Assault Cavalry Commandant, Promotion Nine Ranks!

Zhao Cheng moved with such velocity that he became a mere blur, weaving through the surging ranks of the Han Army. He was a force of nature, cutting down any god or buddha who dared stand in his path!

The walls of soldiers formed by the Han Army were like paper before him, shattered with effortless ease!

In the blink of an eye, he had already closed the distance to within seven paces of Han Ming!

Drenched in blood and covered in a hundred wounds, he arrived like a gale of slaughter!

The murderous intent in his eyes was palpable. The sheer pressure of his presence caused the hair on the necks of Han Ming's adjutants and personal guards to stand on end, as if facing an existential threat!

The adjutant's face turned pale, yet he let out a thunderous roar as he charged forward, "Protect the General!"

He threw himself into the fray, blocking Zhao Cheng's path and swinging his blade down.

Seven or eight personal guards followed closely behind, disregarding their own lives in a desperate attempt to stop Zhao Cheng!

Han Ming, his face ashen, retreated several steps, but instead of fleeing, he drew his bow once more, intending to coordinate with his guards to execute Zhao Cheng on the spot!

Seeing the long blade descending, Zhao Cheng flicked his wrist. His sword tore through the air with a sharp, piercing whistle, its immense power unstoppable as it shattered the adjutant's blade with a single strike.

The adjutant's expression shifted to one of pure terror—what kind of monstrous strength was this?!

Before he could even attempt to dodge, it was already too late; he could only watch helplessly as Zhao Cheng's sword swept past, and then his vision began to spin.

The adjutant's head went flying!

The seven or eight guards behind him roared, their eyes bloodshot as they swarmed forward like a pack of wolves.

Zhao Cheng lunged forward, his body—hard as cast iron—acting like a massive siege engine as he slammed into them with tremendous force!

The guards felt as if they had been struck by a mountain; they were sent flying in all directions, and those in the front had their arms snapped instantly upon impact.

As Zhao Cheng plowed through, his hands never stopped, smashing and slashing until the seven or eight guards were swiftly dispatched!

These elite guards, handpicked from the best of the Han Army, were as helpless as infants before him!

Whoosh!

Ten paces away, Han Ming finally released his arrow. At such close range, the shot was heavy and swift, aimed directly at Zhao Cheng's eye!

In a heartbeat, the arrowhead was within three inches of Zhao Cheng's pupil!

Han Ming's eyes filled with immense surprise and expectation—this shot was a guaranteed kill!

Yet, the next moment, he fell into despair.

Zhao Cheng had somehow sensed his movement amidst the chaotic melee; the left hand that had been crushing a guard's throat a moment prior suddenly clamped onto the flying arrow, catching it mid-air!

Han Ming's eyes went vacant, his entire body trembling, "A demon!! This is a demon!"

His fighting spirit shattered, his legs gave way and he collapsed to the ground, scrambling backward while screaming, "Stop him!! Stop him!!"

But how could ordinary soldiers stop Zhao Cheng? They were all cut down where they stood!

The other soldiers were so terrified that they didn't even dare to take a step forward.

Zhao Cheng moved as if in an empty field, pouncing on Han Ming in the blink of an eye!

Han Ming struggled to fight back, but Zhao Cheng reached out, grabbed his wrists, and squeezed!

With a crisp crack, both of Han Ming's wrists shattered instantly, and he let out a piercing shriek!!

Zhao Cheng grabbed a nearby Han Army banner, pierced it through the back of Han Ming's armor, and hoisted him up like a flag.

Holding the banner—with the Han commander dangling from it—in one hand, he leaped like a leopard to the high point of the watchtower. He held Han Ming high, his voice roaring like a tiger, "Your commander has been captured alive!! Will you not surrender yet?"

The tiger-like roar echoed across the chaotic battlefield. The Han soldiers, still desperately resisting, looked back and felt their hearts shatter!

They saw their general hanging like a piece of refuse from their own banner, brandished by the blood-soaked nightmare, his face twisted in shame and fury as he repeatedly shrieked, "Kill me!!"

With their commander captured and the adjutant dead, the Han Army was leaderless. Having lost all will to fight, they collapsed and fled toward the rear!

However, Meng Wu had already arrived with his troops. Caught in a pincer movement, the Han Army disintegrated completely. Some leaped from Fang City in a desperate attempt to reach the woods, only to be cut down by hidden ambushes.

Others simply threw down their weapons and knelt in surrender.

From afar, Meng Wu watched Zhao Cheng waving the "commander" banner atop the tower, a look of immense satisfaction on his face.

"To capture the commander alive in the midst of such chaos—magnificent work!"

He waved his command flag.

He began to wrap up this surprisingly easy battle.

What followed was simple: the Han forces at the Mountain Pass and the South Foothill had been wiped out. The logistics personnel began tallying the merits and replacing the banners, officially securing the Mountain Pass.

At the North Foothill of Fang City, He Ping was leading two thousand men in a fierce assault. Initially, they had used a surprise attack to scale the walls, but they had only held them for the duration of an incense stick before being pushed back down.

He Ping was an experienced commander; he knew the difficulty of a siege. Even with superior numbers, victory was not easily won, so he did not rush. He remained steady, advancing step by step to slowly erode the enemy's morale and seize the advantage.

As the strength of the Han Army waned, he gradually intensified his offensive.

But for some reason, the Han soldiers, who had been resisting with their lives just moments ago, suddenly began to collapse in a massive rout. Sensing the opportunity, he immediately ordered a full-scale assault!

Seeing the Han soldiers retreating in waves and the Qin Elite Soldiers swarming up the walls of Fang City, a smile curled at the corner of He Ping's mouth.

"The Han Army is indeed weak, clearly lacking the stamina to hold. The credit for the first to scale the walls shall be mine!"

Just as he had anticipated, it wasn't long before the Han Army at the North Foothill collapsed completely, and the position was seized.

"Men, go report to the General! The North Foothill of Fang City has been breached!"

He was in high spirits. Having successfully ascended the North Foothill, he led his troops toward the Mountain Pass, preparing to coordinate with the main force in a pincer attack.

The journey was indescribably exhilarating; he felt this battle had been fought with exceptional brilliance, finishing half an hour faster than expected!

With such a great victory, coupled with the merit of being the first to scale the walls, his noble rank would surely rise another level.

If he coordinated well with the General to shatter the Mountain Pass, rising two more levels was not entirely impossible!

Come to think of it, he owed the General a debt of gratitude for providing such a tactical opportunity.

It must be that the General saw his youth and promise and intended to cultivate him properly!

As he rode, his heart raced with excitement.

But the closer he got to the Mountain Pass, the more he felt something was wrong.

It was far too quiet.

That military banner... wait?

Wasn't that their own army's banner?

He Ping's expression shifted from high spirits to bewilderment, then to gravity, his brows knitting tighter and tighter.

The banners at the Mountain Pass were not those of the Han Army at all; they had all been replaced by the banners of the Qin Army!

He spurred his horse forward, observing as he went, growing more silent with every passing moment.

The battlefield had even been mostly cleaned up!?

On the ramparts in the distance, a troop of cavalry was galloping toward him, led by none other than Meng Tian.

To his left was a youth covered in blood, holding a "Man-Hanging" banner in one hand. As he rode, he waved it with effortless ease.

The armored figure hanging from the pole swayed with his movements, light as a mere strip of cloth.

He Ping squinted to get a better look.

That hanging figure... was that the Han Army commander?

He Ping was utterly stunned.

What on earth was going on!?

It had taken him over an hour just to capture the North Foothill—a speed already considered remarkably fast—so how could the Mountain Pass already be broken, and the enemy commander already captured?

How could this be?

He was completely baffled, his face full of confusion as he met Meng Tian.

"Meng Tian, what is the meaning of this?"

Meng Tian laughed. "The Mountain Pass is broken. We were just about to go support Brother He, but we didn't expect you to have already taken the North Foothill. You are truly a fierce general!"

A fierce general?

You must be talking about the one waving the flag next to you.

The Colonel opened his mouth, but he didn't know what to say.

The Mountain Pass was already broken? Then wouldn't his merit for being the first to scale the walls be gone!

He Ping felt a sharp pang of heartache, but he could only force a smile. "What kind of fierce general am I? It took me so long that the Mountain Pass was already broken. Whether I took the North Foothill or not is irrelevant now; I only saved the General the trouble of cleaning up the battlefield."

"But, how was this Mountain Pass broken so quickly? Could it be that the General had some secret strategy?"

Meng Tian glanced at Zhao Cheng beside him and smiled slightly. "You'll know when we get back."

He Ping felt miserable, but he couldn't bring himself to press the issue.

He followed Meng Tian and his group toward the main camp at the Mountain Pass.

Along the way, he was astonished to discover that the surrounding soldiers were looking at their group with expressions of immense worship and awe, making He Ping feel increasingly uncomfortable.

What was going on? What were they looking at?

He was both confused and depressed.

As he walked, his ears pricked up, catching the whispers of the Qin soldiers on either side, and he couldn't help but slow his horse.

"Is that the Assault Cavalry vanguard, Zhao Cheng?"

"That's him!! I fought alongside him earlier. I saw with my own eyes as he charged into the enemy formation alone, cutting through them like they were nothing until he reached the Han commander. He cut down the deputy generals and personal guards like they were weeds, and he even hung the commander on the military banner as a warning!"

"You didn't see it—those Han soldiers were so scared they nearly wet themselves. They didn't dare step forward; they didn't even dare to save their own commander!"

"With such a fierce warrior, it's no wonder he led a hundred cavalry to single-handedly take the Southern Foothills of Fang City from two thousand defenders!"

"I heard he's only sixteen! He's a new recruit who just joined the Assault Cavalry Battalion a few days ago!"

"Some say he has god-given strength and is impervious to blades and arrows—a star of slaughter descended to earth!"

"You can tell just by looking; that Han commander was a big, sturdy man, yet he's just dangling from the pole in that kid's hand like a sack of grain."

"That's not even the half of it. My brother in the Assault Cavalry Battalion told me just now that not only is this man a peerless warrior, but he also possesses god-like archery and horsemanship."

"During the raid in the River Valley, any Han Army scout team that caught even a glimpse of his shadow was as good as dead. He wiped out countless scout teams along the way; whenever his Ebony Bow rang out, someone was guaranteed to die! Even a god couldn't escape him!"

"I heard he's a divine beast in human form, a Qilin from Nine Heavens Mountain that attained the Dao, which is why he possesses such miraculous power!"

"..."

As they walked toward the main camp, soldiers whispered and sang praises of Zhao Cheng's prestige all along the way.

And the rumors only grew more outlandish with each telling.

Even Zhao Cheng found it hard to listen to any longer.

He Ping looked at Meng Tian and Zhao Cheng with immense astonishment, wanting to ask about the veracity of these rumors but not knowing how to broach the subject; yet, not asking made him feel incredibly stifled.

After much thought, he concluded that while Zhao Cheng was surely a fierce warrior, he couldn't possibly be as mystical as the soldiers claimed. How could two hundred men take a Fang City guarded by two thousand? It was pure nonsense.

Thus, he finally asked Meng Tian, "Brother Meng, did you hear what those soldiers were saying?"

Meng Tian smiled and replied, "I heard."

Seeing that he offered nothing more, He Ping pressed, "Are those words true? Is this little brother really that heroic?"

Meng Tian said, "Naturally, there is truth and there is falsehood..."

He Ping breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this. I knew it, he thought. How could a person be that fierce? Would that even be human?

Yet, he heard Meng Tian continue, "As for the talk of gods descending or a Qilin attaining the Dao, that is, of course, false. However, the battle records and military merits are solid facts."

"He originally led two hundred Assault Cavalry scouts to raid the South Foothill, only to fall into an ambush of two thousand men. Who would have thought he would actually manage to take the position? The danger involved is beyond words..."

He Ping was completely stunned, and he did not speak another word until they reached the main camp.

Upon returning to the camp, the group arrived at the tent of Meng Wu.

Looking at Zhao Cheng, who was covered in hundreds of wounds yet still full of vigor, Meng Wu said with a complex expression, "The military judge has just finished reviewing the military merits, and your battle record has been tallied."

"A total of two hundred and twenty-seven enemies killed. You were the first to scale the South Foothill, led your men to kill five hundred and forty enemies, slew a deputy general, and captured the main commander alive."

"In this battle, yours is the greatest merit."

At this point, Meng Wu frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, and added, "For this merit..."

"You are promoted to the military rank of Assault Cavalry Commandant, granted command of three thousand cavalry, bestowed the ninth-rank title of Fifth Rank Grandee, and awarded a fief of three hundred households."