Chapter 44 Capsized

This army was indeed well-trained. Struck by a sudden attack without warning, they did not panic. The soldiers on the side closest to the enemy immediately halted their steps and turned, raising their sabers and spears against Li Gui’s forces, while the archers in the rear began drawing their bows, preparing for a volley.

Flags fluttered in the center of the army. It was unclear what commands were issued, but the vanguard and rear guard moved simultaneously, converging toward the center to thicken the formation.

Drums rolled like thunder in the dense forest, and the Yushan faction also poured out from various positions. Forming up according to their respective units, they charged forward, thrusting themselves into the enemy's front and rear formations, disrupting their maneuvers and engaging in close-quarters combat.

Li Gui galloped wildly at blinding speed. Before the enemy could fully prepare, he had already reached the front lines.

Wielding his massive battleaxe like a fierce tiger descending from the mountain, he plunged straight into the main army's formation. The long-handled axe swept around; whatever touched it died, and whatever grazed it was wounded.

Li Gui did not linger for protracted fights; he kept charging forward, instantly shattering the spearmen's formation and unleashing a massacre upon the archers in the rear.

If he didn't wipe out the archers first, the Yushan soldiers under his command would never be able to break through.

The archers were also armed with sabers, but their close-combat capabilities were far inferior to those of the saber-and-shield infantry. Fleeing might have bought them a little more time to live, but those who dared to face Li Gui head-on died even faster.

In the span of just a few breaths, the archer formation was thrown into chaos.

No matter how well-trained they were, they were ultimately just garrison troops. At most, they had fought a few battles and possessed richer battlefield experience. When genuinely facing life and death, instinct would still conquer reason and take the upper hand.

Deprived of the archers' suppression, the Yushan stronghold's infantry in the rear closed in on the main formation, and the two sides intertwined.

In such a situation, the contest was purely about who could endure more losses, whose willpower was stronger, and whose morale was higher.

Cold weapon combat was brutal, unadorned hand-to-hand fighting.

Watching their comrades fall one by one, severed heads and limbs flying through the air, internal organs and intestines splashing everywhere, a sea of red filling their vision, the air thick with a sickening, bloody stench, and the ears ringing with the agonizing cries of the dying—the psychological pressure was simply incomparable to that of the firearm era.

Under normal circumstances in the age of cold weapon warfare, an army that could sustain a ten-percent casualty rate without collapsing could already be considered elite.

As for the Yushan faction, their morale was purely built upon a few previous victorious battles and was extremely fragile. If Li Gui hadn't poured vast amounts of gold and silver into shoring up the foundation of their morale, this head-on clash likely would have resulted in a total rout.

Even so, it probably wouldn't hold out for long.

Li Gui was well aware of this problem. Therefore, after scattering the archers, he immediately spurred his horse and charged toward the great banner of the central army.

In any era, beheading the general and seizing the banner was an important means of boosting one's own morale while shattering the enemy's psychological defenses.

The imperial generals sitting high upon their horses could see everything clearly. As orders were issued, surrounding saber-and-shield soldiers immediately swarmed forward, forcing Li Gui’s charging steed to a halt and hacking wildly at the horse beneath him.

"Damn bastards!"
"Daring to hurt my horse!"

Furious, Li Gui leaned down and swept his axe in a wild flurry of cuts. The so-called shields were torn apart like paper before the pure steel battleaxe, tearing the shield-bearing arms to shreds along with them.

Seeing that ordinary soldiers could not stop Li Gui, the subordinate commanders could no longer sit still. They brandished their weapons and swarmed around Li Gui to kill him.

This was a battlefield, not a martial arts tournament; where was there any room for single combat?

A group of men brandishing various weapons, mounted on horses, circled frantically around Li Gui, unleashing all their martial prowess in an attempt to slay this bandit chieftain and claim the supreme merit.

Those skilled in archery nocked their bowstrings, waiting for an opening to loose an arrow—impossible to guard against.

Li Gui launched two fierce attacks, hacking down several men, but all subsequent fatal blows were blocked by arrows. The unhorsed men were rescued by their subordinates, and he failed to secure a single head.

Growing restless, Li Gui spotted the archer in the rear, hefted his battleaxe, and hurled it straight at him.

As the opposing general was nocking his arrow and aiming, he suddenly saw Li Gui swing his axe. To his shock, the target turned out to be himself. Before he could dodge, it was too late; the heavy axe struck him squarely in the chest, crushing half his torso.

Seeing that Li Gui was now weaponless, the remaining generals were overjoyed. They spurred their horses forward, hoping to seize the opportunity to take Li Gui's head.

Unexpectedly, Li Gui leaped down from his horse, crouched slightly, supported the horse's belly with one hand and pressed its back with the other. Lifting it with a mighty heave, his feet exerting force as his waist twisted, utilizing the leaping momentum of the warhorse, he actually used the steed as a hidden projectile, hurling it straight at the group.

Although this warhorse was not as tall as those from the grasslands, it still weighed at least a thousand catties. Hurling sideways, it was practically an iron battering ram.

The enemy generals, completely unprepared for this, were bowled over like pins in a game of bowling, four or five of them crushed with broken bones and tendons, both men and horses perishing.

Li Gui strode forward in a counter-charge, grabbed a horse's leg, hoisted the half-ruined horse carcass as a weapon, and laid about him with devastating fury.

Who could possibly block such a weapon?
In the blink of an eye, a dozen imperial officers were wiped out, beaten into pulps of flesh and blood.

"Damn bastards!"
"Let's see how you block me now!"

Spitting fiercely, Li Gui casually tossed aside the shattered horse carcass, wiped the blood and mud from his face, picked up a broadsword from the ground, and strode toward the central army's banner.

Li Gui's appearance as a god of slaughter was truly too terrifying. The enemy soldiers ahead fled in panic, not daring to block his path, and no matter how the unit commanders behind urged them on, they simply turned a deaf ear.

Meanwhile, the Yushan faction's morale soared to the heavens, shouting in unison:

"Ten thousand victories for Brother Li Gui!"
"Might to the Star of Destiny!"

The morale previously lost due to setbacks in the bloody battle was fully replenished at this moment.

In cold weapon warfare, the role a fierce general could play on the battlefield was simply too immense, far surpassing the mere significance of killing enemies himself.

Seeing Li Gui charging close, the general beneath the banner remained calm and unruffled. He even waved a small flag, signaling the others to fall back, while he himself raised his spear, spurred his horse, and charged directly at Li Gui.

"Well-timed!"

Li Gui's spirit surged. Gathering his strength, dragging his broadsword behind him, he strode heavily toward the charging horse. He calculated that once they closed the distance, a single sweep of his blade would cleave the enemy general in two.

He was confident that no one in this world could surpass him in sheer physical strength.

Even if they launched their attacks simultaneously, his speed would allow him to strike second and arrive first, slaying the enemy preemptively.

Yet, just as the two closed in, the opposing general suddenly stretched out his palm and gestured at him. Instantly, a thunderclap rent the clear sky, exploding with a deafening crash directly above Li Gui’s head, blasting him flat onto the ground on the spot.

"Ha ha... No matter how peerless your strength and valor, before my Palm Thunder, you are still nothing more than a mortal!"

The enemy general laughed heartily, his horse's bells jangling as he charged forward to capture him.