Chapter 79: Wind in Tiantang
Tiantang City seemed to be much emptier, devoid of its usual zest.
Even those chit-chatting merrily in restaurants had decreased in number. Everyone was living in limbo, taking note in the absence of news from the front line.
However, in somewhere dark, the thugs who had been harassing the old citizens were dying in batches. A lot of them seemed to have expired from the wounds of a mystical beast's claws but there were also a lot who had died from swords and sabers.
The old marshal had sent out almost all of his military undercover guards.
Prior to this, the old marshal was high and mighty; he no longer felt that way but he was steel-hearted this time.
"All those who have harassed the families of deployed warriors, all those who have harassed the families of fallen warriors, all those who have harassed the families of veterans... Kill them without mercy!"
When the old marshal had given out this order, his eyes were rimmed red. Those who were doing this at the same time included the secret guards of His Majesty and the trusted subordinates of Old General Leng Daoyin; Yutang, too, had restructured its punishment to be incredibly serious and severe.
Therefore, all the thugs and crooks in the Empire of Yutang were in bad luck. If they went out to collect fees, they were risking their very heads!
...
This was an extremely brutal tug of war!
The Dongxuan Shadow Cavalry from Han Sanhe had always prided themselves as the strongest army in the world. Facing such a mighty opponent as the Steel Cavalry, they would definitely retaliate with their all!
It was difficult to guess who would win this battle.
Reserve troops flooded in continuously but all the higher-ups of the empire knew that only Tie Zheng's hundred thousand-strong armies could really determine the outcome of this battle.
They were currently the strongest force that could be unleashed.
"If only the Nine Supremes were still here." Many of Yutang's citizens were thinking the same in their heart.
If the Nine Supremes were still here, forget the others! Even the Dongxuan Shadow Cavalry would never dare show themselves!
Then how could such a precarious situation occur?
Similar thoughts gradually began to surface in the Empire of Yutang; be it in restaurants, alehouses, taverns or shophouses... there was not a single person who did not sigh while mentioning this.
"If the Nine Supremes were still here, would the Shadow Cavalry dare to invade?"
"If the Nine Supremes were still here, even Han Sanhe would not dare to take action!"
"If only the Nine Supremes were still alive..."
"How good that would be!"
"The Fortress of Resilience is not far away from Tianxuan Cliff, the site of the nine sirs' downfall..." The people's expressions were somber. "I really wish to go pay tribute to the nine sirs..."
"Not too far away? Are you muddled? Tianxuan Cliff is behind the Fortress of Resilience, it's in our country!"
"The Nine sirs were harmed in our own country! How is that possible?"
"Sigh..."
It was now the fifteenth of the seventh month.
"Dongxuan's two hundred thousand-strong army are in formation, decisive battle has begun with General Tie Zheng!"
"The war is now in a deadlock... both sides have approximately a hundred and fifty thousand-strong army in a standstill battle in the area within three thousand miles of the Fortress of Resilience. The results are hard to tell!"
"But our side suffered great casualties..."
News from the front lines flew in like paper scraps. Everyone in Yutang was becoming more heavy hearted, their hearts hanging on a thin thread.The battle was continuously in a tug of war.
On the forty-fifth day of General Tie Zheng's stand-off, Yun Yang walked out from his closed door cultivation.
The front line was about to perish.
Once Yun Yang came out, he headed east immediately, all by himself. Wind blew in the clear sky, and a white cloud soared, moving briskly under the erratic wind!
The wind in Tiantang City suddenly grew stronger.
Hoo, hoo, hoo.
The old marshal watched Tiantang's flag that fluttered in the strong wind in Tiantang Square with his head raised, not speaking a word for a long time. This feeling was terribly familiar.
Once, there was a time when the wind bellowed and clouds whirled; as the clouds whirled, thunder boomed; as thunder boomed, dragon of earth soared as golden rays shone, waves surged while wood shot through infinity, whispers of flame flared and blood drenched the sky.
Now, the wind had begun to bellow once again!
"Too bad, the valor of Nine Supremes is hard to be seen again." The old marshal heaved a long sigh with arms behind his back, his expression forlorn.
...
In front of the Fortress of Resilience, battle cries tore through the sky.
Opposing troops were engaged in the war, arrows shot above heads, unrelenting like pelting raindrops in a storm.
This was not hundreds or thousands of people, this was tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands of soldiers who were fighting.
Swoosh!
An arrow shot right by Tie Zheng's face. His expression was stoic; he did not even blink once.
He stood somewhere high wearing a loud golden cloak; in his hand was a twenty-five-foot long spear while under his legs was an extremely handsome fiery red swift horse that was fifteen feet tall; on his head was a golden helmet while on his waist was a long sword.
He was right up at this tall spot, mounted on his steed and watching the battlefield coldly.
As the marshal of the troops, he knew that he should be in the marshal's tent. However, facing the berserk attacks of Han Sanhe's Dongxuan army, he could only stand here, remaining still in the loudest outfit!
He wanted all his fighting warriors to see their marshal standing right here, like an imposing mountain, once they turned to look back!
He was still standing here!
Even if the sky collapsed, the marshal was still here!
Before two opposing battle arrays, tens of thousands of cavalry men were killing each other.
Right in front was a troop of imposing cavalry, they were black all over, from the men to their horses! Even when they were on the battlefield, exploding with battle cries, this troop was still and calm like the ice of a tall mountain.
Even their steeds were silent.
They brought with them a formless and intimidating aura.
It was an indifference developed from going through too much life and death, they had never regarded the battle that ensued in front of their eyes.
In their eyes, there were no life and death nor was there victory and defeat; there was only massacre!
A similar troop was there among the battle array of Yutang, their appearance and manner almost similar.
The only difference between the Shadow Cavalry and the Steel Cavalry was that the Shadow Cavalry was donned in black clothes, black armor, black horses, black helmets, and black coats while the Steel Cavalry had the same outfit and an additional steel-colored mask. On this steel mask, there was sign only their own people could recognize!
Both parties were glaring at each other. Life and death on this battlefield were no longer in their eyes at this moment.
Tie Zheng stood majestically, the killing intent in his gaze bursting out, yet he was overwhelmingly calm.
He was like a rock in the ocean amidst the violent crashes of waves and erratic winds, he took note of all that was happening on the battlefield with an emotionless gaze. He dispatched troops and commissioned generals in his stride, making full use of the military might in his hands so each battalion could unleash their maximum capacity!
Each new battalion that entered the battlefield was positioned at where the enemy was the weakest and most penetrable. However, the response from the opposite party each time would also nullify his strategy.
Each ordering gesture of his was determined and unhesitant, eve his manner was elegant and poised. The generals by his side all looked at him with admiration and heated gazes, executing his orders without a hint of slack. They knew deep down that not every troop could have such a marshal and not every marshal could be as unfazed!
The marshal's calm and steadiness was the reassurance of the entire army/
We shall never be defeated as long as marshal remains!
Tie Zheng was calm on the outside but his heart had long been anxious. He knew he was about to crumble but the enemy's fatal blow was yet to come.
Han Sanhe had not yet taken action throughout the war. Those fighting against Tie Zheng currently were but his three generals. Even the two hundred thousand-strong Shadow Cavalry that was on display was definitely not Han Sanhe's lethal tactic!
He must still have something up his sleeves.
What was it?
Tie Zheng remained calm on the outside but his heart was pounding madly.
They would only be expending resources if the current battle prolonged but he could not afford to do that. Tie Zheng was clear that all his reserve troops had arrived. The empire could not offer any more support to him after this. The enemy's aided troops, however, were continuous and endless!
The Fortress of Resilience was right behind him. If it had never been conquered and he could defend himself using the fort, he was confident that he could block Han Sanhe's attack outside the fortress even if the latter had attacked with all of his nation's military force.
Worse come to worst, he could die together with the enemy!
Now though, the enemy had taken the Fortress of Resilience and had completely damaged it. When he had come over with his troops, the opposite party had immediately retreated from the Fortress of Resilience. With such conditions, even if Tie Zheng was courageous and gutsy, he would never dare play the defense card.
He could only play tug of war with the enemy on the plain land outside the Fortress of Resilience.
Who knew if the enemy had set some vicious trap upon conquering the Fortress of Resilience? Even if there had been no setup, the fort walls had all collapsed. How could he defend the fortress?
The enemy came forth in attack and that had forcefully put them in the same situation as the other party.
There were thirty thousand Steel Cavalry behind Tie Zheng. He had never deployed them no matter how critical things became. They were fed the best and sheltered.
Once the battle went downhill, these thirty thousand cavalry men were the last card of his last hand.
Ooo, Ooo.
The dull sound of horns resounded from the enemy's tent.
A black stream moved gradually, from slow to fast then growing into a sharp tide. The uniform clip-clops were like the bells of soul reapers.
At that moment, the enemy's horn blew. Tie Zheng had waved his hand without hesitation as drums sounded from his side simultaneously. After the battle array, five thousand Steel Cavalry moved uniformly.
Two troops that were like black fuming dragons charged towards each other quietly on the battlefield. No one let out any battle cry from both troops, not even a grunt.
They had charged against each other so quietly, the bloodlust maddeningly clear in their eyes!
The two troops of cavalry men were not unlike raging dragons colliding with a crash amidst the silence.
Right at that moment, Tie Zheng was on this side and Dongxuan's general who was watching at a high spot over the other side had their pupils shrunk abruptly!
Blood sprayed through the air like a wave, it was a battle of the elite against elite!
The Shadow Cavalry was emotionless, uncaring that their comrades beside them were falling off their horses, as they attacked and charged in, holding onto their weapons; the Steel Cavalry wore steel masks as they too were quiet in combat.
This was a battlefield; the only conversation was to be spoken using weapons, using life and death!
Puhh, puhh...
Wu Jundao, the Steel Cavalry's assistant general, was the one leading Yutang's Steel Cavalry. The spear in his hand went out like pelting raindrops, glimmering like cold stars before black silhouette after black silhouette was picked up and thrown down. His steed did not stop even once as he led his soldiers into the center of his enemy's formation like a sharp knife.
The enemy was using the same strategy as they charged straight into the Steel Cavalry's formation! Other than the colliding noises of the weapons, everything was done in a lull of silence!
Both sides were charging; both sides were suffering from casualties.
Bang!
A black silhouette was thrown off by the opposite troop's horse and landed harshly on the ground. Just as he was about to stand, countless horses from both troops immediately trampled him under their galloping hooves.