Chapter 329: To Die at the Hands of Such People?
The valley echoed with cries of terror and despair.
Wang Zuogua's bandits had long been reduced to a terrified, scattered flock by the Gao Family Village Militia's bombs. Even on open ground, explosions would send them into disarray; trapped in a narrow valley, their fate was sealed.
The bombing was utterly horrific. Steep valley walls surrounded them, offering no escape, as grenades rained down, exploding amidst the dense masses. Who could possibly endure such an onslaught?
Only now did Wang Zuogua realize the folly of establishing his camp in such a wretched location.
He had truly never bothered to learn the basics of encampment.
Even the lowliest Ming military officers wouldn't make such a blunder. The imperial martial examination system first assessed military strategy—areas like command and camp setup—and only after passing those would martial arts skills be tested.
Without strategic acumen, martial prowess alone was useless; one wouldn't even get a foot in the door.
Yet, this clueless Wang Zuogua commanded an army of over ten thousand. He was merely a pig caught in the wind of the era, somehow soaring despite his inherent inability.
"Boom!
"Boom!"
Grenades continued to detonate, and screams of agony filled the air.
Miao Mei panicked. "Big Brother, what do we do now?"
While Wang Zuogua was a poor fighter, he was a master of evasion. In a flash, he devised his escape plan, bellowing, "Full charge! Head for the valley mouth!"
As soon as the command left his lips, he turned to his personal guards. "We'll pull back. There's a small ditch on the other side of the valley, leading through a small cave and out."
His loyal henchmen grasped his meaning at once, as did Miao Mei, his second-in-command. He yelled to the rebels outside, "Third Brother! Fourth Brother! Charge! Charge the valley mouth!"
Feishan Hu and Dahong Lang were already shell-shocked by the explosions. Hearing the command, their simple minds briefly processed it. Indeed, a direct charge through the valley mouth was now their sole chance. Both men quickly roared at their disintegrating forces, "Stop running aimlessly! Our only path to survival is to break out!"
Feishan Hu and Dahong Lang immediately rallied their men and surged forward in a desperate charge.
Miao Mei and Wang Zuogua's personal guard, along with scores of other bandits, regrouped, numbering several thousand strong. They launched a furious assault towards the constricted mouth of the valley.
Cheng Xu had anticipated this. Three hundred musketeers, already arrayed and aiming at the valley's choke point, received the single, sharp command: "Fire!"
The air vibrated with the incessant roar of muskets. Bandits surging from the valley mouth collapsed in waves, each riddled with multiple shots.
A charge like this was utterly futile; they had no hope of breaking through.
Wang Zuogua and Miao Mei, seizing the moment their men stormed the valley mouth, drawing the militia's fire, quietly led a hundred of their most trusted bandits to the far end. They plunged into a ditch, crawling low to the earth, then squeezed through a narrow opening that led them out of the valley.
Here, the din of explosions and gunfire was mercifully muted.
Wang Zuogua glanced back. Of his army of tens of thousands, barely a hundred remained. His Third and Fourth Brothers were lost, and only Miao Mei, his second-in-command, had managed to escape with him. He was deeply displeased, yet merely surviving was paramount. He still had a chance to rebuild and rise again.
"Once I reach Yichuan, I'll rebuild my banners and return for vengeance! Bai Family Fortress, just you wait for me!"
No sooner had Wang Zuogua finished speaking than a head popped out from behind a tree ahead. It was Padi Tu, flourishing a gleaming silver longsword. He boomed, "Wang Zuogua, where do you think you're going? This Lord Rabbit, with my divine foresight, knew you'd try to escape this way! Hahaha, you're not getting away!"
Wang Zuogua froze, his jaw slack.
While it was clear there was only one man, Wang Zuogua refused to believe it. He was certain that many more lay in ambush, hidden from sight.
Otherwise, this man wouldn't dare leap out to intercept them alone.
"Damn it, an ambush!"
Wang Zuogua hastily bellowed, "Charge! All of you, charge him! Kill him!"
His loyal bandits surged forward as one.
A hundred fierce bandits barreled towards him, yet Padi Tu remained utterly unfazed. He brandished his longsword, letting out a thunderous yell, "Heaven!
Rabbit! Rending! Overlord! Sword!"
Everyone recoiled in surprise, expecting some legendary technique for fighting a hundred men. Instead, Padi Tu's left hand emerged from behind his back, revealing a lit grenade with a sputtering fuse.
He flung the grenade forward...
"Boom!"
A swathe of the charging bandits instantly collapsed.
The remaining bandits, who could have easily overrun Padi Tu with a few more steps, instead broke formation, scattering without a second thought. They fled in every direction, not even sparing Wang Zuogua a backward glance.
Wang Zuogua stood stunned.
"Now it's one against two," Padi Tu chuckled menacingly. "Wang Zuogua, Miao Mei, you two have nowhere left to run but death. This Lord Rabbit will dispatch you both without the slightest effort."
With that, he roared and lunged at them. His movements were utterly devoid of hesitation, his steps resolute, his eyes blazing fiercely, and the longsword in his hand glinted silver. He clearly had no qualms about facing two opponents alone.
Wang Zuogua gasped.
Miao Mei flinched.
Fear seized them both. This self-proclaimed Lord Rabbit was clearly a formidable master. If they both engaged him, they might genuinely be defeated.
In that fateful, split second.
Miao Mei suddenly leaped behind Wang Zuogua, delivering a powerful kick to his backside. Caught completely off guard, Wang Zuogua stumbled, sprawling directly before Padi Tu.
Padi Tu's sword slashed down instantly, sending a geyser of blood spurting high, splattering his face and hair.
Miao Mei, however, seized the opportunity, bolting sideways and sprinting away.
In a flash, he'd covered several yards. Seeing Padi Tu couldn't pursue him, Miao Mei was ecstatic. Then, abruptly, another figure sprang out before him: Zheng Gouzi.
Zheng Gouzi brandished his saber, striking at Miao Mei.
Miao Mei casually parried with his own saber, and with a sharp clang, Zheng Gouzi's blade flew from his grasp. Terrified, Zheng Gouzi scrambled away, tumbling several times. "Lord Rabbit, this one's a formidable opponent! Help me!"
Padi Tu roared with laughter. "You can't even handle a mere Miao Mei? Gouzi, you're a long way from being competent! Watch this Lord Rabbit take care of him."
He strode forward quickly, raising his longsword, and brought it down in a swift strike towards Miao Mei's back.
Seeing Padi Tu arrive, Miao Mei's heart clenched with dread. This man was obviously a master, a difficult opponent. "It seems I, Miao Mei, will meet my end here today," he thought. "No matter! I'll fight to my last breath!"
He fiercely brought his saber around, deflecting Padi Tu's longsword. As he moved, he mentally prepared for a dozen different variations, anticipating a master's intricate swordplay.
To his utter surprise, there were no variations at all!
Padi Tu knew no actual sword techniques; how could there be any variations?
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
Saber and sword met, and Padi Tu's longsword was knocked from his grasp.
Miao Mei, leveraging the momentum, delivered a swift kick that sent Padi Tu sprawling.
"This guy is so utterly weak? Damn it!" Miao Mei fumed. "If I'd known, I never would have betrayed Big Brother! And Big Brother's hundred men, they didn't have to run either!"
Deep regret flooded him!
But regret was useless now. He could only angrily bring his saber down on Padi Tu.
With a sharp twang of a crossbow string, Zheng Gouzi fired a bolt.
Miao Mei swiftly dodged the bolt, then prepared to strike again. But Padi Tu suddenly bounded away, leaping an impressive distance, instantly vanishing into a distant ditch. He even pulled Zheng Gouzi with him, yelling, "Run! This guy is too powerful, we can't win!"
The two of them vanished into the distance in moments.
Miao Mei stood, saber clutched, surveying his surroundings with a profound sense of bewilderment. *To be defeated by such people?* he wondered.
Enough! Time to run!
He broke into a frantic run, heading towards Yichuan County.
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