Chapter 120: The Bandits Rout

"Charge! The government troops are few in number."

With a thunderous roar, a burly man clad in iron armor, his face marked by two jagged saber scars, shoved aside his guards and led two hundred men charging toward the position. It was evident that this was the main force of the border rebels garrisoning the North Gate.

Li Yi signaled to Liu Zongmin, who was guarding the gate. The small cannons, prepared well in advance, immediately fired into the sky.

"Boom!"

In the woods north of Longmen Ferry, He Renlong and his border troops were waiting. Hearing the cannon fire, his subordinate officer hurried to his side. "My lord, Li Yi has breached the South Gate and drawn away the main force of the rebels. Should we attack now?"

He Renlong sat motionless on his horse, watching the town of Longmen—where the sounds of slaughter rang out incessantly—with a look of amused detachment. He gave a cold, mocking laugh.

"What’s the rush? Doesn't Commissioner Hong value Li Yi so highly? Let him fight a bit longer. When he and the rebels have battered each other to death, it won't be too late for us to step in."

The officer hesitated. "But Li Yi only has three hundred men, and the rebels number over a thousand."

He Renlong gripped his riding crop, tapped the officer on the head, and cursed, "Are you a dog-brained fool? I am doing this specifically to let Li Yi die. Only if he dies will Hong Chengchou be forced to rely on me. That is the only way I can rise to glory."

The officer muttered submissively, "But standing by and watching is a grave taboo in the army. If Commissioner Hong blames us later, what shall we do?"

He Renlong sneered, "Once the Suijin Army is wiped out, Hong Chengchou will have no choice but to lean on me. When the time comes, he certainly won't punish me severely."

The officer chuckled upon hearing this. "You are truly wise, my lord. I suppose I am a dog-brained fool after all."

"Hahaha, my skills are something you should learn, boy." He then shouted to the other officers behind him, "Listen well! No one is to move without my command. We won't sortie until the sounds of battle within the town die down."

Back on the side of the Suijin Army, even after the three cannon shots, Li Yi heard no signs of He Renlong attacking from the North Gate. He frowned; it was clear He Renlong had failed to keep his word to strike the north.

In military operations, discipline is paramount; those who miss their appointed time are punished, and those who fight recklessly are executed. Yet He Renlong was audacious enough to openly betray his comrades.

At that moment, the two hundred border rebels surged forward. At the foot of the gate tower, the three hundred Suijin soldiers were pushed back step by step, unable to withstand the rebels who outnumbered them two to one. Fortunately, Gao Jie, who had been tasked with clearing the wall, brought his men around and struck the rebels from the flank, stabilizing the line.

However, the scarred brute was no easy mark. Sensing the government troops’ lack of reinforcements, he immediately diverted one hundred rebels to engage Gao Jie. While defending his flank, he concentrated the remaining two hundred men to press down on Gao Laoshi. It was clear the man intended to shatter Gao Laoshi’s force in one fell swoop, then wheel around to wipe out Gao Jie’s hundred men and drive the government troops out of Longmen Town entirely.

As the scarred man roared and led thirty cavalrymen in a charge, Gao Laoshi’s second squad retreated step by step. Just then, seeing the battle turning against them, Liu Zongmin left fifty men to hold the gate and led the remaining fifty from his own squad to reinforce them.

With both sides combined, seven or eight hundred men were locked in a fierce, close-quarters struggle within the narrow confines of the gate. Li Yi realized that if this dragged on, even if they won, the Suijin Army would suffer heavy casualties—not to mention the even larger number of local peasant rebels currently rushing toward the scene.

"Liu Zongmin, take the first squad and follow me!"

Li Yi roared, spurred his horse, and charged directly toward the scarred man who was commanding from the center. *Strike the bandits by striking their leader first.* If he killed the enemy commander, the rebel force would surely collapse.

Coincidentally, the scarred man also led his thirty cavalrymen in a direct charge, clearly harboring the exact same thought.

Li Yi deflected a few incoming arrows, his Tiger-Tooth Spear dancing like a gale, knocking aside the border rebels in his path. In the heat of the clash, a long-handled broadsword swung down toward his head. The whistling wind made Li Yi shudder; he swung his spear to deflect the heavy blade. His warhorse whinnied and stepped back to absorb the impact, leaving his spear vibrating incessantly.

The scarred man was momentarily stunned, but years of slaughter kept him from fear. Instead, he pointed his broadsword at Li Yi and roared, "Great strength! What is your name, boy?"

With the sounds of battle raging in his ears, Li Yi was surprised the man had the leisure to chat. He pulled on the reins and shouted, "I am Li Yi, Battalion Commander of Suijin Town. Who are you?"

"Oh? The 'God of Slaughter' Li Yi from Mizhi County?"

"You recognize me?" Li Yi asked, astonished.

The scarred man grinned and shouted, "I am Flying Mountain Tiger from Qingjian County! Remember this name, so you can seek your revenge in the next life!"

With that, he let out a low grunt and swung his broadsword in a diagonal slash.

Li Yi hadn't expected this scarred man to be "Flying Mountain Tiger," a chief lieutenant under Wang Zuogua. He gripped the end of his spear with his left hand, engaged his waist, and drew a crescent arc in the air, slamming his spearhead into the broadsword.

Flying Mountain Tiger’s arm went numb; he felt a sharp pain in his thumb as his blade was knocked aside. Years of combat instinct made him duck, and the spearhead swept over his head, knocking his iron helmet to the ground. Though he had nearly been killed, Flying Mountain Tiger showed no fear. Instead, he laughed wildly, "God of Slaughter Li Yi, you do have some skill!"

His eyes filled with a fierce, animalistic glint as he charged at Li Yi again. As their weapons clashed, Flying Mountain Tiger abandoned all defense, roaring as he delivered a series of savage, downward hacks. With his thick arms swinging the heavy blade with murderous intent, even Li Yi dared not trade blows directly; he maneuvered his horse to dodge slightly, using his spear to parry the strikes.

Their horses whinnied and paced, the two men trading blows in a relentless duel. The ferocity of their clash forced the surrounding soldiers to keep their distance. Li Yi continuously parried the broadsword's attacks, while the fierce Flying Mountain Tiger kept pressing the assault.

Finally, at the moment Flying Mountain Tiger’s momentum faltered, Li Yi ducked under the blade and swept his spear, striking the tiger-shaped chest plate of his opponent. The hardened plate buckled inward, and the immense force caused Flying Mountain Tiger to cough up blood as he was thrown from his horse.

He struggled to rise, but the agonizing pain in his chest rendered him motionless. Seeing their leader in danger, the thirty cavalrymen swarmed forward. Liu Zongmin ordered his spearmen to move up, using their long weapons to blunt the charge.

Li Yi roared and charged in. He thrust his spear through one man’s throat, then used both arms to leverage the spearhead, snapping the flagpole of the cavalry guard. The banner fell, and all the cavalrymen frantically scrambled to retrieve it.

Liu Zongmin ordered the Suijin soldiers forward. With wolf-brush spears tangling the enemy, long spears thrusting, and blades hacking, the thirty cavalrymen were soon routed, abandoning their gear and fleeing in disgrace.

Li Yi lifted the rebel banner on his spearhead and shouted to the combatants, "Flying Mountain Tiger is dead! Surrender and you will be spared!"

A blood-stained Gao Laoshi heard this and immediately ordered his men to echo the call. The border rebels looked left and right, seeing the banner captured by the government troops. A commander's banner represented the commander himself; its loss meant the leader was surely dead or incapacitated.

Seeing Li Yi slay the leader and capture the banner, the Suijin Army’s morale soared, and they fought with renewed desperation. Conversely, the rebels' morale plummeted. These border rebels were deserters; while they fought fiercely, their resolve was brittle. Seeing Flying Mountain Tiger missing, many rebels turned and fled toward the rear.

The Suijin soldiers felt the pressure ease significantly. Li Yi yelled, "Push forward! Ensnarl them!" He spurred his horse and led the charge against the border troops.

At that moment, the five hundred local peasant rebels guarding Longmen Town had also finished regrouping and arrived. A dramatic scene unfolded: the border rebels actually turned and smashed through the ranks of the peasant rebels, cutting down those who blocked their path before fleeing north as fast as their legs could carry them.

The local rebels, dressed in rags and armed with spears or even farm tools, were caught by surprise and wailed in confusion. By the time they realized what was happening, the elite border rebels had already escaped, and the fierce, murderous government troops were charging toward them.

Someone finally regained their senses and screamed at the top of their lungs:
"The government troops are here! Run!"
"We’ve been defeated! We’ve lost!"

Amidst the chorus of shouts, the five hundred arriving peasant rebels didn't even touch the Suijin Army before they collapsed, running in every direction like headless flies. Some, in their panic, ran straight into the organized ranks of the Suijin soldiers. The Suijin soldiers were momentarily stunned; one soldier thrust his spear through a peasant's chest, pinning him to the ground, while another stepped forward and decapitated him, spraying blood across the earth.

Gao Jie, Gao Laoshi, Liu Zongmin, and Li Yi watched the fleeing rebels in disbelief. The enemy had at least eight hundred men, while they had only three hundred; in a prolonged fight, the rebels should have had the advantage. Yet, the moment Flying Mountain Tiger fell, the rebel force collapsed instantly.

Li Yi understood the root cause: the nature of the rebels and their lack of a proper system. They advanced when things went well and retreated when they didn't, lacking the resolve to fight to the death. Furthermore, their organization was poor; Flying Mountain Tiger could command them, but once he was gone, no other leader could step up to take control. This was why government troops could often chase and crush rebel forces even when outnumbered.

Li Yi silently took this lesson to heart.

"Liu Zongmin, take your men to guard the South Gate and secure the warehouse. Gao Laoshi and Gao Jie, divide your forces and clear out the remaining rebels in the town. Offer them a chance to surrender, but kill those who resist."

Under Li Yi's orders, the three acted immediately. There were nearly two thousand rebels in Longmen Town. Although the thousand at the South Gate had been routed, nearly a thousand others were still regrouping inside. However, these were mostly peasant rebels with little combat strength. Given the flight of the elite border rebels, the Suijin Army found it effortless to crush them.

Sure enough, when Li Yi led Buyan and the cavalry toward the North Gate, the peasant rebels along the way threw down their weapons and fled in terror. Upon seeing the Suijin soldiers catching up, many knelt and begged for mercy, choosing to surrender.

Unlike the cowardly peasants, the routed border rebels were more vicious. They drew their weapons in small groups, beat back the pursuing Suijin soldiers, slaughtered any peasant rebels blocking their path, and fled through the North Gate.

Outside the North Gate, He Renlong was waiting for Li Yi and the rebels to exhaust each other so he could step in. Suddenly, he saw the North Gate of Longmen Town swing wide open, and rebels rushed out, their faces filled with terror.

"Damn them! What is happening? You, take your men and go see!"

He Renlong pointed with his riding crop, and the officer led a hundred cavalrymen toward the fleeing rebels. Soon, the officer returned to report: "The rebels say the government troops breached the South Gate, the border rebels have all fled, and they are just following suit."

"Breached it?" He Renlong was dumbfounded. He knew there were nearly two thousand rebels in Longmen Town, and Li Yi had only three hundred men. Yet, looking at the fleeing rebels, he was forced to believe it.

"My lord, what shall we do?" the officer asked.

"What else can we do? Quickly enter the town! Do not let Li Yi claim all the credit alone."

He swung onto his horse and added, "You, take the men and pursue the fleeing rebels. Bring back their heads so I can claim the reward."

With a flick of his whip, he spurred his horse and galloped toward Longmen Town.