Hundreds of horsemen descended upon them, clad in varying attire and wielding diverse weapons, their formation scattered—a clear sign that these were retainers of the privileged clans.
Seeing the pursuers merely a hundred steps away, Liu Xiu remained calm and composed as he instructed Deng Yu and Zhu You to dismount the ox cart. To their astonished gazes, he took out a firestarter and lit the straw piled on the cart, then set the ox's tail ablaze.
The ox went mad in an instant, taking the flaming cart in a furious gallop straight toward the hundred-plus pursuers.
As they moved toward each other, the speed increased.
The clan retainers, who had their eyes fixed on Liu Xiu's head, were caught off guard.
With the bellowing enraged ox charging, men and horses were sent sprawling in an instant; many pursuers were trampled to death or injured.
