Top-tier Unruly Master-Chapter 1753 - 1790: Strife Between Officials and Bandits
As Ruo Zhong shouted, the surrounding soldiers stretched their necks and charged up the hill with all their might. Meanwhile, at the very end of the troops, Ding Fan’s lips unconsciously curled into a strange arc.
Quickly, Ruo Zhong led the soldiers to the top of the hill, where Qin Wu was commanding his underlings to clean the battlefield. The previous battle had indeed been brutal; though the bandits were unharmed, the soldiers from Tufan Country suffered heavy casualties.
Standing on the battlefield, Qin Wu was admiring his handiwork when suddenly he heard a chorus of battle cries from behind the hill, the earth-shattering sound seemingly capable of bursting eardrums.
Hearing this, Qin Wu furrowed his brow, a sense of foreboding washed over him. Hadn’t he already defeated a wave of soldiers? How could there be another?
To be honest, Qin Wu was puzzled. He had been on this hill for quite some time and had never seen any army encamped here. How could two waves of soldiers appear in a single day?
Nonetheless, Qin Wu was a man of the world. After considering briefly, he hefted his giant club and shouted:
"Gather everyone! Ready to fight!"
His men, upon hearing the boss’s orders, straightened their backs and their eyes filled with vigilance.
The burly man in black and white gradually approached Qin Wu and paused to speak softly:
"Boss, what happened? Could it be that stragglers from the previous battle returned?"
Qin Wu’s face was somber, truthfully uncertain about the situation, but he quickly remembered Gao Jian in his grip.
Thinking of this, Qin Wu stretched out his hand and grabbed Gao Jian, his eyes narrowing to reveal a cold gleam.
"Captain Gao, explain, what’s going on?"
At this moment, Gao Jian was already terrified by Qin Wu’s brutal methods. Upon hearing Qin Wu’s words, he trembled all over, then after calming himself slightly, spoke quaveringly:
"Boss, it might be our General Ruo leading the troops here."
Listening to Gao Jian’s words, Qin Wu’s brow furrowed instantly—General Ruo? It sounded quite formidable. Considering this, Qin Wu paused briefly then continued asking Gao Jian:
"Tell me everything! How many troops did your General Ruo bring, and what is his cultivation level?"
Gao Jian, upon hearing Qin Wu’s inquiries, instantly sagged; there was no choice as he was in their grip. After hesitating slightly, he spoke under Qin Wu’s murderous gaze:
"Our General Ruo brought five thousand troops for this anti-bandit action, assigning two thousand five hundred to me, which are now wiped out. I estimate General Ruo now has at most less than three thousand troops."
Upon hearing Gao Jian’s words, Qin Wu exhaled in relief. With only three thousand troops, they would be manageable, especially since they just annihilated Captain Gao’s two thousand five hundred.
Thinking about this, Qin Wu’s lips twisted slightly. He couldn’t care less about Ruo Zhong. With such cowardly subordinates, the leader couldn’t be very strong.
At this moment, Qin Wu was filled with confidence for himself and his men. Casually tossing Gao Jian aside, he turned to face the soldiers who had just charged up the hill.
Ruo Zhong, upon reaching the hilltop, was stunned by the sight before him: a scene of utter brutality and misery. Corpses lay in pools of blood, their faces showing defiance and resentment before death.
Even the battle-hardened Ruo Zhong felt a pang of sorrow. The blood from soldiers gradually gathered into a narrow stream, appearing eerily macabre from afar.
"Such beasts!"
Ruo Zhong punched the air fiercely, creating an explosive sound, knocking over several surrounding soldiers.
The crowd looked upon the scene with astonishment, unable to believe the severity of the battle that had just occurred.
At this moment, Ruo Zhong’s eyes burned with fury. His hands were white from exertion, and the terrifying aura emanating from his body made the soldiers shiver uncontrollably.
"General, give the order! Let’s slaughter these beasts!"
A newly-pitched captain shouted seriously at Ruo Zhong, kneeling on one knee.
"Please, General, give the order. We are willing to fight to the death to honor the spirits of our fallen soldiers!"
"General, give the order!"
"We beg the general to give the order!"
The soldiers all knelt on one knee, facing Ruo Zhong, their fists clenched and expressions solemn.
Ruo Zhong felt stirred seeing this. His hands trembled slightly as he pointed at the bandits below the mountain, shouting:
"All soldiers, hear my command!"
"Sire, in place!"
"Follow me into battle!"
As he spoke, Ruo Zhong mounted his tall horse and charged down the mountain towards the bandits, while many soldiers around him raised their weapons and shouted as they rushed at the bandits below.
In an instant, the voices of Ruo Zhong’s three thousand men echoed through the valley, the deafening sound blasting at Qin Wu’s little underlings’ eardrums.
There’s no denying that Ruo Zhong was quite adept at leading troops into battle. Almost instantly, he ignited the entire army’s momentum and hatred to the peak. The soldiers under his command were eager to devour the bandits before them alive.
Seeing this, Qin Wu felt a wave of shock. The General Ruo mentioned by Gao Jian was evidently not as simple as he thought. After getting a taste of him, Qin Wu realized he had met a formidable opponent this time.
With this realization, Qin Wu couldn’t let Ruo Zhong have all the momentum while his side was subdued. Understanding this reasoning, Qin Wu widened his eyes in fury and shouted loudly:
"Brothers! Today, it’s the officers on the opposing side who are bullying us too much. We had no intention to disturb, yet they refuse to relent. Since that’s the case, we brothers must show them what we’re made of!"
At first, Qin Wu’s underlings were intimidated by Ruo Zhong’s side’s momentum. But hearing their boss’s voice, they snapped back to reality, lifted their banners, and began cheering loudly.
"Indeed! These officers are pushing us too far, so don’t blame us for showing no mercy!"
"Hmph! We had no intention of causing trouble, yet your attacks are increasingly severe. Don’t blame us for being ruthless."
At this moment, Qin Wu managed to stir up the spirits of his underlings all by himself. Not to mention, they had just experienced a victory against superior numbers, and were feeling proud, dismissing the soldiers on the opposing side.
Both sides engaged in battle. Given Ruo Zhong’s larger and more spirited force, Qin Wu’s underlings were quickly defeated, thrown into disarray, and knocked off their horses amidst chaos. Ruo Zhong’s side was, after all, a regular army, with the advantage in numbers, making it impossible for the bandits to be a match for them.
Standing at the rear, Qin Wu kept a close eye on the unfolding battle. His brows furrowed deeply, with flames of anger kindling in his eyes.
"This is an outrage! Do these soldiers think there’s no one in my camp?"
Qin Wu roared, grasped his enormous club, and rushed towards the battle. By now, the two forces were locked in fierce combat, scattering Qin Wu’s underlings everywhere.
Unable to concern himself with details, Qin Wu swung his massive club forward. The two tall men, one in black and one in white, standing beside Qin Wu earlier, picked up their weapons and charged into the Tufan Country’s ranks upon seeing their boss rush in.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
After three thunderous crashes, a vacuum formed in front of Qin Wu. The surrounding soldiers retreated under his frenzied barrage.
Qin Wu, like a ferocious tiger descending from the mountain, seemed unstoppable for the moment. Even Tufan soldiers could not help but feel dread at his might, greatly diminishing their initial courage.
"Who is that?!"
Ruo Zhong, standing behind the soldiers, pointed in Qin Wu’s direction and asked sternly.
From afar, Ruo Zhong witnessed Qin Wu’s impressive feat. Observing from a distance, Ruo Zhong realized that Qin Wu’s cultivation was terrifyingly high, seemingly surpassing his own level.
This realization startled Ruo Zhong. With his own skills, he’d already achieved the position of deputy commander in Tufan, yet this bandit possessed such cultivation, a notion Ruo Zhong found inconceivable.
"Reporting, General, this is the leader of the bandits here!"
Upon hearing this, Ruo Zhong nodded in acknowledgment. It was no wonder this man could capture Gao Jian; with such martial prowess, he wouldn’t be easily overpowered in a short match.
With this in mind, Ruo Zhong drew a curved saber from inside his coat. The saber bore deep grooves, with shallow gaps on each groove.
The saber emanated a chilling aura, causing the soldiers around to shiver involuntarily.
"Let me deal with him!"
Ruo Zhong shouted furiously, drawing his saber and advancing swiftly. Within moments, he was in front of Qin Wu, who was wildly swinging his massive club, oblivious to Ruo Zhong’s approach.
At the moment when Qin Wu was carelessly swinging his club, a strong sense of danger surged up within him, causing his hairs to stand on end as he gazed around in horror.
"Who goes there?!"
As he spoke, Qin Wu lifted his massive club to block. Instantly, a tremendous force surged through his arm, leaving it numb with strain.
"Bang!" 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺
Ruo Zhong’s curved saber clashed with Qin Wu’s massive club, forcing Qin Wu to stagger back three steps, leaving deep footprints on the ground with each step.
"I’m the one who’s going to take your life!"
Without responding further, Ruo Zhong let out a furious shout and continued attacking Qin Wu, leaving him with no time to catch his breath.
"Arrogant!"
Qin Wu let out a light snort, then swung his massive club at Ruo Zhong.
