Tang Dynasty Swordsman.

There were quite a few keyboard warriors in the Tang Dynasty. After the siege of Suiyang was lifted and the two capitals were recovered, Li Heng rewarded those who had contributed to the defense of the Jianghuai region. He intended to reward Zhang Xun, but many people immediately jumped out and said that Zhang Xun had eaten people in Suiyang and had committed a serious breach of integrity. It was already a mercy not to punish him, so how could he be promoted?

Well, as for those who surrendered to the rebels, those who defected from the rebels, and those who had allowed their soldiers to burn, kill, rape, and plunder, very few people submitted memorials to impeach them...

The saying goes, "A thousand fingers pointing at you will lead to an early death," and Zhang Xun, burdened by this heavy responsibility, felt utterly ashamed to face anyone. Therefore, as soon as his health improved, he immediately volunteered to defend himself, wanting only to stay far away from those keyboard warriors.

Zhang Xun told Li Ji, "The tragic events of that year still haunt me whenever I close my eyes. I often wake up in the middle of the night in a cold sweat... I don't blame those censors who impeached me because of this; they were actually doing it for my own good. So many people died because of me, how could I possibly have the face to live on? I only dare not die because the rebels haven't been eradicated."

However, if I were in a similar situation again, I would do the same thing!

That's why I asked Li Ji to persuade Consort Shen, saying that I planned to abandon the outer city of Luoyang and defend the palace alone, but now, not only are our troops insufficient, but our supplies are also lacking. Li Guangbi has already planned to transport eight or nine tenths of the grain stored in Luoyang to Heyang, and even then, it will only be enough for his army for a dozen days. How could I possibly leave most of the grain behind and let the main force, which is holding back the rebels, go hungry?

Therefore, when the city is besieged in the future, the situation may be even worse than that of Suiyang. If Consort Shen stays in the city, do you think she will sacrifice herself? If she doesn't, the morale of the soldiers will surely collapse; if she does, how can I face the Emperor and the Crown Prince again? I might as well just commit suicide, and even if I die, I will most likely be infamous for eternity!

Li Ji tactfully reported this to Consort Shen, who couldn't help but shed tears: "How could a loyal minister of our Tang Dynasty end up like this..." Feeling sorry for Zhang Xun's plight, and thinking that she herself might suffer such a fate, she was filled with both sorrow and fear. So she ordered Yang Siyi, who was serving her, to pack their bags quickly, so that they could leave first thing tomorrow morning.

The next morning, he rose early, bypassed the nearest imperial garden, and followed the Luo River out of Luoyang, heading west. Passing through the various wards, all was quiet; only the occasional early riser swept the streets or carried baskets to buy vegetables, clearly unaware of the approaching rebels. However, the more peaceful the situation, the heavier Li Ji's heart became—according to Zhang Xun's assessment, not only could Xu Shuji not hold Bianzhou, but even Li Guangbi could not defend the eastern capital. In at most ten days, all the people would have to be evacuated from the city.

The city's residents were mostly small merchants and artisans, with limited property and even less food reserves. Once forced to leave their homes and migrate, they would lose the protection of the city's defenses and the government troops, as well as their daily income. What chance would they have of survival? If the rebel army entered the city, they would surely burn, kill, and loot, leaving rivers of blood and corpses everywhere. But even if they moved out, it would only disperse the potentially concentrated deaths...

Consort Shen was accompanied by Yang Siqi—who had long since resigned—and several maids. However, there was only one carriage, forcing the maids to walk alongside, making their journey incredibly slow. Li Ji gritted his teeth repeatedly. He tried several times to persuade the maids to ride in the carriage as well, but Yang Siqi refused—there was a distinction between superiors and inferiors, how could he overstep his bounds? He wanted the maids to ride on his horse, but aside from the impropriety of men and women touching, it couldn't carry that many people—even with Cui Qi's mount.

Li Ji couldn't help but feel annoyed: You guys just lack a sense of crisis. If I had known, I would have stayed a few more days and waited for news from the front lines or for Zhang Xun to start evacuating the people before leading you away. You wouldn't have been so slow and dawdling!

The journey from Luoyang to Shanxian is less than 300 li, yet it took us a full six days—good heavens! We weren't in such a hurry when we came here, and it only took us two days and nights. Finally, we reached the outskirts of Shanxian, where a local official greeted us, clasped his hands, and asked, "Are you from Luoyang, sir? May I ask if the owner of the carriage is surnamed Shen?"

Li Ji glanced at the man warily: "Who are you?"

The man replied respectfully, "This humble official, holding a position in the Shaanxi County government, has come to welcome your esteemed relative on the orders of the magistrate."

Who is the magistrate of Shanxian County today?

"The Grand Commander's name is taboo, with 'Yu' on the left and 'Xiang' on the right."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Isn't that just the character '豫'? Since you say it's an 'official taboo,' there's no need to avoid mentioning it altogether. You can only break it down to make it clear. Is Shen Yu's official power too great, or is this guy just naturally obsequious?"

Shen Yu, the second brother of Consort Shen, was appointed magistrate of Shan County through Li Shi's arrangement. A sixth-rank official, he had only been in office for two days when he dispatched all the minor officials in his office to wait for Consort Shen along the road. The official in charge, having roughly determined that the approaching carriage was indeed his target, hurriedly knelt and bowed, then said, "Please wait, Your Highness. The magistrate will be waiting at the city gate." He then tossed aside his robes and ran back.

With Shanxian County approaching and no news of Luoyang's fall or the escape of refugees from the city yet, Li Ji was no longer in a hurry. He continued to escort Consort Shen's carriage slowly towards the county town. Sure enough, Shen Yu led his men to wait for them at the city gate, but he was not wearing his official robes, only his casual home clothes.

—After all, Consort Shen was not an official, but merely a concubine of the Crown Prince. If she were to wear official robes and make a grand entrance to welcome her relatives into the city, she might be impeached by the censors.

Seeing the carriage arrive, Shen Yu approached in a few steps, clasped his hands, and asked, "Is that Her Highness Consort Shen inside?" Consort Shen lifted the curtain, peeked out, and her eyes involuntarily reddened: "Thank you for coming to greet me, Second Brother... We've been apart for five or six years, and I didn't expect that your temples have also turned gray..."

Shen Yu sighed, "Your Highness looks quite haggard..." The two exchanged a few pleasantries in and out of the carriage. Consort Shen inquired about her parents and brothers, to which Shen Yu replied, "Everything is fine at home; my parents are healthy. Your Highness, please come with me into the city quickly, and we can discuss family matters then. I have been waiting here for several days, fearing that Your Highness might be caught by the rebels, and I have been unable to sleep for some time..."

Consort Shen frowned slightly and said, "When I left Luoyang, there was no news of any rebels..."

Shen Yu looked around and, seeing only Li Ji and a few others nearby, lowered his voice and said, "We received an urgent report yesterday that the rebel army has reached Guancheng..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "How strange! I haven't seen any fast horses carrying messages along the way. Could it be that we missed them while lodging at the post station?" He couldn't help but interject, "Why didn't Zehua and Bianzhou defend?" Let alone fifteen days, it probably hasn't even been ten days since Li Guangbi left Bianzhou. How exactly did Xu Shuji defend the city?

Shen Yu glanced at Li Ji sideways, but then heard Consort Shen say, "This is Li Erlang, a trusted confidant of the family. Second brother, you can speak frankly without reservation."

Shen Yu then replied with a wry smile, "Xu Shuji of Bianhua and Dong Qin of Puzhou have both surrendered to the rebels!"

Xu Shuji hadn't defended the city at all. Hearing that the rebel vanguard was advancing and that their numbers were small, he personally led the main force of the Bian and Hua armies into battle. Intending to blunt the enemy's advance, he unexpectedly suffered heavy losses fighting against overwhelming odds and was unable to achieve victory for a long time. Soon after, Shi Siming's main army arrived. Xu Shuji realized that retreating at this point would lead to a crushing defeat, and he feared he would not be able to return to Bianzhou alive. Therefore, he simply surrendered.

Shi Siming immediately appointed Xu Shuji as Chancellor and also instructed him to write a letter to Dong Qin of Puzhou, urging him to surrender. Dong Qin's troops were originally few in number, and he was surrounded in the city by Zhou Zhi's army, so he had no chance of winning. When he received Xu Shuji's letter, he could only sigh and raise the white flag.

There was nothing he could do. Since Huazhou and Bianzhou had fallen into the hands of the rebels, Puzhou in the east was completely cut off from reinforcements and had become a dead piece with no impact on the overall situation. He wasn't Zhang Xun, so what could he do?

Therefore, Shi Siming sent his general Nan Dexin, along with former generals of Xu Shuji such as Liang Pu, Liu Congjian, and Tian Shenggong, to lead troops south to harass the Jianghuai region. He himself led the main force west to attack Zhengzhou, which was only two or three days' journey from Luoyang.

Military intelligence reached Shan County, and Shen Yu was greatly alarmed—my sister should have left Luoyang by now, why hasn't she come to me yet? Could it be that she's worried about the Crown Prince and doesn't dare to leave without permission…

Once Shen Yu finally met Consort Shen, a weight was lifted from his heart. He quickly invited Consort Shen to come into the city with him. Consort Shen glanced at Li Ji, who immediately clasped his hands and said, "Since we have met Magistrate Shen and Your Highness is safe, then my mission is accomplished. I will take my leave now."

Consort Shen asked, "Changwei, what's the rush? You've been traveling for days and must be exhausted. Why don't you come with me to Shaanxi to rest for a night before returning to Chang'an? Even if it's a day or two later, my son won't blame you... so you won't be too worried."

Li Ji hesitated for a moment, but finally decided to tell the truth: "I dare not deceive Your Highness. I am not going back to Chang'an, but to Luoyang. General Nan Jiyun under Physician Zhang is my close friend. How can I bear to see him in danger and refuse to help him?"

He was genuinely worried about Nan Ba, as well as Lei Wanchun, Chen Ruo, and others. Zhang Xun's defense of Luoyang this time seemed to lack the same ferocity he displayed when he defended Suiyang. From their conversation, Li Ji sensed a strong will to die… Moreover, he advocated retreating to the Luoyang palace, but a palace is ultimately no match for a proper city. Lacking sufficient supplies and defensive structures, coupled with insufficient provisions, how long could they hold out? How could he, Li Ji, merely watch from afar without contributing his own strength?

Therefore, despite Consort Shen's repeated persuasion, Li Ji insisted on going, saying, "Although I have no duty to defend the land, I have the heart to protect the people and kill the bandits. Your Highness can send Brother Cui back west to report to Prince Fengjie that Li Ji has lived up to expectations, and that will be enough." In his haste, he didn't even bother to avoid using the taboo name of Emperor Taizong. He then turned to look at Cui Qi, but the little girl had her head down, and it was unclear what she was thinking.

Consort Shen had no choice but to say, "There's no rush. Even if the guards want to fight the rebels, they need to rest their horses first. Let's go into the city together and make a plan." Then she turned to Shen Yu and said, "Second brother, quickly invite the prison guard to see me."

[Tip]: If you like this article, please recommend it to more friends! Sharing is a pleasure.

Chapter Twenty-Two, Despicable Thoughts

Consort Shen instructed Shen Yu to invite "Director Lai," referring to Lai Zhen, who was serving as the Director of the Palace Guard, acting Prefect of Shanzhou, and concurrently the Military Governor of Shan, Guo, and Hua Prefectures. Upon hearing this, Li Ji secretly breathed a sigh of relief, thinking to himself, "That's exactly what I meant."

Although he had decided to risk going to rescue Nan Jiyun, how much use could he be if he went alone, even if he could fight against ten thousand men? Therefore, he made sure to explain his determination to Consort Shen, hoping that he could meet Lai Zhen through Consort Shen and borrow some manpower.

Lai Zhen's command of the troops in three prefectures naturally included the Shence Army stationed within their borders. Li Ji was familiar with many of the Shence Army generals, and having defended against the barbarians in Longyou, he had naturally picked up some of the northwestern dialect, especially their swear words… He believed they could get along well. Crucially, the Shence Army was brave and fierce, especially skilled in cavalry warfare. Li Ji thought to himself that if he had three to five hundred elite Shence cavalry, they could certainly play a role in battles between the two armies.

So he thanked Consort Shen and followed her into Shan City, resting temporarily in the backyard of the county government office. Sure enough, not long after, Shen Yu invited Lai Zhen to come and pay his respects to Consort Shen, kneeling and bowing. Consort Shen inquired about the situation at the front and then asked Lai Zhen to allocate a force to accompany Li Ji to rescue Luoyang.

Lai Tian glanced sideways and saw a burly man standing beside Consort Shen, carrying two heavy maces on his back. The maces were easy to carry on foot or at a leisurely pace, but they were not very convenient when running at full speed. Therefore, before leaving the capital, Li Ji finally listened to Qin Huan's advice and changed to carrying them crosswise on his back. Lai Tian then cupped his hands and asked, "Are you Li Erlang from Longyou, the Defender of the Barbarians?"

Li Ji clasped his hands and said, "Greetings, Supervisor. This humble official is indeed Li Ji."

Lai Zhen then asked, "I heard that Erlang has taken up a post in the Yingwu Army. Is there an imperial edict to go east and rescue Luoyang?"

Li Ji shook his head and said, "There is no imperial edict. I have taken a long leave to go to Luoyang to handle some private matters..." I believe that Lai Zhen, seeing him standing next to Consort Shen, will naturally understand what the so-called "private matters" refer to—"Since we have encountered rebels, we cannot help but feel our blood boiling. How can we not fight them when they are right in front of us? I earnestly request that Supervisor Lai grant my request."

Lai Zhen nodded: "Indeed, he is a brave general who can be a pillar of the country..." Then he shook his head: "However, I am ordered to command the troops of three prefectures. Without an imperial edict and military order, not a single soldier can move without permission. I hope that you, Second Prince, will..." He clasped his hands towards Consort Shen: "Do not make things difficult for me."

Li Ji advised, “If Luoyang is not lost and Li Sikong is stationed in Heyang, the rebels will not be able to advance westward to Shanzhou. I, Lai Jian, will have tens of thousands of troops but will not achieve anything. If Luoyang falls, Shanzhou will also be attacked. Given its terrain, it will be difficult to defend, and we will have no choice but to retreat to Tongguan. I urge you to think carefully about the pros and cons.”

Lai Zhen shook his head: "How could I not know the meaning of 'if the lips are gone, the teeth will be cold'? But without the Emperor's command, I cannot command even a single horse without authorization..."

Li Ji pleaded repeatedly, and Consort Shen chimed in from the side. Lai Zhen seemed determined, but refused. Li Ji almost wanted to pounce on him just like he had when he kidnapped Xu Shuji.

However, Lai Zhen was different from Xu Shuji. He came from a military family and earned his fame purely through battlefield combat, one sword and one spear. Although he was over forty, judging from his physique and build, Li Ji really didn't have the confidence to defeat him in one move... Besides, what Lai Zhen said made sense. How could troops be mobilized without military orders? Did he think the army was his own property? Even if Li Ji subdued Lai Zhen, what could Li Ji do if the other party was not afraid of death and refused to change his mind? Kill him with a single blow? That would make him a great sinner who disrupted the army and brought disaster to the country.

Left with no other choice, he could only sigh and say, "Perhaps the prison can provide some equipment and allow me to recruit righteous men in the city to rescue Luoyang in the east—I will never forget your great kindness and virtue, and if I survive, I will surely repay you one day!"

Lai Zhen stared at him for a while before stroking his beard and saying, "There's no need for that." He then said, "Minister Li has sent an envoy who says that the army is short of provisions and has ordered me to search the granaries of the three prefectures to provide some relief. I am about to send a troop to escort the provisions to Heyang, and you may accompany me, Erlang."

Li Ji was overjoyed upon hearing this, thinking to himself, "You should have said so earlier! All that talk was for nothing..." However, judging from Lai Zhen's intentions, firstly, she wanted to test the sincerity of his desire to rescue Luoyang, and secondly, she was deliberately keeping him in suspense to ensure the favor was fully appreciated. "It doesn't matter," he thought, "if Nan Jiyun and the others can truly be saved, I will be deeply grateful for your kindness. I will never break my promise to repay your kindness!"

So he bid farewell to Consort Shen again. Consort Shen knew she couldn't keep him, so she repeatedly urged him, saying, "Changwei, you must take care of yourself and not be reckless—you can't defeat 100,000 rebels by yourself."

Immediately, Lai Zhen ordered someone to escort Li Ji to the drill ground. The messenger went inside to report, while Li Ji waited outside. Before long, a loud shouting was heard, and a soldier rushed out and punched Li Ji in the chest: "You scoundrel, what are you doing in Shanzhou?!"

Li Ji looked closely and exclaimed, "Oh my, it's someone I know!"—it was none other than "Old Jing" Jing Jiang.

Jing Jiang originally served in the Imperial Guard, but he couldn't stand the leisurely days of clocking in and standing guard with a halberd every day. So he wrote to his old superior, Wei Boyu, requesting that he be transferred back to the Shence Army. Just before Li Ji returned to the capital at the beginning of the year, Jing Jiang left Chang'an, and the two missed each other.

However, Li Ji also heard a rumor that Lao Jing had actually taken a liking to a prostitute in the Pingkangfang alley and had even saved up money to buy her freedom. Unexpectedly, the woman had already redeemed herself and married a young man as a concubine. Lao Jing was heartbroken and resentful from then on, and thus refused to stay in that sorrowful place of Chang'an any longer…

In short, when Lao Jing returned to the Shence Army, he planned to find another opportunity to go to the front line, but then the defeat at Xiangzhou occurred, so he had no chance to make any contributions... Therefore, when Lai Zhen was to escort a batch of grain and supplies to Heyang, Lao Jing took the lead in volunteering, and even used his fists to suppress his colleagues, and finally managed to get the assignment.

The army in Heyang was short of food, and in fact, Shanzhou did not have much surplus grain either. Therefore, Lai Zhen managed to gather a total of 1,000 hu of old grain, which was loaded onto more than 100 carts and escorted by Lao Jing with 100 cavalry and 300 infantry.

Li Ji then joined the group, riding alongside Lao Jing, reminiscing about their time apart and reminiscing about the past—but when asked about the prostitutes in Pingkangfang, Lao Jing vehemently denied it, even saying he would beat the guy who spread the rumors to death.

After leaving Shaanxi City, they hadn't gone far when a voice called out from behind, "Brother Li, slow down! Wait for me!"

Li Ji thought to himself, "Here we go again? Why aren't you going back to Chang'an to report to Cui Guangyuan? What are you doing here causing trouble?" He immediately waited, and sure enough, not long after, Cui Qi caught up with him. Before Li Ji could question him, Cui Qi spoke first, "Shen Dajia was worried about Brother Li and sent me to look after him."

The term "everyone" generally refers to the master or mistress of the house. Cui Qi didn't want to reveal Consort Shen's identity in public, so he used this form of address. Li Ji immediately glared and said, "Why would I need your care?!"

Cui Qi put on a sincere face: "Back in Luoyang, if it weren't for my help, would Brother Li have been able to enter Shengshan Temple alive? Don't you remember? Back then, Brother Li didn't even have a beard..."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Stop! This past act of impersonating a eunuch is a major stain on my life. If you dare to say it, I'll kill you!" He quickly replied, "This journey will inevitably involve fighting the rebels. Why take such a risk?"

Cui Qi said, "It was Master Shen's order. If you don't want me to go with you, Brother Li, you should go back to Shanxian and refuse him. I can ride a horse and wield a sword, so I'm not a burden and won't hinder your plans. Master Shen is just afraid that if you see the rebels, you'll rush in without thinking and lose your life for nothing. That's why he sent me here. At least, I can help you collect your body."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Do you really think I'm that reckless?" Despite repeated attempts to shoo him away, Cui Qi resolutely refused to leave. In desperation, Li Ji could only say, "Then you shall stay close to me. If you want to steal, you must first escape for your own life... Hide well and don't encounter any danger, as I cannot explain this to Cui Gong."

While the two were talking, Lao Jing had been observing coldly from the side. Only when he saw that Li Ji had left Cui Qi behind did he come up and ask, "Who is this...?" Li Ji replied perfunctorily, "My good friend Cui Cuo, is... an old friend and family member."

They continued their journey. Cui Qi didn't say much, simply riding behind Li Ji. Li Ji, however, couldn't help but frequently turn around to see what the little girl was doing. Old Jing rode closer, suddenly nudging Li Ji's waist with his elbow, and chuckled in a low voice, "So you like this kind of virgin..."

Li Ji quickly clarified, "She's just a maid from an old friend's household, sent to look after me. Actually, I..."

Old Jing was taken aback upon hearing this. He glanced back at Cui Qi before exclaiming, "A maid? She's actually a woman?!"

Li Ji was completely shocked. He thought to himself, "So you didn't realize she was a woman? Then what you said earlier... Damn, this guy has such thick eyebrows and big eyes, who would have thought his thoughts were so filthy!"

Quickly changing the subject, he asked Lao Jing, "Isn't it inconvenient to have a woman in the army?"

Old Jing laughed and said, "According to the law, women are not allowed to get close to the army, but... which army doesn't have one or two women? As long as you don't make a fuss, no one will bother you."

Li Ji thought to himself, "Military discipline, military discipline... In this day and age, the discipline of a feudal army, no matter how good, is still like this..."

That day, they camped at Xiashi. The next morning, Zhang Xun again urged the laborers to set off. After traveling a short distance, probably near the Xiaoshan Mountains, they encountered many refugees fleeing from Luoyang. Inquiring with them, he learned that four days earlier, the rebel army had captured Xingyang and was advancing towards Sishui. Zhang Xun hurriedly arranged for officials and civilians to evacuate the city.

Li Ji and Lao Jing exchanged a glance, both secretly surprised—the rebels had arrived so quickly!

If Li Guangbi had followed the original plan and withdrawn his troops to defend Heyang, it is estimated that there would not have been many troops left to defend the cities east of Luoyang, and the rebel army would have been able to advance unimpeded—it is estimated that they would have already entered Luoyang by now!

Old Jing said, "Even if Doctor Zhang remains in Luoyang, and Minister Li is stationed in Heyang to contain the rebels, his vanguard will likely bypass the city and head west, possibly reaching the walls of Xin'an. We should move quickly. Tonight we'll rest at Quemen, and tomorrow morning I'll lead the cavalry east to scout and see which road is passable..."

Li Ji nodded: "I will go with you."

Quemen, located between Mianchi and Xin'an, is merely a small market town. Xin'an lies thirty li to the east, and it is the first defensible county west of Luoyang. Given that the government forces in Heyang have not yet been defeated and Luoyang has not been completely captured, even if the rebel cavalry were to bypass Xin'an and travel too far, Quemen is, for the time being, safe.

But what happens next is uncertain. This small grain transport team will certainly not be able to pass through Luoyang and head to Heyang along the main road. It is hoped that the main force of the rebels will come along the way. The area along the Yellow River and Hengshui in the north is still relatively peaceful. If the reconnaissance is correct, they can take a detour to reach their destination.

So the next morning, just as the sun rose, Lao Jing led a hundred Shence cavalrymen, leaving the main force and heading towards Xin'an—Li Ji naturally followed beside him, while Cui Qi insisted on staying right behind him. Li Ji then asked Cui Qi, "Besides flying swords, what other weapons do you know?" Cui Qi replied, "I can wield a knife too." Li Ji asked someone to lend Cui Qi a knife, but perhaps seeing that this "half-grown boy" was too thin and weak, fearing he wouldn't be able to wield a horizontal sword, the person ultimately gave him a shield-shaped sword.

Li Ji repeatedly instructed him: "If you encounter the enemy, you should avoid them first..." Cui Qi rolled his eyes at him: "I will protect my own life—a real man shouldn't be so long-winded, like a common woman in the marketplace!"

The group rode slowly, and just as they approached Xin'an City, the first scout was shot and returned in disarray. Old Jing asked in alarm, "Have the bandits reached Xin'an?" The knight nodded repeatedly, but whether from exhaustion or the pain of being shot, he was speechless for a moment.

Li Ji said, "Since we can return with arrows, there may not be many bandits. Let me go ahead and scout." He flicked the reins, gave the horse a kick with his legs, and charged forward.

Cui Qi remained silent and immediately spurred his horse to follow.

Old Jing hurriedly ordered one of the squad leaders, "Quickly, catch up with Military Advisor Li, find out how many bandits there are, who is leading the troops, and report back immediately." The squad leader agreed and led his ten riders away at full speed.

Li Ji spurred his horse and galloped for just over a mile, barely catching sight of the Xin'an city wall, when he ran headlong into the rebel scouts. The enemy, also a group of ten riders, saw that there were only two generals facing them—the Shence cavalry were still lagging behind—and immediately circled around them from both sides, charging straight at them.

Without a word, Li Ji took his lance from his saddle and charged towards the leading enemy rider, thrusting forward with a dizzying thrust. The enemy parried with his own lance, but unexpectedly, the lance in Li Ji's hand seemed to twist like a venomous snake—actually an illusion caused by the speed of the thrust—and pierced straight into the rider's body along the shaft. Then, with a flick of Li Ji's wrist, a hole appeared in the enemy rider's chest, and he immediately screamed in agony, falling from his horse and dying.

Then, two enemy riders approached from the left and right, wielding their spears simultaneously. Li Ji let the left enemy go first, then flicked the right enemy away with a spear. When he turned his hand back, he saw that the left enemy had dropped his spear, clutching his throat with both hands, his eyes wide open like eggs... Li Ji hurriedly glanced back and saw that Cui Qi was very close, so he asked, "How many flying swords do you have?"

"Killing this whole gang should be enough."

Li Ji nodded and smiled at her, then immediately brandished his lance again, seeking out and fighting the thieves. After years of hard training, he had become proficient in horsemanship and spearmanship—it was just a pity that he was still lacking in the skill of the horse lance, and dared not easily take it into battle—in addition, he was very strong, and in the blink of an eye he killed two more enemies, and no one could last a single round against him.

Of course, it was also because the enemy was few in number and difficult to truly encircle them. No matter how fierce Li Ji was, he was not a thousand-armed Guanyin. If a dozen or so spears came from all sides at once, he would most likely not be able to withstand them. Moreover, Cui Qi would occasionally unleash flying swords from behind, each time aiming straight for the enemy cavalry's throat. He would kill two people with three sword strikes, which terrified the rebel soldiers. So, before the group of Shence cavalry could catch up and provide support, the remaining four riders turned their horses around and fled in panic.