Chapter 268: The Ghost Centurion and the Wolf Centurion
"Damn it!" Fang Wushang muttered under his breath. "That guy did that on purpose."
"What? What's on purpose?" Liang Shixian asked.
"He deliberately came to shoot an arrow at you," Fang Wushang explained. "If it hit, the city would have collapsed. He would have immediately seized the opportunity to attack, and the city would surely fall. He didn't care if he missed. Even my arrow at him was within his calculations; he deliberately dodged it with a clean, fluid movement, all to gain the upper hand and demoralize our city's defenders."
"Oh?" Liang Shixian breathed, bewildered.
Had they already clashed in that split second? His life hadn't even had time to flash before his eyes yet.
Only then did he realize that these military commanders were far from foolish.
It was just that their minds, unlike his own, were employed in entirely different ways.
Indeed, the Wolf Centurion had just shown his skill, and the effect was truly remarkable. The rebels outside the city cheered loudly, while the city's defenders turned ashen. Everyone thought: "So this is the border army? Damn, they're formidable!"
Chengcheng County's militia and local volunteers had fought two battles against Bu Zhan Ni in Fengyuan Town and another against Fan Shan Yue in Quanhou Village. Back then, simply unfurling their colorful plastic bows and unleashing a volley of arrows at the bandits could send them into disarray, causing them to collapse without a proper assault.
But after witnessing the Wolf Centurion's display, the city's militia and local volunteers suddenly remembered: This time, their enemy wasn't just common bandits; it was the border army!
The Ming Dynasty's most elite troops were its border armies. They were stationed on the frontiers year-round, constantly battling northern minorities. Their combat prowess was no mere boast.
Li Daoxuan thought to himself: *This guy's pretty formidable! His soldiers must all be elite as well. Men like the 'Night Scout,' captain of Bu Zhan Ni's Seventh Company from last time, this Wolf Centurion probably had dozens of them at his command.*
*Tsk tsk!*
*I'm starting to worry about my militia.*
*He quickly got his "Infinite Gauntlet" ready, placing it in the most convenient spot beside the box. He might genuinely need it soon.*
The Wolf Centurion retreated back into his ranks, raised his hand, and ordered: "Chop off Li Ying's head."
"Huh?" Li Ying gasped.
Before he could even beg for mercy, a border army soldier behind him swung a saber. *Thwack!* A head flew. Blood gushed high from his neck, like a fountain. Li Ying's headless corpse tumbled from his horse into the dust. With a thud, dust billowed.
Eight hundred rebels roared in unison: "Aoooh!"
The tens of thousands of soldiers and civilians inside the city all jumped in fright, their morale instantly crushed.
So this was yet another psychological attack.
Executing Li Ying at this moment was a deliberate act to make an example of him, to frighten the city's soldiers and civilians, and diminish their will to fight.
The Wolf Centurion burst into laughter. "Open the city gates and surrender immediately! Hand over all the official silver in the county treasury! Then perhaps you will be spared. Otherwise, when the city falls, you will all be slaughtered."
Liang Shixian trembled all over, unsure how to even issue commands.
"Don't be afraid of him!" Fang Wushang roared. "Don't panic! Don't fall for the bandit's trick!"
Shouting like that was utterly useless. Thousands of refugees shivered in fear.
Some were already wondering whether to open the gates and surrender. *After all, as long as the official silver is handed over,* they thought, *it's not our money being lost.*
"Look! Look, look! Our reinforcements are here!"
From the corner tower on the northeast side, someone suddenly shouted.
Everyone was currently on the south city wall, unable to see what was happening on the northeast. Fang Wushang rushed to the east wall and looked north, overjoyed: "The Ghost Centurion is here!"
Cheng Xu arrived just in time!
But Fang Wushang took a careful look at Cheng Xu's army. He frowned, muttering, "Something's not right."
"What's wrong?" Liang Shixian asked.
"Isn't the Ghost Centurion stationed at Huanglong Mountain?" Fang Wushang continued. "After receiving our plea for help, he led his troops from Huanglong Mountain. His entire army is armored, having force-marched over forty li. It took them only a few hours. And not a single person looks tired. How is this..."
"...possible?"
Liang Shixian exclaimed. "!"
"You're right, how *did* they do that?"
Little did they know that Cheng Xu first took a train from Bai Family Fortress, arrived at Gao Family Village, and then, from Gao Family Village, boarded a public solar car and a cargo solar car, setting off for the county town.
The road between the county town and Gao Family Village was currently under construction. It was being built "from both ends simultaneously." One team was building from the county town towards Gao Family Village, and another team was building from Gao Family Village towards the county town.
So, departing from Gao Family Village, several li of the road, though not yet paved with cement, had already been leveled. The public solar cars and cargo solar cars could travel a bit slower on it.
This brought them to a spot not far from the county town.
Cheng Xu and his contingent only needed to walk a short distance at the end to reach the dry woods northeast of the county town. He had arrived much earlier, but wasn't in a hurry to reveal himself. He rested in the woods, waiting until his militia soldiers were fully rested before making their appearance.
Their sudden emergence was certainly meant to give Fang Wushang and Liang Shixian a shock.
Cheng Xu also knew he couldn't enter the city. Liang Shixian surely wouldn't fully trust the "Ghost Centurion" yet. If he were allowed into the city now, and the Ghost Centurion and Wolf Centurion cooperated from inside and outside, wouldn't the city fall instantly?
So Cheng Xu generously circled the city. He soon arrived at the south side of the city, facing the Wolf Centurion's border army from a distance.
The Wolf Centurion was bewildered!
He saw this army of five hundred men. Each was uniformly armored and well-equipped. If anyone said they weren't border troops, he wouldn't believe it himself. But where did such a unit come from within the Guyuan border army?
The Wolf Centurion roared: "Who exactly are you?!"
Cheng Xu loudly replied: "Old Ghost from Guyuan! You can call me the Ghost Centurion."
The Wolf Centurion snapped angrily: "You're full of nonsense! 'Old Ghost' in the Guyuan dialect is a derogatory term! Who would use that as their name? Who exactly are you?!"
Cheng Xu rolled his eyes. "Are you out of your damn mind? If I asked you who you are right now, would you dare answer me? Do you believe that if you shouted your name aloud, your entire clan back home would be beheaded?"
The Wolf Centurion just stared.
Li Daoxuan chuckled, "Hahahaha! This Cheng Xu is incredibly skilled at verbal sparring. The Wolf Centurion is about to lose his mind."
Indeed, the Wolf Centurion was starting to go mad. *Damn it! Among the Guyuan centurions who rebelled with me, how could I not recognize him? Logic? Even if his face was covered, his build and voice should give him away, shouldn't they? How come I don't recognize this fellow at all?* Cheng Xu loudly declared: "This Chengcheng County is under my protection! I'm still counting on this magistrate to help me demand my pay from the court! You, Wolf, I advise you to scram, and don't push your luck."
The Wolf Centurion scoffed. "Damn you! We agreed to rebel together, to tear the imperial court to shreds! And you, you've actually sided with the court again? I despise you, you son of a bitch!"
Cheng Xu glanced upwards. The Heavenly Lord's low cloud was directly overhead. He had no need to fear at all. He burst into loud laughter and called out: "Talking anymore is useless! Let's fight, let's fight! Whoever wins is the boss!"
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