Pei and Wu had joined forces and plotted against him once before!
Wu Shaoyi had raided Xianling Village while Pei Xinyong struck Shaozi Crag, and the casualties had all been Lu Yao's men. Who was to say Pei Xinyong wouldn't pull the same trick again?
If Pei and Wu were cooperating once more, it meant the dense mist wouldn't stop Pei Xinyong. The only one left stranded and thwarted here would be Lu Yao's faction!
Pei Xinyong was out in the open while Wu Shaoyi lurked in the shadows. Between them they had over two thousand men, while he had barely four or five hundred under his command, most of them surrendered troops. How could he possibly withstand attacks from both at once?
Not good! Since when had he fallen into such mortal danger without even realizing it?
The more Lu Yao thought about it, the deeper his heart sank, yet fury flared within him just as swiftly.
Even trapped in a dire predicament, would he sit and wait for death? Those two had played him for a fool more than once. Even if heaven, earth, and men were not on his side, if Pei and Wu wanted to take him down, they would have to pay a grievous price!
His face remained impassive, but Pei Xinyong noticed the tightening muscles of his jaw—he was clearly grinding his teeth viciously.
The purple sable had lingered in the tree in plain sight. Pei Xinyong was certain Lu Yao had seen it clearly, yet Lu Yao had started to ask before holding back. In other words, Lu Yao likely already knew Wu Shaoyi was still alive.
If so, why had he still come seeking Pei Xinyong, acknowledging him as commander-in-chief, and insisting on chasing the government troops ahead? Why?
Because once Pei Xinyong learned Wu Shaoyi was alive, he would very likely pivot back to his old ally to surround and exterminate Lu Yao together. So this Lu bastard had rushed to stick close, intending to strike first?
If Pei Xinyong died, the Pei army would be headless and far less dangerous. At that point, Lu Yao turning around to deal with Wu Shaoyi wouldn't be without a chance of victory. After all, Wu Shaoyi had fought fiercely against the Crocodile God—even if he wasn't dead, he was surely gravely injured.
If Lu Yao sought a way out of certain death, this was probably his only option.
Come to think of it, strictly speaking, Lu Yao wasn't entirely helpless on this mountain path.
Thinking of this, Pei Xinyong sighed. "What do we do now? Your kestrel can't fly anymore, can it?"
"Its wings are ruined. We can only wait here. The enemy set up this formation in haste, so it shouldn't last long. In a little while, the fog ought to disperse." Lu Yao grumbled angrily, "Why did I feel like someone was standing in the mist in front of you earlier?"
"A wooden stake," Pei Xinyong replied impassively. "By the way, what deep grudge do you have against the government troops that makes you pursue them so relentlessly?"
"That dog official He plotted against me!" Venom flashed in Lu Yao's eyes as he recounted how He Chunhua had driven wedges among the three armies and obstructed their rendezvous. "You and Wu Shaoyi both fell for his tricks!"
"So you're saying that sharing wine and fish with him in the village was just a delaying tactic?"
"Exactly! The person who tipped you off must have been sent by him too," Lu Yao sneered. "Our infighting played right into his hands."
"He only had three hundred men, burdened with women and children, and you couldn't handle him?" Pei Xinyong mused. "Back then, didn't you have seven hundred men at Shaozi Crag as well?" That was nearly a thousand men combined.
"I wanted to keep him alive to sacrifice him before our banners!" This was the biggest hole in Lu Yao's story. He knew it himself, but could only dig his heels in. Could he admit he feared taking losses that would leave him unable to contend with these two sons of bitches when they joined forces?
"You don't believe me?" Lu Yao said coldly. "Then why are the soldiers running now?"
No sooner had the words left his mouth than two bloodcurdling screams came from the rear.
With the combined forces of Pei and Lu exceeding two thousand, and the path being so narrow, their column was stretched out very long.
The dense fog blotted out the sky, making it impossible from where they stood to see what was happening at the tail end of the column.
Both men were already on high alert, and those two agonized cries snapped the final thread of their composure. Lu Yao barked, "What's going on back there?"
Someone shouted from the rear, "General! Two of our brothers took arrows!"
Suddenly, another four or five men wailed in agony.
Chaos erupted in the ranks as blades were drawn. Trapped in the mist, with no idea where the enemy was attacking from, these insidious potshots alone were enough to make every rebel fear for his life, looking around in panic.
Lu Yao roared, "Something's wrong! On guard!"
"Form ranks!" Pei Xinyong turned with a frown. On such a narrow mountain road, battle formations couldn't be deployed at all.
Little did he expect that the moment he turned, a glint of chilling steel caught the corner of his eye, darting straight for his neck!
The suffocating killing intent made the hairs on the nape of his neck stand on end.
*Clang!* A sharp metallic crash rang out as, at the critical second, he raised the flanged mace in his hand to parry the strike.
On horseback, his weapon of choice was always the flanged mace.
Naturally, Pei Xinyong also saw that the person hacking at him with that treacherous axe was none other than Lu Yao beside him!
Just as Lu Yao struck, three of his men erupted into motion alongside him, lunging straight at Pei Xinyong's personal guards behind him. With the screams at the tail of the column having just begun, everyone's attention had been drawn to the rear; who could have imagined death was right at their side?
Of Pei Xinyong's guards, one was swiftly beheaded, dying cleanly, while another took a spiked dagger to the lower back—the attacker wrenching it free and hooking out his intestines in the process.
The third man seized the moment Pei Xinyong clashed with Lu Yao to leap into the air, clutching a spiked club with both hands and swinging it down hard at Pei Xinyong's head!
If this struck home, Pei Xinyong's skull would burst.
Fortunately, there were no "ifs." Pei Xinyong deflected Lu Yao's sneak attack with his right hand, and without even turning his head, swept his left flanged mace in a diagonal swat that parried the spiked club. Following through on the swing, he smashed the mace back upward into the brigand's breastplate, shattering the man's sternum, rupturing his heart and lungs, and sending him hurtling more than twenty feet away.
Spiked clubs had great notoriety, but flanged maces were no less formidable. Both were blunt weapons that inflicted damage through sheer concussive force. A flanged mace featured six raised flanges like the open pages of a book; when it struck, the destructive impact concentrated along a single "page," routinely shattering bones, tearing tendons, and causing fatal internal ruptures.
These weapons usually came in pairs. By the time Pei Xinyong eliminated the club-wielding attacker behind him, his men had reacted and rushed forward to protect their commander.
Two forces that had coexisted peacefully for over an hour suddenly drew weapons against each other.
The two generals clashed in combat. Pei Xinyong sneered, "Done plotting against Wu Shaoyi, you couldn't resist making a move on me too?"
Lu Yao fought with everything he had, not uttering a single word.
Now that all pretense was shattered, he had to kill Pei Xinyong and scatter Pei's troops in the shortest possible time. Only then would he have the strength to face the coming crisis!
***
The mountain road dissolved into total chaos as fierce bandits clashed in brutal melees. He Lingchuan and Lian Deng quietly retreated, dragging two horses along.
Fortunately, the heavy fog shielded them; taking just a few steps back made them disappear from view.
Earlier, after releasing their arrows, they had mimicked two screams of agony, instantly throwing the scene into turmoil.
This was precisely the effect He Lingchuan had wanted. Only in muddy waters could one catch fish—or in this case, steal horses. So he had slipped into the battlefield with his head down, claimed the mounts of dead men, and made a run for it.
This was what people called the frenzy of battle: even with horses gone, nobody noticed.
Missiles of unknown origin flew constantly through the fighting throng. He Lingchuan and Lian Deng carefully put distance between themselves and the brawl before mounting their steeds and galloping down the path to pursue the government forces.
The strength of two men was far too puny here; they needed reinforcements.
With origin power protecting him, finding his way was no challenge at all for He Lingchuan. Soon enough, the dense mist was left far behind.
Before them stretched broad daylight and clear skies offering an unobstructed view for tens of miles.
Yet before they had ridden two li, thundering hooves sounded from ahead—a substantial force, and heading straight toward them.
He Lingchuan's heart leapt into his throat.
Could it be...?
A few breaths later, the approaching troops rounded the mountain spur, revealing their true colors:
A military banner fluttered in the wind, bearing the massive character "He."
He?
The first thought that flashed through He Lingchuan's mind was the Hebei Garrison Command, the very force his father had written to for reinforcements.
The detachment had not expected to run into anyone around the bend either. The lead riders pulled their reins in a sharp halt, and suddenly someone cried out: "Eldest Young Master!"
He Lingchuan started at the familiar cracked voice. Looking closely, it was actually Maotao!
"Eldest Young Master!" Several more riders pushed through the crowd—it was Zeng Feixiong and Zhao Qinghe leading a familiar bunch of faces from the Auxiliary Army, every one of them ecstatic. "You're alive! You're really alive!"
"Did you think I'd die that easily?"
Zhao Qinghe sighed, "The Master was right—you truly are a blessed officer of fortune!"
Two commanders rode up. Zeng Feixiong introduced them to He Lingchuan: "The Hebei Garrison Command dispatched troops the moment they received the message, and we happened to meet them along the road. Master He immediately assigned us from the Auxiliary Army to assist in eliminating the enemy. This is Commandant Zhao, and this is Captain Li!"
He Lingchuan immediately exchanged courtesies with the two officers. He noticed the impressive presence of the Garrison Command troops behind them, numbering at least seven or eight hundred men; nearly two hundred men from the Auxiliary Army had also come along. Clearly, once He Chunhua knew his own forces were safe, he intended to pivot from flight to an all-out offensive.
Lian Deng was overcome with impatience, coughing several times in warning: "Young Master He, business first!"
"Right, business!" He Lingchuan snapped back to the matter at hand. "Commanders, the villain Lu who massacred the civilians of Xianling Village and drove me over the cliff is currently locked in battle with Pei Xinyong inside the mist behind us! Why don't we go take advantage of the chaos?"
Reaping easy spoils and picking low-hanging fruit—who wouldn't jump at such a sweet opportunity? Commandant Zhao and Captain Li assumed stern expressions: "We were just about to crush these rebels anyway. Let's move!"
Along the way, He Lingchuan briefly explained what he had seen in the mist and introduced Lian Deng: "This man is a subordinate of Wu Shaoyi. Wu Shaoyi wishes to submit to the Royal Court and fight alongside us."
A thousand government troops marched valiantly toward the fog-shrouded battlefield.
The two li of mountain road passed in an instant, and once again, mist-covered slopes rose ahead.
The battle zone lay right before them; they could already hear the clashing of steel.
The men exchanged glances, drew their weapons, and deliberately slowed their pace.
***
Having just thwarted Lu Yao's sneak attack, Pei Xinyong sensed trouble.
The enemy had struck with premeditation against an unprepared target, slaughtering his men right from the start. Consequently, of the twenty-odd personal guards originally around Pei Xinyong, only six or seven remained after just a dozen breaths.
Fortunately, these six or seven were the elite of the elite, managing to weather the enemy's tempestuous onslaught.
Pei Xinyong's main force numbered over a thousand men, yet they were severed by Lu's troops and completely cut off from coming to his rescue.
The situation had become one where Pei Xinyong and his remaining men huddled together in a tight circle to withstand Lu Yao's assault, while Lu Yao's men stood between them and Pei Xinyong's outer army.
Though Pei's army fought desperately to rescue their master, the cramped terrain prevented them from mounting an effective assault.
Chapter 145