Main Text — Chapter 129: The Battle (VII)

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The command of Mayi directly oversaw five major camps, with the Yue Rider’s three camps priding themselves as the finest elite of Mayi’s Yingyang Division, looking down on all others. Ever since Wang Rengong took control of Mayi Commandery and vigorously expanded the Mayi Yingyang Division, he had enlisted the fiercest and most valiant young light cavalrymen from Mayi, selecting the bravest warriors within the army to fill the Yue Rider camps. The commanders of the Yue Rider camps were also chosen from his own household soldiers to ensure absolute loyalty to Wang Rengong.

With such personnel arrangements, their equipment and military supplies were naturally the best. This accumulation forged the Mayi Yue Riders into an arrogant force. Aside from the Yingyang Division in Heng’an within the same commandery, which they regarded with some caution, all other military cavalry across the realm were beneath their notice. Proud of being elite cavalry from the borderlands, they believed that once they marched south in force, any opponent would be swept away, and they would assist Wang Rengong in forging a hegemonic legacy.

Last year, the allied forces of Hedong, Yanmen, and Mayi clashed in a bloody battle with the Turks. After witnessing the fierce fighting and ragged equipment of the Heng’an Yingyang Division on the battlefield, the Mayi Yue Riders developed a certain respect for Heng’an troops. Although the two sides were locked in stalemate, they dared not provoke each other lightly, waiting for Wang Rengong to finalize all plans before reigniting conflict.

Yet, compared to the severely depleted Yanmen soldiers and the Hedong troops under the Duke of Tang, the Mayi Yue Riders still considered themselves superior. Once Wang Rengong led them southward, the people of the Central Plains would finally understand what true borderland iron cavalry meant!

But this long-held arrogance, the very spark that fueled the Mayi Yue Riders’ pride, was utterly shattered at the foot of Tingbing Mountain.

A group of villagers they had driven up the mountain formed a tightly packed formation and charged headlong without hesitation. The imposing cavalry formation of the Mayi Yue Riders was pierced in a single stroke!

Those attempting to encircle from the flanks could not join the central fray but instead only worsened the chaos on the battlefield.

When Xu Le hurled his spear and led the villagers to break through the siege and then turned back, the Mayi Yue Riders were already tangled in a massive mess. Amid cries and neighs, fallen riders wailed and struggled on the ground, warhorses slipped on blood and flesh, and rearing horses bolted wildly at the foot of Tingbing Mountain, further exacerbating the already uncontrollable confusion.

Everyone was stunned—how had they lost this battle?

They hadn’t underestimated the enemy; their formation was intact and rhythm proper. Though lacking officers meant less order, how could they collapse so completely in an instant?

When Xu Le turned back, his iron-faced gaze fierce and implacable, the bloodied spear slowly thrust forward again, at that moment, every Mayi Yue Rider lost all will to resist.

If the villagers’ dense cavalry formation was something they could not comprehend, Xu Le’s valor clad in black armor was clear to all!

Their commanding officer, Shi Chaozhi, known for bravery and boldness within the Mayi army, was thrown off his horse at a glance.

This was a real, brutal toss, witnessed by many Mayi Yue Riders as blood rained down from Shi Chaozhi’s body!

Xu Le, always at the spear’s point, was invincible before him. His two spears danced through the ranks, toppling countless Mayi Yue Riders, carving a path for his comrades.

When Xu Le turned again, clad in his grim, terrifying black armor, the Mayi Yue Riders suddenly felt the same dread a small animal feels when confronted by a natural predator!

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Behind Xu Le, the corpse of an elderly man he bore only intensified their fear.

In the borderlands, avenging kin was paramount. Fighting with a corpse, a battle to the death.

How had these Mayi Yue Riders provoked such a demon?

As the Xu family villagers advanced again in their wall-like formation, more than half of the remaining Mayi Yue Riders utterly collapsed, their screams tearing the air.

They abandoned their weapons, stripped off their armor, discarded all burdens, leaving just horse and rider, directionless and bowed, fleeing headlong. Some collided in confusion during their flight, riders tumbling from horses but struggling to rise, limping desperately to escape with whatever strength remained.

Meanwhile, Xu Le had fully leveled his spear, no longer caring if the villagers behind him kept pace. Riding at maximum speed, he seemed determined to chase the fleeing Mayi Yue Riders to the ends of the earth!

Swallowing Dragon, flashing like lightning across the battlefield, several fallen Mayi Yue Riders raised their hands, whether to resist or plead for mercy, but Xu Le gave them no chance to speak. His spear slashed like a dragon’s strike, each thrust piercing chest and abdomen, the force lifting riders off the ground before Xu Le flicked it aside to seek the next foe.

In an instant, Swallowing Dragon circled the battlefield amid screams, and another seven or eight Mayi Yue Riders who failed to escape were dispatched by Xu Le.

When Xu Le lifted his head, no one remained standing on this battle-strewn field of blood and flesh.

Yet Xu Le refused to stop, seeking out the fleeing riders to kick his horse’s belly fiercely and give chase!

Suddenly, a heavy hand pressed down on Xu Le’s shoulder.

“Le Langjun, enough killing!” came the urgent voice.

Xu Le turned, his iron face’s bloodshot eyes glaring fiercely at the newcomer, spear raised to strike again.

But the man did not flinch, meeting Xu Le’s gaze with sincere earnestness.

It was Han Yue.

This tall man was covered in bloodstains, wounds pouring fresh blood, sweat streaming down his face, yet he looked at Xu Le with utmost seriousness.

“Ah Le, Grandfather did not want this either. Enough killing, stop now…”

Dozens of villagers had halted their mounts some distance away, their chests heaving violently, quietly watching Xu Le.

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Han Xiaoliu was among them, miraculously uninjured, pale-faced and glancing around before suddenly vomiting, wiping his face in tears and snot, his youthful voice tinged with sobs.

“Le Langjun, enough killing. Let’s bury Grandfather…”

Xu Le’s grip loosened, his bloodied spear dropping heavily to the ground, splattering blood into the dirt.

He removed his iron mask, revealing a handsome, noble face beneath, but something had changed in his brows and eyes, erasing the youthful innocence he once had. After this battle, it was gone forever.

Clad in black heavy armor stained with blood and flesh, yet behind it was a boy so strikingly handsome it seemed almost untouched by all the carnage. The contrast was stark and profound.

Everywhere he looked was blood—scattered corpses of Mayi Yue Riders and the thick, unyielding stench of the battlefield.

Behind him, his grandfather’s body lay cold.

In this moment, Xu Le truly felt it—his grandfather was dead.

Gone forever.

In this world, he was alone to face it all.

On horseback, Xu Le swayed in his black armor, then tilted his head back and collapsed.

Han Yue hastily reached out to support him, shouting in desperation, “Le Langjun!”

Dozens of villagers hurried to surround him, calling out, “Le Langjun!”

After this battle, young Xu Le had truly become the pillar of the remaining Xu family villagers—a core leader among these dozens of fiercely trained warriors, hardened by blood and battle, now beginning to reveal their claws and teeth.