Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 24: Fighting in the Camp
The knife shines like the moon.

The sword light is like snow.

The clash of weapons was like lightning, which was dazzling to watch.

When Lady Fan was injured and repelled by Deng Jiyun, more Cao army soldiers had already poured out from the tunnel entrance. Zhu Wen and others had originally formed a circle and were heading outward, but at this time they were caught in a melee with the Taining army's garrison troops.

The injury of Lady Fan did dampen the morale of the Cao Army's vanguard for a time, but when Meng Kai, with his upper body naked, brandished a huge axe, and pounced on Deng Jiyun with bursts of tiger roars, the Taining Army collapsed like boiling soup poured on snow.

When he first appeared, he flung his powerful horse to the ground, killing a Vietnamese swordsman with a swift blow. This instantly took the breath away from the Taining army, who were horrified by his astonishing power. He then charged forward, charging into the enemy ranks, using his axe's powerful swing to smash through them with ferocious blows, instantly carving a path of blood and flesh. Deng Jiyun, previously arrogant and conceited, was intimidated by Meng Kai's might and dared not fight back, retreating in panic.

The sunlight fell on Meng Kai's bronze body, reflecting a metallic light. His wiry muscles were clearly visible, like tall pines and cypresses, containing explosive power.

The axe has been a symbol of power since ancient times. Wherever Meng Kai is, he shows the world his domineering and powerful aura: with an axe in hand, this world will obey my orders!

Zhu Wen laughed heartily and charged forward on Meng Kai's right. The Cao army's fierce warriors, with their sharp spearheads, were invincible.

"Snow Marshal" Qi Kerang is a man as unfathomable as the abyss.

But Zhu Wen was obviously not.

He needed to think very painfully, making his head almost explode, before he could come up with a plan to break Qi Kerang's plan.

But this kind of painful thinking is also the time when he feels the most happy, enthusiastic and passionate.

He cried out in his heart—

"See how a young boy from the countryside uses his mortal wisdom to crush the unfathomable might of the Four Marshals."

"As long as I, Zhu Wen, am here, no matter how wise you are, or how invincible you have been for decades, your undefeated career will end right here, amidst the roar of my blood!"

When he suddenly understood the idea, he could not hold back and rushed to Huang Chao's tent to offer his brilliant plan.

When his plan actually started to be implemented, his blood began to boil as if it were burning.

Being the wisest in the world and the bravest among the three armies is the ultimate dream of a warrior.

Therefore, when the plan was launched, Zhu Wen was most eager to fight.

He just wants to kill to his heart's content!
The situation in the eyes, the strategy in the heart, the weapons in the chest, the sword in the hand.

Isn't the purpose of life to challenge the limits of wisdom and courage?

Zhu Wen leaped onto a high platform and swung the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword, cutting off a large banner in an instant. On the banner was embroidered a huge regular script word "Qi" with gold thread. It was the central army flag of Qi Kerang's camp.

Generals Xiao Ling and Ren Yuan stepped forward to stop them, but they heard the sound of bowstrings and hurriedly dodged the sharp arrows that were about to fly.

The man who had fired the arrow wore a crimson battle robe resembling the first rays of dawn. His long black hair was tied up in a stunning bun, looking as if it were about to take flight. A peony hair ornament on his temples only added to his beauty. His stunning beauty, yet the valiant and heroic spirit that emanated from him made him impossible to look away.

If it’s not Junior Sister Duan Hongyan, then who could it be?
Zhu Wen roared angrily and swung his sword wildly. A red light swept across the area. The two generals did not dare to resist and retreated in fear.

When two brave men meet on a narrow road, the braver one wins. But at this moment, many people in the Taining army have lost their courage.

Zhu Wen couldn't help but feel happy and laughed out loud.

As wisdom gushed out like lava, he felt that his bravery had also reached its limit.

This also includes the perception of crisis.

When a sharp arrow was only three feet away from Zhu Wen, Zhu Wen heard the sound of it breaking through the wind.

It was the "White Tiger" among the "Twenty-Eight Riders of Nebula", and it turned out that he was also in the camp.

"White Tiger" is known to be an invincible archer, but he never uses heavy arrows that can penetrate armor. He only uses a single wooden bow and ordinary light arrows.

Because with his superb archery skills, light arrows are enough to penetrate armor, and can be shot farther, more accurately, and more concealedly.

But Zhu Wen just closed his palm, caught a sharp arrow in his palm and threw it to the ground.

"General Zhu Wen, great catch!"

Lin Yan applauded from the side.

Before he could finish his words, a string of arrows came without warning and was about to hit Zhu Wen in the face.

Zhu Wen seemed to have no way out.

But at the critical moment, there was a loud gnashing sound, followed by the sound of the arrow shaft grinding against the teeth, and then Zhu Wen spat out a mouthful of blood and pulled an arrow out of his mouth.

He casually threw the arrow back, and heard a heart-wrenching scream from the enemy.

"General 'White Tiger'..." shouted the Taining Army soldiers.

"I'm fine, but that guy shot me in the right wrist. I'm afraid I can't fight anymore..." the other party responded tremblingly.

For an archer, fighting with only his left hand is undoubtedly a fantasy.

In fact, when Zhu Wen bit the arrow, he felt a little nervous, and he never thought that he could hit the enemy's vital point with a casual throw.

Zhu Wen couldn't help but burst into laughter, thinking to himself - God is helping me!
Lin Yan also sneered, "You sneaky villain, the second arrow was also caught by General Zhu, and now he is unharmed. General Zhu used your arrow to reflect you, directly crippling one of your arms. What else do you have to say?"

This statement is actually a little off. Zhu Wen's gums were injured, so he vomited blood.

But Zhu Wen was so excited that he no longer felt any pain.

"Those Azure Dragon, Vermillion Bird, and Black Tortoise are probably all here too. Come up together!"

The long wind howled.

The fire of fighting spirit in Zhu Wen's heart was also stirred by the long wind and rose fiercely.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhu Wen saw his senior brother Meng Kai sweeping his axe, defeating the Taining soldiers and sending them fleeing in panic. There were also few soldiers in front of Zhu Wen who could stop him.

There was only a young man in a black robe and silver armor in front of him. He had a cold and hard face and said nothing. He strode towards him with a long spear in his hand.

Zhu Wen shot out like an arrow, like a meteor chasing the moon.

"Xuanwu"'s silver spear was like a poisonous snake, biting towards Zhu Wen's throat.

The mythical beast Xuanwu, also known as the "turtle snake." This young man, known as "Xuanwu," is covered in several layers of armor, which is extremely thick, but his spear skills are more venomous than the most venomous snake.

Fight fast with fast, and fight slow with slow.

Zhu Wen knew that with this style of fighting, the outcome would always be decided quickly.

The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword hummed loudly, and blood-red light illuminated the blue sky.

"Xuanwu" fired three shots in a row, but Zhu Wen blocked them all with his lightning-fast sword skills.

Then he turned the sword over and swung it like a blunt weapon, with a loud bang, he slammed it hard on the back of "Xuanwu".

This person has thick armor, and if you chop him with a knife, it may not be able to break through his defense.

So Zhu Wen directly used the trick of swinging the hammer, using the thick back of the knife to hit it, pouring all his strength into it, and penetrated the armor in the blink of an eye.

"Xuanwu" screamed in pain, his spine was injured, blood gushed out of his mouth like a fountain, he covered the heart guard on his chest with his left hand, and ran away in panic.

"White Tiger's claws are broken, Black Tortoise's spine is cracked." Zhu Wen scratched his ear, which was a little warm from the helmet, with his left pinky finger and muttered to himself, "One more 'Vermillion Bird's wings are broken, Azure Dragon's horns are broken,' and I'll have it all."

For this kind of thing, as long as you mention Cao Cao, he will appear.

As he spoke, a row of sharp arrows suddenly broke through the wind and shot towards him.

A red shadow also appeared faintly at the edge of Zhu Wen's vision.

There is no doubt that it is the crossbow technique of "Suzaku".

"Good archery skills." Zhu Wen smiled, but the smile could not hide the fighting spirit that was about to burst out of his eyes.

He was wearing full armor, and he flipped up like a kite, his body erratic, dodging the crossbow arrows that came one after another, his movements calmly, like an elegant dance.

"Unfortunately, crossbows are often less accurate than bows for long-range shooting. Repeating crossbows are even less accurate."

Zhu Wen roared and cut off the heads of the three Taining soldiers who were blocking the "Suzaku" with a single blow.

With the remaining strength, he chopped the shoulder of the handsome young man "Suzaku" in fiery red armor.

The sharp blade light failed to penetrate the armor, but the strong impact force and murderous intent penetrated the blade, instantly dislocating the shoulder joint of "Suzaku", and his right arm hung down weakly.

He had no power to resist.

"Suzaku's" pupils dilated, and beads of cold sweat rolled down his cheeks. His fear had reached its limit. He wanted to scream in panic, but it seemed as if an invisible big hand was strangling his throat, and he couldn't utter a word.

"Third brother, please step back first and let me fight him!"

After a roar that was no less heroic than that of a man, a green shadow blocked Zhu Wen's way, and the "Suzaku", which had lost its fighting power, was pushed far back by the green shadow.

The person in front of him was naturally the only woman among the "Twenty-eight Riders of Nebula".

He is also the leader of the "Twenty-Eight Riders of the Nebula" - "Qinglong".

"Interesting little brat, Kou Shuai couldn't even kill you last time."

"Qinglong" opened his red lips and chuckled.

"General Qi, General Kou, they are all from the previous era. They will only become stepping stones for me, Zhu Wen, to become famous."

Zhu Wen's words were extremely arrogant.

Qinglong's expression changed instantly, and she said in a cold voice, "In that case, I will cut off your tongue and see if you can still speak such outrageous words!"

The snake spear whistled, and the green spear shadow came like the wind.

The shadows of spears were heavy and carried an overwhelming pressure.

Zhu Wen immediately realized that the "Qinglong" was no match for the "Baihu", "Suzaku" and "Xuanwu".

But even under the command of great masters like "Heavenly Sword" Song Jue and Taining Deputy Commander Kou Qianzhi, Zhu Wen was able to survive.

Moreover, now that he is planning to attack, his wisdom and courage have been stimulated to the extreme, and his strength is far beyond what it usually is.

"Qinglong" is a person of the same generation, what is there for him to be afraid of?
The Dragon Sparrow Sword surged forward like the wind, cutting through the green shadows in the sky in an instant.

Swords and spears danced, auras surged, and dust and sand roared in the battle group, as if dragons were fighting in the wild. Swish!
After fighting for more than ten rounds, Zhu Wen suddenly felt a chill on his head. When he ducked to avoid the attack, his helmet had been lifted high up by "Qinglong" with his snake spear.

There was a burning pain on his forehead, and the spear tip scraped off a piece of flesh, causing blood to flow down immediately.

But he didn't feel any pain at all.

The dripping blood blurred one of his eyes.

But Zhu Wen thought it was great.

The enemy in front of her became even clearer, and her power seemed to be reduced by half in an instant.

So Zhu Wen roared angrily and stood up to fight.

He approached like thunder, and taking advantage of the fact that the snake spear was too long and difficult to retract quickly, he swung it with a knife.

"Qinglong" also ducked and dodged like Zhu Wen did before.

The blade cut through the helmet with a sharp force and passed by the "Qinglong" scalp.

The flying black hair suddenly splashed up along with half of the helmet and floated in the air.

Among the hair, you can see a few white pearls shining, which must be the jewelry worn by Qinglong in his bun.

"Qinglong" finally let out a sharp cry, revealing a bit of the panic that ordinary women often have.

But it was not because Zhu Wen cut off several layers of her hair.

But the snake spear in his hand had already slipped out of his hand!

When he drew his sword, Zhu Wen also used the "spear-snatching method" taught to him by his senior brother Meng Kaixin to snatch the snake spear from "Qinglong".

Having lost his weapon, "Qinglong" no longer had the strength to fight Zhu Wen, even though there was no trace of blood on his body.

He could only take a deep breath and leap to escape.

"Boy, wait for me!"

She clenched her fists and uttered a harsh word before retreating.

Zhu Wen laughed heartily and took back his helmet that had been picked up by the "Qinglong" from the top of the snake spear.

He was very happy to get back his principal with interest.

"The Azure Dragon's horn is broken, the Vermillion Bird's wings are broken, the White Tiger's claws are shattered, and the Black Tortoise's spine is torn apart. All of this is just a matter of a glance."

Zhu Wen laughed and said, "The twenty-eight riders of Xingyun are no more than this!"

After saying this, Zhu Wen tore off a piece of the enemy flag he had just seized and thrown to the ground. The flag was made of several pieces of cloth, and he tore off a layer of it, which was just enough to bandage his forehead and wipe the blood from his eyes and face.

He glanced out of the corner of his eye and saw that his senior brother Meng Kai was even more courageous, chopping Taining soldiers with his axe as if they were chopping wood.

Junior sister Duan Hongyan raised the corners of her mouth slightly, revealing a hint of satisfaction. She drew her bow with her bare hands, and the arrows shot like meteors chasing the moon.

Suddenly, a sound of breaking wind was heard from behind a collapsed tent.

"Junior sister, be careful." Zhu Wen reminded.

A tiny sleeve-wielding club drew a neat arc in the air and headed straight for Duan Hongyan's chest.

During the Warring States Period, Lord Xinling stole the imperial seal to save Zhao State. He ordered the warrior Zhu Hai to kill General Jin Bi with a 40-jin iron mallet and seize the military power.

However, a small hammer can be hidden in a bag or a sleeve and used as a concealed weapon for sneak attacks. It is not only more concealed than a bow and arrow, but also far more powerful than an arrow.

Duan Hongyan was wearing close-fitting soft armor that could protect him from stray arrows, but if he was hit in the chest by a blunt object like an iron spike, he would inevitably suffer serious injuries.

She was a veteran of many battles and was extremely alert. She leaned back and quickly retreated. But the iron mallet came at her with such force, it seemed as if it had eyes and kept pressing forward.

At the critical moment, a figure appeared as fast as lightning, and there was a loud crash. It was Zhu Wen who drifted over and swept across with his left arm, knocking the iron spike away with all its might.

Because Duan Hongyan was attacked from the left, he had no time to swing his sword to block. Although he had arm armor to protect him, he still used his elbow to hit the flying iron spike. Even with his skillful strength, he could not avoid the pain and numbness in his joints, and suffered a minor injury.

The Taining army warriors hiding in the corner roared and pounced out like mad tigers, but they were no match for Zhu Wen. After just a few rounds, they were killed by Zhu Wen's Dragon Sparrow Sword.

Because of the powerful blow from Ge Fei's sleeve, Zhu Wen was still pale with pain and his lips were bloodless, but he still said with concern, "Junior sister, are you okay?"

Unexpectedly, Duan Hongyan showed no sign of gratitude. Instead, she remained silent for a long time before she said calmly, "Thank you for your help, but I don't need anyone to protect me."

Zhu Wen was stunned by the fact that his kindness was not rewarded.

This little girl usually speaks very nicely, why is she so angry today?
If Zhu Wen had been like him, he would have scolded her immediately and accused her of being ungrateful.

But he had just defeated the "Qinglong", "Baihu", "Suzaku" and "Xuanwu", and he couldn't help but feel very happy.

So Zhu Wen decided to say something nice again, which was rare.

He is actually quite good at saying these things, but he says less because he is too lazy to waste his time thinking about them, and he is too lazy to speak them.

But since I was in a very good mood today, a set of words took shape in my mind naturally without me even thinking about it.

"Junior sister, I have no intention of stealing the limelight from you and my senior brother."

Duan Hongyan was slightly startled: "So, I am the one showing off?"

"There's nothing wrong with being tough. If you're not a tough person who refuses to admit defeat, how can you possibly win the Master's attention?"

Zhu Wen paused. "My grandfather once told me that people excel at different things. But the two strokes of the Chinese character 人 (人) support each other. If it weren't for this, how could we have such a colorful world? Sometimes, relying on others a little more isn't a bad thing."

"I've had some clever ideas since I was a kid, and I'm good at planning. But I also know that you, Junior Sister, have been risking your life to leave the camp every night these past few days, scouting the number of Taining Army camps, the distance of their defenses, and even measuring the distances with incredible precision. Even during the day, your eyes are bloodshot, and you refuse to give in."

"If it weren't for your tireless efforts, even if I had a plan to defeat the enemy, how could I have carried it out? This military achievement is largely due to your hard work."

As soon as Zhu Wen said this, for some reason, Duan Hongyan's pretty face immediately turned as red as the evening lotus. She stood there like a sculpture.

At this moment, a gust of wind suddenly blew up, causing the flags to flutter and the grass leaves to fly. It also blew up the peony flower decoration that was not firmly inserted on Duan Hongyan's bun, and it swirled in the wind, as if it was going straight up to the sky.

But Zhu Wen stretched out his hand smoothly, and the peony fell on his slender fingers like a docile butterfly. He slowly put it down and put it back on Duan Hongyan's temples. The beauty and the red flower complemented each other like a painting.

At this moment, Zhu Wen's gentle smile and bright and gentle eyes fell into her eyes, as bright as jade branches and trees, making her feel embarrassed and speechless.

When Zhu Wen had already turned back to kill the enemy, he heard the voice of his junior sister, as soft as a mosquito, drifting into his ears on the gentle breeze: "Junior Brother Liangyu, it is Hongyan who is petty, but I hope you will not be so anxious."

She has always been generous and straightforward, and rarely shows such a shy look of a child. Compared with usual, she is cute in a different way.

"Junior sister, you are such a heroine, how could you be so petty?" Zhu Wen said with a smile, "Junior sister Duan, wait until we win this great victory, and then we can raise our glasses and drink to our hearts' content!"

Duan Hongyan looked around with her beautiful eyes and responded with an understanding look. She suddenly came closer and carefully wiped the blood stains on Zhu Wen's lips with her slender jade fingers. Her soft fingertips lightly touched his lips, giving him a delicate touch.

The blood stain was from the injury to Zhu Wen's gums when he bit down on the sharp arrow shot by the "White Tiger". Zhu Wen had previously used the Taining Army flag to wipe the blood off his face and bandage his forehead, but he had missed this.

Zhu Wen couldn't help but sigh that women are really strange creatures.

Just now he was still petty and worried about showing off, but after hearing a few nice words from her, she suddenly became so gentle and considerate.

The confusion in the junior sister's eyes instantly transformed her from an iron-blooded rose on the battlefield into a flower of eloquence.

Someone had already handed the golden battle flag of Huang Chao's army to Zhu Wen. With a solemn expression, Zhu Wen placed the large flag embroidered with gold thread and painted with a pattern of chrysanthemums in the frost on the high altar.

"The enemy's banner has fallen into our hands!"

Zhu Wen shouted loudly, with great momentum.

After defeating four generals in a row and capturing the flag, his morale reached its peak.

"The men of the Grass Army are as powerful as bears, unstoppable and invincible!"

All the soldiers cheered and shouted in unison, the air was filled with excitement, morale suddenly soared, everyone's eyes were shining brightly, and they were determined to move forward.

Golden battle flags were raised one after another in the Taining Army camp. Every soldier of the Cao Army was determined to die, and with brave generals like Meng Kai leading the charge, they charged forward with unstoppable momentum.

The civilians and auxiliary soldiers in the camp could only scream and flee in panic when faced with the rebel soldiers who were as fierce as wolves and tigers. Inevitably, many of them became dead under the swords and knives, and blood was everywhere.

Even though many of them don't even have weapons, since they have come to this bloody battlefield, the losers can only accept the ruthless killing with unwillingness. This is the eternal law of war.

When Zhu Wen and others approached from the tunnel, Huang Chao had already led his troops out of the camp, pretending to make a desperate attempt to attack the Beibianhe construction site again.

When the main camp was attacked, scouts would inevitably rush out to inform Qi Kerang of the news. However, Huang Chao would stop at nothing to stop Qi Kerang's main force and prevent it from returning to the main camp!

It can be imagined that after hearing the news, it would be the Taining Army that would retreat hastily.

Just when Deng Jiyun, "Qinglong" and others were unable to resist the enemy and were about to withdraw from the camp completely, the sound of horse hooves suddenly rang out at the camp gate, followed by a cascade of arrows, with even a faint golden glow on the arrow tips. In an instant, several people in the Cao army started bleeding from their vitals and died on the spot.

He could split two carved bows with his own strength, and the enemy cavalry, a thousand in number, seemed nothing to him. He sat sideways on a golden saddle, adjusting his white feather horse, and shot down the five Chanyu one after another.

This is exactly Kou Qianzhi's peerless archery skill - the Broken Gold Arrow Technique. He tunes the feathers and pulls the string, relying on his upright spirit to shoot several arrows in succession. The arrows are as bright as shattered stars and shattered sun, with flowing light and shadow, and they never miss their targets.

In the past, when Kou Qianzhi went out of the border and fought with the Shiwei people, he used this set of gold-breaking arrow techniques to kill five Shiwei warriors in an instant, shocking thousands of Shiwei cavalry and causing them to collapse instantly.

And today, the peerless arrows that were once used to resist barbarians and invaders are finally used on the battlefield to kill the righteous people who have risen up in rebellion.

"General Deng Jiyun respectfully welcomes Commander Kou. Please forgive my armor for not being able to perform the full ceremony!"

Deng Jiyun, who usually spoke in a shrill voice, suddenly became full of energy, and Kou Qianzhi's hearty laughter was so loud that it resounded throughout the sky and earth, shocking many Cao army soldiers to the point that they felt they were about to fall to the ground.

"As expected." Zhu Wen smiled, with a look of "as expected" on his face.

Qi Kerang's main force was being held back by Huang Chao at this moment and was unable to return to support. The first to rescue the empty base camp would definitely be Kou Qianzhi's cavalry.

Therefore, the twenty-four people among the "Twenty-eight Riders of Xingyun" who did not stay in the camp also rode back with Kou Qianzhi at this moment.

Kou Qianzhi was undoubtedly a rare handsome man, with a perfectly proportioned face, three sections and five eyes. The lower half of his face had a rugged, angular contour, high brow bones, deep eye sockets, and a deep, luminous gaze that radiated charm. His high, three-dimensional nose, combined with his robust demeanor, exuded a heroic spirit. His military prowess aside, his appearance alone was enough to captivate countless young women.

As Kou Qianzhi dismounted, he swept the entire field with a look of majesty that was not angry at all. The morale of the Taining army was instantly boosted. Thousands of camps shouted together, and the lost will to fight not only completely returned, but everyone's spirits were greatly boosted.

The goshawk on Kou Qianzhi's shoulder also flew into the sky, circling back and forth, and soaring proudly in the wind in the vast sky, with an air of independence, heroism and invincibility.

Kou Qianzhi, the peerless cavalry general and deputy commander of the Taining Army! A heroic figure whose mere presence can instantly boost the morale of his soldiers like a rainbow!

Zhu Wen knew that the success or failure of this camp raid depended on whether he could suppress Kou Qianzhi and the twenty-eight Nebula Riders under his command!
(End of this chapter)