In that instant, time seemed to have come to a standstill.
The Iron Cloak Highwaymen who were charging toward Wang Chong's group abruptly came to a halt. Even the most ferocious highwaymen couldn't help but shudder in fear when they saw the orderly formation of the Tang Dynasty cavalrymen.
If even the strongest highwaymen reacted in such a manner, how could the other highwaymen possibly react in such a manner?
The main road, the mountain slope, and the forest, as far as the eye could see, everything was deathly silent.
The pungent stench of blood permeated the air. In this brief clash, Wang Chong's side was once again unscathed, whereas the Iron Cloak Highwaymen had lost more than sixty corpses.
Seeing was believing!
Even though they knew that their hundred brothers had died at the hands of Wang Chong's group, and they knew that the imperial army was stronger than the highwaymen, none of that could compare to the shock and awe brought forth by the brief charge of the forty Tang Dynasty cavalrymen under Wang Chong's command.
At this moment, every single cavalryman lined up on the main road seemed like a demon that had just walked out of hell, exerting a terrifying pressure that felt almost tangible.
"Gulp!"
One of the highwaymen gulped down a mouthful of saliva. His pale face was filled with fear. The immovable Tang Dynasty cavalrymen were even more frightening and intimidating than when they charged forward.
Having traversed the west for so many years, he had never imagined that he would fear a group of forty Tang Dynasty cavalrymen amidst an army of more than seven hundred highwaymen!
"Those fellows... are too strong!"
The same thought flashed across the minds of many others, and some of the highwaymen instinctively retreated from the crowd.
After witnessing the might of the charge of the cavalrymen, they no longer believed that they could remain safe in the midst of a crowd.
"This is great!"
"I didn't expect those fellows to be so formidable!"
"That lad, we've truly underestimated him. No commoner can possess such military accomplishments. Even more so, no commoner can command forty cavalrymen with such might. I've misjudged him. He's definitely a disciple of one of the most powerful military families in the capital! "
"White-hoofed Shadow, Bai Siling is right! Who is this guy? "
…
On the slope, Xu Gan, Huang Yongtu, and the remaining Tang dynasty cavalrymen were also shocked speechless. If they hadn't seen it with their own eyes, they wouldn't have believed that the Steel Cavalry just now was a cavalry unit just like them.
That kind of charging power and combat strength was too shocking.
With their own strength, they had actually managed to forcefully disperse the Iron Cloak Highwaymen's attack and nullify their offense.
As a result, the five to six hundred Iron Cloak Highwaymen were forced to shift their focus to defending against Wang Chong, Bai Siling, and the others.
This was simply inconceivable.
All of this was done under the command of Wang Chong. His calmness, rationality, and decisiveness left an even deeper impression on Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu than the charge of forty cavalrymen.
Before this, the two of them had been mocking and making things difficult for Wang Chong, thinking that he was just a lowly commoner from the Kunwu Training Camp.
But at this very moment, how could the two of them dare to harbor such thoughts?
No one could command forty cavalrymen to such an extent, be it Long Wei or Shen Wei, not a single person could do it.
This wasn't a feat that any ordinary person could accomplish.
At this moment, the two of them had a strong feeling that Wang Chong was definitely a scion of one of the prestigious clans in the capital, and an extremely powerful one at that.
However, the two of them had never heard of such a person before.
"Who in the world is that fellow?"
Beneath a scarlet maple tree riddled with arrows, Xu Gan muttered to himself. At this moment, he was deeply curious about Wang Chong's identity.
"Bastard!"
At this moment, no one was more furious than Iron Cloak Li, the leader of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen. Including the highwaymen who had died earlier, Wang Chong's group of forty had already killed nearly two hundred of his highwaymen and highwaymen.
This was a heavy blow to him!
Even though most of the casualties were highwaymen who had defected to his side, it didn't soothe the rage in Iron Cloak Li's heart.
"Zhou An? How much longer? "
Iron Cloak Li gazed into the distance and asked grimly. The rage in his eyes was on the verge of bursting out.
"A little while more," Zhou An replied grimly.
He also felt terrible inside. From a certain perspective, this could be considered as a dereliction of duty on his part.
"Chief, rest assured. By the time the arrangements are completed, they will have nowhere to run. By then, you can do whatever you want to them. But before that, I'll have to trouble you to wait a little longer. "
"Hmph, I'll listen to you for a little longer!"
Iron Cloak Li flung his sleeves and suppressed his anger. He had always trusted the military advisor by his side. But this time, the losses were truly too great.
Even if they were to win this battle, it would still damage his prestige.
A light breeze blew past, and the surroundings were completely silent.
The main road, the hill, and the bend in the east, all three sides were silent. There wasn't even the slightest sound to be heard.
Unknowingly, the focus of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen had shifted from Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu to Wang Chong's group.
Even the True Martial realm experts by Iron Cloak Li's side had been dispatched to the left side of the main road. After losing nearly two hundred of his subordinates, Iron Cloak Li could no longer tolerate any more losses.
And with nearly eighty percent of the attacks being diverted to Wang Chong's group, the remaining forces were unable to focus on Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's group.
Just like that, the three sides fell into a stalemate.
Gugu!
After an unknown period of time, a sudden change occurred. Before countless eyes, a white silhouette suddenly appeared in the sky, and a white pigeon suddenly descended from the sky.
In an instant, the atmosphere turned bizarre.
Beng!
The bowstring vibrated, and before the pigeon could even land, an iron arrow shot through the air. Blood sprayed everywhere as the arrow pierced through the pigeon's body.
Following the direction of the steel arrow, the leader of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen was slowly sheathing his bow.
"It's a carrier pigeon from the royal court!"
Seeing the golden hoop on the pigeon's right leg, Lieutenant Zhang Lin's expression tensed up. With a flick of his horsewhip, he leaped into the air. Before the pigeon was sent flying by the arrow, he coiled his whip around the pigeon's corpse and pulled it back.
The purpose of the Iron Cloak Highwaymen was only to prevent the news from being transmitted. Seeing that the carrier pigeon was dead, they didn't make any other moves.
"Lieutenant Zhang, how is it?"
"Did the carrier pigeon say anything?"
Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's faces tensed up as they turned their gazes over. Even Wang Chong and Bai Siling turned their gazes over as well.
This was the first time they had received a carrier pigeon from the royal court.
Without saying a word, Zhang Lin took down a golden-lacquered bamboo tube from the pigeon's leg and carefully took out a paper scroll. He unrolled it and began reading through it.
"I have received a second-tier mission from the royal court!"
After reading the contents of the letter, not only was there no joy on Zhang Lin's face, there was even a bitter smile on his lips.
"Ah?!"
Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were taken aback. To receive a second-tier mission from the royal court at such a time?
"Lieutenant Zhang, what kind of mission is it?"
Xu Gan propped himself up and walked over. For some reason, he felt that Zhang Lin's expression was a little bizarre.
"Take a look for yourself."
Zhang San did not say much and handed over the letter in his hand. Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu took a look at it, and a bizarre expression appeared on their faces.
There wasn't much content on the letter, just a few simple sentences.
"Second Tier Mission: Tez has ordered the eighty members of the sixth echelon to eliminate Iron Cloak Li and his accomplices!"
"What kind of joke is this?"
Huang Yongtu looked furious. He threw the letter in his hand on the ground as if he was venting his anger.
"Giving us a second-tier mission at such a time? Are you tired of waiting for us to die? Furthermore, look at the bandits and highwaymen outside. There are at least seven to eight hundred of them. Do you think that we can deal with them with just the few of us? Not to mention, there's still Iron Cloak Li. Even Lieutenant Li isn't a match for him! "
"What kind of darned mission is this?"
"Huang Yongtu, are you insane? Watch your words! Are you trying to hide from the royal court?! "
Xu Gan warned grimly.
"Damn it, I'm already on the verge of death, why would I care about such trifles?!"
Huang Yongtu spat with a twisted expression.
No one knew how long they could hold on. Sitting in the small fortification on the hillside, it seemed that they were temporarily safe, but no one knew when they would be smashed into pieces and turned into dust.
The feeling of dying at any moment was even more frightening than true death!
"Lord, calm down."
Zhang Lin smiled bitterly.
"The royal court doesn't know our current situation. They are only concerned with issuing orders, so they have no idea where we are or that we are currently being surrounded by the Iron Cloak Highwaymen. Besides, the capital is too far away from here. Even the royal court wouldn't know that the Iron Cloak Highwaymen have gathered six to seven hundred bandits. "
Peng!
Huang Yongtu punched a tree beside him, sending wood splinters flying. Even his fingers were bleeding from the impact. Even though Huang Yongtu knew that Zhang Lin was speaking the truth, it didn't make him feel any better.
"So far, the best news for us is that there are two other lords who aren't surrounded yet. On top of that, the other lord seems to be extremely proficient in the art of war, and his grasp of timing is exceptional as well. This is our only hope. "
As Zhang Lin spoke, he turned to look at Wang Chong and the others.
It had been some time since he had received the eighty cavalrymen, but to be honest, the men and steeds hadn't changed at all. The only difference was that the commander had changed, but the disposition and authority of the forty cavalrymen were vastly different from when he was leading them.
Even their fighting prowess was on a completely different level!
This was the change brought about by a wise commander.
The duty of a warrior was to guard the borders, so Zhang Lin didn't care too much about his own life.
At this moment, he was more concerned about the young man before him. With this kind of military training, he would definitely become a great general who could rule over an entire region in the future if he were to be further tempered on the battlefield of the empire.
Such a person was of utmost importance to them.
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