops! Now, seize the time and proceed!" The generals and soldiers each accepted their orders and departed.

White Lightning mounted his Ferghana horse and waved his hand, shouting, "Kill!" Apart from the overjoyed and three other brothers who had died in battle, and the third brother who was unable to attend because he was guarding the cave entrance, the remaining eight heroes of the Blackwater Thirteen Protectors were all brave and skilled in battle. They brandished their spears, leaped on their horses, and led their troops into the fray!

Upon entering the Heaven and Earth Wind and Cloud Formation, one sees the Japanese commander-in-chief positioned in the center, his young lord Tokugawa Munetake seated at the very center of the formation, waving two command flags, one red and one white, directing the battle. Three samurai and various ninja generals closely surround the commander-in-chief; only Fujibayashi Toshikaku is absent from the formation!

The enemy soldiers were divided into several irregularly shaped squares of varying sizes, with soldiers at the edges of each square carrying shields taller than themselves. Between the squares were passageways wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage, crisscrossing and connecting upwards and downwards, resembling a labyrinth. The eight bodyguards, including those who were furious and infatuated, charged into the formation, initially seeing only shields and no movement, and were puzzled, hesitant to attack.

Once Bai Shandian led all his troops into the Eight Trigrams Formation, the Japanese commander-in-chief, Tokugawa Munetake, gave the order, and the sounds of gongs, drums, and hidden weapons immediately erupted. Bai Shandian and his men were terrified. Hidden arrows and spears flew out from between the shields at the same time, and the soldiers in the passage were thrown into chaos, with countless dead and wounded.

Just as Bai Shandian was frowning and at a loss for what to do, a middle-aged hunchback carrying a hook-and-sickle spear suddenly strode into the enemy ranks. With a swift and powerful thrust, he stabbed the ground with the hook-and-sickle spear, unleashing sixty-four consecutive thrusts. Screams of agony rose and fell as the Japanese ninjas hidden behind their shields bled profusely, and countless broken legs and feet rolled out!

The hook-and-sickle spear is an ancient weapon, its earliest prototype invented by Lu Ban. During the Spring and Autumn Period, this weapon was called a hook-and-straight or hook-and-resist, primarily used for hooking warships together, not for grappling people. Lu Ban's invention, revealed more than 2000 years later, demonstrates his outstanding contribution to weaponry. The hook-and-sickle spear has a sharp spearhead with a laterally protruding barb at the bottom, the hook tip curving inwards. This design allows it to both stab and hook enemies, effectively preventing their escape. Severing an enemy's ankle bone is effortless and easy!

Seeing this, White Lightning was overjoyed and suddenly realized the solution. He shouted to his soldiers, "Everyone, learn from the fourth of the Thirteen Protectors, Le Bu Ke Zhi! Attack the enemy's lower body! Especially their legs and feet! Slash and chop relentlessly! Disrupt their formation to break the Heaven and Earth Wind and Cloud Formation!" The soldiers shouted and brandished their weapons, relentlessly attacking the ninja's feet!

And sure enough, this tactic actually worked. Although the Japanese used shields to protect themselves, making them seem as impregnable as a fortress of bronze and iron, a thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant hole. Their shields couldn't protect their feet after all! Once their feet were cut off, they were essentially paralyzed! The camp was thrown into chaos.

Seizing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, White Lightning shouted, "Soldiers, charge!" Immediately, drums and music resounded, and cannons roared. Led by the remaining members of the Thirteen Protectors, the soldiers charged like tigers descending a mountain into a flock of sheep. Amidst the flashing blades and flying blood, the Japanese ninja forces' Tenfu, Jizai, Kazeyo, and Kumodari formations fell one after another. The commander of each formation, Momoi Haruzō Naomasa, was nearly killed. He fled in disarray to the central tent, abandoning his armor and weapons. No matter how much the commander-in-chief, Tokugawa Munetake, roared and reprimanded him, he remained silent!

Seeing her father's initial victory, Yu Ru was filled with pride and said with great enthusiasm, "Esteemed seniors, the Six Great Fists were once renowned throughout Jiangnan. Mentioning them in the martial arts world, who wouldn't give them a thumbs up and hold them in the highest esteem! Today's battle is a perfect opportunity for you all to make your names known. I hope you will surpass your past achievements, and that the fame of the Six Great Fists will soar to new heights, terrifying the Japanese invaders to the bone!"

Upon hearing this, the six famous boxing styles felt their blood boil, and they were all full of vigor and high spirits, as if they had been injected with chicken blood, and rushed into the formation with great enthusiasm! The Wing Chun boxer was a beautiful woman. Relying on her excellent lightness skills, she leaped into the sky like a swallow soaring through the clouds, and looked down at the formation from the air!

The formation resembled a triangle, or a flying bird, with the commander-in-chief positioned at the bird's head, followed by his deputy and extending to the entire army. She pondered, "The Bird Formation is an offensive formation. The key to victory lies in whether the commander-in-chief is a brave and capable general, leading his troops with lightning speed to strike at the heart of the enemy formation, tearing it in two, causing panic and rout, and annihilating their fighting spirit. It seems that Tokugawa Munetake is the key! To defeat this Bird Formation, we must first subdue Tokugawa Munetake!"

Without hesitation, like an eagle catching a rabbit, he swooped down from mid-air with lightning speed, reaching the head of Tokugawa Munetake under the banner in the blink of an eye! Startled, the Japanese soldier hastily drew his Kusanagi sword, twirling it in a flurry to protect his head. Unexpectedly, the Wing Chun practitioner had already produced a long rope dart mid-air, and before it even reached him, it shot towards his right eye like a venomous flying snake!

With a clear clang, the golden dart was deflected by the sword's flourish and sent flying! Unexpectedly, the rope of the dart was soft, and the golden dart swung back and forth, slashing towards Tokugawa Munetake's face! A scream of pain rang out as it struck his nose squarely, slicing off his enormous bear nose!

Tokugawa Munetake tumbled headfirst off his horse, and the Wing Chun master swiftly moved to his side, seizing his pulse point and then using the long rope of a rope dart to strangle him. She barked, "Quickly order your men to stop fighting and disband the Eight Trigrams Formation! Otherwise, don't blame me for strangling you to death!" As the rope dart was pulled back, Tokugawa Munetake's face turned a deep purplish-red, and he hurriedly shouted into the formation, "Stop! We... admit defeat!"

Chiba Shusaku and the other Japanese generals were all shocked and horrified. They were about to achieve their goal and the battle was about to be won, but unexpectedly, an unknown and frail woman had successfully ambushed their commander! They were furious and enraged!

At this moment, the Tiger Wings are in front, the Wind Serpents swirl around the central sky, the Clouds encircle the rear flanks, and the Bird Formation is hidden within the formation. It is clearly a sure-win offensive formation, a well-coordinated use of the Eight Formations. The Tiger Wings' flanks are like two fists striking, similar to a hungry tiger pouncing on its prey; the Wind Serpent formation following behind the Tiger Wings will inevitably meander, confusing the enemy, leaving them unsure of where to defend or attack. Simultaneously, the Wind Serpents can provide support to the Tiger Wings at any time. The Cloud Formation behind is formless and ever-changing; its formlessness may seem chaotic, but it is actually easy to form at any time. It can supplement the Wind Serpent Formation, support the Tiger Wings, and form a Bird Formation with the hidden Bird Heads. When the Tiger Wings successfully draw the enemy's attention to the flank defenses, the Bird Heads can break through the center, bursting through the swirling mist of the Wind Serpents to suddenly attack the enemy's central army.

Originally, once the Heaven and Earth Wind and Cloud Formation was broken, Chiba Shusaku was of one mind with Tokugawa Munetake and quickly changed his strategy, pouring all his efforts into the Dragon Tiger Bird Snake Formation, hoping to make a name for himself in one battle and kill the enemy in the ever-changing and strange formation. Unexpectedly, the enemy did not play by the rules, and a strange woman captured the commander-in-chief in an instant as if she were a ghost!

As the saying goes, "Battle is like a game of chess, where one move can determine victory or defeat!" Without a leader, and fearing to harm the enemy, the Japanese soldiers had no choice but to reluctantly dismantle their formidable Eight Trigrams Formation and form a simple square, led by Chiba Shusaku and three samurai. They stared at each other, looking at Tokugawa Munetake with questioning eyes.

"I, Tokugawa Munetake, have always had lofty ambitions, but my fate is as fragile as paper. Forced into this desolate land by my brother within the Tokugawa Shogunate, I thought that with the emperor far away, I could roam freely, secretly recruiting soldiers and gathering strength to rise again and one day reclaim my position as Shogun! Unfortunately, my luck has run out, and I've suffered repeated setbacks. First, I was held hostage by Ryōji, facing imminent danger. Now, I'm being coerced by this seemingly weak woman of unknown origin, forced to swallow my pride and order the dismantling of the Eight Trigrams Formation, painstakingly constructed by Fujibayashi Toshikazu, and to surrender to Yu Ruyi and her group. Alas, why is my life so miserable!" Tokugawa Munetake now hung his head like a deflated balloon, his face lifeless.

At this moment, Yu Ruyi led her troops to his side. She smiled and said, "This must be Young Master Tokugawa Munetake, right?" Tokugawa Munetake opened his dead-fish eyes and looked at Yu Ruyi, then asked, "Who are you? How do you know me?" Yu Ruyi chuckled loudly, and before she could speak, Hong Quan's thunderous voice shook the entire area: "Damn it, you don't even recognize our famous Eighteen-Route Chieftain Alliance Army's Commander Yu? No wonder you were defeated! As a commander, how did you lead your troops into battle? You are truly unworthy of your position!"