Chapter 55: Though the enemy numbers in the tens of thousands, a solo charge to take their leader's head is entirely possible.

Liang Xiao's voice was majestic and bold, resounding across the wilderness.

At this moment, he rested the Night-Scaring Spear across his horse's back, holding the Liang family's powerful bow in his hands, with his saddlebag filled with a large bundle of arrows just seized from the supply wagons.

Hundreds and thousands of bandit soldiers gazed at Liang Xiao from afar, trembling all over.

They had witnessed with their own eyes how several chieftains, along with numerous captains of all ranks, had met a miserable death beneath his silver spear.

Those men were all seasoned veterans of the battlefield!

Yet before him lay hundreds and thousands of corpses.

Without a single exception, every one of them had died an unnatural death upon the very first encounter with him!

Could such a divine being truly exist in this world, slaughtering men as easily as one mows down grass?

"Let's shoot him dead!"

There were still bandit soldiers on the field who refused to surrender. The moment one of them cried out, before he could even notch an arrow to his bow, he was shot dead by Liang Xiao with a single arrow!

"This..."

The surrounding bandit soldiers stared at the fallen man, struck dumb with astonishment.

Liang Xiao stood just fifty paces away, nocking arrows and singling out those in the distance who still prepared to offer stubborn resistance.

His arrows never missed!

Fifteen men were shot dead in succession!

Meanwhile, the enemy archers were equipped only with ordinary short bows, and using the exact same kind of arrows, they simply could not reach Liang Xiao...

Trembling with fear, those archers immediately dropped the bows in their hands.

They were merely terrified, not foolish.

As archers, they were bound to be the primary targets of the enemy's lethal focus; the slightest movement on their part meant certain death!

Seeing that no one dared to act rashly anymore, Liang Xiao spurred his horse forward. The moment he spoke, his words carried an irresistible authority that rang like thunder in their ears!

"You were driven by hardship to turn to banditry, which is somewhat forgivable!"

"Today the chief culprits have been executed, and the rest of you may be spared from death if you surrender!"

"Those who turn away from darkness and embrace the light can hope to receive a pardon and become members of our army!"

All the bandit soldiers stared blankly at Liang Xiao, their throats swallowing with difficulty.

The man and horse in the distance formed a towering mountain they dared not attempt to cross!

"A pardon?"

Finally, someone caught the crucial keyword, and a stir ran through his heart.

To turn away from darkness and embrace the light, and have the hope of becoming officials and soldiers under his command?

Of all things, this was the one that struck deepest into his heart!

A bandit soldier immediately discarded his weapon, dropped to his knees on the ground, and cried out in a loud voice, "General, can turning away from darkness and embrace the light truly spare us from death and offer hope of a pardon??"

"Indeed! Surrender spares you from death. Pei County is currently in urgent need of elite troops; those who turn from darkness to light and redeem their crimes with meritorious service will naturally have the chance to become members of our army!" Liang Xiao responded loudly, pointing toward the fleeing enemy soldiers in the distance, "For instance, by persuading the retreating soldiers to surrender for me!"

Presently, subduing the enemy's heart was paramount. Bandit soldiers who had the courage to redeem themselves and actively seek a pardon could shatter the last remaining fighting spirit of the enemy.

The bandit soldiers ahead looked at one another in dismay.

After a brief moment of bewilderment, the bandits on the scene successively unbuckled their armor and weapons, prostrating themselves fully on the ground.

"I am willing to surrender! I beg the heavenly deity to spare my life!"

Only then did Liang Xiao put away his bow and arrow, issuing a loud command.

"Any of you who dares to bare-handedly persuade the fleeing soldiers to surrender shall be credited with a great achievement!"

As soon as his voice trailed off, a dozen men sprang up from the ground one after another. Abandoning their weapons entirely, they plucked up their courage and charged bare-handed toward the distance. Opening their arms wide to the blindly fleeing soldiers of the Black Cloud Stronghold, they shouted at the top of their lungs.

"The heavenly deity has decreed! Lay down your arms and armor, surrender and your lives will be spared! Turn from darkness to light and redeem your crimes with service!"

The fleeing soldiers running toward them were completely dumbfounded.

Yet their minds cleared rapidly. Glancing at the corpses littering the ground ahead, and then at the figure clad in blood-stained armor in the distance, they too awoke as if from a dream.

A heavenly deity?

"Were these people, along with the Great Chieftain and the others, all killed by him??" someone stammered, voice trembling.

Upon receiving an affirmative reply, the fleeing soldiers turned ashen-faced without exception, hastily shedding their armor and weapons to kneel and beg for mercy.

Liang Xiao was quite satisfied. He called out to the group of surrendered soldiers who had turned to him first, "Come over here, sit at the very front, and put on your armor as a mark of distinction. Later, Assistant County Magistrate Zhuo Zifang shall record your merits!"

Ecstatic with joy, those surrendered soldiers kowtowed in gratitude before putting their armor back on and taking their seats to set themselves apart from the rest.

At that moment, they ardently hoped that one day they might follow this heavenly deity across the battlefields!

The bandits of the Black Cloud Stronghold who had originally intended to flee back to their mountain fortress finally surrendered in droves.

In an instant, the overall situation of the battlefield was settled, and those who offered stubborn resistance were utterly beheaded!

The soldiers of Pei County raised their arms and cheered, overwhelmed with excitement, and some even shed tears of iron-willed men.

Never had they imagined that one day they could actually defeat an enemy several times their own number, slaughtering the foe and winning glory!

"Cease the pursuit! Take all the enemies under control!"

In the rear, Zhuo Zifang gave a stern command. The soldiers ceased their slaughter, began collecting the weapons and armor of the Black Cloud Stronghold, and secured the surrendered troops.

Outnumbered as they were, they had killed until their hands were almost too tired to hold their weapons. Yet this moment was utterly crucial, and thus everyone was more excited than the last, as if imbued with renewed vigor.

Cao Chen stood panting heavily before Zhuo Zifang, so excited his words became incoherent.

"D-did we, did we actually win?!"

"Thanks to the divine might of the County Magistrate and the supreme valor of our officers and men, our army has achieved a total victory!" Zhuo Zifang praised deeply.

Cheers from the soldiers erupted across the battlefield once more.

"The divine might of the County Magistrate is matchless!!"

They had seen it with their own eyes: hundreds and thousands of bandit corpses lay behind, yet among the allied forces there was only Liang Xiao alone...

So many bandits of the Black Cloud Stronghold had surrendered to him single-handedly!

Such heroism was beyond anything they could ever have imagined.

"The divine might of the County Magistrate can probably only be matched by that General Zhenbei who beheaded the Left Wise King!"

Hearing the discussion in the distance, Zhuo Zifang furrowed his brow.

The truth could not yet be made public, but he understood Liang Xiao's temperament best.

Whether it was the merit of slaying the Left Wise King by night, or the wealth of the Liang family squandered by the Situ clan...

Everything belonging to Liang Xiao, Liang Xiao would take back with interest!

Especially the night decapitation of the Left Wise King—such an earth-shattering exploit—how could Liang Xiao easily yield it to others?

All the surrendered soldiers on the battlefield had discarded their armor and weapons, submitting to the control of Pei County's forces.

Only then did Liang Xiao return to rendezvous with Zhuo Zifang, issuing a resounding command.

"Escort the supply train and the captives back to the city together. Rest and regroup, properly bury the remains of our fallen heroes, and tomorrow we shall sweep through the bandit lair of the Black Cloud Stronghold!"

The cheers throughout the entire field rose endlessly.

"Thank you, County Magistrate, for leading us to slaughter the enemy and earn merits!"

Cao Chen could not help praising, "Had it not for the peerless might of the County Magistrate, our army would surely have suffered total defeat!"

Looking back, Liang Xiao swept his gaze across the battlefield, his expression composed and confident.

"Though the enemy numbers in the tens of thousands, for me to take a head in a single ride is entirely within reach!"

As his words fell, everyone present—including the surrendered bandits of the Black Cloud Stronghold—bowed in utter submission and stood in awe.

者"The County Magistrate is truly a heavenly being!!"

At the city gates, Zhongli Wanxue had changed into a set of light armor and mounted a steed of the Rouge breed. Breaking away from her family's attempts to stop her, she had rushed over from afar.

Zhongli Xiu, who had long been waiting outside the city walls, hurried forward to block her path.

"Xue'er, do not be rash!!"

Zhongli Xiu was sweating profusely with anxiety. Her mother had also rushed up from behind, joining her husband to bar Zhongli Wanxue's way.

"Xue'er, the battlefield is treacherous. Going there now will change nothing..."

She had tried her utmost, offering earnest and heartfelt persuasion, yet she still could not hold back her beloved daughter.

Caught between advancing and retreating, Zhongli Wanxue simply dismounted from her horse, dropped heavily to her knees, and with slightly reddened eyes, pleaded pitifully.

"Father, Mother! This once, forgive your child for her unfilial behavior, and let me go outside the city..."

The couple exchanged glances, knowing well that their beloved daughter was consumed by worry for the safety of the man she held dear and that her mind was made up. Just as they were about to relent, cheers suddenly erupted in an endless succession from atop the city wall and outside the city.

A rider on a swift horse galloped into the city, raising an arm and shouting at the top of his lungs.

"The County Magistrate announces to the people of Pei County!"

"Our army has achieved total victory, and all the bandit soldiers have been captured!!"