Chapter 34: The Retreat of the Eastern Hu

With a push, a step, and a pull, the twin six-barreled machine guns mounted on Black Tiger's shoulders began to spin.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

One shot per second, invisible bullets flew, crossing two hundred meters in half a second.

“Huh? What...?” Staring at the two bloody holes in his abdomen, the young commander had no idea what had just happened.

“Ah—what is this?” He saw no trace of crossbows.

The front line cavalry immediately fell into disorder. Losing dozens, nearly a hundred men in a minute was nothing compared to their force of over ten thousand, but the sudden appearance of bloody wounds was beyond the comprehension of the Donghu warriors.

“It’s that Black Tiger, yes, it’s that Black Tiger!” Once the source of the sound was identified, the cavalry commander understood.

The machine gun’s power was immense—even an armored commander was left with bleeding holes.

Lin Shu, however, remained calm. The invisible force that terrified the Donghu cavalry was nothing special in his eyes. Remembering the metal storms of Earth, he had no desire to test the ordinary power of the autocannon. One shot would shatter bodies beyond recognition, too bloody and brutal for his taste.

As Black Tiger halted its slow, methodical shooting, Lin Shu leapt from the driver’s seat, floating back onto the wagon as if he could tread upon air.

The Donghu warriors watched in greater astonishment as the towering Black Tiger vanished from sight.

“A wagon! It’s a wagon! Wasn’t it a giant tiger just moments ago?” The cavalry commander was dumbfounded—was he hallucinating?

The cavalry were equally bewildered, but welcomed the chance to pause and gather themselves. The Northern Army cavalry had other targets to pursue, so they were not needed for now.

“Hmph, everyone forward!” Without further hesitation, the cavalry commander gave his order.

The two Dragon Horses were only slightly smaller than Black Tiger, but appeared as mere flesh and blood creatures, lacking the intimidating steel menace of Black Tiger.

The Donghu cavalry were no fools; they would not charge the wagon directly. Instead, they prepared to circle it and shoot arrows. No matter how fierce the beast, it could be worn down by wolf riders unless it was invulnerable.

With the wagon door shut, Lin Shu reclined on the sofa, leaving the rest to Heart Shadow. No matter how many died, it was no concern of his.

Thinking this way, he felt his conscience eased. Earlier, he had intended to ride Black Tiger and slaughter countless enemies, but after dispatching a few dozen, he no longer wished to act.

Thunderous hoofbeats—two thousand Donghu cavalry charged forward, and the wagon began to move.

Roaring—the two Dragon Horses leapt, and the four wheels of the wagon rose into the air.

“Quick! Shoot! Kill them quickly!”

Seeing the wagon levitate, the cavalry commander panicked. Either it was an illusion, or it was the legendary magic wagon of the Eastern Sea tribes!

They had not reached optimal shooting range, but the cavalry cared little for that. They had to test it—if they failed, they could flee at once.

Boom—a force field instantly pulverized over a thousand bone and wooden arrows.

While the Donghu cavalry were still marveling, the wagon crashed into them in the blink of an eye.

“Ah—run! Quickly!” The cavalry commander shouted in terror, then was struck and sent flying. Strangely, the warhorse beneath him rapidly disintegrated and vanished.

Boom! Boom! Air thundered as dozens of cavalry and hundreds of warhorses were reduced to bloody powder.

“It’s real—it’s real!”

The commander, spitting blood and powerless, doubted no more. Everything they had said was true.

A hundred-meter-wide blood sphere appeared once more, and the thirty thousand infantry led by Harong shuddered to their core.

“Stop for now!” Harong halted his mount immediately, unwilling to approach the dreadful blood sphere.

This time, the wagon mainly absorbed the warhorses; most cavalry were knocked aside, though some riders were killed instantly, while the lucky ones lay on the ground, coughing blood and unable to move.

Whinnies and shrieks—herds of warhorses fled in terror, their riders thrown off their backs.

“Heavens above—”

“How can this be? How can it be? It’s all true!”

Several commanders clung desperately to their horses, shouting in dazed disbelief.

“No—not—”

“Drive! Drive! Quickly—!”

“Hurry up, get out of here!” An enraged warrior leapt forward, body lunging toward the slow-moving knights ahead.

But even if they doubled their speed, escape was impossible.

Boom! Boom! Explosions echoed from within the blood sphere, its color shifting back and forth.

After several breaths, most of the ten thousand cavalry were struck down.

The Donghu on the battlefield trembled in fear, while Lei Ming and the other cavalry rejoiced.

“Haha, it’s the King! Quick, let’s charge ahead!”

It’s the King’s magic wagon—several thousand knights, pursued by twenty thousand cavalry, now showed expressions of joy.

“Marshal, what was that red light just now?” Sit questioned in confusion.

After several explosions, the ten thousand cavalry ahead seemed to fall silent.

Dust and smoke filled the battlefield, the wagon’s firepower devouring most of the light, leaving Jiamu and others in the distance with only a blurred view.

It’s over, all over—Jiamu, dazed and foolish, was filled with despair. He didn’t know if the army was finished, but his thirty thousand cavalry were all lost! He wouldn’t have to wait for the Northern Army to arrive; the elders of his tribe would devour him afterward!

Finally casting a glance at the wooden-faced marshal, Sit hurried to give orders to those beside him.

“Go! Send the command to the warriors: retreat!”

There was nothing else to be done—they truly could not win.

As Sit departed, the other tribal leaders quickly ordered their men to follow, leaving only Jiamu and a few hundred personal guards staring dumbly at the battlefield ahead.

“Damn it, let’s go! Retreat quickly!” Daha secretly rejoiced—they were at the rear, and seeing the tribal leaders withdraw, he hurried to slip away.

Wailing horns echoed across the battlefield, and the twenty thousand cavalry ready to engage also halted and withdrew.

With the enemy cavalry retreating, Lei Ming and his men slowed to rest. The Donghu had two spare horses each to rotate, but they had no mounts left to relieve their weary legs.

“Lei Ming, order Harong to lead thirty thousand infantry onward; your unit can rest now!”

As the wagon drew near, Lin Shu’s command reached Lei Ming’s ears.

“Understood, Your Majesty!” Lei Ming replied loudly from horseback.

Roaring twice, the two Dragon Horses pulled the wagon onward, accelerating.

At this point, over sixty thousand Donghu remained able to retreat, though their will to fight was gone.

Lin Shu was in no hurry and closely followed the Donghu cavalry.

After running a while, the Donghu cavalry began to slow and reorganize their ranks.

Mounted on a white horse, Imu was silent, and the commanders ignored him. After losing thirty thousand cavalry, Imu and his tribe were doomed to extinction.

He was ruined, yet still able to withdraw alongside the tribal heads.

Sixty thousand cavalry moved forward at a trot, when suddenly a fast horse galloped up.

Sit and the tribal heads tensed, fearing pursuit.

The wooden-faced Marshal Jiamu's eyes lit up instead; he longed for the Northern Army to catch up and annihilate them.

“Report, Young Chief! A large wagon is following us, just a few hundred meters behind.”

Sit had no time to care about wagons, and quickly asked, “Did the Northern Army pursue us?”

The young commander hesitated and shook his head, “Young Chief, the enemy likely did not follow.”

Knowing these cowards wouldn’t dare scout, Sit was angry but refrained from scolding.

They had fled for a while, and he figured the Northern Army lacked strength to chase, since their cavalry had been decimated.

“Hmph! What wagon dares to ignore us? Fellow chiefs, shall we dismantle this wagon first?”

“Agreed!”

All shared Sit’s anger. They dared not provoke the Northern Army, but a single wagon would do nicely to vent their rage.