Tang Dynasty Bandits

Chapter 84 Meng Kai Fights for the Horse
In the blink of an eye, two hundred Uighur knights were scattered by Meng Kai.

Wang Jian led the elite infantry of the government army to mount their horses and fight, with their flags pointing straight ahead. At a command, a group of brave men rushed towards Meng Kai.

In order to avoid the suspicion of taking revenge for personal gain, he did not let Ba Wuji and Xu Shenwei join the battle, but kept them by his side.

The two generals breathed a sigh of relief, but then they thought about how they were originally in the Shen Ce Left Army. As descendants of nobles, they served as soldiers in the yamen, collected rents, lent money at high interest rates, and did business in Chang'an. How free they were.

However, they didn't expect that eunuch Yang Fuguang would bring a part of the Shen Ce Army as his personal guards to support Song Wei. They were forced to follow him out of Tongguan and suffer in the military camp. How could it be like the happy and carefree life in Chang'an?

They had originally intended to follow the old commander Song Wei to gain some military merit, but unexpectedly suffered a disastrous defeat in the Battle of Songzhou, and their men were almost wiped out. Now, Yan General Zhen Ranyu has taken over the command of the commander-in-chief and sent them to Wang Jian, their sworn enemy.

The cavalry that charged straight ahead was bravely attacked by Meng Kai and was defeated and retreated, but another cavalry was stationed behind, ready to provide support. When Meng Kai, Zhu Wen and others led the cavalry to charge forward, they were attacked from both sides.

The drums in the government army's formation sounded loudly, and Wang Jian personally beat the drums used by the cavalry on horseback and gave orders to the army.

The two teams of knights entangled with each other like a giant pair of scissors.

Faced with such an attack, Meng Kai remained unfazed. He turned his horse to charge first to the left, then to the right, attacking both groups simultaneously. The following Cao army knights also spread out to meet the attack, and soon both groups of enemy cavalry turned around and fled.

Meng Kai laughed loudly. Jia Yong risked his life again and again, crossing the ridges and hills and galloping on horseback, and he was never able to match his enemy.

Suddenly, flags were waving and drums were beating. A team of ambushed cavalrymen were holding large nets, hooks and ropes, which they threw out one after another, covering Meng Kai tightly, like a net on the ground and a net in the sky.

"It's better to capture one general alive than to capture a thousand enemy soldiers." Liu Xun said in surprise, "Is this the method that Brother Wang Jian has prepared for capturing the enemy alive?"

Wang Jian showed a smug look on his face: "Meng Kai is brave but not wise. If we lure him with benefits, he will surely be greedy for merit and rush into battle, breaking away from the main force."

"Once Meng Kai is captured, won't that little Zhu Wen be able to take control of the situation?"

He ordered his trusted followers to practice the art of capturing living beings in preparation for one day capturing a powerful enemy general, and today it really came in handy.

I saw the hook rope wrapped around Meng Kai, like a huge spider web. Meng Kai fell into it, his skin and flesh were torn, and he struggled desperately.

The two teams that had been beaten back earlier also turned back and attacked, vowing to capture this brave general alive!
Seeing that Meng Kai, who was originally invincible, was suddenly suppressed by the enemy using a capture method, not only did Tian Jun, Huo Cun and others change their faces, but Zhu Wen also felt uneasy.

Although he was resourceful, he still lacked understanding of the Tang army's systematic tactics. Therefore, although he had discovered the signs of danger, he had no time to remind Meng Kai before the enemy's siege tactics were launched.

Zhu Wen hurriedly ordered a large group to rescue Meng Kai, but the enemy quickly separated a part of the cavalry to block the Cao Army, which was obviously after countless rigorous training.

"How can those two masters of the Shen Ce Army keep up with the pace of my subordinates? If we let them participate, they might be taken hostage by Meng Juehai, which would be worse." Wang Jian said to Liu Xun as if no one was around, not caring at all that Xu Shenwei and Ba Wuji were furious.

At this moment, a roar like thunder was heard from Gaixin. Wang Jian looked over and saw that the big net covering Meng Kai had been completely shattered and turned into debris that flew all over the sky.

The hooks that had pierced Meng Kai's body were also thrown off by him, along with his flesh and blood. This extremely brave young man seemed to feel no pain at all!
"With so many of us trying to trap him, he still managed to break free."

"With such strange strength, is this still a human?"

"Could it be that the giant spirit from heaven has descended to the mortal world?"

The officers and soldiers were talking among themselves and were filled with shock.

Regardless of the horses still being harnessed and whimpering, Meng Kai roared, jumped off his horse, and swept his axe across the horses' legs, instantly chopping down three horses.

Meng Kai grabbed another enemy rider by the neck and leaped forward, Xuanhua axe in hand. He knocked the knight off his horse and urged him forward. His hoof slammed into the breastplate, causing it to dent and crack like ribs breaking. The knight's mouth gushed blood, and he was clearly dying.

"You bastard, you actually think you can catch me, Meng Juehai, with such child's play? Save it for catching your own naughty son who's running around!"

As he spoke, Meng Kai charged forward on his horse, tearing the enemy's formation apart like waves, and headed straight for Wang Jian.

Wang Jian has a bronze square face similar in color to Meng Kai's, but his facial features are rough and not as heroic as Meng Kai's.

But a hint of fear finally began to appear on his face.

"Brother, the enemy's attack is too strong to resist. Should we retreat first?" Liu Xun asked in a low voice.

"What a joke! If I, Wang Jian, were to flee in fear at the hands of a mere Meng Kai, how would I, Wang Jian, lead these brothers in the future?"

Wang Jian blew a few whistles at different heights and waved the flag in his left hand. Twenty knights then dismounted, held their lances in their hands, stuck the lance tips into the soil, and thrust them diagonally upwards, which was exactly the move of the lance.

The knights who had not dismounted were divided into two sides, shooting a rain of arrows at Meng Kai, trying to wear down his fighting spirit.

Meng Kai charged forward, constantly swinging his axe to knock down arrows and repel the enemy cavalry that came to attack him. He also felt that his fighting spirit was gradually fading. Even if he rushed in front of Wang Jian, it would be difficult for him to kill Wang Jian with one blow. Instead, he would be in great danger. So he spurred his horse and charged sideways, catching Xu Shenwei, who was not far from Wang Jian, off guard.

"Hero, don't kill me!"

While Xu Shen was begging for mercy, Meng Kai had already chopped him off with an axe.

This general of the Zuo Shen Ce Army, who was in charge of the two cities of Huiyi and was a descendant of the famous founding hero Xu Ziling, was beheaded by Meng Kai with an axe. Blood spurted out several feet like a spring, scattered in all directions, and dripped onto the grass leaves on the ground, becoming nutrients to nourish the weeds.

Xu Shenwei's last thought was: You bastard, you shall not die a good death...

Although Wang Jian had no plans to kill him, it was just bad luck that Xu Shen was targeted by Meng Kai.

After killing Xu Shenwei with a single blow, Meng Kai turned his horse and rode back. Ba Wuji, whose close friend had been killed, was terrified and trembled on his horse, sweat pouring down his face, completely losing his usual arrogant demeanor.

This is a bloody battlefield, which is too tragic for these pampered young men in the Shen Ce Army in Beijing.

"I forgot to tie that guy's head to the front of the horse." Meng Kai returned to the team and said nonchalantly to Zhu Wen who came forward to meet him: "Come to think of it, this is not my horse. My yellow horse was tied up by the thief Wang Ba's people. I must get it back later, otherwise I won't be able to ride any other horse."

For Meng Kai, breaking Wang Jian's ambush with force and killing the enemy general Xu Shenwei seemed like a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

But the soldiers of the Cao army were inspired by his bravery. They were excited and cheered like thunder. They raised their arms and shouted, vowing to take down the head of the enemy general Wang Jian!

The mudslide had completely ceased. On the other side, many knights, led by their horses, struggled slowly through the mud, preparing to support Zhu Wen and his men. Wang Jian knew that this battle was simply impossible to continue.

"Let's retreat. Pass down the order and leave the Uighur cavalry behind to guard the rear." Wang Jian said to Liu Xun.

It is better to let a friend die than to let me die. Besides, Wang Jian really dislikes the Uighurs. When the Uighur Khanate was strong, it did not do much to bully the Tang people.

Because the Uighur cavalry brought a large number of horses, Wang Jian's soldiers could escape on horseback, and it was not easy for Cao's army to catch up.

The Uighur knights fought and retreated, drawing their bows and shooting a dense rain of arrows in an attempt to stop the Cao army's pursuit.

But Meng Kai's yellow horse was tied up and taken away by Wang Jian's subordinates, so how could he let it go?
"You thief, give me back my beloved horse!"

Meng Kai roared like thunder, his Bagua Xuanhua axe scattering arrows across the sky as he charged straight into the Uighur cavalry. He was wielding the Thirty-Six-Move Heavenly Gang Axe, a weapon passed down from Cheng Yaojin, the Duke of Lu, in the early years of the state. It was a weapon particularly effective in horseback combat and possessed unparalleled ferocity.

Zhu Wen and his companions feared that he might be in danger, so they immediately sent more than ten of their most elite knights to follow him, while the remaining Cao army cavalry engaged in battle with the Uighur knights on the east and west sides.

Meng Kai's deputy general Ban Fanlang held high the flag and followed closely behind Meng Kai's horse, pointing the way for the warriors to charge.

Seeing that Wang Jiandu had retreated, the Uighur knights lost their will to fight.

Although one of the responsibilities of the military supervisors was to manage the arsenal, and since being presented to the eunuch Yang Fuguang by Tiemoler, their equipment and training had been enhanced, they were considered to be well-equipped. However, they were not Han Chinese after all, and they did not have much respect for the official army. Now that the "thief turtle" had escaped, they could have completed their rearguard mission with a few arrows. Why bother risking their lives any more?
However, this group of Uighur cavalry refused to fight hard, and the first one to suffer misfortune was not Wang Jian, but Tiemole, the leader of the Kunlun Sect.

He was riding his horse in the Uighur cavalry formation to boost morale, but was surprised when Meng Kai broke through the formation and rushed towards him. He hurriedly waved his heavy sword to resist.

After fighting for several rounds, Meng Kai became more energetic and swung his axe down the hilt of his sword. Tie Moler dropped his sword in pain, but one of his fingers had been cut off. Fu An fled in a panic.

In reality, if they were fighting on foot, Tie Moler could have fought Meng Kai for more than fifteen rounds. However, as a martial artist, Tie Moler lacked experience in battle formations, and cavalry combat was not his forte. Furthermore, Meng Kai was currently at the peak of his power, his imposing manner unstoppable. Therefore, the Kunlun Sect leader was wounded and defeated after just a few rounds.

Meng Kai's main target was not him, so he let Tie Moler escape, and then he ran into Liu Mengyan, the leader of Cuiyan Sect.

The Cuiyan Sect, located in Wuyi Mountain, Fujian, was once renowned for its exclusive acceptance of women, with legends circling that its founder was a beautiful fox spirit. Later, the Badao Sect, controlled by a descendant of the Liu clan from Hedong, declined and relocated to Fujian, merging with the Cuiyan Sect through marriage. As a result, Liu Mengyan's swordsmanship is sometimes ferocious and fierce, uncharacteristic of a woman's techniques, and sometimes ethereal and graceful, like the delicate smoke of willow catkins.

As a branch of the Hedong Liu clan, the Badao Liu clan was not recognized as a noble family due to their distant blood relationship. Liu Mengyan curried favor with the court in the hope of having her family included in the list of noble families, even giving several beautiful girls from her clan to eunuchs as wives.

During the Tang Dynasty, it was common for eunuchs to marry. For example, Li Fuguo, a prominent official during the reign of Emperor Daizong, married Yuan Chunying, the daughter of Yuan Zhuo, the prefect of Jingzhao and a descendant of the Northern Wei royal family. Eunuchs could not provide these women with true sexual pleasure; they were merely imprisoned within the walls of the palace, no different from the palace maids who "lived with" the eunuchs.

But even so, Liu Mengyan was absolutely unwilling to sacrifice her life for the sake of serving the court.

She drew her sword and fought with Meng Kai for several rounds, but she felt that Meng Kai's axe was too powerful to resist. Seeing that Tie Moler had a finger cut off before, she lost her will to fight. She found an opportunity to jump out of the circle and rode away.

Zhu Wen and Tian Jun rushed over from behind, attacking from both sides with a sword and a spear. Liu Mengyan was caught off guard. When she was trying to block Zhu Wen's Dragon Sparrow Sword, Tian Jun's snake spear had already pierced her lower abdomen, penetrating her soft armor and causing blood to gush out.

Liu Mengyan's face turned pale, and she gritted her teeth and fled in pain, but she didn't expect that another soldier from the Grass Army came riding towards her. She was caught off guard and was hit on the helmet by a hammer. She fainted and was grabbed by the soldier, taken off his horse, and tied up with a rope.

This is the reality of the battlefield. Liu Mengyan's martial arts are of course far superior to that of this soldier, but in the melee on horseback, he was captured alive due to a mistake.

Liu Mengyan was reciting the Heart Sutra in a trance. When she regained consciousness, she found herself being held in the arms of a soldier and tied up.

"A warrior's body is like an arrow, shot by people. I was sent by General Yan, but was captured by mistake. It was fate." The beautiful young woman sighed and her expression became quite calm.

"I am a married woman, and I will not allow you to humiliate me and damage my reputation. Cut off my head immediately, I only ask for death!"

Compared to later generations, the Tang people placed greater emphasis on the chastity of married women. As Meng Jiao wrote in his poem, "A chaste woman will sacrifice herself for her husband, even her own life." While not wearing hong on a wedding night wasn't considered a serious offense in the Tang Dynasty, losing one's chastity after marriage was considered a serious breach of chastity.

Liu Mengyan obviously believed that she was captured by the Cao army, and even if she could be redeemed, her chastity would be lost, so she wanted to die.

"Kill me now, little bastard." Seeing the soldier still hesitate, Liu Mengyan suddenly raised her eyebrows and cursed, "Do you want me to bite off the tip of my tongue and spit it all over your face?"

The soldier sighed softly, drew the dagger from his waist, and cut off the beautiful young woman's head. Liu Mengyan didn't blink or frown until her breath completely stopped.

Liu Mengyan was nearly forty, but looked no more than thirty. The soldier, holding her head, saw her lifelike features, fox-like eyes, and elegant demeanor, which exuded a particularly alluring charm. He couldn't help himself and leaned forward to kiss the red lips of Liu Mengyan's head.

"Boy, what are you doing?" Zhu Wen shouted.

The soldier was startled and stopped moving quickly.

At this time, Meng Kai had killed the cavalryman of Wang Jian's army who had stolen his horse and took back his yellow horse. When the horse saw its master coming, it neighed and cried with joy.

Meng Kai caressed the wound on the horse's body caused by the scratching hook, and couldn't help but feel pity in his heart, but then he heard Zhu Wen angrily scolding the soldiers. He immediately turned his tiger eyes and cast a cold glare at him: "There are camp prostitutes in the camp. It's too dirty for you to be lusting after a corpse."

"How dare I!" the soldier said hurriedly, "I just saw this woman's fearless attitude towards death, her awe-inspiring spirit, and I was moved. I couldn't help but feel regretful, so I couldn't control myself..."

"To pity a beautiful woman is a common trait among weak-minded boys like you." Meng Kai said, "At least you didn't let her go, otherwise your head would be chopped off right now. What's your name, little bastard?"

The soldier reported, "My name is Li Tangbin, and I am a subordinate of General Shang Rang."

"You are able to capture and kill the leader of a big sect. You have some skills." Meng Kai praised.

Seeing that this young man, less than twenty years old, had already demonstrated remarkable skills with the hammer, he had already developed a liking for his talent and wanted to recruit him into his own camp. However, since he was Shang Rang's subordinate, and Meng Kai had an old friendship with Shang Rang, it was not easy to compete for him.

Zhu Wen was somewhat touched by the fact that Liu Mengyan, a person who fawned on the powerful, remained calm and sought death after being captured.

Human nature is complex, and many times it cannot be judged by good or evil.

But on the battlefield, there are only two kinds of people, comrades or enemies.

At this time, Wang Jian and others had already ridden away in all directions. Meng Kai snatched back his yellow horse and had no intention of chasing them, so he withdrew his troops.

The leader of Cuiyan Sect, Liu Mengyan, was killed, and the leader of Kunlun Sect, Tiemole, had his fingers cut off. The reason was just a horse.

(End of this chapter)