"Xijialuo Qianzhang, be careful, the first arrow!"
"Whoosh!"
Zhou Fugui shouted, drawing his bow like a full moon, and shot an arrow swiftly and powerfully towards Xijialuo.
The arrow followed the sound, like a fleeting meteor, and quickly reached Xijialuo's front. Xijialuo was greatly alarmed and almost instinctively raised his shield to block.
With a loud "bang!", the arrow shot by Zhou Fugui was strong and forceful, like a crashing wave against the shore, splitting the wooden shield in Xijialuo's hand into two halves, which then hung loosely on his arm.
Eight months of harsh training in the Ice Bone Camp had not only tempered Zhou Fugui's will but also honed his strength and battlefield combat skills. His archery had also improved significantly.
When an arrow hit a wooden shield, it would usually embed itself. A strong arrow would penetrate deep into the shield, while a weaker one would be deflected. However, Zhou Fugui's earth-shattering arrow had shattered Xijialuo's wooden shield in two. The power of the shot was evident.
The earth-shattering arrow not only split the wooden shield in two but also stunned Xijialuo and his subordinates. Xijialuo stood dumbfounded, holding the broken shield, at a loss for what to do.
"Whoosh!"
While Xijialuo was still in a daze, Zhou Fugui shot his second arrow, directly at his face.
Zhou Fugui's second arrow was extremely fast, even faster than the first. Xijialuo had no time to dodge or block.
As the arrow was about to pierce Xijialuo's face, everyone could only watch helplessly, unable to even cry out in alarm.
My life is over! Xijialuo shouted in his heart, staring intently at the incoming arrow. Unexpectedly, the arrow, upon reaching Xijialuo's face, suddenly curved, pierced through his nose, and with a "poof," embedded itself into the ground.
The spinning arrow, Zhou Fugui now used it with even greater mastery, controlling its force and accuracy perfectly.
"Ah!!!"
"Oww!!!"
"Good heavens, such divine archery, comparable to General Li Guang!"
Only then did the crowd erupt in cries of surprise and admiration. The thousand or so slave soldiers directly compared Zhou Fugui to the Han Dynasty's flying general, Li Guang.
The Xiongnu might not have known other heroic figures, but the name of Flying General Li Guang was widely spread on the grasslands and still resonated to this day.
From then on, Zhou Fugui gained another moniker: Little Li Guang, Zhou Fugui...
Xu Mancang, Suo Dacheng, Xue Wentai, and the other two hundred cavalrymen showed proud expressions. Many of them had witnessed Zhou Fugui's divine archery for the first time and were greatly impressed.
It was not because Zhou Fugui showed mercy that Xijialuo was not killed on the spot. Therefore, Zhou Fugui did not need a third arrow to decide the victor. Not only did the two hundred Yan cavalry believe so, but the thousand or so Xiongnu cavalry also agreed, including Xijialuo himself.
Xijialuo bowed slightly on his horse and said to Zhou Fugui, "Commander Zhou's skill is divine. Xijialuo admits defeat. I have lost. Commander Zhou, please step aside for a moment."
Zhou Fugui nodded, tossed the Moon-Chasing Bow to his subordinates, and walked aside with Xijialuo.
This small detail made Xijialuo feel Zhou Fugui's trust in him, and he was touched.
"Commander Zhou..." As the two walked away to a distance where no one else was present, Xijialuo began to speak to Zhou Fugui, "Your master values you greatly. Even Xijialuo can sense it. Why must you do this?"
"Alas, how could Zhou not know?" Zhou Fugui sighed. "But I have unspeakable difficulties, and I am truly sorry to her."
What unspeakable difficulties do you have? Do you owe someone money? Xijialuo muttered to himself and continued, "Xijialuo speaks his mind. If you insist on this, it will be detrimental to the master. This is also why Xijialuo is desperately trying to catch up to you."
"Hm? A mere Zhou Fugui leaving, and it would be detrimental to her?" Zhou Fugui asked in surprise.
"Commander Zhou, you do not know," Xijialuo shook his head. "The Great Chanyu already knows about your affairs. If you leave now, the master's situation will be precarious."
There were, of course, many spies among the Lin Yue slave army.
Zhou Fugui fell silent.
Zhou Fugui had barely managed to escape with his men. Could he return now just because of Xijialuo's words? If he returned to the service of Lin Yue, it would mean completely betraying the Great Yan Kingdom. Zhou Fugui was not afraid of betraying the Great Yan Kingdom, as he had no sense of belonging to it anyway. What truly frightened Zhou Fugui was the fear of implicating his family, including the families of his fellow villagers and friends. Moreover, it would be a betrayal of Hu Yan Sheng.
"Chieftain Xijialuo jokes..." Zhou Fugui deflected. "Zhou Fugui is but an ant. How could he possibly affect the Prince Consort?"
"So, you still refuse to return with me?" Xijialuo asked, glaring at Zhou Fugui.
"Exactly!" Zhou Fugui replied decisively.
"Zhou Fugui..." Xijialuo glared at Zhou Fugui for a long moment, then slowly said, "Xijialuo can let you go today, but he will pursue you relentlessly in the future. Xijialuo is not afraid of breaking his promise to you. For the master, Xijialuo is not afraid of death, let alone breaking a promise! However, Commander Zhou, Xijialuo must warn you, the Great Chanyu might send troops to hunt you down. You must be careful."
"The Great Chanyu truly thinks highly of Zhou," Zhou Fugui said with a smile. "Thank you, Chieftain Xijialuo. Zhou will take his leave now. Farewell!"
With that, Zhou Fugui spurred his horse and, leading the two hundred Yan cavalry, slowly rode into the distance.
"Unafraid of danger, a grassland eagle. What a pity!" Xijialuo watched the receding figures of Zhou Fugui and his men, sighing after a long while.
.......
"Whoosh!"
"The path is treacherous and narrow, like two rats fighting in a hole. The brave one wins! Kill!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!"
Zhou Fugui shot and killed a Xiongnu general on the front lines with an arrow. Wielding his heavy sword, he charged into the Xiongnu army, followed closely by the two hundred Yan cavalry.
Hooves kicked up dust, the clatter of iron reverberating and stirring the soul. The charge of the two hundred Yan cavalry was like a thousand troops.
Indeed, the Xiongnu had sent troops. Du Yongjian, for reasons unknown, had dispatched soldiers to capture Zhou Fugui and the two hundred Yan cavalry.
However, although the Xiongnu had more soldiers, Zhou Fugui's two hundred riders were like an elephant crushing ants; they could find no foothold.
Zhou Fugui understood that to avoid being captured by Du Yongjian's troops and to survive, they had to keep moving, to make it impossible for them to track their movements.
In the end, it all came down to one word: run! However, Zhou Fugui and the two hundred Yan cavalry were being forced to move steadily northward, further and further away from Lin Dong City.
"Hold the line, hold the line, don't let them escape!"
"Engage them, the main force is right behind, engage them!"
"Warriors..."
The Xiongnu soldiers blocking Zhou Fugui's path numbered only a few hundred. A Xiongnu general, seeing the Yan cavalry break through the formation and the main force in disarray, raised his saber and shouted loudly to rally his troops.
"Crack!" With a sound, before the Xiongnu general could finish speaking, a portly, ferocious-looking Yan general, who looked neither like a monk nor a soldier, charged on horseback in front of the Xiongnu general. Wielding his large ringed saber, he cleaved the Xiongnu general and his warhorse into four pieces. Various internal organs scattered everywhere, and blood poured out like water, dyeing a large patch of grassland red.
"You bastard, what are you yelling about!"
After splitting the Xiongnu general in two, the portly Yan general cursed, then, wielding his saber amidst the blood mist, he furiously reaped the lives of the Xiongnu soldiers. Although the two hundred Yan cavalry were few in number, each of them was ferocious, menacing, and exceptionally ruthless, cutting down Xiongnu soldiers one after another. The uninjured Xiongnu cavalry either fled far away, no longer daring to approach these devils, or galloped off in the distance, intending to call for reinforcements to attack the two hundred Yan cavalry together.
"Great Monk, do not linger!"
Zhou Fugui and the two hundred Yan cavalry had broken through the enemy's formation. It was time to flee, but the Great Monk of Guanzhong, Xue Wentai, was still in pursuit of the Xiongnu soldiers. So, Zhou Fugui galloped past Xue Wentai and shouted loudly.
Zhou Fugui was also covered in blood.
Hearing this, Xue Wentai reluctantly lowered his large ringed saber, stained with blood and minced flesh, and rode towards Zhou Fugui. The two hundred Yan cavalry dared not stop, nor could they tend to the battlefield. They broke through the enemy line and fled into the distance.
Zhou Fugui led his troops in a surprise attack, breaking through the Xiongnu interception amidst the chaos. However, they had lost over ten men. Although the number was not large, for Zhou Fugui and his men, every loss was significant. They were now less than two hundred riders.
Operating behind enemy lines was like this; there was almost no replenishment.
When the main Xiongnu cavalry arrived, they found only a scene of devastation. Zhou Fugui and the Yan cavalry had disappeared.
"They can't have gone far. Chase them, chase them! We will chop them into a thousand pieces!" A Xiongnu general drew his curved saber, gnashing his teeth and shouting fiercely.
Thus, the Xiongnu soldiers followed the trail and pursued Zhou Fugui and the Yan cavalry.
.......
"Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh! Whoosh whoosh whoosh!"
Du Yongjian's Xiongnu cavalry and Lin Yue's slave army were relentlessly pursuing Zhou Fugui and his less than two hundred Yan cavalry. Zhou Fugui, alone on a swift horse, personally covered their retreat, using his Moon-Chasing Bow to shoot down Xiongnu soldiers one by one.
The arrowheads shot by the Xiongnu cavalry whistled past, but because their horses were fast, they all missed, not harming Zhou Fugui in the slightest.
Seeing only Zhou Fugui, the Xiongnu soldiers boldly charged forward. The fastest and closest Xiongnu cavalry were shot down by Zhou Fugui. His arrows never missed, slightly slowing the Xiongnu pursuers. However, the Xiongnu pursuers remained persistent, trailing Zhou Fugui from a distance.
Xijialuo and his subordinates naturally knew of Zhou Fugui's prowess, and they had no intention of taking his life. Thus, they kept their distance from Zhou Fugui.
Zhou Fugui galloped forward, leaped over a small hill, and disappeared from sight.