Late Tang Dynasty: Descendants of the Imperial Clan

The two generals clashed again, and their respective soldiers rushed forward and became entangled in battle.

Li Cenji, relying on the fact that his horizontal sword was longer than his golden mace, struck first.

His strike was swift and cunning, the blade aimed directly at Shi Meng's face.

Shi Meng did not dodge, but simply flicked his left hand to take the blow with his golden mace.

With a crisp "clang," the blade left a white mark on the hammerhead, without even breaking the paint.

Shi Meng raised his right hammer from below, aiming straight for Li Cenji's chest and abdomen.

Li Cenji dodged the hammerhead, and his blade slashed diagonally across Shi Meng's right arm guard, leaving only a shallow scratch on the guard plate.

Shi Meng grinned.

The force I felt on my arm was like a child hitting me with a stick—it didn't hurt or itch at all.

He became increasingly convinced that this Tang general was nothing but a figurehead; he was dressed smartly and had some skill, but in terms of strength, he was far inferior.

As the left hammer came crashing down, Li Cenji slashed his sword to the side, and with a crisp clang, the hammerhead slid down the blade to the right, while Li Cenji took a half step back to deflect the force.

This further confirmed Shi Meng's suspicions.

In reality, Li Cenji's retreat was not due to a lack of strength, but rather because he had suffered a loss in terms of weaponry.

Although the head of the golden melon hammer was small, it was made entirely of refined iron and weighed at least five pounds. Combined with Shi Meng's innate superhuman strength, it could swing with a force of over a hundred pounds.

Although the horizontal sword is sharp, it is ultimately a light weapon. When using light weapons to strike heavy ones, or when the blade hits a hammer, even if the hammerhead is blocked, the force borne by the blade will be transferred to the edge of the blade.

After months of arduous training, his strength was far beyond what it used to be. He could even fight Shi Meng head-on without any problem. However, with each collision, the blade would have several more nicks.

That's why he's unwilling to confront them head-on.

The two exchanged blows, and in the blink of an eye, they had already fought seven or eight rounds.

Shi Meng relied on his thick armor and only attacked without defending.

Although Li Cenji struck him twice more, once on the shoulder and once on the waist, both blows only pierced the outer armor plates, without even a trace of blood.

He could have delivered more force with those strikes, but the blade was already chipped in several places, so he dared not add any more force, fearing that the blade would break with a single blow.

Seeing that although his swordsmanship was exquisite, his strength was "weak," Shi Meng took him even less seriously. He wielded his pair of golden maces with wide, sweeping movements, completely disregarding defense and only focusing on attacking.

Li Cenji secretly groaned in his heart.

This broadsword had been with him for months, from the Fengxiang training ground all the way to the front of the Longweibei battleground. He always kept it carefully cleaned and maintained.

But now the blade is bent in seven or eight places, and the once bright blade is now like a saw. If it collides with something a few more times, it will surely break.

Even worse was the leather shield; after only two blows, the shield split in two.

He had no choice but to throw the broken shield at Shi Meng's face. Taking advantage of the moment when the other man turned his head to dodge, he abandoned the shield, gripped the hilt of his sword with both hands, and fought Shi Meng three more times.

With several more chipped edges added to the blade, the entire knife was almost no longer recognizable as a knife.

Fortunately, relying on the advantage that his horizontal sword was longer than his golden mace, he kept his slashes close to Shi Meng's face and between his armor. Shi Meng was, after all, made of flesh and blood, and was afraid of being blinded, so he dared not be completely unguarded.

That's how they managed to fight to a standstill.

Li Cenji's mind raced.

Shi Meng was covered in three layers of heavy armor, making him as solid as an iron barrel.

Ordinary swords and knives would only scratch him like an itch.

To hurt him, you'd have to use a blunt weapon like a hammer, whip, mace, or club.

But the weapons scattered on the ground were either spears or swords; there were no blunt weapons.

His gaze fell on the golden mace in Shi Meng's right hand:

Since there isn't one on the ground, let's snatch one from this brute.

Once this thought arose, he began to make a plan.

Just then, Shi Meng's right-hand hammer came crashing down on his face.

This hammer blow was more powerful than the previous ones, the hammerhead carrying a strong wind and making a whistling sound.

Li Cenji did not take the blow head-on. Instead, he shifted his body to the left, letting the hammer graz his right shoulder armor.

The strong wind stung his face, but it also gave him an opportunity.

He swiftly thrust out his left hand and grabbed the handle of Shi Meng's right hand hammer, his five fingers gripping it tightly like iron pincers.

Shi Meng was slightly taken aback, then grinned.

Just now, when this Tang general clashed with him, although his swordsmanship was exquisite, he avoided the opponent's strength and attacked their weaknesses with every move, not daring to directly meet his hammer blows.

He concluded that this person was of average strength, but had managed to hold on until now thanks to his agility and skillful swordsmanship.

Now you dare to get close enough to disarm him and wrestle with him? Isn't that just courting death?

He didn't rush to withdraw his right hammer; his left-hand golden mace came crashing down on him as he roared:

"Let go!"

Li Cenji gripped the knife with both hands, using the blades to block the hammer blow.

With a loud clang, sparks flew everywhere, and the already chipped blade bent even more.

Shi Meng pressed down on the horizontal sword with his left hammer while simultaneously exerting force with his right arm, attempting to pull his right hammer out of Li Cenji's hand.

His pull had at least a hundred pounds of force; back in the day, even a galloping horse would have been brought to a halt by him.

However, the left hand, which was gripping the hammer handle, did not move an inch.

Shi Meng was taken aback, then added more force to his right arm, pressing down with his left hammer as well.

He exerted force with both arms at the same time, and the force was more than two hundred pounds.

But the Tang general opposite him had his left hand locked around the handle of his hammer, his right hand holding a sword across the left hammer, and he didn't retreat even half a step.

The two men were locked in a stalemate on the high hilltop, like two raging bulls locked in a struggle.

Shi Meng's eyes widened as he seriously examined the Tang general before him for the first time.

He hadn't expected that this Tang general, with his slender frame, possessed such strength.

However, for a Tang general of this stature to possess such strength is already a remarkable gift.

But compared to Shi Meng, he was still a step behind.

Shi Meng grinned maliciously, his teeth grinding together, and the muscles in his arms bulged even more, as if he were about to crush Li Cenji completely with overwhelming force.

Having slaughtered cattle and pigs since childhood and fought many tough battles, he was now fully prepared and confident that he could subdue even a raging bull.

He was fully expecting that with this exertion, the Tang general in front of him would be forced to his knees, and then he could finish him off with a left hammer blow and smash his head to pieces.

However, a few breaths passed.

His arms, thick as tree stumps, could not move forward an inch, let alone pull back the hammer handle that was held in place.

The Tang general's left hand was like an iron shackle, firmly locked to the handle of his hammer, his five fingers tightly embedded, and no matter how hard he exerted himself, it did not budge.

Shi Meng was suddenly shocked.

For the first time, he, who had never lost a wrestling match, experienced being subdued.

He suddenly looked up, staring intently at Li Cenji with his large, copper-bell-like eyes, his gaze filled with disbelief.

But that astonishment was quickly overshadowed by a look of shame and anger. A muffled, thunderous voice came from beneath Iron Guard's cheek, deliberately made to sound rough and contemptuous:

"Good strength. I've been fighting for so long, and I've killed or wounded at least thirty or fifty of your Tang soldiers with my golden mace. I'm exhausted, and you've gotten the better of me. Normally, I would have finished off someone like you with three blows."

As he said this, his chest was still held high, and his tone was full of disdain, as if he were truly just exhausted.

But his right hand, which was gripping the hammer handle, secretly increased its pressure, trying to take advantage of the moment to quietly pull the hammer handle back from Li Cenji's hand.

Despite the pull, the hammer handle remained completely still.

Shi Meng's heart sank again, but he refused to back down in the slightest and sneered again:

"But don't get too cocky. I see your face is all red and your arms are trembling. You're probably not feeling well either, are you? Why are you forcing yourself to stay like this? Let go now, and I'll give you a good beating."

Li Cenji listened to his words, but his face remained expressionless.

His face wasn't flushed; rather, the blood splattered from the killing hadn't dried yet, and now, dampened by sweat, it appeared a dark red.

As for the claim that his arms were trembling, that's utter nonsense.

His arms were steady and strong, while Shi Meng's temples were throbbing and sweat was dripping down his neck through his armor, showing that he had used all his strength.

Li Cenji also began to have some plans in mind.

This brute is indeed quite strong; among the generals and officers of Fengxiang, he would probably be unmatched.

But compared to him, she is still a step behind.

He sneered inwardly as he heard the other party still stubbornly mocking him.

Since you, this brute, are still not convinced, then there's no need to continue this stalemate.

Li Cenji didn't argue with him at that moment. He just took a deep breath, sank his legs down, exerted force from his waist and abdomen, and sent the energy from his spine all the way to his left arm.

He suddenly tightened his left hand and pulled it hard into his chest, while at the same time he flicked his right hand with the horizontal blade, knocking away the left hammer that was pressing against the blade.

The force of the pull was both fierce and sudden.

Shi Meng felt a burning pain in his right palm. His five fingers were forcibly pried open by that enormous force, and the web between his thumb and forefinger immediately split open, with blood flowing down between his fingers.

He watched helplessly as the Tang general snatched the golden mace he had held for years from his hand. He staggered forward half a step, and before he could regain his balance, he was kicked hard in the chest.

That kick landed on his chest armor. Although the three layers of heavy armor absorbed most of the force, it still caused his blood to surge in his chest, making him unable to stand. He stumbled back three or five steps, knocking over two Tang soldiers and rebel soldiers who were fighting behind him, before he could barely regain his footing.

Li Cenji snatched the golden mace in his right hand and casually threw the whitish, chipped sword in his hand to the ground.

He weighed the golden mace in his hand; it was quite heavy. The handle was of a suitable thickness, shorter than a horizontal sword, but its advantage lay in its powerful and heavy weight.

Such blunt weapons are excellent for penetrating armor.

He looked up at Shi Meng.

The brute had just gotten up from the ground, his eyes filled with horror. Blood was streaming from the web of his right hand, yet he still gripped the only remaining left hammer tightly, cursing angrily as he spoke:

"Give me back my hammer!"

Li Cenji didn't bother with any more words to him.

He strode forward, carrying a golden mace.

Shi Meng roared and swung his golden mace at Li Cenji, who neither dodged nor avoided the blows. They exchanged blows for another three rounds.

Li Cenji launched a series of aggressive attacks, forcing Shi Meng to retreat step by step.

In the fourth move, Shi Meng's left-hand hammer missed its mark, and before he could stop, an opening appeared under his armpit.

Taking advantage of the situation, Li Cenji snatched into his arms, swiftly reaching out with his left hand to grab the hammer handle in his left hand, repeating the same trick.

This time, Shi Meng was on guard. He gripped the hammer handle tightly and refused to let go, roaring repeatedly. Veins bulged on his forehead, and his face was contorted with rage.

Li Cenji used the same trick again, wrestling with him as before. He snatched the left hammer, and with both hammers in his hands, he didn't hesitate any longer. He raised the right hammer high and smashed it down hard into the gap between Li Cenji's helmet and cheek guard.

This hammer blow struck Shi Meng squarely in the face.

Although the cheek protector covered most of her face, it couldn't hide the immense force of the hammer falling.

Shi Meng's enormous head jerked back, his helmet flying off. His fleshy face was bruised, his nose collapsed, his eyes burst open, and blood gushed out like a fountain from between his shattered facial bones.

He stared wide-eyed, his lips twitching as if he wanted to say something, but only managed a series of indistinct gurgling sounds.

Li Cenji followed up with a hammer blow from his left hand, striking him squarely in the temple.

Shi Meng's towering body swayed twice, then he fell backward onto the ground with a thud.

Three layers of heavy armor slammed into the bloody mud, splashing up a patch of dark red mud.

This brute, who came from a butcher's background, had fought many tough battles and countless Tang generals and officers had died under his hammer, but today he too died under his hammer.

His copper bell-like eyes remained wide open, filled with resentment and confusion. He couldn't understand how this Tang general, who looked much smaller than himself, could have such great strength.

Li Cenji took a breath, holding a hammer, and glanced around.

The veteran soldiers who had followed Shi Meng up were currently entangled in a fierce battle with "Swift Thunder General," but their eyes had never left their commander, Shi Meng. Suddenly, they saw that towering figure fall down, and they were all stunned for a moment.

Who is Shi Meng?

The veteran soldier, known as "Breaking the Formation Hammer" under the Yellow King, has been undefeated in battle for many years.

This Tang general actually killed him?

Before they could react, Li Cenji raised his double hammers and shouted sharply:

"The bandit general is dead! Follow me and kill the enemy!"

The sound was like a thunderclap, making the surrounding rebel soldiers tremble.

The "Swift Thunder Generals" were greatly encouraged. They shouted in unison and followed Li Cenji as they charged into the rebel army's ranks.

Li Cenji, wielding two hammers, charged left and right as if entering an empty field.

He had already figured out how to use the Golden Melon Hammer when he fought Shi Meng earlier. This thing doesn't require any special swordsmanship or knife skills; you just have to swing it and smash.

With one blow, the wooden shield shattered; with another, the iron helmet caved in; and with yet another, human bones were crushed.

Although those veteran soldiers were brave and fierce, how could they withstand such a fierce attack?

The one directly in front of him had his brains smashed open with two blows, while the one to his side was struck in the shoulder blade with a single blow, falling sideways and knocking over three or four of his comrades.

The "Swift Thunder Generals" followed closely behind, piercing into the rebel ranks like a sharp dagger.

The rebel veterans, already terrified by Shi Meng's death, were further shaken by Li Cenji's imposing presence, and began to retreat involuntarily.

Li Cenji led the "Swift Thunder Generals" in a frenzy of attacks, repairing the breach that Shi Meng had just torn open.

The banner atop the hill remained firmly in place, and the Tang army's lines were stabilized once again by this counterattack.

Those veteran soldiers who had already climbed the steep slope saw that the Tang army's flags were still standing on the hilltop, and heard that the military commander Shi Meng had been killed by the Tang general. Which of them dared to advance lightly?

They all retreated again.