Chapter 00092: The Clash of Two Armies
# The Clash of Two Armies
Chapter 92
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 92: The Clash of Two Armies
They naturally faced the rear, their backs turned to the refugees on the slope.
However, as one refugee dashed past Commander Xiao, he suddenly lunged, drawing a dagger from his waist and thrusting it fiercely towards the commander's neck!
Commander Xiao was clad in heavy armor, with only his neck exposed.
The night was dark, and the attack was completely unexpected.
The distance between them was mere feet, and even his personal guards couldn't react in time.
He Lingchuan stood slightly behind Commander Xiao.
In the darkness, he caught a faint glimmer of light and immediately knew something was wrong.
But by the time he lunged forward, it was already too late.
He could only watch helplessly as—
A brilliant flash of blade light sliced through the air, severing head from body.
To be precise, the blade had slashed diagonally upward, cleaving the man from his left rib to his right shoulder.
Thus, a once intact body now lay in two pieces on the ground, blood gushing forth.
He Lingchuan froze.
The speed and ruthlessness of that blade reminded him of the feeling he had when facing Nian Songyu in the Panlong Illusion.
Despite his usual diligence and hard training, he could never achieve such a level of swordsmanship.
Commander Xiao lowered his blade, a string of blood droplets falling from the tip to the ground.
His face was also splattered with blood, but he paid it no mind, letting the rain slowly wash it away.
Why bother wiping it off? He would soon be killing more enemies—no need for such trivialities.
A personal guard spoke with shame, "Commander..."
Commander Xiao raised his hand to cut him off, "Stay alert!"
He Lingchuan murmured, "Impressive blade work."
"Those who save themselves are saved by heaven. You need eyes in the back of your head," Commander Xiao glanced at him, "Your skills aren't bad."
He Lingchuan felt ashamed, "I was too slow."
The assassin had been dealt with by Commander Xiao himself.
The enemy was cunning, disguising themselves as civilians to infiltrate and assassinate.
If they had succeeded, the battle here would have been over in an instant.
Just by observing Commander Xiao's proficiency, one could tell how perilous the battlefield truly was.
"You're a civilian, not a soldier," Commander Xiao said as a flash of lightning illuminated the sky.
In the distance, over a hundred riders were galloping towards them.
Commander Xiao kept his eyes on them while addressing the group, "If you perform well, you can join the city garrison! Food and shelter will be prioritized for you!"
During wartime, resources were allocated to the strong first, and no one could argue with that.
He Lingchuan's heart stirred, "Can we join the Great Wind Army?"
At his words, all the newcomers turned to look at Commander Xiao, clearly concerned about this question.
Commander Xiao smiled faintly, "Dream on, you're not qualified yet!"
There was a vast chasm between the Panlong City Defense Force and the Great Wind Army that roamed the wilderness.
The group was somewhat disappointed, but another Great Wind Army cavalryman chimed in, "What's wrong with guarding the city? When the Great Wind Army marches out, danger is sure to follow."
Despite his words, his expression was filled with pride.
Another recruit asked, "Will someone teach us how to kill the enemy?"
"Of course."
Commander Xiao added, "Every ninety days, there's a joint drill. If you're lucky, you might even get to see General Red teaching in person."
General Red!
Just the mention of that name was enough to boost morale, even without the general's presence.
Under the astonished gazes of the group, Commander Xiao twirled his blade, "My swordsmanship was personally instructed by General Red!"
He Lingchuan could hear the pride in his voice.
Just a few pointers from General Red, and he could wield such a deadly blade?
Then, the hundred or so riders from the opposing side charged forward.
Commander Xiao didn't raise his blade.
Instead, he ordered the group to widen the gap in the vehicle formation a bit more.
These were allies.
The hundred or so riders dismounted upon reaching the slope and helped the group close the vehicle formation, arranging it into three rows.
They then took their positions, ready for battle.
As soon as they arrived, He Lingchuan was hit by a pungent smell of blood.
Soon after, he noticed bloodstains and wounds on most of them.
The leading officer exchanged a high-five with Commander Xiao, who laughed, "Looks like the Balin people didn't have their fill today, letting you escape alive!"
The officer, still catching his breath, replied, "You think it's easy to claim merit? The Balin army chasing us has seven hundred men, a detachment under Zuo Qin."
"Are there any civilians left behind?"
"Those still alive have been driven back. We lost six brothers."
The implication of the first sentence sent chills down their spines.
But this was the battlefield, and civilians were mere cannon fodder.
He Lingchuan had witnessed the Sandstorm Season, where vengeful spirits emerged from the wells, most of them dressed as civilians.
Those who died on the escape route were silently buried in the wilderness, not even counted among the casualties.
Clearly, the Great Wind Army was accustomed to such human tragedies.
As they chatted and laughed, the enemy closed in on the canyon.
The sound of hooves grew louder, a dark mass of brightly armored soldiers.
He Lingchuan glanced behind him.
Even with the reinforcements, they still only had a little over a hundred men, less than one-seventh of the enemy's strength.
However, the enemy only had about two hundred cavalry; the rest were infantry.
As they charged closer, they lowered their halberds, attempting to leap over the barricade of vehicles.
Horses couldn't pass, but men could jump.
As they drew near, Commander Xiao waved his hand, and a rain of arrows descended from the slope and trees.
After the allies arrived, he had assigned more men to hold bows, increasing the number of archers to eleven.
Eleven men, sixteen arrows.
A few of them carried crossbows, capable of firing two shots in succession.
The prefect's chest was filled with arrows, and they used them generously.
But facing seven hundred heavily armored enemies, this volley of arrows was still too thin to form an effective suppression.
At this moment, He Lingchuan missed the giant crossbows and cannons on the walls of Panlong City.
Those were truly satisfying to fire, with devastating power.
Commander Xiao shouted, "Charge! Leave none of them alive!"
The Great Wind Army roared in unison, raising their weapons to meet the enemy.
A faint yellow light erupted from their bodies—
Commander Xiao had activated the Divine Land Decree, enhancing his soldiers.
Each of them would have to face at least seven enemies, so every bit of help reduced the pressure.
The Balin army, on the other hand, emitted a faint green light.
This indicated that their commander's rank was lower than Commander Xiao's, or that their morale wasn't as high as the Great Wind Army's.
However, no matter how powerful the Divine Land Decree was, it was still just an enhancement.
The true outcome of the battle depended on the fundamental strength of both sides.
Zero multiplied by anything was still zero, and He Lingchuan's basic math was quite good.
The Divine Land Decree had miraculous effects on the battlefield, but it wasn't the sole determinant of victory.
Countless battles throughout history had proven this, so the Balin army faced the Great Wind Army behind the vehicle formation without fear.
In an instant, the two armies collided.
Commander Xiao stood directly behind the first row of the vehicle formation, facing all the enemies head-on.
If the Balin army was a spear, he was the unyielding rock, firmly holding back the first wave of attacks.
He Lingchuan stood beside him, slashing at the oncoming enemies with his blade.
This was his first time experiencing the marvels of the Divine Land Decree.
The most immediate sensation was increased strength and agility.
With a single step forward, he leaped farther than before, as if springs had been added to his feet, startling even himself.
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**Translator's Note:**
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(End of Chapter)