Chapter 009: The Iron Cavalry Charges the Camp

Seeing his companions coming to assist, Wu Sangui said sternly: "This is mine, do not interfere!"

The fifty Guanning Iron Cavalry were surrounded by several hundred troops of the Later Jin, akin to a small boat caught in a tempest, constantly being thrust to the forefront of the storm, with each wave posing a risk of capsizing. However, under the command of Wu Sangui, this small boat maintained its tenacious vitality, gritting its teeth to face the increasingly fierce onslaught of the waves.

Yishih's expression changed: "How many enemies are there, exactly?"

The excruciating pain nearly caused the captain of the Guanning Iron Cavalry to faint. Regaining his composure, he switched the knife to his left hand and, with a fierce roar, actually severed his own drooping right arm. The Niu Lu was taken aback, unable to comprehend the audacity of this Southern Dynasty warrior.

On the city tower of Jianchang, Wu Xiang saw his son fighting so desperately and exclaimed, "Child, child, after all, you are still a child. How can one fight like this, actually seeking a one-on-one duel? If you lose, the morale of the entire army will inevitably be shaken..."

"I will kill this southern dog, and no one is allowed to assist in the battle!" Upon hearing Wu Sangui's roar, Hetushu Yishihaya also issued a loud order.

"Even if we lose, we will not be defeated!" Wu Sangui laughed and said, "The Jurchen dogs are nothing but this; kill the bandits!"

One is an eighteen-year-old Han youth, full of vigor; the other is a Jurchen general who has suffered humiliation and is determined to seek revenge. A rare one-on-one duel between warriors, seldom seen in a century on the battlefield, surprisingly reappears beneath the walls of Jianchang City

Wu Xiang strained to look, and indeed it was as he thought, which allowed him to breathe a slight sigh of relief. However, he immediately turned his gaze to the other side of the battlefield, revealing a look of doubt: "Where is Zhu Bin? Why has there been no sign of him until now?"

Finally, I have died in this damned place, Commander Yuan, I have come...

"Die here, all of you!" Wu Sangui said softly, suddenly invigorated. He struck down a Manchu woman charging at him with a single blow, shouting, "Die here, all of you! Long live the Ming Dynasty! Long live Your Majesty!"

The only instance occurred during the Battle of Sarhu, when the general Du Song, tasked with leading the main assault for the Ming army, was inspired by his extensive reading of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Emulating the spirit of Xu Chu, who fought Ma Chao without armor, he removed his armor and went to the front lines to challenge the Jurchen general to a duel. Unexpectedly, although Nurhaci's subordinates enjoyed reading "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", they had no intention of reviving the past. As a result, under a hail of arrows, the general was turned into a porcupine, and his thirty thousand troops immediately collapsed, leading to a complete failure of the entire campaign.

With a furious roar from Yishiha, Wu Sangui, who was cutting left and right among the Jurchen army with unstoppable momentum, looked up and saw a man as imposing as an iron tower charging directly at him. Judging by the man's attire, it was evidently the Jurchen vanguard, Yishiha. Wu Sangui was instantly overjoyed, spurred his warhorse, and charged towards Yishiha, raising his blade to strike at him.

I see that Changbo is quite clever. However, Zu Dashou smiled as he addressed Wu Sangui by his courtesy name, saying: "To attract the Later Jin army with just fifty cavalry is indeed somewhat difficult. He deliberately sought to challenge Yishihada, which in reality was also a way to draw the attention of the Later Jin people. But if you look closely, Changbo did not use his full strength at all..."

One's heart finally settled down, and regarding the image and the book, the Iron Cavalry of Guan Ning is indeed unparalleled. The combat power displayed under such disadvantage is truly fearsome. Especially that young man named Wu Sangui; if he escapes today, he will undoubtedly become a formidable adversary for the Later Jin in the future. Unfortunately, it is unclear what the Southern Dynasty's general is thinking, as he actually sent fifty men to charge against my army. Could it be that Wu Sangui has a grudge against the Southern Dynasty's commander?

"Yishiha has also been defeated, Yishiha has also been defeated!" Upon seeing Yishiha voluntarily retreat, the Guanning Iron Cavalry believed that Wu Sangui had emerged victorious, and their morale soared instantly as they laughed and shouted while charging into the ranks of the Later Jin cavalry

The military system at the end of the Ming Dynasty had already matured significantly, and the once-popular practice of one-on-one duels on ancient battlefields had long since disappeared.

At this moment, the two combatants on the battlefield had exchanged dozens of blows, neither able to gain the upper hand. Yishiha, despite being battle-hardened, suddenly sensed something was amiss. He forcefully pushed aside Wu Sangui's large blade and withdrew his warhorse from the fray. Noticing that his subordinates were all watching him, Yishiha then realized he had fallen into Wu Sangui's trap. In a fit of anger, he shouted, "Do not look, do not look, kill these southern dogs to the last man!"

The enemy's defenses are stringent, and we have not yet seen clearly. The soldier of the Later Jin gasped and said, "However, with the billowing smoke and dust, I can roughly estimate that there are about two to three hundred people!"

"Take your life!" The captain leaped from his horse and suddenly pounced on the enemy, both of them tumbling down from their mounts. The enemy's blade plunged completely into the captain's chest, but he immediately felt a chilling sensation in his own heart... The Han soldier's knife, except for the hilt, had also pierced through his own heart...

"Report, a large number of enemies have appeared on our left flank!" Just as Yihaha was preparing to issue orders for the most intense assault to completely annihilate this small group of Guanning cavalry, a soldier from the Later Jin appeared before him on horseback, panting heavily.

The Han captain, seeing that his enemy was dead, released his grip and managed to stand up, but ultimately could not support himself and fell heavily to the ground again. A faint smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he murmured:

Although the cavalry of Guan Ning is valiant, their numbers are ultimately too few. Wu Sangui glanced at the battlefield and saw that nearly half of the soldiers had permanently lost their lives. He then looked towards Jianchang City, only to find it eerily quiet, with not a single sound. Not only was it silent within Jianchang City, but even in the direction of his brother Zhu Bin, it was as if they had vanished completely

At this moment, the sound of two large swords clashing echoed incessantly on the battlefield, resembling the din of a large blacksmith's shop. The soldiers on both sides, witnessing their commander in such a manner, surprisingly halted their actions, even going so far as to clear a space for the two combatants, staring blankly at this rare spectacle that occurs once in a century

Wu Sangui favored wielding a large saber weighing twenty catties, effortlessly maneuvering it with his strong arms, delivering one fierce blow after another against Yishihai. Yishihai, a renowned strongman from the Plain Blue Banner, showed no fear in the face of Wu Sangui's ferocious assault, gritting his teeth and continuing to withstand the attacks, occasionally countering with a few strikes of his own

A captain in the Iron Cavalry of the Guanning region had already slain three soldiers of the Later Jin with a single stroke of his blade, his body drenched in blood, both that of the enemy and his own. Suddenly, a sharp pain surged through his right arm; it turned out that a soldier from the Later Jin had taken advantage of his moment of inattention and struck heavily with a blade upon his shoulder.