Chapter 41: The Great War (Part 1)

  Fighting in a gang fight, Su Xiao's brothers would never be afraid. In the previous battle of Chengdong and Chengbei with over 200 people, they all participated and were on the winning side. How could they be afraid of a battle like the one at Luoma Chuan with just over 100 people on both sides?

  In sharp contrast, Song Qing's side seemed to be lacking in experience, with only a few exceptions. Su Xiao Yi was quick-witted and immediately noticed the pale faces of most of the soldiers, which were clearly due to tension. If they were to launch a surprise attack at this moment, it would likely disperse the enemy's formation and bring the matter to a successful conclusion. However, if they did so, wouldn't it seem somewhat unchivalrous?

  Su Xiao Yi was a Jianghu person, and Jianghu people attach importance to face. If he were to take advantage of his opponent's instability and launch a sudden attack, even if he won, someone might say that his victory was not honorable in the future. Although this doesn't really matter, Su Xiao Yi wasn't a ruthless hero, nor did he have Song Qing's thick skin, so he hesitated for a moment.

  It was just such a hesitation that he found himself with no more opportunities, when his own team had advanced to within two zhang of the enemy, the opposing army suddenly stopped in their tracks and quickly formed a long gun array, while slowing down their pace, stepping in solid rhythm towards this side.

  This sudden change left Su Xiao-Yi somewhat bewildered, and his subordinates were also at a loss, because they had been through hundreds of battles, but had never seen such tactics before. Battles involving dozens of people weren't supposed to be about both sides rushing forward and deciding victory or defeat with bravery and ferocity? What were they trying to do?

  Su Xiaoyi had a feeling that something was off, but she couldn't quite put her finger on what the problem was. With a light wave of her hand, four burly men with short axes charged forward from behind her, heading straight for Song Qing's somewhat unusual gun formation. Although these four men were not the most skilled in martial arts, they made up for it with their boldness. Every time Su Xiaoyi fought alongside others, she would often take the lead, and this time was no exception. With a strange cry, they charged forward, planning to first knock down the few people at the front of the formation, scatter whatever weird array this was, and then engage in a leisurely battle.

  The idea was good, but the effect was surprisingly poor. As soon as the four of them rushed forward, the first ten people in the front row simultaneously raised their long guns, and it turned out to be Luo Xiaobei's ten children. When they fought against Wu Laohei before, they went out with four of them and all earned a lot of reward money. The remaining six were also eager to follow this time.

  These children followed Song Qing for the longest time and were most familiar with various techniques. That's why they were placed in the front, to set an example for the new recruits who had only undergone a few days of training. These ten indeed lived up to expectations, holding their long guns level with their chests, not moving a single inch, their eyes fixed intently on the four people opposite them, waiting for the moment when they would enter killing range and then thrusting their guns out fiercely. Song Qing had once said that as long as one was bold and ruthless, no one could break through this gun formation, and now was the best opportunity to verify it.

  Su Xiao Yi's four subordinates were not stupid, they knew that the long spear was much longer than the short axe. If they just rushed over like this, they might get stabbed by the opponent. However, they couldn't imagine that these ten kids could do such a thing. They had heard of the military household of Wei Suo's family before, but apart from their official status, they didn't take them seriously. Since both sides started fighting, there was no need to worry about anything else, and it would be better to just crush them directly.

  The four of them probably thought of this at the same time, and immediately launched another charge, holding their axes high above their heads, with the most ferocious expressions on their faces, hoping to intimidate their opponents with such a fierce momentum before even making contact. However, when they were only about one zhang away from each other, they still didn't see any signs of retreat.

  Those ten children had tense faces, but not a single thought of retreat. Instead, at the most critical moment, they simultaneously thrust out their long guns, and the four people didn't even have time to react before the gun tips were already in place. All that could be heard was the muffled sound of "pffft" four times, followed by the mournful cries of agony, which awakened both sides from this brief silence. Su Xiao-yi's face turned somewhat pale, while Song Qing revealed a slightly nervous smile, and gave the order: "Everyone, withdraw your guns!"

  With one successful strike, the ten children's admiration for Song Qing rose to a new level. Their execution of orders became even more precise, with no discounts whatsoever. Whether or not they hit their targets, they all uniformly made the motion of withdrawing their guns. The four long spears that had struck true emerged from the chests and abdomens of their opponents, spewing out large amounts of fresh blood that splattered onto Luo Xiaobei and the others. Yet these children did not show any signs of tension; instead, like Song Qing, they seemed to be filled with a few parts excitement, and in unison took a big step forward while letting out a loud "Hoo-ah!"

  The only pity is that the few teams behind did not catch up in time, nor did they shout together, which made them seem a bit less neat. Fortunately, Song Qing saw the opportunity quickly and immediately ordered those teams to move forward, reorganizing the gun array again, waiting for the opponent with a tight formation.

  Su Xiao Yu swallowed his saliva, and in his heart, he secretly felt a bit anxious. He knew that today's battle was going to be tough. The opponent's moves were clearly military tactics, although they were a bit unrefined. However, as long as they succeeded the first time, more and more people would follow suit, and gradually become proficient.

  What's crucial is that they've just seen blood, yet these obviously inexperienced military households haven't collapsed or panicked; instead, their will to fight has increased, which is the most troublesome aspect. Su Xiao Yi's years of experience in the jianghu have taught him that opponents who aren't afraid of seeing blood are always the most difficult to deal with.

  Out of caution, he thought it would be better to send someone up again to probe, this time sending six people, no longer holding short axes, but holding long knives. The six men had a precedent and did not dare to delay halfway, after receiving the order, they rushed directly towards the gun array, but heard Song Qing shouting on the side of the array: "Raise the gun! Thrust! Withdraw the gun!"

  The password was given at the right moment, and every man in the firing squad also executed the order with the fastest speed mechanically. After a burst of miserable cries, there were six more bloody men in front of the firing squad, rolling on the ground in pain and agony...

  It can't go on like this, Su Xiao Yi's inner self was loudly reminding himself. He gritted his teeth, and a few ferocious expressions appeared on his clear face. He raised the long knife in his hand high above his head, looking like a general charging to his death. His arm fell heavily and powerfully, the tip of the knife pointing straight at the gun array in front of him. In a stern voice, he shouted: "Brothers, follow me in the charge!"

  Follow me to charge and give me a charge, these are two completely different styles. Song Qing has a few points of respect for this Jianghu man in front of him, with a flash of sharpness in his eyes, also shouting loudly: "Xiao Bei is calling out the number in the formation, you must hold steady, Su Xiao Yi will be handed over to me to deal with!"