The female prisoner was fierce

Baturu clenched his teeth, his hand going numb from the shock.

How come this Han Chinese is even stronger than he was at Table Mountain last time?

His heart churned instantly, but he had no time to think it through, because Xiao Jianyang had already charged forward again with his sword. The official sword, carrying a chilling wind, slashed straight at his face, fast and ruthless, without any fancy moves, just the kind of killing blows that were exchanged one for another on the battlefield.

Baturu dared not be careless, and blocked with his sword. With a clang of metal, the two men each took a step back.

But Xiao Jianyang only took a step back before lunging forward again, his official knife slicing upwards along the back of Baturu's blade, aiming straight for the fingers holding the knife. Baturu cursed under his breath, hurriedly pulling his hand back and leaning back, a cool breeze brushing against his neck as the tip of the knife almost grazed his chin.

"You surnamed Xiao!" Baturu roared, abandoning his defense and sweeping his thick-backed broadsword horizontally, using all his strength to try and force Xiao Jianyang back. This strike was powerful and heavy, kicking up a cloud of snow dust wherever it swept across; an ordinary soldier would be cut in half at the waist on the spot if touched by it.

Xiao Jianyang, however, seemed to have seen through his moves. He shifted his feet slightly and dodged to the side, the broadsword almost grazing the front of his armor, the blade sending up a string of sparks.

Baturu used too much force in his strike, leaving his defenses wide open and exposing half of his body.

good chance.

Xiao Jianyang's eyes narrowed, and with a flick of his wrist, the official knife shot out, its tip aimed straight for Baturu's ribs. The leather armor there was the thinnest; a single stab would shatter his heart and lungs.

Baturu, being the second bravest warrior of the grasslands, reacted extremely quickly. In the critical moment, he twisted his waist, narrowly avoiding a fatal blow to his ribs. However, Xiao Jianyang's knife still pierced through, with a muffled thud. The tip of the knife pierced through the leather armor, leaving a long, bloody gash on Baturu's side. Blood instantly seeped out, flowing down the armor plates.

"Ah!" Baturu roared in pain, staggered back several steps, clutching his side, his face a mixture of shock and anger.

He never imagined that he, the second bravest warrior of the grasslands, would suffer repeated losses at the hands of a Han Chinese.

Xiao Jianyang gave him no time to catch his breath. Without stopping, he brought down his official sword again, this time faster and more swift than before. One strike after another, relentless, forced Baturu to retreat step by step, leaving two more bloody gashes on his body.

"Lord Xiao, I'm here to help you!" Lin Qingxue's voice came from beside him.

She had just cut down two Northern Di centurions, her slender waist knife covered in blood, her eyes as cold as ice. She saw Xiao Jianyang dominating Baturu, but instead of rushing in to steal the credit, she circled around to Baturu's side, blocking his only escape route.

Baturu was surrounded by enemies, with Xiao Jianyang in front of him and Lin Qingxue to his side. His face turned ashen.

"Baturu!" came Harbala's roar from afar, "Withdraw!"

But Halbala himself couldn't get away. Zhao Daniu, along with seven or eight veterans from the Third Capital, surrounded him. These soldiers, all from the border army, were fearless and their swords and shields worked together perfectly. Although Halbala was highly skilled in martial arts, he couldn't break through for a while and had several wounds on his body.

Upon hearing Harbala's shout, Baturu's heart tightened. In that instant of distraction, Xiao Jianyang's blade arrived. The blade was incredibly fast; Baturu only had time to tilt his head slightly before it struck his shoulder, embedding itself deeply into the bone.

"Well!"

Baturu grunted, the thick-backed broadsword slipped from his hand, and he staggered backward.

Lin Qingxue swept in from the side, her slender waist knife drawing a bright arc as she aimed straight for Baturu's throat.

Baturu's pupils contracted sharply as he tried to dodge, but the severe injury to his shoulder momentarily slowed his movements. In that instant, Lin Qingxue's blade sliced ​​open his throat, and a gush of scalding blood spurted out, landing on the snow and steaming hot.

Baturu stared wide-eyed, making a hoarse sound in his throat, trying to say something, but he couldn't utter a single word. His body fell straight backward, crashing heavily to the ground. He twitched twice and then became completely still.

"One." Lin Qingxue sheathed her sword, flicked away the blood, and spoke in a calm tone, as if she were counting.

Xiao Jianyang didn't even glance at her; his gaze had already turned to Harbala in the distance. Over there, Zhao Daniu and his men were relentlessly pursuing Harbala, but Harbala was, after all, the commander of a thousand men, and his martial arts and strength were even slightly superior to Baturu's. Although Zhao Daniu and his men had him trapped, they couldn't subdue him, and the fight was evenly matched.

"Surround him! Don't let him escape!" Xiao Jianyang strode forward, sword in hand, swiftly and cleanly dispatching any Northern Di remnants who blocked his path. His personal guards followed closely behind, shielding him from arrows and blades that attacked from both sides.

When Harbala heard Baturu's screams, he turned around and saw Baturu lying in a pool of blood. His eyes widened in horror. Although he and Baturu usually looked down on each other, they were both members of the Tiger Banner Battalion and had worked together for many years. Seeing the other dead like this, he was both shocked and furious.

"You, surnamed Xiao!" Halbala roared, swinging his iron sword and forcing Zhao Daniu back two steps. His eyes were fixed on Xiao Jianyang. "Today you killed over a thousand warriors of my Tiger Banner Camp. My Northern Di army will surely raze your little Dongshuang County to the ground and tear you to pieces!"

"Then we'll talk when your army arrives," Xiao Jianyang said coldly, his steps unwavering.

Seeing this, Harbala knew that if he dragged things out any longer, he would also perish there. Gritting his teeth, he turned and charged towards the valley entrance. He was highly skilled in martial arts, and ordinary soldiers could not stop him. With a combination of slashing and hacking, he carved a bloody path through the valley.

But the road at the valley entrance had long been destroyed by the massive explosive charge. The piles of boulders and frozen soil were half a person high, making it impossible for warhorses to pass. People could barely climb over them, but it would take time.

Halbala rushed to the landslide site and was about to climb up using both hands and feet when a sharp whistle suddenly sounded behind him.

Immediately afterwards, a large group of dark figures suddenly emerged from the woods outside the valley entrance on the left.

The dark figures moved with incredible speed; they were all cavalry, their hooves thundering as they charged through the snow and wind, numbering over a thousand. The leader, a towering figure, wielded two heavy spiked clubs, his roar deafening.

"You barbarian from the North! Your grandfather, Wanyan Hu, is here!"

Harbala's pupils constricted sharply, and she almost lost her balance.

He recognized the two spiked clubs, and he recognized the face even more. How could he not recognize Wanyan Hu, the number one warrior of the Jurchen Tiger Tribe? The Northern Di and the Jurchen had been fighting for so many years. Although the Tiger Tribe was not strong, Wanyan Hu's name was still well-known on the northern grasslands.

"Wanyan Hu?! People from your Tiger Tribe have gotten involved too?!" Harbala exclaimed in shock.

Wanyan Hu didn't reply. He spurred his horse to the landslide site and swung his spiked club down at Halbala's head. Halbala hastily raised his knife to block, but he had been blasted at the bottom of the valley for most of the hour, had several wounds, and his strength was already at its limit. How could he withstand Wanyan Hu's full-force attack?

With a loud clang, the iron knife in Halbala's hand was smashed away, his tiger's mouth was split open, and blood flowed freely.

The second blow came immediately. Wanyan Hu showed no mercy, his spiked club whistling through the air as it slammed into Halbala's chest. The sound of bones cracking was clearly audible. Halbala was sent flying backward, crashing into a pile of collapsed earth and rocks, spitting out a mouthful of blood mixed with chunks of flesh—clearly, his internal organs had been shattered.

He struggled to his feet, but before he could even get halfway up, Zhao Daniu and his men had already caught up from behind. Several veterans swarmed forward, brandishing their swords and spears, pinning Harbala to the ground. The corpse twitched a few times, then lay still.

"Dead." Zhao Daniu shouted, panting, towards Xiao Jianyang, "Lord Xiao! Halbala is dead!"

Xiao Jianyang stood amidst pools of blood and snow, surrounded by corpses and severed limbs, blood dripping from the tip of his official sword. He glanced around the valley; the remaining Northern Di soldiers had completely collapsed.

With their commanders all dead, their front and rear routes blocked, and a fresh force emerging from the flank, the once-thousand-strong army had dwindled to fewer than two hundred men still standing, all wounded. Some knelt on the ground and threw down their swords, others crouched in the snow, trembling, their heads in their hands. No one resisted anymore; everyone had given up.

"Those who surrender will not be killed!" Xiao Jianyang said, his voice not loud, but it carried far in the quiet valley.

Zhao Daniu immediately shouted, "Those who surrender will not be killed! Throw away your weapons! Crouch down!"

"Throw away your weapons, crouch down and we won't kill you!" Defang shouted at the top of his lungs as he led his men down from the high ground on the right.

The remaining Northern Di soldiers looked at each other, then one by one threw their swords and spears to the ground, crouched down, and covered their heads. The sparse sound of weapons hitting the ground echoed in the valley for a long time, occasionally mixed with the groans of wounded soldiers and the low neighing of warhorses.

Wanyan Hu also reined in his horse. He originally wanted to kill a few more to satisfy his urge, but seeing that the Northern Di people had already surrendered, he put away his spiked club, dismounted, and strode towards Xiao Jianyang.

"Are you Xiao Jianyang?" Wanyan Hu's voice was rough, but his tone was not hostile; instead, it revealed a hint of scrutiny.

Xiao Jianyang was sizing him up, while also observing the cavalry behind him. These Jurchen cavalrymen were all skilled and capable, with bows drawn and arrows hanging from their bows, and excellent horsemanship. Although they numbered only a little over a thousand, their combat strength was definitely not weak.

"I am." Xiao Jianyang sheathed his official sword, cupped his hands in a gesture of respect to Wanyan Hu, and said, "Thank you for your assistance."

Wanyan Hu waved his hand and said gruffly, "No need to thank me. My princess sent me. She said that you Han people and the Northern Di are mortal enemies, and we Jurchens and the Northern Di are also mortal enemies. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so we should help when we should."

"Your princess?"

Xiao Jianyang's eyebrows twitched slightly.

.........