Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 18: The Wind is Strong and the Horn Bow is Ringing

"call out!"

The sharp sound of a whistling arrow pierced the air. A Grass Army cavalryman, unprotected by armor, burst into a blinding crimson from his throat. He fell from his horse, his blood staining the grass and seeping into the soil. The horse, without its master, still looked around in confusion on the battlefield, gazing at the withered crimson blossoms on the grass, unsure where to go.

"White Tiger, great shot!"

A powerful voice praised.

But no one saw where the arrow came from.

All we can confirm is that the Grass Army Knight was killed by a dart.

To be able to projectile with the accuracy of a direct shot requires more than ordinary archery skills.

"Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng! Wan Sheng!"

The Taining Army, which had been slowly following the retreating Zhongcao Army, suddenly became highly motivated, shouting out deafening roars. Every soldier's eyes flashed with fighting spirit like lightning.

Just when the soldiers of Huang Chao's army were still in a daze, there was a sudden roar of horse hooves from a plateau on the left, and a torrent of water roared down from the top of the plateau in an instant.

A group of cavalrymen swooped down from the towering plateau as if they were walking on flat ground, like an eagle swooping down on a rabbit, and immediately penetrated the grass army's formation.

The leading cavalry general wore a purple gold crown on his head, a red battle robe with green flowers embroidered with gold thread, and a Suanni Mingguang armor. He rode a purple-bridled Dayuan horse and held a Fengming Jingjiao bow in his hand. He had a handsome appearance and an arrogant demeanor.

The most surprising thing was that on this person's right shoulder was a very agile hawk. Even when its owner was galloping on horseback, the hawk remained motionless, like a clay sculpture or wooden carving, with only its gleaming hawk eyes indicating that it was a living creature.

The goshawk on the shoulder adds to the owner's majesty.

With the appearance of the newcomers, the Taining Army in the forest became more energized and more imposing. Previously, they were somewhat timid and did not dare to pursue the well-organized army of Huang Chao, but now they ran like a tsunami, one after another, like a rapidly advancing Great Wall, crushing the retreating Cao Army and forming a pincer attack from both sides with the newcomers.

A green shadow rushed out of the team and cut a bloody trail in the rebel army.

"Big sister, are you rushing too far ahead?"

A young knight with a high nose and deep eyes, wearing shiny silver armor and with long chestnut hair showing through his helmet, shouted loudly. He carried a terrifyingly large bow on his back. This man was the "White Tiger".

Qingying is a dashing woman wearing a green helmet and green armor, and her warhorse is also pure green. She is like a blue cloud.

"Hahahahaha..." The woman laughed even louder than the man. "What are you afraid of, Baihu? You've really become a coward from shooting too many arrows! If I were to be surrounded, Commander Kou would naturally rescue me!"

As she spoke, she licked her lips, a bloodthirsty gleam in her eyes, her face full of excitement, and she bravely moved forward, but was surrounded in an instant.

The man whom she called "General Kou" turned his horse and rushed forward like lightning. He suddenly arrived and shot down two more knights of the Grass Army with two consecutive arrows. Then he swung the long sword in his hand, and with a flash of the sword, he killed several people in the blink of an eye, and tore the encirclement of the woman in green armor apart in an instant!

"Didn't I tell you long ago that General Kou would never ignore us!" The woman gave "White Tiger" a rather proud look, and then immediately bowed to "General Kou" to express her gratitude.

The weapon in her hand was actually a snake spear that was two meters long, two feet longer than the snake spear used by the fierce Zhang Fei.

That "General Kou" laughed loudly, as loud as thunder, turned his horse's head and rode back. The knights who followed him also followed him out of the battle formation one by one.

Zhu Wen was in the Cao army formation, staring intently at the newcomer, and only then did he see clearly that he was leading only 28 cavalrymen, who were charging in and out of the Huang Chao army formation of over 10,000 people, as if they were in an empty space, without losing a single soldier.

What was even more terrifying was that they could go up and down the mountain slopes as if they were walking on flat ground, and they shot arrows at the same time, with every arrow hitting its target. Although they looked like Han cavalry, they had the demeanor of the ancient Xiongnu archers who could defeat a hundred enemies alone.

The wind is strong and the bow sings, and the general hunts Weicheng.

The eagle's eyes are sharp when the grass is dry, the horse's hooves are light when the snow has cleared. Suddenly we pass Xinfeng City and return to Xiuliu Camp.

Looking back at the place where the eagle was shot, there is a thousand miles of clouds in the clouds.

"Such a spirit can probably only be expressed in the poem 'Watching Hunting' by Wang Wei and Wang Mojie."

This was the first time that Zhu Wen was so shocked by the enemy's momentum.

Although he also had the desire to compete with him, his generous and open-minded temperament made it difficult for him to have much actual hostility towards the other party.

The man who came was undoubtedly a top-notch cavalry general, and he possessed such extraordinary ability as a general - just by appearing in the battle formation, he could boost the morale of the entire army several times!
"Qianzhi, you're just in time!"

In front of the Taining Army, Qi Kerang, who was commanding leisurely, smiled.

"Kou Qianzhi! It's Kou Qianzhi, the Deputy Military Governor of Taining Army!"

"This man is a descendant of Kou Zhong, the famous 'Young Marshal' from the early years of the Guo Dynasty."

Someone among the Cao army exclaimed.

Kou Qianzhi was the deputy governor of Taining Army and the governor of Mizhou. He was a general of the fourth rank, Zhongwu, and the deputy commander of Qi Kerang.

Due to financial constraints, the Taining Army had been severely depleted in recent years, leaving only a small number of elite troops. Furthermore, due to the need to retain troops to garrison the garrison, the vast majority of the tens of thousands of troops Qi Kerang brought with him were auxiliary troops responsible for managing baggage, fodder, and building civil engineering works, with only 5,000 combat troops remaining.

This time, when Kou Qianzhi came to support Qi Kerang, he only led a mere 28 cavalrymen, but he instantly boosted the morale of the Taining army.

A low murmur of discussion was heard among the Cao army.

"These twenty-eight men were once renowned warriors in the martial arts world. They had once roamed the grasslands, embracing the barbarians and honing their skills in horseback riding, archery, and slaughter. Once, an entire tribe was annihilated in a single night by Kou Qianzhi and these twenty-eight riders."

"Is it really that powerful?"

"How could I possibly lie to you? Rumor has it that Kou Qianzhi's 'Twenty-Eight Riders of Xingyun' are even more powerful than the 'Eighteen Riders of Yanyun' commanded by the famous founding general Luo Yi."

"These twenty-eight riders correspond to the twenty-eight constellations in the sky."

"So, the so-called 'Blue Dragon' and 'White Tiger' are..."

"Kou Qianzhi's four cavalry leaders, Azure Dragon, White Tiger, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise, are all young heroes who commanded their hometowns in their teens, each possessing unique skills. If they were deployed under another military governor, they would easily become captains commanding a thousand men."

"But the four of them would rather be among Kou Qianzhi's 'Twenty-Eight Riders of the Nebula'."

Zhu Wen listened to their low discussions, and his calm and casual expression gradually turned solemn.

Only the "Twenty-Eight Riders of Nebula", who are one in a hundred, can roar down from a ten-zhang-high plateau as if they were walking on flat ground.

Kou Qianzhi's high aspirations and unparalleled heroism were incredibly inspiring, compensating for Qi Kerang's lack of composure. While the Taining Army's increased strength was only due to the addition of Kou Qianzhi and the "Twenty-Eight Riders of the Nebula," it was not to be underestimated.

These mere twenty-eight people are enough to rival an army of thousands!

Zhu Wen thought to himself——

Qi Kerang alone is already so difficult to deal with, and with Kou Qianzhi added to the mix, they are a perfect match. The current situation of the Cao army is even more worrying. How can they find a way to break the impasse?

(End of this chapter)