"Charge, kill!"
"Beat them hard, and tonight we'll slaughter ten fat sheep to feast on!"
"Kill! The tall and fair-skinned one, Zhou the Madman, knock him down and get a thousand coins!"
In the Yan and Han army camps, Banner General Zhou Fugui led his men to "seize merit" and actually robbed the Xianbei. The Xianbei Banner Generals Wulansi, Balhu, and Tubuyan were naturally furious and led their men back to vent their anger.
In the past, the Han people, whether generals or soldiers, were mostly subservient to the Xianbei, not daring to speak a word of rebuttal. How could they be like Zhou Fugui, fighting fiercely for merit?
Wulansi, Balhu, and Tubuyan could not swallow this humiliation.
So Wulansi and Balhu roared, tore open their clothes to reveal the black hair on their chests, took off their helmets, let their hair down, and each grabbed a wooden stick. They charged forward, two horses flying side by side, leading the charge. Tubuyan wore a large helmet, lowered his visor, almost completely covering his face, leaving only his eyes visible. He followed Wulansi and Balhu into the fray.
As the saying goes, those who lead from the front break through all obstacles. Whether in battle or a brawl, Xianbei leaders always charged at the forefront.
Wulansi and Balhu, leading the charge, met a towering, burly man. The man said nothing, swinging his club towards Balhu's head. Balhu, caught off guard, was startled and hastily raised his own club to block.
The man struck with immense force. A thunderous "boom!" echoed as their staffs collided. Balhu's arms went numb, his tiger's mouth split open, and his arms became almost insensible. The long staff in his hand snapped into two. The man's momentum did not wane as he swung at Balhu's head. Terrified, Balhu tilted his head, and the club struck his shoulder instead, sending Balhu crashing to the ground.
Balhu, a seasoned warrior, rolled on the ground and tumbled back into his own ranks to avoid another powerful blow from the burly man.
However, Balhu's ignominious retreat greatly diminished the effect of leading from the front…
"Kill!" While Balhu was fighting the burly man, Banner General Wulansi, following suit, leaped into the air, raising his stout body and his club high above his head, smashing it down at the man.
"Hah!" The burly man, having knocked down Balhu, saw Wulansi's fierce charge. Instead of blocking or dodging, he roared and, holding the end of his club with one hand, pointed it directly at Wulansi's chest.
This put Wulansi, mid-air, in a dilemma. He was committed and could not retreat or descend safely.
Because the burly man was holding the end of his club, the staff effectively became longer. Thus, as Wulansi swung his club, before it could hit the man, it would be met by the man's staff pointed at his chest. This was almost like Wulansi was delivering himself to the man.
"Ah!" Wulansi, also a seasoned warrior, reacted swiftly. He roared and changed the direction of his swing, aiming at the man's staff pointed at him.
If he could break or knock away the man's staff, Wulansi could land safely and then engage in a brawl.
But unexpectedly, the burly man suddenly withdrew his club. Wulansi, unable to stop his momentum, swung his club down heavily, hitting the ground with a "smack!" The long staff in Wulansi's hand snapped into two.
This time, Wulansi landed safely. However, the broken end of his wooden staff sprang up and struck Wulansi squarely on the forehead, visibly causing a large bruise to form rapidly.
Dizzy and disoriented, Wulansi stumbled back several steps with a "stagger," and sat down on the ground.
"You dog! How dare you sneak attack?"
While Balhu and Wulansi were locked in battle with the burly man, Tubuyan had circled around to the man's rear and swung his club at him. But as Tubuyan raised his club, he heard an angry roar, followed by the whistling sound of an incoming club. Panicked, he turned and ran, looking back as he fled, only to see another burly man, carrying a club, chasing after him.
"Hahahaha!"
"White Tiger Banner is mighty!"
"Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories! Ten thousand victories!"
As soon as the two sides clashed, the vanguard of the White Tiger Banner, Dian Meng, had already defeated two Xianbei Banner Generals, Balhu and Wulansi. On the flank, Suo Dacheng had repelled Tubuyan – in fact, Tubuyan had already become a startled bird and had scared himself away… The over a hundred soldiers of the White Tiger Banner were immediately invigorated, shouting loudly and marching forward, engaging in fierce combat with the six to seven hundred men from the Flying Eagles, Iron Foxes, and Guan Tune banners.
Although the White Tiger Banner had fewer men, they fought with discipline and formed formations. They were like a bulldozer, wherever they pushed, men were sent flying. The Flying Eagles, Iron Foxes, and Guan Tune banners, despite having more men, fought in a disorganized melee and were no match for the White Tiger Banner. Moreover, their three banner generals were so thoroughly beaten that they no longer dared to lead from the front. Consequently, the men of the three banners were routed by the White Tiger Banner, falling into complete disarray.
"Stop, stop! We are all brothers, why must we harm each other so?" Albugu, the commander of the Vanguard Camp, heard that four banners in his camp were fighting and rushed over with his men. Seeing the chaotic scene, he shouted repeatedly, "That madman Zhou Fugui, why bother with him? Just give him what he wants! Zhou Fugui, my little grandfather, will you stop first? Ouch!"
Albugu shouted to stop them, but everyone was caught up in the heat of the moment and paid him no heed. Furthermore, a wooden stick flew from somewhere and knocked Albugu off his horse…
Because of Zhou Fugui's disruption, other camps in the Han army also descended into chaos. Some men were seizing merit, some were taking revenge, and some were looting property amidst the disorder. In short, it was a complete mess.
"What do you think, Shixi?"
On a small slope in the Han army camp, Yan commander Murong Bole asked his strategist Tang Qingsi.
The Han army camp had already fallen into chaos due to Zhou Fugui's disruption. How could Murong Bole, who had personally led his men to quell the unrest, not be aware of it?
Murong Bole did not know what had happened and thought it was an act of rebellion against arrest, or even a camp mutiny. He had brought his troops to quell the disturbance, but upon seeing that it was merely an internal conflict over seizing merit, Murong Bole and his men no longer bothered to quell it. Instead, they stood on the slope, watching the brawl with great interest…
"Attack left, attack right, and the center responds. Attack the center, and the left and right echo each other. Attack from the rear, and the central army provides support. Commander, observe carefully. Within the large formation, there are small formations. Within the small formations, there are minute formations. The minute formations consist of three men, forming a unit, capable of both offense and defense. Outside the large formation, there are small groups of troops harassing, making it impossible to attack with full force. This formation is natural and impenetrable." Tang Qingsi sighed and said, "This man is a general of talent. Leading one banner is beneath him! However, there is one thing I find truly perplexing."
"Heh heh, this little foal causing trouble among the horses…" Murong Bole couldn't help but smile. "What is it that you find perplexing, Shixi?"
"This person is so young, and he appears to be from the rural areas of Youzhou?" Tang Qingsi replied, "Where did he learn such skills? Or is it a matter of innate talent?"
"No matter how exquisite the formation, it cannot withstand our Great Yan cavalry!" Murong Kang, the son of Murong Wang, the Right Virtuous King of Great Yan, and a General of Xuanwei, was displeased. He glanced at Murong Huiying, who was also watching Zhou Fugui's brawl with intense concentration, and said.
Murong Kang, less than thirty years old, had already become a fifth-rank General of Xuanwei in the Great Yan. This was mainly due to Murong Wang's prestige. As the eldest son, Murong Kang received imperial favor. However, Murong Kang also possessed literary and martial talent. From a young age, Murong Kang had a fondness for Han culture and had read extensively. After joining the army, he was also brave and skilled in battle, achieving numerous merits. His White Wave Army was a formidable force in the Great Yan.
Although Murong Bole did not praise him verbally, his expression showed considerable admiration for Zhou Fugui.
Murong Kang was considered a young talent of the Great Yan. At this moment, hearing Murong Bole and Tang Qingsi praise a Han man so highly, especially in front of Murong Huiying, made him unhappy.
In Murong Kang's eyes, besides himself, who else in the world could be called a young talent, a seasoned battlefield general, or a general of talent?
"The Heir Apparent speaks the truth. Our Great Yan cavalry is unmatched in the world." Tang Qingsi nodded in agreement and said, "The warriors under the Heir Apparent's command are all brave and skilled fighters, far surpassing ordinary men!"
"Heh heh, you flatter me, Zhonglang Tang!" Tang Qingsi's lavish praise, coupled with his implicit suggestion that Zhou Fugui was far inferior to Murong Kang, greatly pleased Murong Kang. Smiling proudly, he nudged his horse closer to Murong Huiying while speaking. Murong Huiying's delicate brows furrowed slightly, but she did not move away from him.
"Cavalry is not omnipotent," Murong Bole said faintly, looking at Murong Kang. "If we were in the Jiangnan water towns, cavalry alone would not be enough to achieve victory. We would need to rely more on infantry and naval forces."
Tang Qingsi, an official of the sixth rank in Yan, nodded and agreed with Murong Bole's words with a smile.
"Uncle, your nephew has learned a valuable lesson." Murong Kang nodded and said, "My father, the King, led the army south, advancing with infantry, flanking with cavalry, and striking strongholds with naval forces. All the way, it was like crushing dry weeds and pulling out rotten wood, like a broken bamboo, with the southern rebels in complete disarray, utterly unable to resist!"
Murong Kang was somewhat flattering Murong Bole, but his words implied that Murong Bole was far inferior to Murong Wang, which secretly angered Murong Bole.
"Commander, that's enough," Tang Qingsi then said to Murong Bole.
Tang Qingsi's words had two meanings. Firstly, Zhou Fugui and others' commotion should cease soon; if it escalated further and caused a camp mutiny, it would be difficult to control. Secondly, he was advising Murong Bole not to bother with Murong Kang, who was so self-impressed.
Murong Bole nodded in agreement and then waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to go and quell the unrest.
Murong Bole and Murong Wang were both Left and Right Virtuous Kings of the Great Yan. In both Yan and Xia, the Left was considered superior. Therefore, Murong Bole held a slight advantage over Murong Wang. Murong Wang was also a highly ranked and powerful figure in the Great Yan, and a distinguished military man. Thus, Murong Wang harbored some jealousy. The two of them leading armies south at this time also had a spirit of competition.
Although Murong Bole was in contention with Murong Wang, he would not vent his anger on a junior.