Chapter 49: Beginning the Counterattack (Part 8)

Xu Chu brandished the great blade in his hand and continued to charge forward.

Seeing this, the Xiongnu soldiers could not help but feel a surge of terror. Unable to maintain their formations under Xu Chu's fierce onslaught, they continually retreated until they reached the vicinity of the gate.

Unwilling to accept that so many of his men could be beaten back by a single opponent, the commanding Xiongnu chieftain urged his troops to launch a fierce counterattack.

Stirred by this command, the fierce nature of the Xiongnu soldiers was awakened, and they swarmed toward Xu Chu in droves.

Xu Chu wielded his heavy blade, furiously hacking down his enemies, yet the foes seemed endless, as though they could never be completely slaughtered.

The corpses piled up higher and higher at the scene, rapidly forming a mountain of bodies.

The brutal battle continued.

Just as Xu Chu was fighting a bloody battle at the North Gate, the defenses at the West Gate and South Gate crumbled, breached one after another by the enemy forces. Rolling tides of hostile troops flooded into the town, and Huqiu Pavilion was on the verge of falling.

Luo Ang gazed at the scene before him, his eyes as cold as ice, and shouted, "Set fire!"

Before long, raging fires ignited across various locations within the town, rapidly spreading into a towering inferno.

Animals have always feared fire. With terrifying blazes suddenly erupting all around them, the mounts of the barbarian cavalry instantly panicked, bolting wildly in all directions and ignoring all commands, plunging the enemy ranks into chaos.

Luo Ang ordered the battle drums for the charge to be beaten. Then, alongside Dong Yuan, he led the thousand fresh troops that had been kept in reserve until now, suddenly bursting forth to launch a frantic counterattack against the enemy amidst the sea of flames.

The imperial officers and soldiers fought desperately, pushing forward and fiercely brandishing their sabers and spears to slaughter the enemy.

A Xianbei chieftain saw countless Han soldiers charging ferociously out of the blazing fire. Overwhelmed by boundless terror, he hurriedly pulled on his reins, attempting to flee for his life.

At that exact moment, a Han soldier caught up to him and cleaved the warhorse beneath him with a single stroke of his blade.

The horse let out a mournful neigh, hurling the Xianbei chieftain heavily to the ground.

As the Xianbei chieftain struggled to climb back to his feet, he was abruptly confronted by the terrifying Han soldier standing right before him, raising a gleaming battle saber high into the air.

Seized with extreme panic, the Xianbei chieftain tried to crawl away, only to have his chest forcefully pinned down by the Han soldier's boot. Amidst paralyzing terror, he watched the enemy's long blade descend. With a miserable scream, his soul departed for the netherworld.

Faced with this sudden appearance of Han troops, the chaotic coalition forces were utterly shattered, their courage broken as they collapsed like a crumbling mountain.

Luo Ang and Dong Yuan led the officers and soldiers in successfully repelling the coalition forces that had breached the town.

At that moment, Luo Ang received an urgent report detailing Xu Chu's perilous situation. Leaving a detachment of troops behind to put out the fires, he rushed with Dong Yuan and the remaining forces toward the North Gate to provide reinforcements.

The Xiongnu forces attacking the North Gate had failed to break through after prolonged assaults. To them, the fierce warrior standing atop the pile of corpses blocking their path was nothing less than a terrifying demon god of legend, an invincible entity impossible for mortal men to conquer.

The fierce assault had ground to a halt. Although the commanding chieftain continued to shout and urge them on, none dared to step forward again.

Facing that towering figure standing upon the mountain of corpses, everyone felt as insignificant as ants beneath the feet of a demon god. Let alone attacking, their bodies trembled uncontrollably.

Right at that moment, someone cried out, "This is bad, the Han army is coming!"

A jolt of shock struck the hearts of the Xiongnu soldiers as they caught sight of numerous Han cavalrymen charging toward them through the glow of the flames ahead.

Discarding their chieftain's orders, they hastily whipped their horses around and fled out of the town. Overwhelmed by panic, the chieftain himself joined the stampede, fleeing the town alongside the fleeing masses.

Seeing the enemy forces withdraw, Luo Ang let out a long sigh of relief. Turning his gaze toward Xu Chu, he saw him still standing motionless atop the corpse pile. A terrible premonition welled up in his heart, and he hurried to Xu Chu's side, only to be struck with horror upon seeing Xu Chu's body bristling with arrows.

Dong Yuan checked Xu Chu's breath, finding no trace of air remaining. Overcome with grief, she cupped her fists toward Luo Ang and said, "My lord, General Xu Chu has... he has..."

Luo Ang's eyes widened as he barked, "Nonsense! How could he die? Quickly, carry him down!"

Knowing her husband's temperament, Dong Yuan immediately called for men to lift Xu Chu's massive frame down from the mountain of corpses and lay him flat upon the ground.

Everyone looked at Luo Ang, feeling somewhat at a loss.

Luo Ang laid aside his long spear, knelt beside Xu Chu, pulled out the arrows embedded in his body, unbuckled his armor, and immediately began performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation using the techniques of later generations to revive him.

Dong Yuan and the others watched Luo Ang's seemingly futile efforts with sorrow in their hearts, but none dared to step forward to dissuade him, watching in silence.

Time ticked away, yet Xu Chu showed no reaction whatsoever. Still, Luo Ang showed no intention of giving up.

"Cough!" Xu Chu, who should have been dead, suddenly let out a cough.

Dong Yuan and the others widened their eyes in sheer disbelief, while Luo Ang's solemn face broke into an expression of wild ecstasy as he continued his resuscitation efforts.

Coughing twice more, Xu Chu finally opened his eyes. Seeing Luo Ang trying to save him, he said weakly, "My lord!"

Tears of joy welled up in Luo Ang's eyes as he embraced Xu Chu, exclaiming, "Wonderful! You've finally come back to life! I knew that someone like you, whom even ghosts and gods fear, could never meet his end so easily!"

Hearing this, Dian Wei blinked in utter confusion, completely missing the meaning of Luo Ang's words.

Dong Yuan and the others burst into cheers, their faces radiating boundless joy.

Following this, they looked upon Luo Ang with a sense of infinite awe, convinced that a lord capable of bringing the dead back to life must be a heavenly deity descended to earth, the legendary True Son of Heaven.

Calming his emotions slightly, Luo Ang looked Xu Chu over carefully and asked, "How are you? How do you feel?"

With Luo Ang's assistance, Xu Chu managed to stand up, grinning as he said, "It's nothing much, just a bit tired."

Noticing that Xu Chu's wounds were actually not deep, Luo Ang deduced that his injuries were indeed not severe. The reason Xu Chu had fainted was likely due to excessive emotional agitation during the intense combat, coupled with sustaining consecutive blows to his body, resulting in temporary shock. It was nothing critical after all.

At this thought, he felt profoundly grateful for the special refined-iron armor meticulously crafted for Xu Chu and the others before the battle. Otherwise, even if Dian Wei had ten lives, he probably would have perished by now.

Dong Yuan asked, "My lord, should we close the city gates immediately?"

Luo Ang glanced at the wide-open gates not far away, shook his head, and replied, "No need, leave them open just like this. I wager they no longer have the guts to attack!"

Meanwhile, the coalition forces had retreated back to their respective encampments.

Without taking even a brief rest, the Wuhuan forces directly struck camp and departed. Clearly, they no longer harbored any hope of defeating the Han army before them. Many Xianbei and Xiongnu soldiers likewise slipped away without a word of farewell, and those who remained had no intention of continuing the fight, planning to leave at the break of dawn. After all, engaging in battle with such a terrifying enemy was nothing short of playing with their own lives!

In the dead of night, the coalition soldiers who had chosen to stay behind fell into a deep, exhausted sleep, worn out in both body and mind.