Chapter 413 - Dominating Xiangyang (I)
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Jiang Pengji mentioned before that most people in the current era suffered from night blindness. Most of the members of the Tsing Yi Army were essentially blind if they did not have a torch at night. A group of blind men was just a moving target to the troops.
“Where did they go…?” one of them asked. “Have you found it?”
“I haven’t! Have the thieves escaped?” someone responded.
“Go to the other side and search again…”
“Where are the thieves? Report immediately once you have information.”
The members of the Tsing Yi Army raised their torches, illuminating the alleyway as if it were daytime. However, apart from the hundreds of corpses, they did not discover any trace of the enemy at all. The Tsing Yi Army was jittery. They were furious, but at the same time, they developed a fear that could not be suppressed. The enemy seemed to come and go like shadows.
Meng Hun smiled as he watched the Tsing Yi Army rush over in batches. He gave the order for the troops to wait, nock their arrows, and aim.
Buzz, buzz, buzz…
In the darkness, lethal arrows whizzed by. That time, they did not aim for the torches, but the heads of the Tsing Yi Army.
Poof…
The members of the Tsing Yi Army did not even have time to scream. A deadly chill spread through their bodies from the soles of their feet before they collapsed on the ground.
“They’re here…” Someone noticed the sound of astir and wanted to scream to warn the others, but he followed in his comrade’s footsteps.
The range of the improved arrows gave the troops a great long-range advantage. The sky was dark that night. Thick, dark clouds covered the moon. The troops waited in the dark, far away from the Tsing Yi Army.
They had firmly gained the upper hand.
After a few sneak attacks, the dead bodies piled up. The blood of the dead formed a small stream, flowing along the gap of the slate. The night wind blew, carrying a strong smell of rust and telling the story of a tragic battle that once happened there.
The Tsing Yi Army continuously rushed over, and they kept getting killed. The number of souls of the deceased was constantly increasing.
Under such a formidable death threat, many of them were on the verge of a mental breakdown. They lost their cool.
They were once commoners that carried hoes and farmed diligently. Now, they were violent rioters that carried hatchets and shoulder poles. However, soul-reaping messengers had come to them when they had yet to live a happy life. The people around them were taken away one by one.
It would soon be their turn!
Meng Hun noticed that the arrows in the quivers had been used up. He spat, then pulled out the broadsword on his waist with a swish.
With a fierce look in his eyes, he jumped down from the eaves and yielded his sword. “Attack!”
“Ahhhh…” Screams rang through the area. The head of a member of the Tsing Yi Army was hacked into two from the top. His brain plasma and blood spattered everywhere.
Meng Hun pulled out his sword and slaughtered another member of the Tsing Yi Army. Behind him, more and more troops charged forward.
Warfare broke out in the alleyway. The cries of the Tsing Yi Army echoed nonstop.
Compared to long-range shootings, killing with a sword was far from quick. However, it was undoubtedly more destructive.
The troops knew how to work together and fight well. The Tsing Yi Army were like headless flies. They were not even wearing defensive outfits.
Even though there were more people in the Tsing Yi Army than there were troops, the situation of the battle was one-sided.
How could the people in the vicinity sleep soundly when they heard the commotion outside?
After the earthquake, the already impoverished Xiangyang District was in a state of devastation. Many died in the earthquake. The people had little food to eat, but the district government was completely indifferent until the Xiangyang District was besieged. The Tsing Yi Army committed many crimes, hence the people in the Xiangyang District assumed danger from every sound and mistook every bush and tree for an enemy.
The doors of every house were tightly shut. They refused to step out of their houses regardless if it was day or night.
Now, the Tsing Yi Army was battling with an unknown, strange force. Many people could only tremble, hide in their homes, and block their doors.
After 15 minutes, the screaming gradually subsided, but the bloody smell in the air grew stronger and stronger.
At that moment, shouts of excitement spread throughout the streets and alleys.
“Enemies will be beheaded, and those who surrender won’t be killed!
Enemies will be beheaded, and those who surrender won’t be killed!
Enemies will be beheaded, and those who surrender won’t be killed!”
The resounding voices rang through the city. Every troop member shouted, and it gradually spread across the entire Xiangyang District.
Upon hearing the shouts, Meng Hun pulled his sword out from a dead body with a swish. He could no longer keep count of how many people he had killed.
Most of the troop members had killed so many people that they didn’t realize how much time had passed.
The exciting news rang in their ears, bringing them back to their senses. They pulled themselves together. Many of them realized their arms were sore and weak. Their muscles dilated, which stretched their skin and made them wince in pain.
Some troop members were panting heavily. They were carefree and joyful. Most of them were wounded, but compared to death, their minor injuries were nothing.
At that moment, there were very few members of the Tsing Yi Army that were still standing. Most of them were either dead, severely injured, or lingering on their last breath. When those that were still on the way heard about General Jiu’s death, they were at a loss. Then, they abandoned their weapons and ran.
Of course, there were still thousands of people that were held captive in the end.
Meng Hun collected himself and said to the troops beside him, “Clean up the battlefield. Bandage the wounds of the injured guys. As for the guys who have already fallen… remember to lay them in a coffin, so it’s easier to lay them to rest later.”
The troops were not only Jiang Pengji’s private soldiers but Meng Hun’s “children” whom he had raised.
He spent a tremendous amount of effort on the troops for years. Losing each one of them made him feel as if a dagger had penetrated his heart.
However, as a warrior, he understood a principle. It was an honor for those that were soldiers in their blood to die on the battlefield.
Meng Hun wielded his sword with a blank expression to get rid of the blood on the blade. Then, he stored his sword in his scabbard.
He had to meet with his Langjun as soon as possible to stabilize the situation. They needed to prevent a counterattack from the surviving members of the Tsing Yi Army.
Jiang Pengji and the 50 or so troops she had with her occupied the district headquarters. They guarded the entrance, exit, and all the thoroughfares of the district headquarters.
Seeing that Meng Hun had arrived with the rest, they saluted him.
Meng Hun asked, “Is Langjun all right?”
The two guards answered with adoration, “Langjun is all right. He’s waiting for you in the hall.”
Meng Hun nodded and took a deep breath. He lifted his legs and entered the district headquarters.
The district headquarters was still brightly lit, and the candles had not burned out. The corpses, which were already cold and bloodless, were still lying on the ground. No one laid them in a coffin.
He did not look at them. He walked straight past the stumps and broken skeletons and.
Jiang Pengji sat in the front of the hall. General Jiu’s head sat on one side of her; his eyes were wide open.
The blood, the luxurious decorations, and the unfinished food and wine on the table were like a round peg in a square hole.
The audience in the streaming room kept trying to converse with Jiang Pengji. She swiped the bullet screens quickly, acting indifferent.
She had been sitting in the front seat since the situation in the district headquarters stabilized; it was as if she was waiting for someone.
Meng Hun strode in heavily, knelt in front of Jiang Pengji, and spoke w