Chapter 1000: The Battle of Luzhou
Meng Hu and Du Hu, the two brothers, quickly found themselves overwhelmed. Leading their remaining forces, they fled in disarray down the other side of the slope, scrambling towards the main rebel army besieging Luzhou.
Cao Bianjiao returned victorious, and as he looked upon the Gao Family Village Militia, he couldn't help but feel a surge of admiration.
This militia was astonishingly effective. This wasn't just a militia; they were more formidable than even the Divine Engine Battalion itself.
He only thought this to himself, but Gao Jie blurted it out directly: "Mr. Bai, this militia of yours is simply too strong. Good grief, to assault a heavily guarded, cannon-fortified mountain peak and make it look so easy!"
Bai Yuan chuckled. "Oh, nothing special, really. Just about the third best in the world."
Cao Wenzhao raised an eyebrow. "Hmm? I feel like I've heard that phrase recently."
Bai Yuan grinned. "The Heavenly Lord said it, didn't he? Heh, I learned it from the Heavenly Lord. I don't know why, but saying it just feels so invigorating."
A collective silence fell over them.
Though they dared not speak it aloud, they all thought in their hearts: *The Heavenly Lord is corrupting public morals!*
Bai Yuan replied with a hint of smugness, "Precisely. I am skilled in the Six Arts of a Gentleman, and undoubtedly a gentleman myself. The Heavenly Lord saw my gentlemanly conduct and thus bestowed his exceptional favor."
Again, silence.
For some reason, they all wanted to punch him!
Cao Bianjiao cut in, "Enough chattering! Let's press on quickly. Luzhou is still waiting for our rescue. Can any of you grasp the urgency of the situation?"
Meanwhile, in Luzhou City...
The rebel army's cannons had torn a gaping hole in the city wall.
Dust billowed, and bricks crumbled. The bandit forces cheered loudly: "The wall is breached! The wall is breached!"
The Dashing General shouted loudly, "Prepare to storm the city through the breach!"
Rebel King Gao Yingxiang was not involved in the command; in fact, his abilities in leadership weren't particularly strong. He spoke less and less on major decisions, his voice receding.
The Dashing General was becoming increasingly important, with everyone acknowledging his growing command abilities.
Now, whenever battle broke out, the Dashing General automatically took the front line of command, while the Rebel King sat behind, like a mere mascot, providing moral support.
Even so, Gao Yingxiang didn't notice anything amiss. He still believed he was incredibly powerful, and that the world was nearly his.
Once he became emperor, he would return to his hometown in glory, bestowing titles of marquises and ministers upon his old kin in Gao Family Village...
As he indulged in these pleasant fantasies, he suddenly heard a roar of human voices from the west. Then he saw Meng Hu and Du Hu, leading their remnants, fleeing back in a sorry state. As they ran, they cried out, "Cao Wenzhao has arrived! And a strange, incredibly powerful firearm unit is with them!"
At this cry, everyone was alarmed.
Cao Wenzhao, their old nemesis!
As soon as they heard Cao Wenzhao's name, many felt a surge of old grievances and fresh animosity.
Only the Dashing General wasn't captivated by Cao Wenzhao's name. His attention was fixated on the 'strange firearm unit.' He swiftly ran over, grabbing Meng Hu by the forearm. "What did you just say? A strange firearm unit?"
Meng Hu gasped, "Yes, they're incredibly powerful. They start firing from a great distance, and they fire both quickly and accurately... I didn't even get to engage them before we were defeated. What was the name of their commander, something Bai...?"
Du Hu supplied, "Bai Yuan."
Meng Hu exclaimed, "That's it! Bai Yuan from Luoyang!"
The Dashing General's heart clenched. He cursed inwardly, *This is bad! That firearm unit has shown up again! This unit cannot be fought head-on; it can only be dealt with through strategy. But there's no time to devise a strategy now... Perhaps, it's time to retreat?*
As he was pondering whether to retreat, he heard Meng Hu add a detail: "That strange firearm unit is now following Gao... Gao who?"
Du Hu finished, "Gao Jie!"
Meng Hu confirmed, "That's right! Gao Jie is leading them."
As soon as the Dashing General heard Gao Jie's name, his eyes instantly blazed red.
The hatred of a murdered father, the shame of a stolen wife!
Unbearable.
Just moments ago, the Dashing General had been pondering how to temporarily avoid their sharp edge and devise a strategy, but now, fury completely clouded his mind. He roared, "Forget about Luzhou! Turn the entire army around, prepare to meet Gao Jie! Whoever kills Gao Jie, I will reward them with a hundred catties of gold!"
Who wouldn't be swayed by such a reward? Not to mention the impoverished people of ancient times; if such a bounty were offered today, even a scholar would instantly lay down their pen and take up arms.
The entire rebel army erupted in thunderous cheers. The massive force, which had been besieging Luzhou, instantly turned, facing west.
The Dashing General was so impatient that he couldn't wait for Gao Jie to come to them. Instead, he actively led his Old Eighth Squad, eager to charge towards the direction Gao Jie was approaching from.
Every minute of waiting felt like an eternity.
Fortunately, the Gao Family Village forces' march was not slow, and didn't make the Dashing General wait too long.
The combined forces of the Gao Family Village Militia and the Guanning Iron Cavalry soon appeared on the western plains.
The two sides were still a couple of li apart, barely visible, yet the Dashing General was already bursting with impatience. "Who will bring me Gao Jie's head?" he bellowed.
Mantianxing volunteered, "I'll go engage them first."
Waguanzi declared, "I'll go too."
The two of them, howling, charged at the Militia and the Guanning Iron Cavalry.
Such a chaotic charge was no different from attacking live targets in front of the Gao Family Village Militia.
A volley of dense flintlock fire erupted. Mantianxing's and Waguanzi's armies collapsed in the blink of an eye, fleeing to the edges of the battlefield...
"Cannons! Bring our cannons over!" the Dashing General roared.
The rebel army already possessed over a dozen cannons by this point; they had just used them to collapse Luzhou City's wall. Now they hastily tried to turn the muzzles, preparing for a cannon duel with the Gao Family Village Militia.
But cannons weren't so easily turned. Men and horses strained, desperately trying to adjust their positions, but they couldn't get ready for quite some time.
Just then, a sudden drumbeat sounded from the north, and He Renlong led the Qin army charging out.
He Renlong, that madman, never commanded in battle; he always charged alone, spear in hand, at the very front, leaving his army to scramble behind him.
His fighting style was utterly reckless; that he hadn't died yet was a miracle.
His sudden charge startled the rebels. The Dashing General frowned. "Who will stop that madman He?"
He asked, but no one was willing to go.
The reason was simple enough: Gao Jie's head was worth a hundred catties of gold. How much was He Renlong's worth? If anyone actively volunteered to block He Renlong, that hundred catties of gold would be utterly out of their reach.
Only a fool would willingly go against He Renlong!
The group of fools looked at each other, eyes darting, all waiting for someone else to take the challenge, no one willing to make a move.
The battlefield situation was ever-changing. With just this delay, He Renlong was having the time of his life, alone, spear in hand, cutting into the rebel army's outer perimeter. He slashed and killed indiscriminately, making the outer rebel forces on the northern flank cry out in terror.
After quite some time, someone finally couldn't stand it anymore.
Cao Cao stepped forward, sighing. "I'll go then! Ugh."
Cao Cao led his troops north to intercept. He had numerous soldiers and capable generals under his command, and was a powerful bandit chief in his own right. His intervention finally held He Renlong at bay. Fighting erupted in the north, and for a while, neither side could gain the upper hand.
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