Chapter Eleven: The Red Matchmaker Takes the Field

Across the field, within the ranks of the rebel army, Li Yan gazed into the distance, his eyes fixed on the unfolding scene. He chuckled softly and remarked, "Is this truly the state of the Shandong Garrison troops?"

Hong Niangzi arched a delicate eyebrow. "Whatever their state, I shall lead the vanguard for this opening assault!"

Without waiting for Li Yan's response, she raised her voice, commanding her subordinates, "Where is Pan Yong of the vanguard?"

A burly, thickset man responded in a muffled voice, "I am here, General!"

"Vanguard, take heed!" Hong Niangzi shouted again.

Behind Pan Yong, two hundred men clad in heavy armor, wielding long sabers and great shields, roared in unison, "We await your command!"

"Pan Yong, lead the charge and strike them! I shall follow with the Phoenix Army to assault the enemy together!" Hong Niangzi fixed her burning gaze upon Pan Yong, her entire being radiating a brilliance like the midday sun.

Pan Yong acknowledged with a grim, "At your command!"

With that, the two hundred heavy infantry stepped forward in unison, advancing slowly toward the unit led by Liu Kecheng of the Shandong Garrison. Behind them followed over two thousand foot soldiers, some wearing only leather armor, others wearing none at all, armed merely with red-tasseled spears.

Behind the lines of the Shandong Garrison, Zhu Cilang had found a small hillock. Mounted on his horse, he watched the scene in silence.

Beside Zhu Cilang, Old Seventeen stared at Pan Yong, his eyes intense. "My Lord, the rebel army possesses formidable troops. That Liu Kecheng is but a mediocre officer; with only a hundred or so men capable of putting up a fight, I fear this will not end well."

Zhu Cilang gazed ahead, saying nothing.

Soon, the distance between the two armies narrowed to less than fifty paces.

In the center of the formation, Liu Zeqing turned to Ruan Yingzhao at his side. "Ruan Yingzhao, prepare your men to move up! Do not retreat without my orders! As long as you hold your ground, fear nothing!"

"Liu Kui, deploy the military police! Anyone who retreats shall be executed without mercy!"

Ruan Yingzhao swallowed hard. "Yes..."

Liu Zeqing watched as Ruan Yingzhao began to organize his ranks, leading his chaotic mass of men forward. His heart hammered against his ribs. How long had it been since he had risked so much? How long had it been since he had fought with his full strength on the battlefield?

This feeling... it was truly exhilarating! It felt as though the honor of a warrior was being fully unveiled in this moment. But, alas...

Liu Zeqing sighed inwardly.

"Charge! Kill them all!" Liu Kecheng’s sudden roar shattered everyone’s wandering thoughts. On the battlefield, all eyes converged upon him.

As the distance closed to a mere thirty paces, Liu Kecheng bellowed, and his thirty personal guards drove his thousand-plus soldiers forward.

"Archers, form up! Nock your arrows! Never mind the orders, just fire, fire away!" Liu Kecheng suddenly shouted, as if struck by a sudden realization.

But soon, he saw the ranks of the thousand soldiers being driven by his guards descend into chaos.

"The rest of you, don't listen to those without bows! Charge! Kill them! Charge, for heaven's sake!"

"Keep fighting! Where are the personal guards? Enforce the military law!"

Under the pressure of Liu Kecheng’s orders and the blades of the personal guards, the thousand soldiers began to surge forward.

Meanwhile, the officer named Pan Yong, wearing a somewhat battered and stained mountain-pattern armor, rushed forward in silence.

Zhu Cilang closed his eyes slightly at this sight.

As expected, Pan Yong’s charge was exceptionally sharp. The soldiers under Liu Kecheng managed to stall them for only a brief moment before being routed by the cutting blades of Pan Yong’s men.

Once a point broke, the entire army collapsed.

Liu Kecheng’s thirty personal guards watched Pan Yong carve through the ranks of soldiers while keeping a close eye on Liu Kecheng himself.

Liu Kecheng glanced back, saw Liu Kui and the military police standing silently, and abandoned the thought of flight. Gritting his teeth, he shouted, "I’ll stake it all! Brothers, charge with me!"

At that moment, Ruan Yingzhao’s voice rang out: "Do not fear, brother! I, Ruan Yingzhao, have arrived with reinforcements!"

Liu Kecheng felt a surge of warmth at these words and roared, "Reinforcements have arrived! Brothers, kill them!"

Ruan Yingzhao drove his own soldiers into the fray. Having entered the battle later than Liu Kecheng, he was clearly more composed. Three hundred archers halted at a distance of a hundred paces, nocked their arrows, and began to fire in unison.

Ruan Yingzhao personally led forty of his personal guards into the fray. The two armies merged into a single mass, with the total force now exceeding three thousand.

With their morale bolstered, the government troops finally possessed the stamina to endure. No matter how valiant Pan Yong was, he could no longer push forward.

Hong Niangzi swept her gaze across the stern-faced officers waiting behind her. "Hong Lei, Zhao Magan, Li Guogui! Take your men and join the fray!"

The three officers addressed shouted in unison, "At your command!"

In the distance, Hong Niangzi smiled. "Where is the Phoenix Army?"

A chorus of crisp, feminine voices replied, "We are here!"

Hong Niangzi looked at the three hundred female warriors, clad in armor and clutching horn bows, and declared, "Follow me! First, harass them with archery, then wait for the opportunity to charge into their formation!"

"Yes!" the three hundred women replied in unison.

On the hill, from Zhu Cilang’s vantage point, another torrent of men swept out from the rebel ranks in the east. This wave was not orderly, and few were armored. Most carried only red-tasseled spears, lacking the heavy sabers, shields, or muskets of their counterparts. Yet, seeing this force, Zhu Cilang felt a distinct sense of danger.

It was a premonition that struck at his very brow, a sense that he might be annihilated at any moment.

The three hundred female warriors, in particular, possessed a morale that fell only slightly short of his own personal guards.

Soon, the rebel torrent collided with the Shandong Garrison troops, and the battle began to devolve into a chaotic melee. Without a doubt, a great and bloody struggle had fully begun.

The sounds of shouting and slaughter filled the sky.

Zhu Cilang’s gaze remained fixed, locked onto the female commander in red. She was flanked by her three hundred female guards, who were skilled in archery and horsemanship. With a barrage of arrows, they forced the government troops’ charge to retreat. Pan Yong then surged forward, and the government forces were forced to spend double the manpower and lives to stabilize the line.

What left Zhu Cilang even more astonished was the female commander’s prowess in combat. Wielding a red-tasseled spear, she moved like a dragon, thrusting and parrying within the ranks. None among the government troops could withstand a single blow from her.

Chang Zhilang watched, gasping in surprise, his expression tense. They knew the true strength of the Shandong Garrison better than anyone. Liu Kecheng and Ruan Yingzhao’s forces could hold for a while, but without further reinforcements, these troops had no capacity for a prolonged struggle.

On the battlefield, Liu Kecheng, having just received Ruan Yingzhao’s help, felt no joy; instead, he stared in stunned disbelief at the soldiers Hong Niangzi had brought, crying out in dismay, "Damn it, why are these women so ferocious when they kill?"