The ships docked, and the Long Xiao Camp began to assemble with roars.
Gan Ning found it hard to comprehend why these armored soldiers of the Long Xiao Camp, who were as timid as grandpas on deck, became so valiant once they set foot on land.
On shore? Did the sheep turn into lions?
Or was it the legend of the sea—meek on water, powerful on land?
Gan Ning, being new, naturally couldn't understand what land combat meant to the Long Xiao Camp, to Lu Bu.
Even with more training!
Even if they were as skilled as the Long Xiao Camp, naval warfare wasn't something that could be mastered in a few months.
But land combat, the Long Xiao Camp had trained for years, and Lu Bu had trained for decades!
The thousand-plus armored soldiers of the Long Xiao Camp, a formidable force, some from the Vanguard Camp, some from the Pioneer Camp, some from the Bing Province Volunteer Army, and some from the Bing Province Wolf Riders, this combined Long Xiao Camp navy, emerging from the water and setting foot on land today, their eyes were all turned green, shining brightly!
"Dong dong dong!"
The gongs sounded, and the Long Xiao Camp soldiers on several ships quickly assembled. Lu Bu's eyes, however, narrowed slightly, a bad habit cultivated on deck.
Why the gongs?
Finally, a land battle! Finally, these Wa people gathered. One strike was enough, but they kept striking, what if they scared them away? Big Wind Novels
Scared away? Who would be responsible?
In contrast, the Wa people assembled on shore were raggedly dressed, tanned dark, and extremely short, which perfectly matched the image of the Wa people from ancient times to the present.
They were the troops of the Gou Nu Kingdom, new nobles of the Yamatai Kingdom. Having finally driven out the queen, now... someone dared to encroach upon their island.
Hmph... then they would fight to the death!
Countless Japanese swords were drawn... as if to challenge the approaching enemy.
The two leading Wa people, one named "Tsukuyomi" and the other "Amaterasu," were the most valiant warriors of the Gou Nu Kingdom, deeply understanding the spirit of Bushido. Both had made significant contributions in the great battle against Himiko, the queen of the Yamatai Kingdom.
Tsukuyomi was relatively silent, while Amaterasu was more volatile. Their hairstyles were similar, with the center of their heads shaved clean and the hair on the sides tied up into a topknot on the bald crown, forming a "Tsukiyomi" hairstyle!
Each wore a short samurai sword at their waist, and held a long samurai sword in their hands.
The Wa people of the Yamatai Kingdom were of many kinds. The Wa people of the Gou Nu Kingdom were the most brutal, known for their ferocity and love of fighting, and were notorious for killing people.
This time, "Tsukuyomi" and "Amaterasu" each brought all their desperadoes, wanting to compete... in other words, to seize merit.
The king of the Gou Nu Kingdom was old, and the successor was to be chosen from "Tsukuyomi" and "Amaterasu."
This battle, to a certain extent, could determine the order of succession for the two.
Moreover...
The enemies who landed, with their continuous gong sounds, were particularly jarring, showing a complete disregard for them.
This made "Amaterasu" even more agitated, and caused "Tsukuyomi" to reveal a ferocious gaze.
"A total of over a thousand people."
Some Wa reported this intelligence to their leaders in the local language.
"Tsukuyomi" and "Amaterasu" had always disdained these enemies who landed. Was the ferocity of the Gou Nu Kingdom something that any invaders could profane?
Come one, die one; come a pair, die a pair!
"A thousand heads!" Amaterasu spoke first, even sticking out his tongue to lick the sword in his hand, then let out a wild laugh.
"Tsukuyomi" was not to be outdone. He gripped his samurai sword with both hands, killing intent blazing in his eyes, "Today, three hundred heads!"
As he said this, "Amaterasu" seemed somewhat unconvinced. He roared, "I, today, five hundred heads!"
As his words fell, countless Wa people looked at the two, their eyes filled with admiration.
In recent years, the Gou Nu Kingdom had taken the Yamatai Kingdom as its own, subduing one tribe after another. Rumor had it that "Tsukuyomi's" samurai sword had beheaded as many as seven hundred people. Today, he called out three hundred heads, intending to reach a thousand kills.
As for "Amaterasu," the rumors were even more formidable. It was said he had already beheaded fifteen hundred people. Today, he called out five hundred heads to achieve the goal of two thousand kills.
Of course...
Judging by the attitude of the Wa people towards them, no one thought they were joking.
After all, they were the most skilled warriors of the Gou Nu Kingdom, the potential successors to the throne of the Gou Nu Kingdom...
Of course, the heads of many of their subordinates were also counted as theirs. This... it was the same everywhere, those who understood, understood!
...
The desperadoes of the Gou Nu Kingdom had assembled. Lu Bu and the Long Xiao Camp did not rush to attack. Finally... Lu Bu could no longer stand the "dong dong" sound of the gongs.
With a "snap," he sent the gong flying and said unhappily, "Why the gongs? Now that the opponent has finished assembling, if you keep striking, they'll all run away."
At this moment, the Wa people were already charging towards the Long Xiao Camp navy, brandishing their samurai swords.
They seemed somewhat ferocious...
"Don't panic!"
Gan Ning directed the navy, but he knew that once on shore, command would be handed back to General Lu Ying. He leaned lazily against a tree, wanting to see how General Lu Ying planned to fight.
At this moment, Lu Bu had already stood on a stone step. His Fang Tian Hua Ji was still behind him, and he appeared unhurried.
"Wait until these Wa people are within a hundred paces of us before attacking, so they don't run away!"
The soldiers of the Long Xiao Camp were itching to roar, but they had to suppress their emotions, remain calm, and not get excited, absolutely not let the opponent escape!
The charging Wa people revealed contemptuous smiles. The charge of two armies was about "momentum." The opponent's static stance was simply cowardly to the extreme.
They had subconsciously regarded the approaching enemy as "soft persimmons"!
Two hundred paces!
One hundred and fifty paces!
One hundred and twenty paces!
Both sides held their breath. For both sides, they were very excited.
Especially the Long Xiao Camp, they were too restricted at sea, on deck. On land... they were the kings!
Finally...
One hundred paces!
The Wa samurai let out their final roar. "Amaterasu" and "Tsukuyomi" tightened their swords, licked their lips, and shouted ferociously. "Baga gaga ga..."
It seemed to mean "idiot." The entire Wa formation was full of momentum, as if carrying an overwhelming force.
And Lu Bu's lips curled into a smile. He raised his Fang Tian Hua Ji, timing it perfectly, and shouted just two words—
"Kill!"
With that, no one could see how Lu Bu moved. He was already the first to charge into the enemy ranks.
Wherever he went, there were wails!
Almost as soon as Lu Bu charged into the enemy ranks, all the soldiers of the Long Xiao Camp launched their charge...
Although they were not riding horses, they still had their steel halberds and steel armor. With these, the opponent's samurai swords... were a joke!
...
...
The Bagua formation at the exit of Bowangpo collapsed with a roar.
Cao's army, tens of thousands strong, marched south, with Xiahou Dun leading the charge. The flying ball troops were also fully deployed. This time, Xiahou Dun had learned his lesson; he would only launch his attack after the flying ball troops signaled.
But...
From the sky, the entire city of Xinye appeared unusually quiet, like a ghost town.
"As expected!"
Xiahou Dun, who had rushed to Xinye City, narrowed his eyes. "As expected. It is now lunchtime, why is there no smoke from cooking anywhere in Xinye City? Strange, very strange."
Xiahou Dun thought of the intelligence reported by the flying ball troops some time ago: Xinye City was already empty, and all the houses were filled with flammable materials, kerosene, and firewood!
They were just waiting for him, Xiahou Dun, to enter, and with a volley of fire arrows, he would be instantly reduced to ashes. But now...
Xiahou Dun raised his head. The flying ball troops had not indicated any enemy ambushes nearby. This meant that Zhuge Liang's fire arrow team had withdrawn?
This was strange!
Could it be that Zhuge Liang had abandoned this plan?
"All troops, stand by!"
Xiahou Dun shouted, and then waited outside Xinye City... He would wait for the signal from the flying ball team in the sky.
At this moment, several flying balls appeared in the sky above Xinye City.
Liu Ye was piloting a flying ball, and Zhuge Jun and Lu Yu were also present.
"No enemy ambushes found?"
Lu Yu asked, his tone somewhat surprised. Liu Ye nodded, "Indeed, there should have been archers ambushing in the bushes near Xinye City, but now..."
Lu Yu peered down from the rattan basket. Because it was too high, even Xinye City was just a dot, let alone the surrounding bushes. If the archers were dispersed, it was impossible to see if there were any ambushes.
"Master, General Xiahou's army has halted outside the city. Should... should the hot air balloons descend a bit for closer observation?" Zhuge Jun suggested.
"Descend!" Lu Yu pondered for a moment and then gave the order to descend.
Whether the enemy was ambushing, and where they were ambushing, was crucial for the next step.
Zhuge Liang... was famous. Lu Yu did not dare to be careless in the slightest.
Immediately...
From Lu Yu's hot air balloon, green silk was lowered. Several hot air balloons began to descend slowly, and the leading hot air balloon also began to lower its altitude.
At this moment...
From the bushes, a woman wearing a black veil looked up, her eyes wide open, watching the descending hot air balloons.
An armored soldier advised, "Madam, the enemy's flying balls have descended. If you don't retreat now and are discovered, you won't be able to leave."
Although the woman wore a black veil, her eyes were exceptionally bright.
"Wait a moment longer!"
"If one wants to create such flying balls, then... then I must observe them at a closer range."
This woman in the black veil was Huang Yueying...
A few days ago, due to the discovery of flying ball reconnaissance, Zhuge Liang changed his original plan, withdrew all archers ambushing around Xinye City, and even set up an empty city in Xinye City.
While misleading the enemy, he was creating the most advantageous position and time for his wife, Huang Yueying, to observe the hot air balloons at close range.
Huang Yueying, personally taught by her father and a descendant of the Mohist school, could easily discern the principles if she observed them at close range.
After all...
Even wooden kites, which were ten times more difficult to make than hot air balloons, Huang Yueying had successfully made.
And Liu Bei had crossed the river with the civilians three days ago...
It was just that the civilians moved slowly, and the army only marched dozens of miles a day.
This was not a problem. Zhuge Liang felt that everything was under control... Xinye was not far from Xiangyang City, and this speed was enough to cross the river.
And the flying ball troops were not as terrifying as imagined.
"As expected..." Huang Yueying said as she observed, "My husband was right. The flying ball troops are not invincible. Their strength lies in their ability to cause large-scale destruction by throwing fire rain in areas where the enemy is gathered."
"Their weaknesses are also obvious. If the army is dispersed and moving, the flying balls cannot accurately track them, and it is even impossible to shoot them down with arrows from the flying balls!"
Huang Yueying was still sighing...
She quickly recorded every connection of the flying balls, including how to start the fire, how the leather of the balloon was connected, and... most importantly, the interior of the sphere, which could only be observed within a hundred meters.
However...
They were already very close.
Enough for Huang Yueying to clearly see every outline of the hot air balloon.
However...
Just like a poem from later generations—you stand by the window looking at the scenery, and the person looking at the scenery is also looking at you!
As Huang Yueying clearly saw the hot air balloon, the people inside the hot air balloon also clearly saw her...
A dozen people, not a large target, and well hidden, difficult to detect.
But at such close range, it was still enough to see these people clearly.
"Master, look..."
Zhuge Jun hurriedly pointed towards Huang Yueying.
"Is that... an enemy ambush?"
"It doesn't look like it!" Lu Yu picked up his "thousand-mile eye" to look carefully. As soon as he looked, he was startled... Among these dozen people, there was actually a woman!
A woman wearing a black veil!
...
...
In the Yamatai Kingdom, by the coast.
Lu Bu had gone mad. His eyes were like torches as he looked at the Wa people before him, as if he were looking at prey.
He had not been this bloodthirsty for a long time.
In the thirteen prefectures of the Great Han, due to Lu Yu, he always inexplicably had many people to protect. To the point where, in the end, he regarded every Han person as a friend and could not bear to harm them!
But now, in the Yamatai Kingdom, these Wa people before him were people with whom he had no blood relation. Every swing of his Fang Tian Hua Ji was accompanied by splashing blood.
Let alone the Long Xiao Camp...
He alone gave a suffocating feeling.
Gan Ning had no time to intervene. He was already stunned. This legendary General "Lu Ying" was like a true god on land. Without exaggeration, wherever he went, nothing was left!
It was as if, in the dark, these Wa people of the Gou Nu Kingdom owed the Han people something, and were destined to be inferior to the Han people forever!
Even on the ships, Himiko, the queen of the Yamatai Kingdom, showed an expression of extreme shock.
"Is... is he still human?"
"Are the soldiers of the Great Wei... all this strong?"
She murmured, her eyes once again drawn to the Fang Tian Hua Ji. In her eyes, the halberd had already killed dozens of people... even if he continued to kill like this, hundreds... perhaps thousands would die under this Fang Tian Hua Ji?
Suffocating...
Simply suffocating!
Of course... the Wa army also saw clearly that this strong man holding the Fang Tian Hua Ji and dressed in a red robe was too fierce. Almost... with his own strength alone, he had... disrupted the entire Wa army's formation, and wherever the halberd passed, there were countless gaping holes.
"Together?"
"Together!"
Tsukuyomi and Amaterasu exchanged glances. They knew that at this moment, they could no longer rely on brute force alone; they had to unite.
Immediately, they gripped their swords and quickly aimed for Lu Bu's weakness, which was below his ribs. After the Fang Tian Hua Ji made a wide sweep, a brief opening would appear.
Finding this opening, they were overjoyed, wishing they could immediately chop, but... they did not move. Instead, they communicated calmly!
"Ittō-ryū!"
"One strike!"
After the two communicated again, Amaterasu charged forward first. His swordsmanship was extremely fast, known as "Ittō-ryū." Many times, the opponent had not even seen the appearance of his sword before their heads were separated from their bodies.
He raised his samurai sword high, bringing it down like the sun and moon. The terrifying momentum made him unable to breathe, and he was almost mesmerized by himself.
Lu Bu naturally saw this move. He swung his Fang Tian Hua Ji to block, but "Amaterasu's" gaze was like a torch. He quickly retracted his sword to block. This was a coordinated effort, a cooperation between the two royal heirs.
Because the opening had appeared.
And at the same time, "Tsukuyomi's" sword was about to cut across the opponent's waist!
"Uragan, Barul! Gōkugōyaru!"
(Translation: This lightning that pierces through the chaotic world will shatter everything!)
...
...