The golden melon battle hammer weighed at least thirty to forty jin. Wang Chongyang heard a wave of nausea wash over him, his steps shifting, narrowly evading the strike.
He then spun around, his sword thrusting out from the side, hitting the scarred leader's warhorse precisely.
"Hee-lülülulu~~~"
The warhorse cried out in pain, rearing instantly. The scarred leader, caught off guard, was thrown from its back.
Before he could get up, Wang Chongyang's sword pointed at his chest.
Just then, an arrow shot from the side, clanging against his sword tip and deflecting it.
It was the retreated Jin soldiers firing a cold arrow.
This arrow not only saved the scarred leader's life but also nearly made Wang Chongyang's sword fly from his hand.
The scarred leader, disregarding his weapon, seized the fleeting opportunity and rolled to the side.
The chance to slay the enemy commander was thus interrupted, and Wang Chongyang was filled with resentment.
But before he could pursue, several more arrows shot from the side. He had no choice but to brace himself and defend with his sword.
At this moment, the city of Luzhou erupted in commotion. A group of ragged beggars inexplicably surged onto the city walls. The man at the forefront pushed aside the Prefect of Luzhou as if he were trash.
"Seventh Master, look!"
Another beggar, a twig held in his mouth, pointed at Wang Chongyang and said to the leader.
The man called Seventh Master stared at the two sides fighting outside the city for a while, then climbed onto the battlement and addressed the beggars who had accompanied him.
"Brothers! Tell this damned Prefect who we are!"
"The Beggar Clan!"
The beggars on the city walls, and countless others within the city, roared in unison.
"Correct!"
Seventh Master pressed his hands down and continued, "We of the Beggar Clan eat from a hundred families, wear clothes from a hundred families, and receive aid from a hundred families!"
"But no matter what, we must always remember that we receive the favor of the Song people!"
"As the saying goes, the barefoot are not afraid of those who wear shoes!"
"This damned Prefect fears losing his post and his head. Are you afraid?"
"Not afraid!"
The beggars, who usually looked thin and weak, as if they could be blown over by the wind at any moment, now erupted with a fighting spirit that soared to the heavens.
Countless voices roared simultaneously, shaking the accumulated snow on the city walls to fall.
Seventh Master glanced at the Prefect of Luzhou. With just an ordinary glance, he made the Prefect retreat several steps in fear.
"Stick in hand! Follow me!"
"Kill the Jin dogs! Avange our blood!"
After shouting this, Seventh Master turned and walked towards the city below.
The guards on the city walls, already resentful that they couldn't go out to help, saw someone stepping forward for Wang Chongyang and wished they could join the fray. No one tried to stop him.
"Kill the Jin dogs! Avange our blood!"
The beggars under his command repeated these six words over and over, following him closely as they pressed towards the city gate.
Before they could get close, the guards on the city walls scattered and fled.
Whoever wants to block can block. I'm going home to change clothes~
The heavy city gate was directly broken open by the beggars, and the drawbridge outside was also released from its chains, crashing onto the opposite bank of the moat with a rumble, stirring up clouds of dust.
Seeing this, the Prefect of Luzhou collapsed to the ground, his face ashen as he muttered to himself.
"It's over, it's over, it's all over now!"
"If this draws the Jin army to our doorstep, and the imperial court provides no reinforcements, then it's likely no one in Luzhou will be spared~~"
Suddenly, he seemed to remember something, grabbed a soldier beside him, and shouted.
"Quick, go to the Northern Barracks outside the city and pass on my order: command Luo Bu Tuo to send troops for reinforcement!"
"Also, investigate for me who those beggars are!"
The soldiers thought he was dispatching troops to support Wang Chongyang, so some quickly ran down the city walls to relay the order to the Northern Barracks.
Another man cupped his hands and said, "Reporting to the Prefect, these beggars only appeared in the city recently."
"I only know that the leader's surname is Hong, and his subordinates call him Seventh Master."
The Prefect's expression shifted between grim and uncertain, lost in thought.
"Brave warrior, fear not! Seventh Master is here to lend you a hand!"
Outside the city, Hong Qiye shouted loudly, drawing a jade-green staff from his back and charging towards the Jin soldiers.
Seeing so many people rush out from the city, the scarred leader's face immediately turned pale. His previous arrogance vanished instantly.
"Retreat! Retreat!"
He quickly ran towards an unattended warhorse, simultaneously calling his subordinates to retreat.
The other Jin soldiers also panicked. After firing a final volley of arrows, they turned their horses and fled.
"Trying to escape! Not so easy!"
Wang Chongyang finally had an opportunity to kill Jin soldiers and was unwilling to let him go. He stooped, grabbed a handful of gravel from the ground, and threw it back at the Jin soldiers.
The seemingly ordinary small stones hit four Jin soldiers with perfect accuracy.
"Dang dang dang dang~~"
Those hit by the gravel felt their entire bodies go numb, then they fell directly from their horses.
"Kill!"
Hong Qiye had already arrived with his men. The Beggar Clan disciples, for some reason, had exceptional legwork. Before the Jin warhorses could run, they were surrounded.
"Is the warrior unharmed?"
Hong Qiye walked up to Wang Chongyang, looked him up and down, and asked with concern.
Wang Chongyang nodded to him, then cupped his fists and said, "Shaanxi, Wang Chongyang. Thank you, brother, for your aid!"
Hong Qiye burst into laughter, pointing his jade-green staff at the Jin soldiers.
"Hahahaha, we are all people of the Jianghu. Why the need for such formalities!"
"Brother Chongyang, let's join forces and take down these Jin dogs!"
With that, he charged forward, taking the lead.
The Beggar Clan disciples, seeing this, also attacked the Jin soldiers.
Wang Chongyang was not about to be outdone. With a knowing smile, he once again displayed his swordsmanship, engaging the Jin soldiers.
Dozens of Jin soldiers were quickly at a disadvantage.
But just as they were fighting the last few remaining, a rumbling sound of footsteps came from behind.
Everyone instinctively turned to look, and saw countless infantrymen charging towards them from within the city.
"Hahahaha~!"
"Come on! Not a single one of you will escape!"
"Dare to kill Jin people? I don't even need Grandpa to call for help, your Song dynasty officials will take care of you!"
The scarred leader, who had survived, not only showed no fear upon seeing the Song army but became arrogant once more.
With peace talks between the two countries imminent, the dog emperor of the Song dynasty even dared to wrongfully execute Yue Fei for it. He would never tolerate anyone jumping out at this time to disrupt the peace talks!
This was the confidence in the scarred leader's heart!
As expected, and not to his surprise, as soon as the leader of the Song army crossed the drawbridge, he ordered his subordinates.
"These commoners dared to provoke a war. Take them all down!"