Chapter 14
A narrow winding path, a single thread of the sky, in a canyon.
"Big Brother, they're here!" Lin Shaoyu said.
Cheng Dalei jerked into an upright position, he had been sleeping on the edge of the canyon for the past couple of days, restless and filled with anxiety, fearing that Think Tank's calculations might go awry. That's why he had Adviser Xu wander through all the mountain fortresses of Mount Qingniu, luring the bandits into an ambush on the official road, but the real deadly trick was in this narrow canyon.
The canyon was so narrow that only two horses could advance side by side, or four men shoulder to shoulder. When the troops arrived at the front of the canyon, the cavalry entered first, followed closely by the infantry.
The dawn was yet to break, the sky completely dark, and the sound of armor rubbing could still be heard in their ears. Cheng Dalei looked down from the top of the canyon and immediately broke into a cold sweat.
"Big Brother, there... there are thousands of them!" Adviser Xu exclaimed in surprise.
Cheng Dalei's teeth grinded loudly, there were only five of them in his mountain fortress, even sending a thousand troops to deal with them felt like overkill!
"Big Brother, let's retreat, we can't handle this." Adviser Xu suggested.
"Retreat... It's too late, stick to the original plan." Cheng Dalei clung to a log, about ten meters in length and thick enough to encompass with a hug, and instructed, "When I drop the log, Young Hero Lin will ignite the explosives buried at the mouth of the canyon. Adviser Xu, Big Brother Qin, Ling'er, you three throw the boxes of explosives downwards..."
This was Cheng Dalei's plan. They would keep watch from above the canyon, observing each person entering the canyon.
Adviser Xu queried in a low voice, "Why are we only collapsing one exit of the canyon, instead of both sides..."
"A city under siege will run out of resources eventually. In desperate situations, people can display unimaginable fighting spirit. Only when they know there's a way out, they will not fight to the death." As Cheng Dalei uttered these words, he let out a sigh, "We're different from them, we have no way out."
The team, like a long serpent, was pouring into the canyon. Suddenly, something unexpected happened. The canyon was merely approximately five or six hundred meters long, but the trailing team members had not entered the canyon yet while some of the cavalry had already exited...
"Big Brother, what should we do?" Adviser Xu was sweating profusely with anxiety.
"Wait a moment. Wait a moment." Cheng Dalei's voice trembled as he spoke, realizing that every decision he made now could affect the final outcome.
As more cavalry continued to exit the canyon, there wasn't time to wait any longer. The carriage at the end of the procession had yet to enter the canyon, and the dozen or so cavalry who had left the canyon were already enough to dispose of them.
"Attack!"
Cheng Dalei suddenly pushed the log in his hand down, blocking the exit of the canyon with a thunderous crash. A cavalryman crashed into it, separating him from his steed.
"Shaoyu, light it!"
Cheng Dalei roared. Qin Man and Adviser Xu were ready to throw their boxes of explosives, waiting for Lin Shaoyu to collapse the exit of the canyon.
But nothing happened. Cheng Dalei turned and saw Lin Shaoyu holding a flint, his face dripping with sweat.
"You've never killed anyone before, have you?"
"I... I... There are too many people below, I... I..." Lin Shaoyu stuttered.
Sure enough, something went wrong. Reality never exactly matched the plan and at this very moment, another dozen or so cavalrymen exited the canyon.
"Damn it!" Cheng Dalei slapped Lin Shaoyu's face forcefully, "This is war, not a child's game! War isn't played politely or delicately, it's all about wanting to kill each other!"
Cheng Dalei was fierce and ruthless, seething with rage. Lin Shaoyu noticed him trembling slightly. It turned out he was also afraid.
Cheng Dalei snatched the flint from Lin Shaoyu's hand and struck it against the fuse. The fire traveled down the oil-soaked thread, and everyone watched anxiously, fearing the tiny flame might be accidentally extinguished.
Boom!
The explosives previously buried at the canyon exit were detonated, causing rocks to fly and roll down, blocking the canyon exit. However, by this time, a hundred cavalrymen had already fled the canyon.
Qin Man and Xu Shenji coordinated; one lit the fuse on the explosive box, while the other tossed it down. The box exploded mid-air, with the projectiles inside almost as fast as bullets.
Cheng Dalei joined in, throwing down one box of explosives after another.
The area below the valley was in complete chaos. The sound of the explosion was like thunder, and the falling rocks could easily claim their lives. Many people, unaware of the explosives, thought that it was divine intervention or the mischief of mountain spirits, with some even dropping to their knees to pray.
The cavalry is always considered the elite force of an army, with their high-speed maneuverability still effective until World War II. In this era, a household capable of keeping a horse is not an ordinary one.
"Charge to the top of the mountain!" The cavalry leader gave the order.
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Spears were raised and directed towards the top of the valley. They still held a strong will to fight; the sudden change did not deter them but fueled their desire to kill the enemy.
This scene was beyond Cheng Dalei's planning; things don't always go as planned. After all, with a thousand men, even a few could easily defeat Cheng Dalei's few. If they reached the top of the mountain, all plans would have been in vain.
"Big Brother, let me stop them." Qin Man held a spear in his hand and mounted his horse.
"Good!" Cheng Dalei roared, fiercely throwing the lit explosive box in his hand.
From the bottom of the mountain to the top of the canyon, there was only one path. At this moment one man charged down, while a group charged up, crossing paths in the narrow space.
A hundred cavalrymen, each one an elite. The cavalry leader was a seasoned veteran. When they reached the middle of the hillside, they saw a man with a spear blocking their path.
"I am Qin Man, and you shall not pass." Qin Man pointed the spear straight at the opponent's brow.
"Kill!"
With a loud shout, the cavalry leader charged ahead, thrusting his spear towards Qin Man's heart. Qin Man grunted in annoyance, flicked his wrist, and the black spear shot forward like a venomous snake. In just one round, he knocked the cavalry leader off his horse.
"When I say you shall not pass, you shall not pass."
A hundred cavalrymen surged forward. In Qin Man's hands, the spear swirled, swung, smashed, and stabbed. With a flick of his wrist, the Plum Blossom Spear flicked out five spears, each a lethal blow.
Cheng Dalei didn't know how long Qin Man could hold out, his heart pounding, frantically tossing down one explosive box after another. Xu Ling'er lit a blanket filled with explosives and threw it down the canyon. The blanket ignited fiercely in mid-air, looking like a cloud of fire.
The soldiers' will to fight quickly crumbled into chaos inside the canyon. The Heavy Armor Soldiers stumbled clumsily, while the lancers hit the archers with their spears, the swordsmen were in disarray, and the archers scampered like frightened mice.
"Run, run..."
Someone shouted, and a crowd found their direction, rushing towards the entrance of the valley. Unluckily, Han Xuanzhi's luxurious carriage was blocking the entrance of the valley.
Han Xuanzhi didn't understand what was happening, as he had just crawled out from his carriage.
"City Lord...there's a monster...run..."
Han Xuanzhi's heart pounded, and he quickly pulled out his sword, shouting: "No one runs, anyone who crosses this line dies!"
At this moment, he thought he embodied a famous general, ready to turn the tide and snatch victory from defeat.
The soldiers looked at each other, blinking, as the thunderous explosions and cries of agony roared behind them.
"To hell with you."
Someone yelled, and the crowd toppled the carriage in a frenzy and desperately fled the valley.