Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 33 The Thin Line of Life and Death

Several spears came towards Zhu Wen like hedgehog hairs. Although it was summer, the sharp spear tips brought a chill that penetrated the bones.

Zhu Wen swung his sword, deflecting all the spears that were stabbing at him, but a pitch-black stick came like a gust of wind and smashed towards Zhu Wen on the head. It was Wang Jian who was swinging the stick.

Wang Jian, a descendant of the Huaiyang Gang, mastered the "Eagle Claw" technique. By chance, he was also taught the art of staff by a renowned Shaolin monk, effectively becoming a Shaolin lay disciple. His staff techniques were imbued with a murderous aura, seamlessly incorporating the fierce power of Eagle Claw. The blunt, edgeless staff emanated afterimages, generating a powerful force that could pierce gold and split stone. Even a single strike against iron armor could rip it apart.

Zhu Wen raised his knife to block, but he had already exhausted his strength from forcing back several spears. He was inevitably at a disadvantage in resisting Wang Jian's stick and was immediately pushed back several steps by Wang Jian.

Wang Jian devised a clever plan, ordering the soldiers to take off their armor and charge forward in order to launch a surprise attack and kill the general. Naturally, it was impossible to fight fairly, but he had to take the enemy by surprise and form a local numerical advantage to siege and kill Zhu Wen.

Wang Jian, unyielding, struck Zhu Wen with a series of lightning-fast blows, all aimed at vital points. Because the stick is a blunt instrument, its force could penetrate armor, and even hitting armor could cause internal injuries.

Zhu Wen had no choice but to fight back passively, raising his sword to block, but a long spear stabbed at him from behind.

Zhu Wen swung the blade with force, breaking the soldier's spear. The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword glowed red, slid down, and pierced the chest of the Zhongwu Army warrior.

I thought that since Wang Jian had ordered the soldiers to remove their armor, they would be completely unprotected and could be killed with a single blow. However, just as the blade reached the man's chest, I felt a force of resistance, preventing the blade from penetrating deeper.

Zhu Wen immediately understood that Wang Jian had made arrangements in advance and ordered the soldiers to wear paper armor under their clothes.

Although Zhu Wen's sword pierced through the clothes and cut through the paper armor, it had lost all its power and only injured the man's flesh. Although blood was oozing from the wound, his life was saved.

Wang Jian was indeed meticulous, his plan flawless and watertight. Although paper armor wasn't as defensive as iron, it was lightweight and easily worn by the Zhongwu Army soldiers.

Beside Zhu Wen, the rebel soldiers, seeing their commander under siege, also rushed forward to engage the Zhongwu army. However, because the Zhongwu soldiers wore paper armor, they were able to withstand many attacks and were not quickly defeated. Moreover, Wang Jian's men were all elite warriors, and by fighting in a small area, they were able to suppress the dismounted rebel knights, preventing them from coming to Zhu Wen's rescue.

Being surrounded and attacked, two fists are inevitably no match for four hands. Zhu Wen was caught off guard and was shot in the legs and feet where there was no armor to protect him. Although he quickly dodged the pain, the wound was still extremely painful.

But Wang Jian's steady voice echoed through his ears, accompanied by the sound of swords breaking through the wind: "Nice to meet you, General Xiao Zhu. This is the first time I've met you face to face, but I've been keeping an eye on you for a long time."

This was of course the truth. Given Wang Jian's shrewdness, how could he not have known everything about the important figures in Huang Chao's army?
Zhu Wen knew that Wang Jian's soldiers' scolding of Huang Chao had provoked his anger because Wang Jian had conducted a detailed investigation of Huang Chao, understood his personality and style, and launched a targeted provocation. Thus, even Zhu Wen, a brilliant man, was blinded by anger at that moment and failed to stop his men's reckless actions.

A ruler should not raise an army out of anger, and a general should not go to war out of resentment.

In this battle, Wang Jian planned carefully and calculated almost every factor, including time, place and people, to the extreme on the small Dingfeng Hill.

Zhu Wen did not have the mentality of making every effort to plan even the smallest battlefield and using all his strength even when a lion fights a rabbit.

Wang Jian's voice rang out again: "What a pity! This is probably the last time we will meet."

"Have your spring and autumn dreams."

Zhu Wen said coldly, and swung his sword, forcing back two fiercely attacking Zhongwu Army soldiers.

He knew clearly in his heart that Wang Jian's words were not arrogant. Trapped in a tight siege, the current situation was indeed extremely unfavorable to him.

Zhu Wen defeated Qi Kerang with his wisdom and killed Kou Qianzhi with his sword. Now he not only became the chief strategist of Huang Chao's army, but was also on the verge of becoming famous throughout the world.

But as the saying goes, youth is full of vigor, and the more at this time, the more likely it is to get carried away. It was precisely for this reason that Zhu Wen fell into Wang Jian's cunning scheme at this moment.

But if you ask Zhu Wen whether he is convinced or not, of course he is not!
Which young person would easily admit defeat?

The white tiger in his heart curled its lips at this moment and complained, "This is terrible!" "It's normal for young people to want to deny their debts after losing a bet, and to want to smash the chessboard on their opponent's head after losing a game of chess."

"But on the battlefield, it's a matter of life and death. You can't deny your debt, and there's no chessboard falling on Wang Jian's head."

Zhu Wen was somewhat surprised that the tiger could actually talk to him even at the critical moment of life and death.

But originally this guy was the transformation of a part of Zhu Wen's consciousness after he obtained the Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword.

Zhu Wen remembered Kou Qianzhi's calmness before his death.

I am a wandering knight, and I killed the deputy commander of a town with my own hands. Even if I die today, this life is still exciting enough.

So if he showed any cowardice now, it would undoubtedly be embarrassing.

But not being afraid of death doesn't mean he's willing to die. At least, Zhu Wen doesn't think he can die as calmly as Kou Qianzhi.

Zhu Wen's eyes flashed with sharpness, his sword danced wildly, and his murderous intent surged with the wind.

"You bastard, I'm going to fight you! Kill one and I'll break even. Kill two and I'll make a profit!"

He decided in his heart that even if he was going to die, he would fight this "thief bastard" to the death, otherwise it would be too not worth it.

The Great Xia Dragon Sparrow Sword burst into a blood-red light like the bright sun. The thin blade swept through the air, piercing through the void and slashing the neck of a Zhongwu Army soldier. Suddenly, his head flew into the air, and the hot blood in his cavity gushed out like a spring.

"One."

Zhu Wen counted in his mouth, swung his sword to repel Wang Jian's stick on the head, and then swung his sword with a powerful force like heaven, directly hitting the chest of an enemy who wanted to attack from behind. Although it failed to break the enemy's armor, it broke his ribs and made blood spurt from his mouth. It was obvious that he was dead.

"two."

When Zhu Wen's count reached "five", he had already suffered seven or eight wounds. Among them, Wang Jian's sweeping stick like a thunderbolt broke his left arm, causing severe pain to his heart.

Blood oozed from the wounds all over his body. Although he could no longer feel the pain due to numbness, the loss of physical strength was clearly transformed into fatigue, which was reflected in his mind.

If I really die this time, someone will pour wine on my grave, right?

How sad would my second brother be?
His vision was blurring, thoughts swirling through his mind. He suddenly had a strange hallucination, as if his soul had left his body and was overlooking the bloody battlefield.

Zhu Wen gritted his teeth and pounced on Wang Jian like a mad tiger.

Wang Jian still clenched the stick tightly in his hand and looked at him with a sly smile. His face was so fake it made people want to pull out all the teeth of this "thief turtle" on the spot.

At this moment, a sound like a thunderclap suddenly arose, instantly shattering the sky that had been dyed a dark blue satin by the dusk. "Anyone who dares to hurt my junior brother will be beheaded!"

Accompanied by such a thunder-like roar, a strong figure like an iron tower jumped off the horse, his eyes were like lightning, and murderous intent was boiling in his eyes like boiling water.

Huo Cun, holding his wound, asked in surprise, "General Meng, how did you come here alone from the enemy's direction?"

(End of this chapter)