Suppress Bandits!

They expanded directly to five thousand men, a number nearly identical to that of Liu Zuolong's forces.

However, compared to Liu Zuolong, their combat effectiveness was far superior. After all, they were regular troops; whether in terms of armored personnel or military discipline, they were stronger than a ragtag army of roving bandits.

Other Garrison units might be incompetent, but Thousand-Household Commander Su's vanguard of the main force consisted of the elite among the elite.

A great battle was about to begin.

Liu Zuolong naturally realized that the reinforcements for Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office had arrived; he had many scouts and had long since learned of this fact.

He was not a fool, however. Knowing the strength of his own troops, he did not want to clash head-on with Sun Chengdong. To engage in a duel on this vast plain would be purely leading the brothers who followed him to their deaths.

The best choice at the moment was to retreat, falling back to the already occupied Linshui and Xihuai, and then hold the cities for defense.

But Sun Chengdong was no ordinary man. Having anticipated Liu Zuolong's intentions, he had his main force travel light and march rapidly from the north, laying an ambush on the only path Liu Zuolong's army could take.

This was because Liu Zuolong's unit was carrying a massive amount of grain and supplies, which inevitably dragged down their marching speed.

Liu Zuolong had plundered Liangcheng primarily to secure grain for King Cui; this was what he valued most.

Meanwhile, the Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office and other Garrison units were in hot pursuit, carrying only three days of rations, determined to catch Liu Zuolong in a pincer attack and wipe them out completely.

Sun Chengdong's calculations were shrewd.

Soon, the Liangcheng unit caught up with Liu Zuolong's column and launched an offensive.

Lin Xuan was at the very front. He felt no fear at all, grabbing his heavy bow and attacking the tail end of Liu Zuolong's formation.

Liu Zuolong viewed this batch of grain as vital, so the rear of his army was not logistics, but the Righteous Army's rearguard, numbering about five hundred men, tasked with protecting the supplies. Compared to the three hundred or so men on Lin Xuan's side, they were not at a significant disadvantage.

Thousand-Household Commander Su had received word from his deep-cover agents that Liu Zuolong's main force had already fled far ahead, and that this rearguard of the Righteous Army was not particularly strong.

Lin Xuan shot one of the rebels with an arrow.

Wang Shuofang, a small leader of the Righteous Army, saw that the number of pursuing Garrison troops was far fewer than theirs, and the thought of swallowing them whole crossed his mind.

Yet, he was also afraid. Since there appeared to be only three hundred men here, where were the others? Where had the rest of the government troops gone?

He did not know, lacking the judgment to discern the situation. He ordered his scouts to whip their horses and catch up to the main force, telling them that the pursuing enemy numbered only three hundred, with the others nowhere to be found.

After ensuring the message was sent, he made his strategic deployment. He barked coldly at his subordinates: "A few days ago, when we killed the wealthy in front of the Garrison, they were as timid as mice and wouldn't even come out to fight. Now they have the nerve to show up?"

"Brothers, the time for revenge has come! Your relatives and friends were killed by these people, and your fields were seized by these dog officials. Now that we see our enemies, we must make them pay in blood!"

After these words, the morale of the Righteous Army soared. After all, those who joined the Righteous Army were ordinary civilians who could no longer survive; who would want to be a soldier if they could live in peace?

Wang Shuofang said their enemies were right before their eyes, so how could these people not be blinded by rage?

The Righteous Army stopped retreating and formed a line, intending to fight the Garrison troops head-on.

"Kill! Kill them all! These dog soldiers, every one of them who serves that dog emperor Chongyan deserves to die!"

"That's right! With the natural disasters year after year, we couldn't survive, and that dog emperor Chongyan increased the three levies. My wife and daughter starved to death, and I only survived by eating them! I'm going to settle this debt with them!"

The Righteous Army was filled with righteous indignation, their minds clouded by hatred. With red eyes, they gripped their crude weapons and charged toward the Garrison soldiers.

Archers from both sides fired volleys, and the infantry engaged in close-quarters combat.

As a front-line officer, Lin Xuan naturally had to engage in melee combat with the enemy. However, his strength far exceeded that of an ordinary Flag Commander, and even that of a typical Righteous Army leader. Coupled with the master-grade Goose-Quill Saber in his hand, killing the enemy was like slicing through melons and vegetables.

Lin Xuan plunged deep into the enemy formation, charging left and right, killing anyone who rushed toward him.

This Goose-Quill Saber was worthy of being a ten-tael silver divine weapon; it could pierce through armor as if it were nothing.

In no time at all, he had cut down three rebels.

At this moment, his strength and fighting spirit showed no signs of waning. His hand holding the Goose-Quill Saber trembled slightly; he did not know the reason, but it had no impact on his combat performance.

The Righteous Army's combat effectiveness was not bad either. The Garrison side also suffered casualties, and the battle was not one-sided but remained in a state of stalemate, with soldiers from both sides falling.

Lin Xuan charged left and right. One second he had just beheaded a rebel, and the next he elbowed another to the ground; the rebel who was struck fell over and went to sleep on the spot.

This was a move from the Four Extremes Fist—fierce and ruthless.

With his Super Strength of over five hundred catties, his elbow was equivalent to a heavy hammer; ordinary soldiers had no room to fight back against him.

Seeing Lin Xuan's ferocious combat power as he charged back and forth through their ranks, the Righteous Army could not help but tremble with fear.

"Is this even human?"

Wang Shuofang observed carefully from a distance. After seeing Lin Xuan's face, he gasped:

"To possess such combat power at such a young age—if he were to grow further, wouldn't he be a great threat to our Righteous Army?"

"This boy must not be allowed to live!"

He drew his bow and fired at Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan's Sharp Eyes were active on the battlefield at all times. The movements of everyone on the field appeared to him as if in slow motion, let alone a sneak attack from the side.

He grabbed a rebel and held him in front of his body as a meat shield.

Pfft!

Wang Shuofang's cold arrow pierced directly through the body of the rebel.

Lin Xuan sneered, then pulled out the blood-stained arrow, exerted force in his hand, and drove the arrowhead straight into the throat of a nearby rebel, who died on the spot.

Wang Shuofang felt goosebumps rise across his skin and ordered his subordinates, "Cui Zu, work together to cut down that brat with the Goose-Quill Saber in the silver armor!"

"Understood!"

Two Righteous Army martial artists in the Breath-Connecting Realm charged directly toward Lin Xuan, intent on snuffing him out on the battlefield.

Qin Sheng and Zhang Quan were also fighting fiercely nearby, their own tallies mounting, but upon seeing Lin Xuan surrounded, they issued orders to their own men.

"Protect Lin Xuan!"

"Go! Guard Lin Xuan." Thousand-Household Commander Su also commanded his personal guards, and ten of them immediately rushed to Lin Xuan's side to shield him.

Thousand-Household Commander Su understood all too well the value of such a young martial arts genius; at barely an adult's age, this level of combat prowess and strength already surpassed many veteran Flag Commanders, and his future potential was limitless.

No matter who else died, Lin Xuan had to live!