Chapter 35: A Duel Against Sixty Thousand Cavalry

[The commander detects murderous intent; Fuyu Siter and other enemy generals are planning to dismantle the carriage and flay the commander alive.]

“Ha! Flay me alive! Good, splendid!” Lin Shu was both furious and delighted—these Donghu men were truly seeking their own doom.

He followed behind at a leisurely pace, not out of courtesy, but because it was inconvenient to make a move. The Donghu were focused solely on escape; they bore no real intent to kill him or the carriage, thus he could not strike first. Otherwise, the lingering resentment and wrath would fall upon him directly.

It is hard enough to harm a single person in good conscience, let alone rack up such a body count. To kill one is a crime; to kill ten thousand, a hero. Perhaps in time, he would grow steely and cold-hearted, but that moment was not now.

When the commanders and generals saw the enormous dragon-horse, they too were startled.

Could it be—! Recalling the rumors about that demonic carriage, Siter tensed.

“Hmph! Think you can do as you please just because you have two giant tigers? I’ve slain one myself,” the short, stout Daha sneered proudly.

His father had once butchered a giant tiger over two meters tall on Mount Changbai. He’d been a child then, watching from afar, so frightened he wet his pants, yet he always liked to claim: it was his arrow in the tiger’s eye that allowed the warriors to finish it off.

Siter was delighted and nodded in admiration. “General Daha, worthy as the East’s foremost warrior! Since it is so, your men shall slay these two giant tigers.”

“A fine idea—it will give us a chance to witness the tiger-slayer’s prowess.”

“Indeed, it is only proper!” The clan leaders all voiced their approval.

Ha! Of course! Daha, caught up in the moment, almost agreed, but then recalled his father-in-law’s fate and immediately lost his nerve.

“Marshal Fuyu Siter is here in person; I dare not boast of my bravery. Let us instead witness the power of Fuyu’s divine archers,” he deflected.

With Imu gone, Fuyu Siter was now the undisputed leader, and the other chiefs and commanders quickly showered him with flattery.

Siter was no fool; he had no wish to end up like Jiama.

The Donghu were in no hurry, still arguing over who should slay the tigers, but Lin Shu’s patience was wearing thin.

“Shadowmind, charge in—but try not to swallow too many.”

[As you command, Commander.]

With a roar, the dragon-horse unleashed its full might.

Boom! Thunderous—!

With two steeds and a single carriage, they swept forward with the momentum of a hundred armored riders.

As the carriage barreled toward them, the Donghu warriors didn’t waste time debating. The nearby fighters from each unit charged in to intercept.

“Aim for the head—better yet, the eyes!”

“Take careful aim—don’t disgrace Fuyu’s archers!”

A thousand elite cavalrymen drew their treasured bows, each eager to show off before the tribal chiefs.

Their courage was admirable—Siter nodded in secret approval.

If these were ordinary giant tigers, they could only flee before such a storm of arrows. But these were no ordinary beasts.

Boom—an invisible forcefield erupted. One by one, the archers found themselves flung aside as they prepared to loose their arrows.

In the instant they were thrown, hundreds of warriors coughed up blood in unison.

Ribbons of blood bloomed in the noon sunlight, dazzling and colorful.

Daha’s pupils shrank. Just as he suspected—this was no simple matter.

“Retreat! Quickly, all Baishan forces withdraw!” Siter panicked, turning to look—sure enough, the stout, tiger-slaying Daha was already several meters ahead, spurring his horse away.

The cavalry behind Daha turned their mounts at once. A nameless terror spread instantly, and the morale of sixty thousand vanished without a trace.

“Damn you, Daha! We retreat!” Siter cursed and spurred his horse hard.

As horses and warriors began to disappear, the other clan chiefs scrambled for their lives as well.

“Out of the way—let your chieftain pass first!” a minor tribal chief shouted, but the horsemen ahead had no time to heed him.

In their desperate flight, thousands of Donghu were trampled or injured. The carriage was forced to slow down, for the Donghu, chilled to the bone, had lost all will to fight, and the carriage could no longer take action.

Though unable to attack again, the carriage continued to pursue the Donghu cavalry closely.

“General Siter, the carriage is still following! I fear we won’t last much longer!” General Jiama shouted in panic from horseback. Only now did he understand why his thirty thousand cavalrymen had vanished in a bloodbath.

Terrified! Utterly terrified! If he died, at least he’d have a grave, but if that carriage devoured him, not even a hair would remain.

The title of General was now a hollow honor. Once, Siter might have been flattered, but now he didn’t even want to acknowledge this useless subordinate.

“Fine! Then General Jiama will cover the rear with his men.”

A nearby clan chief jumped at the chance. “Yes, General, we rely on you!”

Damn it! Jiama shuddered, but said nothing more.

On the open plains, the sixty thousand troops spread out in columns, but when the time came, not a single unit was willing to stay behind and cover the retreat.

The enemy was but a single carriage, yet sixty thousand warriors dared not counterattack.

This endless chase was growing tedious.

“Shadowmind, slip away for now—we’ll lead them in circles.”

[As you command, Commander.] Shadowmind immediately grasped Lin Shu’s intent.

The carriage accelerated, vanishing like the wind.

Behind the sixty thousand cavalry, clouds of dust billowed in every direction. Only after some time did the Donghu realize the carriage was gone.

“Ha! The carriage isn’t chasing us anymore!”

“Commander, the carriage has vanished!”

Soon the cavalry slowed their frantic pace. The chiefs sent scouts to check the dust behind.

A few minutes later, dozens of scouts galloped back to report.

“Young chief, the carriage must have left. We rode far back and saw nothing!” a junior commander shouted in relief—they had only ridden a few hundred meters, waited a bit, then hurried back.

At last, Siter nodded in relief—their fears were finally eased.

Yet the carriage was not far behind, but several hundred meters off to the left, where the Donghu had neither sent scouts nor could they see it clearly.

“Excellent!” Daha rejoiced, feeling as if he’d snatched back his life.

As the Donghu slowed in celebration, the carriage suddenly shot out from the front.

“What’s that?” Hada could hardly believe his eyes—surely it was an illusion, he must be seeing things.

The carriage drew rapidly closer, so close they could hear its wheels.

A shiver ran through everyone—they had no choice but to accept it was real.

“Chief, it’s real—the carriage is coming!”

“Chief, run!”

Hearing his men’s cries, Hada nearly fell off his horse.

“Yes, go—head east!”

With a thunderous surge, Hada’s twenty thousand troops raced east.

The left wing collapsed again. Siter realized at once what was happening.

Sure enough, the vanished carriage reappeared soon after.

“Retreat! Flee west!” Siter too had no courage left for battle.

The sixty thousand were routed yet again. Tens of thousands scattered, with no semblance of order.

Without hesitation, Lin Shu selected his target—he had noticed Daha’s group was the most cunning.

“Shadowmind, pursue that Hada chief’s group from earlier.”

“At your command, Commander.”

Panting for breath, Daha bitterly regretted everything. Had he known, he’d never have come! Father-in-law, oh, you’re going to be the death of me! If I die, who’ll look after your dozen wives?

Please, don’t chase me—let it be Siter’s group instead!

“Ah! Chief, we’re doomed—look, the carriage, it’s the carriage!”

Seeing the carriage just two or three hundred meters to the left, Daha wanted to cry.

“Let’s go—westward!” Daha decided firmly; he’d never separate from Siter’s lot again. If they were to die, they’d die together.

Sensing another escape attempt, the carriage accelerated once more.

“Here it comes!”

“Go! Go! Damn it, run! Hurry!”

Daha was beside himself with regret—he never should have fattened his steed so well!

Soon, the carriage was right alongside Daha and the other commanders. No matter how they tried to turn or dodge, they couldn’t shake it off.