“Kargas, you and I will stay up here to monitor. Everyone else, retreat down below,” Zhou Rui instructed.

At this point, knowing that the enemy had already seized their weakness and was attacking in the simplest and most effective way, continuing to maintain manpower outside would only increase losses. It was better to leave two people outside to observe the situation. Anyway, reinforcements were on their way; hopefully, they could hold out until then. And since the Dragon Gate Inn was a brick and wood structure, and seemingly built without cutting corners, it wouldn’t be so easy to burn down, especially with so many people inside. They just needed to extinguish the small fires in time.

Jin Xiangyu clearly understood the importance of safety. Moreover, an inn naturally needed various preparations. The water tanks in the courtyard and kitchen were always full. And there were three wells for drawing water—one in the courtyard, one outside the front gate, and one in the well house. Although pine oil and pine wax were increasingly used in construction, the Dragon Gate Inn hadn’t used any such flammable or explosive materials; the floors were uniformly soaked in medicinal liquid. This was standard for almost all northern inns. Floors treated this way were anti-corrosive, fire-resistant, insect-proof, easy to clean, and the wood grain became more beautiful as the surface was polished with use. Although the arrows constantly flying into the rooms kept everyone busy, they gradually calmed down when they realized they could handle the situation well enough.

Kargas wasn’t just watching from above; the enemy didn’t dare approach, which was a good opportunity for him to display his archery skills. He just needed to keep shooting arrows, without having to worry about protecting himself. Zhou Rui would naturally block all arrows that threatened them, even catching some weaker ones directly in his hand. Kargas was extremely impressed by this skill.

In recent years, Zhou Rui's skills had greatly improved since he first met Ye Tao. He had previously received guidance from experts like Liu Yong and Jin Ze, and later, through a series of operations, he had refined his skills, reactions, awareness, and experience. Now, although he was still significantly behind the seasoned Liu Yong in martial arts competitions, he possessed an energy in the battlefield, in such complex situations, that was absolutely not inferior to Liu Yong and others.

“A little longer,” Zhou Rui whispered to Kargas, who gritted his teeth and nodded. Although the longbow had a long range and great power, it put a lot of strain on the wrist, elbow, and even the waist. Moreover, the longbow's accuracy was limited; after all, they couldn't predict subtle changes in the wind direction or sudden turns by the enemy. The fluorescent arrows took too long to travel through the air.

Zhou Rui had already seen the lights emerging from a dark forest in the distance. It was the signal of the Yun Province army. The Special Operations Battalion was almost there. The remaining distance was just a matter of minutes for the Special Operations Battalion, everyone riding good horses.

Zhou Rui pulled out a signal flare, launching three purple signal rockets as an attack order. The Special Operations Battalion moved at once.

The Special Operations Battalion wasn't very good at head-on cavalry battles. But their tactics were unique on this battlefield. The Alpha Team of the Special Operations Battalion, totaling just over a thousand men, was divided into nearly ten squads, spread out in a wide front, charging forward like a storm. They weren't ordinary soldiers; each one was a top-notch fighter. Their armor was custom-made for everyone, regardless of cost. When they fired the first volley of short arrows from their crossbows, it was the Flying Tiger Battalion soldiers who suffered, not the Dragon Gate Inn.

Without warning, the most elite armies of Dongping and Bei Liao clashed. Both sides gritted their teeth, trying to fire one more volley of arrows before the impact, inflicting greater casualties on the enemy. What the Flying Tiger Battalion soldiers didn't expect was that when the distance closed enough for direct shots with maximum power, the Special Operations Battalion impolitely shot at their horses. The rapid advance of the sturdy Bei Liao warhorses was abruptly halted. Screams, whinnies, and the sounds of heavy objects falling and rolling echoed, disrupting the Flying Tiger Battalion's formation. And then, something even more deadly arrived. Some Special Operations Battalion soldiers took out crossbows of a different design from their backs. They looked more like small catapults, which they were. Small incendiary bombs, loaded onto these so-called grenade launchers, fell into the Flying Tiger Battalion's ranks, especially in areas where many soldiers were concentrated, leaving behind a faint smell of gunpowder and a tail of flame. Clusters of orange-red fire exploded with a deafening roar. The flames and sounds made it even harder for the Flying Tiger Battalion soldiers to control their horses. The Flying Tiger Battalion’s originally majestic attack line was immediately scattered.

At that moment, the Special Operations Battalion soldiers charged in, wielding cavalry swords that had almost become extensions of their arms. If two armies with such high killing efficiency fought on equal terms, it would be a terrible thing. Even the winning side, even a unit like the Special Operations Battalion, would suffer losses that would break the hearts of their commanders. However, such fairness was unlikely, especially when it came to the Special Operations Battalion. They were an army aimed at creating unfair advantages, at creating winning situations. Every detail related to victory was fully studied and fully utilized by them, and this brief encounter was no exception. Moreover, they had the noble goal of rescuing Battalion Commander Zhou Rui in their minds. Incendiary bombs never stopped being fired. The Special Operations Battalion’s warhorses were already accustomed to the light and sound, but it was a great disturbance for the Flying Tiger Battalion. To maintain this advantage, the Special Operations Battalion even equipped each grenade launcher shooter with two guards. There were many Jianghu (martial world) experts in the Special Operations Battalion. They had to strictly follow regulations during normal training, but on the battlefield, their skills, which might not be enough to dominate the Jianghu, were their best guarantee. Those skilled in hidden weapons were even more in their element. Flying knives, sleeve arrows, and the like were commonplace. Moreover, the Special Operations Battalion always liked to use poison; each company had a special department responsible for providing poison for everyone. For a time, the Flying Tiger Battalion’s screams of agony never ceased.

Even from a minimum perspective, the Special Operations Battalion couldn't fight the Flying Tiger Battalion fairly. The Special Operations Battalion was composed of elite soldiers selected from the 200,000 or so troops of various types in Yun Province, never exceeding 2,500 in size, even including the dedicated logistics and technical departments. The Alpha Team that secretly came here this time never exceeded 800 people. And the commanders of the Alpha Team, including Zhang Wei and Song Feng, were still worried that these 800 people were "uneven in quality" and their combat effectiveness was "worrying." The Flying Tiger Battalion, on the other hand, was a unit of the Western Route Army modeled after Yun Province's main combat corps, with resources and manpower tilted in its favor. An ordinary unit of the Western Route Army could be recognized as a member of the Flying Tiger Battalion as long as it met the Flying Tiger Battalion's training standards. By comparison, although both the Special Operations Battalion and the Flying Tiger Battalion were called "battalions," their significance was completely different.

What frustrated the Flying Tiger Battalion soldiers even more was that the enemies they often knocked off their horses in the charge would roll around on the ground a few times, then get up cursing and continue fighting on foot. Sometimes when they slashed at the enemy, it didn't feel like they were hitting anything solid, and their blades would often slide off. But the cavalry swords in the hands of the Special Operations Battalion soldiers could always pierce through their armor.

The Western Route Army’s huge investment in equipment might give units like the Flying Tiger Battalion some confidence when facing Yun Province's main combat battalions, but certainly not when facing the Special Operations Battalion. Not to mention the weapons in the hands of the Special Operations Battalion soldiers, cavalry swords made of Damascus steel were standard equipment. Many people disliked them for being too light and not handy, and specially sought out craftsmen to make unique weapons. Although the Special Operations Battalion strictly prohibited impractical weapons such as the nine-ring broadsword, and strictly prohibited weapons with parts that only made noise but had no practical use, the Special Operations Battalion soldiers still had many weapons that were frightening to look at. The most annoying might be things like the wolf-tooth club. Even ordinary cavalry swords were often modified with serrations and double blood grooves. The Special Operations Battalion never showed mercy. The difference in armor was even greater. The armor worn by the Special Operations Battalion soldiers was basically double-layered. If the first layer of armor plates was pierced, the most likely outcome was that the attacker’s blade would break on the second layer. This safe design allowed the Special Operations Battalion soldiers to become even more reckless in battle.

After the Special Operations Battalion soldiers arrived, those in the Dragon Gate Inn were left to watch the show. Kargas watched the almost one-sided battle, his mouth agape, unsure how to react. He clearly saw that two sides that were perhaps equal in courage had achieved completely opposite results.

"Is this... your Yun Province's elite army?" Kargas asked.

"Yes. This is the unit I lead, the most elite unit in Yun Province. Perhaps, it's also the most elite unit in the world," Zhou Rui said proudly. He certainly wasn't bragging.

The battle lasted for about a quarter of an hour. After the Special Operations Battalion soldiers eliminated the enemy, Zhang Wei and Song Feng came to see Zhou Rui at their leisure. "Boss, we're not too late, are we?"

Zhou Rui smiled and said, "Just right. I would have been in trouble if you had come any later. Are the brothers' casualties serious?"

"Four killed in action, the rest are all right. There are some minor and serious injuries, but none are life-threatening, and there shouldn't be any disabilities... There are too many new recruits now," Song Feng sighed. Although the selection standards for the Special Operations Battalion had never changed, that was also a problem. More and more people were starting to prepare specifically for it, which had caused the quality of the Special Operations Battalion’s new recruits to decline slightly.

"Boss, we asked around. These guys, hehe, came for the guy next to you," Zhang Wei said.

"Oh?" Zhou Rui looked at Kargas and asked, "Why don't you introduce yourself?"