Every battle was a difficult hurdle.

Every time Liang Qiang thought he could be invincible, reality was cruel.

The higher his rank rose, the more dangerous the missions he received.

This time was more dangerous than the previous times—he’d fallen into an ambush.

When they charged in, they hadn’t encountered the main force of the Chi’na army. When they turned around, Xi Liang soldiers were everywhere on all sides.

Liang Qiang didn’t know how long he’d been fighting—it seemed like a lifetime, yet also like an instant.

Of his five hundred troops, less than a hundred remained.

Of course, he was still alive.

Clang—weapons clashed. A Xi Liang soldier’s long blade was about to fall on his back from behind, but was blocked by a soldier beside him.

Liang Qiang didn’t even glance, continuing to charge forward. The Xi Liang soldier facing him fell.

A Xi Liang soldier beside him swung double hammers at him. Liang Qiang seemed not to see it, only chopping off the head of the Xi Liang soldier on the ground, while the double hammers smashed into a soldier who had appeared from who knows where—

That soldier’s blade pierced the Xi Liang soldier’s chest, and the two became entangled together.

Liang Qiang continued forward. Blood and flesh flew around him. People constantly fell—his own men, Xi Liang soldiers.

Finally, the last Xi Liang soldier fell under Liang Qiang’s blade.

Liang Qiang turned his head and looked at the corpses covering the ground. Only a few dozen survivors remained, each bearing injuries.

Before they could catch their breath, the sound of hoofbeats came charging from the distance again.

“We’ve fallen into an ambush. We can’t escape.” Liang Qiang, covered in blood and gripping his long blade, looked at the remaining troops around him. “Our only choice is to fight to the death.”

The soldiers looked at him but said nothing.

Liang Qiang froze slightly. The scene was somewhat strange—

Was it because his poor command and failure to detect danger had led everyone into peril?

Or was it because his martial skills were inadequate—not only unable to kill many enemies but actually bringing harm to everyone?

He, this military marquis, actually had no authority at all—

How this military marquis’s court appointment had come about could be immediately discerned by anyone who fought alongside him.

Liang Qiang’s face burned as if it had been struck by a Xi Liang soldier’s iron hammer.

“Liang Qiang is incompetent, but in this battle will neither retreat nor fear.” He declared loudly again, looking at the dust already visible rising from behind the ravines ahead. He raised his long blade before him. “—Liang will go first.”

The soldiers still didn’t shout or respond. One soldier even swung his weapon to block Liang Qiang’s path.

“Military Marquis Liang,” he said. “Actually, this battle may not necessarily be lost.”

What did he mean? Liang Qiang froze, looking at this soldier. He was very familiar with him—earlier, he had constantly stayed by his side, blocking countless dangers for him.

But like those soldiers before who had protected him and helped him kill enemies, his eyes were cold, his face wooden, without the slightest hint of warmth.

Liang Qiang actually understood. These soldiers hadn’t sold their lives to him—they’d sold them to someone else.

So in their eyes, Liang Qiang wasn’t a person—he was just a commodity, a trade good.

They had no feelings for him whatsoever, let alone respect or affection.

“You—” Liang Qiang’s voice was hoarse. “Who exactly are you people? Who told you to protect me?”

This question they wouldn’t answer.

“Military Marquis Liang, you only need to know to kill enemies and serve the country,” this soldier said.

Liang Qiang said: “I, Liang Qiang, was already prepared to kill enemies and serve the country, to die without fear. Next, you all come with me. Don’t worry about me anymore. Just focus on killing enemies—”

A strange smile appeared on that soldier’s face. The weapon in his hand slowly moved, coming to rest before Liang Qiang.

He said: “Military Marquis, not only will you not die, but in this battle you can become famous throughout the land, receive promotions and honors, and be enfeoffed as a general.”

Liang Qiang understood. The shame faded from his face, his expression becoming calm. He asked: “What do you need from me?”

……

……

Liang Qiang knew that everything he had obtained wasn’t falling from heaven—it was given by someone else, and repayment would be required.

He had been waiting, preparing, and also curious—what exactly would this person demand as payment?

Today, he finally found out.

That soldier’s long blade moved again, coming to rest on Liang Qiang’s arm. He said: “We want one of Military Marquis Liang’s arms.”

Liang Qiang’s expression changed slightly. With a clang, he raised his blade and knocked away the soldier’s long blade, stepping back and holding his blade defensively before him.

“If you want my life,” he said, pointing ahead, “I, Liang Qiang, can die on the battlefield at any time.”

That soldier said: “Military Marquis Liang, we only want one of your arms, not your life. Rest assured, we have people skilled in treating severed limbs.”

Liang Qiang looked at him and said: “As a soldier, without an arm, what kind of soldier would I be? How could I continue fighting? Even alive, I’d be as good as dead.”

The soldier suddenly smiled: “I said before—not only will you not die, but you’ll become famous throughout the land, receive promotions and honors, be enfeoffed as a general, and continue campaigning in all directions. Others might not believe it, but you can’t disbelieve it. Hasn’t everything you have now come exactly this way?”

So whether he had an arm, whether he was brave, whether he could fight—these were all irrelevant matters. As long as he was a person who could still breathe—

But would he still count as a person then?

Liang Qiang’s face burned again. He gripped his long blade tightly and suddenly pointed ahead: “The Chi’na army is coming—”

They were still on the battlefield. In the instant they’d been talking, the Xi Liang cavalry charging toward them could already be seen, their dust rolling.

Just from the dust clouds, one could tell the approaching force numbered no less than several hundred.

Liang Qiang looked again at the soldiers around him and said: “I’m not as good as you all, but right now we’re fighting many with few. Having me, even one more person, is better than having a cripple—let’s discuss this matter later. Right now it’s a life-or-death moment. Let’s not talk about such things.”

This time, even if all these soldiers died for him, they couldn’t protect his escape.

In this battle, everyone was certain to die. What was there to discuss about past or future?

Seeing the Xi Liang soldiers surging toward them, the soldiers still didn’t move, their expressions unchanged. That soldier even took out a bamboo whistle from his chest.

“Military Marquis Liang, don’t worry,” he said. “Watch.”

Watch what? Liang Qiang froze, watching as that soldier put the bamboo whistle to his lips and blew.

The whistle’s sound was extremely strange, like a shrieking wild goose whose neck had suddenly been wrung.

But even stranger was that the charging Xi Liang soldiers ahead also seemed to have their horses’ legs wrung off. Accompanied by horses’ neighing, the galloping formation stopped.

The sudden halt made riders pitch forward and back, made horses’ hooves stamp wildly, like boiling water—but no matter how it boiled, it was as if a barrier had been erected before them. Not a single drop splashed forward.

Liang Qiang’s face showed shock and disbelief.

How was this possible!

That person could buy off countless border commandery soldiers to die for him. That person could use money, favors, or coercion and other methods to control so many soldiers.

But Xi Liang soldiers!

Those were Xi Liang people!

Who was it! Who could make killing-intent-filled Xi Liang soldiers locked in life-and-death combat stop with just a bamboo whistle!

What kind of person could accomplish this? How could one accomplish this?

Even Young Master Liang, who had grown up wealthy in the capital seeing power and influence everywhere, couldn’t imagine it.

For an instant he even suspected he was dreaming. He could only hear his own rapid breathing, until a voice broke through into his ears.

“Military Marquis Liang, now do you believe? In this battle you can lead us to break through the siege, and even launch a surprise attack on the Chi’na army’s main camp. You’ll fight bloodily, triumph over superior numbers with inferior forces, and lose an arm. Military Marquis Liang, as brave as you are, even without one arm, nothing can stop you from becoming a renowned fierce general throughout the land!”

“Military Marquis Liang, are you willing?”

Accompanying the inquiry, a curved blade slowly rose, glinting in the harsh winter cold.