I was living in the Five Dynasties period, just after crossing the Zhongdu Bridge.

The second quarter of the hour of Wei (1-3 PM).

The gentle slope outside the north gate of Daizhou has a rather sophisticated topography.

The terrain slopes from north to south, so if you're driving out of the city, you can definitely push the engine to its maximum potential by taking advantage of the downhill momentum.

The problem is that the wind is from the north today, and it's a strong wind carrying sand and dust.

The warhorses were fast going down the slope, but the sand and dust blowing in their faces stung their eyes.

Even more dangerous is the frozen ground beneath our feet.

In February, the surface soil in the Hedong region was frozen as hard as iron, but after being trampled by hundreds of horses' hooves and doused with hot blood, the soil beneath the topsoil became somewhat slippery.

Li Congxi's original plan was to have Fuweidu fortify its defenses and fight a protracted war, wearing down the enemy through fortifications.

But no one expected that the frozen ground was too hard and the fortifications were not completed. Even more unexpectedly, Wang Hui led three hundred personal cavalry out not to launch a counterattack or break the formation, but to escape for his life.

This has led to an extremely awkward situation:

The cavalry charged in using the momentum of the downhill slope, and the vanguard of Fuweidu was indeed smashed. However, the flesh and blood of two thousand men were squeezed together, along with the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground and the unfinished trench, forming a human trench.

Shen Lie wiped the blood off his face and huddled behind a horse carcass.

The unfortunate warhorse, which had just been riddled with bullets, now became the best cover.

"Stay calm! Don't run around!"

Shen Lie roared, grabbing Yang Ting who was trying to turn and run away. "Where do you think you're going? Can two legs outrun four? Stick together! Stab me with your spear!"

There are really no new principles on the battlefield.

As long as infantry doesn't collapse and can slow down the cavalry, the cavalry becomes easy targets.

That's the situation right now.

Although the three hundred cavalrymen broke through the front lines of Fuweidu, their initial momentum eventually dissipated after they had cut down dozens of unfortunate men and knocked down several layers of barricades.

However, there were no horse farms in Daizhou.

The three hundred horses under Wang Hui's command were "gifted" by Yelü Deguang a few days ago.

The Khitans weren't stupid; they kept the best horses for their own elite troops, and the ones they gave to surrendered Han generals were mostly inferior horses that were either slow or had hidden ailments.

These three hundred riders were only intimidating to look at; that charge just now was merely their last gasp before their defeat.

Now stuck in the mud and piles of corpses, these inferior horses revealed their true nature. No matter how hard the riders on their backs kicked them with their spurs, they could only spin in circles and could not exert any force.

Wang Hui was the leader of this cavalry unit.

This general, who had surrendered to the Khitan, was riding a fairly tall, blue horse, his bright armor standing out conspicuously.

He didn't want to fight.

Or rather, he never intended to fight this desperate group that suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

His goal was to escape.

He headed north to Yanmen Pass to seek refuge with his Khitan master.

"Charge! Don't get entangled!"

Wang Hui swung his iron hammer, smashing the head of a foot soldier who tried to approach, and roared hoarsely, "Charging out is the only way to survive!"

However, the battlefield shows no mercy.

Once cavalrymen get bogged down in the infantry's quagmire and lose their speed, it's no longer a charge, but a grinding stone.

Shen Lie coldly stared at Wang Hui, who was only twenty steps away from him.

This guy got anxious.

Shen Lie could clearly see that the horse under Wang Hui was violently puffing out white steam, its hooves slipping on the blood-stained, frozen ground, and each step it took seemed to be extremely difficult.

"Liu Qing!"

Shen Lie turned around and glanced at the big, clumsy guy following closely behind him. "Put the flagpole flat!"

"Huh?" Liu Qing was stunned for a moment, somewhat at a loss with the heavy flag weighing dozens of kilograms in his hand.

"Flatten it! Use it like a spear!" Shen Lie cursed, "Poke that blue horse!"

Liu Qing understood this time.

This kid was born with superhuman strength. He usually found carrying a flag too light, but upon receiving the order, he simply swung the thick, hardwood flagpole horizontally, like he was holding a battering ram, and charged out with a roar.

"Go!"

This attack had no strategy whatsoever; it was purely a matter of force sending bricks flying.

The top of the flagpole pierced straight into the chest and abdomen of Wang Hui's warhorse.

If Wang Hui were alone, he might be able to hide.

But he was surrounded by his personal guards crammed together and his infantrymen running around in disarray, so there was no room for him to move.

"Bang!"

A muffled thud.

The sturdy horse let out a mournful whinny, and the sound of its ribs breaking could be clearly heard.

The immense impact caused the already exhausted warhorse to lose its balance instantly. Its front hooves buckled, and its massive body crashed to the side like a mountain collapsing.

"Ouch!"

Wang Hui only had time to cry out in alarm before he was crushed under the horse carcass.

That exquisite suit of gleaming armor, however, became his death warrant.

The heavy armor weighing dozens of kilograms, coupled with his injured leg being crushed by the dead horse, left him like a turtle turned upside down, struggling desperately in the mud but unable to move.

"Protect the governor!"

The guards around him were terrified when they saw this and tried to turn their horses around to come to the rescue.

But Shen Lie made a move.

He had been waiting for this moment when all hope seemed lost.

Carrying that horizontal sword, he closed in on me in just a few steps.

A guard tried to stop him, and slashed down with his scimitar.

Shen Lie didn't even look. He rolled away to avoid the blade, and at the same time, grabbed a plaque that someone had dropped on the ground and smashed it hard on the leg of the guard's horse.

The horse was startled and jumped wildly, causing the guard's sword to miss its mark.

Using the momentum of the roll, Shen Lie had already arrived in front of Wang Hui.

Wang Hui, his face covered in mud, watched in horror as the blood-soaked man approached.

"Have mercy, brave warrior! I am from Daizhou..."

"puff."

The sound stopped abruptly.

Shen Lie didn't give him any chance to waste words.

He gripped the hilt of the knife with both hands, but did not make a chopping motion, because the blade was slightly chipped, and cutting the neck might not be enough to sever it in one stroke.

He is a thorn.

Using the weight of his falling body, he stabbed the horizontal blade into the gap in Mingguangjia's neck.

This vertical downward thrust, combining gravity and body weight, is the most efficient way to penetrate armor.

Fresh blood gushed out from the blood groove, instantly staining Shen Lie's hand red.

Wang Hui's body convulsed violently twice, and the light in his eyes quickly faded.

Shen Lie drew his sword, drawing out a spray of hot blood.

He was panting heavily when he stepped on Wang Hui's breastplate. Ignoring the fact that the corpse was still warm, he bent down and delivered several vicious blows to the not-yet-completely-severed neck.

Since the blade is dull, I'll use it as a saw.

During the chaotic Five Dynasties period, military merit was the most valuable asset.

It's brutal, but it works.

A moment later, Shen Lie picked up a head with disheveled hair in his hand.

"Wang Hui is dead!"

Shen Lie straightened up, raised the still-bleeding head high, and delivered the most lethal blow on the battlefield.

Those who surrender will not be killed!

This roar wasn't actually very loud, because Shen Lie's voice had long been hoarse.

However, on the battlefield, information transmission often doesn't require a loud voice; a clear signal is sufficient.

The banner that marked the commander fell.

The man wearing the brightest armor died.

That was enough for the remaining two hundred or so cavalrymen.

They were originally Wang Hui's personal guards who fled with him to save their own lives. Now that their master was dead and their escape route was blocked, their fighting spirit dissipated instantly.

The two sides fighting around them paused for a moment.

Immediately afterwards, the captain of the personal guards protecting Wang Hui, looking at his commander's unseeing head, dropped his saber with a clatter to the ground.

This is the crash mechanism.

These three hundred personal guards had only gathered together to escort Wang Hui to safety.

Now that his master is dead, his hope of escaping is gone, and his last breath has dissipated.

Morale is something you can't see or touch, but once it collapses, it's like an avalanche.

"I've surrendered! Don't kill me!"

Someone shouted it out.

Immediately afterwards, the remaining hundred or so cavalrymen threw down their weapons, dismounted, and knelt on the muddy ground, trembling.

They did not fight to the death, nor did they swear to die for their lord.

In this chaotic world where whoever provides the most benefits is your mother, what difference does it make who you serve?

Since the boss is dead, the deal is naturally off.

Looking at the kneeling soldiers, Shen Lie felt his arms ache and go numb.

He casually tossed Wang Hui's head to Liu Qing, who was still in a daze, and then plopped down on a horse carcass.

"Don't kill the horse! Don't kill the horse!"

Yang Ting, quick-witted at this moment, stopped pretending to be dead, jumped up and shouted, "Anyone who dares to hurt the horse, I'll fight them!"

Shen Lie sat exhausted on a horse carcass, looking around at Wang Hui's personal guards who were either kneeling and begging for mercy or dismounting in a daze.

This skirmish lasted no more than half an hour from start to finish.

The rescue team suffered heavy casualties, and most of those lying on the ground were their own people.

But they won because they held on until the moment the other side collapsed.

This is the war of the Five Dynasties.

It's not about who has the best martial arts skills, but about who can endure the lowest possible standards and who can hold on the longest amidst the chaos.

"Commander of the Capital Garrison".

Liu Qing dragged the blood-stained flagpole over, staring blankly at the head in Shen Lie's hand. "Was this guy an official?"

"He is an official."

Shen Lie casually tossed the priceless head to Liu Qing.

"Take this and send it to Commander Li."