Chapter 550
Chapter 550
“The army of the State of Yue, advance!”
At the herald's command, brandishing their military banner, the two thousand men of the Divine Army under Ning Zheng of Yue appeared. They were still dressed in plain cotton, marching in perfect order, yet they exuded no killing intent whatsoever. Their gait was like that of men taking a casual stroll. Furthermore, the two thousand men wore blank expressions, their eyes still dull and slow-witted.
Watching them, some laughed until their sides ached, while others secretly remarked that sacrificing these innocent men was a great sin. Everyone had heard the rumors that Shen Lang and Ning Zheng had found two thousand simpletons to use as sacrificial lambs, but they never thought it was actually true. There was clearly something wrong with their heads. Even on the brink of death, their faces showed no fear; they looked as if they were just going for a meal.
No wonder Ning Yuanxian had allowed them to travel by carriage. One must show mercy to those about to die. But seeing these two thousand fools walking to their deaths, like cattle to the slaughter, made everyone feel as if they were complicit in a crime, and they couldn't bear to look at them directly. The commander of the Imperial Guard, unable to bear it any longer, shouted out.
“Your Highness, let us, the Imperial Guard, fight for you!”
Sending two thousand fools to their deaths, letting them be slaughtered by others, was too disgraceful. Losing the battle was one thing, but this would make the entire State of Yue a laughingstock in the eyes of the world. At that moment, Zhong Yao, the Grand Marshal of the West, spoke up.
“Your Highness, our elite Western Army will also fight for you.”
Zhong Yao's words were not mere pleasantries; they came from the heart. For him, who constantly engaged the State of Chu, allowing Yue to send two thousand fools to be slaughtered in a pitched battle would deal a massive blow to the state's reputation. And what a devastating impact that would have on the morale of his own army?
The King of Chu narrowed his eyes.
‘So, the State of Yue wants to deploy its Imperial Guard or the elite soldiers of its Western Army? Be my guest! But if you do, then our State of Chu will commit all five thousand of our troops to the fight. After all, wasn't it you who proposed this absurd border battle in the first place?’
The King of Chu sneered and said.
“King of Yue, you must decide which army will participate in this battle. It will be too late to choose after their heads have fallen.”
King Ning Yuanxian closed his eyes. His body hunched over further, as if feeling a chill. At that moment, the Grand Eunuch Lü Zhun hurried over with a cloak that resembled a padded quilt and draped it over Ning Yuanxian's body. Wrapped in the quilted cloak, Ning Yuanxian looked even older and more frail.
Ning Yuanxian sighed and said.
“Let us proceed as planned. Let's get this battle over with quickly.”
“Hahahaha!”
The King of Chu laughed heartily at the sight.
‘Ning Yuanxian, a day of humiliation like this has finally come for you!’
The State of Yue did not change its army and proceeded with the battle.
* * *
Ning Zheng, in his capacity as Yue's commander, stood in full military attire on the central command platform, while Goudouhuan, as the army's field commander, was mounted on his warhorse.
“All units, don your armor!”
At Goudouhuan's command, hundreds of carriages entered the battlefield. When they were opened, they revealed stacks of the finest heavy armor. This was heavy armor made of steel, each set weighing a full hundred catties (50kg). In addition, there were top-grade greatswords, nearly one hundred and eighty centimeters long and weighing around one hundred and ten catties, also inside the carriages. The two thousand men of Shen Lang's Divine Army silently changed into their armor. The surface of the armor had been lacquered to prevent rust, giving it a glossy black appearance.
Everyone was stunned by the sight.
‘Is that armor made of wood? And those swords—so big and long, are they made of wood, too?’
In a flash, the two thousand men of the Divine Army finished equipping themselves in less than half a quarter-hour.
“Assemble and form ranks!”
At Goudouhuan's command, the two thousand men of the Divine Army formed their ranks. Their movements were so perfectly synchronized they seemed to move as one body; the entire two thousand men appeared as a single person. It was a truly marvelous sight. The tips of the swords held by the Yue soldiers formed a single line, the nose guards of their helmets formed another, and the spacing between each square formation was as precise as if measured with a ruler. The military discipline of the elite Chu soldiers seen earlier had been impressive, but compared to Yue's army, their ranks now seemed slightly disordered. While formation alone did not make them the best, the sight they presented was nothing short of miraculous.
‘How did they do that? All two thousand of them are moving in perfect unison. Not a single person is out of step.’
Moreover, their armor was astonishing to behold. From head to toe, not a single gap was visible, save for the slits for their eyes. And from the clang of armor against armor, it was clear it was truly made of steel.
‘Just... just how heavy is that armor?’
Once clad in armor and holding their greatswords, the aura of Shen Lang's two thousand Divine Army soldiers changed in an instant. The absolute power they exuded, combined with the metallic beauty of their armor and swords, was so profound it felt like a form of art. To think such a visually stunning army existed in the world—they were a work of art in themselves. Yet, this army still showed not a hint of killing intent. At that moment, a strange feeling crept into everyone's hearts.
‘What is Shen Lang trying to do by making his army look so good? Perhaps this Divine Army isn't as useless as we thought? But that alone won't be enough. They are two thousand fools with only three months of training and no real combat experience. There's no way they can defeat the elite soldiers of Chu.’
* * *
“In this border battle, victory is achieved by capturing the enemy's military banner!”
The rule was that simple. The two armies stood two li apart, with each nation's banner positioned at the rear of their respective forces. To capture the enemy's banner, one first had to break through the enemy's army. The vanguard commander of Chu shouted.
“Charge!”
Goudouhuan, the commander of Yue's army, also bellowed.
“Charge!”
The two thousand elite soldiers of Chu began their advance. Their orderly steps quickened, and a thick killing intent began to shroud their army. In contrast, the two thousand men of Yue's Divine Army, wielding their greatswords, maintained a steady and orderly pace from start to finish. They truly looked like twenty large squares advancing in unison. Their discipline was comparable to that of an honor guard. Everyone was inwardly astonished.
‘What time is it for them to be marching like an honor guard? Besides, with no killing intent, they'll be useless in a real battle. A battle is about combat strength, not appearances.’
Dum, dum, dum.
Dum, dum, dum, dum.
The sky-shaking drumbeats grew faster and more intense. The two armies, drawing ever closer, halted at a distance of just over a hundred meters. They had entered the range where they could shoot each other down. The Chu commander waved his hand, and his two thousand elite soldiers stopped.
“Ready!”
The two thousand soldiers drew their bows.
“Fire! Fire!”
A rain of arrows poured down, thousands of sharp shafts descending upon the two thousand men of Yue's Divine Army. It was only then that some noticed something new.
‘Why isn't the Yue army equipped with bows? In an infantry battle, shooting down the enemy from a distance is crucial, yet they have no bows?! That means they'll just have to take the arrows from two hundred paces away without being able to retaliate? Ah, I see. There wasn't enough time. They've only trained for three months; of course, they wouldn't have had time for archery practice.’
However, the scene that followed left all the onlookers stunned. Because the rain of arrows from the Chu army failed to stop the advance of Yue's Divine Army at all. They showed no reaction to the sky-filling volley of arrows. They didn't even try to hide or swat the arrows away. The two thousand men continued to advance in perfect order, as if they were one.
Could it be that they did not fear death?
What was even more shocking was that even when the arrows struck their bodies, they left no wounds at all. When a sharp arrow hits armor, it might not pierce it, but it should at least leave a mark. But these arrows didn't even leave a scratch. Countless arrows simply snapped and ricocheted away.
The Chu army was dumbfounded.
‘Is the armor worn by Yue's army of fools really that strong? We've fired three volleys, and not a single one of them is injured?’
Of course, even if it had been a rain of swords instead of arrows, it would have had no effect on the two thousand men of Shen Lang's Divine Army. They maintained their pace, advancing steadily, relentlessly, in perfect order.
The Chu commander's expression changed slightly as he shouted to his men.
“Shield wall! Form a defensive line!”
The Chu army stopped advancing and formed a defensive line on the spot. Although winning the battle this way would be shameful, the State of Chu desperately wanted victory. The two thousand elite soldiers of Chu quickly formed their line. Giant shields were suddenly planted into the ground, creating a wall of steel. Spearmen hid behind the shield wall, aiming the sharp tips of their weapons through the gaps. The moment an enemy struck with a sword, countless long spears would shoot out from behind the shields like the quills of a porcupine, impaling them. At a glance, the Chu army's defensive formation looked so solid it seemed unbreakable.
“Prepare! Prepare!”
The two thousand men of Yue's Divine Army drew closer and closer. In moments, the two armies were upon each other, and the melee began. The Crown Prince of Chu, on the central command platform, drew his sharp sword and roared like thunder.
“Kill them! Kill them all! Slaughter every soldier from the State of Yue! For the glory of Chu, kill the enemy! Leave not a single man from Yue's army alive!”
As soon as the order was given, countless long spears shot out from between the shields of the Chu army. Some envoys widened their eyes in shock, while others covered them. The army of Yue, though impressive to look at, was truly an army of fools.
‘They're not even trying to dodge? The enemy has formed a porcupine-like defense, yet they're still charging at the same speed without stopping? Soon, the bellies of the Yue soldiers will be brutally pierced by spears, and a river of blood will flow from their gruesome deaths.’
But the scene that followed left everyone dumbfounded once again. Countless long spears stabbed forcefully into the bellies of Yue's Divine Army, but the soldiers only faltered for a moment, neither hiding nor dodging. Moreover, they were completely unharmed. On the contrary, the spears of the Chu army bent and even broke. Then, it was time for the most spectacular scene of all.
Commander Goudouhuan drew his sword with a flourish and shouted.
“Cut them in two!”
Wang Da cheered inwardly.
‘The moment has finally come! I've held back for over ten days, and now I can finally cut! I'm so moved! So happy!’
The two thousand men of Yue's Divine Army powerfully raised their one-hundred-and-eighty-centimeter-long greatswords. These greatswords were incredible weapons, forged from one hundred and ten catties of the finest steel. With astonishing force, the Divine Army swung their blades.
Swish!
“Cut in two!”
“Cut in two!”
Hundreds of top-grade greatswords sliced down powerfully, their movements still as synchronized as if they were one. With the force of a violent thunderstorm, hundreds of greatswords descended upon the enemy, and in an instant, the solid shield wall before them shattered and splintered under the blades as easily as rotten wood.
“Cut in two! Cut in two!”
For the two thousand soldiers whose meridians had been transformed, hot blood surged through their bodies. It felt as if they were finally unleashing something they had held back for a long time.
‘So satisfying! So satisfying!’
They did not stop for a moment, continuing to advance, and advance. All the while, they relentlessly cut down the Chu soldiers with the top-grade greatswords in their hands.