Surviving the Aftermath

Flames danced and shadows flickered as the real melee battle began.

Despite suffering bombardments of arrows and fire, around twenty to thirty Qiang soldiers still remained, their numbers roughly equal to those of the defending troops.

In the past, the Qiang would have felt confident enough to slaughter all the defenders inside the fort, but now their morale had shattered; they only wanted to escape this hellish place. In contrast, the morale of the defenders was soaring as they charged forward, eager to fight.

Even new recruits like Xiao Wu shouted as they joined the fray, wildly hacking at the Qiang soldiers, while Meng Hu displayed remarkable bravery by grabbing a Qiang soldier's body and throwing it forward, knocking down two nearby enemies.

One by one, the Qiang soldiers fell until only Bashan Walimu, the captain, remained standing, surrounded by the defenders.

The corpses of his comrades scattered across the ground filled Walimu with furious grief as he spat:

"You treacherous bastards, how dare you deceive us into surrendering!"

"Deceive you? Isn't it just that you were too foolish?"

Luo Yu stepped forward from the crowd, taunting, "With over a hundred soldiers, you couldn't handle just thirty of us? Do you still have the gall to lead men?"

"Who the hell are you!"

Walimu furrowed his brow, suddenly recognizing Luo Yu:

"You look familiar… I remember you as the one who fought the cavalry a few days ago!"

During that encounter, Walimu had watched from a distance, and Luo Yu's face had left a strong impression on him.

"Good eye."

Luo Yu smiled, "Indeed, it was me!"

Walimu's sneer deepened:

"Wang Shuang's death must have something to do with you, right?"

"Exactly. I purposely let you into the fort."

Luo Yu chuckled, "I never expected you to fall for it so easily."

It wasn't that the Qiang were incompetent; they had always grossly underestimated the frontier troops of the Qian. Otherwise, Walimu wouldn't have so recklessly charged into the fort.

"Despicable coward! If you have guts, face me in a duel to the death!"

Walimu, knowing he had no hope of survival, aimed to drag Luo Yu down with him!

"Alright!"

Luo Yu brandished his curved blade: "I'll give you a chance for an honorable death!"

The surrounding soldiers felt a tinge of worry; Walimu was no ordinary soldier—a captain at least, and surely much more skilled than the average foot soldier.

"What audacious bravado! You think you can stand against me, you wet-behind-the-ears brat?"

Walimu laughed in rage, leaping forward:

"Take this blade!"

"Ha!"

The heavy blade fell from above, and even after engaging in battle for so long, Walimu, as a Qiang captain, was still capable of delivering a powerful strike.

The watching guards felt anxious—could Luo Yu really win?

As the blade descended, Luo Yu swiftly sidestepped, the edge barely grazing his chest as it struck the ground.

Quickly, he planted his foot on the blade, and while Walimu struggled to pull it free, it wouldn't budge.

At that moment, Luo Yu unexpectedly released his hold, causing Walimu to lose his balance and tumble to the ground in an embarrassing fall.

"Now it's my turn."

Luo Yu shouted, dashing forward, emulating Walimu's earlier actions as he leaped high, his curved blade shining in the firelight.

Walimu's pupils contracted as fear flickered in his eyes. Before he could steady himself, the blade came crashing down.

"Pfft!"

Walimu stared in disbelief at the blade buried in his chest, unable to comprehend how he couldn't even block Luo Yu's attack.

"Ha."

Luo Yu stood, glancing around, his icy gaze devoid of any emotion.

What met him were countless burning eyes and ecstatic cheers:

"We won!"

"We actually won!"

...

At dawn, the biting wind blew sharply.

Jiming Fort lay in ruins, strewn with debris, and the air thick with smoke and the stench of blood.

Exhausted after a night of fierce fighting, the soldiers sat in a line against the wall. Some broke into silly grins, while others collapsed on the ground. Xiao Wu excitedly recounted how he had slain a Qiang soldier to Meng Hu…

Ah, the sweetness of surviving this ordeal.

Luo Yu smiled, relieved. After this battle, the recruits had undergone a transformation; at least they would no longer tremble in fear at the sight of the Qiang.

Dong Chuan sat beside Luo Yu, utterly in awe:

"Brother Luo, your mind is truly sharp. If it were me, I would've simply held our ground and never would have dared to voluntarily let the Qiang in. I couldn't have killed off a hundred enemies in one breath."

Even now, Dong Chuan felt as though he were dreaming. Twenty or so defenders had defeated over a hundred Qiang, losing only two brothers—a feat unimaginable before.

"The supplies in Jiming Fort have run dry, defending to the death would lead us to a dead end."

Luo Yu spoke softly, "Only by fighting with everything we've got could we give our brothers a chance to survive."

"Amazing."

Dong Chuan gave a thumbs-up, "This battle must have utterly frightened the Qiang, outside the fort their remaining warriors didn't dare to aid them and fled instead."

"The Qiang aren't much to fear; they're just two shoulders carrying one head. A few blade thrusts, and they're gone, just like anyone else."

Walimu had led the bulk of the night assault on Jiming Fort, leaving only a handful behind at the camp. When the fire broke out, those left outside were hesitant to enter.

Since they had no clue what was happening, they didn't dare venture inside. But once Walimu's body was hung on the wall, those soldiers fled in panic without looking back.

"But we shouldn't celebrate too early."

Luo Yu forced a smile, surveying their surroundings:

"The fort is now a pile of ruins, and our supplies are gone. If the Qiang have reinforcements show up, we'll truly be unable to hold our ground. We should consider our escape route."

"Look! There are cavalry!"

Just then, Meng Hu's startled voice rang out.

Everyone sprang up, panic etched on their faces as they glanced into the distance. If another contingent of Qiang cavalry arrived now, it would spell doom for them.

Fortunately, the approaching riders were clad in the uniforms of the Qian army.

"Reinforcements! Our reinforcements are here!"

A flurry of over twenty well-bred horses galloped toward them, with the riders wearing pieces of armor. Given that the entire Jiming Fort lacked even a single iron shield, those who wore iron armor on the front lines had to be elite forces.

The cavalry approached with force, and it was only when they drew near that Luo Yu realized several riders had Qiang heads hanging from their saddles.

These were the Qiang soldiers who had escaped from the fort!

This meant that these riders had already confronted the remnants of the Qiang and had taken them down on the way back.

Luo Yu watched the cavalry curiously. He had seen some cavalry at Yunyang Pass, many of whom were just showpieces, lacking vigor, but these riders exuded a chilling, commanding presence.

"Whoa."

The leading young commander reined in his horse, stopping steadily in front of everyone.

He was clad in light armor, a sharp blade at his waist, and although he wore the garb of a warrior, his delicate features and fair skin made him look more like a scholar than a soldier.

He frowned slightly, surveying the ruined fort walls:

"What happened here? Where are Wang Shuang and Zhang Gui? What of the Qiang soldiers we surrounded?"

Luo Yu hurriedly stepped out from the crowd, clasping his hands:

"Both Company Leaders are dead, and the Qiang have been exterminated by us."

Though he didn't know this man's identity, from his tone, it was clear he held a higher rank than Wang Shuang!

"Both are dead? Then who led the troops to defeat the enemy?"

"It was me."

"You?"

The young commander looked thoughtfully at Luo Yu, curious:

"What's your name?"

"Luo Yu."

"Nice name; you're welcome to join us."

He smiled softly:

"By the way, my name is Xiao Shaoyou, a deputy commander. From now on, you all fall under my command!"