Chapter 61: The Might of the Heaven-Shaking Thunder

However, Wang Wu was well aware of one thing: his own words carried no weight whatsoever. Only on the rarest of occasions might Ning Ye be persuaded to change his mind.

Yet at this moment, Ning Ye showed not the slightest intention of backing down; instead, he looked rather eager to try.

With a flick of his hand, Ning Ye drew two dark, heavy objects from his tunic—none other than the grenades he had acquired earlier.

He had been reluctant to reveal them before because such a device was simply too shocking for the present era. But now, surrounded entirely by his own men and facing barbarian foes, using a couple of them should pose no real problem.

With a strange look on his face, Wang Wu said, "My lord, surely you don't expect to rout four hundred cavalrymen with just these two lumps of iron? That is altogether too fanciful."

Ning Ye grinned broadly. "Never mind about that. Now, tell everyone to cover their ears immediately. The moment you hear my command, rise up at once and slaughter the enemy."

Though perplexed, Wang Wu whispered the orders down the line one by one. Once every man had received the instruction, they all plugged their ears.

Stealthily, Ning Ye pulled out a pouch of steel balls, tore some strips of fabric from his garments, and bound the pellets tightly around the grenades. By doing so, the effective lethal radius could potentially reach up to thirty meters.

Within that range, even heavily armored foes would be riddled like a sieve. Of course, that alone was far from enough; the primary objective was to terrify the horses.

Once the greatest advantage of the cavalry was stripped away, their strength could be effectively shattered. And that was to say nothing of the sheer terror such a sudden, cataclysmic force would inflict upon the men themselves.

As the cavalry closed in, the enemy commander suddenly noticed a dark object hurtling swiftly through the air toward him.

Mistaking it for a stone, he raised his saber to slash at it. Yet a split second before contact, a deafening explosion rent the air, sending a storm of steel projectiles flying in all directions.

The densely packed cavalry formation was instantly gouged open, as if a neat chunk had been bitten right out of it.

Every single horse panicked in that very instant, the thunderous blast mimicking a rolling storm, while the spraying steel pellets—even when missing their human targets—embedded themselves deeply into the flesh of the mounts.

None of them understood what had befallen them, their eyes glazed with sheer terror. In that exact fraction of a second, Ning Ye led his men in a fierce charge.

Although Wang Wu and the others were similarly bewildered, they executed Ning Ye's command without a moment's hesitation. A chaotic melee erupted on the spot. The horses were no longer an asset to the cavalry; they had become an intolerable burden.

Still, the advantage of higher ground remained, leaving Ning Ye to swiftly hunt down those who appeared to be officers.

Paralyzed by panic, the cavalrymen failed to realize that the force ambushing them consisted of a mere fifty men. Instead, the battle tilted into a one-sided slaughter, and by the time the enemy recovered their wits, nearly half of their number had been butchered.

Yet even this remaining half exerted immense pressure on Ning Ye, for their combat prowess far surpassed that of common bandits.

Amidst the swirling chaos, Ning Ye no longer had the luxury of looking after his own men; every single warrior had to rely entirely upon himself.

Though Ning Ye had once been an elite soldier, the visceral, intimate horror of blood-soaked hand-to-hand combat felt entirely different.

When warm blood splattered across his face, Ning Ye felt his blood surge to a boil.

In the flashing arc of blades, a single instant was enough to seal a man's fate. Every leap and landing by Ning Ye claimed a life, and no matter how many foes stood in his path, none could withstand a single blow from him.

When the cavalry finally realized victory was beyond their grasp, they broke and fled in disarray, though few managed to escape.

What should have been a flawless ambush fell somewhat short of perfection simply due to a lack of numbers.

Leaving no time for grief, Ning Ye immediately ordered his men to gather the bodies of their fallen comrades. A quick tally revealed that eleven men had laid down their lives.

Since it was impossible to carry the dead back, Ning Ye collected the wooden identification tags they carried. Should any of them leave behind families, those loved ones would receive a generous monthly pension henceforth.

The remaining soldiers witnessed all of this. Having a commander who cared so deeply for them was enough to fill their hearts with boundless gratitude, for in this wretched era, how many truly treated them as human beings?

Accustomed to the sight of the dead, Wang Wu trotted over to Ning Ye, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "My lord, what on earth was that thing you used just now? How can it be so terrifyingly powerful? I've never laid eyes on anything like it."

Ning Ye replied calmly, "You may call it the Thunder Breaker. I stumbled upon it by chance, but they are exceedingly rare, and I have no idea how they are crafted. Therefore, everyone must keep this strictly confidential."

Hu Laosan nodded and muttered, "That contraption might have something to do with those Taoist priests. After all, there used to be a Taoist temple near my old home, and you could hear tremendous explosions coming from there every now and then."

"So that's it. I always thought those Taoist charlatans were only good for swindling people, but it seems they harbor such methods after all."

Ning Ye reiterated firmly, "Today's events must remain a strict secret; no one is to breathe a word of it to the outside world. Furthermore, once we bury the bodies, we must immediately mount our horses and press deeper into enemy territory. The moment we intercept their transport convoy, we strike swiftly."

Incredulous, Wang Wu asked, "My lord, after all this, you still aren't calling it a day? Those cavalrymen are bound to report back. Next time, we might find ourselves surrounded and exterminated!"

"We still have one more chance to strike. All those cavalrymen retreated in the direction they came from, so the transport convoy still has no idea what has transpired. Since we've started, we must see it through to the best of our ability. We cannot let such an opportunity slip away."

Hu Laosan licked the corner of his mouth and grinned. "Old Wang, I've already slain nineteen barbarians. Don't you dare let me leave you in the dust."

Wang Wu scoffed, "Stop daydreaming in broad daylight! Thinking you could surpass me? I'll tell you right now, that's utterly impossible. Whoever loses has to wash the other's socks for a whole month once we get back."

Hu Laosan readily agreed; after all, losing this contest was a matter of pure pride.