Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Murong Mingyue led over a hundred cavalrymen, who broke through the enemy lines in a bloody battle. Like a raptor freed from its cage, they charged forward with the fierce momentum of piercing through the "Iron Hawk" formation, heading straight for the most conspicuous spot behind the Black Mountain Army's infantry formation—Han Meng's central command flag!

There, the black banner bearing the character "山" (mountain) fluttered heavily in the afternoon heat, beneath which gathered Han Meng, his personal guards, advisors, and hundreds of the most elite "Trap Camp" soldiers as reserves. Originally, this was the command center and pillar of confidence for the Black Mountain Army's offensive, a place where they sat calmly, awaiting news of victory from the front. However, at this moment, when that red cavalry figure, like a burning meteor, suddenly tore open a gap in the flank and surged forward, came into view, everyone under the central banner felt a chilling cold and was caught completely off guard.

"Cavalleria...cavalry?! Where are our cavalry? Where is Shi Biao?!" Han Meng was already furious and frustrated because his infantry had been relentlessly attacking and wearing down the enemy lines, only to be swallowed up and destroyed. Suddenly, he saw a cloud of dust rising from his flank and rear, accompanied by deafening battle cries. A small but terrifying cavalry force was charging straight at him, and he was horrified. He instinctively thought it was Shi Biao's troops, but upon closer inspection, he realized that the one charging at the forefront, dressed in red and riding a red horse, with a blade flashing like snow, was clearly the enemy's female general who had just killed Baturu and should now be entangled or even wiped out by Shi Biao!

"It's enemy cavalry! They've broken through General Shi's blockade!" the aide screamed, his feather fan clattering to the ground.

"Protect the general!" Han Meng's personal guard captain roared, and dozens of heavily armored soldiers, wielding large shields and halberds, quickly retreated, forming a tight defensive circle in front of Han Meng. The surrounding "Trap Camp" soldiers also reacted, turning around and raising their spears like a forest, aiming at the direction of the attacking cavalry.

But Murong Mingyue's target was never Han Meng himself—at least not her primary target. Her gaze, like that of a hawk, was fixed on the towering black central banner, three zhang tall and as thick as a child's arm! As long as the banner stood, the army's morale remained, and command was secure! If the banner fell, the entire army would be thrown into chaos!

"Spread out! Wedge formation! Don't stop! Target—the banner!" Murong Mingyue shouted sharply, her voice piercing through the battlefield's clamor and clearly reaching the ears of every cavalryman behind her. She knew very well that with a mere hundred or so riders, it was almost impossible to kill Han Meng under the protection of hundreds of heavily armored infantry. But cutting down that banner was something she could risk her life for!

The hundred-odd riders responded and changed formation, no longer maintaining a dense formation, but quickly forming a sharp cone shape, like a chisel, with Murong Mingyue as the sharpest point, fiercely "nailing" towards the central army flag formation!

"Shoot arrows! Shoot the horses! Stop them!" Han Meng roared repeatedly, both shocked and furious.

The scattered archers in the central army hastily released their arrows, which flew sparsely towards the charging cavalry. However, the cavalry led by Murong Mingyue was too fast, and their charge route was not straight. In addition, these archers were not specialists, so the threat they posed in the rush was limited. Only a few riders were hit by arrows and fell from their horses, but the momentum of the charge did not diminish in the slightest!

The distance between them closed rapidly! One hundred paces... eighty paces... fifty paces!

You can clearly see the menacing faceplates of the "Trap Camp" warriors and the spear tips pointing diagonally like a forest, as well as Han Meng's broad face distorted by rage and a hint of fear under the banner!

Thirty paces! This is the most destructive distance for a cavalry charge, the last chance for infantry archers and crossbowmen, and a moment that determines life and death!

In that split second, Murong Mingyue did something that surprised everyone, including Han Meng!

Instead of charging headlong into the fray, trying to withstand the hail of bullets with her bare hands, she suddenly straightened up on her galloping chestnut horse, controlling the steed with her legs. Her left hand had somehow already drawn a specially made long arrow from the quiver behind the saddle—the shaft was thicker and longer than ordinary arrows, and the arrowhead was a heavy, triangular armor-piercing cone that gleamed with a cold, dark blue luster in the sunlight. It was a trump card made of "Starfire Steel," specially prepared for powerful bows and armor-piercing attacks!

At the same time, her right hand had already drawn the powerful bow that had accompanied her on her long campaigns, its bow arm made of a combination of tough mulberry wood and ox horn, to its full extent! The bowstring made a teeth-grinding creaking sound due to the immense force it was bearing.

Her gaze passed over the shield wall, over the forest of spears, and over the astonished armored soldiers, precisely locking onto the figure under the banner—Han Meng's left shoulder—the figure clad in striking iron-plated lamellar armor, wielding a long axe and roaring commands! There, at the joint of the lamellar armor, was a relatively weak gap left for ease of movement!

"Go!"

The bowstring twanged like a thunderclap! The specially made armor-piercing heavy arrow transformed into a streak of gray-black light that was almost invisible to the naked eye. With speed and power surpassing that of ordinary arrows, it tore through the air, emitting an extremely sharp whistle, and headed straight for its target!

Han Meng was brandishing his long axe, ordering his armored soldiers to hold the line, when suddenly a warning bell rang in his heart! Having fought for many years, he had a beast-like instinct for danger. Almost at the same instant the bowstring twanged, he instinctively and forcefully turned to his right, simultaneously raising his left arm to protect himself!

"Pfft—!"

The arrow came too fast! Too fierce! Han Meng's reaction was extremely fast, but he still couldn't completely dodge it! The heavy armor-piercing arrowhead didn't hit the shoulder armor gap he expected, but instead pierced his left upper arm on the outside! The specially made Starfire Steel arrowhead showed terrifying penetrating power, easily tearing through the iron-plated armor plates and sinking deep into the muscle, all the way to the shaft!

"Ugh—!" The excruciating pain caused Han Meng to let out a beast-like roar. His burly body swayed violently, almost causing him to fall from his horse! His left arm went numb instantly, and blood spurted out from the arrow shaft, staining his armor and battle robe red. The heavy, long-handled battle axe fell from his hand with a clang to the ground.

"General!"

"The general has been shot by an arrow!"

Chaos erupted immediately under the central command flag! The guards rushed forward in terror to try to protect Han Meng, the staff were pale, and even the heavily armed "Trap Camp" soldiers, who were on high alert, were disturbed by their commander's sudden injury, causing an unavoidable loosening of their originally tight defensive formation.

It's now!

"Follow me—charge the flag!"

Murong Mingyue fired an arrow without even glancing at the result, or confirming whether it had hit its mark. All she needed was the chaos it created and that fleeting opportunity! The instant the arrow left the bowstring, she lowered her stance again, transferred her saber to her right hand, and yanked the reins sharply with her left. Her chestnut horse, understanding her intent, neighed loudly, its hooves buckling as it accelerated suddenly. Without any fancy maneuvers, it shot straight at the black banner that was swaying slightly in the chaos, like a burning crimson lightning bolt!

The cavalry behind her roared wildly, followed closely behind, and accelerated to their maximum speed, charging recklessly into the enemy ranks!

"Stop them! Stop them!" Han Meng roared, his right hand gripping the saddle tightly, enduring the excruciating pain. Cold sweat poured down his forehead. Several guards tried desperately to drag him back, but he pushed them away.

But it was too late.

Murong Mingyue and her cavalry seized the fleeting opening created by the commander's injury and the slight disruption of their formation! Instead of attempting to charge the thickest front of the heavily armored infantry, they cleverly cut diagonally, from the edge of the "Trap Camp" armored soldiers' formation, which was slightly weakened due to their shift to deal with the cavalry, like a red-hot knife cutting into grease, wedging itself in fiercely!

Blades flashed and blood splattered! Murong Mingyue wielded her saber, each strike delivered with all her might, utilizing the terrifying momentum of her charging steed to slash, parry, and cut down all before her! She no longer sought precise, fatal blows, but instead, with the most ferocious and direct force, carved a path for herself and her comrades behind her! Black Mountain soldiers were constantly felled, armor and all, while Starfire Fortress cavalrymen were pierced by spears and felled by swords and axes the moment they engaged the enemy, but the tide of the charge was unstoppable, tearing a bloody path through this armored jungle!

Ten steps! Five steps! The flagpole of the great flag is almost within reach! You can even see the rough texture and stains of the embroidered "mountain" character on the flag!

Beneath the flagpole, several burly strongmen, bare-chested and muscular, wielding giant axes and hammers, rushed forward with bloodshot eyes, attempting a final act of obstruction.

Murong Mingyue's eyes were icy cold, showing no fear. She didn't even slow down; just as she was about to collide with the first strongman, she sharply pulled on the reins. Her chestnut horse reared up with remarkable agility, its large forelegs slamming into the strongman's hastily raised axe! With a deafening clang, the strongman's arm trembled violently, and the axe slipped from his grasp! Murong Mingyue used the momentum to leap from her horse, her saber drawing a sharp, decisive arc through the air!

"Thud!" The blade flashed across the strongman's neck, and a huge head flew into the sky with an incredulous expression!

The moment she landed, Murong Mingyue didn't stop. She sidestepped another heavy hammer that came crashing down, and with a swift backhand slash, she cut into the ribs of the second strongman! At the same time, she slammed her left elbow backward, striking the face of the third strongman who was lunging at her from the side and behind. With a cracking sound of his nose bone breaking, the man screamed and staggered backward.

In the blink of an eye, she killed two enemies and repelled one! Murong Mingyue had already rushed to the foot of the flagpole! The thick flagpole, even more imposing up close, was deeply buried in the compacted soil.

Without the slightest hesitation, and without even glancing at the surging enemies around her, she gripped her saber tightly with both hands, pouring all her strength, fighting spirit, and desire for victory into this single strike! The blade hummed, its dark blue edge seemingly coming alive under the reflection of blood and fire!

"Break it!"

With a clear shout, accompanied by a low roar of power erupting from his entire body, the saber, carrying an unstoppable and all-consuming momentum, slammed down on the flagpole about five feet from the ground!

"Snap—!!!"

A deafening crash, like wood snapping, drowned out all the sounds of battle! The massive black banner bearing the character "山" (mountain), as thick as a child's arm and symbolizing the majesty of the Black Mountain Commander and the morale of tens of thousands of soldiers, swayed violently under the gaze of countless horrified eyes. Then, with a groan of unbearable strain, it slowly, yet irrevocably, tilted to the side and rear, banner in hand—falling over!

"Boom!"

The banner fell, crashing heavily to the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust, which seemed to strike the hearts of every Black Mountain soldier.

Time seemed to freeze at that moment.

Under the central banner, Han Meng clutched his bleeding left arm, watching helplessly as the banner fell. His face was ashen, his lips trembled, but he could not utter a sound.

Many of the Black Mountain infantrymen, who were engaged in a fierce battle with the Starfire Fortress army, turned around in astonishment and saw that the flag that had always guided their direction and represented victory had disappeared, replaced by chaos and dust. Their faces instantly lost color, their momentum of charge stalled, and confusion and fear began to well up in their eyes.

Even Shi Biao, who was furious and trying to regroup his troops in the distance, suddenly reined in his horse. When he saw the flags falling and smoke billowing in the direction of the central army, his heart felt as if it had been hit hard by a heavy hammer!

"The flag...the flag has fallen?!"

"General Han's banner has fallen!"

"We lost? We lost?!"

Panic-stricken cries, like a plague, began to spread rapidly and infect the front lines, the flanks, and the massive ranks of the Black Mountain Army!

In contrast, in the Starfire Fortress army, whether it was the infantrymen who were fighting hard to kill the enemy, the garrison guarding the flanks, or the remnants of the cavalry archers who had just experienced a bloody battle and were reorganizing, they were all stunned when they saw the black banner collapse. Then, an indescribable joy and fighting spirit erupted like a volcano!

"The banner has fallen! The Black Mountain bandits' banner has fallen!"

"General Murong has captured the flag! Victory!"

"Kill them! Kill them all!"

A thunderous roar of cheers and shouts erupted from every corner of the Starfire Fortress army, instantly boosting morale to its boiling point! The already increasingly smooth-running "Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation" now blazed with killing intent, its counterattack suddenly intensifying!

Slaying the general and seizing the flag, a single strike brings victory! The scales of victory and defeat begin to tip dramatically with this one blow!

Leaning on her sword, slightly out of breath, Murong Mingyue stood beside the fallen flagpole, surveying the Black Mountain Army's central force thrown into chaos by the fallen flag. Her red robes were soaked with the enemy's blood and her own sweat, clinging to her body, and her hair beneath her helmet lay disheveled on her forehead, but her eyes shone with an astonishing brightness, like the most dazzling stars in the cold night.

She didn't look at Han Meng, who was being desperately protected by his guards as they retreated, nor did she pay attention to the Black Mountain soldiers around her who were momentarily at a loss because of the fallen flag. Her gaze passed over the chaotic battlefield and landed on the Starfire battle flag that still stood proudly on the hillside.