Chapter 83: Match
Editor: Atlas Studios
Knowing it was too late to stop them, Fan Zijin’s eyes darkened. Glancing at the commoners, he reined in his horse with a smile. “The Hu people have always said that Han people are sly. But today, it seems that you Hu people aren’t inferior in that aspect either. You sent troops to attack Xingcheng Pass while secretly crossing Mount Jiexi to attack Mingshui County. You’re much slyer than us Han people. This goes to show that rumors might not be credible. Wu Shu claims to be a warrior of the grassland. Going by the same logic, this might not be true, too.”
These words provoked the Jin soldiers, and Wu Shu was even more furious.
He originally wanted to slaughter these commoners before exchanging blows with the Han soldiers, but at this moment, he turned around and shouted, “Just you two kids? Be careful or I’ll crush your heads.”
Qi Haoran snorted. “Then let’s see if you have the ability. Let’s go somewhere spacious so that I can let you see what I’m capable of.” As he spoke, he mounted his horse and left first.
Seeing that Qi Haoran was making big moves and did not mind that he was right behind him at all, Wu Shu immediately narrowed his eyes. This person was either highly-skilled and bold or had something to rely on.
Meanwhile, Fan Zijin was so nervous that he broke out in a cold sweat. To think this silly boy revealed his back to the enemy just like that. Glancing at Wu Shu from the corner of his eye, he heaved a sigh of relief when he saw that the latter did not give the order to attack. Fortunately, this guy was also a goon. If it were him, he’d long have attacked from behind.
Unexpectedly, after riding a few steps forward, Qi Haoran said to him, “Zijin, that Wu Shu is a fool. Don’t worry, I can definitely defeat him.”
“…” Fan Zijin was speechless for a while before asking, “How do you know that he’s a fool?”
“I deliberately revealed my back to him, but he was actually so stupid that he didn’t attack. What is he if not a fool?”
Tightening his grip on the reins, Fan Zijin suppressed his temper. With a wooden face, he asked, “Why did you deliberately reveal your back to him?”
Qi Haoran looked at him as if he was staring at a fool. “I was luring him, duh. Otherwise, what if he decides to kill those commoners? By revealing my back to him, even if he wants to slaughter those commoners, he’ll definitely rush up and finish us off first. What an excellent opportunity, yet he actually gave it up. Since he’s so stupid, he’ll definitely chase after us and those commoners will be safe.”
“…” Fan Zijin gritted his teeth and said, “You’re very smart. If you can return to West Camp alive, I’ll definitely praise you in front of Cousin.” Even the stupidest person would not do something like revealing their back to the enemy.
Qi Haoran smiled brightly and accepted Fan Zijin’s praise. He even patted his chest and said, “Don’t worry. With me protecting you, you’ll definitely be able to make it back alive.”
Behind them, Wu Shu waved his hand and abandoned the besieged citizens to follow closely behind Qi Haoran and Fan Zijin.
Hmph, they were just some commoners. He could always turn around and chase after them after killing the Han soldiers. Surely a two-legged person couldn’t outrun a four-legged horse?
Qi Haoran had once brought people to patrol this area, so he knew that there was an open area not far from Jialing Lake. He directly led them there.
He and Mu Shi weren’t taking the same path because he was already 50 miles east of the county at the moment. There was a main road nearby that led to Jialing Lake.
Qi Haoran occupied the upper reaches first and whispered to the deputy general beside him, “Prepare your bows and arrows. After I kill Wu Shu, immediately shoot the Jin soldiers opposite. Only shoot one arrow. Kill as many as you can. Then, charge forward before the other party picks up their bows and arrows. Since there are only a few of us, we’ll only charge three times. Next, listen to my orders.”
Qi Haoran thought that after the other party had lost their general, he would annihilate the enemies in one go amidst the chaos. If not, he could only try his best to disperse them and chase them to the other side of Jialing Lake.
Qi Haoran turned his head slightly to look at the shallow Jialing Lake in the north. At this moment, ice had yet to form on Jialing Lake. He had specially chosen this place for the other party to escape. As long as they did not block the enemies’ escape route, they would not risk their lives.
Seeing him turn his head to look at the lake, Fan Zijin’s heart skipped a beat and he immediately understood his arrangements. The corners of his lips curled up slightly and his spirits lifted, surprised that Haoran had actually come up with such an idea. It could be seen that he had put in a lot of effort and thought into this.
On the other side, Wu Shu shouted after he finished arranging his troops, “Kid, how do you think we should fight?”
Qi Haoran took the lead and drew his sword. “Naturally, us two generals will battle to determine the victor.”
Wu Shu sneered. “Just you? Kid, are you weaned yet?” Even if Qi Haoran looked stronger than ordinary children, the baby fat and childishness on his face could not be hidden. It was obvious he was a 12 or 13-year-old child.
The Jin soldiers laughed and looked at Qi Haoran in disdain.
However, Qi Haoran was not angry. He only said in a low voice, “Come, I’ll let you see if I’m weaned or not.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the horse under him rushed out. Wu Shu narrowed his eyes slightly and took out his saber before going forward. The two of them instantly exchanged five to six moves. Qi Haoran slashed with his sword, and Wu Shu tilted his head to avoid it. Qi Haoran’s sword slashed over at such a fast speed that Wu Shu was in a sorry state.
When the saber and sword collided, Wu Shu’s palm felt slightly numb and his heart skipped a beat. He knew that he had encountered a worthy opponent. Taking advantage of the moment when he was in a daze, Qi Haoran kicked his horse, then jumped up and kicked Wu Shu. Wu Shu had no choice but to put his hands together to block it, but Qi Haoran stabbed his right chest with his sword…
Wu Shu felt a sharp pain in his right chest and was instantly kicked off his horse by Qi Haoran. Qi Haoran shouted, “Wu Shu is dead. Kill all the invaders!”
The moment Wu Shu was kicked off his horse, the soldiers of the 4th Division drew their bows and shot arrows. More than 20 Jin soldiers were instantly killed.
It only took Qi Haoran mere seconds to jump up from his horse and kick Wu Shu down. The Jin soldiers could not react at all due to the suddenness of it all.
Qi Haoran leaped back onto his horse and charged towards the Jin soldiers with his sword raised.
When the soldiers of the 4th Division saw the little general take the lead, they felt strong emotions surging in their chests. They immediately drew their swords and shouted, charging at the Jin soldiers.
The Jin soldiers were already a little flustered because of Wu Shu’s death. Now that they were suppressed by the aura of the 4th Division, they immediately became a little chaotic.
Qi Haoran had never killed anyone before, but he was born to be a general. After three rounds of attacks, the Jin soldiers were completely defeated. Qi Haoran made a prompt decision and shouted, “Leave all of them behind!”
He immediately turned his horse’s head and rushed in again. He stabbed his sword at the Jin soldiers, and they fell off their horses with a plop…
Fan Zijin, who knew that he would only be a burden, stayed obediently at the edge and watched Qi Haoran kill the enemies with his mouth agape. He did not like fighting and killing. Compared to fighting, he preferred to stay in his room and plan strategies. But at this moment, watching Qi Haoran kill the enemy, he could not help but feel heroic.
He stared fixedly at Qi Haoran. Cousin had once said that Haoran’s talent in war was not inferior to his. Now, it seemed that Cousin was right.
Fan Zijin raised his head slightly and smiled happily. ‘Then, let me stay by your side and assist you.’
Seeing as more than half of the Jin soldiers were killed, Wu Shu’s deputy general knew that they could not stay any longer. He waved his hand and ordered, “Retreat, retreat quickly!” Taking the lead, he scooped up Wu Shu’s corpse before stepping into Jialing Lake, leaving a group of Jin soldiers to resist. The others hurriedly followed.
Qi Haoran killed the remaining Jin soldiers and waved his hand to stop everyone from chasing. He said coldly, “Let them leave. There must be some Jin soldiers left in our Great Zhou territory. We’ve got to find them. Otherwise, the people will not be at peace.”
Fan Zijin rode to his side and said, “Send scouts out to investigate. This is the fastest way. For now, let’s search up Jialing Lake first.”
Qi Haoran was puzzled, so Fan Zijin explained, “On the way here, I carefully paid attention to the traces on the road and realized that there were many footprints left by the commoners on a path from the east of the county to Jialing Lake. The ground was covered in hoof prints. They should have fled in the direction of Jialing Lake, but I don’t know if they’re still alive.”