Chapter 153 The Rescue

Liang Cheng timed his two-hundred-rider charge perfectly, though it was also a matter of luck, as he hadn't initially intended to rush in to save the Sword Saint.

Most of the time, Demon Kings act only out of two motivations: profit and interest.

Rescuing their master and ensuring his safety wasn't just about profit; there was a high probability that if their master met with an accident, all seven of them would collectively kick the bucket.

As for the Sword Saint,

Liang Cheng hadn't expected him to be so stubborn as to directly pursue the enemy into the midst of the barbarian's thousand-strong cavalry.

Not only Liang Cheng but also General Zheng, who had finally reached the city gate and could look back, was stunned.

He wanted the Sword Saint to help him kill Geli Mu. From the perspective of defending Xue Hai Pass, if they could kill the only barbarian general skilled in siege warfare, the subsequent defense of Xue Hai Pass would be much easier.

Moreover, although Geli Mu was a traitor, he was, in fact, the actual commander of these several barbarian armies.

Killing the enemy commander before the battle would undoubtedly be a huge blow to the enemy's morale.

It was out of these considerations that Zheng Fan had planned to have the Sword Saint assassinate the general.

However, in reality, things rarely go according to your pre-designed script. For example, Geli Mu seemed to recognize the Sword Saint and immediately turned to flee.

This was something Zheng Fan hadn't anticipated; he hadn't even presented his Hada yet.

As for the Sword Saint drawing his sword and himself quickly returning to the city,

it was all according to plan.

But Zheng Fan had originally thought that the Sword Saint would only try to see if he could kill Geli Mu. If he could, great; if not, he would retreat.

Zheng Fan had originally thought that the Sword Saint would think the same way.

However,

General Zheng really hadn't expected the Sword Saint to be so stubborn!

Damn it,

you're the Sword Saint,

it wasn't easy for me to get you,

and you're willing to risk everything for a traitor?

For General Zheng, this was definitely a losing deal, a loss that would bankrupt him completely.

To put it another way, even if he lost everything and had to open a "New Dragon Gate Inn" in the future, having a Sword Saint sitting in the inn would make life completely different.

Zheng Fan could only sigh with a headache, well, the Sword Saint is on a roll.

Once a person is on a roll, not even eight horses can pull them back, and besides, he's the Sword Saint. If he wants to do something, if he's determined to do something, who can really stop him?

The head of the Lao Si Tu family, although he hadn't ascended the throne, was practically the same as an emperor, and he killed him without hesitation.

Liang Cheng had no intention of saving the Sword Saint. As a general, he couldn't have failed to study the impact of "high martial arts" on a war in this world.

With the charge of two thousand riders, the Sword Saint was just a swordsman, not a martial artist with a strong physique like Sha Tuo Que Shi Tian Wu Jing. It was estimated that he was really going to die.

Regardless of whether the Sword Saint could kill Geli Mu or not, in Liang Cheng's view, the Sword Saint basically wouldn't be coming back.

Based on this understanding, he couldn't lead two hundred riders to directly rush in to rescue him, as it would likely send himself and these two hundred riders in with him.

And after those two thousand riders were deployed, the barbarian camp was starting to mobilize more troops.

However, Liang Cheng didn't so resolutely return directly to the city with his men after receiving his master. Instead, he ordered them to collectively slow down their horses.

In any case, he was still the Sword Saint, and he had risked his life to assassinate the enemy commander for the sake of Xue Hai Pass. You couldn't just discard him after using him; at least you had to make a gesture of trying to rescue him.

On the battlefield, failing to save a comrade in need would severely damage morale.

This wasn't hypocrisy, nor was it heartlessness; it was merely the calmness that a real commander of an army should display.

However,

what Liang Cheng didn't expect was that

the Sword Saint had actually broken through!

And he wielded Long Yuan in a frenzy of slaughter!

Liang Cheng didn't know how strong the power beyond the Third Rank was, because there was no reference point or calculation standard, but that powerful posture and terrifying damage made Liang Cheng instantly unable to remain calm.

The Sword Saint,

could still be saved!

Correspondingly, the enemy commander should have been killed.

Liang Cheng decisively raised his hand, signaling a full-speed charge!

Liang Cheng wasn't interested in rescuing a corpse for a proper burial.

But if he could rescue a Sword Saint who was still alive, it would definitely be worth it!

The Sword Saint's slaughter had caused the two thousand barbarian cavalry that had initially surrounded him to lose more than half their numbers. Generally speaking, in the age of cold weapons, when an army's casualties exceeded 20%, it was basically on the verge of collapse. Of course, special circumstances and truly elite troops were exceptions.

The barbarian cavalry, because they believed in the stars and had a Great Guide sitting in command, and because it was so many people against one person, had held on for a long time. But after being slaughtered in half by the Sword Saint alone, they were already on the verge of mental collapse.

At this time, the follow-up reinforcements were still a short distance away;

and the remaining barbarian cavalry had lost their so-called formation. So many people against one person, no military strategist throughout history would design such a formation.

Therefore,

Liang Cheng's two hundred riders, at just the right moment, were like a sharp knife, piercing into them.

The barbarian cavalry was directly scattered. Yes, scattered. They were actually more like a relief, a situation where they were already extremely tired and almost gave up, and finally waited for someone to offer them a way out.

They couldn't bear to face that one person anymore. Now that hundreds of riders had come from the opposite side, it was only natural for them to flee and retreat in defeat.

Liang Cheng took the lead, slashing down a barbarian knight who stood in his way, and rushed to the Sword Saint's side, his horse speed undiminished. He leaned over, reached out his hand, and picked up the Sword Saint.

As soon as he touched him, he felt that the Sword Saint was much lighter. Liang Cheng, who had eaten "blood food" before, knew that this was because the blood in the Sword Saint's body had evaporated too much.

He placed the Sword Saint in front of him, protecting him with his own body, and turned his horse around.

"Sword..."

The Sword Saint made a weak sound.

Liang Cheng took a deep breath, turned his horse around again, and used the saber in his hand to pick up Long Yuan stuck in the ground. After grabbing the sword with his left hand, he roared:

"Rear ranks, cover the retreat!"

"As you command!"

"Yes!"

The barbarian cavalry that had rushed out from the barbarian camp was about to attack. In this situation, Liang Cheng directly gave the order to divide half of his troops, a hundred riders, to act as a suicide squad and launch a desperate charge against the barbarian cavalry behind them.

This wasn't abandoning comrades because he issued this order clearly.

The atmosphere in the army was like this: I voluntarily cover your retreat and you abandoning me are two completely different concepts.

Most generals actually knew this principle, but not all troops could have this kind of awareness of sacrificing themselves to win a chance of survival for their comrades.

The remaining cavalry followed Liang Cheng and began to charge towards Xue Hai Pass.

The hundred riders who made the suicidal charge did indeed impede the follow-up barbarian cavalry, but there were too many of them, and they still hung on.

Previously, the Sword Saint had directly plunged into the barbarian cavalry, so the barbarians couldn't shoot arrows. Moreover, after the Sword Saint forcibly broke through, he had killed the barbarians so much that their brains had crashed. Even though Ha Xi had pointed out the problem that the Sword Saint couldn't move, the barbarians' brains were still only numbly charging and hacking.

At this time, the barbarian cavalry team chasing from behind hadn't experienced the "spiritual destruction" of their previous comrades. They very decisively began to draw their bows and shoot arrows.

Liang Cheng bent down, protecting the Sword Saint under him. Beside him, cavalrymen were constantly hit by arrows and fell off their horses. Liang Cheng's back was also hit by three arrows. One had no force and was directly deflected by his armor. The other two had considerable force, piercing through the armor, but as a zombie, Liang Cheng's own body was extremely strong, and this level of injury was still within an acceptable range.

At this time, the Sheng Le army on the city wall began to draw their bows and shoot arrows;

Xue San ordered without hesitation:

"Launch the trebuchets!"

Trebuchets were actually siege weapons that launched stones, used to kill people in the city or break down the city walls. Both the attacking and defending sides had to rely on them.

Xue San had made some improvements to the trebuchets of this era, greatly increasing both the accuracy and range.

The principle was actually not difficult, at least for Xue San. It was actually the "Muslim trebuchet" from that world.

In ancient times in that world, the Mongols relied on this to capture Xiangyang City.

However, because time was too tight, Xue San had only made five trebuchets with his men. But five large stones falling from the sky and the arrows raining down from the city wall directly caused the pursuing barbarian cavalry to panic, resulting in heavy casualties for a time, and their momentum of pursuit was directly curbed.

Liang Cheng was able to lead the remaining dozens of riders into the city, and the city gate was immediately closed, and subsequent obstacles were filled in by the soldiers below.

General Zheng immediately went down the city wall and rushed to Liang Cheng. Although Liang Cheng still had two arrows stuck in his back, Zheng Fan believed that Liang Cheng was fine. Even if the arrows were poisoned, it would only be an itch for Liang Cheng.

Zheng Fan was worried about the Sword Saint. He personally reached out and, with the help of two soldiers beside him, took the Sword Saint down from the warhorse.

The Sword Saint's eyes opened slightly, looked at Zheng Fan, and then closed again, as if he was about to die.

In fact, the aura on his body also gave people a feeling of being at the end of his rope, not even a final burst of energy.

Forcibly breaking through and then killing thousands of riders, the price paid for such a feat was extremely heavy.

Zheng Fan immediately said:

"Don't worry, I'll take care of that little widow for you. I'll marry her as a concubine when I get back."

The Sword Saint's closed eyes immediately opened again!