Chapter 271: Melee

Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu had already charged out from their own army formation.The three idiots were assigned to “Instructor He’s personal guards” and did not belong to any of the five hundred-man teams. Therefore, Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu were not incorporated into formations like the spear formation or firearm squads.

While other Militia Soldiers formed up to confront the enemy, Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu directly “charged into the enemy ranks.” Taking huge strides, they surged forward with a powerful dash, smashing straight into the rebel formation.

Instantly, several spears stabbed towards them.

But it was utterly useless. The armor plates on these two men were absurdly thick, comparable to the ancient fierce warriors who had charged into countless battles and emerged unscathed. Ordinary spears stood no chance of piercing them; the iron spearheads merely clattered harmlessly against the metal.

Zheng Daniu swung his spear and swept it forward with a whoosh, sending two enemy soldiers flying through the air.

Gao Chuwu copied the move, sweeping his spear, but unexpectedly, an equally ferocious enemy officer on the other side also swung his spear forward. With a loud clang, the two spear shafts collided mid-sweep, and then crack – both shafts shattered.

The man opposite froze momentarily. Instantly abandoning his broken spear, he pulled his waist knife from its sheath.

This movement reminded Gao Chuwu, who also immediately discarded his spear shaft. Reaching over his shoulder with a swift motion, he drew out a thick-bladed large knife.

A gift from Xing Honglang!

The enemy officer glanced at his own ordinary waist knife, then at Gao Chuwu’s thick-bladed large knife. He swallowed hard involuntarily… Damn… the disparity in weapons was huge.

Gao Chuwu: “Heh!”

He took one large step forward and swung the blade down with a forceful whoosh.

The frightening power behind this strike made the man dare not block it directly. He hastily retreated backward several steps.

Gao Chuwu, brandishing his large knife, chased after him with wild swings. He didn’t manage to cut down his main target, but he did chop down a swath of other rebel soldiers blocking his path.

Zheng Daniu: “Wow, Chuwu! Kid, you’re fierce! I’m gonna lose to you.”

Gao Chuwu grinned broadly: “The knife Miss Xing gave me indeed works great.”

Cheng Xu yelled angrily from a distance behind them: “Stop thinking about women on the battlefield! You’ll die fast that way.”

Captain Wolf was starting to sense something was off.

Before clashing, he wasn’t sure, but now, battling head-on, he realized this opponent wasn’t the border army in Guyuan. Whether in training level or ferocity, they fell short of real border troops.

Logically, his soldiers should have secured an easy victory. But why did the actual fighting feel so wrong?

His soldiers, usually formidable, faltered strangely – spears would suddenly veer off course mid-thrust, knives would slip from their grasp mid-swing… showing none of their usual bravery and ferocity.

Moreover, the enemy soldiers were peculiar. Each one was physically robust, looking healthy strong, obviously well-fed and warm-clothed, remarkably like Great Generals’ privately raised, heirloom retinues of bodyguards.

His border army soldiers could only claim an advantage in combat experience and reckless fearlessness. In terms of equipment and physical fitness, they were drastically outmatched.

“Damn it all!”

Under normal circumstances, most commanders would consider retreat. But Captain Wolf was, after all, a hardened border army veteran, accustomed to life-or-death struggles against nomadic tribes. He would never yield or retreat so easily; those who faltered didn’t deserve to garrison the frontier.

Captain Wolf’s gaze immediately locked onto Cheng Xu: the enemy was just a bunch of new recruits, holding together solely because of this “Captain Ghost” directing them.

“Kill Captain Ghost, and the enemy will crumble without a fight.”

Captain Wolf slapped his mount’s rump. “Hiyah!” He spurred his horse forward, charging horizontally across the field with leveled lance, aiming straight for Cheng Xu.

By now, the front lines of both armies had dissolved into chaos. Rebels and Militia Soldiers were thoroughly intermingled. Cheng Xu’s position wasn’t held far back like those of “scholarly officials commanding troops.” His stance was significantly more forward.

This gave Captain Wolf the chance to reach him.

With a charging horse, he instantly cut through the chaotic battlefield and reached Cheng Xu in the blink of an eye.

Unlike those unskilled martial artists who shout “Take this spear!” before striking, Captain Wolf wasted no words—he thrust his spear straight at Cheng Xu’s head.

Cheng Xu’s attention was still on the military formation; every new recruit required his supervision. Hearing sudden hoofbeats, he turned and found Captain Wolf’s spear almost piercing his face.

Terrified, he leaped backward while drawing his waist knife to block.

Clang!

A crisp ring echoed—the blow knocked his helmet askew. Though unharmed, the shock was immense.

Damn, that spear’s faster than lightning.

Captain Wolf’s horse had already charged past Cheng Xu, galloping several yards ahead. It then spun around and raced back toward him.

Cheng Xu cursed inwardly: Fuck this—bullying me ’cause I’m horseless? And all I’ve got’s this useless commander’s knife, no spear?

He’d come purely to adjust the Militia Soldiers’ tactics, never intending to fight. Mountless and unarmed, he was just a command tower—now pinned by a spear-wielding cavalry captain, pressure crushed him.

In an instant, Captain Wolf was upon him again.

A whistling spear aimed straight for Cheng Xu’s forehead.

Cheng Xu scrambled backward, his speed nearly dodging the blow—until his back slammed into a Militia Soldier who’d been stabbing at bandits, unaware Cheng Xu retreated.

Thud!

The collision blocked Cheng Xu’s escape.

Captain Wolf’s spear tip now hovered before his eyes.

Shit. I’m done for.

Not even time to vividly picture his grandmother flashed through Cheng Xu’s mind; death felt certain.

Just then, another spear thrust sideways—lifting before Cheng Xu’s face with a clang that flung both weapons upward.

Cheng Xu turned: “Huh?”

It was Fang Wushang!

Fang Wushang had long chafed inside the city. Flinging the gates open, he’d charged out leading a hundred soldiers—yet true to his lone-wolf style, he’d outpaced them. His men lagged far behind while he tore into the battlefield solo.

Captain Wolf eyed the new arrival: a mere ninth-rank inspector.

As a fifth-rank Hundred-House captain of the border army, he scoffed at the lowly patrol officer. Without pause, he swung his spear toward Fang Wushang.

Fang Wushang blocked horizontally. Clang! Shockingly, he held firm.

Captain Wolf: “Huh?”

Their horses brushed past each other…

Galloping several yards apart before wheeling around to charge again.

Cheng Xu growled: “Fuck this! Two ambushes at me, then you switch to Fang Wushang? That’s just goddamn rude!”

His gaze swept the ground—landing on a fallen bandit soldier clutching a small recurved bow.

Cheng Xu grinned darkly, snatching the bow and nocking an arrow.

As Captain Wolf and Fang Wushang spurred toward each other, another clash imminent—Cheng Xu drew aim at Captain Wolf’s face and loosed his arrow with a whiz.