Chapter 71
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: 20. Hunting the Snake and the Hawk (8)
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The One-Eyed Fox made it safely into Guwang Fortress, but not everyone was blessed with such luck(?).
Of the ten bandits following behind, three fell victim to the iron caltrops, and only after paying that price did the rest make it up the hill.
And the first thing they saw was the One-Eyed Fox's severed head rolling down the road.
Thud. Thud. Thud. Roll~
This sight was utterly alien and brutal to men who were used to the One-Eyed Fox pretending to die even when told to.
So the lead bandit yanked hard on his reins, slamming on the brakes.
And that action triggered a chain reaction, slowing the bandits behind him and causing them to bunch up together.
It was a scene that highlighted just how crucial the vanguard's role was in a cavalry unit.
It was also the spark of disaster.
The next moment.
Wang Baek-gun leaped forward, swinging his beloved sword Black Cinder horizontally.
Slash—
Black Cinder fanned out like a folding fan, unleashing a crescent-shaped wave of black sword energy.
It was the realm of Sword Qi Wounding Men, where one channeled internal energy into a weapon and projected qi through it to harm foes!
The black haze radiated out in a fan shape for three zhang (about nine meters), surging forward before dissipating, having sliced through everything in its path.
......?
The bandits raised their spears to fight back, only to wear baffled expressions—then they crumpled, split from top to bottom along with their mounts.
Plop. Plop.
A thick, bloody mist hung in the air like fog.
Five bandits and five horses had been felled in a single sweep.
The two survivors finally grasped what had happened and bolted in panic, but it was too late.
Na-mok, paired with Wang Baek-gun, had already charged in and begun his sword dance.
Wang Baek-gun and Na-mok blocked the eastern approach, while A Jeok-gang, Dan-geum, and Ye Dok-du took the north gate.
Thud thud thud—
Twelve bandits crested the hill and spurred their horses straight ahead, smashing through the crumbling north gate of Guwang Fortress in one go. All that greeted them was a crudely built wooden barricade.
Did they really think this would halt their advance?
They could just veer around it or leap over if needed. Their horsemanship was more than up to the task.
So that's what the bandits tried—and in focusing on that, they blundered right into the heart of the trap.
Jeong's Face Pursuit Unit had densely sown iron caltrops around the barricade, then camouflaged them with dirt and branches.
In an instant, the lead four horses tumbled head over heels, kicking up chaos, and two javelins flew in from above.
Thunk. Thunk.
The javelins impaled one bandit and one horse each, amplifying the pandemonium inside.
And into that chaos plunged Dan-geum, Ye Dok-du, and A Jeok-gang.
This was the scene the old camel saw after dismounting and climbing the hill on foot, his face paling in horror.
And just moments earlier, Jin Ga-yong had split the arrow Seok-maeng loosed amid the retreat horn's blare.
A Jeok-gang hurled three hand axes in rapid succession as he charged.
His targets were any clustered foes—even a horse would do—so he focused solely on throwing with all his might.
Whirr~ Thunk. Thunk. Thunk.
He then drew two more hand axes, gripping one in each hand. A dismounted bandit snatched up a spear and thrust it at him with full force.
A Jeok-gang twisted his body, deflecting the spear with his left axe, then buried the right one in the bandit's shoulder.
Crunch.
The bandit convulsed from the shock of his arm being severed, and A Jeok-gang whipped his left axe around to smash his head.
Crack.
Leaving the dying man behind, he launched himself at the milling bandits.
Ye Dok-du targeted a bandit flung from the pack, rolling alone. The man had twisted his right ankle half-off in the fall and was bellowing in pain.
Ye Dok-du closed in with a single stride and hammered the dazed bandit with the edge of his shield.
Bam~ Bam~ Bam~
Then he seized the bandit's trembling ankles in both hands, spun him a full turn and a half with all his strength, and let fly.
The bandit hurtled like a human cannonball into the cluster, tangling them up and sending chaos to its peak.
It was the result of simultaneous strikes from all sides.
And Dan-geum pitched in too.
Dan-geum latched onto a bandit turning his horse to flee the melee and swung his hammer from right to left, then left to right.
Crack, smash!
The first blow snapped the horse's head back; the second crushed its rider.
Where exactly it hit the rider hardly mattered—judging by how he was flung from the saddle, nothing was left intact.
With his hammer now slick with blood, Dan-geum went berserk.
Bwah. Bwah. Bwahah~
The retreat horn blared across the sky once more.
But it was too late.
Of the thirty-two bandits sent to probe, only seven made it back to base—and including the old camel, just three returned with all limbs intact.
Thus ended the skirmish.
As described, Jin Ga-yong's Face Pursuit Unit had crushed Yu Orogo's bandits.
"An unbelievable rout. Makes it hard to even blame my worthless underlings."
Yu Orogo spoke gravely but steadily.
Seok-maeng, watching beside him, frowned and replied.
"When those eight idiots charged us, I thought they'd lost their minds. Turns out they had something to back it up. Each one had real skill. So, what's your next move?"
"What choice do we have? Full assault."
"You planning to join in too?"
"How could I call it a full assault if the Snake's Claw, Yu Orogo, sits this out?"
Yu Orogo declared proudly, and Seok-maeng nodded in agreement.
For the past seven years, he had always led the Locust Brigade's vanguard. The man had every right to his arrogance.
"When do we start?"
"Can't let them rest. We'll be ready and charging within a gong. Get yourself prepared too, Elder Seok."
"Got it. Let's do this proper."
The middle-aged man and the elder locked eyes, their fighting spirits igniting.
With years together, they moved as one—no need for nitpicking tactics.
The enemy was far stronger than Yu Orogo had anticipated.
Still, how to break them?
Two advantages on this side.
One. Overwhelming numbers.
One. Possession of an elite sniper dubbed the "Hawk's Eye."
But problems with both.
First, numbers.
Individual prowess gap was huge; swarming wouldn't be easy. Without iron resolve to cling till the end, they'd just melt away.
The skirmish proved it—thirty-odd charged in, gained nothing, got shredded.
And the sniper.
Enemy elites could deflect Seok-maeng's long-range arrows.
They were prepared, sure—but now knowing about the sniper, why expect carelessness?
Couldn't recklessly close for stronger shots either. They'd prioritize killing the sniper otherwise.
So Yu Orogo's conclusion: total war.
Rile the men to fight without fear of death.
Then overwhelm with numbers, force a melee.
For how long, how?
Until the enemy had no attention left for the sniper—fight tooth and nail!
Once the flow turned that way, the sniper could pick them off one by one.
The issue: how to rile the men.
Yu Orogo had the answer.
Leading the Locust Brigade's vanguard through countless battles, he'd faced strong foes like this more than once or twice.
Seok-maeng departed first to find a prime sniping spot.
Yu Orogo then gathered all forty-two able-bodied underlings.
And declared gravely.
"The enemy is strong."
"......"
"So let's just have half of us die. But I'll fight alongside you, as always."
"......!"
"How about it? Ready to die?"
"Yes."
His three trusted limbs—the Gray Wolf, Bald Eagle, and old camel—answered without hesitation.
Led by them, the bandits roared "Yes!" in unison.
Truth be told, they had no real choice. No one was bold or dumb enough to say, "I don't wanna die."
Satisfied with the fired-up mood, Yu Orogo signaled his limbs, who distributed red pills they'd prepared—one per bandit.
Bliss Pills, refined narcotics.
This was Yu Orogo's solution.
No dramatic boosts to internal energy or anything.
But it rolled their eyes, erased fear, and numbed exhaustion till the body gave out. Set the stage for mad rampages. Worthy of the name "ghost medicine" for them.
Of course, brutal aftereffects. But in a do-or-die brawl, who cared?
Led by Yu Orogo, every bandit gulped down a Bliss Pill.
He waited for the heat to rise in his body, then issued orders for the coming fight.
"Gray Wolf, Bald Eagle, old camel."
"Yes."
"Each take five men and advance from three directions at once. Grab and hold at least one foe each, even if you die."
"Yes."
"That'll split their small numbers again. Then I'll lead the rest and smash through, crushing them piecemeal."
Yu Orogo scanned the bandits, their eyes reddening as the drug kicked in, fixed on him.
"Remember: ditch the horses the moment you crest the hill. Fight like dogs! We've got numbers—swarm and bite. Got it?"
"Yes."
"Good. This fight's about grit. Show them who's tougher, why the Locust Brigade is feared!"
His speech done, the forty-three bandits grabbed gear and mounted up.
Guwang Fortress still smoldered from the skirmish, and without pause, the assault horn blared for round two.
Bwah~