Kneel! If you are willing to swear allegiance to me, I can spare your life!

A pack of defeated cowards, yet you dare to run wild here! Slaughter them all!

Tugebu gave a sweeping gesture and issued an order to kill without mercy. His voice was filled with utter contempt and disdain, as though these Qin soldiers were already sheep waiting for the slaughter.

Charge!

At Tugebu's command, it was as if a powder keg had been ignited.

The tense atmosphere of the two opposing armies was shattered instantly. The soldiers of both sides crashed into each other like two surging torrents. The clash of blades, agonizing screams, and furious roars intertwined into a deafening roar.

Hahahaha, well come!

Zhao Ergou let out a roar that shook the tiles. His blood was boiling, and his fighting spirit soared. Brothers, show them who truly rules this grassland!

He took the lead, rushing forward as the first to engage. The long saber in his hand danced like a dragon emerging from the sea, possessing an unstoppable momentum.

Yet, in the blink of an eye, several shrill, agonizing cries pierced Zhao Ergou's eardrums like sharp awls.

These sounds made him knit his brows.

He had always relied too heavily on his own raw valor, habitually solving problems through an invincible personal strength.

But now, he suddenly realized that he might have overlooked a crucial issue.

That was the disparity between military units, or rather, the gap in equipment.

It was akin to fighting an iron hammer with a wooden stick—they were simply not on the same level.

Forty-eight fully rested, high-spirited armored royal guards of the Rondi, pitted against more than seventy exhausted Qin soldiers who had marched long distances unarmored. The outcome of this battle had been sealed from the very beginning.

It was just like a pack of starving wolves confronting a weary flock of sheep; victory and defeat were already decided.

Retreat? Why should we retreat!

Zhao Ergou roared like a thunderclap, Brothers, charge! When paths cross in a narrow space, the braver warrior wins!

Fall back.

Tugebu gently raised a hand. This simple gesture seemed imbued with a certain magical force.

Those iron guards who had been aggressively charging immediately halted their pursuit. Their movements were uniform and synchronized as if they were a single man, swiftly reforming and maintaining a tight, orderly formation without the slightest trace of chaos.

Yes, these Rondi people could also maintain strict formations, executing commands and prohibitions just like the Qin army.

Years of continuous warfare with Qin had imperceptibly transformed these grassland tribes.

Long periods of intermingling and intermarriage also meant they were no longer the blood-drinking savages of the past.

While ordinary herder-soldiers might still lack discipline and remain scattered like loose sand.

However, the elite warriors within the tribes had long since been reborn; the tactical skills they mastered were now no less inferior to those of the Qin army's elite forces.

After merely a single exchange, the troop ratio shifted to forty-eight versus seventy-six—a chilling and startling number.

The four corpses of the Qin soldiers on the ground lay there quietly like four cold stones, standing out painfully.

Their blood dyed the earth beneath their feet red, and also stained the eyes of every surviving Qin soldier with crimson.

And what about the Rondi on the opposite side?

They were completely unharmed, and their breathing had not even grown rapid.

This was the gap in equipment—one in the heavens, the abyss below.

The sabers in their own hands were like toys before the Rondi's iron armor, utterly incapable of piercing their defense.

Yet every time the Rondi swung their weapons, they whipped up a bloody storm, and every attack was lethal.

Light infantry fighting heavy infantry possessed only one advantage: mobility.

But what about now?

The Qin soldiers' stamina was already depleted, and coupled with the narrow terrain, their mobility could not be brought into play at all. They were like leopards with tied limbs, left entirely at the mercy of others.

Damn it, we can't beat them! These royal iron guards... how on earth are we supposed to fight this?!

Tuda Kang clutched his injured wrist, his face contorted in pain as he glared at the chipped blade in his hand, cursing through clenched teeth.

This fight was utterly impossible!

Even if we can't beat them, we still have to fight!

Zhao Ergou bellowed, his voice filled with unyielding defiance and wild arrogance, In Zhao Ergou's dictionary, there is no such thing as 'can't beat them'!

Advance!

Tugebu's voice rang out once more, steady and powerful, sounding like a death-knell battle drum.

He directed the Rondi soldiers to push forward step by step. Every step landed with firm stability, slowly bearing down like a moving mountain.

And the Qin soldiers?

They could only retreat step by step, each retreat so arduous, so filled with reluctance, like cornered beasts driven to the edge of a cliff with nowhere left to run.

We can't retreat any further! If we retreat any more, we'll be out in the open!

Luo Datong glanced back and warned anxiously, his voice laced with anxiety and dread.

If they retreated out of this encampment, leaving aside whether the Rondi would lock the doors to beat the dogs inside, the arrow rain dense as locusts on the stockade ramparts alone would be more than enough to finish them off.

By then, they would truly become turtles in a jar, with no wings to fly away.

Squad Leader Zhao, what do we do?!

Faced with the steadily closing Tugebu and the royal iron guards, Zhao Ergou's face showed not a shred of panic. Instead, a flash of excited a smile appeared.

Royal iron guards?

The elite troops of Yiqu?

The highest-tier military unit?

So what!

He specialized in fighting elites!

Zhao Ergou felt his blood boiling and his fighting spirit blazing!

Come on! Let me see what these so-called elites are really made of!

Huff—huff—huff—

Zhao Ergou's chest heaved violently as he felt a continuous surge of boundless strength welling up within him!

Ah—

A piercing scream echoed out as a Qin soldier was pushed out of the main gateway and instantly riddled with arrows like a hedgehog by the archers above the gate tower.

Those archers had drawn their bows and aimed at this spot long ago, waiting precisely for them to walk right into the trap.

We have nowhere left to run!

Tuda Kang's voice was full of despair.

Nowhere left to run? Nonsense!

There was no such word as 'retreat' in Zhao Ergou's dictionary!

Huff—huff—huff—

Zhao Ergou panted heavily, a fanatical gleam flashing in his eyes.

He looked at the royal iron guards before him, whose long sabers gleamed with a cold light in the sunlight like the scythes of grim reapers, sending chills down one's spine.

So what?

He was going to use their blood to dye his battle robe red!

Zhao Ergou licked his lips, his gaze filled with a bloodthirsty craving.

He could hardly wait to start a massive slaughter!

Squad Leader!

Luo Datong clenched his teeth and shouted, Extending the head is a knife blow, drawing it back is still a knife blow—damn it, let's fight them to the death!

Fight them to the death?

Right, fight to the death!

How would you know how strong you are if you don't fight?

How could you become the most dazzling warrior on this grassland without risking your life?

Zhao Ergou burst into laughter that shook the surrounding wilderness!

He raised a hand to signal the Qin soldiers behind him to halt.

Then, he took a step forward, breaking away from the ranks to stand directly before Tugebu.

Squad Leader?!

Zhao Ergou's sudden action left everyone dumbfounded; they could not comprehend what he intended to do.

Was he going to throw his life away?

Or did he plan to surrender?

Having just slain an enemy commander, Zhao Ergou had barely caught his breath when a rough voice exploded in his ear.

Kid, not bad skills.

Following the voice, he saw a burly, thick-bearded warrior sitting high atop a tall steed, looking down at him with condescending superiority.

The brute held a long sword, its tip gleaming with a chilling light as it pointed straight between Zhao Ergou's eyebrows.

Kneel. If you are willing to pledge your loyalty to me, this general can spare your life.

Tugebu spoke, his voice carrying a trace of unquestionable majesty.