Let's not dwell on how these two core civil and military officials of Great Qi were harboring their own agendas and putting on a show.

Let's focus on the present. Li Cheng, determined to try his luck again, personally led his guard's broadsword cavalry forward barehanded. Soon, several thousand Qingzhou main force soldiers who had rested well overnight surged up from behind. Even the defeated Mizhou army, under pressure from their commander, supervisory team, and the main force in the rear, regrouped and advanced.

The battlefield situation changed once more.

"This Li Cheng certainly has some ability."

As Yang Yizhong spoke, he instinctively glanced at the position of his lamellar armor on his arm. There was a clear red bloodstain on the armor plates, clearly indicating that his opponent had acted quickly, and the blood from killing Du Yan earlier had not yet been washed away by the rain. "He came so fast!"

"His blade is fast too."

Zhai Biao, who was somewhat out of breath, also took a few deep breaths in the rain and sighed in agreement.

The surrounding guards officers naturally understood what Zhai Biao meant... because right before their eyes, the broadsword cavalry had dismounted and formed a line, preparing to charge on foot. And those gleaming broadswords were truly terrifying.

Of course, they were terrifying!

You see, the long-handled broadsword is a very basic weapon form, but a two-foot-long blade means that the length of the sword body and the weight distribution at the end are equally impressive. Those who can use this kind of broadsword on horseback are undoubtedly incredibly strong.

However, Yang Yizhong immediately shook his head: "This kind of weapon is destined not to last long; it's just the power of the first three strikes. Send the order down to abandon some of the camps when necessary. When the enemy penetrates deep, their momentum will inevitably slow down, and then we can counterattack!"

The surrounding officers nodded, agreeing as they received the order, not seeing it as their commander trying to comfort them.

You see, weapons and armor are different. Armor can be repaired and cleaned, and if preserved well, it can last a long time. Even if it's damaged, it can still be used, the only difference being the loss of defensive power... But weapons in wartime are more like consumables.

A good long sword, with a swift, accurate, and ruthless strike, might be able to cut a person in two, but a slight misalignment could encounter a hard bone and get stuck, and another strike could create a notch.

Therefore, it's easy to imagine that using this kind of broadsword, let alone for a long time, would be difficult even in a prolonged battle.

In fact, the imperial guards knew that after returning to Tokyo, a minister had submitted a memorial suggesting that the Emperor restore specific imperial formations such as the Golden Spear Troop and the Arrow Troop. However, Emperor Zhao thought it impractical and rejected it outright. So, to this day, the entire imperial guard is organized just like ordinary cavalry and infantry, except that the armor rate and actual strength are both 100%.

And today, when the imperial guard met a local warlord's guard from the pseudo-Qi regime, the royal guards were wearing armor and holding weapons in a straightforward manner, while the flashy troops, who probably only had the effect of the first three strikes, were the warlord's guard.

It was quite remarkable.

Of course, back to the present, whether they were surprised or sighing, the battle, like the rain above their heads, was unstoppable.

In a short while, as Li Cheng gave the order without hesitation, hundreds of broadsword armored soldiers raised their swords like a forest, advancing slowly. Behind these armored soldiers, however, were not the Qingzhou main force, but the reorganized remnants of the Mizhou army.

Prime Minister Hong Ya of Great Qi watched this scene from afar, sneering in his heart... In the end, Li Cheng seemed heroic, and was indeed preparing to try his luck again, but ultimately he was unwilling to commit himself fully, instead showing a hint of opportunism.

Of course, this wasn't to say that Li Cheng was petty, but that in the midst of the Song-Jin situation, this guy wanted to maneuver and had to protect his assets.

Hong Ya would have done the same.

But regardless, as the figures on both sides had different thoughts, beneath Mount Wu, in the rain, at the edge of the Song army's camp standing on the official road, the battle had reignited.

And as both generals had anticipated, the broadsword armored soldiers were unstoppable as soon as they came up. Hundreds of them advanced like a forest, their formation strict, their slashes composed, causing dozens of Song army casualties in the initial clash... Moreover, these casualties were almost directly equivalent to deaths, because the wounds caused by those broadswords were almost impossible to recover in the current state.

Therefore, after witnessing a familiar guard being cut off at the arm and then finished off by the enemy's chaotic blades on the muddy ground, Yang Yizhong no longer hesitated, and immediately issued a retreat order.

The well-prepared guards officers led their respective units in an orderly retreat, handing over the already devastated edge of the camp.

And then, the battle unfolded as Yang Yizhong had predicted. The chaotic fences, barracks, corpses on the ground, and muddy ground, as the Song army took the initiative to retreat, the broadsword armored soldiers quickly became disconnected, making it difficult to maintain their formation. And once they lost their formation, the armored soldiers wielding broadswords suffered a great reduction in lethality, allowing the guards, who were primarily engaged in close combat, to regain some initiative.

It was conceivable that if this continued, these broadsword armored soldiers would not quickly fall into difficulty, but would gradually lose their previous sharpness in the complex and chaotic terrain. And if they lost their sharpness, how could they force away this extremely resilient Imperial Guard?

Unexpectedly, at this time, Li Cheng, the Great Commander of Qi, who was the lord of three prefectures, not only did not order those Mizhou soldiers to press forward, but instead, as the main commander, stood out, reined in his horse, and personally charged into the Song army's camp.

Li Cheng's personal advance, although unspoken, had an excellent effect. The broadsword guards, whose momentum had slightly declined, were almost instantly reinvigorated, everyone fighting bravely. Many guards who were slightly behind recklessly crossed obstacles, and their officers shouted and questioned, ordered and directed, trying to re-form their formation... For a time, these broadsword armored soldiers vaguely felt that they had seized the opportunity of the Song army's initiative to retreat and completely pushed the battle line over.

Yang Yizhong was both shocked and angry, but without any hesitation, he immediately shouted loudly, ordering the entire army to turn around and counterattack! From yesterday until now, the Imperial Guard's casualties had reached a dangerous level, but with the commander's order, these soldiers still turned around and counterattacked... Not only because of the awareness of being the Emperor's personal troops, nor only because Emperor Zhao usually provided ample support, but also because the Imperial Guard generally came from reputable backgrounds and dared not disobey orders, and also because of the helplessness of setting up camp with their backs to the water, not necessarily being able to escape.

Of course, there must also have been Yang Yizhong's own usual dignity and aloofness in front of his subordinates, the so-called accumulation of power.

Therefore, as Li Cheng silently reined in his horse and entered the camp, Yang Yizhong's order was given, and the battle immediately resumed in an extremely tragic manner. Both sides were elite armored soldiers. One side held broadswords but was restricted by the camp terrain, while the other was familiar with the camp and fought flexibly, but could not ignore the opponent's weapon length advantage.

Often, a broadsword armored soldier's single strike could directly cause casualties, but to make that decisive strike, they had to endure the flexible siege of multiple short-weapon armored soldiers first, and then directly lose their combat power.

Overall, this was after all the guard's camp. As Yang Yizhong gave the order, the number of guards directly participating in the battle far exceeded that of the broadsword armored soldiers, so the balance of the battle was once again showing a trend of reversal.

But this did not mean that the danger caused by the advance and retreat just now had stopped. On the contrary, because Li Cheng had more than just these soldiers! As long as Li Cheng reinvested his core combat power, the Song army would still be in trouble.

Yang Yizhong also realized this problem, so after hesitating for a moment, he tightened his grip on the precious sword at his waist again, and then softly called out to his most trusted Dutou in front of him: "Zhai Biao!"

"Commander!"

Zhai Biao had been waiting for orders and responded immediately when he heard the call.

"Let's do it again," Yang Yizhong gasped for breath.

Zhai Biao naturally knew what "do it again" meant, but upon hearing the military order, he first looked at the very obvious figure riding a horse in the distance, and then hesitated obviously... Because as the rain grew lighter and approached noon, the light behind the faint clouds had become increasingly brighter, and Zhai Biao's eyesight was very good, so he could see clearly that the enemy commander was holding the reins, showing a casual expression, standing in the slightly sparse battle group in a relaxed manner, which seemed somewhat inappropriate.

But despite the inappropriateness, after a brief discussion in low voices, the two decided to try again - although they didn't know if this person was Li Cheng, it was clear that it was his entry into the camp that had invigorated the broadsword armored soldiers, so in any case, killing or driving away this person would allow them to hold on through noon today, or even the entire day.

Yang Yizhong was not a freak martial artist like Han Shizhong or Yue Fei, and he couldn't find a particularly reliable bow and arrow in the rain, let alone in the chaos of the camp? Therefore, he could only concentrate and dispatch some elite armored soldiers to carry out a surprise beheading.

The opportunity for battle was fleeting, and once the decision was made, there was no room for delay.

Therefore, soon, the operation, which was more of a raid than a beheading, was launched immediately.

Nearly a hundred guards who had not yet participated in the battle, at least half of whom were wearing the most representative lamellar armor of this era, suddenly turned out from behind the camp tents, almost immediately forming a relatively tight wedge formation.

"That man is Li Cheng, follow me to kill this villain and repay the Emperor's kindness!" As soon as the formation was completed, at the tip of the wedge, a general in silver helmet and lamellar armor suddenly drew his sword, pointed it at Li Cheng, and then turned around and shouted loudly.

After the shout, a hundred people responded in unison, their cries immediately drowning out the other parts of the battlefield.

And after the response was completed, this silver-helmeted general put down the silver mask that came with his helmet, almost only exposing his eyes, and then, dragging a pudao, bravely launched a strong assault forward.

For the Song army, they were not sure that the person was Li Cheng, but for the broadsword armored soldiers, there was no need for any hesitation. They almost recklessly abandoned the battle in front of them, even at the cost of exposing their backs to the Song army behind them, and rushed back to protect their Great Commander.

However, since the Song army had decided to launch this strong assault, how could they easily let them do as they pleased?

Not to mention that the Song soldiers who were originally fighting tried to entangle them, most of the armored soldiers in the wedge formation inside the camp were also meant to block and isolate these troops... One side charged straight north, directly towards Li Cheng, while the other side turned back from both sides to flank, both sides almost regardless of everything, crashing together.

In the brief battle, flesh and blood flew, and screams instantly concentrated and rang out, but they could not cover up the shouts of both sides.

Only the Song army's momentum was great, and this hundred-man troop was the elite among the elite, and the silver-helmeted general at the lead and the several warriors around him were particularly brave, constantly killing and hacking? So, although the broadsword armored soldiers did their best, they still watched as this wave of strong assault gradually approached their Great Commander.

However, Li Cheng, the Great Commander of Qi, who was the focus of the battlefield, watched this scene with a blank expression and no action... It was unknown whether he was extremely calm or momentarily stunned.

Unknowingly, the silver-helmeted general and Li Cheng were only twenty steps apart, with only three or five people in between.

Quick as lightning, the few Song soldiers who still had momentum mustered their remaining courage and rushed forward. The lead silver-helmeted general and a guard each used a sword and simply and decisively killed a broadsword armored soldier who was blocking the way, while the remaining people blocked the nearest Qi reinforcements.

At this moment, the silver-helmeted general strode forward, but suddenly stopped and threw the pudao in his hand directly at the person on horseback.

But Li Cheng, sitting on the horse, simply leaned to the side and easily dodged this sudden strike, even with both hands still holding the reins.

The silver-helmeted and silver-masked general was not flustered, but took a dao from the armored guard beside him, and then rushed forward bravely, aiming directly at the opponent... Obviously, that throw was just to attract Li Cheng's attention.

But unexpectedly, Li Cheng still reacted calmly and responded astonishingly. He watched as the silver-helmeted general, taking advantage of the gap when he threw the pudao, rushed to within a few steps of him, but suddenly released the reins, and then crossed his hands left and right, drawing a dao from the left and right sides of the horse's back.

Two daos, naturally a dual dao! It was precisely the two daos that Li Cheng relied on to rampage across the world during the Jingkang chaos!

As soon as the dual daos were drawn, they were as fast as lightning. While drawing his dao with his right hand, he used the momentum to swing it hard, and met the silver-helmeted general's attack head-on!

With just one strike, Li Cheng's expression remained unchanged, but the warhorse under him neighed, and the silver-helmeted general also paused abruptly in front of the horse, and then his figure seemed slightly out of control.

Li Cheng's expression remained unchanged, but in the sunlight that appeared at some unknown time, he calmly swung his left dao, the force of the dao was still like lightning, and formed a continuous momentum with the previous strike, and then hit the shoulder of the silver-helmeted general who was out of control!

The lamellar armor protected the shoulder well, and sparks flew in all directions under the strike. Although the silver-helmeted Song general was not cut off an arm on the spot, he also showed some signs of difficulty in moving... Judging by his appearance, the arm was either dislocated or exhausted.

Therefore, there was no doubt that in this head-on confrontation, the gap was obvious, and the outcome was clear - Li Cheng was superior.

In fact, Li Cheng had been alert because of Du Yan's death, and then, because he was unwilling to commit large-scale troops to a hard grind, he had other ideas - his previous single-horse entry into the camp was not only to urge the guards to fight hard, but also had a bit of luring the enemy.

After all, after the war, he had rampaged north and south for several years. Apart from that time when he was slightly at a disadvantage against Yue Fei in Dingtao City, his overall martial prowess was beyond doubt.

And this was the initial reliance of a low-level soldier to become ambitious in troubled times!

With the victory and defeat decided, Li Cheng finally stopped pretending, but grinned on the spot, and then re-energized the dao in his right hand, and forcefully chopped down towards the exhausted silver-helmeted and silver-masked Song general, seemingly preparing to repay him in his own way and completely end this battle.

But at this moment, under the radiant sun after the rain, a beam of white light suddenly slashed horizontally towards his vital abdomen. Li Cheng rarely lost his composure, abandoned the dual daos on the spot, and hurriedly rolled off the horse from the other side. When he looked up again, he saw that the warhorse under him had been cut off at both ears, and was screaming and fleeing with a pair of bald ears. And the white light swept flat and quickly from the horse, but then steadily stopped, and it was exactly the long-handled broadsword held by his own guard.

Such a stunning and freely retractable strike was naturally not ordinary martial arts. Li Cheng realized almost instantly that the owner of this strike was even better than the silver-helmeted general, even reaching the level of mastery... At this point, it was not to say that he was necessarily stronger than him, but that it was definitely not possible to determine the outcome in the short term. Only in this situation, how could there be such a character in the Song army other than the main general Yang Yizhong?

And when Li Cheng looked again in such a state of astonishment, he found that it was the "ordinary armored guard" who had followed the silver-helmeted general and had his weapon taken away!

This was Yang Yizhong! This dignified commander of the Imperial Guard was actually using tricks?!

Great Commander Li had a sudden inspiration and shouted frantically in his heart.

At the same time, he did not hesitate at all, immediately got up from the muddy ground, and turned to flee north to the official road outside the camp... There was no way, it was not that his martial arts were worse than Yang Yizhong's, but that since he had fallen for the other party's plan, and had lost his dual daos and warhorse, then staying here at this time to face such a martial artist would probably endanger his life, and he, Li Cheng, was a person who wanted to make a great career in troubled times!

How could he die here for some Jin, some Song, some Qi?

"The person who escaped is Li Cheng!" At this moment, the silver-helmeted general on the ground suddenly shouted loudly, just like he, Zhai Biao, had shouted in the morning. "The one who defeated Li Cheng is Yang Yizhong, the commander of the Imperial Guard, who leads the Imperial City Division!"