Whether in the age of cold weapons or firearms, battlefields are always filled with bloodshed.
At this moment, the threshing field was soaked in blood, as if a heavy rain had fallen, leaving the ground muddy and impassable.
Hundreds of bandits struggled and wailed in the mire.
They were the lucky ones, because the heavy crossbows and iron caltrops had not struck vital areas, so they were only severely wounded, not killed on the spot.
They were also the unlucky ones, even more unfortunate than their comrades who died outright.
For their injuries were grave, with some having their intestines spilling out, lacking even the strength to stand. The victors would not spare them, and what awaited them was only death.
Their continued survival was merely a prolongation of suffering, enduring a bit more pain.
Some ruthless bandits had already taken their own lives.
But survival is the instinct of all living beings, and more bandits clung to a sliver of hope, wailing and persisting, waiting for a miracle.
Unbeknownst to them, at the edge of the threshing field, Jin Feng had already pronounced their death sentence.
“Mulian, it’s your turn. Go finish them off!”
“Yes, sir!”
Qing Mulian clasped her fists toward Jin Feng, bowing as she accepted the order.
Amei, following behind, could not help but glance deeply at Qing Mulian and Jin Feng.
Previously, though she addressed Jin Feng as Mister Jin, Qing Mulian had always positioned herself as his equal.
But now, she had placed herself in a subordinate role, like a general receiving orders from a commander-in-chief.
This change stemmed from Qing Mulian being thoroughly convinced.
Her prior understanding of Jin Feng came mostly from the battle report of the Qingshui Valley fight, but no matter how detailed, it could not match the shock of experiencing it firsthand.
When she saw the bandits filling the threshing field, Qing Mulian, hiding in the shadows, could not help feeling afraid, despite knowing they were well-prepared.
The disparity in forces was too great, and one misstep could lead to utter ruin.
Yet Jin Feng, facing the bandits directly, showed no sign of panic from beginning to end.
This courage alone was enough to win her over.
“Follow me!”
Qing Mulian drew her long sabre in one motion and strode into the threshing field.
The female soldiers behind her hurried to keep up.
The boots they and the veterans wore were specially made, with iron plates fitted to the soles by Jin Feng, so there was no fear of the iron caltrops piercing through.
Entering the threshing field, a thick stench of blood assaulted them, along with scattered limbs, organs, and the bandits’ wails, making it seem like hell itself.
Several female soldiers could not help covering their mouths.
One even ran back, squatting on the ground to retch.
After all, they had been selected as maids from wealthy households. Though trained by Qing Mulian for several years, they were not true warriors. Let alone battlefield experience, more than half had never even seen a dead body.
Now, thrust suddenly into such a horrific scene, it was inevitable they struggled to adapt.
Even Qing Mulian, who had anticipated this, felt tense.
Two steps ahead of her lay a severely wounded bandit.
This bandit had been struck in the right leg by a heavy crossbow bolt, and hit in the left shoulder and left leg by two iron caltrops. He lay on the ground, spitting blood foam, breathing more out than in, clearly near death.
Qing Mulian’s right hand, gripping the black blade, turned white from the force, yet despite several preparations, she could not raise it.
But as Qing Mulian’s mind still wrestled with itself, the bandit on the ground suddenly opened his eyes, roaring ferociously. With his intact right hand, he thrust his long sabre straight at Qing Mulian’s abdomen.
“Miss, watch out!”
Amei cried out, reaching to pull Qing Mulian away.
But the distance between the bandit and Qing Mulian was too close, and she had no time.
The bandit, knowing he was doomed, acted with the mindset of taking one down with him. This strike used all his strength, swift and vicious!
Though Qing Mulian wore armour, it was not seamless, and the bandit’s upward thrust could easily slip under the hem.
At that instant, an arrow flew in, embedding itself in the bandit’s head.
“The battlefield is a place of life and death. If you don’t kill them, they will kill you. Showing mercy to the enemy is cruelty to yourself and your comrades!”
Jin Feng had approached behind Qing Mulian at some point. “They are bandits, who don’t work themselves but leech off the common people like bloodsuckers. Countless innocents have been driven to death by them. Killing them avenges those victims. You need not carry any burden!”
“Yes!”
Qing Mulian lowered her head and moved to the next bandit.
Learning from her mistake, she first kicked away the bandit’s long sabre. Then, steeling her discomfort, she gritted her teeth and thrust the black blade into the bandit’s neck.
Splat!
Blood sprayed, covering her head and face!
Qing Mulian withdrew the sabre, clutching her chest as she gasped for air.
This time, Amei stayed right by her side, also getting drenched.
But Amei was far more composed than Qing Mulian, her expression unchanged, clearly accustomed to such scenes.
Amei knew this hurdle must be crossed alone, so she offered no comfort or urging, simply standing guard silently beside Qing Mulian.
Fortunately, Qing Mulian adjusted quickly. After resting for about half a minute, she lifted the black sabre and approached the next bandit.
This time, her movements were still somewhat awkward, but without any hesitation.
She raised the blade and brought it down, cleanly severing the bandit’s head.
“Sisters, it’s your turn!”
Qing Mulian kicked the bandit’s head aside and shouted to the female soldiers behind:
“Mister Jin is right. None of these bandits are innocent. By killing them, we avenge the common people they’ve driven to death and bring fortune to those not yet victimised!
Everyone, get to it. Don’t let those male soldiers laugh at us!”
With that, she beheaded another bandit.
A relatively petite female soldier stepped out of the ranks, holding a slender war blade, and approached a bandit.
Her name was Ajü, also from Jinchuan County. At eleven years old, when her family could not pay the annual grain tax, the Tieguan Mountain bandits killed her parents and brother before her eyes. She was then sold by her uncle to a merchant in Jinchuan County as a maid.
The merchant’s wife treated her worse than human, making her work endlessly without rest, and often denying her food for a day or two.
Once, starving beyond endurance, she secretly drank some pot-washing water while scrubbing, but was caught by the merchant’s wife, who nearly beat her to death.
Fortunately, the merchant’s business failed, and he sold her to a trafficker. After several transfers, she was brought to Xichuan and sold to the Qing residence, where Qing Mulian selected her.
From then on, she no longer went hungry, but the prolonged starvation at the merchant’s and trafficker’s hands left her the shortest among the female soldiers.
In the dead of night, she would recall her parents and brother slain before her, her hatred for the Tieguan Mountain bandits etched deep into her bones.
Though her right hand trembled as she gripped the blade, she thrust it into the bandit’s neck without hesitation.
