Chapter 273 - 74: Willing to Part With

Chapter 273: Chapter 74: Willing to Part With

Every battle was an ordeal.

Every time Liang Qiang thought he was invincible, reality proved to be cruel.

The higher his rank rose, the more perilous his missions became.

This time was even more dangerous than the last. He had walked into an ambush.

When they charged in, they hadn’t seen the main force of the Chi Na Army. But when they turned around, they were surrounded by Western Liang Soldiers.

Liang Qiang didn’t know how long he’d been fighting. It felt like a lifetime, yet also like a single moment.

Of his five hundred men, fewer than a hundred remained.

He, of course, was still alive.

CLANG! Weapons collided. A long saber from a Western Liang Soldier behind him was about to strike his back, but one of his own men intercepted the blow.

Liang Qiang didn’t spare it a glance. He continued his forward charge, and a Western Liang Soldier in his path fell.

Another Western Liang Soldier to his side swung a pair of hammers at him. Liang Qiang seemed not to see it, focused only on decapitating the soldier on the ground. The hammers crashed down on another of his men who had appeared from nowhere—

That soldier’s saber pierced the Western Liang Soldier’s chest, and the two became locked in a deadly struggle.

Liang Qiang pushed onward, surrounded by a spray of blood and gore. Men fell constantly around him—his own men, and Western Liang Soldiers.

Finally, the last Western Liang Soldier fell to Liang Qiang’s blade.

Liang Qiang turned his head and looked at the field littered with corpses. Only a few dozen of his men were still alive, and every single one was wounded.

Before they could even catch their breath, the thundering of hooves approached from the distance.

"We’ve been ambushed. There’s no escape," Liang Qiang said, his body covered in blood as he gripped his long saber. He looked at the remaining men around him. "All we can do is fight to the death."

The soldiers looked at him but said nothing.

Liang Qiang froze. The atmosphere was strange.

’Is it because my poor command led them into this deathtrap without realizing it?’

’Or is it because my skills are lacking? Not only can I not kill enough enemies, but I’ve become a burden to everyone?’

’This junhou... the truth is, I don’t command their respect at all.’

How he, a junhou, had received his honors from the court... anyone who fought alongside him could see it immediately.

Liang Qiang’s face burned with shame, as if he’d been struck by a Western Liang Soldier’s hammer.

"I, Liang Qiang, may be unworthy, but in this battle, I will neither retreat nor fear." He shouted again, his eyes fixed on the clouds of dust rising from beyond the gully ahead. He raised his long saber before him. "—I will go first."

The soldiers still did not cheer in response. Instead, one of them swung his weapon, blocking Liang Qiang’s path.

"General Liang," he said. "This battle isn’t necessarily a loss."

’What does he mean?’ Liang Qiang was stunned. He looked at the soldier, a man he recognized. He was the one who had been constantly at his side, shielding him from countless dangers.

But just like the other soldiers who had protected him and helped him kill his enemies, his eyes were cold and his expression was wooden. There was not a trace of warmth in his demeanor.

Liang Qiang actually understood. These soldiers hadn’t sold their lives to him; they had sold them to someone else.

So in their eyes, he, Liang Qiang, wasn’t a person. He was just... an object of a transaction.

They felt nothing for him, let alone respect or affection.

"You—" Liang Qiang’s voice was hoarse. "Who are you people? Who sent you to protect me?"

They wouldn’t answer that question.

"General Liang, you only need to know that your duty is to kill our enemies and serve the country," the soldier said.

Liang Qiang said, "I, Liang Qiang, have always intended to kill our enemies and serve the country, and I do not fear death. From now on, you will join me. Don’t worry about protecting me. Just kill the enemy—"

A strange smile appeared on the soldier’s face. He slowly moved his weapon, positioning it in front of Liang Qiang.

He said, "General, not only will you not die, but this battle will make you famous. You’ll be promoted and ennobled, made into a great general."

Liang Qiang understood. The shame vanished from his face, replaced by a calm expression. He asked, "What do you need from me?"

.....

.....

Liang Qiang knew that everything he had now hadn’t just fallen from the sky. It was lent to him by someone else, and payment would be collected.

He had been waiting, preparing, and also wondering—what exactly was the price this person would demand?

Today, the day had finally come.

The soldier’s long saber moved again, coming to rest on Liang Qiang’s arm. "We want one of General Liang’s arms."

Liang Qiang’s expression changed. With a CLANG, he raised his own saber to knock the soldier’s away. He took a step back, holding his blade defensively before him.

"If you want my life," he said, pointing ahead, "I, Liang Qiang, can die on the battlefield at any moment."

The soldier said, "General Liang, we only want an arm, not your life. Rest assured, we have people skilled in treating severed limbs."

Liang Qiang looked at him. "I am a soldier. Without an arm, what kind of soldier would I be? How could I go to war? Even if I lived, I’d be as good as dead."

The soldier suddenly laughed. "As I said before, not only will you not die, you’ll become famous, be promoted and ennobled as a great general, and continue to fight in all directions. Others might not believe it, but you can’t afford not to. Isn’t this how you’ve gotten everything you have now?"

So whether he had an arm, whether he was truly valiant, whether he could actually fight—none of it mattered. As long as he was a man, still breathing—

’Am I even still a man?’

Liang Qiang’s face burned again. He tightened his grip on his long saber and pointed it forward abruptly. "The Chi Na Army is here—"

They were still on the battlefield. In the moment they spoke, the rolling clouds of dust from the approaching Western Liang cavalry were already visible.

Judging by the dust alone, there were no fewer than several hundred of them.

Liang Qiang looked again at the soldiers around him. "I’m not as good as you all, but right now we’re outnumbered. It’s better to have one more able-bodied man than a cripple. Let’s talk about this later. This is a life-or-death moment, let’s not discuss such things now."

This time, even if all these soldiers died for him, they wouldn’t be able to protect him long enough to escape.

Everyone was doomed to die in this battle. What was the point of talking about the past or the future?

Seeing the formidable Western Liang Soldiers charge toward them, the soldiers still didn’t move, their expressions unchanging. The one who had been speaking even took out a bamboo whistle from his robes.

"Don’t worry, General Liang," he said. "Watch."

’Watch what?’ Liang Qiang froze for a second, watching as the soldier put the bamboo whistle to his lips and blew.

The sound of the whistle was bizarre, like the cry of a wild goose that had its neck suddenly snapped.

But what was even more bizarre was that the charging Western Liang Soldiers ahead seemed to have had their horses’ hooves snapped in unison. Amidst the neighing of horses, the stampeding column came to a halt.

The abrupt stop sent riders lurching forward and back, their horses’ hooves stamping in disarray. It was like a pot of boiling water, but no matter how violently it roiled, it was as if an invisible barrier had been erected before them, not a single drop splashing over.

Liang Qiang’s face was a mask of shock and disbelief.

’How is this possible?!’

That person could bribe countless soldiers in the Border County to die for him. That person could use money, favors, or threats to control so many men.

But Western Liang Soldiers!

Those were Western Liang people!

’Who?! Who could make the bloodthirsty Western Liang Soldiers, in the middle of a life-or-death battle, halt with just a single whistle?!’

’What kind of person could do this? How could this possibly be done?’

Even Mr. Liang, who had grown up in the wealthy Capital City and was accustomed to seeing power, could not imagine it.

For a moment, he suspected he was dreaming. He could hear nothing but his own ragged breaths until a voice broke into his awareness.

"General Liang, do you believe me now? In this battle, you will lead us to break the encirclement and launch a surprise attack on the Chi Na Army’s main camp. You will fight drenched in blood, defeating the many with the few, and lose an arm in the process. General Liang, a man of such valor, not even the loss of an arm can stop you from becoming a fierce general renowned throughout the world!"

"General Liang, are you willing?"

With the question, a curved blade was slowly raised, its edge glinting in the bitter winter cold.