Big Zhuang and Monkey had deliberately waited until sunset to launch their attack.
By now, the sky had already turned dark.
Though it was still not the perfect moment for flash bombs, it was far better than nothing.
After shouting their orders, the female escorts who had long been ready immediately adjusted the aim of the portable trebuchets and released the triggers.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!
One flash bomb after another scattered into the Tubo ranks.
The escorts, already experienced, instantly closed their eyes and raised their arms to shield their faces.
The next second, the flash bombs landed among the crowd.
The Tubo soldiers thought stones were being hurled and raised their shields to block.
But what fell were not stones. They were bamboo tubes with fuses already burned down to the base.
The Tubo troops stared curiously at the tubes on the ground, utterly puzzled.
We’re in the middle of a battle. Why are the Great Kang men throwing bamboo tubes at us?
The next instant, their vision went pure white. They could see nothing at all.
Even the bravest warrior panics when suddenly blinded.
Many also lost their sense of balance.
The Tubo formation instantly descended into chaos.
“Kill!”
Monkey and Big Zhuang gave the attack order at the same time.
The female escorts charged forward while firing.
Because materials were limited, the flash bombs Jin Feng had made were not especially powerful, and their effect was not as good as those from his previous life.
They had to seize this brief window and kill as many enemies as possible.
Sangji, standing on the summit, was less affected by the flashes. His sight recovered quickly.
Seeing his men being shot down one after another, he roared in fury, “The Great Kang troops are shooting arrows! Raise your shields!”
His warning was useful. The Tubo soldiers who heard him lifted their shields.
Unfortunately, many had lost all sense of direction. They raised their shields but turned their backs to the escorts.
By the time Monkey and his men reached the Tubo soldiers, more than three hundred had already fallen to the women’s crossbows.
The flash effect still had not worn off.
How could blind Tubo soldiers resist iron-clad escorts?
The two escort formations truly resembled giant arrows, piercing straight into the Tubo army and heading directly for Sangji on the summit.
Every Tubo soldier they encountered along the way was casually cut down.
“General, these Great Kang men know sorcery! They can turn people blind! We must leave!”
The deputy grabbed Sangji and tried to drag him downhill.
“I, Sangji, can only die in battle. I will never flee like a coward!”
Sangji shook him off and drew his sword.
At this point, he had no way out.
The escorts were nearly at the summit. Even if he ran, he might not escape.
Even if he did escape, losing Mount Mao’er would mean Danzhu would hang him.
If that was his fate, he would rather fight.
Sangji had once been one of Gada’s personal guards. He had risen step by step to general under Gada and was a master in his own right.
He could probably hold his own against A-Mei.
Masters have pride. Even in death, he would take a few escorts with him.
Unfortunately, the escorts gave him no such chance.
Seeing Sangji charge with speed rivalling A-Mei’s, Monkey and Big Zhuang instantly recognised a master and ordered the women to fire a concentrated volley.
In an instant, hundreds of arrows flew toward Sangji and his deputy.
Though both wore armour, it protected only their torsos. Legs, arms, and faces were exposed.
Against such dense shooting, no amount of skill could dodge everything.
Sangji was struck by countless arrows all over his body. Like any ordinary Tubo soldier, he tumbled down the slope and was finished off with a thrust to the throat by Monkey.
The deputy was cut down by another escort.
“Haha, Big Zhuang, you owe me one!”
Monkey laughed triumphantly at Big Zhuang.
Seeing Sangji die by Monkey’s hand, Big Zhuang immediately led his men to the summit and hacked the flagpole down with a few mighty blows.
In feudal warfare, with no radios, banners served both to direct the battle and as the spiritual symbol of an army.
When the command banner fell, it meant the commander was dead.
It was a fatal blow to morale.
Right now, the escorts on the summit cheered. Many Tubo soldiers heard and turned to look.
When they saw their banner gone and Sangji vanished, they instantly lost heart.
On the Great Kang side, morale soared.
Chen Fengzhi let out an excited roar. No longer supervising the rear, he charged into the fray with his personal guard, swinging his sword wildly.
Sangji had only two banners left in total. The escorts had killed the commander and nearly wiped out one banner. Meng Tianhai’s forces now outnumbered the remaining Tubo troops almost five to one.
If they still could not win, Meng Tianhai might as well do exactly what the Ninth Princess had said and die on Mount Mao’er.
The battle continued until nightfall, when it finally ended.
Countless Great Kang warriors cheered and leapt for joy.
Chen Rui sat down hard in the blood-soaked mud, looked up at Monkey and the others on the summit, his eyes filled with envy.
After Sangji withdrew his men, Chen Rui had witnessed the entire process of the escorts breaking the formation, beheading the commander, and cutting down the banner.
The Tubo troops who had crushed the Iron Tiger Battalion were like children before the escorts, slaughtered with ease.
In truth, the escorts’ stunning success came not only from their armour and crossbows but, most importantly, from the fact that the Tubo soldiers had never seen flash bombs before and were blinded on the spot.
One side blind, the other fully sighted. Of course they were butchered.
Without flash bombs, without armour, without crossbows, the escorts could never have defeated an equal number of Tubo veterans.
But there are no ifs in war.
“Brothers, this time we truly owe you our deepest thanks!”
Chen Fengzhi, covered in blood, rushed to the summit, clasped his fists, and bowed to Monkey and the others. He was so moved he nearly wept.
He had seen the situation clearly.
If the escorts had not appeared when they did and drawn away an entire Tubo banner, the Iron Tiger Battalion would surely have collapsed.
Even if Qing Xinyao spared his life, the Iron Tiger name would have been ruined forever.
Now everything was different. Though the Iron Tiger Battalion had suffered nearly fifty per cent casualties, they had successfully retaken Duckbill Ridge.
Most importantly, this trial by fire had weeded out the weak. Those who survived could now call themselves veterans.
Next time they faced the same kind of fight, the Iron Tiger Battalion would perform far better.
“It was our duty. Her Highness and our master sent us precisely to support you.”
Monkey smiled and said, “My master says that the fate of the realm concerns every common man. As citizens of Great Kang, guarding its soil is our rightful obligation. Speaking of thanks makes us strangers!”
No matter what the princess had actually ordered, the favour had to be offered first.
Chen Fengzhi grabbed Monkey’s arm. “No more words! When we return to Xichuan, I’m treating all you brothers to drinks!”
“Deal!” Monkey laughed and nodded, then asked, “It’s all finished down there, right?”
“All finished. The Tubo are either dead or surrendered,” Chen Fengzhi replied.
“Good!”
Monkey and Big Zhuang exchanged a glance, took a special signal arrow from their belts, and fired it into the sky.
The arrow burst high above, releasing a dazzling white light.
On the banks of the Jinma River, Jin Feng was discussing matters with the Ninth Princess. Seeing the white flare, he shot to his feet.
For Jin Feng, this battle was even more important than the one against the Dangxiang at Weizhou city.
Back then, even if he had lost, the worst outcome would have been no noble title. The responsibility lay with Qing Huai and General Fan.
This time, if they lost, both he and the Ninth Princess were finished.
So this battle had only one acceptable outcome: victory.
For that reason, Jin Feng had thrown everything he had into it.
Mount Mao’er was merely the appetiser. Xichuan city itself was the main course!
