The Turkic soldier realized the mistake. With several years of battlefield experience, he knew the moment he heard it that something was wrong. His heart lurched.
No, that was the shriek of horses being slaughtered. Listen to the sounds behind the village. Had something happened to my men?
Or had Yang Zhengdao escaped? No, if he escaped, I would die without even leaving a corpse. Red Eye would not kill me.
He leaped onto his horse, raised his saber, and shouted:
"Everyone! Gather your troops and follow me!"
"Yes!" Thousands of soldiers answered in unison and followed him toward the rear of the village. The two translators hurriedly mounted their horses and followed as well.
The moment there was movement at the front of the village, the Turkic soldiers surrounding it moved at once toward the rear.
Sure enough, the second group that arrived saw the elites fighting the Turks. Because their numbers were small, the elites held the upper hand.
"Neigh—"
A horse whinnied sharply, announcing the arrival of thousands of troops.
Smoke immediately rose, and the soldiers issuing orders charged to the front, eager to earn merit.
Seeing the enemy troops swarm in, the Fourth Squad immediately carried out their final task. One of them fled first, while the rest stayed behind to cover the retreat.
They had clearly become sacrificial heroes, surrounded and strangled by the enemy. As the soldiers rode down the fleeing men, one of them shouted:
"Protect His Majesty!"
Red Eye stared into the forest. The soldiers also looked toward it, and with a wave of his hand, he said:
"Yang Zhengdao is in the woods. Drive them in! At dawn, there will be rewards for every head—women and fine horses, take your pick!"
"Roar! Roar! Roar!"
The Turks waved their sabers and shouted