The Flying Tiger Division had arrived.
Out of the dark woods came another swarm of bandits—shadows within shadows, a sea of black figures surging forward. You couldn't tell how many there were, only that the ground itself seemed to tremble beneath their charge.
But Cheng Xu didn't flinch.
Instead, he threw his head back and laughed.
"Keep tossing the bombs! Musketeers—second volley ready? Fire! Fire! Fire!"
Gao Chuwu and Zheng Daniu, those two big-hearted idiots, swung their arms in unison. Two grenades arced through the night sky. At the same time, flintlocks, matchlocks, and triple-barreled "Divine Guns" all erupted at once.
Boom! Boom! Bang-bang-bang!
The thunder of firearms rolled through the mountains like an angry god awakening.
The Flying Tiger troops, who had just arrived in formation, were instantly thrown into chaos. Explosions tore their lines apart before they even knew what hit them. Like the Red Wolf Division before them, their morale crumbled in an instant.
Two gangs of bandits joining forces didn't make them twice as strong—it only made them twice as panicked. When one mob breaks, the other usually follows.
Cries of terror spread.
"Run! Run, they've got demon weapons!"
Within moments, the Flying Tiger Division was scattering in every direction.
Even their leader, Feishan Hu, looked like he'd swallowed poison. "What is this madness?!"
Da Honglang, still covered in dirt, yelled back, "Hell if I know! Their guns are monsters—things I've never seen before!"
"Damn it all, we can't hold this! Fall back!"
And fall back they did—straight into Wang Zuogua's main army and Miao Mei's second division, both still struggling against Wu Zimian's remnants.
Wu Zimian himself was long gone, slipping away under the protection of his personal guards. But the regular Yan Sui Garrison troops he'd left behind were still fighting.
At first, they had been losing badly—morale low, formation breaking—but now, something strange reached their ears: the sound of continuous explosions and gunfire echoing across the fields.
To the bandits, it was terrifying.
To the soldiers, it was… familiar.
A thousand-man commander raised his spear and shouted,
"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements have arrived! And they've brought firearms—real ones! It must be Governor Liu Guangsheng's elite troops!"
The cry spread like wildfire.
"The reinforcements are here! We can win!"
With that, the soldiers' morale surged sky-high.
In open battle, government troops were stronger than bandits. Wang Zuogua's army contained deserters and ex-soldiers, but discipline and heart weren't their strengths. They'd only been winning earlier because they ambushed and outnumbered the Yan Sui troops.
Now that morale had flipped, the difference was clear.
The government phalanx locked shields, raised spears, and advanced like a steel tide. Bandit lines folded and fell back, step by step.
Wang Zuogua turned and saw both the Flying Tiger and Red Wolf divisions retreating toward him, panic written all over their faces. His gut clenched.
"Damn it all! Grab the warhorses we seized and fall back! NOW!"
Da Honglang, always quick to act, vaulted onto a fine horse. His toughest lieutenants followed suit.
When a few horses ran, the rest of the herd—five hundred warhorses strong—instinctively followed.
That was all it took.
"Hyah! Move!" Da Honglang kicked his mount, galloping northeast, dragging the herd behind him like a living tide.
From afar, Cheng Xu and Xing Honglang gaped.
"Oh, hell no!"
If those horses escaped, they'd fail their lord's command—unthinkable. The militia's pride, and maybe their lives, hung in the balance.
Up in the sky, Li Daoxuan flexed his fingers, the golden glow of the Infinity Gauntlet pulsing on his hand. He cracked a smile.
"Well… maybe it's time for a little showmanship."
But before he could act, something unexpected happened.
On a nearby hilltop, Zao Ying—who had been watching the fight unfold—suddenly stood in her stirrups, lifted her saber, and shouted:
"Brothers! Block that herd! Don't let them get away!"
One of her men blinked. "Uh… why?"
Zao Ying grinned.
"Because those Guyuan troops saved our hides. It's only right we return the favor."
"Understood!"
She spurred her horse forward, leading the charge.
A hundred and twenty riders thundered after her, shouting as they rode, sabers flashing under the faint moonlight.
Now it was a contest of pure horsemanship.
Da Honglang could ride, sure—but he wasn't born in the saddle.
Zao Ying's men, though, were.
Each one was a master rider, every muscle attuned to the rhythm of galloping hooves. Among the Chinese plainsfolk, they were unmatched.
The difference showed immediately.
Da Honglang heard the pounding of hooves closing in fast. He turned his head—and there she was, Zao Ying, charging at him like a vengeful spirit, saber gleaming white.
"Oh, crap!"
He barely had time to lift his spear before she swung.
Her horse sidestepped smoothly, his thrust slicing empty air.
Her blade flashed silver across the dark.
Da Honglang's heart stopped. He couldn't dodge on horseback.
With a strangled yell, he dove off the saddle, crashing hard into the dirt and rolling several times before coming to a stop.
Zao Ying didn't even glance at him.
She snatched his horse's reins mid-gallop and wheeled around, leading the front of the herd.
Her riders followed, cutting down Da Honglang's remaining men and seizing their mounts.
The herd shifted instantly, instinct taking over—four hundred more warhorses thundering after her.
Watching from above, Li Daoxuan's eyes glimmered with amusement.
If you try to keep those horses for yourself and flee… I'll have to stop you.
But to his quiet satisfaction, Zao Ying didn't run.
Instead, she guided the herd in a wide arc, circling back toward Cheng Xu and Xing Honglang's position.
The militia grew tense, unsure whether to shoot or hold fire.
"Don't fire!" both Cheng Xu and Xing Honglang shouted.
"She's not attacking!"
The horses slowed. Dust settled.
Zao Ying dismounted, tossed the reins of the lead stallion toward Cheng Xu, and said:
"Thanks for saving my life. Five hundred horses—yours. We're even."
Xing Honglang threw back her head and laughed.
"Zao Ying of Yichuan—your reputation is well earned!"
Zao Ying studied her a long moment, then suddenly grinned.
"And you must be Xing Honglang of Yongji?"
Xing Honglang nodded proudly. "The one and only."
"Hah! No wonder." Zao Ying laughed heartily.
Then she pointed to the battlefield still raging in the distance.
"What about that mess over there?"
Xing Honglang shrugged. "We've got the horses. That's all that matters. Let's walk away while we can."
Cheng Xu agreed at once. "Smart plan. Let's withdraw."
Zao Ying nodded.
"Fine by me. No point in fighting any longer."
She clasped her fists and saluted them both.
"Green hills remain, flowing waters endure—until we meet again."
But the words had barely left her lips when—
Whsshhh!
A sharp whistle cut through the air.
An arrow, fierce and fast, came screaming from behind—
To be continued...