The Fourth Prince had spent the entire night without sleep, consulting with his generals about the situation. Seeing that Qin Zhonghai commanded his troops with skill and could not be easily defeated, he sent word deep into the night requesting reinforcements from the garrison at Karachi Pass.
By dawn, Qin Zhonghai was also discussing the situation on his side. When the Prime Minister heard scouts report that the Fourth Prince had returned to the fortress seeking aid, his face immediately showed worry as he said gravely, “This is terrible! If the Fourth Prince can persuade several brave generals to defect together, we’re surely doomed.”
After hearing the translation, Qin Zhonghai merely laughed coldly, “Let him seek rescue all he wants! This old man will kill one if one comes, slaughter two if two come—what’s there to fear from so many?”
He gave orders for his five thousand troops to form a line, while Qin Zhonghai himself moved a chair and sat boldly on the hill, waiting for the barbarians to attack.
When the chen hour arrived, dust clouds indeed rose—the Fourth Prince’s reinforcements had arrived. Both the Barbarian King and Prime Minister were terrified, unable even to lift their heads. Amidst the thunderous drums and cheers from the rebel army, a great general emerged at the front. This man stood ten feet tall, powerfully built, with yellow-red eyebrows and a blood-basin mouth. Though not quite having a blue face with protruding fangs, his appearance was still vastly different from ordinary men.
Qin Zhonghai’s soldiers had never seen anyone with such features and were secretly alarmed. A general beside the Barbarian King cried out loudly, “It’s him! Wuli Khan!” His tone was filled with terror.
Qin Zhonghai ordered his translator to ask, “Who is this person? Why is everyone so afraid of him?”
The Prime Minister shook his head, “This man is called Wuli Khan, the fierce general guarding the first pass of our nation’s eastern frontier. He possesses courage that ten thousand men cannot match—enemy generals who’ve crossed weapons with him have never lasted ten exchanges. Alas! In the past this man was our nation’s shield, but today he’s become our enemy… how can this be explained…”
The Fourth Prince was seen whispering something in Wuli Khan’s ear—who knew what conspiracy they were hatching.
Before long, Wuli Khan rode forward and stood below the small hill, holding up a long flagpole from which dangled women’s undergarments, swaying conspicuously. Wuli Khan laughed, “You people, for better or worse, are warriors of our Khan nation—how can you follow that useless woman Dabaer Khan? Quickly abandon her and embrace the light—the Fourth Prince will surely reward you handsomely.” Wuli Khan’s manner was contemptuous, his words arrogant, treating the generals on the hill as nothing. Dabaer Khan’s face turned ashen with rage, trembling as he shouted, “Who will kill him for me! Quickly! Quickly!”
Qin Zhonghai was about to descend the hill to meet the challenge when he heard a general shout, “Chinese General, please halt! This man speaks arrogantly and insults my lord—watch me strike him dead!” This man was called Wulike Fu, captain of Prince Karachi’s guard, whose martial skills were also considerable. The translator beside him bowed to Qin Zhonghai, “I humbly observe the General’s divine technique!”
Wulike Fu gave a great shout and spurred his horse down—that fine steed was incredibly swift, reaching the bottom of the hill in an instant.
Wulike Fu pulled his reins, glared at Wuli Khan, raised his whip and shouted, “Bold Wuli Khan! You are originally a subject of the Khan nation—why do you serve rebels and commit such treasonous acts? Aren’t you afraid of the Khan’s punishment?” Wuli Khan laughed, “The Fourth Prince is wise and mighty, with divine strategies—who in the world can match him?” Wulike Fu angrily replied, “With the Khan before you, how dare you say the Fourth Prince is invincible?” Wuli Khan laughed, “What use is that old man the Khan? Now he’s already our prisoner! Once we execute this woman Dabaer Khan, our Fourth Prince will ascend as Khan.”
Hearing these words, Wulike Fu couldn’t help but start in shock, turning to look up the hill for the Barbarian King’s instructions. But both the Barbarian King and Prime Minister, hearing this news, lost their courage and collapsed to the ground with weak knees.
Qin Zhonghai ordered a translation and was also greatly shocked, thinking, “If what this man says is true, we’re certainly doomed now.” Getting no instructions, Wulike Fu knew he could only quickly kill this rebel general to crush the enemy’s arrogant momentum. He spurred his horse forward, roaring, “Traitorous minister who dares usurp the throne! I’ll execute you on the spot!” His arm strength was considerable and he wielded his blade urgently, using a thirty-six-pound ringed iron sword. Though the sword was heavy and unwieldy, Wulike Fu could wield it with such skill—truly the bearing of a famous general.
Both enemy and allied forces nodded approvingly, thinking, “This man truly deserves to be a guard commander—his martial skills are not weak.” But they saw Wuli Khan smile leisurely and calmly draw out a black, heavy great axe, then raise the weapon with one arm, laughing, “A woman’s subordinate must be a tender greenhorn.” He lightly raised the great axe, and with a clang and shower of sparks, the axe had already blocked Wulike Fu’s ringed iron sword. This Wuli Khan, with only single-arm strength, had received a thirty-six-pound iron sword—his divine power was extraordinary, far beyond what ordinary men could achieve. His expression remained contemptuous as he said lazily, “Go home and eat more mutton before coming back! With such little strength, even massaging your grandfather’s back would be insufficient.” And he yawned.
Wulike Fu was shocked, thinking, “I’ve always heard that Wuli Khan possessed extraordinary strength, but I thought the rumors were exaggerated—I never imagined his power was truly this great!” He struck with killing intent repeatedly, but Wuli Khan merely smiled as he blocked the attacks. Seeing himself being taken lightly, Wulike Fu desperately attacked with both hands, left blade, right blade—in an instant he delivered over ten strikes. But under Wuli Khan’s divine strength, how could he gain any advantage? Each time their weapons clashed, his wrists would go numb. His face turned ashen, his expression fearful, and gradually his blade work became chaotic—defeat was already apparent.
From the side came a shout as a young general charged out, crying, “Brother! I’ll help you!” This was Wulike Fu’s younger brother, Deputy Commander of the Guards, Molike Fu. Wuli Khan laughed, “Two against one?” Molike Fu, fearing for his brother’s safety, hurriedly charged forward with his spear thrust at Wuli Khan.
Wulike Fu knew his brother was no match and, with deep brotherly affection, urgently called, “You’re no match for him—quickly retreat!” Wuli Khan laughed loudly, “Too late!” With one swing of his great axe, he cleaved Molike Fu and his horse in two right before his brother’s eyes.
Seeing this, Wulike Fu was overcome with grief—their bond as brothers ran deep. Shedding tears, he cried, “I’ll fight you to the death!” and raised his blade to charge forward. Wuli Khan laughed heartily, “The victor becomes king, the loser a bandit—whoever has greater strength is the master. Die!” The great axe flashed and chopped straight down with a light sound, splitting Wulike Fu in half on the spot.
Everyone seeing these two brothers die so brutally under the axe showed expressions of unbearable sorrow. Dabaer Khan had been close to these two men, and now seeing them die, tears flowed down her face. Seeing her tears, Qin Zhonghai thought, “This person isn’t entirely without merit—seeing her shed tears for subordinates suggests she has a compassionate nature.”
The rebel army, seeing Wuli Khan’s swift victory, immediately beat drums to boost morale. The Fourth Prince laughed, “Do you see? This is the fate of those who don’t submit to this king!” Wuli Khan raised his blood-dripping great axe, pointing at the crowd on the hill, laughing loudly, “Which of you has the courage to come down and collect these two brothers’ corpses?” He asked three times, and seeing no one dare answer, he raised his hoof to trample on Wulike Fu’s corpse, laughing, “If no one comes down, don’t blame me for trampling him into mud!”
Suddenly there was a horse’s neigh, a flash of fire, and a rider flew down the hill. Wuli Khan laughed, “Someone’s come to die…” He was about to say the word “die” when suddenly his neck felt cold—his head was already flying through the air, blood gushing as his mouth corner still held that smile, finishing the word “die.”
Both armies on and below the hill were immediately terrified, looking toward the one who had struck. They saw him with piercing eyes, holding a blood-dripping steel blade—it was “Fire Greedy Blade” Qin Zhonghai.
The twenty thousand soldiers on the hill immediately erupted in cheers, shouting in unison, “Excellent!” Their hearts filled with complete admiration. Prime Minister Abu Qihan thought, “This General Qin has such formidable martial skills—if he could serve our dynasty in the future, he would surely make our Khan nation’s heavenly might flourish greatly.” But then he thought of their current perilous situation—how could he worry about future prospects? He could only smile bitterly and dismiss the thought.
Amid thunderous applause, Qin Zhonghai ordered men to collect the corpses of the Wulike Fu brothers, then raised his blade to lift Wuli Khan’s head, sneering, “This kind of third-rate character dares come out and embarrass himself? Listen well—quickly send someone to collect the corpse, or your grandfather will feed this pig’s head to the dogs!” He too was returning the favor in kind.
Seeing no one come for a long time, Qin Zhonghai suddenly roared, “No one wants this pig’s head? I’ll return it to you!” He swung his blade forcefully, sending Wuli Khan’s head flying like a ball toward the Fourth Prince’s army. The Fourth Prince’s expression changed drastically as he cried, “This… it’s this man again!”
Someone beside the Fourth Prince gave a tiger’s roar, raised a great iron hammer and swung it, instantly smashing Wuli Khan’s head to pulp, brain matter and blood sticking to the hammer in a terrifying sight. This man was bald with a long nose, sitting atop a great elephant, fully ten feet tall with small rat-like eyes and rabbit-large ears—his appearance was truly bizarre beyond measure.
The man shouted, “Bold Chinese barbarian! I am Tieli Khan, granted the imperial title ‘Elephant King’! Now I’ll smash your head like mud!” This “Elephant King” indeed greatly resembled a giant elephant—if he stood on the ground, he would surely be a full head taller than Qin Zhonghai. With a great shout, amid the elephant’s trumpeting, he charged fiercely at Qin Zhonghai.
Countless horses on the hill, startled by this, immediately began neighing—all seemed shocked by this giant elephant, becoming extremely frightened for a moment.
But Qin Zhonghai’s mount was exceptionally fine—facing the giant elephant, it showed no fear whatsoever, even rearing up to charge forward. Not understanding the “Elephant King’s” shouting, Qin Zhonghai only laughed, “What gibberish nonsense—if you want to fart, go fart in hell! The King of Hell might listen to a word or two from you!” As elephant and horse approached each other, Tieli Khan’s face showed a fierce grin as he swung his great iron hammer toward Qin Zhonghai’s skull with full force—if this blow connected, Qin Zhonghai’s head would surely be smashed to powder.
But Qin Zhonghai wore a slight smile, his hand on his blade hilt, full of confidence as he neither dodged nor avoided.
The two riders crossed paths, blade and hammer weapons intersecting in attack. With a loud “Ah!” cry, the great elephant suddenly trumpeted mournfully—the seemingly invincible “Elephant King” had actually been lifted with one hand by Qin Zhonghai and dragged down from the elephant’s back.
It turned out Qin Zhonghai had practiced a blade technique called “Compassionate Blade,” used for capturing enemies. His master, seeing that “Fire Greedy Blade” was too murderous and deeply fearing his disciple would kill at every turn, had taught him this technique, hoping he would use it well in the future to avoid excessive killing. Indeed, just now the blade light flashed straight toward Tieli Khan’s throat, forcing him to return his hammer for self-defense—in that opening, Qin Zhonghai had already captured him from the elephant’s back.
Qin Zhonghai held Tieli Khan with one hand, then slammed him heavily to the ground, shaking the “Elephant King’s” internal organs until they all churned. Seeing his face full of terror, Qin Zhonghai couldn’t help but smile, “You and I have no deep grudge—seeing you’re not as arrogant as that Wuli Khan just now, I’ll let you go back!” He waved his hand, indicating he should leave.
The “Elephant King” didn’t understand what Qin Zhonghai was saying, but seeing his arrogant manner as if insulting him, he immediately gave a great shout, swung his iron hammer and charged at Qin Zhonghai again.
Qin Zhonghai shook his head, “If you insist on seeking death, don’t blame me for not giving you face!” He reached out with his right palm and had already captured him in mid-air, then called toward the rebel army, “Is there anyone else who wants to come out and challenge?” He waited a while, and seeing no one dare come out to face him, he laughed heartily, lifted the “Elephant King” in his hand, and rode back to formation.
The Fourth Prince’s face was full of horror. Seeing none of his subordinates dared go out to rescue, he flew into a rage, “All useless rice buckets! Quickly go find ‘Shajin’!” The generals hurriedly rushed out to find this “Shajin”—who knew what kind of person this was.
Not understanding what they were saying, Qin Zhonghai merely wore a disdainful expression as he rode back to camp. Lord He hurriedly came out to offer a cup of wine, praising, “The General’s martial valor is truly our dynasty’s fortune!” Qin Zhonghai laughed, “Well said! Well said!” and drained the cup in one gulp.
The Prime Minister grabbed Tieli Khan and slapped him repeatedly, shouting questions unknown. Tieli Khan paid no attention, his expression quite contemptuous. The Prime Minister, enraged, immediately ordered him dragged away for execution.
With nothing else to do, Qin Zhonghai asked about this “Shajin’s” background. The musician said, “This word ‘Shajin’ in the Khan nation’s language means ‘warrior.’ This person must be the foremost martial valor of the Tamerlane Khan nation.” Qin Zhonghai smiled and nodded, “Whether he’s some Shajin or Shayin, they’re all much the same anyway.” Hearing that Shajin was coming, the Prime Minister showed worry on his face, asking the musician to remind Qin Zhonghai to be careful.
But Qin Zhonghai just laughed heartily, paying no heed. Having consecutively fought Wuli Khan and the “Elephant King,” he now knew the caliber of Tamerlane Khan nation’s generals—these people mostly relied on natural brute strength for combat, and compared to Central Plains martial arts masters, the difference was more than could be measured. They were truly nothing to fear. He immediately sat before the formation drinking wine and chatting, waiting for the Fourth Prince to summon this general called “Shajin” so he could finish him with one blade.
By evening, a cloud of dust flew in from afar—”Shajin” had finally arrived. Qin Zhonghai looked with keen eyes and saw the newcomer had only about a thousand cavalry—nothing to worry about. He yawned, “So slow—it’s really boring to wait.” But Prime Minister Abu Qihan wore a grave expression, shaking his head and sighing, “Shajin has always been loyal, brave, and faithful to my lord. Even he has surrendered to the Fourth Prince—it seems His Majesty has truly been imprisoned by this evil prince.” Qin Zhonghai ignored the Prime Minister’s concerns and watched Shajin from afar, seeing him slowly dismount without hurrying to approach. Qin Zhonghai stood up, laughing, “I’ve already drunk a whole jar of wine, yet this ‘Shajin’ is still dawdling over there—does he want to get this general drunk to death before he’s willing to come out?” All the soldiers laughed together, their voices reaching the clouds.
The Fourth Prince was seen speaking to Shajin in low voices. Shajin looked up to the sky, his manner quite stubborn as if refusing to comply. The Fourth Prince looked displeased, constantly pleading and pointing at Qin Zhonghai, saying who knows what unpleasant words.
Seeing the two of them still delaying, Qin Zhonghai immediately pointed at Shajin and laughed, “Hey! You barbarian beast must be this ‘Shajin’! Why aren’t you coming over to fight? Could it be you’re afraid of this general?” Seeing Qin Zhonghai’s contemptuous attitude, Shajin’s eyes immediately flashed as he snorted heavily.
Qin Zhonghai scratched his head, “If you want to fight, then come quickly. This old man is tired from drinking and just wants to find someone for a good fight!” Seeing his rude manner, Shajin pushed the Fourth Prince aside with his hand, then mounted his horse and charged forward. Qin Zhonghai laughed loudly several times, threw down his wine jar, and also spurred his horse into battle, eyes like a tiger’s as he flew forward with raised blade.
When the two riders drew near, Shajin was already within several zhang, but suddenly Qin Zhonghai’s horse stopped abruptly and began backing away, continuously neighing and snorting.
Qin Zhonghai was startled, thinking, “My ‘Cloud-Stepping Black’ has followed me for seven or eight years, fighting countless battles great and small—I’ve never seen it so afraid. What’s wrong with it today?” He immediately bent down to speak to the horse, “Good horse, be good! After we kill this man, I’ll treat you to wine and food!” The horse was quite intelligent and, hearing its master’s command, stood still, but its appearance was still very fearful, as if Shajin were some man-eating monster.
Shajin approached quickly and soon stood majestically before them. This man had a purple, square face with black whiskers about three feet long hanging on his chest, and two slanted eyes that shone brightly. The weapon in his hands was even more peculiar—it was a twelve-foot-long great saber, with a blade nearly equal in length to the handle, and two additional steel blades strapped to his back, each about five feet long. One man carrying three long blades—who knew how he would use them.
Seeing this person’s demeanor and appearance, Qin Zhonghai was also surprised, thinking, “This man’s features don’t resemble those of Western Region people—I wonder where he’s from?” As he wondered, he heard Shajin shout, “Bold youngster! Your words are extremely arrogant—quickly state your name!” He spoke in perfectly fluent Chinese. Qin Zhonghai was startled and replied, “You speak fluent Chinese—could you be Chinese?” But Shajin didn’t respond, instead looking Qin Zhonghai up and down.
Qin Zhonghai laughed, “I just praised you for not being a barbarian, yet you’ve gone mute again!” Hearing his rude words, the man gave a cold “heh,” his eyes flashing with divine light, then raised his blade overhead with one arm and with a whoosh, chopped fiercely toward Qin Zhonghai’s skull.
Seeing him raise his blade with one hand, exposing his chest, Qin Zhonghai immediately laughed, “So eager to die?” Fire light scattered as he unleashed the seventh level of Fire Greedy Blade power in a move called “Greedy Fire Rushing,” like a fire dragon slashing toward Shajin’s chest. This move struck first despite starting second, aiming to cut him in two before Shajin’s overhead chop could land.
Shajin nodded as if quite approving, raising his blade before his chest to receive this “Greedy Fire Rushing” technique. Qin Zhonghai was delighted, thinking, “My blade contains tremendous internal power, domineering beyond compare—ordinary people who receive it will either die or be severely injured. Victory and defeat are already decided!” As the two blades were about to connect, Shajin suddenly drew a breath, and that twelve-foot saber inexplicably broke into several sections, with the front blade tip flying like a throwing knife straight at Qin Zhonghai’s face. Qin Zhonghai was horrified, not knowing how his good blade could suddenly shatter. Unable to dodge in time, he hurriedly rolled off his horse to avoid this strange blade that came from nowhere.
Qin Zhonghai rolled to the ground and immediately sprang up. He looked carefully at the saber in Shajin’s hand and saw it had become a chain of twelve blade sections, with blade tips connected by iron chains. So this saber was a miraculous weapon—no wonder it had such strange transformations. Looking at this strange blade’s appearance, Yuchi Jingde’s twenty-four-section steel whip lacked this flexibility, while Hunan’s Ruan family three-section staff lacked this sharpness—it was truly a formidable and extraordinary weapon.
With a shake of his hand, the twelve steel blade sections immediately snapped back together with a “pop” sound, returning to the appearance of an ordinary saber—truly bizarre and immensely powerful.
Qin Zhonghai shouted, “Exotic weapons are nothing remarkable! Watch the true skill of my Fire Greedy Blade!” He didn’t rush to mount his horse but instead leaped forward with both feet, and with a thunderous “roar,” raised his blade to chop down at Shajin’s head. This blade move was extremely broad, using the fifth level of “Fire Greedy Blade” power called “Fire Clouds Eight Directions.” Under its pressure power coverage, it enveloped the man’s head, left and right shoulders, and chest—four vital areas. No matter which direction he blocked, other positions might be struck as a result.
But Shajin was completely unaware of this blade’s danger, merely raising his blade overhead to protect his skull. Seeing his crude technique, Qin Zhonghai was confident this blade would hit, thinking, “You can protect your head but not your other vital points—watch me cut off your left shoulder!”
The blade angled toward Shajin’s left shoulder, about to draw blood, when with a “clang,” that saber again scattered into a chain blade, with twelve blade sections flashing to exactly block Qin Zhonghai’s strike at his left shoulder. At that moment, the chain blade’s sections silently circled around from behind to thrust at Qin Zhonghai’s back.
Hearing the sharp blade wind, Qin Zhonghai quickly turned to look and saw the blade tip had already reached three feet behind him. Greatly shocked, it was too late to return his blade to block—in his haste, he raised his scabbard with his left hand to block the blade tip, thinking this tip was only one short section and couldn’t have too much force, so his scabbard should be sufficient to block the attack.
Just as the two objects were about to touch, suddenly there was a “snap” sound—the twelve-section chain blade suddenly contracted with the mechanism locked tight, again becoming a heavy great saber. Though the cutting direction remained unchanged, still aimed at Qin Zhonghai’s back, the power of the blade had increased more than tenfold! Seeing the man’s technique change so quickly, Qin Zhonghai was already pale with shock. In his panic, he raised his scabbard to block the saber—with a crisp “crack,” a tremendously powerful force struck, immediately sending Qin Zhonghai flying.
Qin Zhonghai fell to the ground, seeing his scabbard had shattered, leaving only a small section in his grip. In his panic, Shajin’s chain blade came again—Qin Zhonghai hastily rolled away on the ground. Sand and dirt flew as that spot had been split into a deep furrow by Shajin. Seeing he was no match, Qin Zhonghai quickly turned and fled.
Shajin spurred his horse in pursuit, calling out in barbarian language, “The enemy general has fallen—all troops charge!” The rebel army gave a great shout, their morale soaring as thousands upon thousands of troops rushed toward the hill.
Seeing Shajin spurring his horse toward him, Qin Zhonghai frantically ran. Shajin gave a shout, his saber again becoming a twelve-section chain blade as it struck toward Qin Zhonghai’s back.
Qin Zhonghai leaped with all his might, barely avoiding Shajin’s killing move. With a whistle, his “Cloud-Stepping Black” heard the call and immediately galloped over. Qin Zhonghai used his lightness skill to sprint quickly, stepping on the saddle with his left foot, about to mount when Shajin raised his chain blade—with a light “pop,” the twelve-section chain flew forward, chopping fiercely at Qin Zhonghai’s ankle. If this move hit, both feet would surely lose a section.
Qin Zhonghai placed both hands on the saddle, then exerted force with his palms, his body immediately going horizontal through the air, hanging sideways on the horse’s back. With a “swish,” the chain blade struck the ground without injuring his ankles.
Having barely avoided the foot strike, Shajin coldly smiled again. He beckoned with his hand—the chain blade, originally spent of force, suddenly had its tip rise up, flying up from below straight toward Qin Zhonghai’s abdomen. Hanging on the horse’s back, Qin Zhonghai suddenly saw the chain blade stabbing at his belly—the technique was incredibly nimble, and he had no way to avoid it. He frantically patted his beloved horse, urgently calling, “Run! Run!”
The “Cloud-Stepping Black” was indeed divine—hearing its master’s urging, its four hooves left the ground like riding clouds and mist as it leaped away. The chain blade immediately stabbed empty, only brushing past Qin Zhonghai’s body—the danger was extreme.
Seeing Qin Zhonghai repeatedly escape his killing moves, Shajin was also secretly amazed, shouting, “What a treasure horse! So divine!” Still spurring his horse forward in fierce pursuit.
Standing on the hill, Dabaer Khan and the Prime Minister saw this Shajin had already defeated Qin Zhonghai and was leading troops toward their position. Their faces changed color, not knowing what to do.
The “Cloud-Stepping Black’s” pace was swift—before long it had reached near the hill. Qin Zhonghai looked back to see Shajin had also arrived quickly, already within two zhang distance, his expression vicious as if he wouldn’t rest until he killed him.
Fearing another killing move, Qin Zhonghai quickly called, “Archers!” From their position, a thousand archers immediately emerged. Qin Zhonghai roared, “Shoot!” Over a thousand feathered arrows immediately flew toward Shajin. Shajin was startled, not expecting Qin Zhonghai to have this life-saving trick. He hastily raised his blade to block—swinging his blade rapidly like impervious water, he actually blocked countless arrows. This man’s martial arts were truly miraculous—even arrows couldn’t do anything to him. However, this delay allowed Qin Zhonghai to escape up the hill, avoiding Shajin’s pursuit.
Having just escaped with his life, he suddenly heard great killing sounds below the hill—the Fourth Prince’s troops had arrived. Qin Zhonghai urgently called, “All troops listen to orders—protect the Barbarian King and Lord He, retreat quickly to Jade Gate Pass!” The musician hurriedly translated for Prime Minister Abu Qihan, who was already terrified out of his wits, urgently calling, “Everyone listen! Quickly retreat to China’s Jade Gate Pass!”
Prince Karachi led the way, the first to flee wildly, with Lord He shouting behind him, “Help! Someone save me!” The twenty thousand barbarian troops fell into chaos, hurriedly fleeing toward the rear of the hill.
Seeing the rebel army continuously ascending the hill, Qin Zhonghai dismounted and shouted, “Archers retreat to high ground and form ‘Triangular Continuous Shooting’ to cover the rear!”
He personally stood on the hill’s high point, raised his iron-bodied great bow and led the wild shooting downward. With one arrow killing one enemy, his arrows never missed—in an instant he had shot dead over ten rebels. A thousand archers climbed to high ground and immediately divided into three small teams—one stood beside Qin Zhonghai guarding the central route, while the other two occupied the hill’s left and right flanks, shooting down in three directions. This was exactly Qin Zhonghai’s “Triangular Continuous Shooting.” The three groups of archers attacked simultaneously, bowstrings continuously ringing—in an instant arrows fell like rain. Though only a thousand men, they seemed like thousands upon thousands of troops. The rebel vanguard continuously fell from their horses with arrows.
With the rebel vanguard suffering heavy casualties and continuously falling from their mounts, the army’s offensive was blocked. The Fourth Prince cried in alarm, “Shajin! Quickly think of something!” Shajin shouted, “Don’t you dare command me!” The Fourth Prince said sternly, “The Khan’s life and death are in my hands—how dare you not listen to me!”
Shajin spat and brandished his saber, charging fiercely toward the hill’s right flank, shouting, “Follow me!”
The rebel troops followed behind him. His twelve-foot great saber danced continuously like a great umbrella, blocking countless flying arrows while the rebel troops hid behind him, following together up the hill.
Seeing that Shajin’s martial arts were truly extraordinary and about to break the “Triangular Continuous Shooting,” Qin Zhonghai no longer lingered in battle, shouting loudly, “All troops retreat! Enter Jade Gate Pass!” By this time the cavalry and spearmen had already fled far away—needless to say, Prince Karachi’s led troops had long since run out of sight.
Seeing his own forces had fled several li away, Qin Zhonghai immediately led the remaining archers to mount their horses together and flee wildly.
The Fourth Prince called, “Everyone pursue! Don’t let a single person escape!” The rebel army shouted continuously as they rushed toward Jade Gate Pass.