Chapter 210: Ghost Fist Technique
Chapter 206 of "The Great Ming in the Box" reveals: Hearing Cheng Xuâs words, Bai Yuanâs spirits rose instantly. He looked ahead and spotted a... Keep reading!
Hearing Cheng Xuâs words, Bai Yuanâs spirits rose instantly. He looked ahead and spotted a large group still standing under the trees opposite by moonlightâthe Seventh Teamâs reserve force, all elderly and weak, women and children, not yet committed to battle.Understanding flashed across Bai Yuanâs mindâstriking at what the enemy must defend! The enemy would rush back to protect their families. And those blocking the Seventh Teamâs path? They were surely the Seventh Team members. No doubt.
He pointed toward the group of vulnerable civilians: âFeign an attack there!â
The Gaojia Village Militia roared in unison and charged at the Seventh Team reserve.
This charge genuinely startled the Seventh Team. Those were their families. Their weak spot.
The Seventh Team fighters abandoned their engagement with Second Team enemies and wheeled around to intercept the Gaojia Village Militia.
Chaos erupted instantly. Breaking formation mid-battleâespecially with reckless scatteringâwas suicidal discipline only bandits would tolerate.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu, leaders among Gaojia Villageâs ranks, spearheaded the assault. Towering figures clad in heavy armor, they plowed forward unstoppably.
A Seventh Team youth sprinted from the flank to block them. Gao Chuwu swept his spear sideways, sending the man flying.
One of Ye Bu Shouâs fierce bandits, witnessing this, raised a pot lid shield to parry. Zheng Daniu thrust his spearâthe iron tip caught the lid with a clang, failing to penetrateâbut the sheer force slammed the shield brutally into the banditâs chest, knocking him flat.
Another Seventh Team bandit lunged from Zheng Daniuâs blind spot, stabbing with his bamboo spear. The sharpened bamboo tip scraped uselessly against Zheng Daniuâs iron armor.
Unfazed, Zheng Daniu crashed straight into the spear. Snap! The bamboo spear broke against him, the wielder instead hurtling backward onto the ground with a thud.
A Second Team peasant from Qingjian County sprang out, swinging a stone lock hammer down onto the banditâs skull. Settled instantly.
Now the battle entered surreal territory.
Seventh Team bandits desperately scrambled back to protect their families. The Gaojia Village Militia became center stage, a magnet drawing all chaos. Yet Second Team fighters chased and hacked at the Seventh Team from behind.
No tactics. Just anarchy.
Realizing chaos converged upon his position, Bai Yuanâdisliking being the focal pointâstill steeled himself. Heâd known the stakes when he ordered the feint. Seeing reckless enemy surges, he bellowed, âTighten ranks! Spears up! Raise spears!â
After rigorous drills, the militia reacted fastâa compact shield wall formed instantly, iron spearheads gleaming menacingly.
Their professional spearheads proved deadlier than the banditsâ crude bamboo spikes. Facing this coordinated thicket of blades, the chaotic bandit swarms found no purchase. Bamboo tips occasionally slipped through, only to clang harmlessly against armored chests.
The Seventh Team couldnât breach it.
So the Second Team seized the chaos to unleash carnage upon the Seventh Team from behind.
A three-way melee raged.
The disorder demanded a true commander. Someone needed to take controlâon either side.
But Bai Yuan hadnât seen such chaos before; inexperienced. Dian Deng Zi stood dumbstruck. Helpless.
The duel continuedâtheir leaders still locked blade-to-blade.
Amid the fray, Cheng Xu and Ye Bu Shou exchanged another blow. Clang! Ye Bu Shouâs sword deflected. Cheng Xuâs waist knife struck the cotton armor with a thunkâstill unable to penetrate deeper.
Ye Bu Shou grinned, exhalingâa moment to snatch breath and taunt. But before words formedâŚ
Cheng Xu abruptly released his waist knife, letting it fall. Simultaneously, he lunged forwardâa swift motionâseizing Ye Bu Shouâs head. A sharp, precise twist.
Crack! Ye Bu Shouâs neck broke. His body crumpled lifeless.
âHeh! Glad I stole that Ghost Fist Technique!â
Cheng Xu had realized his waist knife couldnât pierce the armor. So he abandoned it, unleashing modern Army Combat Techniques heâd secretly learned from cliff inscriptions. This neck snapâclean, lethal, instant. Armor? Worthless when your neck is exposed.
Killing the man who knew his true identity brought immense relief. Vision instantly clearedâno ghostly grandmothers haunting him. Safe. Imperial Guards wouldnât come knocking.
He retrieved his knife, hewed Ye Bu Shouâs head off, and lifted it high, roaring, âYe Bu Shou is dead!â Pandemonium erupted among the Seventh Team ranks.
Now leadership didnât matter. Everyone screamedâpurely panicâfleeing downhill immediately.
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu surged forward to pursue. Cheng Xu snapped, âHalt! Donât chase! Fighting bandits at night on a pitch-dark mountain is madness? Youâll kill yourselves stumbling into ravines before they kill you!â
Both giants froze mid-step.
Meanwhile, Second Team fighters moved to follow. But seeing the Bai Family Fortress forces stand still, they paused too.
Scrambling wildly, the Seventh Team retreated down the west slope and vanished into darkness within moments.
Finally over.
Cheng Xu chuckled, inspecting militia casualties. Tally showed only two twisted ankles and some scratchesâno deaths, no serious injuries.
Li Daoxuanâs fanatical âarmor firstâ doctrine may violate The Great Ming Code, but it worked brilliantly. Things that didnât work wouldnât need prohibition.
Cheng Xu smirked twice, then turned to Dian Deng Ziâs group. Fewer deadâjust severalâbut many lay injured.
Life of rebellion meant expecting wounds and death. Qingjian County folk were notoriously tough. Bleeding but silent, they endured wounds stoically. Survive or dieâthey trusted fate.
Bai Yuan approached: âBring the wounded. We descend immediately. Healing salves await at Bai Family Fortress.â
Dian Deng Zi beamed, ordering the retreat instantly.
Over three thousand peopleâwives, children, injured on stretchersâretreated from Huanglong Mountain overnight. Reaching Bai Family Fortress, Dian Deng Zi wisely confined his people outside the walls on bare plains.
Bai Yuan quickly distributed the Deityâs âimmortal realm healing ointmentâ to Qingjian Countyâs wounded, and ordered steamed buns made from fine white flour passed out as sustenance.
Since killing officials and freeing Zhao Sheng, rising up in revolt, these Villagers of Qingjian County finally received compassionâreveling in peace and safety. The sheer gratitude moved them to weep openly beyond Bai Family Fortress.