The Young Sha Star

People are always filled with awe toward existences they cannot comprehend.

Regarding Zhao Cheng's divine valor, the men could not fathom it, but that did not stop them from revering him and being willing to follow him.

This youth had killed so many enemies, yet his first priority was not to tally his own military merits, but to record the names of his fallen comrades and make a vow to personally arrange for the protection of their families.

This struck the softest part of these men's hearts; should there be such bloody battles in the future, they would be more than willing to follow Zhao Cheng through fire and water.

Though they said nothing aloud, in their hearts, they had already committed themselves to this.

After all, it was not every general who could stand firm and refuse to retreat while being surrounded and besieged, bearing the greatest pressure alone while desperately rescuing his own men.

With such actions and such sense of responsibility, how could they not believe in Zhao Cheng's promise?

In the distance, the Han defensive forces were retreating step by step, soon suffering heavy losses and fleeing like a receding tide, completely abandoning the southern foothills of Fang City. Meng Tian ordered his thousand-odd light cavalry to continue the pursuit while he himself rushed back at the first opportunity; seeing Zhao Cheng drenched in blood, his heart skipped a beat.

Could this kid still stand upright? Surely this wasn't just a final burst of energy before death?

"Ah Cheng, you... can you still hold on?"

Zhao Cheng waved his hand and grinned at Meng Tian, "I am fine, Brother. Cheng has not failed the mission! This credit for the first breach—I have secured it!"

Meng Tian felt deeply guilty, "It is my fault for letting you fall into an ambush."

"An ambush?" Zhao Cheng was stunned, "Were there not only so many defenders at the southern foothills of Fang City?"

Meng Tian shook his head, "The Han defenders anticipated this, so they moved more troops here in advance to lie in wait."

Zhao Cheng suddenly understood, "No wonder I felt like I couldn't finish them all off."

Meng Tian was caught between laughter and tears, "Precisely because of that, your credit for this first breach is far greater than a normal one!"

"This move has completely disrupted the Han army's plans and even crippled one of their legs. This was the most critical battle for taking the pass; by occupying the southern foothills, we have reduced our casualties for the siege to the absolute minimum!"

"Once we regroup and attack the pass, as long as we take it, you shall be the one with the highest merit in this entire campaign!"

Zhao Cheng shook his head and smiled, "I dare not claim such a thing; it was Brother who devised the strategy."

"Don't mention it. I also fell into an ambush; fortunately, Father had prepared a contingency plan in advance, otherwise, the losses would have been significant." Meng Tian felt ashamed and changed the subject, "How many did you kill?"

Zhao Cheng looked at the corpses piled everywhere around him and scratched his head, "I didn't count."

Meng Tian was speechless.

The Assault Cavalry Elite were also speechless; this god of slaughter had killed so many that it was impossible to count.

Feng Quan stepped forward and said, "It is no matter, my lord. You may not remember, but we do. Aside from our own men and our fallen comrades, the rest are all yours."

"You need not worry about the fallen comrades either; each squad leader and platoon leader will remember. Military merit is a major matter; there will be no mistakes."

"Understood." Zhao Cheng nodded, then looked at Meng Tian, "Brother, what shall we do next?"

Meng Tian looked around, "This area has been completely occupied by us, and the defense of the Fang City pass is broken. In a moment, I will lead the troops to attack the pass; once we coordinate with the main army from within and without, it will be like catching a turtle in a jar."

He looked at the blood covering Zhao Cheng's body, along with the dense array of wounds, and could not help but feel a jolt of alarm.

"The merit you have established is already peerless throughout the army. Return to camp immediately to seek medical treatment; you must not push yourself!"

Zhao Cheng knew his own body best. At this moment, the wounds on him were indeed very dense, but they were all superficial.

His iron-like skin had been sliced by hundreds of cuts of varying sizes during such intense, high-frequency combat, and even the fascia beneath had been torn slightly.

There was no helping it; the intensity of such a charge was simply too extreme.

The Han troops were dense, and under the promise of heavy rewards, they threw their lives away to strike at Zhao Cheng.

These were all grown men stationed on the front lines, hacking with all their might. Even an iron ingot would be shattered into pieces if struck by so many people.

Moreover, Zhao Cheng had endured more than just one strike per person; it might have been two or three, or even more!

If dripping water can pierce stone, the combined force of countless soldiers hacking like madmen was also terrifying.

Zhao Cheng looked down at his body and shook his head, "It is fine. A minor injury does not take one off the battlefield; I can still fight."

Meng Tian didn't even know what to say—you call this a minor injury?!

He hardened his face and ordered, "Listen to me, return to camp for treatment immediately!"

Zhao Cheng sighed helplessly, lifted the long spear in his hand, and slammed it fiercely into the large stone paving tile beneath his feet!

Crack!

The spear instantly pierced into the stone wall, sinking in halfway. The stone tile cracked instantly, and countless fissures spread out from the center where the spear was embedded.

"Brother, do I look like a man with heavy injuries?"

"Such small wounds are not worth mentioning. I can still serve as the vanguard to break the enemy and capture their generals!"

The several light cavalry centurions behind Meng Tian nearly popped their eyes out.

After such a tragic and bloody battle, to still possess such strength—is he a god?!

This was their first time witnessing the terror of Zhao Cheng; it was hard not to see him as a supernatural being.

Meng Tian was both shocked and helpless; this kid really didn't seem like a human, but rather a humanoid tiger!

"Very well, but if you are going, you will stay by my side. If anything happens, I will be able to make arrangements immediately."

"Understood!"

Meng Tian turned to look at the long-faced centurion, whose injuries were not too severe. "Centurion Chang Wan, lead the wounded brothers back for medical treatment!"

"Yes!"

The wounded Cavalry Scouts looked at Zhao Cheng with complex expressions. They wanted to follow him, but they were truly spent; each was heavily injured and their stamina was completely drained. To return to the fray now would be to offer no real combat value.

Only those who had experienced this battle truly understood the weight of the fact that Zhao Cheng was still standing there, capable of continuing the fight.

He was a battle god forged of iron!

"The rest of you, follow me! We take the Fang City Pass!"

By now, over a thousand fine steeds had ascended the city wall, galloping along the horse path toward the pass. Meng Tian remained in the lead, and at his side was the blood-drenched, aura-radiating Flying Cavalryman, Zhao Cheng!

"Report!"

A Cavalry Scout galloped into the camp and arrived before Meng Wu to deliver the military intelligence.

"The vanguard scouts were ambushed while scaling the southern foothills. The Han defenders had laid an ambush of nearly two thousand men at the southern base..."

Meng Wu's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, though he sighed inwardly, feeling pity for the gifted youth.

Without combat experience, a single moment of recklessness leads to death; such is the battlefield.

Mercy does not command an army. The thought flashed and vanished; Meng Wu's mind was already simulating the subsequent troop movements and tactics, preparing to deploy his formations to coordinate with the northern light cavalry to break the pass.

Yet, he heard the scout continue at a rapid pace, "Vanguard scout Zhao Cheng held off over a thousand Han troops single-handedly. He led a hundred-odd elite Cavalry Scouts to forcibly occupy a corner of the southern foothills, holding out until Commander Meng Tian arrived. Our army has routed the southern defenders, leaving only small pockets of Han soldiers fleeing into the mountains..."

"Hm?"

The military formation in Meng Wu's mind was instantly disrupted. He looked at the scout intently, his majestic aura filling the air like a mountain.

"There are no jokes in the army! Say it again—Zhao Cheng led a hundred-odd cavalry to occupy a corner of the southern foothills?"

The scout replied with ironclad certainty, "It is absolutely true. By the time we arrived, the fighting was exceptionally brutal. Vanguard Zhao Cheng was bathed in blood, leading a hundred men to charge and slaughter the Han forces. They fought to the death and would not retreat, securing a section of the southern foothills. By the time I came to report, the Han forces had already collapsed."

Meng Wu was stunned for a moment before he clapped his hands and laughed aloud, "Splendid!"

"A heaven-sent general, sharp and unstoppable!"

"Han Ming could rack his brains forever and never imagine that his 'masterstroke' at the southern foothills—the very point he intended to use as a breakthrough—would be shattered by a mere youth!"

"If not for this, I would have had to expend much more effort. Now, however, Han Ming is a turtle in a jar, and the pass shall fall!"

He raised his hand to wave the command flag. The order went out, and the siege army, which had been standing by in full readiness, charged straight for the pass!

"Report, General! There is an enemy assault on the northern foothills of Fang City. Our northern strength is insufficient; we can hold for at most two hours!"

Han Ming looked at the soldier before him, showing no signs of panic. "No matter. This General has already made arrangements; two hours is enough."

The Han forces were thin, and the garrison stationed here was not large—only about ten thousand men—but they were all considered Han elites.

With such numbers, he had never intended to hold the pass indefinitely from the start, but he could use the easily defended, hard-to-attack Fang City Pass to inflict massive casualties on the Qin forces.

If the Qin army attacked, they would be forced to bite off a piece of meat so large it would cost them dearly.

If they did not attack, the Fang City Pass would remain a thorn in their side. Whether they moved toward Ye County or pushed into Nanyang, Fang City would be a blade hanging behind their backs, keeping them in constant unease!

The situation was now clear, and a smile appeared on Han Ming's face.

"Since the northern foothills are under heavy assault, the southern foothills must be a feint. My two thousand elite troops in ambush, combined with the Light Infantry sent to flank them, are more than enough to completely swallow the enemy's feinting force. Once they regroup and support the north, how could the Qin soldiers possibly gain the upper hand?"

Han Ming was in high spirits.

In his view, the two thousand troops sent into the river valley should by now have coordinated with the southern defenders to slaughter the entire unit under Meng Tian that was conducting the feint.

With a great victory in the south and morale soaring, they could support the north and, relying on the favorable terrain, easily repel the Qin offensive.

To fight such a brilliant battle with these numbers could be called a classic example of winning against the odds.

Han Ming could not help but feel a sense of self-satisfaction.

Just then, a Han commander, covered in blood and looking utterly wretched with an arrow stuck in his back, came galloping along the southern wall path, his body swaying precariously.

Han Ming's expression changed instantly upon seeing him. "Wang Yong?"

"You were supposed to be guarding the southern foothills—how did you end up like this!?"

The galloping horse reached them quickly. Wang Yong, his face deathly pale, tumbled from his saddle and fell to his knees. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression filled with grief.

"General! The southern foothills... have fallen! Our army has been routed!"

The world went black before Han Ming's eyes, and he swayed, nearly collapsing.

He gritted his teeth and asked, "I set an ambush in advance, and there were reinforcements to surround them—how could this happen?!"

Wang Yong gritted his teeth, overcome with shame.

His lips trembled as he spoke with difficulty, "Among the attacking Qin forces... there was a young Sha-star. He actually... led over two hundred men up the city wall, charging and slaughtering in all directions!"

"I tried to push them back with a thousand defenders, but who could have imagined that this Sha-star would have strength like a demon, moving like a tiger or leopard? It was as if he were impervious to blades and arrows, with inexhaustible stamina."

"With his own strength, he held off a thousand-man assault. He killed over a hundred of our men without showing the slightest fatigue, charging forward, sharp and unstoppable. No matter what we did, we could not kill him!"

"After fighting such a bloody battle for half a day, not only did we fail to drive him off the city wall, but he forcibly occupied a section of it..."