Young Whelp, Horses Trampling a Thousand Troops

"You are a fool, Lu Jiaxuan."

"To think you dared lead your men out of the city to face thirty thousand Iron Pagoda Cavalry head-on. This is simply seeking your own death."

Wang Yang stood on the high platform, looking down at the eight thousand Lu Family Army soldiers at the west gate, fully armed and ready to march. In his heart churned an indescribable anger and helplessness.

"Lu Jiaxuan, how could he commit such a mad act?"

The south gate stood wide open, and countless righteous soldiers scattered like a tide.

But Wang Yang's face was very calm.

He had long since seen through the hearts of the various righteous armies. Their fear of North Wind was all within his expectations.

Wang Yang already harbored the will to die. If the city stood, he stood.

However!

The Lu Family Army, this army once renowned for its bravery in battle and steadiness in warfare, had once again undergone a change today.

Lu Jiaxuan, this cautious and seasoned commander, how could he be so impulsive, so rash today?

Wang Yang's heart was filled with confusion and grief.

He did not wish to see the Lu Family Army, this true iron army resisting the north, perish so easily.

This was not worth it!

He turned, his gaze falling on a large man behind him who carried a broad sword on his back.

This man was the famous grandmaster of the martial world—Ouyang Jingyu, the "General Sword."

Ouyang Jingyu was his personal guard, loyal to the bone, and in this defense of the city, he was likewise willing to stay until the moment the walls fell.

Wang Yang also regarded him as true kin and friend.

"Jingyu, now that they have left the city, do they have any chance of victory?"

Ouyang Jingyu shook his head.

"The Iron Pagoda Cavalry are all clad in heavy armor, like moving fortresses. They are not something human strength can contend with!"

"Even I, faced with the charge of a hundred Iron Pagoda Cavalry, could only retreat three houses away. I might even be in danger of losing my life."

Wang Yang nodded silently. In his heart, he already had the answer.

At this moment, the deputy general beside him hurried over and reported in a low voice, "General, it is said this method of fighting outside the city was created by General Lu's eldest son, Lu Chen."

When Wang Yang heard this, he suddenly gripped the railing tight, a trace of anger flashing through his eyes.

He gave a cold snort and said,

"That yellow-mouthed child is nothing but someone who talks war on paper. How could he know the terror of the Iron Pagoda Cavalry?"

"Ah, the mighty Lu Family Army is going to perish from the mouth of a whelp."

Wang Yang looked below the city.

Thirty thousand Iron Pagoda Cavalry advanced in perfect order.

They split to either side, galloping like thunder.

The clanging of armor plates striking one another rang on without end.

Tens of thousands of armored soldiers were like a single body, their momentum like a towering mountain. From afar, all one could see was a dark, crushing mass of heads.

On the city wall, the guarding soldiers all sucked in cold breaths.

Even Ouyang Jingyu's eyes narrowed.

Tuoba Shuyi had transferred all his forces to strike the west gate.

Wang Yang sighed inwardly.

From the moment the west gate had opened and the righteous armies at the south gate had fled,

it had already announced that Hulao Pass had fallen.

"Heaven dooms my Great Qing!"

Yu Ke stared at the simulated light screen, his eyes burning.

[In the twentieth year, at the beginning of autumn, North Wind's army arrived before Hulao Pass. After four days of siege, the righteous armies fled at the mere sight of them. Only the Lu Family Army went out to meet them in battle.]

[The Iron Pagoda Cavalry under Tuoba Shuyi all wore heavy armor and were linked by leather ropes, three men as one unit, called "Linked Horse Cavalry." They swept across the northern lands, and none could stand against them.]

[The Lu Family Army came with eight thousand cavalry, swiftly instructing the foot soldiers to enter the formation with machetes, not to look up, only to hack at the horses' legs. The Linked Horse Cavalry were connected; when one horse fell, two other horses could not move. The Lu Family Army struck fiercely and thus defeated them, fighting tens of thousands of enemies.]

That day, until the last of the setting sun had faded,

Wang Yang's hands were still trembling.

He stared outside the west gate. There, corpses were piled like mountains, blood flowed like rivers, and devastation filled his eyes.

The corpses had been built into a mound of victory.

From the start of the battle, he had gone from initial reluctance to watch to later shock and awe.

Then to the present grandeur and disbelief.

Wang Yang's dried lips trembled slightly, trying to spit out several heavy words. At last, he murmured in a low voice, "We... won."

As if in a dream, he repeated, "We... won."

Those two simple words were like a heavy hammer striking his heart, making even Wang Yang himself feel it was unbelievable.

Eight thousand against thirty thousand. With such a vast disparity in forces, they had actually won.

And against the invincible Iron Pagoda Cavalry!

They had broken them in a fair and open fight!

Wang Yang felt as if a fishbone were stuck in his throat. He clenched both fists.

His gaze fell on the flag fluttering at the west gate. That flag had already been dyed red with fresh blood, and upon it, the large character "Lu" burned like raging fire.

Ouyang Jingyu was also surging with emotion, his whole body boiling with hot blood, his battle intent blazing wildly.

He had already gone down from the city wall and thrown himself into the ranks of the Lu Family Army.

At this moment, only two thousand men remained of the Lu Family Army.

Though only two thousand or so remained, all of them were bathed in blood, as if they had walked out of a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

Their battle armor was soaked through with fresh blood, and beneath their feet lay thick mud and bloodstains.

Blood all over their bodies, mud on both feet.

The killing aura that soared into the sky, like the gazes of tigers and wolves, made people's hearts chill.

Suddenly, a high, resounding shout tore through the sky:

"The Lu Family Army is invincible!" That voice shook the heart like thunder.

Following this shout, more and more defenders joined the ranks of the Lu Family Army.

"The Lu Family Army is invincible!"

"The Lu Family Army is invincible!"

Amid these sky-shaking cries, Lu Yu shouted loudly,

"Brothers, today, follow me and trample a thousand troops beneath our horses!"

The heroic roar shook ten li.

Inside North Wind's great tent, there was dead silence. The oppressive atmosphere was suffocating. Some generals were even so horrified they lost their voices, only able to mutter to themselves:

"How is this possible!"

Tuoba Shuyi's face had already turned ashen as he clenched his teeth tightly, making them creak.

"Eight thousand against our thirty thousand Iron Pagoda Cavalry, and ten thousand infantry as well, yet they actually... were all wiped out."

When two armies faced each other, once the formation fell into chaos, they were like lambs waiting to be slaughtered.

Facing the tide-like iron cavalry, the Lu Family Army had actually been able to dismount and hack at the horses' legs, embracing a resolve to die and displaying such fearless courage that it had already chilled the entire army.

Tuoba Shuyi only felt his chest suddenly become stifled to the extreme, as if a mouthful of pent-up blood were about to burst from his mouth, and he nearly fainted.

The thirty thousand Iron Pagoda Cavalry were not only the most elite heavy cavalry under his command, but also the foundation by which he intimidated the world.

Now, the entire army had been annihilated.

He took several deep breaths before he recovered.

The large table before him had already been overturned by him. The generals in the tent also wore grave expressions, and the guards did not even dare breathe loudly.

"The army's momentum is already in disorder. Clinging to battle will only lead to even greater losses," Tuoba Shuyi said in anger.

"If they crowd together, they will only become targets for the enemy. Pass down the order: no sounding the gong to withdraw, lest the army's morale collapse. Immediately dispatch six thousand light cavalry to receive them, and retreat ten li to reorganize the formation."

The generals in the tent all nodded, expressing admiration for Tuoba Shuyi's decision.

In such a critical situation, he was still able to remain calm.

Someone quickly accepted the order and went to meet them.

However, at this moment, a scout hurriedly burst into the great tent.

"Report!" The scout's voice was full of tension. "The Lu Family Army is bringing four thousand cavalry and has already charged over!"

At these words, the tent instantly erupted into an uproar.

The generals rose one after another, their faces full of shock and disbelief.

Tuoba Shuyi narrowed his eyes slightly, his gaze filled with coldness.

"To press the enemy straight at the front—what great courage indeed."

"Report!" the scout's voice rang out again.

"The Lu Family Army has joined with Wang Yang's defenders, totaling twenty thousand, and they are attacking fiercely!"

"They have already broken through our Fish Scale, Eight Gates, and Crane Wing formations in succession!"

When Tuoba Shuyi heard this news, he let out a breath, his face gloomy.

He knew that now, the Lu Family Army's morale was like a rainbow and their edge could not be stopped, while his soldiers' courage had already been stolen away.

They could not fight again!

Thus!

He decisively gave the order: "Pass down the command for the entire army to retreat. Use my military tent as the banner to confuse the enemy. At the same time, send another unit of men to feign an attack on Hulao Pass and draw the Lu Family Army back to reinforce it. If they return to reinforce it, we can withdraw. If they do not return, we will take the chance to seize Hulao Pass."

"Also!"

A fierce light flashed through Tuoba Shuyi's eyes.

"Go invite Chan Master Longshu. When the two armies clash, make sure he brings back Lu Jiaxuan's head."

"Yes, Sixth Highness."

Great readers, hugs.