Chinese Generals Summoning System

Chapter 40: Five Riders Break Through a Thousand Soldiers (Part 1)

Weihu Fort was not far from where Liu Ji and his companions were sitting. The three chieftains of Weihu Fort—Fankong, the “Mountain-Descending Tiger”; Wenda, the “Purple-Faced Tiger”; and Zhang Xiong, the “Red-Cloud Tiger”—soon arrived at the foot of the barren mountain where Liu Ji and his group were stationed, leading nearly a thousand bandits from Weihu Fort. Among the bandits from Weihu Fort, aside from Fan Chong, Wen Da, and Zhang Xiong—who were riding warhorses—there were also 34 mounted bandits. All 34 of these mounted bandits were clad in iron armor and wearing iron helmets; each held a long spear and wore a uniform black cloak, presenting a very imposing sight. The bandits from Weihu Fortress arrived too quickly. Liu Ji and his men had just driven the wagons loaded with grain up the barren mountain and hadn’t yet had time to set up camp. When Liu Ji saw so many bandits suddenly appear—including quite a few cavalrymen—he immediately felt a pang of unease. Liu Ji noticed that two of the three bandit leaders at the front were new faces, so he immediately had the system scan their 3D stats. Fan Chong: Strength 56, Intelligence 44, Leadership 43; Wen Da: Strength 53, Intelligence 52, Leadership 41. While the elite combat strength of this Weihu Fortress bandit group wasn’t a cause for concern, their numbers far outnumbered his own forces—and the 150 soldiers under Liu Ji’s command had only been training for a few days. Liu Ji considered whether to release Li Qingzi, the captured leader of the Weihu Fortress bandits. However, seeing the massive mobilization of the Weihu Fortress bandits, it seemed that even if he released Li Qingzi, they would not let the matter rest. “My Lord, the bandits from Weihu Fort outnumber us vastly. If they surround us, our defenses are bound to falter. Instead, let’s take the initiative: I, along with Yue Yi, You Tong, Gong Du, and Liu Pi, will charge and break through their ranks!” Seeing the overwhelming numbers of the Weihu Fort bandits, Hua Xiong immediately suggested to Liu Ji. “Only the five of you are going to attack? There must be close to a thousand bandits down there—isn’t that too dangerous?” Liu Ji exclaimed in disbelief, staring at Hua Xiong. Hua Xiong looked down at the dense throng of bandits below, a hint of disdain curling the corners of his mouth. “My Lord, those bandits down there are nothing to speak of in Hua Xiong’s eyes.” At that moment, Yue Yi also spoke up: “My Lord, Hua Xiong is right. Our 150 soldiers here have only recently completed their training. Facing bandits several times our number, it would be disastrous if they panicked and fled in the heat of battle. It would be better for a few of us to charge into their ranks and crush the bandits down below.” Liu Ji glanced at the square formation composed of the 150 soldiers. He noticed that although the formation remained orderly, many of the men wore expressions of terror—after all, the bandits below vastly outnumbered their own forces. Faced with such a large number of bandits, Liu Ji could think of no other solution. After a moment’s hesitation, he said in a grave tone to Hua Xiong and Yue Yi, “Then you two should make a charge. If it doesn’t work, don’t force the issue—retreat immediately. I’ll have Chen Hao, Cheng Yi, and Han Tao ready to provide backup at any moment!” Soon, Hua Xiong, Yue Yi, You Tong, Gong Du, and Liu Pi mounted their warhorses and formed a single line—with Hua Xiong in the center, Yue Yi and You Tong on the right, and Gong Du and Liu Pi on the left. Hua Xiong pointed his great sword down the mountain and roared, “Charge—!” The five generals immediately spurred their horses down from the top of the barren mountain, charging down from their elevated position toward nearly a thousand bandits. The three chieftains of Weihu Fort were just discussing how to attack this government force and rescue Li Qing when they saw the five government cavalrymen charging down the slope. Fan Chong, the leader of Weihu Fort, sneered at his second-in-command, Wen Da, and said, “Number Two, you lead the men to cover my back. I’ll take the iron cavalry of Weihu Fort and deal with these government cavalrymen first.” Wen Da frowned and said, “Eldest Brother, Fourth Brother is still in their hands. Shouldn’t we try diplomacy first and resort to force only after rescuing him?” “They’re already charging at us—there’s no time for nonsense. Let’s take out these government cavalrymen first!” Third-in-Command Zhang Xiong spoke up at that moment: “Eldest Brother, you must be careful. That imperial army commander surnamed Gong is truly a formidable fighter!” Fan Chong brandished his long halberd and declared, “With the thirty-four Iron Cavalry of Weihu Fort here, what have we to fear from a single imperial commander with exceptional martial arts skills?” Among the many bandit hideouts in the mountainous region where Yongzhou and Wanzhou meet, the reason Weihu Fortress had become one of the top mountain strongholds was not only because of its four skilled chieftains but also, to a large extent, due to the presence of these 34 cavalrymen. Fan Chong then shouted to the 34 Weihu Fortress cavalrymen behind him, “Brothers, follow your chieftain into battle! Try to capture one or two government cavalrymen alive to exchange for our Fourth Brother! Charge—” The two groups of cavalry—one large, one small—soon collided. With a “thwack—,” Hua Xiong split a bandit cavalryman charging toward him in two with a single stroke of his sword; without pausing, he then severed the head of the bandit’s warhorse. Immediately afterward, Hua Xiong followed through with another stroke, slicing off the head of another bandit cavalryman. By the time the two groups of cavalry had passed each other, Hua Xiong had single-handedly slain six bandit cavalrymen—each with a single stroke. Under the speed of Hua Xiong’s lightning-fast strikes, not a single bandit cavalryman could block his blows. Le Yi, You Tong, Gong Du, and Liu Pi followed on either side of Hua Xiong, each slaying three or four bandit cavalrymen in the fray. Fan Chong, the leader of Weihu Fort, was also struck on the shoulder by Gong Du’s double-edged broadsword during the clash. Had Gong Du not held back on the force of that blow,Fan Chong’s entire shoulder might have been severed. After the five men—led by Hua Xiong—had crossed paths with the enemy, they immediately pulled on their horses’ reins and turned to charge the remaining bandit cavalry. By this point, Fan Chong no longer possessed the swagger he’d shown moments earlier; his face was etched with terror and shock,After all, the 34 cavalrymen of Weihu Fort were all elite warriors. Fan Chong was confident that the Weihu Fort cavalry were in no way inferior to the most elite cavalry of the Great Jin’s imperial army. Yet these five enemy cavalrymen sliced through the Weihu Fort cavalry as easily as cutting through watermelon; in the blink of an eye, the 34 cavalrymen were reduced to just 14. How could such a small county as Qi County produce so many fierce warriors? Seeing Hua Xiong and his four companions turn their horses and charge back, Fan Chong no longer dared to face them head-on. He shouted urgently, “Fall back on both flanks! Don’t engage in a head-on clash!” Seeing the remaining bandit cavalry fleeing directly to both sides, Hua Xiong immediately pulled on his horse’s reins and roared, “Halt—” Le Yi, You Tong, Gong Du, and Liu Pi also reined in their horses immediately. The five of them, without a word, turned their horses around. Hua Xiong pointed his great sword at the crowd of bandit foot soldiers and roared, “Charge—” Nearly a thousand bandits from Weihu Fort were waiting for their leader to lead the Weihu Fort Iron Cavalry to great glory. But in the blink of an eye, more than half of their own fort’s cavalry had been mowed down with a series of swift, decisive cuts. Many bandits couldn’t believe their eyes—was this really the famed Weihu Fort Iron Cavalry? Wen Da, the second-in-command of Weihu Fort, watched as his fort’s cavalry—led by Fan Chong—was cut down by more than half in a short time by just five enemy cavalrymen. Riding his horse backward, he shouted loudly to the bandits and infantry: “Quick! Archers, move forward! Get ready! Don’t let the imperial cavalry charge through!”