CHAPTER 401: CHAPTER 38 DEATH WITHOUT LIFE! _2

Li Fusheng’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but ask Zheng Fan, "Chief Zheng, can I have this man?"

Zheng Fan just smiled without saying a word.

I’d be willing to give him to you, but he wouldn’t go with you.

Li Fusheng was only joking. Such retainers generally wouldn’t change their allegiance; what they valued most was "loyalty."

At a signal from Li Fusheng, one of his personal guards handed his horse spear to Liang Cheng, who took it.

Li Fusheng spurred his horse forward, moving to the front of the thousand cavalrymen. It seemed he intended to lead the charge himself.

But no one dared to stop him. No one ventured to say things like, "General, your status is too important, and you still have to command the army. You can’t risk yourself so easily."

This was Li Fusheng’s style. He relished slaughter, enjoyed hearing his enemies’ screams, and savored the warmth of their blood splashing onto his body. Even though he was now a Regional Commander, he still preferred to charge into the fray on the front lines.

Zheng Fan glanced left and right. Li Fusheng had moved forward, and Liang Cheng had also advanced. A personal guard nearby was watching Zheng Fan, seemingly waiting only for his signal to hand over the horse spear he held. The surrounding personal guards had heard the earlier conversation between the three men. Though they didn’t fully understand it, they sensed its gravity. But after a glance, Zheng Fan quickly averted his gaze and began to stare into the distance, observing the clouds.

Asking Chief Zheng to cut down a few enemies while on horseback wouldn’t be an issue. His strength as an Eighth Rank Martial Cultivator, coupled with the equestrian skills he had honed over the past six months, was more than sufficient for that. But a horse spear? Chief Zheng had never used one, nor had he ever trained with it. Of course, the most important reason was this: they were about to charge the enemy formation!

Looking at the Qian army’s dense, hedgehog-like formation ahead, if I just charge in blindly, I’d die in an instant. I’m afraid of death; I’ll admit it. No, I have to stay alive for the other Mo Wan. I have to survive for them.

This left the personal guard beside him feeling rather awkward. He wanted to ask directly but was too embarrassed. In the end, he had to steel himself, urge his horse forward, and take up a position in the charging contingent.

"Zhenbei Army!" Li Fusheng roared.

"Tiger!"

The next moment, the thousand cavalrymen behind him rested the butts of their horse spears on the ground in unison, producing a neat, metallic clang.

No heralds were needed; this was a maneuver they had practiced countless times. Everyone knew exactly how the other units were to coordinate when their Regional Commander decided to personally lead the formation-breaking contingent in a charge. The barbarians had been their best training partners; they had practiced all these maneuvers in actual combat in the desert countless times.

Therefore, in the next moment, various mobile force commanders began directing their subordinates to adjust their positions, and a series of military orders were issued.

This, on one hand, illustrated Li Fusheng’s "reckless" nature; he had indeed led such formation charges many times. On the other hand, it meant that even if Li Fusheng were to fall in battle, his troops wouldn’t be thrown into disarray from lack of leadership, as they were already accustomed to it.

For a moment, apart from Li Fusheng’s thousand-strong, horse spear-wielding charging contingent which remained stationary, the nearly 20,000 Zhenbei Army iron cavalry on the outer battlefield began to maneuver. Beyond the Qian army formation, dust billowed and hooves thundered, creating a palpable tension, like the heavy air before a storm!

Zheng Fan could see the tense expressions on the faces of the foremost Qian soldiers. Simultaneously, he silently placed his hand on his saber. His other hand rested on his chest, feeling for the presence of the Mo Wan.

Although I don’t have to be in the vanguard, I’ll probably have to join the main charge later.

PHEW...

Looking at the eager, almost hungry expressions on the faces of the Zhenbei Army soldiers around him, I feel like a husky that’s somehow ended up in a pack of wild wolves. Normally, I can blend in well enough that no one notices a difference. But at critical moments like this, my fear really shows.

A gust of wind swept through, whipping up the recently disturbed dust even more dramatically. Yet, the 20,000 Zhenbei Army knights had already completed their preparations with incredible speed.

Excluding Li Fusheng’s personally led charging contingent, there were seven cavalry formations in total. As before, the two mobile force commanders originally tasked with securing the rear were positioned there, while one formation was stationed on each of the east and west flanks. Flanking the charging contingent, there was also a formation on each side. Another formation was positioned behind the charging contingent, which was where Zheng Fan was located.

As the wind began to subside, an eerie quiet fell over the battlefield. Even the warhorses beneath the knights only pawed the ground a few times, daring not to make any further noise. Yet, this silence carried an oppressive weight, several times more intense than before.

Li Fusheng raised his horse spear. A long, piercing battle cry erupted from his lips:

"Tiger!"

"Tiger!"

"Tiger!"

The thousand-strong charging contingent behind Li Fusheng began to rhythmically pound the butts of their poised horse spears onto the frozen earth.

"Tiger!"

"Tiger!"

"Tiger!"

Then, the cavalry formations on either flank began to strike their armor with their weapons, carrying the rhythm onward. The two formations to the east and west were similarly inspired, mirroring the action.

Finally, like a Mexican wave, the two formations at the rear, responsible for cutting off any retreat, joined in with similar war cries.

Setting aside their earlier direct breach of Chuzhou’s city gates to capture the city, this was now the Zhenbei Army’s first true battle since crossing into the territory of the Qian State!