knife

Chapter 37 Fierce Soldiers
A dozen or so bonfires roared to life, the rising heat causing the falling snowflakes to melt into a wisp of steam and drift away.

The howls of wild beasts could be heard all around, and they sounded like there were probably quite a few of them.

Most of them were attracted by the smell of blood.

The battle during the day resulted in the deaths of over two hundred people. The pungent stench of blood was nothing short of an invitation to feast for these wild beasts with their keen sense of smell.

However, when they actually got close, they were afraid of the invisible killing intent emanating from there.

Although they are wild animals, their sense of danger is far superior to that of humans.

They just wanted to eat; they never imagined risking their lives.

However, in this season, it is not easy to have a hearty meal. Despite the fear, one keeps going back and forth, unwilling to give up.

The warriors around the campfire paid no heed to the growing number of beasts lurking in the darkness.

At this moment, they are drinking heavily, eating heartily, and laughing loudly.

Those wild beasts were like insignificant insects to them.

Zhang Ru sat cross-legged in front of the fire, watching everything unfold.

Thirty-one died on the spot during the day, and later four more were too badly wounded to hold on and were killed quickly by their comrades.

The scene at that time caused Zhang Ruo and his group of people from Chang'an to lose all color in their faces.

Even the two skilled martial artists, Yuan Rong and Yuan Tong, were no exception.

They were fearless, wielding their swords and fighting the enemy.

But turning a knife on a seriously wounded comrade was something they could never have imagined before.

But here, it seems quite ordinary.

Both the one who did the attack and the one who was attacked remained calm.

The one who got chopped up seems quite grateful.

The thirty-five corpses were now tightly wrapped in the cloaks behind them, and with a strap tied, they formed a cylindrical object, which was stacked in rows to one side.

The living people were drinking, eating, and laughing around them.

Deep down, Zhang Ruo found it hard to accept this behavior that treated human life as worthless.

Among the dead were several faces he recognized.

One of them was very young, loved to laugh, had delicate features, and spoke politely. It was said that he had read a few books, so Linghu Zhishu sent him to his side to talk to him.

He died in battle today as well.

Zhang Ruo went to see his body. His head was flattened. His companions said that the barbarians had hit him on the head directly with a thick wooden stick, knocking half of his head off.

Zhang Ruo tried hard to recall that smiling face in her mind, but every time she was about to form a memory, it was replaced by the last terrifying image on the corpse.

Wu De and the remaining three constables were also greatly shocked and have not yet recovered.

A commotion arose in the distance, followed by Yuan Rong's loud laughter.

During the meal, the Yuan brothers were escorted away by a captain who was missing half an ear. The captain already had a long scar on his face, and now he was missing an ear. The guy, who had been hastily wrapped up, was now only half a face left, but he still dragged the Yuan brothers away carrying a wine jar.

The Yuan brothers were both seventh-rank experts. Among this group, apart from Chang Jian, they were the two with the highest martial arts cultivation. Therefore, in the battle during the day, the two of them joined forces with their twin swords and made great contributions. There were at least twenty barbarians who died at their hands, and they were all the most powerful barbarians.

Many of these soldiers survived because of the two of them.

No matter what the intricacies of the situation, as long as they have fought together and shed blood together, they are good brothers and good friends.

As for what happens in the future when our positions differ and we end up fighting each other face to face, that's a matter for the future.

Drink today's wine today.

We'll deal with the troubles later.

Wu De looked enviously at the Yuan Rong brothers, who were surrounded by a crowd of admirers in the distance. Both of them stammered as they spoke.

He could have gone during the day, but Linghu Zhishu told them to protect Zhang Ruo, so he went along with it and didn't go.

So now, they have no part in the drinking, cheering, and being the center of attention; they can only sit here with Zhang Ruo.

Although there was no shortage of food and drink, it always felt like something was missing.

Zhang Ruo naturally wouldn't have thought of these things.

He was thinking about other things.

The memorial I read described a place beyond the Great Wall, but now I am seeing another place with my own eyes.

The Linghu Ye mentioned by the common people, the imperial court, and officials is the same person.

But today, Linghu Zhishu seems to be talking about someone else.

One is a treacherous and wicked minister.
One was a pillar of strength who was loyal to the emperor, loved his country, and endured humiliation.

And what about Li Dachui, the one who saved his life and took away his daughter Qingyun? In Zhang Ruo's own memory, although this person had turned his brilliance into darkness and gone down the wrong path, he still possessed a sense of righteousness and dared to help the weak and punish the strong. He could be considered a chivalrous thief.

But today I heard another version: that this guy is treacherous and colludes with Li Dachui in Tai'an City. His strength is actually comparable to Linghu Ye's army of 100,000, or at least able to restrain the government troops and prevent them from making any rash moves.

It was precisely because of the constraints imposed by Tai'an City that Linghu Ye was unable to do some things and could only lament his helplessness.

Which is true and which is false?

Zhang Ruo is currently unable to make a judgment.

He naturally wouldn't believe Linghu Zhishu's one-sided account.
If what such a person says is the whole truth, then something truly sinister is going on.

How much is true and how much is false is for you to judge.

What puzzled Zhang Ruo was why Linghu Zhishu was telling him all this.

Not long ago, they were still trying to save their own lives.

Was it only because of Li Dachui's forceful intervention that they changed their attitude?
The night is deep.

The noisy campsite finally quieted down.

Apart from the soldiers patrolling the camp, the rest of the soldiers returned to their tents to rest.

The ashes and horse manure from the freshly burned grass and wood were spread on the floor of the large tent, and then a blanket was laid on top of that, and the soldiers slept soundly, snoring loudly.

The cries of wild beasts in the distance seemed to have become more frequent.

With something on her mind, Zhang Ruo naturally couldn't sleep.

Strange noises kept coming into my ears.

It seems that a wild animal has stalked into the vicinity.

As dawn broke and bugles sounded, the soldiers rose with renewed vigor, packed up their tents, harnessed their horses, and prepared to set off.

The bodies of thirty-five fallen soldiers were piled up like firewood on several horse-drawn carts and secured with ropes by the soldiers.

Seeing that Zhang Ruo's expression was not good, Linghu Zhishu said, "This is considered lucky. Although he died in battle, he can still be transported back for burial intact, and his family has a place to burn incense and paper money. Sometimes, after a defeat, they can't even bring back the body, and the family can only make a cenotaph. That's really tragic."

"Where are those people?" The horses clattered past yesterday's battlefield, where the bodies of the slain barbarians lay scattered on the ground, and the pools of blood on the ground had turned black today.

Zhang Ruo finally realized where the strange noises from yesterday had come from.

Some bold wild animals still managed to sneak in, and some of the corpses were already torn to shreds.

“These people will naturally be taken by God!” Linghu Zhishu said, “We have plenty of wild animals in this area outside the pass. Once we leave, it won’t be long before the animals that run on the ground, fly in the sky, and crawl in the grass come to help us get rid of them. Now that the weather is cool, there won’t be any plagues or anything like that. If the weather were hot, we would at least have to set up a fire and burn them down.”

Zhang Ruo nodded; he didn't pity these barbarians.

After yesterday's battle, the spoils collected from these people enraged Zhang Ruo. It was obvious that they had stolen them, and the fact that they could plunder so much stuff meant that they must have slaughtered countless Qin people on their way here.

A worthy death!

The long, drawn-out sound of a horn rang out as Linghu Zhishu gave the order to depart.

Now the team has only sixty-odd men left, but as before, they still sent out a dozen or so riders as scouts, and another dozen or so riders followed behind.

Only about forty people remained, but there were nearly two hundred horses, a dozen carts of supplies, and carts carrying corpses.

Snowflakes danced down, and before long, they had adorned all the carriages and horses in white.

Looking at these fierce soldiers and officers, Zhang Ruo couldn't help but think of the Imperial Guards of Chang'an.

"Wu De, you are more familiar with the situation of the Imperial Guards in Chang'an than I am. What do you think of the Imperial Guards compared to the soldiers outside the pass?"

Lowering her voice, Zhang Ruo asked softly.

Wu De smiled wryly and said, "Scholar, there's no comparison."

"What do you mean there's no comparison?" Zhang Ruo said sternly, "Just tell me how you feel!"

“I dare not speak for those generals who practice martial arts, but for ordinary soldiers, I’m afraid one of these men from outside the pass could take on ten Imperial Guards!” Wu De said in a low voice. “Moreover, Scholar, military combat is different from one-on-one fighting. Courage, fighting spirit, and murderous aura are more important than equipment and martial arts cultivation. Look at yesterday, those wild beasts didn’t even dare to approach our camp, because they were afraid of this ferocious aura!”

"How does Li Dachui's Heavenly Battalion compare to them?"

“I’m afraid they’re slightly stronger!” Wu De said. “After all, the Heavenly Battalion has heavily armored cavalry. And, speaking of which, there’s also the army led by Xiao Changche. Just looking at them sends chills down my spine.”

"Outside the pass are fierce soldiers, but inside the pass, they are still complacent and arrogant, looking down on everyone. What should we do if something really happens in the future?"

“Scholar, aren’t the troops outside the pass also the troops of the Great Qin?” Wu De asked.

Yes, the army outside the pass is also the army of Qin, but the court needs to have the power to suppress them.

If the branches and leaves are stronger than the main trunk, can these arrogant and fierce soldiers really be suppressed by a single righteous cause?
When the world is at peace, all is well; but if the world falls into chaos, I fear that trouble will arise from within.

But how difficult it is to achieve peace and tranquility throughout the land!
Many people create trouble even when there is none, let alone now, when things are already going through a turbulent time!

Countless people are secretly working hard, only thinking about drawing their swords and rising up to contend for the world!
worry!
(End of this chapter)