Chapter 87: The Bodyguards’ Battle of Self-Defense (Part One)

Page 1

Despite the middle-aged steward’s pitiful pleas for mercy, the red-eyed Huo Lang cared nothing for them. The hatred between the two sides was deep, and the nine carts of gold, silver, and jewels were no small matter. Huo Lang had long wished to flay the man alive. Ignoring his cries, he personally led a brother to bind the steward and shoved him before the two rows of spearmen.

The outcome was just as Ding Li had predicted. The cavalry, charging to within a hundred and fifty paces, were just about to draw their bows for a volley, when all their movements abruptly halted. Their initial strategy had been to break through the gap at the center of the wagons, using a concentrated volley of arrows to pierce the spearmen’s defense, then charge through to the rear and begin the slaughter.

After a moment of confusion, the cavalry regrouped under the timely command of their leading officer. The arrowheads, shimmering with a blue hue, were raised diagonally toward the sky. As the officer released his bowstring with a crisp twang, those beside him followed suit. A series of piercing sounds split the air, and more than ten arrows soared upward, tracing beautiful, dazzling arcs in midair.

This round of attack was merely a probe, a show of force. For those hiding behind the wagons—the Miao Escort Agency and Huo Family Ridge—it caused little real harm. Some arrows clattered harmlessly against the cargo boxes atop the wagons, others leapt over and landed behind the group, feebly embedding in the earth.

As the sound of hooves returned, Head Escort Li Shan straightened himself a bit, shouting loudly to the cautious crossbowmen hiding between two wagons, “Zhang Big Hemp! Li Tiger! What are you waiting for? Fire the crossbows!”

The two escorts, startled by the reminder, jerked into action. Honest and upright by nature, they were doing this for the first time. Though the attackers outside were villains, they couldn't shake the shadow of facing regular troops, so their hands fumbled nervously. Trembling, they turned and pushed their short crossbows through the gap, not even bothering to aim, and hastily squeezed the triggers before ducking behind the wagon wall again.

“Fools! Aim!” Li Shan, furious and disappointed, glared at the pair. He was about to scold them harshly when a horse’s anguished cry sounded outside. Abandoning his reprimand, he peered out, only to see the cavalry’s formation in disarray. Amid the chaos of hooves, a fallen cavalryman was trampled by his comrade's mount. The horse, struck by a crossbow bolt, lay thrashing on the ground, its rider unmoving beside it.

“You got lucky!” Li Shan was pleasantly surprised, but still glared at Zhang Big Hemp and Li Tiger, reminding them in a low voice, “Remember, aim next time. There won’t be many chances!”

No sooner had he spoken than another volley of twangs rang out outside. Li Shan and the others had no time for further words, quickly crouching behind the wagon. Huo Lang, the second-in-command of Huo Family Ridge, was dissatisfied. Though they were currently allied, seeing his partners snatch the first attack stung his pride. As arrows rained down, he barked coldly at his brothers, “Draw bows! Return fire!”

Before he finished speaking, arrows began to fall overhead. The men of Huo Family Ridge were indeed fierce. At their leader’s command, they bent and drew their bows, stepping quickly backward. Their training was decent; after retreating seven or eight steps, more than ten of them straightened, raising their fully drawn horn bows.

“Get back! Watch out!” Ding Li, hiding behind the wagon wall, suddenly tensed, turning to shout at the group and waving his arms frantically, drawing surprised looks from those nearby.

“Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…”

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Just as the Huo Family Ridge men raised their horn bows, a volley of whistling arrows tore through the sky above, twice as many as before, dark and dense like a startled flock of birds. In a blink, the arrows shifted course and plunged into the group within the wagon barricade.

This was a real attack. Though Ding Li had never seen ancient warfare, he had abundant experience in high-tech combat. The earlier sporadic shots were meant to suppress and psychologically intimidate. Once the cavalry outside reached effective range, they unleashed relentless volleys, allowing time for their charge.

The ten or so Huo Family Ridge men released their bowstrings in terror as the enemy’s first wave of arrows arrived. More than half were struck and fell. The survivors, spared only because the enemy’s arrows were spread thin, scrambled back behind the wagon wall, rolling and crawling in utter panic, gasping for breath.

The cavalry outside suffered counterattacks at the same time. Ding Li, peering out, was startled to see an arrow strike a cavalryman’s arm, only to tear his sleeve and reveal a flash of silver in the sunlight.

Armor! Though he could tell it was just light armor, Ding Li was shocked that the cavalry wore any at all. This widened the gap in equipment. In defense and offense, his side was at a disadvantage. Especially as he’d observed the command dynamics: Li Shan and Huo Lang both had unresolved tensions, two commanders at the front—a grave mistake.

The Huo Family Ridge counterattack did little harm. Fear weakened their shots, and the enemy’s light armor blunted the effect. Only two cavalrymen fell: one struck in the mount, the other unlucky enough to be shot in the face. But overall, the enemy’s numbers barely suffered.

“Twack! Twack!”

This time, before Li Shan could command, Zhang Big Hemp and Li Tiger quickly pushed their short crossbows through the gap. Perhaps emboldened by his earlier success, Zhang Big Hemp did not duck behind the wagon like Li Tiger. He poked his head out, aimed briefly, and squeezed the trigger.

His arrow was on target, but instead of excitement, Zhang Big Hemp’s eyes widened in terror, his face suddenly clouded with despair.

“Thud!”

Before he could see if he’d hit, the muffled sound in his ears, the blankness in his mind, and the blur before his eyes—all signaled the end. An arrow, stained with red and white, protruded from the back of his head, and his body was flung backward, bringing his career—and his life—to a close.

“Big Hemp!” Li Tiger watched it happen, frozen in horror, his eyes bulging. He threw down his crossbow and lunged at Zhang Big Hemp’s twitching body.

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But as Li Tiger threw himself atop Zhang Big Hemp, his own body shuddered. Two arrows fell from above, piercing his back easily. Eyes full of surprise, Li Tiger never got to look at the arrows jutting from his chest. He struggled for a moment, then his arms went limp and he collapsed heavily to the ground.

“Tiger!” Li Shan could barely contain his grief. Still reeling from Zhang Big Hemp’s death, he saw another brother fall. He instinctively tried to follow Li Tiger’s example, but a strong force pressed him down at the shoulder. Turning, he saw Ding Li’s solemn face.

“Hold the line! Block the gap!” Huo Lang was also beside himself. The cavalry was now close, the spearmen who had guarded the gap were scattered, and if not for two men gripping the ropes binding the steward, the man would have fled.

“What are you waiting for?” Scar Wei, deputy head of the Miao Escort Agency, saw the spearmen hesitating. Realizing they were his own brothers, he grew anxious, brandished his long spear, and ran over, shouting, “If the cavalry gets in, none of us will survive. Hold the line!”

“No! Fall back!” Ding Li, having just restrained the impulsive Li Shan, saw Scar Wei and his brothers rushing into the gap and grew alarmed. He’d noticed the cavalry outside were not planning a direct assault on the camp. The sound of arrows overhead never ceased, and crucially, the cavalry in front had not changed weapons—they still held their bows.

Huo Lang and Scar Wei were not thinking so thoroughly. Their focus was on their fallen brothers and those still alive. They could not let the cavalry break through, or no one would escape.

This time, Ding Li’s warning went unheeded. Even Miao Cuihua beside him, teeth clenched and eyes blazing, stared hard at the bodies behind them, tears sparkling in her eyes.

Huo Lang paid no attention to Ding Li’s warning. Following Scar Wei’s lead, he rushed to the gap, snatched a spear from a spearman, and appeared behind the steward. His spear blade pressed against the steward’s back, his eyes aflame with anger, as if he intended to burn the cavalry to ash.

Seeing this, Ding Li grew more anxious. He glanced at the two short crossbows lying on the ground, darted forward, rolled a few times, grabbed them, and took cover where Li Tiger had been. Back against the wagon, he quickly assembled the crossbows and quiver, reloading both in an instant.