Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

The following afternoon, on the eastern slope of the "One Line Sky," deep in the dense forest.

One hundred and eighty men had been lying in ambush here for six hours. All were hidden behind vines, bushes, and boulders, motionless. It was early summer, and the forest was hot and humid with mosquitoes, but no one complained. The veteran soldiers of the elite garrison were naturally on edge, and even the new recruits, after days of training and pre-battle pep talks, were now tense, gripping their bows and spears tightly, their eyes fixed on the winding valley below through the gaps in the branches.

The valley was silent, save for the whistling of the mountain wind through the crevices of the rocks and the occasional chirping of birds. Chen Wei lay prone behind a boulder with an excellent view, holding his crude telescope, occasionally glancing towards the northwest entrance of the canyon. Beside him, several squad leaders whispered the final commands and signals.

At three-quarters past noon, a shaky shadow finally appeared at the edge of the lens of the telescope.

coming!

Chen Wei's spirits lifted, and he whispered the order: "Pass down the word: the enemy is approaching, prepare! Heed my command!"

The command, like ripples on water, traveled silently and swiftly to every ambush point. The soldiers' hearts began to race, their breaths involuntarily held, and their fingers tightened around the bowstrings or gripped their sword hilts.

At the northwest entrance of the valley, the figures of the Hu cavalry gradually became clear. Sure enough, there were about thirty riders, loosely arranged in two columns, slowly entering the canyon. Leading them was a burly man wearing a wolfskin hat and iron-trimmed leather armor, with a hideous scar on his face. He was looking around cautiously, his expression a mixture of wariness and impatience. The other Hu riders were also looking around, whispering amongst themselves, their formation loose. Clearly, they didn't expect to encounter an ambush in this desolate wilderness; the reports from their scouts the day before had made them underestimate the fortress ahead.

The procession entered the canyon completely, the horses' hooves clattering against the loose rocks at the bottom. Because the passage was narrow, the procession stretched out in long rows.

Chen Wei silently calculated the distance, watching as the vanguard of the Hu cavalry reached the middle of the canyon, and the rearguard had all entered the valley. He suddenly raised his right hand and swung it downwards with force!

"Whoosh—Bang!"

A whistling arrow shot out from somewhere in the forest with a mournful whistle, exploding in mid-air in a cloud of white smoke. It was simply made of saltpeter, sulfur and other materials, and its noise outweighed its power!

The sudden noise startled the Hu cavalry in the valley, and their horses neighed in fright!

"Fire!" Chen Wei's roar was like thunder, exploding through the forest!

"Buzz—!"

Sixty crossbows, already poised for action, including thirty powerful crossbows used by Wei infantry and thirty hunting bows used by the garrison, fired simultaneously! Arrows rained down like a storm from the shadows of the trees on both sides of the mountainside, covering the densest area of ​​the Hu cavalry in the middle of the valley!

"Ah!" "My eyes!" "An ambush!"

Screams, neighing horses, and angry curses in the Hu language erupted instantly! The first volley of arrows felled seven or eight riders, causing them to tumble and block the passage. Caught off guard, the Hu cavalry's formation was thrown into chaos.

"Throw logs! Smash them!" Chen Wei's second command followed immediately.

Dozens of sharpened logs and fist-sized stones, which had been prepared in advance, were pushed down the hillside by the garrison soldiers with all their might, crashing down into the valley with a thunderous roar! The Hu cavalry had to dodge arrows and guard against the rolling stones and logs overhead, and were in complete chaos, trampling each other.

"Blow the horn! Beat the drums! All troops, charge!" Chen Wei drew his sword and led the charge, leaping out from his hiding place!

"Waaaaah—waaaah—"

The deep, resonant sound of ox horns echoed through the mountains and forests! Immediately afterwards, gongs and drums, hidden in various places, were beaten frantically, mixed with deafening shouts of battle! Flags waved in the woods, as if there were thousands of troops!

"Kill the barbarians!" Chen Wei took the lead, leading dozens of heavily armored elite soldiers, like tigers released from their cages, charging straight down the gentle slope and piercing the middle of the barbarian cavalry! Long halberds stood like a forest, gleaming coldly!

The sixty soldiers guarding the capital also mustered their courage and, led by their respective squad leaders, charged down the hillsides from both sides, blocking the Hu cavalry attempting to escape towards the valley entrance, or surrounding and killing any who were alone.

As planned, the auxiliary soldiers quickly set up simple obstacles at both ends of the canyon and drew their bows and arrows to shoot down the Hu cavalry who attempted to force their way out.

The battle erupted in the narrow valley, quickly escalating to a fever pitch. The Hu cavalry's advantages vanished in the face of such terrain and the sudden attack. A hail of arrows and rolling stones had already taken nearly half their men, and their morale was on the verge of collapse. Now, facing the heavily armored infantry charging in formation, they were unable to mount an effective counterattack in time.

The scarred leader was fierce. Seeing the situation was bad, he not only did not retreat, but instead howled and gathered six or seven of his confidants, brandishing curved swords, trying to counterattack Chen Wei's elite troops and create an opening.

"Well done!" Chen Wei's eyes flashed with murderous intent as he swung his sword to meet the attack. Two elite soldiers followed closely behind, their halberds thrusting forward, instantly knocking two Hu cavalrymen off their horses. Chen Wei and the scarred leader clashed swords, sparks flying! Both men were incredibly strong and powerful; after a hard-fought exchange, they each took a half-step back.

The scarred leader was horrified; this Han general possessed incredible strength! Just as he was about to attack again, a Wei infantry sergeant on his flank silently thrust out a halberd, aiming straight for his ribs! The scarred leader hastily parried, but Chen Wei seized the opportunity and slashed his sword hard at the joint of his shoulder armor! The leather armor shattered, and blood spurted out!

"Ah!" the scarred leader screamed, his scimitar nearly slipping from his hand. Realizing the danger, he turned his horse to flee, but two other garrison soldiers who had surrounded him pierced his horse's belly with spears! The warhorse neighed and fell to the ground, throwing him heavily to the ground as well.

"Tie him up!" Chen Wei shouted, and soldiers immediately stepped forward to hold down and bind the wounded scarred leader tightly.

With their leader captured, the remaining Hu cavalry lost all fighting spirit. Some knelt down and begged for surrender, while others tried to escape towards the valley entrance, but were stopped by arrows and obstacles from the garrison and auxiliary soldiers, and were either killed or captured.

The battle, from its outbreak to its near-conclusion, lasted less than a quarter of an hour. The canyon was a scene of carnage, with over twenty Hu corpses lying dead and more than ten wounded or dead horses, the air thick with the stench of blood. Twelve more Hu were wounded and captured, including the scarred leader. On the Xinghuo Camp's side, only a few suffered minor injuries, with no casualties, making it a resounding victory.

Chen Wei ordered his men to quickly clean up the battlefield, collect weapons and horses, treat their own wounded and the wounded prisoners, and take stock of the spoils of war. The auxiliary soldiers began to move the corpses of the Hu people to a distant place for burial.

As the sun set, the victorious army, escorting prisoners, leading over twenty intact warhorses, and laden with spoils, returned in triumph. When this force appeared outside Starfire Fortress, a deafening cheer erupted from the fortress walls!

Taking the initiative, ambushing and annihilating the enemy, capturing their leader… Starfire Fortress declared its presence and power to this land with a clean and decisive victory. After this battle, any neighboring forces that want to attack Starfire Fortress will have to think twice.

However, Chen Xing knew that this might only be the beginning. From the prisoners, they would learn more about the outside world and the potentially even greater storm that was about to arrive.