Hua Xiong cautiously drove the carriage in the middle of the formation. Li Ru, Jia Xu, Cai Yan, and Qu Qi's carriages were all surrounded by Hua Xiong's guards. He could feel the constant surveillance from unknown forces. Carefully, he directed his subordinates to solidify their formation. He knew that unless absolutely necessary, neither Li Ru nor Jia Xu would make a move here, as Cao ngde knew both of them.
After ensuring all identifying marks were removed, Cao Hong grabbed a handful of mud, sared it on his face, and charged down the hill with a howl.
"..." Hua Xiong was dumbfounded. He had been worrying about which direction the ambush would co from, but now a fool had charged down. What was all their previous preparation for?
"Hey, thief!" Cao Hong called out in an awkward Bingzhou accent, addressing Hua Xiong, "This road is opened by , and this tree is planted by . If you want to pass, leave a toll!"
"..." Hua Xiong was stunned again. Before he could respond, Qu Qi couldn't hold back any longer. "What kind of bandit are you? Claiming this road is opened by you and this tree is planted by you. This is an official road. Did you open an official road? Which dynasty's emperor are you? The Han Emperor is still in Chang'an. Are you rebelling? This tree is planted by you? This tree is four hundred years old. Are you a person from the previous Han dynasty? An otherworldly person? Do you have the elixir of life?"
Qu Qi's rapid-fire questions left Cao Hong dumbfounded, unable to co up with a coherent answer. Qu Qi looked at him with disdain, "Never seen such a stupid bandit. What's the point of talking before robbing? Just compare who has the bigger fists. Now you're dumbfounded!"
Hua Xiong helplessly pushed Qu Qi back into the carriage. This guy had a sharp tongue, but so words didn't need to be said. Saying them now was just asking for trouble!
"Charge!" Hua Xiong shouted. The formation burst open into eight parts. anwhile, Jia Xu and Li Ru, sitting inside the carriage, simultaneously acted. Jia Xu rarely used his ntal prowess, but now his eyes seed to see the next mont. Using Li Ru's spiritual power, he adjusted the trajectory, forcefully manifesting the Eight Gates Formation.
A sound like the clashing of iron and the grand scene of iron horses filled the air, pouring into the army formation. The soldiers' morale soared, and the previously slow-moving cloud energy started spinning rapidly.
In an instant, what seed like a loose formation turned fiercely imposing. Each soldier radiated a layer of light. Although the colors varied, over ti, the eight colors blended into a gray mist that enveloped the entire formation.
Seeing this, Cao Hong was terrified. Any general would recognize what was happening. The next mont, Cao Hong scrambled up the hill to hide. Fighting against such a divine force would only end badly. Though he had prepared ten thousand soldiers, they weren't ant to fill this bottomless pit!
As the gray mist rose, the soldiers inside the formation had no trouble seeing, but from outside, even soone with Lu Bu's vision couldn't see through it. This purely defensive, ambush-type formation had no physical defense against material objects. In other words, if soone launched a barrage of crossbow bolts, they would still hit.
Seeing this for the first ti, Cao Hong was frightened. Without a word, he turned and ran. The four thousand war horses were tempting, but with such divine protection, his ten thousand soldiers would be crushed. He was here to rob, not to die!
Hua Xiong held his sword, glaring in the direction of the hill, cursing inwardly at how fast the opponent ran. But because of this, Hua Xiong didn't suspect Cao Hong's identity. Only bandits and robbers would act so shalessly, running at the first sign of trouble. He never considered that soone from the Cao family, despite being a mber of a noble family, would be so stingy, calculating every penny.
Taking a deep breath to calm his anger, Hua Xiong decided to use these bandits to establish his authority. "You there, thief! Listen well. I am General Hua Zijian of Taishan. Today, I will show you my might!"
With that, Hua Xiong's blade burst out from the mist. Unlike the previous chaotic slashes in Yongzhou, this ti the aura harmonized perfectly with his power. A nearly three-hundred-ter-long fiery blade, radiating intense heat, cleaved the hillside in two. The split even showed signs of scorching.
"Glory to the General!" Hua Xiong's soldiers cheered. Having a fierce general leading boosted their morale, and the higher the morale, the faster they could draw upon the surrounding energy, speeding up the flow of cloud energy. This was why a fierce general could tip the scales in battle even with equal forces.
With one slash, Hua Xiong split the hill. He didn't linger; the enemy's life didn't matter. What mattered was intimidation. Today's display would be enough to deter any would-be troublemakers in Yanzhou.
"Increase speed! March without rest! Avoid cities, and march in force! We must reach Taishan within a day!" Hua Xiong estimated the distance and decided that with their current pace, they could make it to Taishan in one go. No more hiding. He believed Zang Ba would co to et them at the border.
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers responded loudly, then started running at a steady pace. This was no challenge for them.
Hua Xiong never skimped on food. Any rewards or loot were shared with his soldiers. After all, this was a habit cultivated in the harsh environnt of Xiliang. To earn loyalty, aside from leading by example, sharing the spoils was essential. As long as the general got a big share, the soldiers had to get sothing too. This practice made Hua Xiong very popular among his troops.
Because they were well-fed, Hua Xiong's soldiers each developed their first trace of internal energy. While it wasn't much use in a fight, it greatly improved their endurance.
Cao Hong, hiding in the dirt, had resisted the urge to use his internal energy during Hua Xiong's attack. Rolling on the ground, he narrowly avoided the slash. He knew using his internal energy would make him a target, and his ten thousand soldiers would be crushed. This would be a huge blow to his elder brother Cao Cao, who had just beco Governor of Yanzhou. So, even if it ant his death, he couldn't reveal himself!
Fortunately, Hua Xiong saw him as insignificant, attacking casually without targeting him specifically. This oversight spared Cao Hong's life. Now, he had no ti for fear; he had to warn Cao Cao. No one should attempt to intercept this group. The person escorting the horses wasn't just any nobody; it was Hua Xiong, the fierce general from Hulao Pass, who slaughtered experts like chopping vegetables. And the scene he witnessed had to be reported to Cao Cao — it was terrifying!
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