Chapter 51: Arrogance

Page 1 of 3

As the atmosphere atop the city wall grew increasingly tense, Luo Datong panicked and shouted at the top of his lungs.

“We’re the Tenth Squad of the Assault Battalion! We’re on your side!”

Luo Datong’s voice rang out like a great bell, echoing across the battlefield.

Yet the defenders on the wall acted as though they had heard nothing. They continued watching the group below with wary eyes.

“The Tenth Squad of the Assault Battalion?”

A soldier atop the wall scratched his head, his face full of doubt.

“I heard the Tenth Squad was completely wiped out in the last battle.”

Another soldier frowned suspiciously.

“Yeah, I heard that too. Every last one of them died. Not a single man came back.”

“Then where did these people come from?”

“Could they be Rongdi soldiers in disguise, trying to trick us into opening the gates?”

“It’s possible. The Rongdi are crafty as foxes. There’s nothing they wouldn’t do.”

The defenders on the wall began talking among themselves, and the more they discussed it, the stranger it seemed.

“I’d say there’s an eighty percent chance they’re impostors. Stay alert, everyone. Don’t let yourselves be fooled!”

A man who looked like the squad’s commanding officer warned them cautiously.

“Damn it! Are these little bastards blind? They don’t even recognize me?”

At this, Zhao Ergou flew into a rage. “When I was risking my life in battle, they were probably still nursing at their mothers’ breasts!”

“Brothers on the wall, we really are the Tenth Squad of the Assault Battalion! If you don’t believe us, send word to the generals and have them come verify it!”

Luo Datong was as frantic as an ant on a hot griddle. He shouted even louder.

“Send someone to report the situation to the generals!”

The commanding officer thought for a moment, then spoke to a soldier beside him.

“Yes, sir!”

The soldier answered and immediately turned to run.

Before long, the dust began to settle, and the defenders on the wall could finally see the situation below clearly.

There were quite a few horses—more than a thousand in all—and many of them carried bulging bundles that looked like supplies.

But there were only around sixty men.

Moreover, the battle robes they wore and the banners they carried were unmistakably those of the defenders of Yanmen Pass.

“Commander, look. There are only about sixty people down there, and they’re carrying so many supplies. They don’t look like they’re here to attack the city.”

Page 1 of 3

Page 2 of 3

A soldier pointed down and spoke.

“Mm. I agree. It doesn’t look that way.”

Another soldier nodded.

“Still, we’d better be careful. These are extraordinary times. We can’t afford the slightest mistake.”

Although the commander had begun to waver, he remained cautious.

“Keep watching them. I’ll be back shortly.”

Still uneasy, he decided to go and inspect the situation himself.

“These damn bastards are blind as bats!”

The more Zhao Ergou thought about it, the angrier he became, and he cursed loudly. “Once I get inside, I’ll give them a proper lesson!”

“Commander, calm down. Let’s think about how to get into the city first,” Luo Datong advised.

“What are you afraid of? You think I can’t get into the city?”

Zhao Ergou glared. “After everything I’ve accomplished, if they dare keep me out, I’ll tear Yanmen Pass apart!”

The soldiers on the wall continued to watch the people below warily, not daring to relax for even a moment.

…

On the northern tower of the city, a group of generals stared intently at the battlefield like eagles, afraid of missing the slightest change.

The moment any powerful Rongdi warrior revealed himself, they would have to pounce immediately like tigers descending from the mountain and stop him.

“Report!”

A messenger came running toward them like the wind.

“What is it?”

Wang Li did not take his eyes off the battlefield as he asked in a deep voice.

“General, there is a group of men and horses outside the southern gate claiming to be the Tenth Squad of our Yinshan Army’s Assault Battalion. They have brought more than a thousand horses and are requesting instructions from the general.”

The messenger finished in a single breath, his voice trembling slightly.

“What?”

Wang Li sprang to his feet as though someone had stepped on a cat’s tail.

The other generals wore expressions of utter disbelief, as if they had just heard an impossible tale.

The Tenth Squad of the Assault Battalion?

The squad that had driven like a sharp blade into the right flank of the Rongdi army and thrown the enemy camp into utter chaos?

They remembered that unit vividly. It was impossible to forget.

Hadn’t it been reported that the entire Assault Battalion had died gloriously in battle?

How had they suddenly appeared again?

“You’re certain it’s the Tenth Squad of the Assault Battalion?”

Wang Li’s eyes widened like bronze bells, and even his voice went slightly out of tune.

Page 2 of 3

Page 3 of 3

“General, that is what the people outside claim,” the messenger answered honestly.

“General, I’ll go take a look!”

General Sima Xin, the Captive-Subduing General, volunteered at once. His heart was itching with curiosity.

“Very well. Take Colonel Yang with you and find out what’s going on.”

Wang Li nodded. At that moment, he was like a man nailed to the city tower, unable to leave even a single step.

The Rongdi army was still launching its frenzied assault on the city. He had to remain here like a pillar holding back the sea, firmly guarding the walls in case one of the Rongdi grandmasters suddenly made a move.

“Yes, General!”

Sima Xin answered, called for Colonel Yang, and hurried toward the southern wall.

The scene shifted. Sima Xin and Colonel Yang arrived at the southern wall.

Sima Xin looked down and saw a formation of men and horses standing in orderly ranks beneath the city.

“Is that… Zhao Ergou?”

Sima Xin recognized Zhao Ergou at the very front at a glance. He would have known that rascal even if he had been reduced to ashes.

Zhao Ergou was dressed in full armor and sat astride a warhorse with imposing dignity. His bearing was so commanding that he looked even more like a general than a general himself.

Behind him, the soldiers stood tall and spirited. Each man was leading more than a dozen warhorses. The sight was truly spectacular.

“Colonel Yang, are all the men down there from your battalion’s Tenth Squad?”

Still somewhat uneasy, Sima Xin asked again.

It was better to be cautious. One could never be too careful.

“General, more than a dozen of them aren’t. They seem to be from other squads. The rest are all soldiers of the Tenth Squad.”

Colonel Yang examined them carefully before replying.

Seeing Zhao Ergou and the others, Colonel Yang was astonished as well.

Hadn’t word spread that these men had already died on the battlefield, wrapped in their armor and carried away on their horses?

How had they returned so lively—and looking so well-fed and content?

“Good.”

Only then did Sima Xin relax, letting out a long breath.

“Open the gates at once and let them in!”

Sima Xin swept out his hand and gave the order.

Then he hurried down from the wall and made his way to the city gate.

At that moment, it felt as though a hundred ants were crawling through his heart, leaving him unbearably restless.

He was dying to know what earth-shaking deed Zhao Ergou had accomplished to bring back so many warhorses.

The city gates slowly opened.

When Zhao Ergou saw the way clear before him, he spurred his horse to the front and shouted loudly, “Brothers, follow me into the city! Let these bastards see how our Tenth Squad wins a battle!”

His voice was booming and full of strength. The sheer arrogance in it seemed powerful enough to shatter the heavens.

Page 3 of 3