Chapter 701: Trying to Steal My Glory?
Old Nanfeng weaved through the throngs of bandits, cutting down four or five minor leaders in short order: Qingbei Wolf, Yunlishou, Jingangzuan...
Each time he killed one, he’d dip a finger in the blood on his blade and draw a horizontal line across his face. Soon, his face was striped like a zebra.
"Where's Zijing Liang?" Old Nanfeng roared. "Only by taking out the biggest bandit chief can we claim the greatest glory!"
His subordinates shouted back, "Northeast! Northeast! Zijing Liang's banner is over there!"
Old Nanfeng bellowed, "Chase them! The greatest glory, riches, and honor lie beneath that banner!"
The Guyuan border army roared, a primal cry. Ever since their release from labor reform, they had followed Old Nanfeng, enjoying a life of luxury and leisure in Puzhou, the "Center of the World," living like immortals.
Gao Family Village provided generous military pay, unlike the court which constantly fell into arrears.
Their lives were utterly fulfilling, but humans, by nature, always desire to rise higher. Who wouldn't want to ascend another step from such a contented foundation?
"Kill Zijing Liang!"
The Guyuan border army charged like a pack of rabid beasts, tearing after Zijing Liang's banner.
Cheng Xu, leading his flintlock soldiers, was firing at another group of fleeing rebels from a distance. Glancing over at Old Nanfeng's position, he couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. "Damn, they're ferocious. My unit wouldn't dare charge like that."
Xing Honglang also cast a look at her own flintlock soldiers. *Flintlock soldiers are strong,* she thought, *but they're better suited for positional warfare. Charging after enemies with swords drawn, howling like Old Nanfeng's men, isn't quite their style.*
Even Li Daoxuan mused: *In an era before submachine guns, flintlock soldiers just couldn't pull off a charge like that.*
This glory? No one could dispute it with Old Nanfeng!
Hm?
No, that's not right. Someone *did* want to contend with him.
The White Pole Soldiers!
The White Pole Soldiers were also a melee unit, and they, too, charged forward with ferocious, battle-crazed shouts.
After the Gao Family Village forces arrived and broke the White Pole Soldiers' encirclement, the rebels scattered.
After a brief moment of stunned confusion, Zhang Fengyi snapped awake. She scrambled onto a rooftop, scanned the battlefield, and immediately understood what needed to be done. Pointing a hand at Zijing Liang's banner, she commanded, "Pursue!"
A thousand White Pole Soldiers sprinted forward, charging towards Zijing Liang's battle standard.
Old Nanfeng heard furious shouts closing in behind him. He spun around, only to see the White Pole Soldiers charging. He was utterly flabbergasted. "Are you kidding me? I just saved your lives, and now you're trying to steal *my* glory?"
He quickly bellowed, "Charge! Faster, old comrades! If the White Pole Soldiers snatch this glory, each of you will lose at least enough silver for two trips to a brothel!"
The Guyuan border army broke into a cold sweat. "Brother Nanfeng, the Heavenly Lord forbids brothels!"
Old Nanfeng quickly corrected, "Then it'll be missing ten concerts!"
The Guyuan border army thought: *Ten concerts? Damn! Isn't that a huge loss?*
"Aow-aow!"
The Guyuan border army dashed forward like madmen, their speed so astonishing that even the legendary Wudang Cloud-Climbing Steps would bow in defeat.
Meanwhile, as the White Pole Soldiers ran, they suddenly saw the "Puzhou garrison" ahead accelerate dramatically, their legs pumping like mad...
Zhang Fengyi watched, somewhat bewildered. "The Puzhou forces are actually so eager for battle? It's been a long time since I've seen imperial soldiers fight with such desperate zeal."
She instantly felt a surge of motivation and shouted, "Sichuan White Pole Soldiers, do you see? How desperately the Puzhou forces are fighting! Our Sichuan White Pole Soldiers are being outmatched!"
The White Pole Soldiers roared, "Aow-aow! We, the men of Sichuan, will not lose!"
The words "Sichuan Army" were no idle boast!
With another burst of shouts, the White Pole Soldiers accelerated, their legs churning like unstoppable wind-and-fire wheels, a speed that would make even the famed Drifting Steps of Lingbo plead for mercy.
Their surge in speed was intolerable for Old Nanfeng up front. "Brothers, the White Pole Soldiers can still accelerate? Damn it, do they need to be this desperate just to steal my glory?"
The Guyuan border army shouted, "Can't lose! Run!"
The White Pole Soldiers: "Damn, they can go even faster? Impossible! Brothers, charge harder!"
The Guyuan border army: "Motherf*cker, I refuse to believe this!"
The White Pole Soldiers: "Charge!"
The Guyuan border army: "Run!"
These two elite melee units, like sharp knives fitted with rocket boosters, plunged savagely into the fleeing rebel army, carving through the routed forces from two directions.
The smarter rebels quickly realized that both these 'knives' were aimed straight for Zijing Liang. If they continued to follow his banner, it would be a dead end.
So, these clever individuals immediately split off to either side, avoiding the direct paths of Old Nanfeng and Zhang Fengyi's charge.
This left no one to obstruct their path.
It didn't take long before Old Nanfeng and Zhang Fengyi, one from the left and one from the right, simultaneously reached the foot of Zijing Liang's banner.
Zhang Fengyi: "Bandit chief, don't you dare flee!"
Old Nanfeng: "The glory is mine!"
The two, one on each side, galloped their horses, spears poised, and charged beneath the banner simultaneously.
Underneath, however, stood a bandit chief wearing Zijing Liang's armor, his eyes tightly shut, blood trickling from the corners—he was blind... it was Ge Goufei.
He looked utterly bewildered, terrified, and lost.
Having only just lost his sight, he wasn't yet skilled at processing information through sound. He had no idea what was happening; all he knew was that Zijing Liang had been taking him to escape, and had draped him in sturdy armor. Everything else was a complete blank.
The moment Zhang Fengyi saw him, her heart sank. "Damn it, Zijing Liang used a blind man as a decoy! He pulled a classic escape maneuver!"
Old Nanfeng cursed, "Damn them! These bastards, they'll betray their comrades without an ounce of shame!"
Ge Goufei cried out, "Who are you? Who's talking next to me? Who? What's happening? Where's the boss? Where's Boss Zijing Liang?"
Zhang Fengyi: "What do we do with him?"
Old Nanfeng: "What else *can* we do?"
He brought his saber down in one swift chop...
Ge Goufei let out a bloodcurdling scream, his life ending in a world of perpetual darkness.
Old Nanfeng dipped a finger in the blood on his blade and drew another red line across his face.
Zhang Fengyi glanced at the mottled red lines on his face and knew he had slain many bandit chiefs in this battle. She couldn't help but secretly admire him: *What a valiant and fierce general.*
Old Nanfeng grumbled, "So anticlimactic, so dull. The biggest glory escaped. I've lost all my drive."
Zhang Fengyi scanned her surroundings, seeing scattered rebels fleeing in every direction, countless numbers of them swarming over the mountains and plains. In such a situation, finding Zijing Liang was utterly impossible.
Sigh. "Call the retreat."
"Call the retreat!"
The clang of gongs signaled the retreat across the battlefield...
Gao Family Village forces and the White Pole Soldiers both began to withdraw.
Generals of various factions led their respective troops to converge on the small Houjia Village.
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