Chapter 242 |
Chapter 242 Burning Beast Blood
"Brother Lin, on the battlefield, your short weapon might be inconvenient. Try this instead," said Gao Qiu, who was close to Lin Wanrong, handing him a gleaming steel blade.
‘Damn, you think I'm really going to charge into the battle, I'm a man with a brain.’ Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Brother Gao, please take your blade back. I can't stand such a lethal weapon."
Seeing Lin's smiling face, seemingly devoid of fear, Gao Qiu couldn't help admiring him. "Facing a formidable enemy, yet Brother Lin can remain so calm and composed. I truly admire you," he said.
As they were conversing, the White Lotus Army's boats were overturned again by Li Sheng's artillery fire. However, they had many boats and people, and dozens of vanguard boats had reached the shore. Hundreds of White Lotus soldiers charged forth.
Having experienced numerous battles, Hu Bugui had already formed a formation with his soldiers. Watching the enemy charge, he shouted, "Release the arrows!"
The arrows from the Divine Machine Unit flew like locusts toward the White Lotus soldiers who had landed first. The rigorous training of the Divine Machine Unit over the past few days had paid off, as White Lotus soldiers fell one after another, their screams of agony echoing around.
After five rounds of arrows, the White Lotus soldiers who had landed first suffered heavy losses. The boats still in the lake kept advancing. This time they were smarter, with the remaining dozens of boats attacking from different directions, clearly attempting to disperse the government troops' firepower. The White Lotus Army had lost nearly thirty percent of its force, but the remaining numbers still outnumbered the government troops, and their attacks had become even fiercer and braver. Their speed had increased, making it difficult for Divine Machine Unit's cannons to hit their mark.
Lin Wanrong, guarded by Gao Qiu, was some distance from the lake. After carefully observing for a while, he located a boat in the middle with only four or five people on it, seemingly commanding the White Lotus Army.
Gao Qiu also noticed this boat. He stared for a while before shaking his head, "There doesn't seem to be a woman, Brother Lin. What do you want with a woman?"
‘Damn, what else would you want with a woman other than to make her your wife?’ Knowing that Xian'er was not on the boat, Lin Wanrong heaved a sigh of relief and shouted to Li Sheng, "Aim for that boat. Fire both cannons simultaneously. You must hit it, sink it!"
"At your command!" Li Sheng roared, quickly turned the cannon, aimed at the boat Lin had pointed out, and fired two shots. Unfortunately, the enemy leader's boat moved swiftly, and both shots missed.
‘Damn, these guys are even craftier than weasels.’ Lin Wanrong drew a musket from his pocket. He aimed at the few people on the boat from a distance. Unfortunately, the distance was too far, and the musket was of no use for now. Gao Qiu, seeing him pull out that mysterious short weapon again, asked curiously, "Brother Lin, what kind of weapon is that?"
"A peerless hidden weapon in the world," Lin Wanrong chuckled. He loaded the gunpowder, carefully checked it, and put it back into his pocket.
Gao Qiu was puzzled and confused, about to speak, when he heard Hu Bugui's loud voice from ahead, "The enemy has landed, brothers, prepare—"
Upon hearing this, Lin Wanrong hurriedly looked in the direction of the sound. After paying a heavy price, the small boats of the White Lotus Army finally reached the shore. Soldiers surged forward like a tide. These soldiers had white turbans wrapped around their heads, their movements were swift, their expressions fierce, and at a glance, one could tell they were no ordinary men.
‘Damn, who designed this hairstyle for the White Lotus Sect, trying to look like Arabs?’ Lin Wanrong quickly walked up to Hu Bugui and asked, "Brother Hu, what's the situation?"
A solemn look crossed Hu Bugui's face as he said, "General Lin, this White Lotus Army is well-trained. Today's battle will be particularly difficult. But our soldiers are not easy to deal with either. Today, we will fight them to the end, without any retreat."
‘No, no, don't fight to the end. If we can't win, we should run. That's the smart thing to do. As for the heavy and ugly cannons, if we lose them, we lose them. At worst, we'll have Old Xu move quickly. What can the White Lotus Army do?’
While he was lost in thought, he heard Du Xiuyuan shout, "Change formation—"
After several rounds of arrow rain, the White Lotus Army had desperately charged to the front of the official army. The arrows of the Divine Machine Unit were no longer effective, and the long spear soldiers of the Infantry Camp were the first line of defense.
Hu Bugui pointed with his sword and shouted, "Boys, charge with me—" He led the charge, casually knocking down two enemy soldiers. His full beard stood on end, making him look like a fierce Zhang Fei with a black face, his aura was intimidating, truly impressive. Following him was the young Xu Zhen. Despite his youth, he was not sloppy, his sword whirling, and in the blink of an eye, he had cut down several White Lotus soldiers. Following them were the elite soldiers trained by Hu Bugui, based on Shandong soldiers and mixed with the best of Zhejiang soldiers. They were paired in twos, cooperating with each other, and were the most powerful force in Lin Wanrong's three camps.
[TL: Zhang Fei, a character from the Three Kingdoms story]
When the two armies clashed, the collision of swords and spears created a huge noise. The shouts of the soldiers from both armies echoed in the ears, interspersed with a few piercing screams. A young Zhejiang soldier and a White Lotus bandit fell at the same time, their blood flowing freely, staining the riverbank red. The fallen soldier's companion, a boy of sixteen or seventeen, saw his brother, who had been laughing and joking with him just the day before, fall under the sword. His face was filled with shock and unwillingness. He seemed to go mad, his eyes bloodshot, and with a loud shout, he threw himself at his opponent with his sword, cutting down the bandit. But in the blink of an eye, he too was cut down by the enemy.
The brutal melee had finally begun. A ragtag government army against the elite of the White Lotus Sect, no one knew what would happen. These young soldiers were about to face a test of life and death. Those who fell would never rise again, and those who survived would become phoenixes reborn from the ashes.
This was Lin Wanrong's first experience in such a true and brutal battle. Although he had fought with Hung Hing before, those were brawls that couldn't compare to the violent spectacle unfolding before his eyes. He had already made up his mind that he would flee if they couldn't hold the enemy back, but he was not one to lack courage. Looking at the heart-wrenching and tragic scenes in front of him, he felt a strange sense of integration, as if it was only at this moment that he truly blended into the army he was leading. If he ran today, he would be utterly unworthy of being a man.
Gazing at the young faces, watching their bodies slowly fall, seeing their blood-soaked bodies, Lin Wanrong felt as if a massive fire was burning within him, his blood boiling. He suddenly had the urge to scream aloud.
Biting his lip, he suddenly asked, "Brother Gao, what do you think of me?"
Gao Qiu was taken aback, not knowing why he asked this out of the blue. Seeing Lin San's eyes blazing red, his body exuding a fierce heat, he couldn't help but give a thumbs-up. "Brother Lin, you're the most extraordinary person I've ever met."
Lin Wanrong laughed heartily. "Well said, Brother Gao. Today, I want to share something about my wives with you. I have a wife in the capital, her name is Xiao Qingxuan. I also have a young wife in Jinling, named Qiaoqiao. And, I have some involvement with the Second Miss of the Xiao family. If I were to fall gloriously today, please tell them to remember me forever."
Gao Qiu exclaimed, "Brother Lin, why are you talking about this out of nowhere? What are you going to do?"
"Do?" Lin Wanrong chuckled, "Haven't you seen an old man kill before?"
He shrugged off his coat, and gripped a sword in his hand, radiating killing intent. He yelled, "Brothers, follow me into battle! Whoever dares to retreat is no son of mine."
While everyone was stunned, General Lin darted forward like the wind, charging straight into the White Lotus sect. Gao Qiu was the first to snap back to reality, shouting "Attack!" and closely followed Lin Wanrong.
Lin Wanrong and Gao Qiu led the charge, meeting two White Lotus soldiers head-on. With a swing of his arm, Lin Wanrong's sword brought a gust of wind that cleanly severed their necks. A gush of blood sprayed into the air, staining his armor.
Seeing this hot, red blood, Lin Wanrong shivered all over. He witnessed a young soldier before him, his spear piercing an enemy's chest, only to have his own abdomen sliced open by an enemy blade, blood and intestines spilling out. "Ah…" Lin Wanrong shouted, swiftly swinging his sword, cleaving the sneaky enemy into two.
Seeing General Lin's bravery, Hu Bugui and his soldiers were greatly inspired, their fighting spirit increased tenfold. Though they were new soldiers who had just stepped onto the battlefield, they were evenly matched with the enemy. Both sides' casualties skyrocketed, and in a short period, the ground was awash with blood, turning Lake Weishan a horrifying shade of red.
Lin Wanrong's troops were all fresh recruits, mere greenhorns. Even though they had gone through training, the harsh realities of their first battlefield had dwindled their ranks by more than half within an hour. As he watched the young bodies falling one after another, their unwilling eyes and pained expressions haunting him, a tremor swept over Lin Wanrong. A surge of hot blood rushed to his head, threatening to explode. The burning primal instinct within him made him forget everything else. Only one thought echoed in his mind – Kill!
"Screw your ancestors…” Lin Wanrong roared in fury, his eyes bloodshot. His sword swished into a wall of blades that chopped down several men in the blink of an eye. His internal strength was monstrous, his sword swing fierce, and he stormed into the enemy ranks, unstoppable. None could stand in his path. Gao Qiu, drenched in the blood of their enemies, loyally guarded his side. Together, they were like gods of death descended from heaven, cutting a swath through the enemy lines. In such a bloody battle, martial arts skills had long since lost their importance, leaving only raw stamina and brutal force.
The attacking elite troops of the White Lotus sect hadn't expected such a fighting force from a ragtag army of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled soldiers. As the two sides were locked in stalemate, a loud shout echoed from the White Lotus ranks. A tall and imposing figure leaped into the air, shouting, "I am Meng Du, the bravest warrior of the White Lotus Sect. Who dares to fight me?"
"Fight your head." Lin Wanrong, already seeing red, shouted back. He pulled out his musket without bothering to aim, relying on instinct alone to fire. With a loud bang, a blossom of blood bloomed on the chest of the brave warrior, who crashed to the ground from mid-air.
The soldiers on both sides could hardly believe their eyes. How could Meng Du, the bravest warrior, be killed before the fight even truly began?
"General Meng is dead." The White Lotus army was suddenly plunged into panic as they lost their leader. Fear was evident on everyone's faces. Lin Wanrong paused, thinking how useless this so-called general was to be taken down so easily.
Hu Bugui, seeing that General Lin had killed the enemy leader, was overjoyed. He shouted, "General Lin's courage is unmatched. He has slain the enemy leader. The enemy will surely be defeated, and we will surely be victorious. Charge!"
The soldiers turned to look at General Lin. With a musket in his right hand and a sword in his left, his uniform stained red with blood, he stood there like an indomitable god of war.
"Burn the beast blood within you. Avenge our fallen brothers," Lin Wanrong rasped, his voice carrying a hint of chilling cruelty that seemed invincible.
"Avenge them!" The soldiers, emboldened by the rallying cry, charged like unleashed tigers at the White Lotus army. With their leader dead and their morale at an all-time low, the White Lotus army crumbled swiftly, becoming spirits beneath the blades of the Three Camps' soldiers.
"General Lin, our reinforcements have arrived." Du Xiuyuan, drenched in blood and grinning widely, came over to report.
"So they've arrived, but what do they expect, a welcoming party from me?" Lin Wanrong threw his long sword on the ground, not a hint of joy in his eyes. After this fierce battle, out of the initial six to seven hundred soldiers of the three camps, less than four hundred survived. Fighting against more than a thousand elite enemy troops with a makeshift army, and in an ambush at that, not only did they annihilate the enemy forces and kill their leader, but they also only suffered slightly over three hundred casualties. It could be seen as a glorious victory.
Yet, Lin Wanrong's face betrayed no signs of exultation. The faces of the three hundred or so fallen brothers were imprinted in his eyes. They were so young, yet they had died before they could even taste the sweetness of life.
A soft sobbing sound echoed ahead, accompanied by angry curses. Lin Wanrong looked to see Xu Zhen, his body drenched in blood, quietly weeping, while Hu Bugui was berating him, "What's there to cry about? People die in wars. If you want to avenge our brothers, kill more enemies next time."
Lin Wanrong approached them, "Xu, what happened?"
Through his tears, Xu Zhen managed, "General Lin, all my flag bearers are gone."
After all, Xu Zhen was just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old kid. The thought of his sixty flag bearers dying so suddenly was devastating.
"You are a soldier fighting for our nation, sobbing like this, what kind of example are you setting?" Hu Bugui scolded.
"Cry, so what? Who said soldiers aren't allowed to cry? I want to cry too, so what?" Lin Wanrong roared back, his eyes reddening.
Seeing General Lin on the brink of tears, the other soldiers could not hold back their own sorrow. The ferocity of the battle had turned them from fresh soldiers into veterans overnight.
Feeling a sting in his nose, Lin Wanrong called out, "Du Xiuyuan, Du Xiuyuan."
"Here, General!" Du Xiuyuan hurriedly replied.
"Gather the bodies of our fallen brothers. Leave nothing behind, not even a single hair, or you will face martial punishment," Lin Wanrong commanded sternly. Du Xiuyuan quickly acknowledged the order and set off to fulfill it.
Hu Bugui approached and reported, "General Lin, the Deputy General of the Cavalry Unit, Zhai Canghai, has brought five thousand reinforcements."
As Hu Bugui finished, the sound of hooves thundered from the distance, and countless cavalry rushed in. The general in front, with his clean, proud face, spurred his horse forward, "Are you the ones who requested reinforcements?"
Annoyed at the man's presumptuous face, Lin Wanrong grunted and remained silent. Hu Bugui responded, "General, we have just had a fierce battle with several thousand elite troops of the White Lotus Sect, and have annihilated all the bandits. We are now tallying the results of the battle."
"Annihilated? You, a bunch of forage transport?" Zhai Canghai and his officers burst into laughter at the report.
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