When the two were about a hundred paces apart, they almost simultaneously took their bows off their saddles and drew arrows from their quivers.
At this moment, the five scouts ahead ran while looking back.
One hundred paces is almost the limit for mounted archery. If you don't aim for precise projectiles, you can reach this distance. But in mounted combat, you'll have to get within fifty paces of each other.
None of the five scouts intended to turn and shoot at that moment.
Seeing the pursuers getting closer, the leader shouted something, and the five men turned to the right front of the road.
Clearly, the five men were quite experienced, knowing to position themselves to the right front of the enemy, thus making it difficult for the enemy behind them to shoot arrows at them.
But both Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu can shoot with both hands!
The two men simultaneously nocked arrows and aimed forward.
Liao Yu fired first, the bowstring twanged; Wu Dongrong followed closely with his own arrow, the two arrows flying out almost simultaneously.
In the fog ahead, the two Mount Liang scouts swayed, both with arrows lodged in their necks, exposed outside their lamellar armor!
One person tumbled off the horse, while another, with his neck twisted, charged a few more steps before falling off his horse.
The remaining three riders were startled and quickly lowered their bodies.
They wore lamellar armor, crouched down, their bodies almost pressed against the horse's back, leaving only a sheet of iron behind them, making them difficult to harm with ordinary arrows.
But riding a horse in this position slows you down a bit.
Wu Dongrong caught up first and reached out to take the long spear from beside the saddle.
Liao Yu also hung up his bow, drew his lance, and followed closely behind.
Wu Dongrong pursued to the left rear of a rider, thrusting his long spear forward, the tip piercing the man's lower back. The man groaned, falling forward and being dragged a few steps by the horse before finally slipping off the stirrup.
Wu Dongrong had already ridden past the other man on horseback when he swiftly thrust his spear into the man's throat, killing him instantly!
Liao Yu didn't have much trouble. He stabbed the second scout to death with one spear thrust. After the scout fell off his horse, he finished him off with another spear thrust, killing him on the ground!
The last remaining scout was terrified, convinced he was doomed.
Wu Shuangren shouted from behind, "Let him go!"
Liao Yu had just raised his gun when he heard this, so he stopped and reined in his horse.
Wu Dongrong also put his long spear back on and reined in his horse to a stop.
The last scout didn't even dare to look back, and fled into the distance, whipping his horse's hindquarters.
"It seems my mounted combat and archery are inferior to these two."
Xu Jing witnessed the entire battle from the rear and couldn't help but sigh to the people following him.
The eleven men who followed him from his home to Bo County were all veterans of the battlefield, former scouts.
Having witnessed Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu's skills, one of the veterans, upon hearing Xu Jing's words, remarked, "To shoot an enemy in the neck from a hundred paces away while on horseback—that's First Rate -tier skill even within our Northern Expedition Army! How could these two have retired from the army?"
Xu Jing pursed his lips upon hearing this, but remained silent.
He had served in the military and heard a lot about it from his elders. He knew that the military wasn't all about passion and straightforward fighting; there were plenty of disgusting things too.
With their abilities, Wu Dongrong and Liao Yu had a brighter future than if they stayed in the army to make contributions, rather than retiring to become constables and prison officials in a county town.
But since the two chose to retire from the military, they must have had their reasons.
After stripping the lamellar armor off the four dead scouts and taking their warhorses, the group continued onward.
About half an hour later, the official road turned, and the view ahead suddenly opened up.
A gentle slope lies not far from the official road, and it is already densely packed with people.
Shields in front, spears behind, and several large banners unfurled in the wind.
The vanguard of Mount Liang has already formed ranks here!
Seeing this, Wu Shuangren smiled; Guo Jiwang had guessed right again!
"If you encounter the enemy's vanguard soon after you set off from Linwen County, do not hesitate to turn back immediately! This shows that the commander is a very radical person, so act according to the second strategy I gave you."
If you only encounter enemy scouts along the way and don't encounter the main force of the enemy even after riding a long distance, it means that the commander of this vanguard is relatively cautious, and you can continue to implement the first strategy.
That night, you dared to pursue and kill thousands of them with only a dozen riders, demonstrating superb horsemanship and archery skills. Now, unexpectedly, you first led over nine thousand men to Linwen County, and then launched a preemptive attack with several hundred riders. If you were a cautious general, you would surely choose a suitable terrain to first set up a defensive formation and assess your strength.
Recalling Guo Jiwang's words, Wu Shuangren led more than three hundred cavalrymen toward the hillside.
Cavalry has a significant advantage over infantry. Although Mount Liang's vanguard also had cavalry, their numbers were small, only a little over a hundred, and they dared not deploy them to engage Wu Shuangren in cavalry combat.
Therefore, upon learning that Wu Shuangren had led several hundred cavalrymen to attack, Yan Xiaobing immediately found a suitable location nearby and led more than three thousand vanguard soldiers to form a battle formation in advance.
Wu Shuangren carefully examined the terrain and felt that it was somewhat similar to the hillside where he and his group had left Bo County to ambush the Mist Hidden Temple cavalry.
Back then, a few dozen archers and a few dozen militiamen with basic training were able to win that battle by taking advantage of the weather and terrain.
Wu Shuangren certainly couldn't lead his cavalry directly to attack now; that would be suicide!
He raised his hand, and the cavalry behind him slowly came to a stop, halting just outside the range of the enemy's crossbows.
Wu Shuangren lightly gripped the Thunder Treader and advanced alone.
More than three hundred riders stopped where they were, watching him slowly walk down the slope alone.
Xu Nanzhi gripped the scabbard tightly in her hand.
Wu Dongrong placed his hand on the spear shaft, staring intently ahead without blinking.
Seeing Wu Shuangren approaching alone, Yan Xiaobing did not order the arrows to be fired.
Wu Shuangren reined in his horse when it was still an arrow's length from the foot of the slope.
He looked up at the flags and formations on the slope, channeled his Internal Skill, and shouted towards the hillside:
"Wu Shuangren is here! The vanguard of Mount Liang, who will speak up?"
The sound rolled up the morning breeze and echoed at the top of the hill.
157 Who dares to fight? An empty city is useless.
"Wu Shuangren is here! The vanguard of Mount Liang, who will speak up?"
Upon hearing Wu Shuangren's challenge, Yan Xiaobing stepped out from behind the large shields raised by his personal guards.
"I am Yan Xiaobing, the vanguard general of Mount Liang. May I ask what advice Militia Commander Wu has for me?"
With one hand behind his back, Yan Xiaobing, though wearing armor, still looked dashing.
Wu Shuangren's gaze pierced through the swords and spears, meeting Yan Xiaobing's eyes, and he laughed loudly:
"Last time, a group of experts from Mount Liang came, but they left Yi Province in a sorry state. I wonder if any of my defeated foes have come this time?"
A commotion broke out among the crowd on the hillside.
For the Mount Liang generals, Lin Qian, the instructor of 200,000 Imperial Guards, Zhigang, the "Vajra," and Liang An, the "Twin-Saber Mad Eagle," were the most outstanding figures, yet they were defeated by a young man who was only eighteen years old.
Now that they've come to provoke us in public, it's really unsettling!
Lin Qian, Zhigang, and Liang An, who were hiding in the crowd, all looked rather unwell.
Yan Xiaobing remained unmoved and said loudly, "The last force that came to Yi Province was merely a detachment from Mount Liang. Militia Commander Wu was lucky to win a battle. Does that mean Mount Liang has no one left?"
Wu Shuangren scoffed, "I've won more than one match! If it's another one-on-one like last time outside Yi Prefecture City, whoever Mount Liang sends, I'll accept the challenge!"
On his way here, Yan Xiaoyi had heard a lot from Lin Qian and others about Wu Shuangren. Seeing him with his own eyes today, he couldn't help but secretly admire him.
He is indeed a young hero, full of heroic spirit!
"Did Militia Commander Wu bring his troops here today just to challenge someone to a duel?"
Yan Xiaobing asked.
Wu Shuangren laughed loudly, "So what if it is? Does anyone in Mount Liang dare to take it?"
Yan Xiaobing really wanted to speak up for Lu Yulin, because he had absolute confidence in his brother!
However, battles between two armies are not child's play. Such scenes of generals fighting on the battlefield are common in plays, but rare in reality.
The capture of Yi Province is of paramount importance, as it relates to the future strategic trajectory of Mount Liang!
Lu Yulin has already suffered one defeat at Tiger Soul Pass; he absolutely cannot afford to lose again!
"Militia Commander Wu, in a battle between two armies, we are stronger than you, so why should we follow your rules?"
Yan Xiaobing shouted, "If you're truly confident, then bring your Yi Province Militia and fight my Mount Liang army to the death!"
"You're strong, I'm weak?"
Wu Shuangren laughed loudly, "Back then, I led two hundred men to defeat your six thousand Mount Liang troops, and chased after your two thousand-plus men with a dozen or so riders. You still dare to say you're strong and I'm weak? Hahahahahahaha--"
His laughter carried far and wide, echoing through the surrounding mountains and forests.
Hahahaha!!!
Behind Wu Shuangren, more than three hundred riders also burst into laughter.
The vanguard of Mount Liang on the hillside stirred up again.
Among the crowd, Lin Qian and the others had faces as black as the bottom of a pot.
Their record in Yi Province was truly shameful!
Now that Wu Shuangren has publicly mocked them so openly, the three of them can only secretly rejoice that they didn't make a public appearance, otherwise they would wish they could find a crack in the ground to crawl into.
Yan Xiaobing's expression also stiffened. He shouted at Wu Shuangren, "What's the use of empty words? When my main force arrives, we'll see who's the real fighter on the battlefield!"
Wu Shuangren laughed and said, "What are you waiting for? I only have three hundred cavalrymen here, while you have several thousand. Don't you dare to fight?"
Upon hearing this, Yan Xiaobing became secretly wary, further solidifying his belief that Wu Shuangren must have a backup plan and that this matter was definitely a trap.
"If Militia Commander Wu has the guts, then bring your men and attack!"
Yan Xiaobing responded loudly.
On the hillside, the Mount Liang soldiers, who had been lined up in formation, immediately tensed up.
Wu Shuangren sneered, "What Mount Liang heroes? They're nothing but a bunch of cowards!"
The more than three hundred riders behind him burst into laughter again.
The Mount Liang warriors on the hillside felt extremely frustrated, and some couldn't help but volunteer to fight Yan Xiaobing, but he refused Yan Xiaobing all.
Next, the two sides engaged in another round of verbal sparring, mocking and provoking each other.
The scene suddenly became—
"Come down here if you dare!"
"Come up here if you dare!"
Funny scenes like these.
This continued for nearly half an hour before Wu Shuangren made a final sarcastic remark, then turned his horse around and led the group away.
"What's the point of us coming all this way just to hurl insults at each other and then leave?"
On the way back, Liao Yu asked Wu Dongrong in a low voice.
Wu Dongrong said seriously, "First, it can dampen the enemy's morale; second, it can buy time; and third, it can exhaust the enemy's physical and Mental Power. Think about how we used to wear down those infantrymen?"
Liao Yu seemed to be deep in thought.
The biggest advantage of cavalry over infantry is its mobility and initiative. Cavalry can fight and retreat at will, while infantry is not so easy to deal with.
Now that they had indeed left, the vanguard of Mount Liang behind them couldn't be sure whether they had truly left or were feigning an departure to find an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
Therefore, Yan Xiaobing would definitely not immediately order the dismantling of the defensive formation, and maintaining that formation would itself continuously deplete the soldiers' physical strength and energy.
"It's a pity that the cavalry under Shuangren's command are still too inexperienced, and the surrounding terrain is mostly mountainous and forested. Otherwise, if we had a few hundred elite cavalry, we could have tried to wear down the Mount Liang vanguard behind them."
Liao Yu said.
Wu Dongrong remained silent, lost in thought.
In fact, he had been thinking of a solution for Wu Shuangren on the way here. So far, Wu Shuangren has done better than he expected, and there must be a master guiding him behind the scenes.
With the help of more than 5,000 able-bodied men from the Yi Province Militia, the people of Linwen County were able to retreat much faster, and they should all be able to retreat into Yi Prefecture City by tomorrow night at the latest.
So the problem now is no longer covering the civilians' retreat, but how to ensure the safe return of the people Wu Shuangren led without being caught by the Mount Liang army behind them?