Chapter 146
Chapter 146
One hundred elite soldiers from each side entered the field. In perfect order, the hundred men moved as one, marching in unison. They stood at opposite ends of the training grounds, a distance of two *li* between them. Prefect Zhang Chong’s expression changed when he saw the new armor, battle swords, and shields equipped by the soldiers of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, and Tang Lun was utterly astonished. As his family was in the business of ironworking, he could tell at a glance just how exceptional the equipment was. The Count of Xuanwu's Estate was different from before—in equipment, weaponry, and even in spirit.
“Rest assured, Count of Jing'an. The new equipment of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate may seem advanced, but there is still a vast difference in quality compared to our family's. In this military contest, we will once again claim a great victory and crush them.”
The Count of Jinhai possessed the pride of one who had long held the upper hand.
‘For a hundred years, the weapons and equipment of my Tang Clan have been far superior to your Jin Clan's. How could you possibly catch up so suddenly? Your new weapons look decent enough, but they can't possibly match the quality of my clan's! Of course not. Besides, we have forty borrowed masters on our side!’
At that moment, the Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, inwardly admired Prefect Zhang Chong.
‘Impressive! To spot a weakness from Shen Lang’s fleeting expression and guess the truth behind it… he truly is worthy of being called the nightmare of the old aristocracy.’
Clang!
A bell rang out, and under the command to begin battle, the armored soldiers from both sides charged madly toward each other.
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
Though it was a battle of only two hundred men, the scene made the onlookers tremble inwardly. The soldiers, encased in steel with only their eyes visible, clashed like a flood of iron. The impact was so great that a faint vibration could be felt from the ground of the training grounds. The soldiers from both sides ran wildly, closing the distance. As the saying goes, when two meet on a narrow path, the braver one prevails. In a clash like this, the side that feared would surely lose.
“Charge!”
“Kill!”
With no tactics or formations, they simply ran to collide. They grew closer and closer. Fifty meters, thirty meters, ten meters! The closer they got, the faster they seemed to run, as if fueled by a surge of adrenaline. Despite the distance between them at the start of the contest, the two sides closed in on each other in under a minute. And then…
Boom!
A great roar echoed as the steel-clad soldiers from both sides violently collided. It was like two locomotives crashing into each other with all their might. The violent scene was both horrifying and thrilling. All the aristocrats watching instinctively squeezed their eyes shut. But Shen Lang, filled with worry, kept his eyes wide open, his gaze fixed on his wife’s silhouette. Though Jin Hui, Jin Zhong, and all the other masters of the family were protecting her, Shen Lang still feared she might get hurt.
It was a battle of killing, and only killing. The fiercely engaged armies swung their battle swords with abandon, cutting down their enemies. The clan crests on their armor and shields made their targets clear.
Slash, slash, slash, slash.
‘Split in two with one blow, be cleaved in half in an instant!’
The Count of Jinhai, every hair on his body standing on end, stared with wide eyes, waiting for a certain scene to unfold—the scene of his men dispatching the enemy as easily as breaking rotten wood. He waited for the moment his clan’s swords would effortlessly cut down their opponents and shatter their armor. And soon, the scene he awaited played out before his eyes. But everything was the opposite of his expectations.
When two armies engage in melee, the initial clash is always the most ferocious and terrifying. While most would defend with their shields, some were inevitably struck by enemy blades in the chaos. The moment they collided, the difference in the quality of their equipment and weapons became starkly apparent.
The armor worn by the soldiers of the Count of Jinhai’s Estate was split open, creating large gaps from which crimson blood spurted. Yet, the armor of the soldiers from the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate was merely left with the marks of their enemies’ swords. The soldiers on both sides were stunned.
‘What is happening? Are our Xuanwu Estate’s new battle swords this sharp? And this armor is so sturdy… this is incredible!’
‘How is this possible? Is the armor of our Jinhai Estate this weak?’
A moment later, the fighting grew even more savage. The soldiers on both sides hacked at their enemies relentlessly. The shouts of the soldiers battling on the training grounds shook the heavens, and crimson blood sprayed in all directions. But the state of the battle was bizarre, with only one side collapsing.
Thanks to the significant difference in equipment and weapons, the soldiers of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate were slaughtering their enemies, piling them on the ground.
While the Jin Clan’s armor could withstand three consecutive blows without fail, the Tang Clan’s armor split with a large gash after just one. The same was true for their swords. With every frenzied swing, the blades of the Count of Jinhai’s soldiers chipped, bent, and in some cases, even broke.
It was indeed a scene of dispatching the enemy as easily as breaking rotten wood, just as the Count of Jinhai had imagined. The only difference was that the side being broken was his own.
***
Seeing this, the Count of Jinhai, Tang Lun, trembled with shock.
‘Impossible! From iron smelting techniques to weapons and equipment, my clan is the best in every aspect! Did the Jin Clan use some kind of sorcery? How else could their weapons and equipment have improved so dramatically?
This makes no sense at all. Iron smelting is an incredibly complex art; it’s impossible to achieve such a leap in skill overnight.’
As the pride of his clan, its iron smelting technique, was shattered before his eyes, the Count of Jinhai momentarily forgot about the contest itself.
Prefect Zhang Chong shivered slightly. He had imagined such a scene might occur, but to see it actually happen was deeply shocking. This, too, was undoubtedly the work of Shen Lang.
‘That damn rascal can do anything. He writes poetry, writes books, creates dyes, seduces women… and now he even knows iron smelting? What can’t you do? Why are the heavens so unfair?’
Zhang Chong unconsciously glanced at his daughter. Zhang Chunhua shot a glare at Shen Lang before focusing back on the battle. Her heart felt constricted, her face frozen like ice. Her usual licentious demeanor was nowhere to be seen. In the face of her family’s fate, matters of love and passion were nothing. She sincerely hoped for a crushing defeat for the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
But the superiority of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate’s equipment and weapons became increasingly obvious. The tide of battle tilted more and more to one side. The warriors of the Count of Jinhai’s Estate continuously fell, creating a scene that resembled a one-sided slaughter. However, despite appearances, the actual situation was perilous. It was because of the masters Zhang Chong had lent them. As the finest soldiers handpicked from their respective armies, their combat prowess was astounding, and the four peak masters were especially formidable.
Nangong Cheol, the adopted son of the Marquis of Zhenbei; Tang Zong, the eldest son of the Count of Jinhai; Su Tian'en, a master from the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate; and Wu Yuanbo, the adopted son of the Count of Jing'an. These four masters, along with a dozen elite soldiers from the Count of Jinhai’s Estate and several dozen borrowed masters, were pushing forward, overwhelming their opponents. The warriors of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate were simply no match for them. The advantage of superior equipment was effective against enemies of equal strength, but when the skill gap was large, equipment could only do so much.
On the side of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, there were five masters in total: Jin Mulan, Jin Shiying, Jin Hui, Jin Zhong, and Jin Zheng. Seeing the left flank on the verge of collapse, they immediately rushed to that side. They were holding off more than a dozen masters, but they were only barely managing to hold on thanks to their superior equipment.
Thus, a strange situation unfolded on the training grounds, with the battle split into two extremes. On the left, the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate was suffering a major defeat, while on the right, the Count of Jinhai’s Estate was not only being defeated but slaughtered.
Mulan was facing two incredible masters at once: Su Tian'en from the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate and Tang Zong from the Count of Jinhai’s Estate. But she was not alone in this predicament; Jin Shiying, Jin Hui, Jin Zhong, and Jin Zheng were each fighting two opponents as well.
Fortunately, Mulan had trained not only in battlefield martial arts but also in personal combat techniques, making her well-suited for individual fights. Jin Shiying, too, was incredibly strong, his presence unyielding even in a disadvantageous situation. Jin Hui also held his ground, his swift swordsmanship and unorthodox movements allowing him to fend off two enemies. But Jin Zhong and Jin Zheng were occasionally stumbling, looking as if they were about to collapse.
“Su Tian'en.”
At Jin Mulan’s cry, Su Tian'en was startled and hesitated for a moment. In that instant, with a swish, he felt a cold sensation on his face. Mulan’s sword had sliced through his helmet, revealing his face. Su Tian'en was her cousin, with whom she had sparred as a child. Seeing his face, both the Count of Xuanwu and Mulan looked ready to explode. A stir went through all who were watching, and their gazes naturally fell upon Su Jianting, who was still seated in the camp of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate.
‘To think a person could be so vicious is almost impressive. The Marquis of Zhenyuan is the head of the old aristocracy and a relative of the Jin Clan. When the Jin Clan is in trouble, instead of helping, you secretly aid their enemy, pushing the Count of Xuanwu's Estate to the brink of death. And yet, you still sit in the camp of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, feigning support.’
Su Jianting’s expression changed for a moment before he returned to his usual composure as if nothing had happened. The Count of Xuanwu, not one for insincere words, turned his head and said to him.
“Su Jianting, I think it would be best if you did not sit here.”
Su Jianting replied with a dignified demeanor.
“Uncle, I do not know how this came to be. I will be sure to punish this matter severely.”
***
Finally, the battle lines on both the left and right collapsed simultaneously. On the right, the several dozen warriors of the Count of Jinhai’s Estate were nearly all dead or injured. On the left, Jin Zheng and Jin Zhong could no longer hold out, falling to the ground wounded. Mulan was then surrounded by three people, facing one crisis after another. The only saving grace was that her enemies had a strict rule: they could not kill Jin Mulan, nor could they leave any major scars on her body. She was already considered the most valuable asset of the Count of Xuanwu's Estate, a perfect gift to be presented to a certain great figure.
Nevertheless, the swords of the three men surrounding Mulan grew increasingly vicious. Her armor was gradually chipped away, exposing her vulnerable waist and the snakeskin combat suit she wore underneath, leaving her open to an easy strike.
Only twenty of the elite soldiers borrowed by the Count of Jinhai’s Estate remained, while the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate had seventy warriors left. The battle entered a strange stalemate. The twenty masters of the Count of Jinhai’s Estate surrounded Mulan and the other masters of the Xuanwu Estate, while the nearly seventy warriors of the Xuanwu Estate surrounded the Jinhai Estate's masters. They were locked in a standoff, each side encircling the other.
***
The Count of Xuanwu shot to his feet and said.
“Duke Ying, Duke Bianwu, Duke Xiaoxuan. I propose we stop the battle and declare a draw.”
The Count of Xuanwu was already pained enough by the loss of thirty elite soldiers from his estate. He could not bear to see Mulan, Jin Shiying, and the others meet an unfortunate end. Of course, Shen Lang had told him that Mulan would not be harmed and that the enemy would not dare to take her life.
But Jin Shiying was his adopted son, Jin Hui and Jin Zhong were his trusted confidants, and Jin Zheng was someone he had watched grow up since childhood. The Count of Xuanwu could not bear to see any of them die. The remaining twenty on the opposing side were all top-tier masters handpicked from other armies. If the battle continued, it was clear that everyone on his side, except for Mulan, would be killed. That was why the Count of Xuanwu had immediately called for a halt to the battle.
The Count of Jinhai’s eyes were menacing as he said.
“Why would I accept that? Your side is about to lose.”
Though he wasn’t fighting himself, his eyes were bloodshot as if he had been the one killing. Having paid a great price to borrow these masters, he intended to use them to the very end and kill every last remaining soldier of the Count of Xuanwu’s Estate. He did not care at all if the borrowed masters died. He could even accept the death of his own eldest son, Tang Zong. He only wanted victory.
The Count of Xuanwu said.
“Did you say we are about to lose? Impossible! We still have seventy men left, while you only have twenty. If we truly fight to the end, the outcome is uncertain. I simply cannot bear to see more of my soldiers die or be injured.”
“Then let us fight. We can just fight to the end!”
“Then have your remaining twenty men remove their helmets. Let’s see how many of them are warriors of the Count of Jinhai’s Estate. Su Tian'en is from the Marquis of Zhenyuan’s Estate; what connection does he have to the Tang Clan? Besides, even if you wish to continue this contest by squeezing every last drop of blood from your soldiers, are you sure your borrowed masters want the same? Which of them would want to die for the Tang Clan?”