Chapter 311: Death to He Who Blocks Me
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock
After resting for a short hour, Li XiangDong walked over with his injuries, “Marshal, the mountainous region is up ahead and is the legendary ‘One Line Ridgeline’! The terrain of the One Line Ridgeline is extremely treacherous, and it is said that a single man can defend against ten thousand with the terrain. This is something that our army requires now! As long as we can get there and pass through the One Line Ridgeline, we would be temporarily safe. We just need to send men to take turns to guard the entrance, and we can easily wait for our reinforcements there.”
Ling Xiao nodded his head, “It is indeed true. We will not delay the matter any further! Inform our brothers to give one final burst of effort! We will depart immediately and rush to the One Line Ridgeline! When we arrive there, the whole army can rest!”
“Marshal, I think that this matter is fishy!” Ling Twenty walked forward with a frown, “There is no doubt that this is the best place to set up our defenses but it also carries the most risk! Since our enemy had set up such a large encirclement and sent out over 400,000 troops, how would they overlook the One Line Ridgeline? If there were to be an ambush there, we would definitely be stopped by the treacherous terrain at the One Line Ridgeline and our advance would be halted. With the enemies chasing behind us, our situation would definitely be grave! At that time, our doom would be near! May Marshal consider the matter carefully!”
Originally, a low-level personal guard like Ling Twenty would not have the rights to interrupt in such a discussion. However, the four of them had already displayed their ferocity in battle and resolute killing intent. Thus, even the many famed generals present admired their valor. Furthermore, Ling Twenty’s words were not without reason, and Ling Xiao had no choice but the reconsider the matter!
“Little brother Ling’s words are indeed true. However, there was something that little brother Ling yourself had said. The Northern Wei army had already mobilized 400,000 troops, and the One Line Ridgeline is the shared border of Northern Wei and Western Han. Even if the Northern Wei army has an ambush in the One Line Ridgeline, there wouldn’t be many troops stationed there. After all, they would definitely incite the rage of Western Han if they were to mobilize too many troops. I believe that we will definitely be able to conquer the One Line Ridgeline.” Li XiangDong only analyzed Ling Twenty’s words and did not refute it entirely, “Furthermore, our direction of escape should have been out of our enemy’s expectations. Who would have imagined that we wouldn’t escape in the direction of Sky Bearing where the number of soldiers was the least but towards the direction where the enemies were the most? This is definitely something that the Northern Wei general would never be able to expect!”
As he said that, a trace of sadness could be seen on Li XiangDong’s rough face, “Furthermore, our army is already thoroughly exhausted with their combat prowess at a minimum. Apart from the One Line Ridgeline, there isn’t any other place that we would be able to guard. No matter what, the One Line Ridgeline has already become our only and final choice!”
Ling Twenty let out a long sigh and did not say anything else. He had to admit that Li XiangDong’s words were extremely reasonable. While the One Line Ridgeline wasn’t a safe location, they just didn’t have any other choice! They had no choice but to gamble the fact that they could quickly take the One Line Ridgeline!
With his intuition that was honed by many years of leading, Ling Xiao could also feel that something was amiss and had his head lowered in thought.
The ground started to tremble, and a dense sea of enemy troops could be seen charging towards them from afar!
Ling Xiao no longer hesitated as he waved his hands and said, “Mount your horses! Take down the One Line Ridgeline as quickly as possible!”
The soldiers all hopped on their horses and began their escape. Ling Twenty let out a sigh and chased behind them.
Wei ChengPing then smiled, “Brother Shui, they did indeed proceed as you had planned and are really heading towards the One Line Ridgeline. Now, they can have a good meeting with the Western Han troops.” While a smile could be seen on his face, the hidden look of pain could be obviously seen. As the Crown Prince who had always led a pampered life, since when did he set out on military expeditions? After the long chase, his inner thighs were already swelling from abrasion.
He originally didn’t intend to make a personal appearance but just could not be at ease with giving Shui QianHuan the full authority over his army. Furthermore, Shui QianHuan had a special identity, and it wouldn’t be right for Wei ChengPing to not accompany him. Helpless, Wei ChengPing could only set out in battle. Who would have expected that his previous pastime of riding a horse would become such a torturous event! He was already regretting in his heart but just could not grumble about it with Shui QianHuan in front of him, lest he be looked down upon.
In fact, he was no more than a good-for-nothing spoiled brat in Shui QianHuan’s eyes!
As Shui QianHuan looked at Wei ChengPing’s pained expression, he said calmly, “Ling Xiao has not died and the battle is far from over. Before the battle ends, there is always a possibility for change. You should not be glad so soon! We can only be at ease when Ling Xiao’s head is removed from his neck and in front of our eyes!”
Wei ChengPing twitched on the back of his horse and said with a dry laugh, “Even if Ling Xiao is a deity, he would not be able to escape from our 400,000 strong army. Brother Shui can be at ease, Ling Xiao will definitely fall prey to your mystical plans! Hahaha…”
“400,000 strong army?” Shui QianHuan muttered under his breath before saying coldly, “Do you think we still have a 400,000 strong army? To think that I am unable to bring a general like General Ling under my banner, this is indeed a great pity!”
Err! Wei ChengPing nearly choked on his words, Pity?! Am I not more depressed? Just from this battle alone, I have lost almost 50,000 troops already! Such heavy losses were something that even someone as cruel as Wei ChengPing would feel devastated about. When he had previously received a report about his losses, Wei ChengPing could not believe that his army would suffer such a loss despite having almost six times the number of his enemy! Now that he heard what Shui QianHuan had said, he could not help but sigh, “Our losses are huge indeed and General Ling is indeed extraordinary. However, my Northern Wei can endure such losses to eradicate Ling Xiao!”
Shui QianHuan sneered in his heart as he thought, When Ling Xiao’s army is completely wiped out, it would be amazing if you can even have 300,000 soldiers left! Unwilling to see Wei ChengPing’s gloating face and hear his flattery, Shui QianHuan turned his head around as he thought to himself, Why isn’t Rou’er back yet? Why is she taking so long to deal with a mere Ling Tian? Could she be delayed by something else?
Many soldiers charged past Shui QianHuan and a large dust cloud was kicked up in the grassland, covering the bright sun in the sky!
******
The Nine Swallow City was in sight!
Ling Tian and the other four assassins were rushing on their horses! Their horses were already drenched with sweat with mist almost rising up from their heads. It was obvious that their horses were already exhausted!
Drumming then sounded from the front and a squadron of troops dashed out. They were all clad in the attire of the Sky Bearing army with the one in the lead shouting, “Stop there!”
“Stop your head! Since when did Long Xiang’s troops become robbers on a common street!” Ling Tian cursed with anxiousness in his heart. On his way here, he had already been stopped many times! While it enraged Ling Tian, it also made him feel a sense of comfort. Since there was someone stopping him, it meant that the battle wasn’t over yet and his father was probably still alive. If not, these people would not come forward to block him despite knowing that their efforts were futile. Their objective was obviously to delay him!
However, they never expected that their obstruction was completely useless! It was only akin to giving up their lives for nothing!
Both parties were already nearing each other and the commander waved his hands without hesitation, “Fire! Kill without mercy!” Then, the arrows shot out like rain.
Ling Tian made a signal and the five men darted into the air from their horse’s backs. They were like dragons cruising the skies and eagles soaring into the air! They soared up a full 50 feet, easily dodging the incoming arrows, and landed in the midst of the Sky Bearing troops. At the same time, their five horses let out a neigh of agony as the many arrows pierced them and made them look like five large porcupines!
When the five of them landed, the strong wind from their descent had blown dozens of troops off of their horses! The five of them then snatched a horse each and rode off without delay. At the same time, Ling Tian shouted, “Death to he who blocks me!” With a wave of his weapons, the eleven soldiers in front of him were dismembered into two!
On one side, Ling Jian’s horse shot out as he held onto a spear which he had just snatched. Throwing it out, a wave of men and horses were flipped into the air! Ling Chi, Ling Feng and Ling Yun also showed no mercy, with miserable moans sounding every time they launched an attack!
The five of them unleashed a massacre and in just a short while, blood could be seen all around with limbs scattered everywhere. The five of them did not stop for the slightest moment as they dashed through the troops, bringing about death everywhere they went! Everywhere they went, they would leave a bloody massacre behind them! At the same time, the soldiers were all shocked to realize that none of the five were injured in the slightest! Anyone who had exchanged blows with them died without exception! Furthermore, their corpses were all in unsightly states! Those who were lucky only had their heads decapitated, but those who weren’t so lucky had all their limbs dismembered with their bodies mutilated!
With just a single round of attacks, the troops were scattered and their defensive line broken. Ling Tian did not turn his head around and continued sprinting towards his destination! Ling Jian who was behind let out a sardonic smile and suddenly stood up on his horse. Turning back, he fiddled with the spear he had obtained and suddenly threw it out like a javelin! Then, he sat back on the horse and left with a loud laugh!
The commander leading the troops witnessed the whole event with cold sweat drenching his back. In just a short few breaths, his army had been turned into a pile of corpses! His eyes almost popped out of their sockets as a chill could be felt from the depth of his soul. At the same time, he rejoiced in his heart that the five of them left immediately after breaking their defenses, actually sparing his life! Wiping his sweat, he could not help but mutter, “Thank goodness!”
Right at this moment, the remaining troops suddenly let out a cry of shock. The commander who was on his horse did not know what was going on as he cursed in his heart, The enemy is already gone, what are you guys making a fuss for? Just when he was thinking that he suddenly witnessed a black lightning appearing in front of him! Following that, he realized that his body was lifted into the air.
