Three Riders Charge the Formation
At this moment, Shen Jingchuan, carrying a tiger-headed gold-inlaid spear, spurred his horse forward and stood on the other side of Lin Shan. The three riders stood side by side in front of the formation, each with a tall and straight figure, riding tall horses. Both men and horses were clad in armor, which in the sunlight appeared to be dark brown leather armor, but their solemn and composed aura immediately overwhelmed others.
The bandit leader was initially intimidated by the three men's gleaming armor and magnificent horses; but after glancing behind them and seeing only two scouts and the rest of the men far away, his confidence returned, thinking of his brothers who hadn't yet eaten.
He slung the large axe over his shoulder and shouted in a gruff voice:
"Lin the Second, don't try to act tough with me! This big axe in my hand isn't just for show!"
Before he could finish speaking, Lin Yue could no longer contain himself. He spurred his horse, and it bolted forward, his spear aimed straight at the bandit leader's face.
The bandit leader was caught off guard by the sudden attack and hurriedly raised his axe to block. With a crisp "clang," the tip of his spear struck the axe, sending sparks flying.
Lin Yue flicked his wrist, the spear tip sliding along the axe blade, and with a swift motion, he fired a second shot, aiming straight for the enemy's face. The bandit leader was terrified, and hurriedly ducked forward, pressing his entire body against the horse's neck, hoping to dodge the shot.
Little did Lin Yue know that he had already anticipated Lin Yue's dodge. The spear tip sank downwards, and with a "plop," it pierced straight through the seam of Lin Yue's shoulder armor, causing blood to seep out immediately.
The bandit leader trembled with pain, but Lin Yue did not stop, urging his horse straight into the pile of refugees ahead.
The distance was too close; before the warhorse could even reach full speed, the surrounding bandits immediately surrounded him, wielding hoes, machetes, and rusty spears, which rained down on him and his horse.
Lin Yue neither dodged nor evaded. He casually deflected those he could with his spear, and let the weapons strike his armor instead of blocking them. He only targeted his targets and thrust, one spear after another, and a person fell with each rise and fall of his spear.
The bandits initially thought their armor was just ordinary leather, easily penetrated by swords and spears. However, to their surprise, the blades only left shallow marks, let alone injure the men or horses. Panic ensued; they had never seen such impenetrable leather armor before, and their formation crumbled.
Seeing that his younger brother had already charged into the enemy lines, Lin Shan did not hesitate, raised his spear, and spurred his horse forward.
Shen Jingchuan followed closely behind, his Big Black possessing far greater stamina than ordinary warhorses. In just a few steps, he caught up with Lin Shan. The two rode side by side, yet Shen Jingchuan's horse was still a full length ahead.
The bandit leader had just straightened up, enduring the pain. Blood soaked through his clothes on his shoulder, and he was covered in cold sweat. As soon as he looked up, he saw a long spear coming straight for his heart.
Without thinking, he swung his axe with all his might and shoved it outwards. With a muffled "clang," he felt a tremendous force coming from the axe handle, making his hands go numb and his arms ache. He had no idea that the spear was so ridiculously heavy. Its nine-kilogram weight, combined with the horse's momentum, almost knocked his axe away.
Although Shen Jingchuan also learned the Lin Household Spear Technique and practiced it quite well, he had never experienced a real battle. His spear was deflected by his opponent, and for a moment he did not think of changing his move to counterattack. He simply followed the momentum of the horse and charged forward.
The bandit leader had barely caught his breath when Lin Shan's spear arrived. He unleashed the Lin Household's signature technique, the "Three Life-Seizing Spear Strikes," the first spear a feint aimed at his face. The bandit leader hastily raised his axe to block, only to find it was a false attack.
The second spear followed immediately, its tip aimed straight for his left shoulder, so fast that it was just a blur. The first two of these three spear strikes were meant to be both feints and real, depending entirely on the opponent's movements. As soon as he raised his axe, the second spear immediately changed from feint to real, striking him squarely with a "thud."
The bandit leader let out a low growl of pain as the spearhead pinned his left shoulder. At the same time, his axe struck between Lin Shan's horse's neck and saddle.
With a loud clang, the axe blade struck the horse armor squarely, sparks flying. The warhorse only shuddered and veered slightly to the side.
Lin Shan exerted force with his wrist, pulling the gun barrel to the side. Using the momentum of the horse's forward charge, he forcefully dragged the bandit leader off the horse. The leader landed with a thud in the dust, dazed and confused, and blood spurted from the gunshot wound on his shoulder.
Shen Jingchuan urged Big Black forward, and they plunged headlong into the bandit group.
His marksmanship was still somewhat raw when he first entered the battlefield, but the nine-kilogram tiger-head gold-inlaid spear, wielded with the momentum of his horse, swept out with terrifying force.
He wasn't thinking of killing them all; he aimed his spear at their shoulders, arms, and legs, not intentionally at their hearts or throats. But the spear thrust out with tremendous force, and those who touched it suffered severe injuries, with bones cracking and tendons breaking. Screams of agony immediately filled the air.
With a single charge, he carved a bloody path through the crowd, leaving a trail of fallen bodies and a cacophony of cries.
Lin Shan ignored the bandit leader on the ground, drew his gun, and charged after him. With a flick of his spear, the tip of the spear left openings in the enemy's path. Compared to Shen Jingchuan's overwhelming force, his attack was more precise and cunning.
He didn't slow down, and continued his charge along the gap Shen Jingchuan had created, adding another dozen or so people to the ground, and a third bloody alley was quickly opened up.
As the two charged through the bandits and turned their horses around, Lin Yue had already emerged from the other side.
The three riders turned around and lined up in a row. Both men and horses were unharmed, their armor gleaming, and their spear tips dripping blood. Standing opposite them, they were more intimidating than hundreds of bandits.
Those refugees and bandits were just a motley crew gathered together out of extreme hunger. They had assumed the enemy was wearing ordinary leather armor and thought that with their numbers, they could easily take them down.
To everyone's surprise, after countless blows of swords and spears, they hadn't even scratched the enemy's armor; instead, their own men fell at the slightest touch. And that black steed, as tall as a small mountain, charged forward like a gust of wind—how could anyone withstand it?
Before everyone could react, the three riders spurred their horses and charged forward again.
This time, the distance was quite long, and the horses' speed was fully increased. Big Black was the first to charge, and with its head down, it crashed into the crowd, swinging its hooves equipped with spiked horseshoes, kicking and stomping. Shen Jingchuan swung his spear horizontally, sweeping away men and horses.
This completely shattered their morale. Someone shouted "Run!" and the remaining two hundred men scattered in an instant, dropping their hoes and sticks, and desperately scrambled up the mountainside by the roadside.
The Lin Shan brothers followed behind and took down more than a dozen of the slower runners. The rest of them wished they had two more legs, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared into the woods without even daring to look back.
Only the wounded bandit leader and a dozen or so others lay on the ground, struggling in the dust, and no one paid him any attention.
Shen Jingchuan reined in his horse, not even glancing at the people on the ground, and trotted back towards the convoy. Lin Shan and Lin Yue also put away their guns and followed him back.
The two porters carrying the dart flags at the front froze in place, gripping their knives, their eyes wide open, completely stunned the moment the three charged at them.
They had been escorting goods for many years and had seen many battles, but they had never seen three people dare to charge into a group of hundreds of people so easily—their armor was impervious to swords and spears, and their horses were incredibly swift; it was as if three iron men had stormed into a flock of sheep.
The two had been planning to charge forward once the young master gave the order, but before they could even process what was happening, the three of them charged and retreated, and the bandits scattered.
By the time they hurriedly drew their knives and prepared to chase after them, Shen Jingchuan and his two companions had already ridden back. The two men hadn't even caught a glimpse of the bandits, and stood there staring at each other, unsure whether to raise or lower their knives.