Chapter 51: Irreconcilable!

Liang Xiao's robust voice echoed in all directions. With a single command, the battalion commanders and squad leaders returned to their respective units to lead the troops out of the camp.

Zhuo Zifang, riding a horse, followed closely beside Liang Xiao, directing the entire army and adapting to the situation as it changed.

His gaze fell upon the two corpses of Black Cloud Stronghold scouts lying inside the military camp.

Liang Xiao had captured and executed the enemy scouts during the night. Now, having given the charge command, he stood ready to plunge into the battlefield himself at any moment.

For the upcoming engagement, he, the assistant magistrate, had to temporarily command the battle.

With a force of over three thousand men, even though they were mostly new recruits, his command remained steady and orderly without a hint of panic.

The horns sounded from the rear, carrying the charge command across the entire army.

The three thousand one hundred brave warriors gripped their weapons tightly, surged out of the military camp, and raised a unified battle cry that shook the surrounding plains!

Emboldened by the collective roar of the army, the morale and killing intent of the soldiers soared to the heavens.

Even though they were merely recruits, driven by the determination to defend their homes, alongside their deep admiration and gratitude toward Liang Xiao, they would never allow the Black Cloud Stronghold to breach Peixian!

Otherwise, not only would any hope of achieving military merit and establishing a career vanish like bubbles, but the butcher's blades of the Black Cloud Stronghold would inevitably fall upon the heads of their own families!

In the distance, the forces of the Black Cloud Stronghold marched with overwhelming momentum. Several long columns stretched for miles as they advanced toward Peixian, on the verge of pressing right up to the city walls.

Suddenly, deafening battle cries erupted from the front, alarming the entire host of the Black Cloud Stronghold!

"An enemy force is charging toward us from the front!"

"It's the army from Peixian!"

The Black Cloud Stronghold soldiers marching in the vanguard, who had been in high spirits, were instantly thrown into disarray upon seeing the situation ahead.

They could never have imagined that Liang Xiao would actually dare to sortie out of the city to meet them in battle. Being heavily outnumbered was one thing, but to actively take the initiative and charge at them was unthinkable!

Chieftain Gou reclined lazily on a carriage at the rear.

The carriage was shielded by an ornate canopy, extraordinarily lavish and grand.

A confident smile of guaranteed victory hung on his face, though he still urged the troops to quicken their pace.

"Chief! Liang Xiao is personally leading his troops out in an assault, charging right toward our vanguard!"

It was not until his messenger arrived to report the frontline situation that his expression changed into one of utter shock.

"How could they possibly take the initiative to attack?"

"The enemy forces appear to have established a camp outside the city!" the messenger reported in terror.

Chieftain Gou was struck with a mixture of shock and fury: "Why didn't our two scouts report back in time?"

"The scouts never returned!" The messenger was already drenched in sweat.

Chieftain Gou's expression shifted drastically.

He finally realized that the scouts he had dispatched might already be dead...

However, the current situation allowed for no hesitation. Chieftain Gou immediately regained his composure and shouted a loud command.

"The whole army, form up and meet the enemy!"

At his command, the troops surrounding Chieftain Gou also accelerated, rushing forward to reinforce the vanguard.

By the time Chieftain Gou's orders were relayed, the Peixian forces had already crashed into the vanguard of the Black Cloud Stronghold, launching a ferocious assault.

On one side were the vicious and ruthless bandits of the Black Cloud Stronghold; on the other were the resolute defenders of Peixian fighting a battle to the death.

The bandits in the Black Cloud Stronghold usually met no rivals, and most of them had grown accustomed to slack habits, making them far less disciplined and well-trained than this mixed force of veteran and newly recruited Peixian defenders.

Once the two sides clashed, it was a battle where only one could survive!

The troops Liang Xiao had assembled in advance formed a simple, orderly square formation, striking when least expected and maintaining strict discipline.

Meanwhile, the Black Cloud Stronghold forces, suffering a hasty and unexpected ambush, had no time to form ranks, and their vanguard fell into a bitter struggle.

The Peixian defenders pierced right through the enemy vanguard in the very first exchange!

The soldiers campaigning under Liang Xiao instantly saw their confidence multiply.

"Kill the bandits!"

Cao Chen took the lead as a vanguard, hacking down a bandit soldier with his own hands and roaring with fury to boost the momentum.

"Charge!"

The soldiers pressed forward in unison, shouting battle cries as everyone vied to be the first. They quickly cut down dozens of the enemy, firmly seizing the upper hand and growing fiercer with every clash.

Facing such coordinated and fierce assaults, the Black Cloud Stronghold's vanguard troops repeatedly called toward the rear for reinforcements.

"We can't hold them off!"

"We outnumber them! Hang in there! Reinforcements are on the way!"

The soldiers on both sides fell far short of elite troops, and the engagement quickly devolved into a massive, chaotic melee.

The Black Cloud Stronghold forces, which had previously marched toward Peixian with aggressive momentum, found their vanguard retreating step by step!

"Archers, loose a volley toward the northwest! Rear spearmen, follow up behind the vanguard for an immediate general offensive!"

On the high ground in the rear, Zhuo Zifang gave calm and composed commands. His usual gentle and refined demeanor was entirely gone, replaced by a rare and majestic aura.

Liang Xiao, mounted on his white steed, guarded Zhuo Zifang's side. While shielding his close friend from stray arrows, he observed the battle unfolding across the distant fields.

A moment later, Liang Xiao's gaze landed upon the distant luxurious canopy, and a cold smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.

Without a second thought, wherever the canopy stood, there was the bandit leader, Chieftain Gou!

Cao Chen, who was leading the fierce fighting, took a brief respite under the cover of his comrades, swapping for a long saber to prepare for continued combat.

After killing enemy after enemy, his blade had become notched and dulled, and his shoulder bore a slash wound.

Four or five comrades nearby who also wore light iron armor had already fallen during the fierce combat.

Suddenly remembering something, Cao Chen quickly glanced back toward the rear, his heart tightening.

That magistrate was still stationed in the rear, remaining motionless just like the assistant magistrate?

He understood, of course, that swords had no eyes on the battlefield and that commanders should not lightly put themselves in danger. Yet this magistrate possessed the strength to lift cauldrons, was the descendant of a renowned military family, and wore heavy armor with a sharp blade. If he could personally lead the charge to slay the enemy, the effect might be even better...

"We soldiers are all loyal and brave men; there is no reason for the magistrate to sit by and watch us march to our deaths! He must have other arrangements!"

Once Cao Chen reasoned this through, his gaze hardened, and he plunged back into the battlefield.

He clearly possessed respectable martial arts skills, yet under Yuan Bailong he had lived in cowardice, acting as a lackey for years and becoming despised by everyone.

Now that he had a glimmer of hope to achieve military merit and establish a career, how could he harbor any doubts!

This battle was undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for him to prove himself!

Scarcely a quarter of an hour had passed since the clash began, and both sides were already deeply mired in a massive, fierce battle.

Atop the city walls, Zhongli Xiu had already deployed the city defense garrison and was watching the battle alongside the defenders.

Everyone harbored a sense of breathless apprehension.

"The magistrate actually took the initiative to sally forth..." exclaimed the assembled soldiers in astonishment.

Zhongli Xiu and his daughter fell silent, their eyes unable to conceal a deep sense of worry.

Waiting for the enemy while resting oneself and striking when unready were indeed supreme strategies.

Yet the premise was that one's own troops could be commanded as smoothly as moving one's fingers...

The brave warriors campaigning alongside Liang Xiao undoubtedly possessed commendable courage, but at least half of them were experiencing battle for the very first time and had never undergone Liang Xiao's complete training.

Faced with such a life-and-death struggle, let alone killing enemies, it would be a blessing from the heavens if they did not break and rout. To demand that they catch the enemy unawares was truly asking too much of them.

Even though the Black Cloud Stronghold was also composed of bandits and outlaws rather than regular troops, they outnumbered Liang Xiao's force threefold!

Once the enemy reacted, even sheer numerical superiority alone would be more than these three thousand one hundred men could withstand. Liang Xiao's defeat was merely a matter of time...

Zhongli Wanxue's pretty eyes turned slightly red as she fought back her tears.

Yet in the freezing winter cold, the hurried puffs of white breath escaping her lips already betrayed her turbulent emotions.

"Father, can I join the battle..." Zhongli Wanxue asked with a trembling voice.

In countless daydreams locked away in her boudoir, she had always imagined fighting shoulder to shoulder with him...

"Do not act rashly, and do not cause trouble!" Zhongli Xiu scolded in a low voice. Seeing his beloved daughter's dejected look, he softened and comforted her, "He is the descendant of the Loyal and Martial Marquis. Being able to gather such recruits to strike the first blow already proves he is well-versed in military strategy. Even if he is no match for them, he can simply retreat back into the city!"

Zhongli Wanxue felt slightly comforted upon hearing this, silently gazing at the figure on the white horse holding a silver spear at the rear of the battlefield.

It was him!

She had sworn to herself countless times that upon meeting him again, she would pour out her admiration and beg to fight side by side with him...

Yet at this moment, even getting out of the city was an insurmountable hurdle for her.

Beneath the canopy, Chieftain Gou quickly received reports from the frontlines.

"Chief! Our vanguard has been shattered and is currently trying to regroup!"

Hearing this, veins throbbed on Chieftain Gou's forehead. He jerked up from the carriage and roared toward the rear.

"What are you all still standing there for? Throw every last man into the fray, no matter the cost!"

"Wipe them out! Kill Liang Xiao!"