Chapter 1035: A Single Sword's Radiance Chills Forty States
Gao Yingxiang led his ten thousand Chuǎng Army rebels, trudging through Miaogou.
In his heyday, he commanded seventy-two factions and over three hundred thousand soldiers. Now, only ten thousand remained. They had no cannons, their flintlock rifles were out of ammunition, and even their repeating crossbows were useless.
Of the seventy-two bandit factions that had once followed him, only Liu Zhe and Huang Long remained. The rest had all scattered, joining the Dashing General and the Eight Great Kings.
Even the Jin merchants, who had long supplied him, had vanished.
Only then did he realize: the rebels followed not him, but the Dashing General and the Eight Great Kings. The Jin merchants traded not with him, but with the Dashing General and the Eight Great Kings.
Still, none of that mattered now!
He seemed to possess a boundless fortune, destined by Heaven itself.
As long as he seized this chance—with the main Ming forces diverted to confront the Manchu barbarians—to capture Xi'an, seize the immense, nation-rivalling wealth of the Prince of Qin's mansion, and build a formidable army, his deserters would surely return.
Lost in his pleasant thoughts, Liu Zhe, at his side, spoke up. "Big Brother Chuǎng Wang," he cautioned, "your subordinate senses that the slope ahead would make an excellent ambush point. We should proceed with care."
"It does look a bit dangerous," Chuǎng Wang conceded. "But the imperial troops have never properly garrisoned this place. Now, with the Manchu invasion and their main forces pulled away, they’ll be even less capable of guarding it."
"That's true," Liu Zhe agreed.
No sooner had they spoken than a figure slid down the slope, a gleaming, polished longsword in hand. With a flourish, he landed firmly in the center of Miaogou.
He raised the longsword with a single hand, pointing it at Chuǎng Wang. "Chuǎng rebel," he boomed, "you bypassed the path to heaven, only to barge headfirst into the gates of hell! Hahahaha! This very spot shall be your grave!"
Chuǎng Wang flinched, startled. Liu Zhe and Huang Long were equally shocked.
Behind them, the ten thousand Chuǎng Army rebels tensed, their gazes sweeping to the slopes on either side.
"This is bad," Liu Zhe muttered. "The enemy showing themselves like this means they’re fully prepared. They wouldn't just swagger out otherwise. We might already be surrounded."
Chuǎng Wang collected himself. After so many years of rebellion, and countless defeats, what more was there to fear? He called out loudly, "Who are you? What nonsense are you spouting?"
The man with the longsword laughed heartily. "I am Padi Tu," he declared, "known in the pugilistic world as Master Rabbit!"
Everyone: "..."
What kind of hero was this? No one had ever heard of him!
"Don't bother racking your brains," Padi Tu announced. "You haven't heard my name because I walk a righteous path. I'm not like you. Your dens of vipers and vermin aren't worthy of Master Rabbit's illustrious name!"
The rebels seethed. "What damn nonsense is that?!"
Anywhere else, the Chuǎng Army would have already charged Padi Tu. But the terrain here was peculiar, and Padi Tu’s appearance was utterly bizarre, leaving the rebels momentarily frozen, hesitant to make a move.
Chuǎng Wang said in a deep voice, "We rose in rebellion to slay corrupt officials, plunder the rich to aid the poor—we are an army of righteousness!"
Padi Tu burst into laughter. "Hahahaha! Do you even believe those words yourself? Among those who rebel, how many are true heroes, and how many are mere scum? You know the answer in your heart. From the Tianqi era until now, the only hero of rebellion I truly admire is Wang Er of Baishui!"
Chuǎng Wang: "..."
Padi Tu: "In short, right here, right now, is your death day!"
Chuǎng Wang felt a bit bewildered. How arrogant was this fellow? Standing alone in the middle of Miaogou, spouting such grandiose claims—there *had* to be an ambush hidden on the slopes. That much was certain.
He wasn't the only one thinking it; Liu Zhe also whispered, "Big Brother Chuǎng Wang, this guy definitely isn’t alone. We need to be careful."
Huang Long, however, offered, "Is there a possibility this fellow is performing an empty fort strategy?"
Chuǎng Wang replied, "Once we get through this ravine, we’ll be at the foot of Mount Hua, where we can replenish our provisions. Whether it's an empty fort strategy or a genuine ambush, we have to push through."
"Then your subordinate will go ahead and test them," Huang Long volunteered.
"Good!" Chuǎng Wang agreed.
The main Chuǎng Army remained stationary, carefully guarding the slopes on both sides. Huang Long, leading only five hundred men, slowly advanced.
These five hundred men were mentally prepared for a potential ambush, proceeding cautiously, step by painstaking step.
Huang Long himself drew a broadsword, his eyes fixed on the longsword in Padi Tu's hand, ready to confront this inexplicable swordsman.
Padi Tu's palms grew sweaty...
Seeing five hundred men slowly closing in, it was impossible for him not to feel panicked. But he wasn’t one to retreat just because he was afraid.
He was Master Rabbit, after all!
No matter how frantic he felt inside, not a trace showed on his face. Instead, he maintained his usual arrogant demeanor, nostrils flared towards the sky, and laughed uproariously. "Foolish rebels, daring to challenge Master Rabbit with a mere five hundred men!"
"My single sword’s brilliance chills forty states, its formidable aura sweeping for countless miles! No hero under heaven dares to stand against Master Rabbit! You think a measly five hundred can take me down? Ten thousand charging at once might be more like it!"
Huang Long roared, "Enough of your bravado! I am Huang Long. Let’s see what you’re truly made of!"
With that, he stopped his slow advance. Raising his broadsword, he let out an enraged roar and charged at Padi Tu. Behind him, the five hundred men shouted in unison, surging forward.
The sight was, frankly, a little terrifying.
Padi Tu’s legs were practically trembling, yet he didn't retreat. With a primal roar, he raised his treasured sword high above his head with both hands, bellowing, "My! Heaven! Rabbit! Rending! Overlord! Sword!"
He took a great stride forward, then swung his sword violently into empty air.
At that moment, Huang Long was still at least five meters away. Padi Tu’s strike was utterly pointless, a swing at nothing. Huang Long felt a peculiar surge of confusion: *Why are you striking empty air? Do you honestly think sword energy can injure someone?*
However...
The instant Master Rabbit completed his swing, a sudden *bang* echoed from the slopes. A clever military academy freshman had pulled the trigger of his flintlock rifle, firing the first blank round.
Other freshmen and greenhorn recruits abruptly realized what was happening. They quickly followed suit, and the slopes erupted in a cacophony of *bangs, bangs, bangs* as flintlock rifles fired in a continuous volley.
One freshman even waved his arm, tossing an exercise hand grenade. The grenade sailed down the slope and exploded with a *boom* beside the rebel troops. No shrapnel flew out, but the sound was deafening, and white smoke pillowed, making for a truly terrifying sight.
Huang Long and his five hundred men, already wary of an ambush, immediately panicked at the sound of the flintlock rifles. Like startled birds, they dissolved into disarray.
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