Chinese Generals Summoning System

Chapter 49: The Six Riders Set Out

When Liu Ji arrived at the first checkpoint of Weihu Fort with Hua Xiong, Chen Hao, Dong Xian, Lei Bo, and 30 soldiers, Cheng Yi, Han Tao, and Liu Pi had already led 60 soldiers up onto the stone walls of the checkpoint. Liu Ji still had 147 soldiers with him from Qi County; however, You Tong was guarding the second checkpoint of Weihu Fort with 10 soldiers, while the remaining 47 were under the command of Yue Yi and Gong Du, who were supervising the 420 new recruits. These 420 new soldiers were all former bandits from Weihu Fortress. Not only did Liu Ji dare not send them into battle, but he also had to keep enough men on hand to prevent them from seizing the opportunity to cause trouble. Therefore, being able to muster 90 soldiers at the first checkpoint of Weihu Fortress was already nearly the limit for Liu Ji. Although he had few soldiers at his disposal, upon seeing the seven imposing generals under his command, Liu Ji felt no fear toward the over a thousand bandits outside the first checkpoint; on the contrary, he was quite pleased—it seemed his soul points would increase once again. The three chieftains of Yanwang Ridge and Fan Chong, the leader of Weihu Fort, arrived outside the first checkpoint of Weihu Fort with over a thousand bandits. Rather than launching an immediate attack, they first set up camp, choosing the very spot where Liu Ji and his men had previously erected a makeshift encampment. When Liu Ji climbed onto the stone wall of the first checkpoint, the bandits were still setting up camp. Cheng Yi immediately reported to Liu Ji: ““My Lord, there are nearly a hundred cavalrymen among these bandits. At least half of them are clad in iron armor, while the rest wear leather armor. There are at least 900 infantrymen, many of whom are also armored. Fan Chong, the leader of Weihu Fort, is among them. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, it appears Fan Chong has summoned reinforcements from Yanwang Ridge!” Liu Ji stroked his chin and asked Cheng Yi, “How do you think we should deal with these more than a thousand bandits next?” Cheng Yi glanced at Hua Xiong, Chen Hao, Dong Xian, and Lei Bo, who were following behind Liu Ji, then said, “My Lord, I suggest we take advantage of the fact that these bandits haven’t yet gained a firm foothold. Let us, your personal guards, charge on horseback to give them a taste of our might!” Hua Xiong, standing behind Liu Ji, chimed in, “My Lord, I fully agree with Cheng Yi. Though there are a thousand bandits, they are, after all, merely bandits. In Hua Xiong’s eyes, they are nothing more than a rabble. If we, your personal guards, launch a single attack, perhaps this thousand-strong band of bandits will collapse immediately.” The scene from a few days earlier, when Hua Xiong and the other four had routed over a thousand bandits from Weihu Fortress, was still vivid in Liu Ji’s mind. Even before Cheng Yi made his suggestion, Liu Ji had already been considering this plan—to have several of his generals take the initiative and see if they could replicate the great victory of a few days prior. Liu Ji glanced at the generals stationed at the first checkpoint of Weihu Fortress, then said in a solemn voice, “Hua Xiong, Cheng Yi, Han Tao, Liu Pi, Dong Xian, and Lei Bo—the six of you will mount your horses and launch an attack on the camp the bandits are currently building. Remember: do not engage in head-on combat, do not let yourselves be tied down, and if things go wrong, withdraw immediately. Chen Hao and I will lead the troops to provide backup here at the checkpoint!” Liu Ji was not short of warhorses at the moment. Of the ten generals under his command, nine were equipped with warhorses. Only Chen Hao, due to his excessive weight—compounded by his armor and iron staff—could not be carried by any of the 33 warhorses captured from Weihu Fortress. The mounts of Hua Xiong and the other five generals had all been brought to the first checkpoint, so Hua Xiong and his five companions quickly mounted their warhorses, fully armed, and gathered behind the wooden gates of the checkpoint—which had already been replaced with a new pair. Liu Ji looked at the more than a thousand bandits in the distance, who were still frantically setting up camp, and immediately shouted, “Open the gates! Charge!” With a “creak—,” the wooden gates of Weihu Fort’s first checkpoint swung open. Immediately, Hua Xiong, Cheng Yi, Han Tao, Liu Pi, Dong Xian, and Lei Bo spurred their horses forward toward the bandits in the distance. Hu Hai, the Third Leader of Yanwang Ridge, saw that several cavalrymen from the imperial troops occupying Weihu Fort had actually charged out. He snorted coldly and said to Zhang Shuo, the Ninth Leader of Yanwang Ridge, and Yang Hongtao, the Tenth Leader: “Ninth Brother, Tenth Brother, take your cavalry units and wipe out these imperial soldiers who’ve come to their deaths!” At that moment, Fan Chong, the First Leader of Weihu Fort, who was standing nearby, said, “Chief Hu, be careful of the government troops’ cavalry. Don’t let their small numbers fool you—every one of them is highly skilled in martial arts. Back then, our Weihu Fort had nearly a thousand troops, yet we were routed by just a few government cavalrymen.” Hu Hai smiled at Fan Chong and said, “Chief Fan, the cavalry under Ninth Brother and Tenth Brother number more than fifty in total. Moreover, both Ninth Brother and Tenth Brother are valiant warriors. A mere handful of imperial cavalry—no matter how skilled they may be—should be no trouble to wipe out!” Hu Hai paid no heed to Fan Chong’s words. “Can the rabble at your Weihu Fortress possibly compare to the elite cavalry of Yanwang Ridge?” Zhang Shuo and Yang Hongtao quickly rallied the cavalry under their command. Including the two of them, there were a total of 51 riders. With a roar, they charged out of the camp still under construction and headed straight for Hua Xiong and his six men. Zhang Shuo and Yang Hongtao also paid little heed to Fan Chong’s words. After all, although they ranked last among the ten chieftains of Yanwang Ridge, in terms of martial arts, they were second only to the First Chief, Feng Kun, and the Third Chief, Hu Hai. Their lower rankings were simply because they had joined Yanwang Ridge the latest. A few imperial cavalrymen had routed nearly a thousand troops at Weihu Fort, but Zhang Shuo and Yang Hongtao had once single-handedly routed a force of several hundred imperial soldiers. Therefore, they did not take Hua Xiong and his six men seriously at all. Feng Kun, the leader of Yanwang Ridge, took the imperial troops who had occupied Weihu Fort very seriously. He dispatched the three strongest fort leaders on Yanwang Ridge—excluding himself—but unfortunately, he still underestimated the strength of the generals under Liu Ji’s command. Standing on the stone wall of the pass, Liu Ji saw that the bandits had sent out a squad of cavalry to engage them. He immediately had the system check the stats of the two bandit leaders at the front—and was instantly taken aback. Zhang Shuo: Strength 64, Intelligence 52, Leadership 48; Yang Hongtao: Strength 67, Intelligence 47, Leadership 43. Two third-rate generals had suddenly appeared. Yanwang Ridge truly lived up to its reputation as the largest bandit stronghold in these mountains—it was indeed a place where hidden talents lurked. He had only seen two of Yanwang Ridge’s bandit leaders, yet both were third-rate generals with Strength scores exceeding 60. Liu Ji stood atop the stone wall of the pass and, regardless of whether Hua Xiong and the others could hear him, shouted at the top of his lungs, “Watch out for the two bandit leaders up ahead—their martial arts are no worse than Liu Pi’s!” Soon, the cavalry from both sides clashed. Hua Xiong went head-to-head with Zhang Shuo, the Ninth Leader of Yanwang Ridge, while Cheng Yi faced off against Yang Hongtao, the Tenth Leader. Meanwhile, Han Tao, Liu Pi, Dong Xian, and Lei Bo engaged the remaining 49 bandit cavalrymen. Riding the momentum of his horse, Zhang Shuo swung his long axe down toward Hua Xiong’s head, while Hua Xiong gripped his broadsword tightly and mustered all his strength to meet Zhang Shuo’s axe with it. “Clang—” With a single blow, Hua Xiong actually knocked the long axe right out of Zhang Shuo’s hands. Zhang Shuo’s hands trembled, and he froze in shock. Was he dreaming? Someone had actually managed to knock his weapon out of his hands with sheer strength! Although he had knocked Zhang Shuo’s long axe out of his hands, Hua Xiong’s own hands, gripping the hilt of his broadsword, were beginning to go numb. He thought to himself, “This kid has incredible strength. No wonder my lord warned me so loudly just now.”