Chapter 128: The Three-Tribe Alliance Fights the Jiannu Again

Amin could not refute it. Even the soldiers under his command knew these things. He was a useless coward who dared not even avenge his father’s death!

He was a disgrace to the Jurchens!

Boo Yanggu was right. He was a disgrace to the Jurchen warriors…

But what could he do?

“Kill!”

He raised his Long Spear and roared like a madman.

“Beile, do not fall for their trick. They are trying to anger you!”

Hurhan beside him urgently said.

Their mission was to intimidate. Wild Boar Skin was not planning to attack this year.

Earlier, they had recruited a large number of Eight Banners Korean Army slaves in Joseon, quickly making up for last year’s losses. They were forming at least forty slave companies. These Joseon soldiers were familiar with the use of firearms, especially Cannons, which greatly enhanced their assault capabilities. However, this force, similar to the historical Wu Zhen Chao Ha army, needed some time, primarily to resolve the loyalty issues of these slaves. After all, these Joseon people had surrendered to them only under duress, and there was always the possibility of them turning coats on the battlefield.

They still longed for the Great Ming.

Moreover, although the various Eight Banners had gained much in Joseon, they were exhausted from the half-year-long campaign.

Therefore, at least for this year, Wild Boar Skin did not have enough confidence to breach Yehe City. Especially with Xiong Tingbi watching closely nearby, he needed to be sure he could win on both the northern and southern battlefields simultaneously. At the very least, he needed to swiftly resolve the attack on the Yehe Tribe. This required things beyond the battlefield, especially persuading the leaders of the major families within the Yehe Tribe and bribing traitors.

But now, it was clear that these efforts were still insufficient.

Amin and Hurhan leading ten thousand Jiannu Cavalry were only there to demonstrate, to intimidate.

Yang Xin had arrived!

Wild Boar Skin had to do something!

Facing this man who now struck fear into all the Jiannu, he had to show enough confidence. At the very least, he had to come raid, to kill some Ming Army soldiers with Yang Xin so close by. Only then could he make his subordinates believe he was not afraid of Yang Xin.

In short, this was for the eyes of his own people.

But now, something unexpected had clearly happened. Or perhaps the intelligence they had received previously was quite inaccurate. According to their intelligence, Yang Xin had come north alone. He had not brought an army. Kaiyuan still only had the troops of the new Regional Military Commander of Kaiyuan, Zhao Shuaijiao. However, now they found not only Ming Army troops here but also Mongols and Yehe troops. A three-party alliance army was waiting for them. If it were only the three thousand cavalry and five thousand infantry from Kaiyuan, they would be confident of achieving some results. But now, over ten thousand elite cavalry were waiting for them.

That was a different story.

“Beile, perhaps we should retreat for now!”

Hurhan said.

“What’s wrong?”

That infuriating voice from across the way rang out again.

“What’s wrong? Amin, so you are not even a decent dog. You are the lowest kind of dog, kept on a leash even as a dog! How about it? Is the leash a bit tight? That’s right. As a dog, you must know your place. You can only do what your master allows. When your master forbids you, even a Household Servant holding the leash, you must obediently listen. Even a Household Servant ranks higher than you! Beile? With you as a Beile? Your very existence is a disgrace to this title! Come on, be good, listen to your master’s Household Servant. Go back, and he’ll find you a bigger bone. You can take it to your father’s grave and happily gnaw on it!”

Yang Xin shouted.

“He probably has to pee on his father’s grave too, then tell Wild Boar Skin how loyal he is!”

Dergele laughed, adding fuel to the fire.

A chorus of happy jeers followed from behind.

“Kill! Kill them all!”

Amin shook off Hurhan and pointed his Long Spear at Yang Xin, roaring madly.

Then he charged out first.

Hurhan frowned, but there was no other choice now. He immediately picked up his Long Spear as well. The entire formation began to advance. The Bordered Blue Banner cavalry on horseback, under Amin’s command, followed their Banner Lord, whose mind was clouded by rage, and charged towards an opponent whose numbers were nearly equal to theirs.

Yang Xin immediately jumped off the brown bear.

He then gave the brown bear a pat, and it immediately ran off the battlefield.

Yang Xin, still wearing his Flying Fish Robe, pulled up the hood and tightened the cord below. His entire head was wrapped in nearly one-centimeter-thick Silk Armor, only his face exposed. Then he put on the phoenix-winged helmet and the iron face guard. As for his body, he didn’t need to worry. Beneath his Flying Fish Robe was Silk Armor, plus a Full Iron Armor breastplate. Moreover, it was his self-made Forged Steel Armor. His limbs were also protected by Forged Steel plates. To be precise, over the Silk Armor, he wore an additional set of Full Iron Armor made of Forged Steel plates.

He even had insert plates in the Silk Armor.

Although this protection seemed less layered than before, it was actually significantly stronger. Not just bow and arrow or Matchlock Gun fire, even a single-shot from a large-caliber musket could not penetrate his vital areas like his heart. The bulletproof insert plates there were not for show, though they could cause internal injuries from the impact.

And the weight was actually lighter.

After all, his full-body protection came from that Silk Armor. This, plus the insert plates, still weighed less than an infantryman’s Padded Cloth Armor!

“Kill!”

He roared as well.

Standing right between the two armies’ formations, he held his Green Dragon Crescent Blade horizontally with both hands. His Flying Fish Robe stood out prominently.

In front of him was Amin, charging madly.

Behind Amin, a vast army completely blocked his view. The thunderous sound of hooves made the earth tremble. Dust spread like a thick fog, and the enemies within the dust seemed to come from the underworld.

This was the Jiannu at their peak.

The enraged Amin reached him in an instant.

His Long Spear, propelled by the full-speed charge of his horse, thrust straight at Yang Xin’s chest.

However…

Yang Xin dodged!

Yang Xin, holding the Green Dragon Crescent Blade horizontally, avoided the spear at the moment of impact, swiftly letting the charging Amin pass by.

Amin then crashed into the allied cavalry charging from behind.

At that moment, Yang Xin swung his Green Dragon Crescent Blade horizontally. The advancing Jiannu instantly fell in swathes. Horses with severed legs and those tripped from behind, along with the cavalry on their backs, piled up before him almost in the blink of an eye. The next moment, Yang Xin gave a great roar, raised his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, leaped up, stepped on a fallen horse in front, grasped the end of the hilt with both hands, and swung the great blade in a full circle. Within a four-meter radius around him, no one was left alive. Severed limbs, crushed bodies, and flying flesh splattered together, then fell around him like a rain of blood.

At the same time, over a dozen sharp arrows struck him.

But most bounced off.

“Keep shooting arrows!”

An urgent roar came from across the way.

He immediately spotted Hurhan amidst the surging cavalry.

The actual battlefield commander was standing on a slightly raised mound not far away, using his banner to command the ten thousand attacking cavalry. Then Hurhan also saw him. As this one of Wild Boar Skin’s five great ministers pointed his Long Spear, more Jiannu Cavalry aimed their bow and arrow at Yang Xin. A dense rain of arrows flew towards Yang Xin, but none could breach his defense. In fact, arrows could no longer harm him. Unless it was a specially powerful bow, arrows shot from ordinary war bows could not even penetrate the Silk Armor.

And arrows from powerful bows were still blocked by the Forged Steel plates!

Two-millimeter Forged Steel, with some surface carburizing treatment—arrowheads would deform upon impact!

“Come on! What else have you got?”

Yang Xin, after sweeping another circle with his blade, plunged his bloodied Green Dragon Crescent Blade into a corpse, arrogantly spread his arms, and shouted at Hurhan.

Arrows fell densely from the sky.

“Shoot! Keep shooting!”

Hurhan roared frantically.

Then, amidst the arrow rain, Yang Xin pulled out his blade, roared, and charged straight forward.

The Jiannu ahead desperately charged. On the galloping horses, no one used swords anymore. Everyone knew such weapons were useless against him. They all used Garlic-Head Hammers, Iron Maces, and even Wolf-tooth Maces, battle-axes, pickaxes—specialized anti-armor weapons. But no matter how fierce, how fearless of death these Jiannu cavalry were, the end result was becoming corpses piled at his feet. The one-hundred-twenty-pound Green Dragon Crescent Blade swung—nothing could stop it. Whether the blade or the hilt, a hit meant death.

Horses could be sent flying with a sweep.

Yang Xin cut through like a hot knife through butter, carving a bloody path forward in the blink of an eye.

On the periphery of their battlefield, the cavalry of both sides had already engaged in melee.

Whether Ming Army, Mongolia, or Jurchen, all cavalry were caught in a frenzied excitement. Nothing boosted morale more than an invincible commander.

On a cold weapon battlefield, unless it was an army with discipline comparable to modern elite forces like the Yue Family Army or the Qi Family Army, the role of a fierce general was irreplaceable. An invincible fierce general could turn a group of ordinary soldiers into beasts on the battlefield. If they were already elites, then they became truly unstoppable.

This was the origin of those legends of the medieval era.

Even though this was the seventeenth century.

In this era when invincible fierce generals were beginning to fade from the stage, Yang Xin, with his Green Dragon Crescent Blade, fought with the prowess that once belonged to legendary-level fierce generals like Luo Shixin, Qin Shubao, Li Cunxiao, Wang Yanzhang, Yue Yun, and others. And the soldiers following him, originally from three different peoples, fought like the glorious armies of cold weapon battlefields such as the Xuanjia Army or the Beiwei Army, battling fiercely against what was originally the most formidable army on the Eastern battlefield of this era.

Steel and blood surged on the open plain. Amidst the sound of breaking spears, horses neighed. In the cries before death, steel clashed. Corpses were trampled under hooves. The green was stained red with blood…

And Yang Xin continued to charge forward bravely.

His target was simple: Hurhan.

He had not planned to kill Amin. Stirring the anger of Shurhaci’s son, letting him return to wait for an opportunity filled with hatred and humiliation was much better. But Hurhan had to die. If Wild Boar Skin’s adopted son died here, but Amin returned alive, then…

Wouldn’t that be more interesting?