VOLUME 6 CHAPTER 6: DON’T TELL ME THIS IS A LONG JOURNEY (2)
Yun Chang POV
I swiftly got some pails of water and doused the fires with Liao Hua, and after that, we quietly tiptoed into the forest to see what was going on.
As we went deeper into the forest, the sounds became clearer. The light from fires which was still somewhat covered by the forests was now much clearer. The fog was still there however, making the light blurry.
“3rd and 4th platoons, hold the line! Stick it into them from the right!”
The sound of horse hooves could be head along with commands being issued. This was probably the voice of a commander from one side.
The voice was very delicate, and seemed like it belonged to a lady from an esteemed household. But the words were a little coa.r.s.e, and didn’t fit the image of a refined lady.
“Looks like there’s some conflict ahead huh…” I muttered softly as I squinted, hoping to get a better glimpse of things.
We were now separated from the battlefield ahead by about a small forest’s distance or so and couldn’t see very clearly what was happening. All I could tell was that the flames were advancing in 1 direction, which clearly meant that the side behind the flames were holding the advantage.
But that alone was not able to tell me if there was a village ahead or if this conflict was between robbers and villagers, or between different groups of robbers.
Looks like the decision to come without Lu Bu and Wen Yuan was correct. They are a lot more trigger-happy than I am and would probably just charge out the moment they recognised that there was a conflict afoot. Even if they didn’t charge out, they would probably do something that would cause both sides to be alarmed and then we would find ourselves embroiled in a chaotic battle.
“General Guan, let’s go back first.” Just then, Liao Hua spoke to me, her face calm as ever, and she began to quietly get up as she finished without waiting for my reply.
But…
“I wish to observe for a while more. If 1 side happens to be ordinary people, then we should a.s.sist them.”
“General Guan, you want to bother with this sort of thing huh…” Liao Hua seemed to have guessed my intentions from my face, and frowned as she squatted beside me, “Conflicts are commonplace in these troubled times. If something happened up ahead, they will deal with it themselves. It is their fate to have met with this. We don’t even have 50 men in total, and we’re pretty tired out. What could we possibly…”
*Bang*! *Bang*! *Bang*!
Just then, waves of explosions came from up ahead and flames snaked across the ground and rose to the skies. Many sparks and fragments that were sent into the sky fell over where we were.
“Watch out!” I hurriedly pulled down Liao Hua when I saw this to prevent harm from coming to her.
When I looked ahead again, I saw that the side which had charged in were now in disarray and escaping in all directions. Looks like the other side knows how to make traps huh. Traps that can spit out flames under the cover of this fog will be a bane to the charging side.
Charge!!!
Just then, the side with the traps began to charge forth. Each troop seemed to have a torch in their hands, and they soon got into a proper formation unlike the other side that had just charged in haphazardly.
Judging by the positions of the torches, they should be in a wedge formation. Looks like they intend to finish it with this charge.
“Don’t panic! Just block this wave and our reinforcements will arrive and outflank them!”
Though the leader of the other side yelled out profusely with all her strength, her troops didn’t listen and continued to escape in every direction.
I’d thought they would have won with their charge but looks like they’re the ones who will fall.
“What an unexpected result.”
Liao Hua’s words were exactly what I was thinking as well. I really didn’t think that a single turning point could overturn the outcome of a battle just like that. Battles really can be decided in aninstant huh.
But since that side has traps, they can’t be villagers or a village militia and this conflict is most probably between 2 opposing sides of robbers.
Though I’m not too happy with leaving things as they are, it looks like this has nothing to do with us so what we should do now is to swiftly return and wait for these 2 sides to leave without detecting our presence…
*Dadada*– *Neigh*~~~
Just then, a horse’s neigh could be heard from nearby and before we knew what was happening, a black shadow leapt across Liao Hua and I.
*Da*! The black shadow landed, throwing dirt into the air as it did so. When I looked over, a black stallion stood there with a girl riding on it.
The girl had a large cape behind her and was wearing a wide-brimmed bamboo hat with a mask covering her mouth so I couldn’t see any features she had.
“The one you’re after is here! Come and get me!” The girls yelled out fervently, hoping to get the attention of the other side. Looks like she intends on using herself as bait so her troops can safely retreat.
“She’s an honourable person too huh.”
“General Guan, not now…” Liao Hua stopped me, afraid that we would get in trouble from being found out. As we were still laying down in the tall gra.s.s, she hasn’t seen us yet.
Charge!!!
The commander on the other side seems to have taken the bait as the sounds seem to be approaching.
“Come get me!” The masked girl swung her reins and galloped away as she said so.
Eh? No! Isn’t that direction where our camp is?
“Oi! Don’t go in that direction!” I hurriedly stood up and yelled out at the masked girl but she was already out of sight.
“General Guan, can you please don’t do silly things at this time…” Liao Hua said as she tapped my shoulder. I looked back at her and she moved to the side, revealing an encirclement of soldiers pointing their weapons ar us.
“Looks like it’s our fate to be embroiled in this mess huh.” Liao Hua sighed.
“Ya!”
In the next instant, the troops acted first and stabbed their long spears at us.
“Liao Hua, jump!” I ordered and then concentrated before leaping up into the air.
My whole body was lifted with the strength in my waist and curled up my legs before kicking out–
*Dong*! *Dong*!
2 dull sounds rang out as 2 soldiers flew out from my kicks.
“…” Liao Hua wordlessly dodged the attacks and squatted down all of a sudden before she extended her hand and caught a soldier’s knee and flipped him to the ground.
I didn’t think that Liao Hua was this good at unarmed combat as well. In comparison to her, my movements are a lot more rough.
I sighed in amazement as I picked up a wooden pole off the ground and did my best to knock them out without killing them or risking injury.
I don’t how many people are headed in this direction but it’s never easy to deal with a numerical disadvantage. So we can only retreat as we fight.
“Liao Hua!” As I thought so, I called out to Liao Hua, who turned and looked at me. She nodded in understanding and grabbed a spear before retreating in my direction.
As we retreated, the troops that were inside the fog began to come for us, in greater numbers than before. There were even crossbowmen in the back who began to fire at us, making our retreat even more difficult.
“Kill those locusts!”
“Who asked them to come steal our grain!”
Gradually, the troops in the front and middle began to yell and curse at us. Looks like they’ve taken us for the ones who were attacking just now.
“A misunderstanding! It’s just a misunderstanding! We were just pa.s.sing by!” I tried to clarify matters but the surrounding voices drowned out mine and my shouts were of no use at all and I only wasted my saliva trying.
“Ha!” Just then, a sonorous roar could be heard from afar that shook my heart. My intuition told me that danger was coming from the front, and I lowered my head instinctively, just as an iron arrow flew out and took a strand of hair of mine.
This is…
“Hmph! So you can dodge my attack huh?!” A mocking voice came from afar, and when I looked at where the source was, I saw a tall official hat sprouting out above the troops.
“Who are you!” I yelled back.
In the next instant, the troops actually stopped their attack and opened up a path for the tall official hat. In the fog, the person had her chest up with her hands at her back, looking like she was on top of the world.
“Who am I? Though I am not obliged to tell you that, I suppose I can share it with you on account of your ability to resist us this much.” She said in a ridiculing tone, and then she continued in a tone filled with arrogance, “I am an official of the Great Han– Chen Gong Chen Gong Tai, why won’t you locusts off yourselves now?!”