Volume 1, Chapter 26: I Am Willing to Offer My Own Head!

"Battalion Commander! This boy broke into the military tent; he must be an accomplice of the Yan rebels!"

Shi Changming’s roar exploded suddenly, causing the candles in the tent to flicker violently.

A blade flashed like snow, swift as lightning!

The strike was aimed directly at Zhang Muyang’s neck, showing lethal intent; he clearly meant to silence him on the spot!

Unfortunately...

Zhang Muyang had already anticipated this. His body swayed sharply to the side, and his right leg swept out like a steel whip. The thousand-jin force of the Meat-Refinement Realm erupted, sending Shi Changming flying backward, where he crashed heavily into the brazier!

"Hiss!"

A chorus of gasps echoed through the tent.

Several squad leaders had their mouths agape, unable to believe their eyes.

A squad commander had actually kicked a Bone-Refinement Realm squad leader flying with a single blow?

Zhang Muyang knelt on one knee, cupping his fists above his head, his voice ringing through the tent: "Battalion Commander! I suspect there is a traitor among the five squad leaders. I request an immediate search! No one is allowed to leave!"

"You still dare to slander your comrades!"

Shi Changming let out a beast-like growl and lunged at Zhang Muyang, only to be struck heavily in the back of the knee by a scabbard!

Thud!

Shi Changming collapsed to his knees.

Wu Kexiong snorted, "Move one more inch, and I’ll hack off your claws."

"Battalion Commander..."

"Speak!"

Wu Kexiong’s gaze fixed on Zhang Muyang like a hawk, each word biting: "What if you find no evidence?"

Zhang Muyang looked up, meeting his eyes without a flicker of hesitation: "I am willing to offer my head!"

"Good! You’ve got guts!"

Wu Kexiong suddenly shouted, "Guards!"

The tent flap was ripped open, and ten personal guards filed in, their gleaming waist blades drawn, casting a chilling light throughout the tent.

Wu Kexiong swept his gaze over the five squad leaders and said in a deep voice: "You have served under me for many years; you know my temper. I trust you, but today, I want to make this boy leave his head behind with full conviction... are you willing to cooperate?"

"I am willing to cooperate!" Shi Changming was the first to answer, though he shot a sinister glance at Zhang Muyang.

"I am willing to cooperate!"

"Tie them all up!"

The ten guards rushed forward, binding the men tightly.

Wu Kexiong stepped forward himself, his rough fingers searching through every collar, boot lining, and hair knot...

The result: nothing.

Shi Changming said coldly, "Battalion Commander, can we chop this boy’s head off now?"

Zhang Muyang suddenly shouted, "Squad Leader Shi! Commander Wei told me to bring you a message... at midnight tonight, the fireworks will be the signal!"

"What? It’s not the torches..."

Shi Changming blurted it out before slamming on the brakes, his face turning as pale as paper.

Crack!

Wu Kexiong’s heavy boot slammed into Shi Changming’s chest. Shi Changming flew back like a kite with a broken string, hit the tent pole, and slid to the ground, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

Wu Kexiong stepped on him, berating, "Speak! How have you been contacting the Northern Yan cavalry?!"

"Battalion Commander, I didn’t... I was framed by him!"

"Still playing tough? Men! Strip him, tie him to the stake outside the tent, and pour a bucket of cold water on him every half-incense stick of time!"

"Battalion Commander, have mercy! I really don’t know anything..."

Shi Changming wailed, but was dragged out like a dead dog by two guards.

As the tent flaps fluttered, one could hear his screams carried away by the biting wind.

Wu Kexiong cut the ropes binding Zhang Muyang and Chen Xiucheng with his blade and asked, "Speak, what is this all about?"

Zhang Muyang held nothing back, recounting the events of killing the four Yan rebels and discovering the secret letter. At the time, he had assumed it was an ordinary secret letter and dared not speak up until he was dispatched to Hufeng Pass and recalled the contents.

The tent fell into a dead silence.

Wu Kexiong’s thick beard trembled slightly, and the veins on the back of his hand, clutching his blade, bulged.

The faces of Chen Xiucheng, Liu Yunzhao, and the other squad leaders turned deathly pale. They had thought guarding Hufeng Pass was an easy assignment, never imagining it was a grave already dug by the Northern Yan cavalry!

Five hundred men against one hundred thousand cavalry—this wasn't defending a pass; it was being sent to their deaths!

"What are your suggestions?"

"Battalion Commander, shouldn't we hurry back to Zhenbei Pass to request reinforcements from General Xiao?"

"It’s too late."

Chen Xiucheng shook his head: "Today is New Year’s Eve. Zhenbei Pass is likely already holding their victory banquet. By the time reinforcements arrive, Hufeng Pass will have already fallen."

The squad leaders were struck dumb; this was a hopeless dead end!

Zhang Muyang suddenly spoke: "Battalion Commander, I have a few words I would like to say to you in private."

Wu Kexiong glanced at him and waved his hand: "All of you, get out."

Only the two of them remained in the tent.

Wu Kexiong was a Pulse-Refinement Realm warrior and feared no tricks from a mere squad commander.

Zhang Muyang took a deep breath, walked to the table, and poked his finger firmly at the river section on the map: "The Northern Yan claim to have one hundred thousand cavalry, but that is a bluff. If they want to cross Hufeng Pass, they must pass through this frozen riverbed... What we must do is not defend the pass, but destroy the path!"

"Destroy the path? The ice is over three feet thick; how do we destroy it?"

"凿穿 it!"

Zhang Muyang’s voice was resolute: "Send a hundred men to guard the opposite bank and keep an eye on the Northern Yan’s movements. The rest of us will chisel the ice during the day, creating holes a yard wide, covering them with branches and snow for camouflage. When the Northern Yan cavalry charges, their horses will step into the void, and that will become their burial ground!"

The tent was so quiet they could hear each other breathing.

Wu Kexiong stared at the river on the map, his fingers tapping his knees unconsciously: "But even if the Northern Yan fall into the ice holes, the ones behind can still charge through..."

"That is why we need a backup plan."

Zhang Muyang pointed to the mountain walls on both sides: "Send two hundred men to the mountains to chisel out giant boulders, as many as possible. When the Northern Yan cavalry is in chaos in the ice holes, we will push the boulders down, followed by oil-soaked arrows. Even if we cannot kill one hundred thousand cavalry, we can inflict heavy casualties and hold out until the reinforcements from Zhenbei Pass arrive!"

His voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable strength.

This seemingly unremarkable squad commander possessed such a clear mind and such ruthless methods; he was nothing like a raw recruit who had only joined the army a month ago.

Wu Kexiong stared at Zhang Muyang again and again, then suddenly slammed his palm onto the table: "Good, we will do as you say."

Zhang Muyang knelt on one knee: "If this plan succeeds, it is entirely due to your decisive leadership, Battalion Commander. I only made a suggestion."

"Haha! You boy, you certainly know how to talk!"

Wu Kexiong laughed and pulled him up: "Rest assured, if we can hold off the Northern Yan cavalry this time, I will give you the top credit!"

Without delay, Wu Kexiong called the four squad leaders back into the tent and assigned the tasks.

The squad leaders agreed in unison.

Just then, a personal guard rushed in and knelt: "Report to the Battalion Commander! Shi Changming has confessed!"

Wu Kexiong’s eyes sharpened: "Let’s go and see."

In a separate tent, Shi Changming was stripped naked and tied to a wooden stake. His skin was blue-purple from the cold, covered in a thin layer of frost. His lips were dark, his teeth chattering with a clacking sound.

A guard nearby held a bucket, preparing to pour the third bucket of cold water on him... This was more agonizing than death; the freezing water hitting his numb flesh felt like being sliced by knives.

"Speak! How did you contact them?" Wu Kexiong’s voice was like an ice pick, piercing the eardrums.

"I light ten torches, standing in a row, which means... the drug in the victory wine has taken effect, and they... they will attack."

"Besides you, who else?"

"There is... there is Wei Wentong!"

Shi Changming’s voice trembled uncontrollably: "He is a clansman of Wei Song, an aide to the Prince of Beijing. He said... said that after the city falls, he would promote me to Deputy Battalion Commander and reward me with a hundred taels of silver..."

Wei Wentong?

Wu Kexiong’s face darkened further. This matter was of grave importance. If he had been assigned to Hufeng Pass, there must have been a traitor close to General Jingbian, otherwise, it would not have fallen to him.

"Who is leading the Northern Yan?"

"Helian Jue, the Great Commander of the Blood Wolf Cavalry!"

A strange smile appeared on Shi Changming’s face: "Wu Kexiong, do you think you can win by killing me? Great Commander Helian can rip tigers and leopards apart with his bare hands; the Blood Wolf Cavalry will trample your Hufeng Pass into the ground..."

"Noisy!"

Wu Kexiong’s fan-like hand clamped onto Shi Changming’s throat, lifting him off the ground.

Shi Changming’s legs kicked in the air, but the frantic smile remained on his face: "You will all die..."

Crack!

Wu Kexiong snapped his neck and said in a deep voice: "Send men to keep a close eye on Commander Wei. Do not act rashly; everything must proceed according to the plan."

Outside the tent, the snow continued to fall, rustling as it landed on the armor.

Zhang Muyang gazed toward the river, gripping the Hanling blade at his waist... Helian Jue? The Blood Wolf Cavalry? It sounded a bit like the "Blood Wolf Special Forces Unit" he had once served in.

Only, those Northern Yan cavalrymen would soon get a taste of ice holes, boulders, and fire arrows.