Chapter 004: The Headman

Wang Jingyao took a deep breath, recalling in detail the weapon combat techniques he had learned in the military. Suddenly, he shouted, "Slash!" and struck down with his blade in the air.

"Young man, good knife!" Shi Qianshou, after all, is a fierce general. Despite being severely injured, he still stands tall, baring his white teeth and grinning menacingly as he says, "The knife is indeed a good one, but unfortunately your skills are average. One day, I will turn this treasured knife into my weapon!"

What men find most intolerable is a woman's disdain for them, especially for Wang Jingyao, who comes from a military background and has always been very much a traditionalist. He glanced at Shi Qianshou and the young woman, letting out a sigh.

Let Chen Zhongjian and Zhou Long command the soldiers and the civilians to intercept the enemies who are still ascending the city. Throw down all the stones, arrows, and boiling oil!" Wang Jingyao experienced the authority of being a "Dutou Daren" for the first time. He ordered, "Gather our brothers together and first encircle and eliminate the isolated enemies, exchanging localized victories for a greater triumph!

Wang Jingyao was entangled by two enemy soldiers, unable to pursue Shi Qianshou and feeling a deep sense of regret. He then turned his pent-up anger towards the enemies in front of him. As a former special forces soldier, he was physically strong and had learned combat skills. Although he was at a disadvantage in a confrontation with a fierce warrior like Shi Qianshou, dealing with the two minor soldiers before him was not difficult at all. In just a few exchanges, both enemies fell under his blade.

Wang Jingyao tightly grasped the iron-blooded dagger in his hand, and then slowly pulled it out inch by inch. As the blade emerged from its sheath, a chilling gust of wind rushed towards him, causing Wang Jingyao to involuntarily shiver again

The new recruits under Wang Jingyao are all full of courage. Faced with fierce enemies, they show no fear under the command of the three leading officers. Unfortunately, they ultimately lack training and cannot be compared to the professional soldiers of the enemy. Coupled with their inferior weapons, they quickly suffer heavy losses, with more than half being slain by the enemies who have taken the city walls.

However, Zhang Changyong did not move; he stammered, saying: "Elder brother, we are merely minor officers, and those soldiers will not listen to our commands."

This is described in the book as being impressive and overwhelming, yet I feel somewhat embarrassed. This "Infantry Commander" is indeed a minuscule official, as small as a sesame seed. He represents the most basic component of the armed forces during the Song Dynasty, and the term "Commander" is truly worlds apart from his actual status.

Shi Qianshou's large knife had already split into two segments, and the most terrifying aspect was that the armor on his chest had been slashed open, with blood continuously oozing out from within. Upon closer inspection, one could even see the stark white bones of Shi Qianshou's chest. Although the young lady was quite bold, upon witnessing this horrifying scene, she couldn't help but let out a startled "ah," causing the willow-leaf knife in her hand to fall to the ground

The young officer had disheveled hair, a disheveled expression, and his complexion appeared unusually pale, possibly due to exertion, but he was not seriously harmed. In contrast, Shi Qianshou looked entirely different.

Fearing that the young lady might press further, Wang Jingyao swiftly dashed towards the area with the largest crowd, disregarding the fact that the young lady stood there in a daze, still pondering how a mere minor official could dare to call himself "Lord of the Library"

"You traitor, go die!" Wang Jingyao slightly calmed his heart, which was racing from exertion, and swung his treasured sword, charging in front of Shi Qianshou and delivering a swift strike.

"I'm here, big brother, what's the matter!" Zhang Changyong gasped as he ran over after dispatching two enemy soldiers in quick succession. His left arm was wounded, with a long gash, yet Zhang Changyong appeared completely unconcerned.

Damn it, if only there were machine guns and grenades, I wouldn't be afraid of any number of Tartars! As he watched the enemy climbing the city walls in increasing numbers, Wang Jingyao thought to himself with frustration

Zhang Changyong, Chen Zhongjian, and Zhou Long, these three commanding officers, displayed remarkable bravery, evidently having trained in martial arts for an extended period. Under their weapons, the enemy suffered casualties without respite. Although each of them bore their own injuries, they continued to fight valiantly without retreating.

The blade shimmered with a ghostly blue light, undulating like a spirit snake as it danced along the surface of the sword. Upon seeing this blade, Shi Qianshou's eyes widened in astonishment. He reached out his hand and said, "Child, hand me the sword, and I shall spare your life today"

Two weapons extended horizontally from the side, blocking Wang Jingyao's treasured sword. It was the soldiers under Shi Qianshou who were desperately holding back Wang Jingyao. Shi Qianshou sneered and said: "Kid, I'm leaving first. When the day comes that Changzhou City falls, I will slice you to pieces!"

Wang Jingyao furrowed his brows and said: "Continuing like this is not a solution; we are all fighting our own battles, making it easy for the Tartars to defeat us one by one! It won't be long before we all perish!"

When Shi Qianshou saw the blade strike with overwhelming force, he did not dare to be overly careless. He raised his sword to block, and with a loud "clang," a sudden cry of despair echoed as two figures instantly separated. The girl watching the battle closed her eyes in despair; she could vividly imagine the tragic fate of this young Han officer who had suddenly appeared from nowhere. Although she did not have a particularly favorable impression of this officer, they had all come together to resist the enemy, and moreover, this young officer had brought about this life-threatening situation in order to save her. The girl’s eyes were red, and she felt an inexplicable urge to cry. She clenched the only remaining willow-leaf knife tightly and looked into the arena, but the scene she witnessed left her utterly astonished.

Wang Jingyao found the situation both amusing and absurd. Despite being exceptional in unarmed combat and capture techniques within the special forces, he now looked down upon even a young lady, let alone a fierce warrior like Shi Qianshou. However, he gazed fondly at the "Iron Blooded Sabre" in his hand, a weapon that had cleaved enemy arms in two, yet showed no signs of damage. At this moment, Wang Jingyao felt the deepest gratitude towards the original owner of this sabre; had it not been for this weapon today, he might have lost his life here.

The earlier disdain from the young lady left Wang Jingyao with little fondness for her. He coldly said: "My name is Wang Jingyao, I am the captain of the infantry in Changzhou Prefecture, and this knife is none of your business"

The girl beside seemed to be stunned by Wang Jingyao's formidable strike, taking quite a while to regain her composure. She then called out to Wang Jingyao, asking, "Hey, what is your name, and what kind of knife are you holding?"

Zhang Changyong!" Wang Jingyao, seeing the critical situation in Changzhou, could no longer afford to think wildly and shouted loudly

Before Wang Jingyao could react, Shi Qianshou quickly exited the battlefield, enduring the excruciating pain, and ran down from the city wall under the protection of the guards