Both speed and slowness had their advantages and disadvantages. This was neither a dialectic nor a philosophical question, but a very simple truth. The Horse Gang charged down from the meadow, and because they were too fast, they fell into the rocks in a pathetic state. The Big Black Horse, on the other hand, was too fast. Even with Ning Que's archery skills, he could only shoot three arrows before he reached the edge of the Horse Gang.
He carried the boxwood bow on his shoulder and stretched his hands forward to hold the podao on the saddle. He raised his arm and swung his elbow. The blade broke through the air and cut off half of a Horse Gang's shoulder. Then, he straightened his waist and straightened his arm. The sharp tip of the podao pierced through the eyeball of another Horse Gang before the machete could reach him.
As the three horses crossed each other like lightning, the blood from the Horse Gang's broken shoulder and the fluid from the eyeball spurted out, spraying all over Ning Que's face and body. The smell of blood mixed with other smells, and it was very strange.
It was said that blood was hot, and the wind was cold. However, Ning Que felt that the wind that blew on his face was hot, and the blood that splashed on his face was cold. Because he was very calm. Even now, he still clearly remembered the battle principle that he had followed for many years.
Killing the Horse Gang was never as good as injuring them. If a Horse Gang died, then so be it. If he was seriously injured and could not die immediately, then he would be a burden to his fellow Horse Gang members. Although this kind of thinking was cruel, it was very useful.
Looking at the dozens of Horse Gang charging towards him, Ning Que took a deep breath and tightened his grip on the Big Black Horse. He held his podao horizontally and turned into a blade as he charged forward. Behind him, the two hundred Yan cavalrymen finally caught up. They formed a line and attacked the side of the Horse Gang that was still in disarray.
…
…
The winter wind in the Wilderness blew again, but it could not blow the hair on Ning Que's forehead. This was because his hair was already soaked in the Horse Gang's blood. At this moment, it was sticky and tangled together, just like Ning Que's conflicted feelings.
The campsite was a mess, and there were already a few gaps in the formation of carriages. The Horse Gang temporarily retreated, but the wave of attack before they retreated still caused great damage to the camp. The camp was full of people and soldiers who were covered in blood and had numb eyes. If it weren't for the Great River Kingdom's girls, the camp would have been broken by the Horse Gang.
The situation of the Horse Gang was not much better. At the edge of the low-lying land not far from the camp, many horses with broken hooves and serious injuries were lying on the cold ground, struggling for their lives. From time to time, they would shake their heavy heads. Under or beside the horses, there were many cold corpses of the Horse Gang.
However, all the wounded members of the Horse Gang were brought back by their companions. From this, it could be seen that although the Horse Gang was severely injured, they did not collapse. They still had the ability and spirit to launch another attack.
Ning Que raised his arm to wipe away the trickle of blood between his eyebrows. He turned around to look at the northwest direction of the campsite. The Yan Cavalry was fighting with a group of Horse Gangs as they gradually moved further away. He could not help but shake his head.
In the eyes of the people of the Central Plains, the Horse Bandits of the grasslands were the most ferocious existence in the world. But he, who had dealt with the Horse Bandits for many years, thought that they were the most cowardly and useless existence in the world. Ferociousness was just a cover for the weakness in their hearts.
At this moment, the 600 Horse Gangs around the meadow were ferocious and dared to directly slaughter the tribes of the palace. If they were timid, a group of Tang soldiers would be able to chase after them. The key was strength. The Horse Gang was a realistic creature and was most sensitive to the difference in strength. Hence, they were the easiest to break up.
Ning Que thought that he was familiar with the nature of the Horse Gang. When he chose the campsite last night, he had hidden the geographical advantage and picked the right timing. He had thought that with 200 Yan cavalry charging at the side of the Horse Gang, he would be able to crush the 500 Horse Gang. However, he had forgotten that the ones charging at the Horse Gang with him were not his old buddies from the City of Wei, nor were they the Tang cavalry from the West Army of the Blue Water Battalion in the south. They were the Yan cavalry with extremely low combat power.
The combat power of the Yan cavalry was even worse than Ning Que's worst-case scenario.
The 200 Yan cavalry had used the geographical advantage to charge at the Horse Gang. However, they did not manage to scatter the Horse Gang. They were not even able to penetrate the Horse Gang and were dragged into a battle with the Horse Gang. After a few rounds of attacks, dozens of Yan cavalry were killed by the Horse Gang. If not for the fact that the Horse Gang's formation was in a mess, this long-planned attack might have caused the Yan cavalry to be completely annihilated.
The Yan cavalry and the Horse Gang fought for a while. Both sides could not take it anymore and temporarily separated. Ning Que took this opportunity to ride the Big Black Horse back to the campsite. On one hand, he did not have much hope for the remaining 100 Yan cavalry. On the other hand, he felt an inexplicable sense of wariness in his heart.
…
…
A sharp whistle suddenly sounded in the cold air. Ning Que reacted quickly and leaned to the side. An arrow flew past his clothes and hit a carriage wheel, the tail of the arrow shaking violently.
He did not care that his black mask was stained with the Horse Gang's blood and smelled bad. He put the mask back on and took down the boxwood bow on his back. He pulled the string and shot a Horse Gang member who had rushed to the campsite.
Then, he felt a slight soreness in his shoulder. He knew that he had pulled the bow too many times today. If he continued like this, his right arm might be crippled.
The Horse Gang obviously did not want to give the people in the campsite too much time to rest. After a short rest, they attacked fiercely again. They did not care about their own injuries at all. This kind of reckless action that had nothing to do with benefits and risks had exceeded Ning Que's understanding of the Horse Gang. The doubts in his heart grew stronger.
More than 200 Horse Gang members rushed over from all directions.
The civilians, who had already become numb to life and death, gathered unprecedented courage at the last moment of life and death. They carried their crude wooden spears and pierced through the gaps in the formation of the carriages.
A wooden spear pierced through the chest of a Horse Gang member. Blood flowed freely.
Then, three Horse Gang members crawled through the formation of carriages. They waved their machetes and hacked the civilians holding the wooden spears until they were covered in blood.
A snow-white sword light flashed.
The slender and elegant sword chopped at the three Horse Gang members with the sound of sword Qi.
One Horse Gang member was beheaded on the spot. The other two Horse Gang members had their legs and limbs broken. They retreated awkwardly.
Covered in blood, the commoners surged forward like wild beasts, holding wooden sticks and stones that they had picked up from somewhere. They surrounded the two Horse Gang members and smashed them down. They numbly repeated their actions, not knowing how many times they had smashed them. Only when there was no longer any sound from inside did they stiffly stop.
After Cat Girl chopped against the wind, she habitually let out a cute shout. Then, she was shocked by the bloody scene in front of her. Her red face was covered with dust, but it could not hide the fear and panic in her clear eyes. After all, she was too young and had never seen such a scene.
Ning Que grabbed her by the back of her neck and threw her to the back like a cat. He dodged an arrow and held his knife with one hand to block it. Then, he took advantage of the momentum and cut off the right arm of a Horse Gang member who was sneaking up on him.
The Horse Gang member covered his bleeding right shoulder and knelt on the ground in pain. Ning Que did not even look at him. He held his podao and went to the next dangerous place. He knew that the Horse Gang member with a broken arm and no knife would be drowned by the civilians in the next moment. So, he did not want to waste any more energy.
Once the formation of carriages was broken, everyone in the camp would die. Based on this simple understanding, both the civilians and the soldiers of the Yan Kingdom became extremely valiant at this moment. They took any weapons they could find and desperately attacked the Horse Gang that climbed over the carriages.
But it was the Black Ink Garden disciples from the Great River Kingdom who made the camp hold on for such a long time. These young girls and boys did not have much battlefield experience. Relying on their pride, perseverance and excellent swordsmanship given by their sects, they slashed out streaks of Sword Qi in the meadow of the Wilderness and killed the troublesome Horse Gang members.
However, there were too many Horse Gang members and too few Black Ink Garden disciples. Although the civilians and soldiers fought hard, they could not change the overall situation. The camp was surrounded by danger and could be broken through at any time. It seemed that they had reached a desperate situation.
At this moment, a clear sound of flute came from the carriage in the center of the camp.
Hearing the sound of flute, Zhuo Zhihua, Cat Girl and other Black Ink Garden disciples became spirited. They did not care about their Psyche Power and stacked their Sword Qi to force the Horse Gang members to retreat. Then, they walked to the grain bags.
Hearing the sound of flute and observing these scenes, Ning Que felt a little solemn. There was even a hint of anger in his eyes that were exposed outside the black mask.
…
…
This was the team that transported the grain to the Left-Tent palace. They were escorted by Yan cavalry and needed mules and horses to transport the grain. Therefore, in addition to many carriages of grain, they also brought a lot of hay for the mules and horses to eat.
The unloading boards of the grain wagons formed a circular formation. The cloth bags filled with hay were all gathered under the boards. On the one hand, it was used to strengthen the fortification, and on the other hand, it could reduce the damage caused by arrows.
Hearing the sound of flute, the Black Ink Garden disciples came to the front of these straw bags and used their swords to lift them into the air outside the formation. At this moment, the most concentrated wave of Horse Gang members attacked again.
Not knowing whether it was because of the Sword Qi of the Black Ink Garden disciples or some other reason, more than ten bags of hay flew into the air. Suddenly, the cloth bags burst open and fell apart with a hissing sound. The hay in the bags seemed to have been punched hard and scattered around at an extremely fast speed, like a grass rain.
At the same time that the sacks of hay burst open and scattered in all directions, an extremely dry smell enveloped the entire camp. In between each sack of hay, a faint spark could be seen faintly shining, and then in an instant … the entire sky was set ablaze.
The grass rain turned into a fire rain and fell from the sky. It covered the light of the eastern sun and turned the entire periphery of the camp into a sea of fire. The Horse Gang members who were dazed by this strange scene did not even have time to react before they were engulfed by the sea of fire. They became pitiful people who were about to drown or burn to death.
The peasants and soldiers in the camp were also stunned by this scene. They held all kinds of weapons and looked at the sea of fire that was so close to them, but none of them flew into the formation of carriages. It was as if they had seen the miracle of Haotian.
Only Ning Que noticed the sudden change in the Primordial Qi between Heaven and Earth when the hay bags burst open and burned. He felt the faint talisman power in each bag of hay and even saw the subtle picture when the talisman paper was burning.
The talisman fire was ignited by the hay and quickly burned and spread. It fell on the Horse Gang members and was extremely difficult to extinguish. The Horse Gang members who rushed to the front of the formation were on fire. They howled miserably and ran around. Some rolled on the ground, but they were still rolling in the fire. Some looked around for clean water, but it was not easy to find water in the winter Wilderness. Several Horse Gang members who were on fire howled and rushed into the formation. They did not even have time to lift their machetes and fell to the ground in pain.
The Horse Gang finally retreated again, leaving dozens of charred bodies outside the camp. Many of the bodies were hugging each other tightly. It was probably the panic before death that made the Horse Gang members unable to distinguish who was the enemy and who was the friend.
A burning smell floated in the air.
A cheer of victory echoed in the camp.
…
…
Ning Que stared at the girl in white in the horse carriage and said, "I have reminded you that you are the strongest among us and your Psyche Power is our most precious weapon. You should use it at the most appropriate time and not casually."
Mo Shanshan raised her head and looked at him. It was unknown whether it was because she had seen too many bloody scenes or other reasons, but her face was very pale at this time, even whiter than the white dress she was wearing.
"Many people have died. If I did not help, more people would have died just now."
Ning Que looked at her and said, "You are too soft-hearted."
Mo Shanshan's eyelashes trembled slightly and she replied, "I am a woman."
Ning Que suppressed his anger and mocked, "You are not married yet."
Mo Shanshan calmly replied, "Even if I am married, I will not marry you."
Ning Que said after a moment of silence, "If you still have Psyche Power, you must leave the last bit to me."
He was a talisman cultivator and was very clear about the consumption of Psyche Power by Talisman Taoism. The girl's pale and haggard cheeks showed that she had consumed too much Psyche Power these days. He had to admit that in the whole team, the girl in white was the strongest. Therefore, he could not help but feel angry in the face of such a situation.
The Horse Gang suffered heavy casualties under the Fire Talisman, but there were at least two hundred Horse Gang members above the meadow who still had the strength to fight. Mo Shanshan's Psyche Power was exhausted, and his real state was only No Doubts State, so he could not resist at all.
Of course, Ning Que still had some trump cards to save his life. But things like the Primordial Thirteen Arrows and the brocade pouch given to him by his master would be a great waste if they were used on these Horse Gang members. Before his life was really in danger, he would never use them, even though he was just a little less stingy than Sangsang.
The key was the reinforcements. The grain team camp had lasted for such a long time, but the reinforcements he had imagined never appeared. If he had been sure that there would not be any reinforcements from the beginning, he would have already escaped on the big black horse.
"Are there any reinforcements?" He stared into Mo Shanshan's eyes and asked.
Mo Shanshan looked back at him coldly and said, "Only the reinforcements know."
Ning Que did not try to communicate with her anymore and said directly, "Get ready to break through. My horse can only take one person. I will take Cat Girl, and you will be responsible for your people."
Mo Shanshan asked, "Then what about the Yan soldiers and civilians who have been fighting with you for such a long time?"
Ning Que answered, "I just met them by chance, and we are not comrades."
Mo Shanshan shook her head gently and said, "I will not leave."
Ning Que looked at her and suddenly said, "Haven't you noticed that the Horse Gang's target on the meadow is to kill you? Apart from you, who else in the grain team is worth paying such a big price for? "
Mo Shanshan looked at him and said calmly, "If the Horse Gang's target is me, then these people will die because of me. All the more reason for me not to leave them."
Ning Que raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Idiot, if you leave, you can attract the Horse Gang's attention. Then why would the Horse Gang attack the Yan soldiers and civilians who are not a threat?"
Mo Shanshan smiled slightly and said, "You don't have to lie to me. I now understand how cruel the Horse Gang is."
Ning Que suddenly realized that her usually listless eyes had become exceptionally clear and certain, as if she could easily see through his thoughts. He looked at her for a long time, then turned around and left.
The Horse Gang on the meadow was gathering, and there might be another attack in the next moment.
He used his palm to wipe away the coagulated blood on his face and changed into a new mask. As he walked through the camp full of corpses and broken soldiers, both the Yan soldiers and civilians would automatically avoid him when they saw him covered in blood. Even Zhuo Zhihua and the other girls from the Great River Kingdom looked at him with admiration and fear.
Since the battle with the Horse Gang so far, apart from the Fire Talisman that burned the sky, the main reason why the grain team could still survive was because of Ning Que. He had killed many Horse Gang members with his podao.
Many people saw how he killed the Horse Gang. He killed people like grass without a sound. What made people feel the most cold and awe-inspiring was the calmness with which he killed the Horse Gang. This calmness seemed to contain some kind of indifference towards life.
Feeling the strange eyes from all around, especially the timid look of Cat Girl, Ning Que did not explain anything. He quietly ordered people to repair the cart array, and at the same time, he used his peripheral vision to observe the surrounding meadow and valley, thinking about the escape route.
The Horse Gang was afraid of death, and so was he. However, he knew a fact better than most Horse Gang members: the braver you were in the face of death, the more difficult it was for you to die. This was the precious experience gained from countless years of life and death experiences since childhood.
As for indifference to life … he had always been indifferent to the lives of the Horse Gang.
The reason why the Horse Gang by the Shubi Lake was so frightened by him was that he was just an ordinary soldier in the City of Wei. Once he left the City of Wei and entered the Wilderness, he was a thief on horseback.
Ning Que and his comrades in the City of Wei were Horse Gang members, the most ferocious kind of Horse Gang.
In those years, he had killed countless Horse Gang members. If it was at that time, with a world-famous female Talisman Master behind him, he might have stayed to deal with the Horse Gang for a while.
But not today.
Because he was a little uneasy. It was not because there were too many Horse Gang members, nor was it because of the cruel and passive situation. It was because he always felt that someone was watching him, and that person had been watching him for a long time.
Not one day, not two days, but many days.
…
…
At the highest point of the meadow in the east, a dozen Horse Gang members stood quietly, looking down at the chaotic battlefield.
Most of the dozen Horse Gang members arrived last night, and they were the ones who attracted Ning Que's attention. Different from the ordinary Horse Gang members, they all covered their faces with cloth, as if they did not want others to see their faces.
It was obvious that these dozen Horse Gang members were the leaders of the 600 Horse Gang members. However, for some unknown reason, the Horse Gang members kept dying in the valley. Whether they were killed by the Yan cavalry or crushed to death by falling horses, they remained calm.
When the Burning Fire Talisman in the camp of the grain team was ignited, most of the dozen Horse Gang members finally showed shock in their eyes. However, the leader of the Horse Gang at the front remained absolutely calm.
This Horse Gang leader's eyes were full of vicissitudes, and he was obviously middle-aged.
"There is indeed a very powerful Talisman Master in the grain team. Maybe it really is that young Talisman Master. The disciples of Black Ink Garden are indeed the disciples of the Master of Calligrapher. Their sword aura is really powerful."
The Horse Gang leader said coldly, "But after so many days, even the legendary Calligraphy Addict's Psyche Power must be drained. Let the people below prepare to continue the attack."
The continuous attack for several days and nights was to drain the Psyche Power of the young Talisman Master hidden in the grain team. This leader's plan seemed to be very patient, and now he did not hesitate to let his subordinates use their lives to drain the last of the Psyche Power of the young Talisman Master, showing his cold-blooded ruthlessness.
Feeling the hesitation of his subordinates, the leader frowned slightly and said coldly, "The Central Plains Coalition Army and the Palace are negotiating for peace. Other than the Desolate Man, the most unlucky ones are your Horse Gang members. Kill the people we should kill to stop this negotiation. For this goal, it is worth it no matter how many people die."
A subordinate said in confusion, "The Palace Chanyu and the Divine Hall will not be fooled by such an obvious trick."
The leader said coldly, "What we want is the truth. The truth is more powerful than any other words. As long as we kill these people below, there is no way for this negotiation to continue."
The riders on the meadow thought of the bigwig and immediately understood the meaning of the leader's words.
The leader looked at a place in the camp and said, "Continue the attack. If the person on the black horse tries to escape from the camp, it is time for us to do it ourselves. Remember, we must ensure that that person is killed in this operation."
The riders only knew that the person the leader was talking about was a male disciple of the Black Ink Garden who had previously shown extremely powerful strength. But they did not know the person's real identity, so they were very confused and thought that if they wanted to cause enough shock in the Wilderness, the first goal should be to kill the young Talisman Master in the horse carriage.
A Horse Gang member behind the leader hesitated for a moment, and then he plucked up his courage and said, "Your Excellency, the casualties of our subordinates are too heavy. We really can't fight anymore. If we continue to force them, I am afraid that these guys will collapse."
This title was very strange. It did not seem like a title among Horse Gangs, but more like an official title.
The Horse Gang leader glanced at him lightly and said, "If you can't command these Horse Gangs after leading them in the Wilderness for nearly ten years, then what is the use of you living?"
The Horse Gang member felt a chill all over under his gaze and did not dare to say another word.
The Horse Gang leader looked at the camp below and said emotionlessly, "These Horse Gangs don't know their identity and always think that they are real Horse Gangs. But you can't forget your identity."
"Thieves on the horse, soldiers off the horse. And you, are the soldiers of the General."
Hearing these words, the meadow fell silent. After a long time, someone finally asked.
"Your Excellency, how to deal with the young Talisman Master in the carriage?"
"No matter how strong the Calligraphy Addict is, she has not entered the Knowing Destiny State. Once her Psyche Power is exhausted, how is she different from an ordinary person? And even if she still has the strength to fight, can she stop us from killing that young man? "
…
…
Since the beginning of the battle, more than ten cavalrymen who had been quietly standing on the top of the meadow dispersed and gathered their subordinates. They began to prepare for the last and most powerful attack, leaving only the Horse Gang leader there.
The Horse Gang leader raised his right hand and pressed his bamboo hat lower. He quietly looked at the young man in the Black Ink Garden uniform in the camp below, who was covered in blood with knives and arrows on his back. After a long time of silence, he smiled with mixed feelings.
From last year in Chang 'an to this moment, he had been secretly watching this man called Ning Que for a long time. Although he had never found any evidence to prove that Ning Que was related to the death of the censor Zhang Yuqi, nor did he find that this man was hostile to the General, he did not know why he always felt that this man would be trouble.
Because Ning Que was a suspect, and because Ning Que had now entered the Second floor of the Academy, became the only successor of the Divine Talisman Master Yan Se, and was also favored by His Majesty. Therefore, even if there was only one suspicion, they still needed to be very vigilant.
Especially when Ning Que came to the frontier fortress of the North of Yan Kingdom, no one knew whether he had secretly received the imperial order or not, and no one knew the deep meaning of the Academy's action. Therefore, trouble became pressure, and it was meaningless to be suspicious. There was no need to investigate whether this man was involved in the death of the censor, and there was no need to investigate whether this man was secretly against the General. They could only and must do one thing, and that was to eliminate the possible threat for the General.
Thinking of this, the Horse Gang leader's complicated smile gradually disappeared.
If it were any other time and place, no one would dare to murder a disciple of the Second floor of the Academy in broad daylight. But now they were in the Wilderness, and no one knew the relationship between these Horse Gang and the General.
The imperial court had already suspected the General, and this group of Horse Gang had to be cleaned up sooner or later. Today, killing Ning Que, destroying the peace talks, and wiping out this group of Horse Gang was a wonderful thing.
Therefore, when the news of Ning Que leaving the Blue Water Battalion in disguise and escorting the grain team into the Wilderness with the disciples of Black Ink Garden reached the General's Mansion, he spared no effort and did not sleep for several days and nights to rush here from Tuyang City to personally take charge of this matter.
This was a good opportunity given by Haotian. If he missed it, he would be punished by Heaven.
…
…
However, just when the Horse Gang was about to launch another attack, Ning Que was ready to ride away, and the Horse Gang leader was ready to take advantage of the situation to kill him. There was a burst of dense hoofbeats in the distance of the Wilderness meadow.
The disciples of Black Ink Garden and the Yan Kingdom soldiers who were vigilantly preparing for battle in the camp under the meadow, and the Horse Gang who were ready to charge between the meadow and the gentle slope of the meadow, all stopped their respective movements and looked towards the source of the hoofbeats.
A group of cavalry came from the meadow in the west.
There were not many people in this group of cavalry, about a hundred. However, both the cavalrymen and the horses under them were wearing gorgeous black armors with golden edges. They looked solemn and imposing, as if there were tens of thousands of cavalry coming together.
It was the Papal Cavalry Troop of Divine Hall, known as the strongest cavalry in the world.
There was a burst of enthusiastic cheers under the meadow.
The Horse Gang quickly retreated and lined up, ready to retreat.
However, what happened next was out of everyone's expectation.
An old hand stretched out from a carriage in the middle of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall. The hundred cavalrymen of Divine Hall slowly stopped and looked at this side indifferently from thousands of feet away. They did not immediately attack the Horse Gang.
People in the camp of the grain team looked at that side in astonishment. The cheers gradually subsided and became dead silent. Some people guessed the intention of this group of cavalrymen of Divine Hall, and their faces showed a look of disbelief and indignation.
…
…
(I didn't stop writing. I wrote 12,000 words today. The task on Tuesday is finished. Oh, I only need to write 8,000 words tomorrow. How happy I am.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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