Chapter 33: Obstructing the Enemy

Behind Zhang Yuan stood four soldiers clad in plate armor, wielding long spears. Among them was Yu Changlong, a veteran who had accompanied Zhang Yuan on several missions, with a two-foot short blade hanging at his waist.

It was Yu Changlong who had just helped Zhang Yuan fasten his armor.

Feng Cheng, wearing scale armor and holding a shield in his left hand and a transverse saber in his right, looked ecstatic. He had not expected Zhang Yuan to allow him to join the formation.

There were also two soldiers in leather armor; they were recruits, their faces tense, carrying quivers on their backs, bows in hand, and four short spears strapped to their backs.

This was the configuration of a single *wu* (squad), the minimum setup for the Wolf Fang Battle Array. If it were a *shi* (ten-man unit), it would be supplemented by long-axe soldiers and heavy shield bearers. With even larger numbers, there would be heavy crossbows—true weapons of mass destruction.

To have such complete equipment and still only be part of the Zao-yi Guard of the Martial Defense Bureau meant that if they were border garrison troops—with heavy armor, heavy cavalry, heavy sabers, and assembled formations—they would be an iron Great Wall.

The Great Qin had always maintained a flourishing military, placing extreme importance on everything from armor to logistics. It was precisely because of this that they could contend with immortals and demons through martial arts, and defend against celestial incursions with mortal bodies.

*Boom—!*

A massive explosion echoed from the direction of the river bend.

"An ambush!"

"The government's river-blocking cables! Charge through!"

"Damn it, even a dozen black-clad dogs dare to block your granddaddy—!"

Shouts and bellows rang out across the river. The sound of colliding vessels was constant.

The County Magistrate of Yong'an and his men changed expression, turning to sprint toward the riverbank.

On the bank, the Sergeant's expression darkened. The bandits had arrived earlier than expected, and the interceptor boats prepared by Yong'an County on the Guangji River had not yet arrived in position.

"Block them," the Sergeant barked, waving his hand toward the fully formed Martial Defense unit.

"Understood!" Zhang Yuan cupped his fists and led the formation in a rapid charge.

The four soldiers behind him followed closely. Not far away, Chen Wu also led a squad of soldiers, while other martial soldiers in similar formations followed loosely behind. On the other side, Qi Junliang’s Fifth Squad moved toward the river bend to begin a flanking maneuver.

After advancing several hundred paces, they reached the edge of the great river.

With one hand pressing the hilt of the goose-feather saber at his waist and the other gripping the handle of the crossbow at his lower back, Zhang Yuan ran forward, his eyes scanning the front.

The river bend was only about twenty zhang away, where three two-masted wooden boats had collided. A long rope made of ox sinew was pulled taut, halting the momentum of the boats drifting downstream.

Along the riverbank, over a dozen soldiers in black martial robes held longbows, firing from five or six zhang away. They kept the bandits on the boats suppressed, preventing them from showing their heads.

While the Great Qin did not forbid the use of swords and weapons in the martial world, commoners were not allowed to possess military-grade longbows. Though there were only a dozen Zao-yi Guards and constables on the bank, their longbows allowed them to pin the bandits inside the three wooden boats, leaving the outlaws to shout curses in frustration.

At that moment, two squads of armored soldiers charged from the bank, causing immediate panic among the bandits on the boats.

"Quick! Charge out and cut the river-blocking cables!"

"Send a few men to dive in and scatter those black-clad dogs! Otherwise, they'll keep firing arrows and we won't be able to get out!"

"Charge! If the armored troops arrive, we're all dead!"

Shouts erupted from within the cabins, followed by men leaping from the portholes into the water.

The soldiers on the bank fired; several arrows struck the diving bandits. Large plumes of blood erupted in the water as the bandits struggled and wailed, attempting to scramble back toward the boats. The other divers had already vanished from sight.

"Fall back—!"

The County Magistrate, who had rushed to the riverbank early, held a long spear. He glanced at the water before letting out a low command, leveling his spear and pressing the constables and soldiers behind him back.

They had only retreated seven or eight steps when four or five bandits, clutching stones and biting down on transverse sabers, burst from the river.

*Puff—!* *Puff—!*

The soldiers' arrows flew, piercing the charging bandits. Their bodies collapsed into the river, and blood flowed with the current, staining the water red.

With the suppression from the bows gone, the bandits on the boats surged out. Some went to adjust the masts and rudders, while others used blades to hack at the river-blocking cables.

On the riverbank, more and more bandits emerged from the water, clutching stones. The Magistrate thrust his spear, impaling the lead bandit, then drew his waist saber.

"Kill—!"

He strode forward, his saber slashing horizontally, knocking one bandit back into the water, then flicking his blade to toss another ferocious-looking bandit back in.

As a County Magistrate, his martial cultivation had reached the middle stage of the Houtian Realm, making him a powerhouse capable of suppressing the Yong'an region.

Behind him, two rows of martial soldiers and constables moved. The front row dropped their longbows and charged with drawn blades, while the rear row stepped forward to fire their bows at the bows of the ships to prevent the bandits from maneuvering or cutting the cables.

However, they were low on arrows. On the decks, the bandits held up wooden planks to shield themselves from the windows and doors. Some used long hooks to snag the cables, while others poked their long blades out to slash.

*Whiz—!*

A piercing whistle.

*Thud—!*

A short spear was hurled from the riverbank, crossing the seven or eight zhang of river like a bolt of lightning. It struck a bandit who was hacking at the cables, pinning him to the ship's gunwale with his body contorted.

This was a plain throw, relying purely on strength; the thrower's power must have exceeded a thousand jin! The impact of the spear hitting the ship caused the entire wooden vessel to shudder.

A middle-stage Houtian expert!

"Whoa—!"

The bandits at the bow gasped in shock, stepping back. The bandit attempting to hook the cable was so terrified he let go of his hook and scrambled backward in panic.

The Magistrate, holding his saber at the bank, looked back to see a squad of black-armored soldiers arriving—it was Zhang Yuan leading the charge. That spear throw had come from the leader, Zhang Yuan.

The Sergeant had briefly introduced the two leaders earlier, but even the Magistrate hadn't expected Zhang Yuan to be a middle-stage Houtian expert with a strength of a thousand jin. An ordinary Zao-yi Guard was considered elite if they reached the early Houtian stage; those in the middle stage were the backbone of the military.

Martial cultivation was difficult. To increase one's blood and qi, one needed not just resources, but also perseverance and talent. Most middle-stage Houtian warriors could not cross the threshold of a thousand jin of strength. Even the Magistrate of Yong'an possessed only just about nine hundred jin of strength.

Yu Changlong, following behind Zhang Yuan, felt nothing unusual, but Feng Cheng and the two recruits were filled with astonishment and excitement. Brother Yuan's strength was actually this immense!

"Commander Zhang, block them! The boats from downstream are already on their way!" the Magistrate shouted.

"Commander" (*Duwei*) was typically a title for a leader of a hundred men. Zhang Yuan's rank didn't technically qualify him as a *Duwei*, but the Magistrate used the term to grant him status. After all, when traveling, status was something given mutually.

"Magistrate Xu, fall back first," Zhang Yuan said, his hand on his saber as he continued his stride.

The Magistrate's name was Xu Xianzhong. He had served in the military in his younger years before retiring to local administration. Hearing Zhang Yuan's command, Xu did not insist; he raised a hand and led his men and constables to retreat. They were unarmored and held no advantage in a direct clash with the bandits.

As they retreated, Zhang Yuan and his soldiers reached the bank.

The bandits diving with stones took advantage of the retreat to storm the shore, dropping their stones and charging with transverse sabers. Zhang Yuan stood at the bank, hand on his hilt, motionless. Behind him, his soldiers slowly converged, forming a square array.

"Kill—!"

The lead bandit charging at Zhang Yuan let out a roar, swinging his saber down at Zhang Yuan's head. Zhang Yuan did not move his body, only tilting his neck slightly.

*Clang—!*

The saber struck Zhang Yuan's shoulder armor, kicking up a spray of golden-red sparks. A warrior who had not reached the Houtian realm could not even break armor, let alone a blade that was clearly quite dull.

The bandit's expression changed drastically. He twisted his blade, attempting to slash across Zhang Yuan's throat. But before the blade could move three inches, it stopped dead.

Zhang Yuan's right hand had risen at some unknown moment, his forearm blocking his neck. The bandit tried to pull his blade back, but Zhang Yuan's arm snapped outward, his bracer slamming into the blade.

*Clang—!*

The transverse saber rang out sharply, its edge snapping. Before the bandit could react, Zhang Yuan's palm shot out and gripped his throat.

*Crack.*

The bandit's neck bones were snapped by Zhang Yuan's grip. His head lolled to the side, and black blood spilled from his mouth. Zhang Yuan lifted the dead bandit by his throat and hurled him into the oncoming crowd, knocking four or five bandits into the water.

To his left, a bandit swung a blade upward. Zhang Yuan raised his left hand, and the crossbow strapped to his lower back was already pressed against the bandit's forehead.

"Merc—"

*Thwack—!*

The bolt mercilessly pierced the forehead, the five-inch tip protruding from the back of the skull. Without sparing a glance for the man he had killed, Zhang Yuan aimed his crossbow at the river ahead and fired continuously.

*Puff—!* *Puff—!* *Puff—!*

Bloody plumes of water sprayed into the air.