Chinese Generals Summoning System

Chapter 16: Breaking Out

About twenty paces from the main gate of the earthen enclosure, Zhang Baohong, the steward of the Zheng family’s merchant caravan, clad in iron armor and mounted on a warhorse, brandished a long sword and roared, “Move those carts aside!” Several laborers immediately pulled aside the two carts—loaded with bundles of cloth—that were blocking the main gate of the earthen enclosure. At that moment, Zhang Baohong roared even louder, “Brothers! Follow me and break through!” “Charge!” “Kill the bandits!” More than 280 members of the merchant caravan—guards, drivers, and laborers—including over 160 on horseback and nearly 120 on foot, with the cavalry leading the way and the infantry following behind, charged out of the earthen enclosure’s main gate, shouting at the top of their lungs. Leading the charge were the steward Zhang Baohong and his deputy Li Yuan, while the carriage carrying Liu Ji was shielded in the center of the more than 160 cavalrymen. Le Yi, Liu Pi, and Gong Du rode on horseback to guard the carriage on either side. Although the bandits outside were eating breakfast, the caravan’s breakout did not cause them to panic. Their leader, Xu Yunba—known as “Mountain Eagle”—tossed the half-eaten meat pie he was holding onto the ground, turned, mounted his warhorse, and, brandishing a long axe, shouted with a loud laugh: ““Men, slaughter every last one of this caravan! Tonight we’ll slaughter pigs and sheep! Drink as much wine as you want! Have your way with the women!” In the blink of an eye, the 240 cavalrymen surrounding Xu Yunba mounted their warhorses and, howling alongside Xu Yunba, charged at the escaping caravan. Meanwhile, the bandits’ infantry immediately cleared the path for the cavalry’s charge and flanked the escaping caravan from both wings. Dozens of archers among the bandit infantry also began firing arrows at the merchant caravan’s cavalry, and one after another, the merchants’ horsemen were struck by arrows and fell from their mounts. The cavalry of both sides soon clashed; screams instantly drowned out the battle cries, and one after another, riders were cut down by the enemy’s cavalry—most of them from the merchant caravan. The guards of the Zheng family’s caravan were all skilled in martial arts, but when faced with these ruthless bandit cavalrymen in a life-or-death melee, they were ultimately outmatched. The caravan’s cavalry was immediately halted, and the caravan manager, Zhang Baohong, found himself locked in single combat with the bandit leader, “Mountain Eagle” Xu Yunba. After the caravan’s cavalry was held back by the bandits’ cavalry, nearly 900 of the bandits’ infantry also closed in, immediately trapping the breaking-out caravan in a tight encirclement. Inside the carriage, Liu Ji no longer had time to speak with the twin sisters. Through the cracks in the wooden planks sealing the windows, he watched the carnage outside with bated breath, while the two sisters, terrified, clung tightly to their two maidservants,shivering uncontrollably. Having grown up in a brothel since childhood, the two sisters had never witnessed such a bloody and chaotic scene! Seeing that the caravan’s cavalry had been held up, Yue Yi roared at Liu Pi and Gong Du, “Protect the carriage and follow me!” Then Yue Yi spurred his horse forward, brandishing his long halberd as he charged into the ranks of the marauding cavalry, while Liu Pi and Gong Du flanked the wagons and followed closely behind. Le Yi, Liu Pi, and Gong Du formed a triangular formation, instantly tearing a gap in the bandit cavalry blocking their path. Not a single bandit in front of them could withstand even a single strike. The bandits’ leader, Xu Yunba—known as “Mountain Eagle”—had just split the head of Zhang Baohong, the manager of the Zheng family’s merchant caravan, in two with a single axe blow. Although the blow left him spattered with blood, Xu Yunba paid it no mind. Seeing that Le Yi, Liu Pi, and Gong Du were protecting the carriage and about to break through the bandits’ blockade, he immediately prepared to charge forward and stop the carriage. Xu Yunba’s primary motive this time was the pair of stunning twin courtesans. It was clear that the two inside the carriage were those very twins, so there was no way Xu Yunba was going to let the carriage get away. However, Li Yuan of the Zheng family’s merchant caravan, upon seeing Zhang Baohong die a gruesome death at Xu Yunba’s axe, instantly abandoned the bandit cavalryman he was currently fighting and spurred his horse like a madman toward Xu Yunba. Li Yuan and Zhang Baohong had been together for over six years and shared a deep bond. Though not blood brothers, their relationship was as close as that of brothers. Seeing Zhang Baohong die so gruesomely, Li Yuan had only one thought: to avenge him. However, Li Yuan’s martial arts skills were slightly inferior to Zhang Baohong’s. Although he employed a reckless, all-out offensive strategy—attacking without defending—and fought Xu Yunba head-on for six rounds, he was unfortunately struck down by Xu Yunba’s axe in the seventh round. By this time, Le Yi, Liu Pi, and Gong Du had already shielded the wagons, broken through the bandit cavalry’s blockade, and were fleeing into the distance. As for the rest of the caravan’s cavalry, not a single one was able to seize the opportunity to break through. By now, more than half had already met a gruesome end at the hands of the bandits’ blades. With both the chief steward and the second steward of the caravan killed in action, the remaining cavalry—along with the even smaller contingent of foot soldiers—had lost all morale; their annihilation was only a matter of time. However, the coachman of the carriage carrying Liu Ji was unlucky enough to be struck in the neck by a stray arrow, causing him to fall from the carriage. Fortunately, Liu Pi acted quickly, leaping from his warhorse onto the carriage and taking control to keep it moving forward. Upon seeing the carriage flee, Xu Yunba immediately shouted to the bandit cavalry, “The first cavalry squadron, follow me to pursue the carriage! The other four cavalry squadrons, work with the infantry to slaughter everyone—leave not a single one alive!” The bandits’ organization was modeled after the Great Jin Dynasty’s army; each cavalry squad consisted of 50 men. The 240 bandit cavalrymen Xu Yunba had brought with him this time comprised a total of five squads. The missing 10 cavalrymen had been killed in previous battles and had not yet been replaced. As soon as Xu Yunba gave the order, 42 bandit cavalrymen immediately turned their horses around and followed Xu Yunba in pursuit of the fleeing wagon. Originally, this squad had been at full strength of 50 riders, but eight bandit cavalrymen had already perished in the melee—most of them at the hands of Le Yi, Liu Pi, and Gong Du. Inside the carriage, Liu Ji watched as Zhang Baohong, the steward of the Zheng family’s merchant caravan, was cleaved in two by a single axe blow from the bandit leader Xu Yunba. He immediately had the system scan Xu Yunba’s stats and discovered that Xu Yunba’s martial prowess was a staggering 66 points—already meeting the standard of a third-rate general and exceeding Liu Pi’s martial prowess by 2 points. However, since Liu Ji was accompanied by Le Yi and Gong Du, who possessed even higher martial prowess, he wasn’t overly concerned about Xu Yunba. Seeing Xu Yunba and his men closing in from behind through the cracks in the wooden panels sealing the carriage windows, Liu Ji simply called out a warning to Le Yi, Liu Pi, and Gong Du: “The bandits are catching up—watch out for their leader!” Although the carriage was pulled by two warhorses, its speed was still much slower than that of a rider on horseback. Le Yi and Gong Du reined in their horses almost simultaneously, then spurred them on to charge at the pursuing bandits behind them. Wielding his long halberd, Yue Yi charged directly at Xu Yunba. As their horses closed in, Yue Yi’s halberd and Xu Yunba’s long axe collided with a thunderous crash. The impact took Xu Yunba completely by surprise—this man’s strength was actually greater than his own. The arm holding his long axe went numb from the shock, and blood rushed to his throat. Le Yi and Xu Yunba then kept their horses under control as they engaged in fierce combat. As the battle continued, Xu Yunba grew increasingly alarmed—where had this formidable warrior come from? His martial arts were undoubtedly superior to his own.