Capturing the Chieftain

Without looking back, Li Yi roared, "Musketeers, ready!"

The two dozen or so Suijin military officers immediately following Li Yi halted in their tracks, swiftly and cleanly unbuckling the bird-guns concealed beneath their outer garments and igniting the slow matches.

Arranging themselves in four rows of six, they took aim at the elite veteran bandits charging toward them.

Without a moment's hesitation, Li Yi shouted, "Fire!"

The front row of soldiers instantly pulled their triggers. The pre-loaded bird-guns erupted with flashes of fire, followed by billows of white smoke as lead pellets hurtled toward the bandits.

A chorus of miserable shrieks pierced the air. Although the veteran bandits were clad in iron armor, at a distance of fifty paces, the bird-guns easily pierced their plate, dropping several men to the ground where they writhed in agonizing pain.

Without the slightest pause, the first row of musketeers ducked low, swiftly retreating to the rear to reload, while the second row raised their muskets and fired in immediate succession.

The thunderous cracks of the firearms battered the eardrums, steadily harvesting the lives of the veteran bandits amidst the smoke and fire.

Next, the third and fourth rows of musketeers took turns firing.

As the gunpowder smoke dissipated, the five or six dozen veteran bandits, who had moments ago charged with murderous intent, were mowed down in droves.

Their wounds were mangled flesh and gore, blood continuously seeping between their fingers as they wailed in unspeakable agony.

Some bandits who had taken direct hits to vital organs twitched and struggled violently, arterial blood spraying from their gashed bodies.

The stench of blood blended with the acrid scent of gunpowder, churning one's stomach and making it feel as though one had descended into hell.

Gazing at this scene, Li Yi himself could not help but marvel at the terrifying might of the firearms.

No wonder Qi Jiguang had once praised the bird-gun as the supreme weapon of the battlefield—its might could pierce armor, its precision could strike true, leaving even bows and arrows far behind.

The veteran bandits, too, were utterly stunned by this sudden onslaught of firearms.

Even battle-hardened veterans felt a surge of panic grip their hearts, their footsteps faltering as they dared not advance further.

Wang Zuogua drew his waist saber and shouted, "Do not be afraid! The government troops are few in number, charge forward and slaughter them all!"

The wavering morale of the veteran bandits steadied, and they resumed their charge toward Li Yi.

The two sides were now a mere forty paces apart, and the bandits closed the distance in the blink of an eye.

The musketeers panicked slightly, but fortunately, the first row had already finished reloading and immediately took aim and fired.

The foremost bandits screamed as they tumbled to the ground, instantly trampled beneath the feet of their bloodshot-eyed comrades behind them.

Having fired, the first row of musketeers cast aside their bird-guns, drew their waist sabers, and charged screaming into the horde of bandits.

The rear musketeers broke formation as well, each firing off a final shot before drawing their blades and joining the charge.

The two sides locked in a fierce, chaotic melee. Blades clashed, striking sparks of gold and iron, while furious roars and agonized screams intertwined in a scene of utter brutality.

Wang Zuogua stared with a pale face at the chaotic battle unfolding before him. He had never imagined that such a small handful of troops could inflict such devastating casualties upon his elite veterans.

Watching Li Yi cut a bloody, peerless swath of destruction through the ranks of the bandits, terror gripped Wang Zuogua's heart. He shoved past his personal guards and turned to flee toward the rear.

Li Yi, who had been keeping his eyes fixed on him all along, had no intention of letting him escape so easily.

Seeing Wang Zuogua attempt to flee, Li Yi lashed out with his spear, severing a man's neck. Amidst the spray of arterial blood, he leaped forward, braving the attacks of the surrounding bandits, and gave chase.

Noticing Li Yi's intent, the veteran bandits swarmed in to block his path.

Anxiety spiked in Li Yi's chest. He thrust his spear straight through the chest of a veteran bandit, flicked the tip upward, and flung the body aside.

Then, wielding his tiger-fang spear, he brought it down squarely on the head of another bandit, sending him crashing to the ground vomiting blood. With a swift reverse thrust, the razor-sharp spearhead pierced yet another bandit's chest.

Just as Li Yi withdrew his spear blade, a veteran bandit suddenly lunged from the side, swinging his saber toward Li Yi's neck.

At that exact moment, an arrow mercilessly pierced the attacker's throat, intercepting the sudden assault.

Before Li Yi could recover, he heard Buyan shouting at the top of his lungs, "My lord, watch out!"

Li Yi instinctively twisted to the side, feeling a saber bite deep into his back. The searing pain made him grit his teeth. He grabbed the bandit who had ambushed him and, amidst the man's hateful glare, snapped his neck with a violent wrench.

Feeling the fiery pain radiating from his back, Li Yi silently thanked his quick reflexes for saving him from that fatal blow.

With no time to bandage his wound, Li Yi fixed his gaze on Wang Zuogua's retreating back and roared, "Buyan, clear the path for me!"

With that, he plunged back into the thicket of bandits, striding forward with relentless speed, hacking, slashing, and thrusting with murderous intent, carving a path through a storm of blood and screams.

Buyan vaulted onto a cart, nocked an arrow, and rained projectiles down upon the bandits attempting to block Li Yi's advance.

With one providing covering fire and the other spearheading the onslaught, the heavily battered bandits were entirely powerless to stop them. Li Yi actually managed to carve all the way through their formation.

By this time, Li Yi was drenched from head to toe in blood, his disheveled hair matted with sweat, and multiple new wounds decorated his body.

The excessive blood loss was beginning to cause dizziness, forcing him to bite down hard on the tip of his tongue, forcefully rousing his spirit as he renewed his pursuit of Wang Zuogua.

On the other side, Wang Zuogua, shielded by two personal guards, attempted to make his escape. Just as he reached his warhorse, he saw a blood-drenched government soldier charging straight toward him.

Meeting that chilling gaze and feeling the overwhelming aura of slaughter, Wang Zuogua couldn't help but shiver.

"Quickly, stop him!"

Wang Zuogua roared in panic, sprinting toward the warhorse without looking back.

Two veteran bandits lunged forward, raising their sabers to hack him down.

Panting heavily, Li Yi channeled his remaining strength into swinging the tiger-fang spear, swatting aside one bandit's saber before running him through the throat.

At that moment, the second bandit closed in, bringing his blade down toward Li Yi's neck.

Li Yi raised his spear to parry. With a loud *clang*, the tiger-fang spear vibrated violently, the immense force driving Li Yi back a step. His hands, already sapped of strength and trembling, nearly lost their grip on the weapon.

The bandit's eyes lit up. Twisting his torso, he launched a vicious, sweeping slash toward Li Yi's left flank.

Completely exhausted, Li Yi did not attempt to dodge. To the bandit's astonishment, Li Yi stepped forward and clamped a hand around the man's forearm.

The blade bit deep into the iron plates of his padded armor, leaving a terrifying gash.

The immense kinetic impact forced Li Yi to cough up a mouthful of blood, but his eyes burned with ferocious intent. With his right hand clenched into a fist, he smashed it squarely into the bandit's face.

The devastating force drew a miserable shriek from the bandit, who tried to recoil.

However, his right arm was firmly gripped in Li Yi's iron grasp, making escape impossible.

Li Yi violently jerked the bandit toward him and delivered a second punch, knocking the man out cold.

By now, Wang Zuogua had already scrambled into the saddle.

Seeing that Li Yi had neutralized both of his men, Wang Zuogua's eyes widened with terror and hatred. He yanked hard on the reins and whipped his horse mercilessly.

With a sharp crack, the warhorse neighed and lunged forward, preparing to gallop away into the distance.

Realizing that Wang Zuogua was about to escape, Li Yi discarded the unconscious bandit, grabbed his tiger-fang spear, and gave desperate chase.

Yet, having slain dozens of elite veterans and sustained heavy injuries, he was utterly drained of stamina. Despite exerting every ounce of remaining strength, he could only watch helplessly as Wang Zuogua pulled further and further away.

At the critical juncture, Li Yi surged forward with a sudden burst of speed, his entire body coiling like a stiff bow. Fueled by a massive surge of strength, he hurled the tiger-fang spear like a javelin.

The sheer momentum caused Li Yi to tumble onto the ground, but he propped himself up with one hand to watch the distance.

A dark shadow traced an arc through the night sky, and with a wet *thud*, it pierced straight through the warhorse's hindquarters.

With a piercing, agonizing neigh, the steed collapsed heavily onto the ground, pitching Wang Zuogua violently out of the saddle. He slammed hard into the earth, dazed and disoriented, unable to pick himself up for a long moment.

By the time he recovered his senses, he felt an iron-like grip clamp firmly around his throat. Focusing his vision, he found a handsome, youthful soldier staring down at him with a glacial expression.

Astonishment washed over Wang Zuogua. He could never have imagined that the person who had ruthlessly slaughtered dozens of his men and relentlessly hunted him down was merely a youth of such tender years.

Sensing the thick, palpable aura of death, Wang Zuogua hurriedly stammered, "Spare me! I'll give you silver—five thousand taels of silver!"

Li Yi smiled faintly, though his eyes remained utterly freezing.

"Rest assured, as long as you cooperate obediently, I won't take your life."

Dragging Wang Zuogua to his feet, Li Yi retrieved his tiger-fang spear and marched him back toward the front lines under guard.

Elsewhere, Liu Zongmin was leading a dozen men in a desperate, last-ditch stand against the bandits' assault.

Although they had caught the bandits off guard through the element of surprise, Liu Zongmin's force was pitifully small. They were quickly surrounded on all sides by the enemy, suffering heavy losses.

Wielding his heavy saber, Liu Zongmin roared with a hoarse voice, trying desperately to hold the line.

Yet, facing the endless wave of incoming enemies, his stamina was long since spent, fresh wounds accumulated on his body, and the soldiers fighting shoulder-to-shoulder with him had already perished or suffered grievous injuries.

Had it not been for their unwavering faith that Li Yi would capture Wang Zuogua, despair would have consumed them long ago.

On the other flank, the elite veteran bandits proved formidable indeed. Even when swarmed by the charging musketeers, they held their ground without losing the upper hand.

Were it not for Buyan raining arrows down from his vantage point to thin out the veteran ranks, the entire unit of musketeers would likely have been wiped out.

"The bandit chieftain Wang Zuogua has been captured by me! Those who surrender will be spared! Those who surrender will be spared!"

Just as the Suijin soldiers were struggling to hold on, a resounding voice injected a fresh surge of vigor into everyone's hearts.

The surrounding bandits and outlaws looked up in utter shock toward the direction of the central command tent.

There stood Li Yi, his gaze freezing as he rested his spear against the ground, his left hand pinning Wang Zuogua by the neck. Drenched entirely in blood, he looked for all the world like a God of Slaughter descended to earth.

The embattled government soldiers instantly erupted, their thunderous cheers piercing the clouds.

"Rescue the commander! Slaughter them all!"

A veteran bandit roared, preparing to charge up the steps.

Li Yi slammed the tip of his tiger-fang spear directly against Wang Zuogua's throat and bellowed, "Whoever dares make another reckless move, don't blame me for killing him!"

The bandits present were all Wang Zuogua's most trusted loyalists.

Seeing him restrained by Li Yi with his life hanging in the balance, they froze in their tracks, not daring to act rashly.