Chapter 121: A Thrilling Slaughter

The Daxia Kingdom generals, Chibugou and Wonafei, had just arrived at the gates of Xinquan City with twenty thousand troops and set up camp. They were just beginning to plan their siege when, suddenly, a chorus of battle cries erupted from the northeast.

The two were shocked. Who could be leading a force daring enough to raid their camp before they had even established their footing? The audacity was staggering.

Before they could react, a cavalry unit came charging in. They hurriedly ordered their soldiers to resist, but as the troops had been busy setting up camp, most—though predominantly cavalry—had dismounted. With no time to reclaim their horses or weapons, the camp was thrown into chaos by the enemy’s charge.

Xiao Ding, leading the vanguard with a long spear, struck down everyone in his path and ordered his men to set fire to the enemy’s camp.

Chibugou and Wonafei, now mounted and armed, spotted the enemy commander—a tall man lacking even a suit of armor—and charged toward him. Chibugou wielded a pair of iron whips, while Wonafei brandished a halberd. Both were physically imposing and unleashed a coordinated attack on Xiao Ding.

Parrying their weapons with his spear, Xiao Ding realized that taking on both at once was a losing battle. Yet, with only ordinary soldiers under his command, he had no skilled officers to assist him and was forced to hold his ground.

Just then, his roommates noticed his predicament. They rode up, shouting, "Boss, we're here to help!"

Relieved, Xiao Ding shouted, "The five of you, keep the one with the iron whips occupied! I’ll handle the one with the halberd."

Yu Feng and the other four immediately surrounded Chibugou. Though their martial arts were mediocre, their numbers kept Chibugou on the defensive. He was forced to dodge five attacks at once, unable to gain the upper hand.

With one opponent gone, Xiao Ding felt the pressure lift. His spear moved like a dragon, each strike aimed at Wonafei’s vitals. Despite his strength, Wonafei lacked Xiao Ding’s agility and was forced into a desperate scramble within twenty bouts.

Thinking to himself that such a man was a "famous general" of Daxia was laughable. Curious, Xiao Ding asked, "Hey, what’s your name?"

"I am the great Daxia general Wonafei! And you?"

"Wonafei? 'Good-for-nothing'? No wonder you're so useless! Is every general in Daxia a namesake?" Xiao Ding roared with laughter.

"How dare you mock me! Die!" Wonafei swung his halberd down at Xiao Ding’s head.

"I am Tian Xiaoding, the one who killed your 'General Mud-Player' and 'General Stinky-Fart' two nights ago," Xiao Ding said, parrying the blow.

"So you are the one who killed Wanniba and Fang Choupi! Die, you brat!" Hearing this, Wonafei went into a frenzy, attacking with reckless abandon.

Xiao Ding found the man's suicidal style absurd. Not wishing to trade lives, he focused on evasion. After seven or eight more bouts, Xiao Ding seized an opening, pulled out his repeating crossbow, and fired at Wonafei’s face.

At such close range, the bolts were unavoidable. One struck Wonafei in the right eye, another in his front teeth. Writhing in agony, Wonafei reached up to pull out the bolt, but in his pain-addled state, he panicked and slapped his own face, driving the half-foot-long shaft deep into his skull. With a shrill cry, he tumbled from his horse.

Xiao Ding turned his attention toward Chibugou. At that moment, Chibugou’s iron whip struck Yu Feng in the back. Yu Feng vomited blood and collapsed. As Chibugou moved in for the killing blow, Xiao Ding lunged with his spear, forcing Chibugou to retreat as Yu Feng’s horse carried him to safety.

"Check on Yu Feng!" Xiao Ding shouted to the others. He took over the fight against Chibugou.

Seeing Wonafei dead and his own troops fleeing in terror, Chibugou’s courage vanished. He feigned calm and asked, "Who are you? State your name!"

"I am Tian Xiaoding. And you?"

"I am the Daxia general Chibugou! You have some skill to have killed Wonafei."

"Chibugou? 'Never-Enough'? That’s hilarious!" Xiao Ding chuckled.

Infuriated but cautious, Chibugou snapped, "I shall not bother with you today. We shall fight again!" He turned his horse and fled.

Seeing one enemy commander dead and the other in retreat, Xiao Ding shouted, "The barbarian commanders are fleeing! Charge and finish them!"

The rout was complete. Xiao Ding’s five thousand cavalry decimated the twenty thousand Daxia troops.

Triumphant, the soldiers cheered, "That was exhilarating!" and "We’ve finally vented our anger for the people of Yongzhou!"

Xiao Ding organized the cleanup and looting of the battlefield. He approached Yu Feng, who lay pale and gasping on his horse. Though their relationship had been fraught with tension, Yu Feng had risked his life for him. Feeling a pang of guilt, Xiao Ding channeled his inner energy into Yu Feng to stabilize his heart.

"Did you give him medicine?" Xiao Ding asked.

"No, we have no army doctor, and no medicine," Wang Dong replied helplessly.

"Prepare to enter the city!"

Xiao Ding had the gates of Xinquan opened. The County Magistrate, Kou, and the recently stationed Commander Cao greeted them personally. They had watched the slaughter from the battlements in awe, unable to believe that a small unit under the "Xiang" banner had utterly routed the barbarians. They were shocked to find that the leader was a low-ranking soldier. Had it not been for the token provided by Jin Xi, they would never have believed it.