Chapter 47: The Great Qin's Snow Dragon Riders

"Luo Datong!"

Zhao Ergou let out a thunderous roar that startled Luo Datong, who was currently spacing out.

Luo Datong stumbled, nearly falling flat on his backside, and scrambled out of the ranks, stuttering:

"Present, subordinate is here!"

His cowardly appearance was much like a startled rabbit, ready to turn tail and bolt at any second.

"What are you still standing there daydreaming for? The path has already been cleared for you all, full assault, do you not understand human speech?!"

Zhao Ergou glared, his aura as fierce as a man-eating beast.

"Understood!"

Luo Datong hurriedly acknowledged the order, though his voice still quaked slightly.

"What is this? Did none of you eat today? Where is that masculine spirit of yours? I want you all howling at the top of your lungs!"

Zhao Ergou remained unsatisfied; he wanted a roaring pack of tigers and wolves, not a bunch of weaklings.

With a grand sweep of his massive arm, pointing the way forward like a fluttering banner, his heroic spirit soared to the heavens.

"Before dawn, I want to see our Great Qin banner fluttering atop that city wall! Did you all hear me clearly?!"

His voice, brimming with passion and power, was like a torch igniting the martial fervor deep within the soldiers' hearts.

"By your command—"

The Qin soldiers summoned every ounce of strength they had left to roar in unison, a earth-shaking sound that seemed capable of piercing the very heavens.

Then, chests puffed out and sabers brandished, they rushed forth like a pack of starving wolves, flooding out of the blood-soaked gateway to slaughter their way toward the enemy's lair. What an astonishing display of momentum!

The elite guards were finished, and the fortress commanders were all dead.

When the sentries atop the stockade fence witnessed these red-scarbed, barbarian-attired Qin soldiers charging fiercely toward them, they were scared out of their wits. Wetting themselves in terror, they scattered and fled in utter disarray, completely routed.

Yet these Qin soldiers cared not whether they surrendered or not; today, not a single one of them would be allowed to escape!

Acting like a pack of maddened beasts, they slashed at everyone they encountered, hunting down every single Rongdi soldier they could find.

From the ramparts to the open courtyard, from the courtyard into the grand tents, corpses and blood littered every corner of Gaoque Pass. Every inch of ground was dyed crimson—it was nothing short of a living hell!

It was not until the first rays of morning light illuminated Gaoque Pass that the massacre finally subsided.

The Rongdi wolf banner was nowhere to be seen, having vanished like the twilight of a fallen dynasty, utterly finished.

In its place fluttered a crimson banner emblazoned with a Chinese character, bearing the bold surname: Zhao!

This banner, signaling the dawn of a new dynasty, foretold that this land would welcome a new master. From this day forward, this territory belonged to the House of Zhao!

However, our hero, Zhao Ergou, was unfortunately unable to witness this magnificent sight.

He stood rigidly like a stone statue, eyes tightly shut, looking as though he had fallen into a deep, death-like slumber.

"Squad leader?!"

"What has happened to the squad leader?"

"Luo Datong, you coward, what is the meaning of this? Give us an explanation!"

In the morning square, the officers crowded around Luo Datong, their eyes bloodshot as if high on battle stimulants, practically ready to come to blows.

Luo Datong and his men had captured Gaoque Pass and arrived in high spirits to report their victory, only to be horrified to find Zhao Ergou stiffly slumped over a stone bench like a stone sculpture, completely lifeless. No matter how frantically they called out to him, he gave no response whatsoever, terrifying everyone present out of their wits.

"You have the gall to ask me? Bah!"

Luo Datong's face was as pale as paper, drained of all color, and he felt a profound sense of grievance.

As a mere conscript pressed into service, today had truly opened his eyes; this bloody carnage was far more terrifying than butchering pigs. He had vomited repeatedly until it felt as though his very gallbladder would spill out.

Wiping his mouth, Luo Datong pointed straight at the noses of the officers and cursed:

"If not for you bunch of good-for-nothing wastes! Had you not been so utterly useless, would our squad leader have had to risk his life like this? If anything happens to him, I swear I'll never let you bastards off!"

His voice, brimming with fury and resentment, pierced the officers' hearts like sharp daggers.

At these words, the officers were left utterly speechless.

Struck dumb as if hit by lightning, they stood frozen in place, unable to utter a single syllable.

Deep down, they knew the truth well enough; they simply refused to accept it.

That Zhao Ergou, who always seemed to possess an endless reservoir of strength, that Zhao Ergou who fought like a God of War, could actually collapse from exhaustion.

At that moment, they finally realized that Zhao Ergou was merely human, not forged of iron; he too could grow weary, he too could fall, and a heavy, bitter taste lingered in every one of their hearts.

Zhao Ergou had indeed collapsed from exhaustion.

...

Zhao Ergou snapped his eyes open, feeling as though he had just emerged from an exceptionally long dream. In the dream, he had returned to the modern era—towering skyscrapers, bustling traffic, everything both familiar and deeply estranged.

"Where is this?" He sat up in a single, fluid carp-like motion, scanning his surroundings to find himself resting inside a modest campaign tent, the air carrying a faint aroma of medicinal herbs.

"You're awake?" A rugged voice sounded, and Luo Datong's honest face drifted into his field of vision.

"Squad leader, you're finally awake! You've been asleep for half a day!"

Only then did Zhao Ergou recall collapsing from sheer exhaustion back at Gaoque Pass. "Did we win?"

"We won! A complete victory!"

Luo Datong slapped his own thighs in sheer excitement. "We've pulled down the Rongdi wolf banner, and right now, our flag is flying high over Gaoque Pass!"

Zhao Ergou broke into a wide grin, the heavy boulder in his heart finally dropping back into place.

Although this operation had been fraught with extreme peril, it had ultimately succeeded.

By attacking Gaoque Pass today, they had leveled a major defensive barrier blocking Great Qin's advance against the Rongdi.

This was a monumental military achievement!

Staggering to his feet, Zhao Ergou remembered that their own soldiers had suffered casualties during the assault on Gaoque Pass.

"Quickly tend to the wounded!" Zhao Ergou commanded loudly, his voice resonant and full of vigor, showing no trace of weakness.

Two men had died in battle, and a dozen or so were wounded.

Luo Datong and the others immediately set to work treating the injured.

After administering miraculous healing medicines, the wounded soldiers' injuries healed at a speed visible to the naked eye, a truly wondrous sight.

As for the two fallen soldiers, they could only be buried right where they lay.

A single handful of yellow earth, and the heroes rested in eternal slumber.

From this assault on Gaoque Pass, they had captured over sixty completely unharmed warhorses.

These horses were robust and well-fed, clearly top-tier steeds at first glance.

All enemy sabers, armor, and gear were stripped and collected as well.

The captured weapons and armor were piled as high as mountains, gleaming brilliantly and dazzling to the eye.

With warhorses now plentiful, all supplies were strapped securely to their backs.

Over a dozen injured horses were slaughtered, their meat becoming a savory meal for the soldiers. The rich, enticing aroma of meat drifted through the air, stirring everyone's appetites.

The remaining injured horses were left to fend for themselves in the vast grasslands.

Having finished cleaning up the battlefield, Zhao Ergou waved his hand and led the troops to relocate, preventing any large force of Rongdi cavalry from tracking their movements.

Encumbered by horses and supplies, the troop departed in high spirits, having secured yet another victory and slain over a hundred Rongdi horsemen.

Such military merit would not go unrecognized, and perhaps substantial monetary rewards awaited them as well.

Zhao Ergou felt a warm glow of satisfaction inside, calculating how merits and rewards ought to be distributed upon their return.

If he could command his own cavalry unit, and with so many horses now at their disposal, the Great Snow Dragon Cavalry could finally be established.

Though the name sounded slightly playful, it would at least fulfill a dream from his past life.

The Great Qin Snow Dragon Cavalry, sweeping across the grasslands and pushing straight into Eurasia—just thinking about it was exhilarating!