Chapter 3: A Thin Line Between Life and Death

  Long Jun, what a strange name. I have some impression, but who are you, Long Jun? Whoever blocks my way, I will kill whoever. Li Yuan roared loudly, and with a swift and powerful collision, the movement was as fast as lightning. This move's inch-force release came from the grappling skills of the military in later generations, and it was very practical in close combat.

  "Ugh!" A robust Chu soldier let out a pained cry, his feet continuously taking several steps back after being struck in the chest by a hard bone, his chest feeling tight and constricted, leaving him with a suffocating sensation.

  What a killer move! The timing of the elbow strike, the motion of the hit and the point of impact all seem to have been calculated with precision.

  "Thief, are you a Mohist disciple?" The tall Han's body paused for a moment, his big eyes flashing with surprised gaze. The Mohists were known for their exquisite skills and fondness for chivalrous adventures. When it came to individual duels, the prowess of Mohist disciples had been proven over 400 years of tradition, leaving people in awe. Long Mu wondered to himself: commanding troops, fighting at the forefront... he was far superior to this Qin general, but in a one-on-one duel, aside from brute strength, there were many uncertain factors.

  "General!" The Chu army's pursuing soldiers saw the dragon and paused for a moment, thinking they had been ambushed, and immediately shouted and surrounded them.

  One hit is enough!

  Li Yuan struck down Long Miao, and with the momentum of his copper spear, he swept across. A Chu soldier rushed forward to kill him, but was struck by Li Yuan's spear on the face, immediately becoming dizzy and stumbling a few steps before kneeling on the ground.

  A cornered beast will still fight.

  At the critical moment of life and death, Li Yuan finally burst out all his energy since crossing over. His seven-year career as a volunteer soldier gave him rich combat experience. With a spear in hand, he charged into the enemy formation, shouting and killing, like a tiger trampling on a pack of wolves, almost invincible.

  Seeing Li Yuan escape, Long Jian's face turned bright red with rage. Who was this unknown Qin general who was so bold and fierce? Could it be the enemy general defending the city, Li You?

  It shouldn't be, Li You is a majestic prefect, how could he wear the armor of a low-ranking officer and come to the front line in person? If it's not Li You, who else would it be? Long Guan took a closer look, the Chu army had attacked the city wall several times just now, but was blocked by this enemy general. He originally wanted to kill this man on the spot to boost morale, but unexpectedly, his own courage was broken by the enemy general instead.

  Forget it, victory is in sight. This solitary city, even if the defeated Qin army escapes into the city, cannot escape from the thousands of horses and soldiers. It's better to hurry to the county office to take Li You's head quickly. As soon as Long thought of this, his pace slowed down when chasing after Li Yuan.

  ——。

  Shaking off the pursuit of Long Yue's men, Li Yuan was covered in blood, with no way to tell how much of it was his own and how much belonged to the enemy. The city had been breached, and he had no idea where Li You had retreated to. He didn't even have the mental energy to think about reuniting with him. As far as the allied forces were concerned, Li You was the main target of this breach, and being with him would make them too conspicuous a target.

  "Lu Jia, how many more?" Li Yuan hastily retreated into the alley, panting and asked.

  "General, there are about five hundred, more than five hundred soldiers here." Lu Jia counted the troops and exclaimed. The original number of Li Yuan's team was less than one hundred, excluding the dead and wounded, and those who had deserted. However, after gathering other scattered Qin army soldiers, Lu Jia found that their forces had actually increased significantly.

  "General, we are from the county governor's personal guard camp, and were just scattered by the charge——!"

  "Our several battalions of auxiliary troops have been defeated, General Wei has fallen in battle, our army is routed!"

  "Dong Cheng was lost, I hid in a civilian house at the foot of the city and barely escaped."

  The number of Qin army defeated soldiers who came to surrender was not small, but they were all timid and fearful, according to the strict military law of the Qin army, those who did not advance would not only fail to gain merit, but also be punished. Now most of the brave warriors had died in battle, and the remaining lucky ones had lost their will to fight.

  Li Yuan took a deep breath, and among the 500 defeated soldiers, the highest military rank was only that of a lieutenant, and he, as a marquis, was the highest. The other Qin army generals were either killed in battle or had long since fled to other places.

  It's also good this way, with less unnecessary trouble. However, in order to break out of the encirclement, a pre-war mobilization must be carried out.

  Ideological work is a strong point of the people's army. Li Yuan, although only a junior sergeant, was very familiar with ideological and political work, as well as propaganda and mobilization.

  Time is pressing, although this narrow alley in the west of the city is hidden, it won't take long for the coalition forces to search here, Li Yuan must make a quick decision.

  "Gentlemen, are you afraid of death?" Li Yuan's copper spear slanted downwards, allowing fresh blood to drip onto the ground, making a dripping sound.

  The sound was monotonous and repetitive, making one's heart feel desolate. The defeated Qin soldiers were silent and speechless; being fierce on the battlefield didn't mean they weren't afraid of death, especially at a time like this.

  "Gentlemen, do you want to live? Do you think of your wives and children? Do you think of your elderly parents?" Li Yuan asked loudly without waiting for the officers and soldiers to respond.

  This drink is like a giant drum, beating in the hearts of Qin soldiers one by one. The pace of unification of Qin was accompanied by the killing of soldiers everywhere. For ordinary Qin soldiers, there was almost no gap, even for those stationed in second-line counties and states, who were also away from home for a long time and could not see their families for a long time.

  "Have you heard? The Chu army killed and buried over 10,000 surrendered soldiers in Dong'a and Dingtao, leaving their bodies to rot in the open fields. The stench filled the air, and wild dogs picked at the bones, the smell could be detected for miles." Li Yuan's voice was low and solemn, each word and sentence slowly revealing the brutal scene of the Chu army's massacre of surrendered soldiers.

  A Qin army lieutenant with a thick beard clenched his fists, the wound on his head bursting open again due to excitement. In his arms, he held a letter from his hometown in Dingxi County, written by his beautiful and virtuous wife, and their toddler who had just learned to walk. They were all waiting for his return.

  "Have you heard? The one who killed the surrendered soldiers is Xiang Ji of Chu! Now, outside the city, the commander of the besieging enemy army is Xiang Ji." The Qin soldiers, unable to suppress their fear of death and instinct for survival, began to...

  "It's either death or fighting against the Chu barbarians!"

  "It's worth it to kill one to make up for the loss, and killing two would even bring a profit. Unfortunately, there are too many bandit leaders' heads, and I, your grandfather, can't carry them all back."

  The Qin people lived together with the nomadic tribes of the northwest, and their temperament was bold and unrestrained. At this time, the Qin army's morale began to recover.

  Li Yuan nodded in satisfaction, his eyes gleaming fiercely: "Gentlemen, if you trust me Li Yuan, follow me!"

  Having said that, Li Yuan did not say much more, and led the way forward into the depths of the alley with his spear. In front of him, several veteran soldiers suddenly appeared on both sides, having already transmitted the situation ahead back to him.

  Three days, although the time is short, it's already enough.

  In the stables of the school grounds west of Yongqiu City, all the war horses of Li You's crossbow cavalry unit were gathered here. Previously, Li You had given up on the idea of breaking out, so the 300+ Qin crossbow cavalry with rapid mobility could only make futile efforts on the city walls.

  The Qin army has not been defeated, so Li Yuan cannot have any plans for this batch of ownerless war horses. Now, the city is in a state of chaos, and if they don't take the horses now, when will they?

  A fine steed gallops east and west, but Li Yuan does not believe it can break through a single path to life.