Chapter 126: The Battle for the Hillside (Part II)

"Snap. Snap."

Two crisp sounds rang out almost simultaneously. Ding Li and Hei Zi, who had been sniping through the gaps between the carriages, quickly pulled back to take cover behind the carts. They then calmly and skillfully reloaded their crossbows. However, Ding Li’s peripheral vision drifted toward the side.

Although the Zhang family’s guards and the hired escorts were no longer panicked, the joy of seeing hope on their faces made Ding Li frown. While the enemy soldiers outside the carriage wall were being effectively held back, the actual situation was not as easy as everyone imagined. Ding Li had clearly seen that the enemy soldiers at the foot of the hill were already beginning to reinforce their comrades. In particular, this included a small but formidable cavalry unit that exerted an invisible pressure on him.

"Aim! Everyone, aim! Shoot at the gaps where the carriages connect!" Wang Qing brandished a saber he had just picked up from the ground, while his other hand gripped the reins of a warhorse tightly, keeping his body hidden behind the animal. He shouted orders to the group of men brought by Zhang Wu, then turned to scold his own scattered cavalrymen sharply: "Run? Still running? Why don't you just flee? Gather up! Charge at the sides of the caravan!"

The caravan was arranged in a single line, and the sides were indeed the most vulnerable points. Given the limited defensive strength of the merchant group, only a few Zhang family guards armed with long spears were stationed on either side, along with a few archers. The escorts equipped with short crossbows had been concentrated in the middle of the caravan to bolster the primary defense.

At the same time, Ding Li, having fired another bolt, noticed Wang Qing’s men. As he turned back to reload his crossbow, he loudly reminded Li Shan, who was nearby: "Brother Li, I leave the command here to you. You must suppress the enemy's advance!"

Without waiting for Li Shan to respond, he jerked his head toward Hei Zi and leapt out, crouching low as he sprinted toward the other side of the caravan. He shouted an order to Hei Zi: "Hei Zi, take a few men over there. Stop their cavalry!"

"Understood. Be careful, Brother Li." Hei Zi nodded without hesitation. He scanned the area, immediately took off running, and tapped several guards and escorts on the back as he passed, shouting: "Quick, follow me!"

The caravan was positioned on a hillside, and ten meters behind them, the terrain sloped downward. Ding Li dared not imagine what would happen if the enemy broke through the carriage wall. If they were forced to retreat down the slope while being chased by the enemy cavalry, the outcome would be unthinkable.

"Follow my orders, shoot over there!" Hiding behind his men's shields, the now-composed Zhang Wu quickly spotted Li Shan directing the defense at the rear. After hastily gathering his archers and whispering a few instructions, he barked, "Ready. Fire!"

"Escort Chief Li, watch out!" A guard who had just poked his head out to fire his crossbow flashed an expression of shock. Before he could even pull the trigger, he shouted and lunged toward Li Shan, who was also just emerging, knocking him aside.

"Look out!" Realizing the danger, Li Shan instinctively reached out to pull the guard back, but an eagle-feathered arrow struck the guard squarely in the back. The spurting blood stained the white feathers at the end of the shaft red. As the guard collapsed, a few drops of blood from the quivering arrow shaft scattered, instantly merging with the dust on the ground.

"Wang Qi..." Li Shan roared, his eyes bloodshot as he lunged toward the fallen guard. But Wang Qi had been struck in the heart. In response to Li Shan’s cry, he could only move his lips, the words he wanted to say drowned out by the blood surging into his throat and pouring from the corner of his mouth. Beyond the despair and unwillingness in his eyes, there was a faint, fleeting smile.

***

The enemy’s full-scale counterattack had begun. Perhaps it was because Ding Li and Hei Zi had pulled away several men to defend the sides of the caravan, or perhaps the enemy, initially stunned, had finally regained their composure. Especially under the focused counter-fire from the archers led by Zhang Wu—who were shielded by infantry—casualties began to mount one after another at the rear of the caravan. The Zhang family guards, who had originally been holding long spears, were forced to pick up the bows and crossbows dropped by their fallen comrades to fill the gaps and hold back the enemy outside the walls.

On one side of the caravan, the few defenders were already feeling overwhelmed as they watched more than twenty cavalrymen gather and accelerate their horses to climb the slope. The few archers, who had the advantage of range, fired only token shots that caused almost no damage to the enemy.

Seeing this, the men hiding behind the carriages with long spears grew even more timid, some even contemplating retreat, until they saw Ding Li arrive with a few men, including three escorts armed with short crossbows.

"Aim for the horses; they are large targets. Get them off their mounts first. Behind the carriages, they won't find it so easy to break in." On his way over, Ding Li had noticed the climbing cavalry and observed the ineffective counter-fire of the archers. He did not blame them, but explained in a calm tone before turning to bark at his reinforcements: "Fire!"

Before the word had finished echoing, Ding Li spun around, his Qin crossbow leveled and aimed at the lead cavalryman. His eyes narrowed slightly, and he pulled the trigger cleanly. The others, though slightly slower, followed his lead and launched their counter-attack.

At a distance of thirty to forty paces, the massive warhorses were perfect targets. As long as one could steady their nerves like Ding Li, the hit rate was nearly one hundred percent. Perhaps encouraged by Ding Li’s presence, the Zhang family guards with short bows suddenly found their resolve. Although their aim wasn't as precise as that of the crossbowmen, their arrows still struck several horses.

Six of the enemy mounts were injured, one of them by two arrows simultaneously. Four of the horses went wild, throwing their riders. The unfortunate soldiers were then trampled by the iron hooves of the horses behind them. Even if they didn't die on the spot, they were left with broken limbs.

"You idiots, get out of the way!" A rider who had just trampled his own comrade roared. He wasn't insulting his ally out of malice, but was furious at the sight of his own man dying under his horse's hooves. However, when he looked ahead again, he saw more arrows rising from behind the caravan. Though few in number, they posed a threat, especially since one seemed aimed directly at him. He quickly jerked his horse’s head to the side, only to find that his comrade had no intention of dodging. In his panic, he collided head-on with the other man's horse.

"Damn it..." Before the curse could finish, the rider, unable to stop his momentum, was thrown off by the impact. The soldier he hit swayed in his saddle, barely holding onto the reins to stay mounted, while the first soldier crashed onto the slope, his head spinning. All he could hear was the terrifying sound of hooves.

"Bang."

There was no miracle. Another soldier could not control his mount, and the galloping horse slammed into the dazed, fallen man. Amidst the shock and confusion, more crisp sounds erupted from behind the caravan. Several crossbow bolts flew out in succession. One, flashing with a cold light, pierced through a soldier’s chest. Though he wore armor, the craftsmanship was so poor that he could clearly hear the bolt tear through the metal. A chill washed over his chest, his body shuddered, and he was knocked clean off his horse.

"Kill!" At such close range, with more than ten cavalrymen already unhorsed, the survivors, ignoring the casualties of their comrades, roared in fury. With bloodshot eyes, they glared at the crossbowmen behind the caravan, gripping their lances tightly as they tried to ram and overturn the carriages blocking their path.

"Whoosh."

A scene that no one expected followed. A long spear shot out from behind the caravan, piercing through the lead soldier without resistance, leaving his riderless horse to slam into the carriage in front.

"Hold the line!" Ding Li, having thrown the spear, barked at the others. He grabbed a Tang saber, leapt up, and pushed off with his legs, vaulting onto the carriage. Without a second’s hesitation, he sprang forward, lunging at a cavalryman who was preparing to ram the carriage with his lance. His Tang saber flashed, and in the blink of an eye, a spray of blood erupted as a head—eyes still wide with shock—flew into the air.

By the time they reached the carriage wall, the number of enemy soldiers had been cut in half. Because of this, Ding Li didn't have to worry about being caught in a continuous charge of enemy horses. After killing the first man, Ding Li curled his body to shove the headless corpse off the horse. With one hand, he grabbed the reins, pulling the warhorse to a halt to steady himself. Before his feet even touched the ground, he swung his Tang saber back at an impossible angle. The gleaming blade struck at another cavalryman who was charging with his lance.

"Squelch."

The enraged cavalryman had been prepared to ram the carriage wall, only to see a man leap out from behind it. Even more shocking was seeing his comrade’s head suddenly vanish. Then, amidst his confusion, he felt a chill in the arm holding his lance, followed by a sudden sensation of loss. He instinctively looked down, only for a piercing pain to spread through his entire body. When he realized his arm—still clutching the lance—had been severed from his body, he tilted his head back and let out a shrill, agonizing wail.

"Aaaah..."

The scream was like a razor-sharp blade, tearing through everything around it. It pierced the eardrums, the sense of agony instantly infecting everyone present. It made people shiver involuntarily, goosebumps rising on their skin, and their hearts pounding in their chests.