Chapter 227: I Will Show You Despair (1)
In just a single day, the Hui army had grown even larger. Their infantry and supply trains, which marched at a slower pace, had finally caught up.
Although the Allied forces might have felt their morale drop, they were actually more fired up than the day before. During the night, a powerful ally had arrived in their camp.
Roar—!
A terrifying tiger was strolling casually through the Allied camp.
Its crimson eyes, bulging back muscles, and claw-like talons were enough to make anyone’s knees buckle. Stripped of its specially made disguise, the Mountain Lord’s true appearance was truly fearsome.
Seeing the tiger, the volunteer soldiers trembled in fear. They were former soldiers under Liu Guangshi who had fought against the Mountain Lord in the past. The memory of that day was a disaster they never wished to recall.
“Why is that thing here?”
“Crazy…”
“Wasn’t that tiger controlled by the Hui?”
The soldiers’ reactions varied.
The So soldiers merely waved with proud smiles. To them, the Mountain Lord was just a playmate that So-so rode around Chang’an.
On the other hand, the soldiers from Po and the volunteer army reacted quite differently.
Meeting the Mountain Lord’s gaze, the soldiers stood frozen, unable to move.
One soldier asked in a trembling voice, “Who is that kid on top of it?”
A young girl was riding on the Mountain Lord’s back, holding onto his reins.
Meeting the soldier’s gaze, So-so smiled, showing her dimples.
“I’m So-so. I came to see my father, and they said I could play here for a bit. Hehe.”
Since her parents had told her she could stay a little longer, she was in a wonderful mood.
“Who is your father?”
So-so pointed her index finger.
There, at the front of the center division, stood a general with his hands behind his back, observing the battlefield.
“He’s over there!”
Their tension easing slightly, the soldiers began to whisper to one another.
“Is that the Commander’s daughter?”
“Come to think of it, I heard a rumor that the Wolf Fang Squad took the Mountain Lord.”
“So that terrifying beast is on our side now?”
“Wow… the Hui are dead meat now.”
Perhaps finding the soldiers’ gazes overwhelming, So-so shrugged and rode to another spot.
She enjoyed exploring the camp, riding between the left and right wings and drawing the attention of all the soldiers.
Of course, this was exactly what So-mu had intended.
A terrifying beast that one wouldn’t want to meet even in a dream. If such a creature was a dependable ally, it changed everything.
The morale of the soldiers continued to rise.
Just then, a horn blew in the distance.
Blowing horn—!
Along with the sound of drums, shouts echoed throughout the camp.
“Advance!”
“Form up!”
The soldiers busied themselves, and the atmosphere in the camp shifted instantly.
Just then, a woman dressed in a Phoenix Robe appeared silently in front of the puzzled So-so.
“Come, follow me.”
“Yes, Mother!”
As the march began, the mother and daughter moved to their positions.
At the front of the formation.
Commander So-mu was directing the battle.
“Maintain the formation and advance slowly.”
“Yes, General!”
The Allied Forces marched across the filled ditches.
The perimeter of the formation was held by spearmen and shield bearers. Inside, archers and infantry were deployed, while the supply wagons were protected in the deepest part of the formation.
It was a solid layout that could not be easily breached from any direction.
“Will the enemy actually attack?” asked Bai Yue, a commander of Sanwa origin. He was clutching his glaive, his eyes shining.
So-mu nodded without hesitation.
“If they do not attack, we will march all the way to Luoyang. The enemy will never allow that.”
The Allied supply wagons were loaded with materials to assemble the Hoeryong Cannons. Breaching the walls of Luoyang would be trivial with them.
“When will they come?”
So-mu uttered a single word.
“Now.”
Bai Yue looked bewildered.
“Excuse me?”
“Since we have abandoned our traps, the enemy has no reason to hesitate. Watch their movements.”
As the Allies began their advance, the Hui army also bustied.
They were not retreating. Rather, they were forming up and preparing to charge.
The sight of the endless cavalrymen preparing to charge was stifling.
“Do they believe they can breach our spear formation with just those numbers?”
“Of course.”
The moment So-mu finished speaking, a group emerged from the gaps in the cavalry.
They were cavalrymen heavily armored in shining iron. Even the horses wore sturdy iron armor.
They appeared at the front of the center, left, and right wings.
“…Armored cavalry.”
Until now, the Hui cavalry they had faced were all light cavalry.
Deploying heavily armored cavalry at the front was the worst possible match, designed specifically to shatter the Allied spear formation.
Confirming that the Hui army was ready to charge, So-mu raised his right hand.
Immediately, the officers waved their flags to signal the orders.
“Halt!”
The Allied forces halted simultaneously, bracing themselves.
The distance between the two armies was fifteen hundred feet, a suitable distance for a cavalry charge.
The sight of the endless Hui cavalry was intimidating.
Before the soldiers could waver, So-mu issued the next command.
“Prepare the Whirlwind Cannons.”
A red flag rose from the command post, signaling the catapult unit.
The light catapults mounted on carts lined up and aimed.
As both sides prepared to clash, a stifling tension filled the air.
The soldiers gripped their weapons, their palms sweating, while the commanders held their breath, steeling their resolve.
A gust of wind swept across the battlefield. At that moment, a shout echoed from the Hui formation.
“Charge!!!”
The heavy armored cavalry at the front sprang forward. Behind them, the light cavalry followed in formation.
Rumble—!
The ground shook under the hooves, kicking up a thick cloud of dust.
Clutching their spears and axes, the riders glared fiercely, their aura enough to make the opposing infantry shrink.
“Fire the Whirlwind Cannons!”
There was no need to wave flags, as So-mu’s voice, infused with deep internal energy, reached the entire Allied army.
A thunderous roar erupted from the rear of the formation.
Boom—!
Countless stones, smaller than a fist, flew over the infantry’s heads and rained down on the charging cavalry. The first volley was grapeshot.
Crash—!
A single hit was enough to kill a rider or a horse instantly.
Although hundreds of cavalrymen fell, the enemy did not slow their charge.
“Archers, fire!”
The archers positioned behind the front lines unleashed a volley.
Whoosh—!
A sky full of arrows traced arcs through the air, raining down on the riders.
In particular, the archers of So were incredibly precise, with over half their arrows hitting their targets.
The trouble was, they couldn’t pierce the armor of the iron cavalry.
Clang—!
As the arrows fell uselessly, the morale of the Allied soldiers began to drop.
However, this was not the end. When the distance to the cavalry closed to less than five hundred feet.
“Prepare the heavy crossbows!”
As the soldiers at the front knelt, others holding heavy crossbows appeared behind them.
They waited for the command to fire.
“Fire!”
While bows fired in an arc, the heavy crossbows fired in a straight line. They were powerful enough to pierce even the protective qi of Transcendence.
Whoosh—!
Two thousand arrows swept across the field.
The power of the heavy crossbows did not disappoint. The blunt arrowheads tore through the iron armor.
Thud—!
The arrows pierced through two or three riders at once, bringing them down.
Over a thousand cavalrymen fell in a single volley.
Yet, the cavalry’s momentum did not wane.
Only close combat remained. The Hui riders surely believed so.
The distance to the cavalry was now three hundred feet.
Suddenly, a tempest of qi erupted from the Allied formation, as if to pierce the sky.
At that moment, So-mu’s thunderous voice echoed once more.
“Now!”
The soldiers holding the center line quickly split to the left and right. There stood the young girl riding the Mountain Lord.
Beside her, Yeon Seo-hwa was tying a black blindfold over the girl’s eyes.
After finishing, Yeon Seo-hwa stepped back a pace and glared at the front.
‘Foolish bastards. Experience what true despair feels like.’
A moment later, the fierce tempest of qi surrounding So-so vanished.
The complete mastery of the Dragon-Striking Lion’s Shout was ready.
Having been warned beforehand, the nearby soldiers stuffed earplugs into their ears.
Sensing something, one of the Hui commanders shouted in panic, “Cover your ears!!!”
But it was too late. How could riders clutching weapons cover their ears? And what about the horses?
When the lead cavalry drew within a hundred feet of the Allies.
A lion’s roar erupted from So-so’s open mouth like divine punishment.
ROAR—!!!!!
The shockwave sent the So soldiers at the rear flying.
“Ugh!”
“Ah!”
That was just the beginning.
Crack—!
The ground split like a spiderweb as if a massive earthquake had struck.
The sound wave swept across the charging cavalry.
The eardrums of the charging horses ruptured instantly.
Unlike the riders, the horses had no internal energy to protect themselves, making them highly vulnerable to the sound wave.
Neigh—!
Thousands of horses at the front buckled and fell.
But the divine punishment did not allow them to simply fall. The shockwave of wind slammed into them immediately.
Its power was completely destructive.
Crash—!!!
Over a thousand horses and their riders were launched into the air.
“Arrgh!”
“Ugh!”
The horses at the front died instantly, while the riders were left completely disoriented.
The cavalry in the middle fell over one another, while those at the rear lost control of their panicked horses.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye.
The Hui commanders stood mouth agape in disbelief.
“What… what is this?”
“How can this be…”
Soon, the heavy horses launched into the air began to rain down, crushing the disoriented riders below.
Thud—!
The weight of the falling horses was enough to crush even martial artists.
It was an unbelievable sight.
The Allied soldiers also stood in a daze, blinking their eyes.
“Good job, my daughter.”
Yeon Seo-hwa lifted So-so and tied her to the Mountain Lord’s back.
There was no response from the girl, only the sound of her quiet breathing. She had fallen asleep.
Yeon Seo-hwa left the blindfold on so she could sleep peacefully.
“Dalong, take your sister home and wait for us. Can you do that?”
Although the Mountain Lord was male, So-so always called him her brother or sister.
The tiger growled, looking confident.
When Yeon Seo-hwa patted his rump, the giant beast sprang forward.
Dashing toward the rear of the formation like lightning, the Mountain Lord vanished from sight in an instant.
Her mind at ease, Yeon Seo-hwa looked to the front.
There stood So-mu, staring blankly. He was thoroughly shocked by the power of the Dragon-Striking Lion’s Shout. Who would have thought a single shout could neutralize the entire Hui cavalry?
“What are you doing? Aren’t you going to fight?”
They had to strike before the enemy could regroup.
Brought to his senses by her voice, So-mu drew his sword.
Shring—!
A ripple of qi erupted around So-mu, and his red cape fluttered over his armor.
“Soldiers, raise your weapons! We will crush the enemy! We will show them our wrath!!!”
As So-mu finished speaking, nearly a hundred thousand soldiers let out a massive shout.
“Woahhh!!!”
“Kill them!!!”
The soldiers’ shouts carried all the sorrow and resentment they had harbored.
The roar from the Allied forces shook the Hui command, making them shrink.
At that moment, So-mu’s voice, infused with internal energy, echoed across the field, signaling the attack.
“Leave none of them alive!!!”