Chapter 412 – Relocation to Chenzhou (Eighteen)
Ninth General sprang to his feet, towering close to eight feet tall, a hulking mass resembling a mountain of flesh, with veins bulging in his arms and forehead.
He huffed, his rugged face twisting into a fierce scowl as he grabbed two massive bronze hammers.
At that moment, the other subordinates in the hall awakened from their stupor, vaguely realizing the commotion outside. One by one, they hurriedly tossed on some clothing, but after drinking heavily and fooling around for so long, their legs felt a bit wobbly.
Ninth General, bare-chested, forcefully shoved open the door, just in time to have a severed head roll to his feet, spinning twice.
He looked down to see the head staring right back at him, its lifeless eyes wide open, sending a shiver down his spine.
“Whoa, quite the catch!”
Suddenly, a mocking voice reached his ears, and Ninth General glared fiercely in its direction.
Jiang Pengji had fought continuously, her entire being drenched in thick, sticky blood, making it impossible to recognize her former self. Gone was the refined appearance of a noble in green garments; she now exuded a menacing aura as if she had clawed her way out of hell.
“Who are you? I don’t kill nameless fools!”
Ninth General felt confident, believing he could see that Jiang Pengji brought only a few people with her.
Her figure and stature were misleading; many believed the larger the body, the stronger the power. By that standard, Jiang Pengji looked like a frail doll that could be blown away by the wind, hardly worth his attention.
Compared to Jiang Pengji, he was far more concerned about the circle of skilled fighters surrounding her.
Jiang Pengji spat out a mouthful of blood, a wicked grin spreading across her face, her eyes flashing with a hint of crimson.
She didn’t say a word but suddenly propelled herself forward, instantly closing the distance between herself and Ninth General.
No time for chit-chat; in battle, who cares about tactics?
Either you die, or you live.
Ninth General initially planned to play it cool, but Jiang Pengji disregarded conventional rules and didn’t bother with pleasantries.
He instinctively lifted his massive hammer to block the ensuing blade strike.
Thud—
A grating sound like teeth grinding echoed in his ears. After a single blow, a deep gash marked the hammer covered in iron spikes.
Shock flooded Ninth General’s heart as his right hand split open, blood oozing thick and crimson, soaking his palm.
That sudden burst of immense force nearly made him lose grip of the hammer. Still, his gigantic frame was rocked back, forcing him to stumble three or four steps. If he hadn’t steadied himself, he would’ve definitely fallen flat on his face, utterly humiliated.
As he stood there, still reeling, Jiang Pengji gripped her knife with one hand and swiftly drew a one-foot blade from her waist with the other. With a thud, the gleaming white blade buried itself into someone’s neck—an attempted sneak attack thwarted, and the attacker had met his end.
While Ninth General was staggered, trying to regain his balance, Jiang Pengji claimed two more lives in quick succession.
“Charge! Take him down!”
Though Ninth General was a bandit known for spilling blood and causing chaos, he was no match for Jiang Pengji!
Faced with her relentless assault, even Ninth General found himself hesitating.
A few subordinates thought they could leverage their numbers to subdue Jiang Pengji and win great merit.
After all, she had strayed from her group’s protection and entered their encirclement.
But sometimes, sheer strength had nothing to do with numbers.
Even if there were more people on Ninth General’s side, it was utterly useless; she wouldn’t flinch facing a hundred foes.
Her back seemed to have eyes, effectively dodging ambushes as her knife became the Grim Reaper’s scythe, easily cutting through hearts, temples, or throats, swiftly ending lives.
With no room to retreat, Ninth General swung his heavy hammers toward her head, only to see her leap back, like a fish gliding through water, her feet pushing off with force, the knife in her right hand cutting towards his knees and severing them.
Bracing herself, she kicked the wrist of a would-be attacker, spinning to regain her stance.
With her left hand, she slashed at Ninth General’s thick neck, blood spraying as she snatched his head before it could hit the ground.
Blood gushed from the wound, pooling on the floor, as Ninth General’s eyes bulged in shock and terror.
As for his body?
Both knees chopped off, his head severed, the remaining torso crashed down with a thud.
Jiang Pengji stood in the hall, right hand gripping Ninth General’s severed head, shouting triumphantly.
“Enemy leader beheaded; surrenderers shall not be killed!”
Those still contemplating an attack found themselves mercilessly dispatched.
The remaining fighters lost all will, dropping their weapons in reluctant defeat.
At that moment, the quiet live stream exploded with countless comments.
As the audience watched Jiang Pengji trapped in the enemy’s circle, their hearts rose into their throats, nearly forgetting to breathe.
Seeing her agile figure easily handle the attackers, they couldn’t help but cheer; some even turned red with excitement.
Even watching the most thrilling martial arts films couldn’t compare to the adrenaline rush they felt.
Because they knew, no matter how real the movie seemed, it was all fake; everything in the live stream was genuine.
Jiang Pengji was in battle, walking a tightrope high above; one misstep meant a plunge into the abyss.
She didn’t want to lose her head to the enemy; instead, she aimed to take theirs.
From the county gate to this hall, the ground lay strewn with dismembered corpses, blood flowing freely, and the heavy scent of death filled the air. The surviving members of the Green Garment Army surrendered their weapons, their fighting spirit completely extinguished.
Just before Jiang Pengji led her troops into the county office, Meng Hunyun had also kicked off his offensive.
The Green Garment Army near the west gate rushed over upon hearing the news. As more arrived, they were blindsided, for their enemy had not only ambushed the city gates but also deployed considerable forces to lie in wait, ready to ensnare them.
Archery was mandatory training in every troop; they spent at least an hour daily perfecting it.
After rigorous practice and constant improvements on their crossbows, they still weren’t sharpshooters, but they could shoot with decent accuracy—hitting their mark over 90% of the time.
Now, their target wasn’t just one single Green Garment soldier, but…
With gestures, Meng Hunyun ordered his troops to ready their knives, and arrows shot forth, extinguishing the torches held by the Green Garment Army.
In the alley, only faint glimmers of light remained, while the rest was engulfed in darkness.
This sudden darkness caused chaos among the Green Garment soldiers, and the next moment, a rain of arrows awaited them.
Not just here, but other places were also playing out the same scene.
Before long, the screams of the dying Green Garment soldiers pierced the sky, as one by one, they fell to the ground, the floor soon littered with their corpses. After a few rounds of fire, the positions of Meng Hunyun’s ambush were exposed, bringing more enemies to the scene.
To limit casualties, Meng Hunyun quickly ordered a tactical retreat.
“Fall back for now!”
This strategic withdrawal aimed for greater victory and minimized loss.
Green Garment Army, we’ll grind you down bit by bit!
