20demayo Chapter 1113 Practice Makes Perfect
Chapter 1113 Practice Makes Perfect
Li Che took the lead, his black horse galloping like an arrow, stepping over the rubble and rushing towards the breach in the city wall.
Behind her, Luo Yueniang stared intently, her eyes filled with complex emotions.
I had heard before that His Majesty was an emperor who rode on horseback, the most meritorious commander of the Daqing army, and a qualified and fierce general.
Luo Yueniang believed it, but she also felt that there was bound to be some exaggeration involved.
But now that she saw it for herself, she felt a little guilty, realizing that she had actually doubted His Majesty.
Li Che had no time to think about those things; at this moment, he was completely immersed in the excitement of returning to the battlefield.
A strong wind blew in, carrying a mixture of gunpowder smoke and blood.
He glanced ahead and spotted Ma Zhong and his men fighting the Tibetan soldiers. He shouted, "Ma Xiao, make way!"
Ma Zhong was overjoyed to hear his emperor's voice.
He immediately cleaved the enemy in front of him with all his might and shouted for his men to scatter to both sides.
In that split second, Li Che had already taken the iron bow from the side of the saddle, his left hand as steady as a rock, while his right hand drew arrows in rapid succession.
Whoosh!Whoosh!Whoosh!
A flurry of arrows!
The bowstrings hummed in unison, and three feathered arrows flew swiftly through the air, piercing through the gaps in the chaotic crowd.
puff!puff!puff!
Luo Yueniang followed the arrow closely.
A Tibetan soldier who was raising his knife to strike a wounded Qing army soldier was shot in the throat and fell backward.
A Tibetan archer, who was hiding behind a half-earth wall and drawing his bow to shoot, was struck in the eye by an arrow and fell to the ground screaming in agony.
The third arrow was even more cunning, shooting down a Tibetan officer who was hiding behind a Tibetan flag and a group of soldiers.
Three arrows were fired in quick succession, and three enemies were killed instantly.
Seeing the general's ferocity, the Tibetan garrison inside the breach, already in disarray, paused.
Before the bow was even put back, Li Che's right hand had already released the bow arm and reached for the Victory Hook, grasping the steel-tipped spear.
The gun feels slightly heavy in the hand, and the familiar cold touch instantly awakens muscle memory.
He controlled the horse with both legs without slowing down, and with the power of his waist and back, his spear shot out like a poisonous dragon from its cave.
Using the momentum of the black wind rushing forward, he immediately launched a simple and ruthless straight thrust.
puff!
The spear tip pierced through the leather armor of a Tibetan soldier without any resistance, emerging from his back!
Li Che is now an adult, in the prime of his youth.
In addition, his physical strength has become increasingly robust due to practicing Qi cultivation techniques with Xu Jiezi these past few days.
In addition, he never stopped practicing martial arts, and his skills became more and more proficient.
Even among all the generals of the Qing Army, Li Che could be ranked in the upper-middle class based solely on his battlefield combat skills.
Li Che flicked his wrist, throwing the corpse aside, feeling his blood boiling.
He swept his spear horizontally, the shaft whistling through the air, and slammed it hard into the side of another Tibetan soldier's head.
Caught off guard, the Tibetan soldier let out a scream as his skull shattered, and blood and white matter splattered everywhere.
"That was exhilarating!" Li Che's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he once again charged off with his gun.
With the emperor leading the charge, the morale of the Qing army soldiers under his command was naturally soaring.
"Protect His Majesty! Charge in with him!"
On the left, Luo Yueniang let out a clear shout, and her bright silver spear transformed into a ball of chilling light.
Her marksmanship was honed through real combat, combining speed and agility with power, specifically targeting the joints of enemy weapons and gaps in their armor.
The silver spears struck, thrust, flicked, and deflected like pear blossoms in flight, felling the Tibetan soldiers blocking the way.
On the right, Ying Bu had already dismounted and was fighting on foot, the Imperial-bestowed Silent Longsword in his hand unsheathed, its blade flashing like a bolt of lightning.
As they move and advance, the sword tip is used to pierce vital organs such as the throat, wrist, and knee.
He often defeated his enemy with a single move, his feet never stopping, staying close to Li Che's right flank.
The street directly in front of Li Che was narrow, and the ruins of houses made it difficult for the cavalry to fully deploy.
Hu Qiang had already abandoned his warhorse and was leading the way on foot!
The iron rod in his hand moved with a terrifying sound as it was wielded. There were no fancy moves, just simple horizontal sweeps, vertical smashes, and diagonal slashes!
With a sweeping motion, shields cracked, bones broke, and several Tibetan soldiers were swept away like straws, crashing into half of an earthen wall.
As the blow was delivered vertically, a Tibetan centurion raised his sword to parry, but was smashed into a mangled mess of flesh and blood along with his sword.
That wasn't the end of it; the iron rod, still carrying considerable force, smashed a shallow pit into the rammed earth.
It cleaved diagonally across, shattering the barricades and antler-shaped wooden frames blocking the way, making it resemble a human bulldozer.
It was just like a ferocious beast in human form, leaving blood and flesh flying everywhere it went, with severed limbs scattered all around.
Any Tibetan soldiers who approached were either killed or maimed, their souls scattered and their cries of agony filling the air.
With this fierce general leading the way, Li Che's pressure was greatly reduced, allowing him to maintain his charging formation and thrust deeper into the city.
The emperor himself bravely charged forward, instantly scattering the Tibetan defenders inside the breach.
The defense line, whose morale had already plummeted due to the collapse of the city walls, had completely crumbled.
More Qing army cavalry poured into Chuimacheng through the widened breach, like a flood bursting its banks.
Iron hooves trampled the streets, sabers flashed in deadly arcs, and muskets roared.
The Tibetan defenders suffered successive defeats, and the rout, which began at the breach in the city wall, quickly spread into the city.
Li Che spurred his horse forward, spear in hand, and charged through the ravaged streets, his gaze sharp as lightning as he looked toward the city gate.
On the city wall, Dorje Tsering watched helplessly as the Qing army's iron cavalry surged in like a black torrent, rampaging and killing their way through the city streets.
Meanwhile, their own soldiers either scattered and fled, or put up only sporadic resistance and were quickly overwhelmed.
His face was ashen, and his hand holding the knife trembled.
It’s over! It's all over!
"General! The Qing people are powerful, and the walls have been breached!" A trusted subordinate grabbed his arm in a panic and urged him urgently, "Take advantage of the chaos now, let's leave through the east gate, and we still have a chance to retreat back to the plateau."
Dorje Tsering shook off his hand, his eyes filled with despair: "Where are you going?"
"Chuma City is a vital strategic location in the east, a key grain storage area. Even if I return alive, will the Zanpu and the Great Ministers spare me?"
"My family, my cattle and sheep pastures... all will perish for the loss of this city!"
"Going back will only mean death, and it will also implicate the entire clan!"
He turned abruptly and roared at the hundred or so guards still gathered around him, "Warriors! We have no way out. Our names are etched on the pillar of shame. Only the blood of the enemy can wash them away!"
"Come down with me, and let the Qing people know that even if the Tibetan eagle has a broken wing, it will still tear off a piece of their flesh with its claws!"
In such a desperate situation, these words stirred up the ferocity of some of the remaining soldiers.
The guards roared and followed Dorje Tsering down the city wall.
They hastily assembled a force of about three hundred people at the street corner leading to the city lord's mansion.
They raised their banners, pointed their swords and spears outwards, and attempted a desperate struggle.
Li Che led his army to charge here, only to find the routed soldiers scattered in all directions, except for this small group of Tibetan troops who actually formed a battle formation to block them.
The general under the banner had a distorted face and a resolute look in his eyes; it was none other than the defending general, Dorje Tsering.
Qiu Bai rode closer, coldly observing the flimsy defensive line, and said to Li Che, "Your Majesty, the bandit leader has gathered his remaining troops like a mantis trying to stop a chariot; it's the perfect opportunity to annihilate them in one fell swoop."
"The musketeers are in position. Please give your orders, Your Majesty."
Li Che glanced at the Tibetan soldiers and shook his head slightly: "No need to waste firearms."
"Our army needs to take over this city as soon as possible. In order to prevent any unforeseen events, I want the garrison commander alive."
Killing the garrison commander would be a relief, but all the miscellaneous tasks of Chuimacheng would fall on Li Che's shoulders.
Although we won this battle, the overall situation is still far from objective, and no force should be abandoned.
When one's own forces are insufficient, one must find ways to develop some "Qing Xie Army".
He turned to Ma Zhong, who had already rallied his men again: "Ma Zhong, take your men up there and capture that commander!"
"Your subordinate obeys!" Ma Zhong grinned, his eyes full of eagerness.
As a divine constable general, this was his old profession.
With a wave of his hand, about five hundred of his men stepped forward from the crowd.
Luo Yueniang looked over curiously, only to find that this troop was completely different from the ordinary Qing army cavalry.
Most of them carried short sticks with iron tips and iron maces, and had coiled ropes and several rolls of objects resembling fishing nets hanging from their waists.
Ma Zhong took the lead and led his team straight towards Dorje Tsering's formation.
Faced with the well-prepared Tibetan troops, they did not charge directly.
When they were within thirty paces, the cavalrymen in the front row suddenly pulled out several dark, round balls from their robes and hurled them forcefully into the Tibetan army formation.
The sphere landed without exploding into flames or a shockwave.
With a few 'whoosh' sounds, a large amount of thick, choking yellowish-white smoke gushed out.
The smoke quickly spread, enveloping the area at the street corner, and a pungent, acrid smell filled the air.
This item is the latest 'tear gas canister' developed by Fengguo University. Because it is not lethal, it was supplied to Ma Zhong's team first.
"Ahem! My eyes!"
"what?!"
"I can't breathe!"
"General, I feel unwell!"
The Tibetan soldiers, shrouded in smoke, were thrown into chaos. They had never seen such a weapon before.
Tears and snot flowed uncontrollably, vision blurred, breathing became difficult, and the formation immediately collapsed.
Many people dropped their weapons, covered their faces, staggered back, coughing and gagging as if they were about to cough up their lungs.
Under the cover of smoke, Ma Zhong had already pinpointed Dorje Tsering's location.
He spurred his horse and rapidly approached from the side, using the horse's speed to spin and throw out the net in his hand.
Dorje Tsering was choking on the smoke and was dizzy. He swung his knife to try to clear the blur before his eyes.
Suddenly, I felt a gust of wind rushing towards me, and before I could see what it was, a large net covered my head.
The weights on the net quickly tightened, wrapping him tightly around his arms!
"Ah! Despicable!"
Dorje Tsering roared in shock and anger, struggling to cut the net ropes with his knife.
But Ma Zhong's signature weapon was not so easy to deal with; the more he struggled, the tighter the net wrapped around his body became.
Ma Zhong struck successfully and, without pausing, firmly tied the other end of the net to his saddle bridge.
He immediately turned his horse around and slammed his legs against its belly.
The warhorse neighed and galloped back towards its main camp.
"Ho!"
Dorje Tsering felt a tremendous force come over him, and he was dragged by the net, his feet off the ground, being dragged along the ground like a rag doll by a warhorse.
The armor screeched against the ground, and he cried out in pain as the scimitar in his hand flew off somewhere.
Ma Zhong dragged him for more than twenty steps until they reached a safe distance before reining in his horse and stopping.
Several Qing army soldiers, who were already prepared, pounced like leopards. Two of them used their iron-like hands to hold down Dorje Tsering, who was still struggling in the net, while the other quickly used iron chains to bind his hands and feet tightly and gag him.
The whole process took only a few breaths, done in one go; heaven knows how many times it has been done.
The others were already used to it, but Luo Yueniang was seeing this for the first time, and her mouth gaped open in surprise.
As the smoke cleared, the remaining Tibetan soldiers, unable to find their commander, completely lost their last shred of will to resist.
Someone shouted, and the rest of the people immediately scattered and fled into the streets and alleys.
Li Che rode forward and glanced at Dorje Tsering, who was bound like a dumpling.
The latter's face was covered in blood and dust, his eyes wide with anger but he couldn't utter a sound, looking extremely disheveled.
Li Che nodded to Ma Zhong: "Well done, you're becoming more and more proficient at this process."
Ma Zhong humbly replied, "Your Majesty is too kind; it is merely a matter of practice!"