Suppressing Bandits!

Their numbers had swelled to five thousand, nearly matching Liu Zuolong's forces.

But they were far more formidable than Liu Zuolong's men. After all, they were regular troops. In both the number of soldiers wearing armor and their military discipline, they far surpassed the hastily assembled bandit army.

The other garrisons might have been useless, but Commander Sun's central vanguard was made up of the best of the best.

A great battle was about to begin.

Liu Zuolong naturally realized that reinforcements from the Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office had arrived. He had plenty of scouts and had learned of this long ago.

However, he wasn't stupid. He knew the strength of his own forces and had no desire to clash head-on with Sun Chengdong. A showdown on these open plains would be no different from leading the brothers who followed him to their deaths.

The best option now was to fall back to Linshui and Xihuai, which they had already occupied, then defend themselves from behind the city walls.

Sun Chengdong, however, was no ordinary man. He had anticipated Liu Zuolong's plan, so he sent his main force north with light gear and little baggage, marching quickly to ambush Liu Zuolong's army along its unavoidable route.

Liu Zuolong's troops were carrying large quantities of grain and supplies, which would inevitably slow their march.

Liu Zuolong had raided Liang City in the first place to gather grain for King Cui. That was what mattered most to him.

Meanwhile, the Liangcheng Thousand-Household Office and the other garrisons pursued them from behind, carrying only three days' worth of rations. They were determined to attack Liu Zuolong from both front and rear and wipe him out completely.

Sun Chengdong had planned everything with great precision.

Soon, the Liangcheng troops caught up with Liu Zuolong's forces and launched an attack.

Lin Xuan was at the very front. He wasn't afraid in the slightest. He snatched up his heavy bow and fired at the rear of Liu Zuolong's army.

Liu Zuolong valued this batch of grain enormously, so the rear of his army wasn't made up of the logistics corps. Instead, it was the Righteous Army's rearguard, which protected the supplies. There were about five hundred of them—not too far off from the three hundred or so men on Lin Xuan's side.

Thousand-Household Commander Su had learned from his undercover agents that Liu Zuolong's main force had already gone far ahead. This Righteous Army detachment, left behind to cover their retreat, wasn't very strong.

Lin Xuan's arrow struck a bandit.

The Righteous Army's junior officer, Wang Shuofang, saw that the pursuing garrison troops were far fewer than his own men and thought of swallowing them up.

At the same time, though, he was uneasy. There seemed to be only three hundred men here. Where were the rest? Where had the other government soldiers gone?

He didn't know. He wasn't good at judging such things, so he ordered the scout beside him to ride hard and catch up with the main force, then tell them that the pursuing enemy numbered only three hundred and that the rest were nowhere to be seen.

Once he'd passed on the information, he made his strategic arrangements. He turned to his subordinates and barked, "A few days ago, we killed the wealthy families in front of the garrison, and those cowards wouldn't even come out to fight. But now they've found their courage?

"Brothers, the time for revenge has come! These people killed your family and friends, and those dog soldiers seized your fields. Now that we've found our enemies, we must make them pay in blood!"

His words sent the Righteous Army's morale soaring. After all, the people who joined the Righteous Army were ordinary folk who had been driven to the edge of starvation. If they could live in peace, who would choose to become a soldier?

When Wang Shuofang told them their enemies were right in front of them, how could they not see red?

The Righteous Army stopped retreating and formed ranks, ready to face the garrison troops head-on.

"Kill them! Kill every last one! These dog soldiers are all damned for serving that dog emperor Chongyan!"

"That's right! We were already on the verge of starvation from years of disasters, and then that dog emperor Chongyan levied the Three Grants. My wife and daughter both starved to death. I only survived by eating them! I'm going to settle that score with these bastards!"

The Righteous Army seethed with indignation. Blinded by hatred, they gripped their crude weapons and charged the garrison soldiers with bloodshot eyes.

The archers on both sides loosed volleys, and the infantry clashed at close quarters.

As a frontline officer, Lin Xuan naturally had to fight the enemy up close. But his strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Flag Commander or Righteous Army junior officer. With the masterwork Goose-Quill Saber in his hand, he cut down his foes as easily as chopping melons and vegetables.

Lin Xuan plunged deep into the enemy ranks, charging left and right. Anyone who came at him was cut down.

The Goose-Quill Saber was worthy of its ten taels of silver. It pierced straight through armor.

Before long, he had slain three members of the Righteous Army.

His strength and fighting spirit hadn't waned at all. The hand gripping the Goose-Quill Saber trembled slightly. He didn't know why, but it didn't affect his fighting in the slightest.

The Righteous Army was no weak opponent, either. The garrison troops had suffered losses as well. The battle wasn't one-sided; it had become a grinding stalemate, with soldiers falling on both sides.

Lin Xuan charged left and right. One moment, he was cutting down a Righteous Army soldier; the next, he drove an elbow into another and knocked him flat. The man who took the blow fell over and never got up.

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

With five hundred-plus pounds of super strength, his elbow was like a heavy hammer. Ordinary soldiers had no chance to fight back against him.

Seeing Lin Xuan charging back and forth through their ranks with such ferocious strength, the Righteous Army couldn't help but tremble with fear.

"Is that even human?"

Wang Shuofang watched closely from a short distance. When he saw Lin Xuan's face, he drew a sharp breath.

"He's so young, yet already this strong. If he's allowed to grow, won't he become a great enemy of the Righteous Army?"

"This boy cannot be allowed to live!"

He drew his bow and shot at Lin Xuan.

Lin Xuan's Sharp Eyes were active throughout the battlefield. Everyone's movements looked like they were in slow motion to him, let alone those of someone loosing a sneak attack nearby.

He grabbed a member of the Righteous Army and held him in front of himself as a human shield.

Thwack—

Wang Shuofang's arrow struck the man and punched right through him.

Lin Xuan sneered, then pulled out the bloodied arrowhead. He put his strength into it and thrust it straight into the throat of another Righteous Army soldier beside him, killing him on the spot.

Wang Shuofang got goosebumps. He ordered his men, "Cui Zu, join forces and kill that kid with the Goose-Quill Saber and silver armor!"

"Yes!"

Two Righteous Army warriors at the Breath-Connecting Realm charged straight at Lin Xuan, intent on killing him before he could do more damage.

Nearby, Qin Sheng and Zhang Quan were also fighting hard, and they had racked up plenty of kills. Seeing Lin Xuan surrounded, they gave their subordinates orders as well.

"Protect Lin Xuan!"

"Go! Guard Lin Xuan." Thousand-Household Commander Su also ordered his personal guards to move. Ten of them immediately rushed toward Lin Xuan to protect him.

Thousand-Household Commander Su understood all too well just how valuable a young martial arts prodigy like this was. Barely an adult, yet already possessing such strength and fighting ability, Lin Xuan had surpassed many veteran Flag Commanders. His future was boundless.

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