Chapter 825
Ni Wenjun: Your opponent is me!
At noon, the war drums sounded.
The Han army launched the first attack. It was not an infantry charge, nor a cavalry assault, but the simultaneous firing of a hundred cannons.
"boom--!!!"
One hundred cannonballs roared out, like a hundred meteors crashing into the Golden Horde's army.
Subutai was prepared. With a wave of his command flag, the army formation instantly dispersed. It was not a chaotic rout, but a well-trained evacuation.
The cavalry maneuvered to the flanks, while the infantry lay prone to avoid the bombardment. Although hundreds were still hit by cannonballs and their flesh was torn apart, most of them escaped the bombardment.
"charge!"
Subutai waved his command flag again, and the Golden Horde cavalry began their charge. They didn't move in a straight line, but rather in a serpentine pattern, constantly changing direction, making it difficult for the Han artillery to aim. At the same time, the cavalry hurled arrows while on the move; though not very powerful, these arrows disrupted the Han army's formation.
"Crossbowmen, fire!"
In the Han army formation, the deafening roar of crossbows firing was like the flapping of locust wings, as thousands of crossbow bolts shot out into the air, heading towards the charging cavalry.
The Golden Horde cavalry raised their shields to parry, but the Han army's crossbows were extremely powerful, turning ordinary leather shields into paper. Countless men and horses were pierced through by the arrows. In one volley, nearly a thousand cavalrymen fell.
But those who survived had already rushed to within a hundred paces of the Han army's lines.
"Spear formation, activate!"
The Han heavy infantry roared in unison, their twelve-foot-long spears laid flat, the butts touching the ground, the tips pointing diagonally forward, forming a forest of death.
This is the most effective formation against cavalry, and it once caused the Golden Horde's iron cavalry a great deal of trouble at Daoma Pass.
But things are different today.
The cavalrymen at the forefront of the charge suddenly took out pottery jars from under their saddles, lit them with tinder, and hurled them at the Han army's spear formation. The jars exploded upon landing, releasing not gunpowder, but acrid yellow smoke.
"Poisonous smoke!" a Han general exclaimed.
Yellow smoke quickly spread, causing those who inhaled it to cough, tear up, and lose their vision. Chaos erupted in the gunfire; some soldiers couldn't help but scratch their throats, their skin rapidly festering—the smoke was not only choking but also highly poisonous!
"It's wolfsbane!" Fu Youde, seeing it clearly from within the ranks, was startled. Wolfsbane is a poisonous herb unique to the grasslands; the smoke produced when burned can cause blindness and ulceration. It's a secret method used by grassland tribes to deal with heavily armored infantry. However, this herb is rare and difficult to collect, yet Subutai has stockpiled so much.
"Don't panic! Cover your mouth and nose with a damp cloth!" Fu Youde roared hoarsely, and led the elite troops to charge forward.
They were prepared, taking out soaked strips of cloth to cover their mouths and noses. Although they were still uncomfortable, they could still fight.
Amidst the poisonous smoke, the Golden Horde cavalry had already charged to the front lines. Instead of directly charging the spear formation—that would be suicidal—they circled around from both sides, using lassos to secure their spears and pulling them forcefully. Once the Han army's spear formation was disrupted, the follow-up cavalry would immediately rush in, their scimitars flashing, specifically targeting the horses' legs and throats.
The battlefield instantly descended into chaos.
Fu Youde took the lead, his spear swift as a dragon, cutting down seven cavalrymen in succession. His shoulder injury had not yet healed, and every movement was excruciatingly painful, but he could not care about that now. Behind him, although the Trapped Camp only had more than eight hundred men left, each one was a battle-hardened elite. They formed a small circular formation, charging left and right through the cavalry, causing men and horses to fall wherever they went.
On the other side, Jin Yanzi led her Flying Swallow Army to attack from the flank. The female soldiers moved swiftly, like swallows flitting through the forest, targeting the cavalry's flank and rear.
They used no long weapons, only short swords and daggers, weaving in and out from under the horses' bellies, severing hooves with one strike and stabbing the horses in the belly with another. The warhorses neighed and fell to the ground, the riders tumbled off, and before they could even get up, they were finished off.
But the Golden Horde cavalry were truly fierce and brave. Many soldiers were cut down, but instead of fleeing, they lunged forward, grabbing Han soldiers and crashing into the blades, determined to take someone down with them in their dying moments. The battlefield quickly became fierce, every inch of land was bleeding, and people were falling every moment.
High in the sky, the confrontation between Ni Wenjun and Subutai continued.
Neither of them made a move, but their minds were completely locked onto each other. Ni Wenjun could sense that Subutai's aura was like a pack of wolves on the grasslands—seemingly relaxed, but actually concealing deadly intent, ready to strike at any moment. Subutai also sensed that Ni Wenjun's aura was as solid as the earth, unmoved by any storm.
They were waiting. Waiting for a decisive shift on the battlefield, waiting for the moment when the enemy's mind wavered.
The battle lasted for half an hour.
Although the Golden Horde was fierce and brave, it gradually fell into a disadvantageous position in the face of an absolute disparity in strength.
The Han army had superior numbers and better equipment, and more importantly, a complete command system. Zhang Dingbian commanded the central army, waving his flags, and the various units advanced and retreated in an orderly manner, combining offense and defense. In contrast, the Golden Horde relied entirely on Subutai for command. When he was fully engaged in a standoff with Ni Wenjun, the command below became sluggish.
"Left wing, advance!"
"Right-wing cavalry, infiltrate behind enemy lines!"
"Artillery, extend firing range!"
An order was relayed like flowing water, and the Han army's formation constantly changed, dividing, surrounding, and annihilating the 100,000 remnants of the Golden Horde.
As the poisonous smoke gradually dissipated, the Golden Horde cavalry lost their greatest asset and became sitting ducks in the face of the Han army's powerful crossbows and spears.
Fu Youde was covered in blood from the carnage. His silver armor was stained dark red, indistinguishable between his own blood and that of his enemies. His spear broke, so he took a sword, which also chipped, so he picked up a scimitar. He couldn't remember how many people he had killed—ten? Twenty? Fifty? He only remembered his brothers from the Trapped Camp falling one by one, until finally less than a hundred remained.
"General, Subutai's central army has moved!" his personal guard shouted hoarsely.
Fu Youde looked up and saw the wolf-head banner of the Golden Horde's central army beginning to move forward. Was Subutai finally going to personally charge? No, that's not right. The banner was moving, but Subutai himself was still on Eagle's Beak Cliff, confronting Ni Wenjun.
Those charging forward were...
"They're suicide soldiers!" Fu Youde's pupils contracted sharply. He saw about five thousand cavalrymen break off from the central army of the Golden Horde. None of them wore armor, only thin clothing, and their horses were unarmored, yet they moved with incredible speed. They carried no weapons, only a ceramic jar tied to each side of their saddles, with blue smoke rising from the mouths of the jars.
"Gunpowder!" Fu Youde instantly understood and roared, "Scatter! Scatter now!"
But it was too late.
Five thousand elite warriors charged like a flood bursting its banks, rushing straight towards the Han army's main force. The Han army unleashed a barrage of arrows, raining them down, but the warriors neither dodged nor avoided them; those struck by arrows and falling from their horses were immediately replaced by those behind them.
When they were a hundred paces away, the foremost assassin suddenly leaped from his horse, lit the fuse in mid-air, and lunged at the Han army formation.
"boom--!"
The first explosion rang out, followed by a second, a third... like firecrackers on New Year's Eve, one after another.
Each suicide soldier was a human bomb, exploding amidst the Han army's ranks, sending blood and flesh flying, creating a bloody storm. The Han army had never seen such tactics before, their formation was thrown into chaos, and countless soldiers trampled each other. "Hold on! Don't panic!" Zhang Dingbian shouted sharply in the center of the army, but the explosions drowned out his voice.
Five thousand elite soldiers blasted dozens of gaps in the Han army's ranks with their lives, allowing the Golden Horde cavalry to surge in like a tidal wave, hacking down anyone they saw and stabbing any horse they encountered. Although the Han army outnumbered the Han, their formation was in disarray, and they were forced into a series of defeats.
On Eagle's Beak Cliff, a flicker of pain crossed Subutai's eyes. Those five thousand elite soldiers were his personal guard, who had followed him in battles across the land for twenty years, and today they were to end their lives in this way. But he had no choice; this was the only chance to turn the tide of the war.
He sensed a slight fluctuation in Ni Wenjun's aura across from him. It was time.
Subutai slowly raised his hand and placed it on the hilt of his sword. He activated the Azure Wolf Technique to its maximum, the air around him distorted, and a low wolf howl was emitted. He was about to strike; if he could defeat Ni Wenjun with a single blow, the Han army would surely be defeated.
But just as he was about to make his move, a sudden change occurred.
Behind the Han army's lines, the cannons that had remained silent suddenly roared again. But this time, they fired neither solid shot nor grapeshot, but a strange net.
Dozens of enormous iron nets shot from the cannons, unfurling in the air. Each net was as large as a house, its lines covered with barbs. As the nets fell, they trapped the charging Golden Horde cavalrymen and their horses. The warhorses neighed and struggled in terror, but the more they struggled, the tighter the nets became, the barbs piercing their flesh, drawing blood.
"Close the net!"
A command rang out from the Han army ranks, and the ropes tied to the ends of the iron nets were pulled forcefully, dragging the cavalrymen trapped inside to the ground. The remaining Han soldiers swarmed forward, thrusting their spears wildly, slaughtering them like pigs and sheep.
It turns out that Zhang Dingbian had anticipated Subutai's move and had prepared this "net of heaven and earth" in advance.
The iron netting was woven from fine steel wire, making it lightweight and tough. When fired from cannons, it covered a vast area, making it an effective weapon against cavalry charges.
The breach opened by the sacrifices of five thousand warriors was instantly sealed. The Golden Horde cavalry were trapped in the iron net formation, unable to advance or retreat, becoming sitting ducks. The Han archers seized the opportunity to unleash a volley of arrows, reaping lives like locusts.
The army was defeated like a mountain.
The remnants of the Golden Horde army finally collapsed. No matter how Subutai roared or how the supervising troops slaughtered deserters, they could not stop the rout. Soldiers threw down their weapons, turned their horses and fled, trampling each other, resulting in countless deaths and injuries. The wolf-head banner fell, trampled by countless hooves, stained with mud and blood.
Fu Youde and Jin Yanzi led their troops in a surprise attack, like tigers among sheep. The remnants of the Golden Horde fled in panic, only concerned with escaping for their lives, utterly powerless to fight back. The battlefield became a slaughterhouse, with hundreds falling every moment.
On Eagle's Beak Cliff, Subutai watched helplessly, his eyes bloodshot with rage. Thirty years of painstaking effort, thirty thousand meticulously trained soldiers, reduced to ashes in a single day. He wanted to intervene, to charge down and wreak havoc. With his fourth-stage Fusion God cultivation, he could easily take the enemy general's head amidst a vast army, enough to turn the tide of battle.
But he couldn't. Ni Wenjun's aura was completely locked onto him; if he dared to move, he would be met with a thunderous blow. He might kill Ni Wenjun, but he himself would be severely injured. At that point, the Han army would still have Zhang Dingbian, Fu Youde, and those damned cannons…
We've lost. Utterly lost.
Subutai looked up to the sky and let out a long, mournful howl, like that of a wounded wolf king. The howl was filled with resentment, anger, and despair. Then, he turned and was about to leave.
But the Han army did not give him a chance.
"Chase! Whoever captures Subutai alive will be rewarded with a thousand gold pieces. I will request the King of Han to grant the first merit!" Zhang Dingbian's voice echoed across the battlefield.
Thousands of Han cavalry surged toward Eagle's Beak Cliff like a tidal wave. Although they knew that Subutai was a master of the fourth level of the Melting God realm, the promise of a great reward would surely attract brave men, and military orders were absolute, so they had no choice but to obey.
Subutai watched the approaching Han army, a resolute glint in his eyes. "Since you're courting death, don't blame me."
He slowly turned around to face the surging Han army, his right hand gently resting on the hilt of his sword.
The sword was not yet drawn, but a terrifying pressure already permeated the air, like an ancient beast awakening, like a mountain collapsing. The Han cavalry at the forefront suddenly felt difficulty breathing, their warhorses rearing up and neighing in terror.
"Step back!" Subutai only said two words, but each word struck like a heavy hammer in the heart. Hundreds of Han soldiers coughed up blood and fell off their horses.
But the Han troops behind them continued their charge. Orders were absolute; they had no way to retreat.
A cold glint flashed in Subutai's eyes, and he finally drew his sword.
The moment the sword was drawn, the world changed color.
There were no dazzling flashes of swords, no deafening roars, only an invisible force spreading out from Subutai at its center.
Like ripples, like tides, the earth cracked and the air distorted wherever it passed. The three thousand Han cavalrymen at the forefront, along with their horses, were struck as if by an invisible giant hammer, flying backward in unison. Their bones were broken in mid-air, and they were reduced to minced meat when they landed.
With a single strike, he repelled three thousand cavalry.
The entire place was deathly silent. Even the wind stopped, even the blood stopped flowing. Everyone stared blankly at the gaunt figure on Eagle's Beak Cliff, as if looking at a god or demon.
Subutai stood with his sword, the blade humming like a wolf's howl. He gazed at the distant Han army formation, at the large black banner, and slowly raised his sword.
He wanted to kill Zhang Dingbian. Even if it meant mutual destruction, he wanted to kill this commander of the Han army.
But just as he was about to make his move, a figure in blue appeared in front of him.
Ni Wenjun.
No one knew when, but he had arrived at Eagle's Beak Cliff from the Han army's front line five miles away. There was no sound of air being cut through, no afterimage; he appeared abruptly, as if he had always been there.
“Your opponent is me,” Ni Wenjun said calmly, slowly clenching his fists. As he clenched his fists, his aura surged, like a volcanic eruption or a river bursting its banks. The cliff beneath his feet began to crack, and loose rocks floated up, slowly swirling around him.
Su Butai's pupils contracted slightly. Such fast movement, such powerful aura. This Ni Wenjun is even stronger than he expected.
But he was fearless. For thirty years he roamed the world; who had he ever feared?
"Then let's fight."
Subutai raised his sword, Ni Wenjun clenched his fist, and their auras collided, causing a thunderous explosion in the void. Centered on them, the air within a hundred feet radius began to twist and rotate, forming a massive vortex. Rocks crumbled, trees snapped, and even the clouds in the sky were torn apart.
Below, hundreds of thousands of soldiers looked up at the sky, like ants gazing at a divine war.
Zhang Dingbian, in the central command post, slowly lowered his telescope and said to the messenger, "Order the entire army to retreat ten li. This battle is beyond our control."
He looked at the two figures facing each other on Eagle's Beak Cliff, a hint of solemnity flashing in his eyes.
He had witnessed the power of a fourth-level Molten God in battle, a feat capable of moving mountains and filling seas, and changing the world. Although he had seen even more powerful battles, such as the great battle between his own Prince Han and Zhu Chongba, which was a battle between fifth-level Molten Gods.
However, the formidable destructive power of the fourth level of the Fusion God also filled him with fear. In the end, this world belongs to martial artists. No matter how strong an army is, it will be passive when it encounters a powerful martial artist.
So now it's up to Ni Wenjun! (End of Chapter)