Chapter 62: Ambush
“Report, lord! There are horsemen charging from the left!” Yang Mingwu shouted urgently, not even bothering to tighten the reins on his horse.
“How many horsemen?” Yang Zhengshan stood up suddenly, his expression stern.
“About two hundred!” Yang Mingwu replied.
Yang Zhengshan’s expression turned grave, and he immediately shouted, “Pull everyone back! Prepare for battle! Prepare for battle!”
During the rest period, Yang Mingwu and Yang Mingzhi would take turns keeping watch around the perimeter. Even without Yang Zhengshan’s orders, the sentries would have already withdrawn back to their original positions.
As the shout went out, the resting commoners suddenly became panicked. “Don’t panic! Place the carts at the outer perimeter as a barricade, soldiers in front, commoners in back, and form a circular formation!”
The commoners were in a state of panic, but the soldiers from the Heavy Mountain Fortress remained calm. Two months of training had instilled in them the habit of following orders without question.
As soon as Yang Zhengshan gave the order, the soldiers began to busy themselves. Although time was pressing, they quickly arranged the carts to form a semicircular formation.
Yang Zhengshan stood on horseback, surveying the surroundings. They were currently on the riverbank, with the forest of Songyuan River behind them, and the enemy horsemen approaching from the west.
Their forces outnumbered the enemy, with nearly a thousand men, but only about a hundred of them were soldiers under Yang Zhengshan’s command, along with Zhao De’s two teams of guards. The rest were commoners, farmers, and artisans, making up the bulk of the force.
“We’ll make our stand here!” Yang Zhengshan gazed at the shining waters of Songyuan River behind him, his eyes flashing with determination.
They were surrounded, with the enemy horsemen charging from the front and the river behind them, leaving them no choice but to fight to the death.
The enemy horsemen soon arrived, stopping about a mile away from the riverbank. As the horsemen came into view, the soldiers and commoners behind Yang Zhengshan let out a collective gasp, their faces pale with fear.
The soldiers from the Heavy Mountain Fortress were no strangers to the horrors of war, having been pursued by the Hu tribe before. As for Zhao De’s guards, they were not elite soldiers, and the commoners were merely auxiliary troops, enlisted from the various garrison forts.
Yang Zhengshan gazed calmly at the enemy horsemen, his eyes scanning their formation. He knew that the Hu tribe’s basic military unit was the “niu lu,” consisting of about three hundred troops, with a commanding officer known as the “niu lu e zheng.”
The enemy horsemen before him were likely a “niu lu,” numbering around two to three hundred.
As he took in the scene, Yang Zhengshan turned his attention to his own troops. The soldiers from the Heavy Mountain Fortress had formed a tight circular formation, using the carts as a barricade and standing calmly, like a vacant lot.
Despite their fears, they had grown accustomed to standing firm and silent after two months of training.
The enemy horsemen paused briefly, seemingly discussing something, before charging again.
Without any exchange of words, the two sides clashed in a heavy, murderous atmosphere. The sound of galloping horses, flying arrows, and screams filled the air.
The Hu tribe excelled in horseback archery, and their arrows rained down on the commoners, who were cowering behind the carts and grain stacks, trembling with fear.
Meanwhile, the soldiers from the Heavy Mountain Fortress counterattacked, but their response was sparse. They had only twenty archers, divided into ten small teams, which was no match for the two hundred Hu horsemen.
Fortunately, the soldiers’ armor was excellent, and although they were being pressured, they didn’t suffer too many casualties.
Yang Zhengshan had no time to worry about the commoners; as the enemy horsemen approached the carts, he took out two short guns and fired them simultaneously.
The terrifying force of the guns created two piercing sounds, like a dragon’s roar, as the guns struck two Hu horsemen in the chest.
The snow-white gun tips carried blood-stained bullets, which re-emerged from the horsemen’s shoulders.
This was the fearsome power of the short guns.
Yang Zhengshan’s strength was formidable, and the force of his short guns was unmatched.
He didn’t need to use a bow and arrow, which was restricted by the bow’s power. This was why Yang Zhengshan had never bothered to learn archery.
Although the Hu horsemen were blocked by the carts, the carts were not a fortress, and the horsemen could still jump over them. The battle was intense, with both sides clashing fiercely.
Just as the enemy horsemen were about to overrun them, a figure suddenly emerged, shouting, “Kill!”
Several bloody holes appeared on the Hu horsemen, as Yang Mingwu fought fiercely.
Just then, a cry for help came from not far away. Yang Zhengshan turned to see Yang Mingzhi being knocked flying backward, and the soldiers behind him were also being pushed back.
A tall, burly man emerged, holding a long spear and effortlessly flipping over a cart loaded with grain and provisions.
Yang Zhengshan rushed forward to block him, but before he could, Yang Mingwu stepped in front of the man.
“Die!” Yang Mingwu shouted, thrusting his long spear forward.
The burly man dodged the attack, raising his spear to block the blow.
The two clashed, their strengths evenly matched, like two giant beasts fighting.
After three exchanges, neither side could gain the upper hand.
Seeing this, Yang Zhengshan stopped in his tracks, turned around, and rushed out of the circular formation.
Their situation was unfavorable, and he couldn’t stay within the formation. Their only advantage lay in himself, as a master of the “after-heaven” martial arts, while the enemy seemed to lack such an expert.
The burly Hu warrior was likely on the same level as Yang Mingwu, a “forged body” warrior.
However, Yang Zhengshan wasn’t worried about Yang Mingwu, whose strength was truly astonishing, and whose abilities surpassed Yang Mingzhi’s.
Yang Zhengshan leapt forward, using the carts as a springboard to launch himself out of the circular formation.
His flying fish long gun danced like a dragon, its power unmatched within a three-meter radius.
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