Soul of the Revered Banner
Chapter 86: Breaking Army

Though the baleful aura was indeed unusual, Tu Shanjun did not take it to heart.

A meager amount of killing intent, hardly enough to get stuck between his teeth.

Wen Yue took a deep breath and gripped the golden crescent-blade tightly.

Sanhu stood beside him like an iron tower, an immovable guardian.

Silent Tietou was also among the ranks. He had been granted the title of captain and now commanded five hundred soldiers.

The original brothers had not been split up, they remained as one unit, still operating in their former battle formation.

They were all veterans forged through a hundred battles.

Once a hundred strong, only fifteen now remained. Each of them, naturally, could stand against ten foes alone.

Wen Yue shouted, “Charge!”

He led the charge, three thousand cavalry following close behind.

Tuoba Bao curled his lips into a smirk. Young men truly lacked patience. He hadn't even uttered a word before spurring his horse forward.

And to think this greenhorn believed that a ragtag force of three thousand light cavalry could stand against his own three thousand elite riders?

The warhorses of Southern Liang, pieced together through frugal savings, how could they compare to the carefully selected steeds of Northern Wei?

“Let this pretty boy see what true cavalry looks like.”

“Charge!”

Tuoba Bao clamped his legs around his horse’s flanks. The warhorse neighed and surged forward with a deafening gallop.

Three thousand iron cavalry followed in perfect unison, like a tide of steel.

Atop the walls of Tong Pass.

The cold wind brought clarity to Geng Lie’s fevered mind.

Especially now, comparing their own light cavalry with the enemy’s elite troops, it was a comparison between third-rate and first-class forces, and it chilled him to the core.

Regret surged within him.

He had been too reckless.

Back then, Wen Yue had appeared like a straw to a drowning man. Desperate to save face, Geng Lie had clutched at it without thinking.

But Wen Yue was still a young general. This position of vanguard had merely been an honorary title granted by the Emperor.

In open-field battles, a vanguard was essential, often wielding considerable authority.

But for defending a fortress, what use was a vanguard?

Now that he thought about it, had he not just sent three thousand cavalry to their deaths?

And his regret wasn’t for the lives of those young men, it was fear of blame from the court and Emperor Liang.

Seeing Marquis Annan’s grim expression beside him, Geng Lie grew uneasy. He began wondering if he should return to the command tent, at least to save face.

He already had a plan: if they lost, he would shift all responsibility onto Marquis Annan.

As the seasoned deputy commander, why hadn’t he stopped him?

As for Wen Yue and the fate of his three thousand cavalry, Geng Lie couldn’t care less.

In fact, just looking at Wen Yue now stirred a strange loathing in his heart.

If Wen Yue hadn’t volunteered for this mission, they’d still be safe behind the great city walls.

Though Tong Pass was a border fortress, it was a rare bastion, housing over a hundred thousand civilians.

With such a stronghold, who could possibly breach it?

Marquis Annan, though focused on the battlefield, had also been observing Geng Lie’s shifting expression.

Seeing his commander’s face contort with anger and even receive a glare, Marquis Annan was thoroughly perplexed.

Two li.

One li.

The distance between the two forces had closed to mere dozens of meters, close enough for direct combat.

From the tower, the crowd watched the red and black cavalry crash into each other.

Just as expected, the Liang cavalry crumpled like paper at the first impact.

Their formation was completely shattered by the Northern Wei charge.

“This isn’t how you fight a battle. Head-on assaults never end well,” an old general muttered, clicking his tongue.

A nearby colleague quickly tugged at his sleeve.

Seeing the dark expression on Commander Geng Lie’s face, the man immediately realized the situation and fell silent.

The battle burned below, and it was clear that the Liang army was the one being roasted alive.

If Geng Lie returned to Liang City, he might very well earn a reputation as someone ignorant of warfare.

Geng Lie immediately barked, “This defeat, Marquis Annan bears great responsibility!”

“As my deputy, why didn’t you stop me when I was thinking rashly?”

“And you lot, when ordered to fight, you hesitate. Then when someone does step forward, you mock him?”

“Are you mocking me, your commander?!”

Marquis Annan opened his mouth, then merely clasped his hands and said, “Calm yourself, Commander.”

Hearing his deputy yield with respectful composure, Geng Lie’s expression finally softened.

The other generals, though simmering with anger, dared not speak out. They quickly bowed in unison, “Commander, please calm your wrath.”

...

“Kill!”

Wen Yue drew his golden blade and cleaved at a Northern Wei cavalryman in his path.

The blade whistled sharp as lightning.

A vertical slash.

Man and horse were both cleaved in two!

Blood splattered across Wen Yue’s dark crimson armor, staining it vividly.

His face felt warm, the scent of blood, thick and iron-sweet, filling his nostrils. He knew it was his enemy’s, perhaps with bits of flesh mingled in.

But he could not stop.

Apart from Wen Yue and his close guards, the rest of the cavalry were being slaughtered by the enemy charge.

This couldn’t continue.

Once the three thousand riders were wiped out, even revealing his true cultivation wouldn’t be enough to turn the tide.

There was only one move left, capture the enemy general to break their morale.

“Personal guard, follow me!”

“Sanhu, stay at my side!” Wen Yue roared.

Sanhu, wielding a spear thick as a bowl’s mouth, let out a furious roar, smashing aside the cavalry charging at them.

Hearing his brother-in-law’s call, Sanhu immediately urged his mighty steed forward to Wen Yue’s side.

Three hundred elite guards closed in around Wen Yue in a triangular formation, with Wen Yue at the very tip.

With Wen Yue and Sanhu bearing the brunt of the assault, this small force ripped open a hole in the Northern Wei cavalry.

In the blink of an eye, they had broken deep into the enemy ranks.

Northern Wei cavalry were elite, but these three hundred guards were the best of the marquis’ household.

Moreover, Wen Yue was a cultivator. Even though he only revealed the strength of an Innate Grandmaster, it was more than enough.

And beside him was Sanhu born with divine strength.

The Wei soldiers could not withstand even a single blow.

They fell like wheat beneath the scythe.

Tuoba Bao stared in disbelief at the small group breaking through his lines.

They carried an unstoppable momentum, cutting down his riders as if they were nothing.

In mere moments, that force of three hundred had slain at least thirty percent of his cavalry.

Thirty percent, enough to shake even the morale of elite troops.

“Retreat!”

Tuoba Bao knew he couldn’t stay.

He had to sound the gong to pull his men back.

Because that small squad was nearly upon him.

“Tuoba Bao! Your life ends here!”

The crescent-blade scraped along the ground, sparking.

With a sudden swing,

Clang!

Tuoba Bao barely managed to parry, his arms going numb from the impact.

Eyes wide with shock, he bellowed, “You're an Innate Grandmaster?!”

Such power could only come from one.

Had he not been one himself, that single blow would have shattered his body.

Wen Yue said nothing, burying his surprise deep within.

For a first-rate martial artist to step into the ranks of Innate Grandmasters, without prior cultivation, their internal energy would not become true qi, only their dantian would be tougher and their internal force more refined.

Yet Wen Yue sensed no trace of internal energy from this man.

Instead, his body emanated strands of ominous, deathly aura.

Tuoba Bao shot Wen Yue a hateful glare, brandishing his spear. The baleful aura around him burst forth.

Wen Yue immediately pulled back, refraining from using his cultivator strength.

Missing his chance, Tuoba Bao turned his horse and fled.

With the casualty rate skyrocketing, the morale of the Wei cavalry shattered and they scattered in panic.

Wen Yue did not return to Tong Pass.

He had a feeling something was wrong with Tuoba Bao, and thus led his troops in pursuit.

Atop Tong Pass’s walls, Geng Lie’s face alternated between red and pale.

He never imagined Wen Yue to be so fierce, tearing open the enemy formation and even routing the enemy general.

With the enemy's morale broken, it was the "third-rate" Liang army that emerged victorious.

He thought back to how he’d just berated Marquis Annan and silenced the generals, and his heart filled with rage.

“We won!”

“We actually won!”

The generals were visibly awkward. Moments ago, they’d scoffed that the youth knew nothing of warfare, yet now he had won the day.

Marquis Annan remained calm, neither joyful nor sorrowful. He had already estimated their chances.

At least sixty percent.

So the outcome was no surprise. Still, even in victory, they might not gain any favor.

Their commander was not someone easy to please.

“Send the troops.”

Even if they missed the meat, they could still drink the soup.

At the very least, there were prisoners, weapons, equipment, and horses to gather.

(Chapter End)