I am a soldier in the border army

Chapter 475: Ant Thief! Unstoppable and Deadly!

"Destroy all the rebels! Leave no one alive!"

"Kill! Kill as you please!"

Cao Wu, wearing red-gold armor, rode his horse and charged into battle, surrounded by several relatives and companions who had left Luoyang with him to follow Gongye Jin.

In front of them, those figures wearing ochre-yellow turbans were swarming towards them like a tide of ants.

It seems scary and terrifying, but in front of these extremely powerful and well-armed Divine Capital Guards, no matter how many people there are, they are nothing but ants and grass.

With a single charge on horseback, one could create a gap in front of the ant swarm, and then attack them in vain, as if chopping melons and vegetables with unstoppable force.

"Rush! Don't stop!"

Cao Wu, who was leading the way, kept shouting and waving the long sword in his hand.

Every time it is swung, it can bring up countless broken arms and limbs, causing a bloody storm.

The sense of freedom in galloping across the battlefield made the blood of the red-armored cavalry led by him boil, and they wanted to roar to the sky.

"That's what a man should do!"

Hearing Cao Wu's sigh, the group of red-armored cavalrymen behind him, including Cao's relatives, also laughed and agreed.

"Captain Wu Wei!"

After he had killed his way through the enemy's formation in one fell swoop, Cao Wu shook off the blood on his sword and looked around with his head raised.

"I wonder if I can be on par with that champion marquis in the future!"

Although he has now been promoted to Duke for his merits, in the eyes of all the soldiers in the army, the only word that truly convinces them is "champion".

Champion, champion! The most courageous among all!

Who wouldn't envy the fame gained on the battlefield? Who wouldn't yearn for it and regard it as a lifelong goal?
So after hearing what Cao Wu said, Xiahou Jingde behind him rode his horse forward and said.

"The captain has already achieved great success with his first tiger roar! In time, he will be on par with the champion marquis!"

Upon hearing this, Cao Wu laughed out loud.

"Well said Jingde!"

Even though he is still a long way from being that monarch, if a man does not have lofty ambitions, wouldn't his life be lived in vain?
But he has always been calm and decisive. His moment of imagination and laughter, in addition to expressing his own ambitions, was more to boost morale and dissipate the tension of the soldiers on the battlefield.

After all, through spending some time together, he had figured it out.

At least many of the two imperial guards, Shen Ce and Tian Ce, brought out by Gongye Jin were like him. Although they had strong cultivation and skilled combat skills, they were newcomers to the battlefield.

Only by thoroughly inspiring the courage in their hearts and letting them temporarily forget the cruelty and fear of the battlefield can their powerful fighting capacity be truly unleashed.

So after that, Cao Wu no longer hesitated, pointed the long sword in his hand, and rode his horse forward again.

"The enemy's formation is in disarray! If we don't break it now, when will we?"

"My men! Follow me and kill!"

In a moment, Cao Wu's two thousand cavalrymen rushed again into the ochre-yellow crowd in front of them that looked like a vast ocean.

And if you look down from the void of the nine heavens, you can see that in addition to Cao Wu's troops, there are several other cavalry units doing the same.

They were like sharp blades, constantly cutting the ocean in front of them, turning it into isolated islands that could not care for each other.

Then the heavily armored infantrymen, who were also wearing red armor and were originally guarding the rear, quickly pressed forward.

Like a red wave, it swallowed up and submerged all the ochre-yellow islands one after another in a blink of an eye.

When the last batch of Huang Tian bandits wearing ochre-yellow cloth armor were surrounded by heavy military formations, I don't know whether they were tired of killing or developed some kind of compassion.

Cao Wu hesitated for a while, then rode his horse to stop his comrades who were about to kill him.

"Put down your weapons. This lieutenant will ask for surrender from the general on your behalf!"

Unfortunately, the response he got was a mocking laugh from the other party.

"Surrender? Haha! Since we set foot on this road, we have never thought about living!"

Cao Wu was puzzled.

"Why?"

Human nature values ​​life, so all living beings in the world fear death.

But facing Cao Wu's questions, those Huang Tian thieves seemed to have heard the funniest joke.

"Why? He actually asked us why..."

A small pool of ochre yellow that was about to dry up in the surrounding red and gold tides laughed uncontrollably.

After laughing, the leader of the thieves, Huang Tian, ​​pointed the broken knife in his hand at Cao Wu who was sitting high on his horse and uttered something.

"Because...you never thought of letting us live!"

After saying that, he was too lazy to even look at Cao Wu. He looked up at the void above his head and roared to the sky.

"Heaven is dead! Huang Tian is here to stand!"

"It's the year of Jiazi! Good luck to the world!"

"I am one step ahead! In the future, when everyone in the world is like a dragon, they will have the same achievements as I have today!"

Everyone in the world is like a dragon!
What a grand and stunning vision this is!
Cao Wu was shocked. Looking at the actions of the thief Huang Tian, ​​he subconsciously exclaimed and was about to draw his bow and shoot an arrow.

"don't want--"

Unfortunately, he was a step too slow, and the broken knife had already passed around his neck before being shot down by the arrow.

Blood is red.

What a big area.

When Cao Wu charged into the battle just now, his blood was boiling, but at this moment he felt inexplicably sad.

"Great...Great and wise teacher, I have no regrets in this life!"

Hearing the severed head's final mumblings, many of the imperial guards present were stunned on the spot.

At this moment, a cold military order came from behind.

"The general has given orders!"

"The rebels are bewitched by evil ways and are difficult to educate. Kill them all!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the heavily armored troops lined up like a wall and slowly approached.

He passed by Cao Wu, but at this moment he no longer had the courage to stop him.

What kept echoing in my mind was not only the phrase 'Everyone is like a dragon', but also the phrase 'You never thought of letting us live'!
At one moment, Cao Wu lowered his eyes to look at the clothes worn by a corpse at his feet. He gently lifted up the iconic ochre-yellow Taoist robe with the long knife in his hand, and his pupils suddenly shrank.

Inside was the most ordinary clothes of ordinary people.

In an instant, the long sword in Cao Wu's hand fell limply, and there was no trace of the previous joy and recklessness.

He didn't even feel the slightest bit of the glory that a warrior should have after a victory.

In a trance, Cao Wu suddenly felt that he seemed to have made the wrong choice.

He should have headed north...

The heavily armored infantry of the Imperial Guards finally completed the final encirclement.

Today's battle, which was a remarkable achievement, came to an end with the repeated chants of "The blue sky is dead, the yellow sky shall stand."

……

Since leaving Luoyang to the east, Gongye Jin seemed to be irritated by Cao Wu's words "General, why are you so late?"

The army's marching speed suddenly increased a lot.

On March 20th, the Wuxu day, we set out again from under the city.

On the 26th, they had passed Hongnong County, left Sili and entered Yingchuan, Yuzhou.

Cao Wu came to Yingchuan County more than once.

However, the Yingchuan County he saw that day was completely different from the Yuzhou County in his memory, which was rich in resources and full of heroes.

Although it is spring and the grass and trees are growing, the sight gives people a sense of endless desolation and bleakness.

We no longer see the crowds of people and the hustle and bustle of traffic, nor can we see farmers working hard in the fields.

For a moment, Cao Wu almost had an absurd feeling that this world was dead.

Until the 28th, outside the city of Jia County, the ochre-yellow color that seemed simple but was actually solemn and desolate was endless.

When those ant-like figures came roaring towards him, shouting "The sky is dead", Cao Wu felt fear for the first time.

Fortunately, Gongye Jin did have some skills. He first sent the strong men in the army to take the initiative and killed the opponent's strong men in an instant with lightning speed.

Then he used the formation to confuse the sight and hearing of heaven and earth, giving Cao Wu and other vanguard soldiers a chance to accumulate courage and fighting spirit.

Otherwise, many of them would have died in that battle alone!
After the war, Cao Wu was a little puzzled as to why Gongye Jin did not let them enter the city, and why no people went out of the city to welcome the royal army.

The army won the battle in one go and only rested outside the city for one night before setting out again.

On the second day of April, we went south to Fucheng.

They fought again and won.

I don’t know whether this battle was due to the fact that the bandits were too weak, or they had begun to adapt to the battlefield and gradually displayed their full strength, but in any case it was quite easy.

Unfortunately, the whole day's journey that followed was not so relaxing. Many soldiers complained privately that they would rather fight with the bandits than travel.

Only the old soldiers who had experienced wars smiled and said nothing.

It was not until he met Cao Wu's gaze that he smiled and said this.

"Only when they are on a real battlefield will they feel it's better to hurry on."

After all, traveling in a hurry only causes some pain, but usually no one will die.

On the sixth day of April, the army arrived at Fancheng.

Fight again.

Win again.

Three battles and three victories, completely wiping out the rebels, can be said to be a remarkable achievement.

The soldiers, who had already gained some confidence, were full of energy and enthusiasm for a while, even Cao Wu was the same.

Having once studied military tactics, he quickly came to his senses.

"Mingsir, this is a military training!"

And what happened next was exactly as he expected.

On the tenth day, we fought in Xiangcheng and won.

On the 13th, they marched south to Dingling and won again.

On the 15th, we fought again in Wuyang.

Starting from the 16th, they left Yingchuan County and entered Ruyang County, and fought successively in Xiping and Dingying counties.

Gongye Jin's marching was like making a move, his movements becoming faster and faster and more urgent.

Even Cao Wu, who was in the middle of it, felt an overwhelming sense of oppression.

On April 21st, 100,000 heavenly soldiers descended on Zhuoyang again.

But just when everyone, including Cao Wu, thought that he was going to make a concerted effort to capture the nearby Ruyang County seat in one fell swoop, Gongye Jin's military order caught everyone off guard.

In the next ten days, Gongye Jin suddenly turned back to the north, first conquered Zhaoling, then returned to Yingchuan, and headed straight to Linying without stopping.

Then it was Yingyang, and finally the troops arrived at the Yingchuan county seat, at the gates of Yingchuan city.

It was in that battle that Cao Wu encountered the Huang Tian thieves who gave him a great shock.

After this, his troops never heard his hearty laughter on the battlefield again.

Until that day, Gongye Jin suddenly appeared beside him.

"You can see that I have gone through such a long detour. What is my purpose?"

Cao Wu thought about it and said.

"Training, and...testing."

When Gongye Jin heard this, a hint of approval and appreciation flashed in his eyes.

"I was right about you. You are indeed very different."

Cao Wu was silent.

Actually, there is nothing difficult to guess.

Gongye Jin first used the weak counties to train them, and his purpose was too obvious.

Although the 100,000-strong army's march back and forth seemed to be very powerful, they were actually just jumping around on the edge of Sili and Yuzhou.

Cao Wu guessed that if Huang Tiandao really made any big move, Gongye Jin might turn around and lead his army to withdraw to Sili, or even retreat all the way to the eastern capital Luoyang.

"Your Excellency is too kind. I was just guessing."

Gongye Jin did not comment, and suddenly asked again.

"Where do you think Ben is going to go next?"

"Chenliu? Or go south to Ruyang again?"

Going south to Ruyang was undoubtedly an effort to regain the entire Yuzhou territory in one fell swoop.

However, Chenliu belongs to Yanzhou.

Yanzhou has a long and narrow terrain, longer from east to west and shorter from north to south.

Passing Chenliu and going north is Jizhou!
The heart of Huang Tiandao’s ancestral home is in Guangzong City, in Jizhou!
The former is undoubtedly seeking stability.

And the latter... is gambling!
He was betting on the life of Gongye Jin, and also on the lives of 100,000 imperial guardsmen from the Shen Ce and Tian Ce armies!
When Cao Wu heard Gongye Jin's words, he immediately realized that this bandit-suppressing general who was personally appointed by the emperor was actually hesitating.

Realizing this, Cao Wu's forehead was covered with sweat and his face turned pale. He didn't know how to answer for a moment.

At this moment, he asked himself, if it were him, would he gamble?

Will do!

With the 100,000 armored cavalry of Shen Ce and Tian Ce, if they do not split up their forces, how long will it take to recover the vast territory of the eight states bit by bit?
A real man should seize every moment while walking in the world!

But he didn't dare say this in front of Gongye Jin, because he was just a small captain with only two thousand cavalry under his command.

But Gongye Jin was carrying not only these 100,000 cavalrymen, but also the emperor's order!

Even the national destiny of Dayong!
And the change in Cao Wu's expression was actually enough in Gongye Jin's eyes.

Gongye Jin walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder with great surprise, saying with emotion.

"You are even better than I thought."

As he said this, he suddenly said.

"I would like to accept you as my disciple. What do you think?"

When Cao Wu heard this, his whole body trembled, a look of disbelief flashed in his eyes, and he almost thought he had heard it wrong.

Not to mention Gongye Jin's own status and the identity of the Gongye clan in the Confucian aristocratic family, even if he only had the cultivation level of an eighth-level celestial being, it would be beyond the reach of ordinary people to accept a disciple.

Although his Cao family was once considered prominent, their family background was not high and they were even despised by many aristocratic families.

If I could become a disciple of Gongye Jin...

Cao Wu felt excited and nervous.

He was about to react, but unexpectedly, after Gongye Jin said that, he seemed to suddenly think of something and gave Han Shao an apologetic smile.

"Forget it, let's wait until this battle is over."

"If I were to ..."

When Gongye Jin reached this point, he stopped talking.

Cao Wu was disappointed for a while.

Looking at Gongye Jin's slightly desolate back as he turned and left, he suddenly understood.

Gongye Jin was afraid...that he would be implicated in the end.

After all, the relationship between a master and his apprentice is like that between a father and his son, and that is not something that can be simply stated.

Just when Cao Wu was about to say something, he saw Gongye Jin's aura change and become stronger and stronger.

'Ben will not lose!'

……

It was May, the sixty-first year of Taikang's reign.

The Shen Ce and Tian Ce armies led 100,000 armored cavalrymen eastward to Chenliu and entered Yanzhou.

Unstoppable all the way, no one can stop us!
For a moment, the whole world was looking at him with awe!

Many people were amazed, told others about it, or cried with joy, feeling that Dayong had overcome its decline and had hope for revival!

Han Shao, who was also watching all this, couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the battle report passed to him.

"This is... courting death!"

Originally, he estimated that Gongye Jin could hold on until August or September of the year, but now he is afraid that he can't wait until then.

His father-in-law Gongsun Du had a good opinion of him and believed that Gongye Jin was indeed quite capable.

But he was too impatient.

When people are in a hurry, they like to gamble.

It’s a pity that such people always subconsciously ignore one problem. In fact, from the moment they sit down at the gambling table, they are destined to lose everything.

Because at this gambling table prepared by others, you can never guarantee whether the other party will cheat.

So you can never win.

"Old Gu, do you think I should save this man's life?"

After saying this, Han Shao shook his head without waiting for Zhong Xinggu to reply.

"The price is too high."

……

(End of this chapter)