He parried with his long saber, putting all his strength into it!
"Clang!" With a loud clang, the saber flew from his grasp, and Gu Ya's hands were numb from the shock.
The cavalryman circled in front and charged again!
Gu Ya narrowed his eyes, his blood surging. He pushed off the ground with his feet, leaping high into the air. He clasped the cavalryman's waist and threw him off his horse. Quickly drawing a small knife from his back, he thrust and twisted it into the cavalryman's neck, severing the bloody head.
Holding the bloody head, Gu Ya mounted the startled warhorse and charged forward.
"Kill—!!!"
A furious battle cry erupted from Gu Ya's mouth. Splattered with blood, he had only one thought: kill the enemy! Attack the city!
After a day and a night of fierce fighting, the "Ye" banner was raised on the city walls, heralding the success of the siege.
"My lads! Qingzhou City has fallen! No quarter for three days! Kill—!"
Following the vanguard general's roar, tens of thousands of besieging soldiers stormed into the city from all directions, cutting down anyone they saw and looting anything they could grab.
Ordinary civilians scattered like mice, only to be slaughtered like leeks. Flames engulfed the city, chaos ensued, and shouts of killing and screams of agony echoed from all directions.
Gu Ya, followed by over a dozen of his brothers, stormed into a large manor. They cut down a group of guards, their blood staining the white stone paths of the courtyard, with crimson droplets splattered on the tender green leaves.
"Hahaha! This little wench is quite something, big backside! Let's have some fun!" A burly soldier beside him grabbed a fleeing female relative and hoisted her onto his shoulder, carrying her towards a side room. Soon, the woman's screams echoed from within.
The dozen or so brothers behind him kicked open doors one by one, killing all the men they saw and also any women who tried to escape, leaving only those cowering in terror in the corners.
"Don't take my child! He's the only male heir in our family. We'll give you money!" an old man shouted, only to be cut down by soldiers' blades.
A soldier scooped up a child and threw it into a well, then rushed into the room filled with female relatives with a hoarse laugh. Screams and cries from the women immediately erupted from the room, drawing the attention of more soldiers who streamed in, intensifying the pleas from within.
Gu Ya stood in the vast courtyard, a satisfied smile on his face as he surveyed the corpses of civilians scattered everywhere.
A soldier ran over from behind, shouting with laughter, "Flag Commander, this is a prominent family in Qingzhou City! Quite a lot of wealth here!"
"Take it all and hand it over to General Ye. When I'm promoted to bureau chief, I won't let my brothers down!" Gu Ya licked the blood from his lips and said with a smile.
A figure in white dashed swiftly from the nearby woods. Gu Ya pounced, knocking the woman in white to the ground, and began tearing at her clothes without a word.
The woman's bare shoulder was exposed, her hair unbound and spread out, her eyes wide with terror.
But the moment Gu Ya saw the woman's face, he froze.
Memories that did not belong to him flooded his mind – giant mechs soaring into the sky, missiles trailing fire as they flew into the distance.
He stood atop a ruined tower, a girl who looked exactly like the woman in white holding his left hand, gazing at the ravaged city.
"Wuwuwu..." The woman clutched her chest, trembling as she sobbed.
"Flag Commander, this lass is quite fetching. If you don't want her, give her to us brothers to play with!" Three soldiers crowded around, leering at the woman.
Gu Ya pulled himself away from the jumbled memories and roared, "I want this woman. Take her home to serve my mother."
Watching his brothers leave with disappointed expressions, Gu Ya stood up, hefted the disheveled woman onto his shoulder, and walked out of the courtyard.
The scenes flashing through his mind were so vivid that Gu Ya felt as if that was where he belonged.
After pondering for a long time but failing to make sense of it, Gu Ya cursed, "What the hell is this crap!"
He handed the woman over to his underage brother to guard and then stormed back into the courtyard to search for more spoils.
Three days later, Qingzhou City was practically a dead city.
Seven out of ten households were empty, bodies lay everywhere, and an eerie silence reigned. Even wild dogs ventured into the city at night to feed on the dead.
Inside the military camp outside the city,
Gu Ya sat cross-legged in the tent, his dead eyes fixed on the woman he had captured.
It was too strange. Every time he touched her, Gu Ya recalled peculiar images.
The colossal steel behemoths that towered into the clouds filled him with dread, yet they felt so familiar, as if he had once ridden such machines into battle.
His young brother entered the tent, carrying a large bowl of meat and soup, and a pot of wine.
"Brother! You even captured this little sister-in-law. You haven't touched her these past few days, don't you like her? Give her to me!" His brother plunked himself down and began tearing meat from the bones, taking a bite, then a swig of wine, his gaze never leaving the woman.
"Get out! Get out, get out! Go eat with the brothers!" Gu Ya yelled irritably.
His brother shot Gu Ya a disgruntled look, dropped the meat he hadn't yet eaten, abandoned the wine, and stood up, ducking out of the tent. Before leaving, he diligently pulled the tent flaps shut, as if afraid outsiders might disturb his brother's 'affairs'.
Gu Ya grabbed the meat his brother had torn apart and tossed it to the woman.
The woman, who had been starving for days, snatched the meat and shoveled it into her mouth. After just two bites, she choked. She looked at Gu Ya in fear, then tentatively reached for the wine pot on the table. Seeing that Gu Ya did not stop her, she grabbed it and tilted her head back, drinking greedily.
After only two gulps, she choked on the potent liquor, coughing violently, and spat out both wine and meat.
"Damn it! This isn't your common rice and meat! It's precious!" Gu Ya, enraged, stood up to kick the woman. She quickly grabbed the meat from the ground and stuffed it back into her mouth.
Watching the woman finish eating, Gu Ya sat down with satisfaction. After a moment, he quietly asked, "What's your name?"
The woman started, swallowed the meat slowly, and said in a soft, drawn-out voice, "This humble maiden's family name is Ye, and my given name is Ying."
"Ye Ying?" Gu Ya blurted out, a chill shooting from his feet straight to his brain. He had been sitting upright but nearly fell off his chair.
Suddenly, a mixed-race girl with pinkish-brown hair, fair skin, and features resembling those of an Indian appeared in his mind, smiling sweetly at Gu Ya.
Accustomed to charging into battle and facing death, Gu Ya, recalling that smile, felt an overwhelming sense of warmth and shock.
For a moment, he stood stunned.
"No... no, no, no, no..." Gu Ya cried out in pain, clutching his head. His cries grew louder until he finally delivered a hard punch to his own head, jolting himself awake from the memories that weren't his.
At that moment, the tent flap was pulled open, and a brother rushed in shouting, "Flag Commander, General Ye is inspecting the camp!"
Gu Ya hastily donned his helmet, thrust the meat and wine into Ye Ying's arms, hid her behind the weapon rack, and strode out.
Outside the tent, Gu Ya stood at attention before dozens of his brothers, awaiting General Ye's inspection.
Since joining the Ye Army, this was only the third time he had personally seen General Ye.
That lofty figure, usually only heard through his orders, was never seen in person.
It was rumored that he only led his trusted confidantes and elite troops into battle. Scum like Gu Ya were only fit to be cannon fodder at the front, paving the way for the regular troops behind them.
Of course, such irregular troops were also the most likely to earn military merits. If he survived a few major battles, he could rise rapidly and become a bureau chief in the regular army. If he were lucky, he could even become a general's subordinate officer, which would truly be an honor for his ancestors!
"Dada da!~" With the sound of irregular hoofbeats, General Ye, clad in armor, galloped past.
As he passed Gu Ya's tent, General Ye suddenly shouted, "Whoa—!" The warhorse neighed loudly as the reins were pulled tight.
"Who is Gu Ya!" General Ye called out in a cold voice.
Gu Ya trotted out and approached General Ye's warhorse, head bowed. He knelt on one knee, cupped his fists above his head, and shouted, "Reporting to General Ye! Gu Ya, Flag Commander of the Fifth Flag, Tenth Row, Vanguard Camp!"
General Ye, from his lofty position, said coldly, "Lift your head!"
Gu Ya steadily raised his head and looked up. The warhorse was incredibly tall, reminding Gu Ya of the mechs from those strange memories.
General Ye sat steady on his horse, exceptionally imposing. His armor obscured his face completely.
"Hmm, good. Starting today, come to my tent." Without waiting for Gu Ya's reply, General Ye roared, "Giddy up!" The warhorse neighed and galloped away.
The horses of his entourage followed, kicking up mud and water from the ground, splattering Gu Ya's face.
But beneath the muddy face, Gu Ya's eyes widened, revealing a smile of surprise and delight.