Chapter 5: Li Congjing of Jinyang
The number of Liang troops before him is increasing, and Li Congjing is under greater pressure
Li Congjing tilted his head and saw something, immediately kicking the cavalryman who was bleeding profusely from his mouth away. He took two steps to gain momentum, turned on the spot, and threw the long spear from his hand.
At this moment, many people noticed the cavalry that was charging alone towards the Liang army
Then it was already too late; the long spear had, in the blink of an eye, reached before Zhang Lang. In his astonished gaze, it pierced through his body and carried him away.
I cannot see clearly, but I have never seen this person before; I suppose they are an unknown individual," replied the person beside.
As he tilted his head back, an object leaped out from the shattered armor on his chest, appearing in Li Congjing's line of sight
Zhang Lang, come at me with your life!
Having spoken, the two individuals once again plunged into the fray.
Li Congjing turned over and mounted a warhorse, drawing a 7.5-foot spear from the ground. He raised it towards the sky and coldly surveyed the surrounding Liang army, which was filled with fear and uncertainty. He spoke slowly and deliberately: "Those who kill Zhang, it is Li Congjing of Jinyang!"
His bodyguard said: "I recognize this fellow; he is Li Congjing, the eldest son of General Li, the deputy governor of the Inner and Outer Barbarians."
Li Congjing's eyes narrowed slightly, as if he saw the Grim Reaper approaching him, and for a moment, his mind was in a daze
"General, be careful!" shouted a soldier from the Liang army.
Fortunately, Li Congjing and others charged swiftly, and the archers of the Liang army only released one arrow before they dared not shoot again, as the two armies had already collided with each other
The long spear, resembling a long snake, pierced through the chest of the mounted general from below. The warhorse galloped past, yet the body of the general hung on the long spear extended by Li Congjing's single hand, like a piece of dried meat
It is precisely for this reason that Liang Jun, the archer, does not worry about accidentally injuring his own people
The bodyguard said indignantly: "It is a pity that those comrades who followed him must die here for no reason."
"Captain Li, be careful!" The subordinate behind seemed to sense that Li Congjing was in a precarious situation and called out.
Li Congjing is unwilling to accept this
This hundred, led by Li Congjing as the spearhead, formed a small phalanx of sharp arrows, directly charging towards the yellow flag of the Liang army. As the spearhead, Li Congjing controlled the speed and direction of the entire formation; if he did not want to be trapped among the chaotic troops, he had to ensure that the entire formation advanced at an exceptionally high speed. Therefore, each phalanx of sharp arrows required the leading general to possess exceptional martial skills.
"A drawn bow does not return an arrow." Li Cunxiu's calm voice carried a hint of coldness, "Whether Jing succeeds or fails is his destiny. Luck is inherently a part of strength. How many exceptionally talented yet prematurely deceased warriors have you and I witnessed? Fortunate generals are fortunate because they possess fortune."
In the distance, Li Cunxiu remained silent. Li Shaorong expressed his concern: "Capturing and killing the enemy's commander can be achieved by pursuing them in favorable winds, surrounding them with superior numbers, or taking advantage of the chaos. It is frustrating that Zhang Lang ran too fast, forcing Cong Jing to leave the main battlefield to fight, putting Cong Jing in a perilous situation"
The commander sighed, "General Li is indeed a hero, having rarely faced defeat in his military career, yet it is surprising that he has given birth to a son so lacking in military knowledge"
In the midst of the chaotic battle, a commander from the cavalry of the Liang army beheaded an enemy general. Looking up, he saw Li Congjing charging forward through a rain of arrows and exclaimed, "Is this fellow insane? How dare he charge at Zhang Lang with so few men?"
Everyone gasped in shock, their footsteps involuntarily retreating, looking at Li Congjing as if they had seen a ghost.
By order of Prince Jin, take the head of Zhang Lang; those who obstruct me shall die
Zhang Lang, I will definitely take your head! Li Congjing's roar carried the weight of a thousand years
After falling to the ground, Zhang Lang was pinned to the earth by a long spear, his eyes wide open, pupils dilated, and he was dead beyond any doubt
Capturing and killing the enemy general, this monumental achievement is accompanied by monumental risks. At this moment, Li Congjing and others are nearly trapped in a deadlock.
On the city tower of Weizhou, a white-haired general with a peculiar expression in his eyes was none other than Wu Jingzhong, the commander of the Weibo army. Due to his injuries, he was not out of the city engaging in battle with the Liang army. At this moment, he pointed at Li Congjing and asked the person beside him, "Who is this young man?"
From a high vantage point, one can see that behind Li Congjing is the main force of the Liang and Jin armies engaged in fierce combat, while in front of him is the Liang army, which is uniformly retreating, with very few Jin troops surrounding him. Li Congjing's one hundred cavalrymen resemble a dragon leaping from the sea, diving into another ocean
At the same time, Li Congjing lowered his body to evade a long spear thrust by a soldier of the Liang army. The two brushed past each other, and Li Congjing paid him no further attention. Meanwhile, the personal guard closely following Li Congjing had already cleanly and decisively cut the man down from his horse
Li Congjing's gaze sharpened
There is no need for you and me to worry too much, just observe. Li Cunxiu seemed unwilling to say more
Laozi is unwilling to accept this!" Li Congjing suddenly erupted with a roar.
The blazing sun shines fiercely, and the crescent-shaped jade pendant becomes radiant and transparent
Li Shaorong nodded and said: "What Prince Jin said is true. Ordinary people only know that a general who wins a hundred battles is a famous general, but they do not realize that even the most wise and brave commander, in order to achieve repeated victories on the battlefield, must also rely on the favor of heaven"
Thus, it is only by traversing to this life that Li Congjing can endure ten years of solitude
For many years, mediocrity, disappointment, and various negative emotions such as unrecognized talent have overshadowed Li Congjing. In the company, one must be mindful of the superior's mood; clearly, those who occupy high positions are as foolish as dogs, yet one can only cater to them. Outside, one must also be attentive to the clients' moods; even if you are forced to act subservient, you cannot afford to be insincere. Despite having ambitions and ideals, one cannot compete with those who are well-connected and worldly-wise. After working hard to save money to start a business, one still falls short against the offspring of officials.
Before the hooves have even touched the ground, the arrow has already left the bow
With a swift motion, he brandished his sword and struck down a soldier from the Liang army before him. Faced with several long spears thrusting towards him, Li Congjing forcefully reined in the reins, and the warhorse let out a loud neigh, rising up on its hind legs.
"Who says otherwise?" the official echoed, his eyes also reflecting disdain, "Perhaps he has gone mad with the desire to achieve merit!"
Zhang Lang was also a man who understood the times. Seeing that Prince Jin had come to his aid in person, he realized that the situation was untenable, and thus decisively burned his camp and retreated. However, at this moment, Zhang Lang was still unaware that amidst the chaos of battle, there were already those who regarded his head as a prize. Such is the nature of the battlefield: the more conspicuous the general, the greater the danger, for one can never know how many sharp warriors lie in wait in the shadows, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
Li Congjing, with a single spear, knocked the leading cavalryman off his horse, his vision already clouded with rage. As the commander, how could Li Congjing be unaware that he was on the brink of despair? Although the Liang army before him was not large, it was still considerable. Not to mention the time it would take to eliminate them, he feared that by then, Zhang Lang would be nowhere to be found. The continuous cries of agony and muffled groans behind him struck Li Congjing's heart like a needle; he did not need to turn around to know that the hundred cavalrymen had suffered heavy casualties. At this moment, he was still about thirty paces away from Zhang Lang.
In this situation, it is evident that Zhang Lang's deployment is quite skillful, and there are also many elite soldiers among Liang Jun's troops. However, Li Congjing did not utter a single word; he merely raised his round shield, and his gaze became even more fierce.
Having traversed a thousand years of time, and journeyed hundreds of miles from Youzhou to Weizhou, after walking for so long and so far, is it truly just to come here to deliver a death
In the blink of an eye, Li Congjing reached out to grab the thrusting lance, while simultaneously probing at his waist. In an instant, the flash of a blade appeared as his horizontal sword smoothly glided across the neck of the infantryman, severing a perfectly good head from its body. Following this, Li Congjing cut through the lance, taking advantage of the momentum of his charging steed, and drove the lance into the throat of the Liang army knight
Once again, two blades, one from the left and one from the right, struck simultaneously. In a split second, Li Congjing leaned back, the edge of the blade grazing his cheek as it passed by.
Zhang Lang also discovered the fierce cavalry led by Li Congjing. From a distance, Li Congjing saw Zhang Lang waving his arm a few times, and a group of cavalry along with a contingent of infantry surged towards him. The infantry rushed forward a few steps, but half of them halted, revealing a group of archers whose arrows were aimed skyward. A rain of arrows then descended upon Li Congjing and his men
"Do not be so arrogant, you young fool!" A cavalry general from the Liang army charged forward, shouting loudly, exuding an extraordinary presence, clearly a valiant warrior.
Wu Jingzhong snorted coldly and said with disdain, "Ignorant child, relying on a bit of martial strength to dare charge at the enemy's yellow flag, truly unaware of the vastness of the heavens and the earth"
Thirty steps, the difference between success and failure, the divide between life and death
As the Liang army cavalry was about to knock Li Congjing off his feet, Li Congjing swiftly slid his spear back, striking the chest of an ambushing Liang soldier and knocking him down. Meanwhile, the Liang cavalry's spear was already close at hand. In a critical moment, instead of retreating, Li Congjing advanced; he stepped forward with his right foot, tilted his head to evade the spear, while simultaneously raising his left hand to protect his head, and with his right hand, he suddenly thrust the spear forward!
In a moment of urgency, with a sharp "crack," after killing more than ten Liang soldiers, Li Congjing's horse spear broke due to excessive force. The sound of the spear breaking caused him to pause slightly.
That silver armor is particularly eye-catching
Suddenly, Li Congjing let out a loud roar, and with a swift motion of his sword, he unleashed several streaks of light. The sounds of "bang bang" echoed continuously. With a horizontal slash, he severed the neck of a Liang soldier, and with a vertical strike, he chopped off the arm of another Liang soldier
As the crowd looked in the direction where the long spear had flown, they saw Zhang Lang, who had been shot down from his horse by a single arrow from Li Congjing, being helped by others to mount again—previously, although Li Zhenfan's arrow had great force, it had missed its mark and merely lodged in Zhang Lang's shoulder
The Liang army has been thrown into disarray; it is not difficult to break through the chaotic ranks of the Liang forces. The challenge lies in ensuring that after penetrating the army's formation, Li Congjing himself remains alive.
At this moment, Li Congjing had already drawn the long bow he carried on his back, an iron arrow nocked on the string, the bow bent like a full moon, the arrowhead precisely aimed at Zhang Lang, who was riding away thirty paces distant. The speed of the action was such that one could only see the beginning and the end.
Li Congjing was naturally unaware that Li Cunxiu saw the shadow of his younger self in him. At this moment, he was accompanied by a hundred of his personal guards, maneuvering around the battlefield where fierce fighting was taking place, his eyes fixed intently on the distant moving yellow flag of the Liang army, charging forward at full speed
Li Congjing instinctively leaned to the side, as the opponent's spear passed by his chest, the sharp blade cutting through his willow leaf armor and piercing his skin, the sensation of pain was exceptionally intense
With each step, two Liang soldiers seized the opportunity, simultaneously swinging their blades at Li Congjing from above and below
With a whoosh, the iron arrow pierced through a distance of thirty paces, striking the silver-armored general and knocking him off his horse
The warhorse let out a tragic neigh as the Liang army's iron spear pierced it. Before the horse fell, Li Congjing picked up the spare spear from the side of the saddle, rolled off the horse's back, gripped the middle of the spear, and roared. With a sweeping motion of the spearhead, the Liang soldiers who had stabbed the warhorse cried out in agony, clutching their bleeding necks as they fell to the ground
The cavalry from the Ma Zhi unit is an elite force within the Jin army, and the personal guards of the Ma Zhi are even more elite among the elite. This sharp arrow quickly caught up with Zhang Lang, who was commanding the retreat of the Liang army.
"Am I to inexplicably traverse here only to inexplicably die amidst the chaos of battle?" Li Congjing was unwilling to accept this fate, and he felt a surge of resentment. "In my previous life, I lived in mediocrity, always lamenting my ill-timed existence, drifting through life without achievement. Now, in this life, I have diligently practiced martial arts for ten years, enduring countless harsh winters and scorching summers, never letting go of my books, and thoroughly studying military texts. I have mastered the teachings of various schools of thought, possessing strategies for governing the state and the strength to fight tigers, yet I am still destined to accomplish nothing?" In this life, I have diligently practiced martial arts for ten years, enduring countless harsh winters and scorching summers, never letting go of my books, and thoroughly studying military texts. I have mastered the teachings of various schools of thought, possessing strategies for governing the state and the strength to fight tigers, yet I am still destined to accomplish nothing?"
At this moment, Li Congjing had encountered a group of Liang army cavalry. The armor of the opposing forces gleamed brightly under the sunlight, and their faces, filled with murderous intent, seemed ready to swallow him whole. Putting away the crossbow, Li Congjing, with a calm expression, seized the long spear from the side of the saddle. With a flick of his wrist, the spear shot out like a sharp arrow, accurately piercing the chest of a Liang cavalryman in front of him. The cold blade penetrated the opponent's breastplate directly, knocking the incredulous knight off his horse.
A thunderous roar, resonant like a great bell, deafeningly overshadowed the surrounding sounds of battle. Li Congjing, who had already become a figure drenched in blood, resembled a god of death emerging from hell. He sprang up from the ground, and with a shake of his long spear, the several Liang soldiers blocking his path instantly had half of their necks severed, devoid of life. The surrounding Liang soldiers were struck with terror, their faces drained of color.
Successfully traversing more than half of the battlefield was merely a matter of an instant. However, the closer one got to that yellow flag, the more Liang troops appeared in front, making it impossible to avoid. Many Liang soldiers noticed Li Congjing and charged towards him. Li Congjing raised his crossbow, completed the aiming action with a swift motion, and pulled the trigger. He fired two arrows in quick succession, and two of the approaching Liang cavalry fell instantly.