Chapter Twenty-Two: First Victory over the Enemy Cavalry on the Imperial Road

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Suddenly, the Qing officer swayed to one side and toppled leftward from his horse. The warhorse had already been running toward the right, but because the dying man still clung desperately to the reins with his left hand, the force of his falling body abruptly dragged the animal around to the left. Rocked back and forth in this manner, the officer could no longer keep his seat.

With a heavy thud, he fell from the saddle.

At almost the same moment, the Qing armored horseman whom Zhang Cheng’s arrow had pierced straight through the mouth and out the back of the skull also tumbled from his mount. His body pitched to the right and crashed into a stout willow beside the main road with a resounding clang. The impact smashed his head to pieces, yet one foot remained caught in the stirrup, and the horse dragged his corpse along the ground.

Only then did the three surviving Qing horsemen realize that their leader was dead. Before them stood more than two hundred Ming cavalrymen who did not fear death, while elite Ming riders had already closed in from both flanks.

They were not only outnumbered but surrounded. Though these mounted Manchu scouts were hardened veterans of countless battles, there was no way to turn the tide. Yet men as savage as they were would never meekly surrender.

The Qing horseman on the right immediately wheeled his mount around, intending to break through the gap between Zhang Cheng’s men and the Ming cavalry cutting them off from the north. The two horsemen on the left likewise had no desire to continue the fight. Sharing the same thought, they turned their horses and galloped southward.

…

Seeing that the three remaining Qing scouts meant to flee, Zhang Cheng immediately spurred toward the two on the southern side. Chen Zhong stayed close beside him. Winning merit by killing the enemy was secondary to him; his foremost duty was to keep Zhang Cheng safe.

The Qing scouts had not been prepared for the sudden turn. Their horses slowed slightly as they wheeled around, and only after barely managing to change direction did they charge diagonally southwest, seeking to break out from the main road.

Zhang Cheng had already caught up to them from behind. One of the mounted barbarians raised the flying axe in his hand and flung it backward at Zhang Cheng.

Seeing the axe spinning toward him, Zhang Cheng instantly lowered himself and pressed close against the horse’s back. Chen Zhong also twisted sharply to the right and narrowly avoided the weapon.

A terrible scream rose behind them. One of the outriders who had just caught up was struck in the neck by the flying axe.

A cord was attached to the weapon. It seemed that the thrower had yanked the cord at the instant of release, causing the axe to spin as it flew. When it struck the rider’s neck, it tore open a tremendous wound; then, as the cord was pulled again by the weapon’s momentum, the axe tore free. Blood spurted from the horseman’s neck.

“Ha!”

With another thunderous shout, Zhang Cheng knocked aside an iron mace hurled straight at his face by another Qing rider. He drove both legs against his mount and pressed forward in pursuit.

The flying axe and the iron mace had slowed Zhang Cheng somewhat, but Chen Zhong had now drawn close to the two Qing horsemen. He swung the spiked mace in his hand at the rider on the left.

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With a ringing clash, the barbarian horseman brought up his saber from the side and behind to block the blow. Borrowing the force of the impact, he swept the blade forward in a horizontal cut aimed at Chen Zhong’s head.

Chen Zhong had no time to react. He threw himself backward across the horse’s back and narrowly avoided the slash.

Zhang Cheng caught up at that moment. He thrust his hooked saber-club toward the front right, but the barbarian horseman twisted his waist to the right and barely evaded it. When the thrust missed, Zhang Cheng forced down on the weapon’s hilt with his left hand while wrenching backward with his right. The blade tip snapped upward in a vicious diagonal stroke.

The barbarian horseman had just missed Chen Zhong and was drawing back his great saber. Turning with the motion, he slashed horizontally at Zhang Cheng’s neck. He did not expect Zhang Cheng’s hooked saber-club to surge upward toward his throat. The blow was stopped by the integrated neck guard beneath the horseman’s helmet.

Even so, the strike left the barbarian choking for breath. His body instinctively reeled backward, and the saber meant for Zhang Cheng swept past harmlessly.

A jet of blood sprayed across Zhang Cheng’s face.

Though the neck guard had shielded the horseman’s throat from Zhang Cheng’s weapon, Chen Zhong had recovered in time to bring his spiked mace crashing down upon the man’s back. Blood burst from the horseman’s mouth, and he toppled from his mount.

The rider wore two layers of armor, enough to protect against arrows and crossbow bolts at a distance, or against slashing and stabbing blows. But a full-force strike from a spiked mace would either kill him outright or crush half the life from his body. Even Zhang Cheng’s weapon, if brought down upon him at close range, would have left him half dead.

With another clang, the horseman who had already escaped more than thirty paces ahead suddenly turned back to save his companion, who was being attacked by Zhang Cheng and Chen Zhong. He loosed an arrow that struck the chest guard over Zhang Cheng’s heart.

By chance, Zhang Cheng was turned sideways at that instant. The arrow did not strike him head-on; otherwise, even the chest guard would not have stopped the armor-piercing shaft.

Instead, the arrow struck at an angle and failed to penetrate. It gouged a deep mark across the metal plate.

Even so, the impact sent Zhang Cheng’s blood surging violently through his chest. He nearly vomited blood and fainted. He had only the panicked archer’s failure to use his full strength to thank.

“Whoosh!”

At that moment, Chen Zheng, captain of the outriders, came racing up from behind. Taking advantage of the barbarian’s turning to shoot at Zhang Cheng, he loosed an arrow. It skimmed past Zhang Cheng and struck the right cheek of the Qing horseman.

The man gave a shriek and fell from his horse.

Chen Zhong rode up beside Zhang Cheng and reached out to support him. Zhang Cheng’s entire face was smeared with blood, and his chest was bright red as well. His eyes were wide, his mouth gaping, yet he neither breathed nor cried out.

Chen Zhong was terrified. “Commander! Commander, where are you hurt? Commander!”

Zhang Cheng still held his mouth wide open. His left hand clutched the reins, while his right gripped the hilt of his hooked saber-club, its tip planted in the ground to keep him from falling from the saddle. For a moment, he could not speak, and his body had stiffened.

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By then Chen Zheng had also caught up. Seeing Zhang Cheng in such a state, he hurried his horse alongside him and seized Zhang Cheng’s left hand, the one holding the reins.

“Commander! Young Commander, you can’t die!”

“Ah… huff… cough… cough, cough…”

Zhang Cheng finally drew a deep breath and gradually came around.

His chest still felt as though his blood and vital energy were churning, but he was far better than before. He could not help thinking in alarm, Damn it, I nearly died before I even got started!

After taking several more deep breaths, he slowly recovered. He glared at Chen Zheng and cursed, “You bastard! Were you really hoping I’d die?”

Now that he saw Zhang Cheng was all right, Chen Zheng relaxed and grinned. “How could I be hoping for that, Commander? I was only afraid you’d leave without taking me along!”

Zhang Cheng ignored him and said to Chen Zhong, “I’m fine. What about the last barbarian?”

Seeing that Zhang Cheng could speak normally again and that some color had returned to his face, Chen Zhong finally felt reassured. When he heard the question, he hurriedly looked toward the northeast.

Several hundred elite riders were galloping in the distance, raising billowing clouds of dust like a rolling red cloud.

Chen Zheng answered for him. “Don’t worry, Commander. Hu Dake and the rear scouts have him pinned down. They’ll bring that barbarian’s head back to you in no time. Heh heh…”

With that, he and Chen Zhong dismounted. Together they helped Zhang Cheng down from his horse. Chen Zhong quickly removed his own saddle and laid it on the ground, then joined Chen Zheng in helping Zhang Cheng sit.

The other guards gathered around as well, riding in circles to protect him. They left an open space ten paces square in the center for Zhang Cheng to rest.