As Bai Ye Fei Ying landed, he used the strength of his back foot to shatter an enemy soldier's skull with a kick, then charged straight for the brocade-robed young lord in the distance!
The sudden turn of events sent a wave of shock through the ranks, causing thousands of soldiers to retreat!
Gazing at Liang Xiao, who was invincible on horseback, the rebel army, which had been so confident of victory, was struck with an inexplicable terror!
The city's defenders and Jian Qin Wan and his companions breathed a collective sigh of relief.
The brocade-robed young lord was utterly terrified, muttering to himself, "Why isn't he dead yet! Why won't he just die..."
He had offered such a hefty reward, and thousands had been mobilized to surround one man, yet he still managed to break through the encirclement of the Heavenly General!
At this moment, Liang Xiao's eyes blazed with killing intent as he relentlessly closed in on the young lord. He sheathed his Fuyou Sword and held a conveniently seized saber in his hand.
He could tell that the masked man in brocade was the enemy's commander. The strategy was clear: to strike the horse before striking the rider, and capture the king to subdue the troops!
"Quick, quick, stop him!"
Duan Hong was equally terrified, joining the generals in covering the young lord's retreat.
But with the cavalry no longer acting as a barrier and the armored soldiers now surrounding Liang Xiao, the troops protecting the young lord were reduced to just over a hundred men. How could they possibly withstand the enraged Bai Ye Fei Ying and Liang Xiao!
In a flash, Liang Xiao had broken through heavy blockades and was pursuing the young lord.
The defenders within the city, witnessing Liang Xiao cutting a swathe through the enemy ranks to hunt down their general, were further emboldened. Their morale surged to unprecedented heights, and they fought with the ferocity of a hundred men against one, vowing not to stop until death!
As the enemy's offensive faltered, the cavalry led by Commander Gongsun Dingjun managed to break through the encirclement, their sole objective being to support the Heavenly General's perilous escape!
Liang Xiao was drawing ever closer. Seeing enemy soldiers flanking the young lord, he made a decisive move, hefting the saber and throwing it with all his might—
"Whoosh!"
The saber, propelled by astonishing force and the initial velocity of Bai Ye Fei Ying, cut through the air with a piercing sound, unexpectedly hurtling towards the brocade-robed young lord.
A dull thud was followed by a scream! The young lord's left arm was cleanly severed by the saber!
Liang Xiao, having observed the enemy's armor, knew that a saber throw alone wouldn't pierce his heart. He decided to first disable him by severing an arm!
"Young lord!!" The generals and soldiers cried out in alarm, rushing forward to protect him.
The brocade-robed young lord shrieked in agony, wailing uncontrollably, "Kill him! Kill him!!"
With their young lord injured, the generals and soldiers, fearing reprisal, let out furious roars and led their troops in a charge against Liang Xiao.
Liang Xiao paid them no mind, instead circling the battlefield with Bai Ye Fei Ying, avoiding the enemy's strongest points and focusing on harassing their weaker flanks. He fought with remarkable ease.
Under Liang Xiao's fierce wielding, the Tianlong Pocheng Halberd became a veritable mobile vortex, continuously reaping enemy lives!
Wielding the Raging Dragon Halberd, who in history could stand against him!!
After his personal guards applied an emergency tourniquet to his severed arm, the brocade-robed young lord gritted his teeth and commanded, "Surround him, kill him! I refuse to believe he has endless stamina!!"
The enmity of a severed limb was irreconcilable!
While it was difficult for a single individual to alter the tactics of tens of thousands of enemy soldiers on the battlefield, the Heavenly General's reputation was so formidable that the rebel army was utterly shaken. All their attention was riveted on the Heavenly General.
With Liang Xiao's disruption, the rebel army was unable to mount an effective siege, and the defenders within the city pushed them back step by step.
"Heavenly General!" Gongsun Dingjun, unable to break through the enemy's blockade, grew anxious and wanted to call out to the Heavenly General in the distance to return.
The Heavenly General was unmatched, and his prized steed complemented him perfectly. Naturally, no one could stop him. The situation of him and his soldiers was the normal state of the battlefield.
It was an astonishing feat that five hundred cavalry, fueled by sheer determination and encased in armor, could break through the encirclement with no casualties yet sustained!
Yet, they still felt guilt for being unable to rescue the Heavenly General!
Hearing the call, Liang Xiao ceased his aggressive charge and instead turned his path towards Gongsun Dingjun's location, driving back the rebels along the way, and finally meeting up with him.
"Be careful and prepare to return to the city!" Liang Xiao commanded with authority.
Tears welled up in everyone's eyes, and they responded in unison, "We will obey your command!"
"They are exhausted, both man and horse! We absolutely cannot let them return to the city!!" Duan Hong nearly spat blood, roaring his order.
Now, he could only use the Heavenly General's exhaustion as a rallying cry for his troops, lest their efforts be in vain.
The rebel army was jolted back to attention and reorganized their encirclement, fearing that the Heavenly General would return to the city to rest and then resume his reaping of lives.
Just then, the thunderous sound of hooves echoed from afar, and everyone turned their eyes in that direction, their pupils contracting!
It was a fully armored black cavalry unit charging towards the battlefield!
Every soldier and horse was clad in armor, brandishing sabers that gleamed menacingly. The warhorses were valuable heavy cavalry mounts, and those of captain rank or above rode renowned, thousand-jin steeds!
The man at the forefront had a grim visage and sharp, cold eyes.
It was Ding Wu Yi, the commander of the Shadow Guards!
Upon receiving Liang Xiao's letter from Chen Shao Ling, Ding Wu Yi immediately led three thousand Shadow Guards across the river, traveling day and night to reinforce Luzhou!
Seeing the reinforcements, the defenders within the city erupted in joyous cries, "It's our Da Gan Shadow Guards!!"
The pillars of the Da Gan Dynasty, the elite force directly loyal to the Emperor, had finally appeared on the battlefield!
Upon spotting the arrival of the Shadow Guards, Liang Xiao finally breathed a sigh of relief and said gravely, "Combine our forces, now is the time to achieve glory!"
Gongsun Dingjun and the others nodded with immense joy. Under Liang Xiao's leadership, they charged through the ranks, preparing to rendezvous with the distant Shadow Guards.
Ding Wu Yi, spotting Liang Xiao and his men being pursued and harassed in the distance, his eyes flashed with shock, "Heavenly General?!"
He had no choice but to believe; who else could possess such imposing presence and casually slaughter enemy soldiers but the Heavenly General?
"Crush the enemy army! Rescue the Heavenly General!"
Ding Wu Yi's command was followed by the thunderous charge of three thousand Shadow Guards, their momentum so fierce that it sounded like thirty thousand men!
"How can the Da Gan Shadow Guards be here?!"
The rebel army, recognizing the Shadow Guards' distinctive attire, was thrown into utter disarray!
Upon contact, the Shadow Guard force broke through the enemy lines with overwhelming power, slaughtering them in all directions!
Each Shadow Guard was clad in exquisite armor, rendering ordinary swords and arrows ineffective against them.
In just a single clash, the rebel army, whose formations had been disrupted and whose strength had been severely depleted in their attempts to intercept Liang Xiao, collapsed instantly and was routed!
"It's completely over..."
Yan Jun, watching from the hillside, despaired as he witnessed the unstoppable advance of the Shadow Guards, sighing, "The tide has turned. Order Duan Hong to evacuate this place and preserve our strength!"
With that, Yan Jun, along with a few core disciples, mounted their steeds and galloped southwest, not even looking back at the battlefield.
On the city walls, Jian Qin Wan and his companions embraced, weeping, "We're going to win..."
"Weren't the Shadow Guards in the capital?"
The brocade-robed young lord, who had been on the verge of losing consciousness from his severed arm, was startled by the news of the Shadow Guards' arrival.
Duan Hong sighed, "The eastern reinforcements are still intercepting enemy reinforcements, and I fear they won't arrive in time to support us. Young lord, we should retreat..."
A spark of madness flashed in the young lord's eyes, "Of course, we must retreat! But we will also order the rear-guard soldiers to attack the Shadow Guards! No matter what, if we can take one down with us, so be it!!"
Duan Hong was startled and was about to issue the order when shouts of battle erupted from the east.
Everyone turned their gaze in that direction, only to see a troop of elite cavalry charging towards the battlefield, shaking the very ground!
While Jian Qin Wan and his companions watched with concern, the defenders on the surrounding southeastern city walls cried out in joy, "It's our Ding Guo Hou's Jiangnan Iron Cavalry!!"
General Shi Liuyun, the Rebel Suppressor, also led the Jiangnan Iron Cavalry, having traveled with only two days' worth of rations to reinforce Luzhou!
Seeing the Shadow Guard unit slaughtering the rebels, Shi Liuyun's expression changed, and he sighed, "It seems we've arrived a step too late. Brothers, let's crush the enemy and redeem ourselves!"