Chapter 412: Chapter 347: Why Didn’t You Surrender?
Beneath the walls of Yanmen Pass.
Xiao Mo had been fighting from dawn until the sun was high in the sky.
He could no longer remember how many men he had killed.
He couldn’t recall how many times he had brandished his long spear.
He couldn’t count how many had died by his side.
But Xiao Mo knew he could not retreat.
The only thing he could do was charge forward and kill!
Just as Xiao Mo unhorsed another Wei Kingdom soldier with his long spear, he saw a soldier from the Northern Wilderness cut down.
His opponent raised their blade for another strike.
But Xiao Mo’s long spear had already pierced the enemy’s chest.
"Can you still stand?" Xiao Mo asked, kicking the enemy’s corpse away.
"I... I can!" The soldier, named Chen Dong, scrambled to his feet. His eyes were bloodshot, his body was covered in filth and blood, and an aura of fury poured from him. He was clearly in a battle frenzy.
But when Chen Dong tried to pick up the long saber beside him, his right hand, which had been swinging for five hours, trembled so much he couldn’t get a grip.
The long saber fell to the ground.
After killing several approaching Wei Army soldiers with a blast of Spear Qi, Xiao Mo dismounted, picked up the long saber, and placed it in Chen Dong’s palm.
Xiao Mo said nothing. He remounted his horse and continued to charge forward.
Watching General Xiao’s back as he relentlessly cut a path forward, Chen Dong snapped back to his senses. He immediately tore a strip from his clothes, tightly bound the long saber to his hand, and followed his general into the fray!
Past noon, Xiao Mo looked up at the scorching sun hanging high in the sky.
In another hour, it would mark exactly thirty days since he began his defense of Yanmen Pass.
But the main force of the Northern Wilderness Army still hadn’t arrived.
As more and more soldiers of the Northern Wilderness Army fell in pools of blood, the advantage they had carved out was erased, and they were even being pushed back relentlessly.
Now, the Wei Kingdom’s army was less than three li from Yanmen Pass.
Of the five thousand Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry who had charged out with Xiao Mo, only five hundred remained.
As for how many infantrymen were still alive on the battlefield, Xiao Mo could no longer estimate. They were too scattered for him to rally.
Xiao Mo saw through Guo Xin’s formation; he knew the enemy general was trying to encircle him and his five hundred remaining Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry again.
But now, even though he could see the trap, he could no longer break out as he had before.
Because not far behind him was Yanmen Pass.
Before him was a surging, massive army.
He had nowhere left to run.
"General, we will cover you while you break through the encirclement!" Zhao Guang said grimly, riding his Snow-Trampling Horse beside Xiao Mo.
"Brother Mo, you can’t die! With your talent, you can definitely avenge us in the future!" Xiao Gui urged as well.
But Xiao Mo just shook his head and said calmly, "There’s no breaking out. And I’m not leaving."
"..." Hearing their general state the fact so calmly, everyone’s hearts sank.
It was true.
Before them were hundreds of thousands of soldiers from the Wei Kingdom’s army.
Behind them, the Southern Realm’s army was locked in a stalemate with the Northern Wilderness Army, too preoccupied to attack the pass, but their encirclement was tight. Breaking out through the south gate would be just as difficult.
Their desire to escort General Xiao to safety was just a final, desperate wish before their own deaths...
"Every man must die. The hour of Wei has come, and we have held for thirty days. At the very least, we have not failed the Qin Kingdom, nor have we failed the people of the Northern Wilderness. These past days, fighting alongside all of you has been the greatest honor of my life!"
"General..." Zhao Guang gripped his reins tightly, words catching in his throat.
"Xiao Mo, it’s over."
Guo Xin rode to the front of his army, his gaze fixed on Xiao Mo.
"Xiao Mo, I must admit, you are truly a brilliant commander, worthy of your reputation. I’ll give you one last chance. Surrender to me. Become my Vice General. When we counter-attack the Qin Kingdom, you can still achieve great things, earning titles and status! Isn’t that better than dying here?"
"General Guo, you are truly generous. But I’ll have to decline."
Xiao Mo smiled, and with his back to his five hundred iron cavalry, he shouted, "Who is willing to die with me!"
Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes, Zhao Guang raised his long spear. "I am willing to die with the General!"
"I am willing to die with the General!"
"I am willing to die with the General!"
"I am willing to die with the General!"
The five hundred iron cavalry roared in unison, their shouts shaking the heavens and the earth. The warhorses of the Wei Kingdom shied back, and a chill ran down the spines of their soldiers.
"Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry, where are you!" Xiao Mo shouted, gripping his long spear.
"We are all here!" the five hundred cavalry thundered.
"Charge with me!"
"KILL!"
Xiao Mo spurred his horse forward, and the five hundred Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry charged with him.
"If that’s how it is, then you can all die!" Guo Xin’s eyes narrowed. "Kill them!"
At Guo Xin’s command, the Wei Army surged forward like a tide, ready to swallow Xiao Mo and his men whole.
Standing on the city wall, Lian Li watched it all unfold. Unconsciously, her long spear was already in her hand.
Just as the two armies were about to clash, as Lian Li was about to leap from the city wall, she felt it begin to tremble beneath her feet.
The next moment, tens of thousands of Snow-Trampling Dragon Cavalry burst from the north gate of Yanmen Pass and charged onto the battlefield.
"Guo Xin, you little whelp, your grandpa is here!"
The one-eyed General Huang charged directly into the enemy ranks. With a single swing of his long saber, he sent dozens of soldiers flying through the air.
"Archers! Fire!"
On the wall, Fang Weiming gave the order. Volleys of rune-scribed arrows rained down on the center and rear of the Wei Army, and explosions echoed endlessly from within their ranks.
"Nephew, you rest for a bit! Leave the rest of this battle to your Uncle Zhang!"
The dark-skinned Zhang Kui, wielding a Zhangba Snake Spear, leaped directly from the city wall and charged into the Wei Army’s formation like a Fierce Beast.
Immediately after, a shrill cry echoed through the sky.
With the Southern Realm’s flight-restricting Array shattered, a Vermilion Bird soared across the firmament. True fire trailed in its wake, as if to set the very heavens ablaze. Even the scorching sun in the sky seemed less brilliant than this Vermilion Bird.
The Vermilion Bird opened its beak, and a torrent of fire spread across the field, engulfing the Wei Army.
"You of the Vermilion Bird Race dare to interfere in the wars of the Human Race!" Guo Xin roared at the Vermilion Bird.
But the Vermilion Bird just rolled its eyes, completely ignoring him.
After circling once in the air, the Vermilion Bird landed on the ground and continued to spew fire forward.
At the same time, a young woman in a pale pink dress leaped from the Vermilion Bird’s back and ran toward Xiao Mo.
Xiao Mo stared, stunned, at the sight of the young woman running toward him, holding up the hem of her dress.
When she drew near, Xiao Mo finally snapped out of it and dismounted, looking at her in astonishment. "Siyao, what are you..."
Before he could get out the five words, "What are you doing here?"
The young woman had already flown forward and thrown her arms around Xiao Mo, holding him tight.
Tears slid from the corners of her eyes and down her cheeks, dripping onto Xiao Mo’s armor to mix with the mud and grime before falling slowly to the ground.
"Idiot!"
"Idiot!"
"Idiot!"
Tears streamed down her face as she sobbed, pounding on Xiao Mo’s chest.
"Why do you have to be so stubborn? You were going to die, don’t you know that? Why didn’t you surrender...?"
