Chapter Forty-Three: The Capture of the Flag

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Zhao Huai’an caught sight of the Nanzhao armored troops rushing toward him and shouted loudly, “Where are my righteous brothers of the brotherhood?”

As he shouted, Sun Tai charged forward with his large shield, directly blocking that group of armored soldiers. Behind him, Zhao Hu roared and hurled his short axe, causing a scream of pain from the other side.

Zhao Hu’s action inspired the other disciples; regardless of what they held, they all swung wildly, and in an instant, the enemy howled in agony.

Suddenly, a Nanzhao fierce warrior shouted loudly. The armored troops on both sides parted a path. The man strode forward and crashed directly into Sun Tai’s shield.

Sun Tai was overwhelmed by the force and was thrown backward. The Nanzhao warrior took several steps to steady his charge but had already broken into Zhao Hu and the others’ battle formation.

Yet this man showed no fear. He let out a roar, holding his wave sword to protect himself, but the next moment, an arrow pierced his mouth and lodged into his helmet.

As he fell, a loud shout rang out: “Guo Congyun, kill this beast!”

Then, eight armored men who had been following behind finally broke through, clad in iron armor, clashing fiercely with the Nanzhao soldiers attacking from the side.

Why did the cavalry of the Yan and Hai armies not attack other local forces but instead head straight for Zhao Huai’an?

It wasn’t because Zhao Da’s reputation had spread throughout the army, but because Zhao Huai’an’s local militia was the most striking on the entire front.

Previously, Zhao Huai’an had fought fiercely and accumulated forty-one sets of iron armor. Later, when the unit was reorganized, the camp sent over thirty sets of heavy armor, totaling seventy-one sets.

At that time, Zhao Huai’an’s militia was at the forefront, wearing seventy-one suits of iron armor that gleamed brilliantly under the sun. Along with their brightly colored banners, anyone could tell this was an elite force.

So the cavalry from Yan and Hai did not go elsewhere but came straight here.

The same impression was felt by the Nanzhao troops. Seeing the heavily armored soldiers charge out, they lost a third of their courage, believing the enemy had deployed their elite.

But after a short fight, the Nanzhao armored warriors, only a dozen or so in number, were frightened and began to retreat, only to be blocked by Zhou Dexing’s group.

Zhou Dexing, a towering giant of eight feet from Yanzhou, wielded a long-handled saber. Six men behind him also carried the same weapon, hacking down the Nanzhao warriors with heads rolling.

They swung their sabers and shouted, instantly seizing the morale.

After the eight men charged in, Sun Tai and the others raised their shields to pursue Zhao Huai’an, as their respected mentor was in a dire situation.

…

Damn it, these Nanzhao killers are truly ruthless.

At this moment, Zhao Huai’an’s back armor was struck again, but his bright armor was sturdy enough to prevent serious injury.

Just now, Zhao Huai’an had ordered his disciples to block the Nanzhao infantry charging from the side, then charged toward the enemy commander under their great banner.

But during this brief delay, the bastard called in three more warriors.

So what?

Zhao Huai’an, adrenaline surging, saw five armored warriors across from him and shouted, “I’ll fight ten of you!”

Then he charged forward fearlessly.

But once engaged, Zhao Huai’an finally understood the difference between individual combat and fighting in formation.

That was why “Old Six” kept shouting at him to slow down—because charging too fast meant no one could cover his back.

Now, Zhao Huai’an was exactly in that position.

The five Nanzhao warriors lined up and charged straight at him, then flanked him on both sides, trapping Zhao Huai’an within their circle.

He was dumbfounded.

When he struck down the one in front, the Nanzhao warriors behind slashed at his neck. If not for the neck guard, that blow would have been fatal.

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That strike nearly shook Zhao Huai’an’s soul loose.

He no longer dared to charge forward but began spinning in place, using the length of his saber to defend. Even so, he was cut by a cowardly blow from behind.

Sweat drenched his forehead; no longer was he the confident man from before. Hearing the enemy commander laugh wildly nearby and shout loudly, he felt both anger and shame.

Instinctively, Zhao Huai’an shouted, “Old Six, where the hell are you? Come save me!”

Just as he shouted, he actually heard Old Six’s response, the distinctive Qin opera voice slicing through the air:

“Zhao Da, I’m coming! Ahhh, I’ll kill you bunch of cowards!”

Hearing this, Zhao Huai’an saw Zhao Six carrying the earth-yellow banner rushing up, accompanied by Zhao Wenzhong and four of the five-inch soldiers.

These four five-inch soldiers showed no mercy—they jumped from behind, grabbing the Nanzhao iron soldiers, then stabbed their iron daggers relentlessly through the gaps in the helmets, quickly killing several Nanzhao warriors.

Yang Mao and Wang Li also charged up, bloodied all over, wielding shields and slashing swords, protecting Zhao Huai’an’s sides.

At this moment, Zhao Huai’an almost wanted to cry. He cursed loudly:

“Old Six, you damn coward, why did you come so late?”

After scolding him, Zhao Huai’an ignored Zhao Six’s grim face, raised his saber, and turned to face the Nanzhao commander.

Seeing the man discard his banner and flee hurriedly, Zhao Huai’an revealed a savage grin he had never shown in his life:

“Laugh all you want, I’ll make you regret it!”

With that, Zhao Huai’an strode forward, swung his saber horizontally, and shattered the commander’s armor to pieces.

But it didn’t end there. Zhao Huai’an tossed aside his broken saber, drew his side-sword, stepped on the man’s chest, grabbed his hair, and without caring for the screams below, pressed the sword against his neck.

“Crack, crack...”

Like sawing wood, the Nanzhao commander’s screams faded away. Covered in blood, Zhao Huai’an held up the trembling, terrified head and shouted:

“The enemy commander is dead!”

Zhao Six rushed over and shouted:

“Kill the traitorous general, protect righteous Zhao Huai’an!”

The disciples and five-inch soldiers, suddenly awakened, also shouted:

“Kill the traitorous general, protect righteous Zhao Huai’an!”

At this moment, Yang Mao, Sun Tai, Zhao Hu, Wang Li, and He Wenqin raised their weapons and shouted wildly, while Zhao Wenzhong ran forward and severed the enemy’s banner with one slash.

He and the other three five-inch soldiers looked at their sworn father with deep reverence.

Their father, holding the enemy general’s head, bloodied and imposing, stood as tall as a three-story earth tower.

When the shouts reached nearby, the Nanzhao warriors still struggling against the Yan and Hai armies’ pikes turned around instinctively and saw their own banner falling.

Then, those with sharp eyes saw a Tang warrior holding their chieftain’s head, shouting fiercely.

In an instant, the fighting spirit of the Nanzhao warriors melted like ice and snow.

“Clang, clang.”

Helmets and armor were everywhere, the sound of panic horns filled the air, like the mournful cries of crows returning to the forest.

A crushing defeat!

The collapse of the Nanzhao army gave the struggling Yan and Hai troops a moment to breathe. Seeing the “Protect Righteousness” flag appear behind enemy lines, they shouted excitedly.

This was a cry for the brave and a venting of relief after surviving a disaster.

…

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After the battle, Zhao Huai’an disdainfully tossed the severed head to Li Wenzhong, then ran over and pulled down the “Wang Juzi” battle flag.

This was the first enemy banner he had captured, carrying special significance.

At that moment, he suddenly heard the Yan and Hai army shouting over there and instinctively asked:

“What are they shouting?”

Zhao Six, face covered in blood, smiled, revealing yellowed teeth:

“They’re shouting ‘Protect Righteousness.’”

Zhao Huai’an paused.

Protect Righteousness?

He instinctively looked at the people around him. He saw Han Tong cutting off a head, Qian Tiefu grinning at him, and Wei Jingang fiercely beating a Nanzhao warrior’s skull with an iron rod.

He also saw Zhang Dai shooting down fleeing Nanzhao soldiers with his longbow, Lu Zhongyuan rummaging through corpses, and Zhou Dexing, like a wild bear, roaring and venting with his saber.

But why was old Zhou shouting at the Yan and Hai army? Did he have such a grudge against his old unit?

He saw Chen Fahai diligently organizing troops; even though the enemy had already collapsed, he still stood firm, beating the banner pole to maintain formation.

Finally, Zhao Huai’an looked toward Guo Congyun. The former cavalry general of the Boye army looked at him with respect.

At that moment, Zhao Huai’an felt as if waking from a dream.

So he was the “Protect Righteousness”? And these were his loyal followers?

Thinking this, a broad grin spread across Zhao Huai’an’s face, inwardly delighted.

Protect Righteousness, Zhao Huai’an? Not bad at all!

So, Zhao Huai’an raised his side-sword and shouted:

“Protect Righteousness, Zhao Huai’an!”

“Protect Righteousness, Zhao Huai’an!”

He shouted, and the disciples and five-inch soldiers echoed him. But as they shouted, they realized something was wrong.

The Yan and Hai army, who had been shouting excitedly before, showed no reaction. Even the previously stable front line was visibly collapsing.

Zhao Huai’an felt awkward, thinking his “Protect Righteousness” title was still not recognized.

Unexpectedly, while shouting, Zhao Six glanced southwest, then opened his mouth wide and grabbed Zhao Huai’an tightly, trembling:

“Zhao... Zhao Da, what’s written on that banner?”

Zhao Six tugged at him for a long time, but Zhao Huai’an didn’t respond because he had noticed the banner with the character “Yan” was moving—heading eastward.

Then his vision expanded. The Sichuan Eastern troops, who had served as the central anchor, suddenly abandoned their position and quickly retreated toward the eastern battlefield passage.

Zhao Huai’an looked again at the center army. The high-hanging “Ox” character command banner was also moving, but backward.

Now Zhao Huai’an knew exactly what was happening.

He was pulled by Zhao Six to look southwest and saw an army appearing on the once empty Baizhu River, their banner flying: “Thirty-six Tribes of Wuman.”

At that moment, Zhao Huai’an’s newly ignited bloodlust instantly died out.

In anger, he slammed his helmet to the ground, cursing loudly:

“Yan Shihui, damn your ancestors!”