Chapter 951: You Think You’re Worthy?

The eastern Jin army was launching a strategic offensive.

The Chu army needed to conduct a strategic withdrawal.

That meant this battle would either never happen at all... or it would amount to little more than a “performance”—a brief clash of spearpoints before both sides continued with what they had already decided to do.

Zheng Fan was extremely certain of that.

At this moment, seated atop the Regent Prince’s mobile headquarters, what he truly wanted most was for the Chu to suddenly lose their minds and fight him in a full-scale decisive battle right here.

If they did, eastern Jin’s own forces alone would be enough to drag the main body of Chu’s imperial-clan Imperial Guards into a slaughter so savage that Heaven and Earth turned upside down.

No matter how heavy eastern Jin’s losses became, it would be worth it.

Once the later Yan reinforcements arrived... everything afterward really would become nothing more than the dull business of coloring squares on a map.

And the location of his princely banner... was never any secret to the Chu in the first place.

A commander’s banner was certainly meant for one’s own side to see.

But it was also meant for the enemy.

Sending Tian Tian to the opposite bank was meant to temper him.

Tian Tian was Zheng Fan’s eldest son.

He was also Prince Jingnan’s legitimate son.

It was only natural that he should stand in that position and inherit the mission and responsibilities that belonged to him.

As for handing the Brocade-Clad personal guards to Tian Tian, that was not merely Zheng Fan indulging in favoritism and paving the road for his own son.

The deeper reason was simple.

The Chu would either withdraw without fighting at all... or, if they did fight, they would probably send out one elite force, try to win one local engagement to raise morale, and then return to their strategic withdrawal.

Under that premise, the first force to land on the far bank had to be elite enough to crush every unstable factor before it could become a problem.

Chen Xianba’s command was like Chen Xianba himself: unruly.

During the past several years of operating around Shanggu Commandery, the Chief Commander of Zhennan Pass had submitted several memorials to Zheng Fan whose meaning, whether stated openly or hidden between the lines, was essentially:

“I cannot control this young man.”

But in a critical battle... that kind of thorn-covered unit could hold.

Qu Peiluo’s Chu Battalion also possessed its own advantages.

Zheng Fan did not care to discuss something as crude as convert zealotry.

Under Liang Cheng’s recommendation and arrangements, eastern Jin’s military had begun paying more and more attention to infantry development.

And Qu Peiluo had built the Chu Battalion according to the model of the Azure Luan Army.

That made it extremely suitable for landing first, forming ranks on the bank, and resisting a Chu counterattack.

But compared with either of those forces... his own direct Brocade-Clad personal guards were still the safest choice.

Only... when the military report from the front arrived and informed Zheng Fan that the Chu force across the river was actually flying the princely banner of **Prince Ding of Great Chu**... the Regent Prince, who had been lounging lazily only moments earlier... instinctively straightened his back.

Both hands, which had been resting loosely upon the armrests... clenched hard.

Even so... the Prince still spoke in the calmest possible tone, carrying a faint trace of disdainful mockery.

“Heh. The Chu really have no sense of martial honor.”

At that moment, messengers below began relaying request after request from the generals at the front.

Chen Xianba, Qu Peiluo, and several others all asked to accelerate the crossing and reinforce Tian Tian early.

Clearly... the appearance of Prince Ding’s banner had changed the atmosphere.

Zheng Fan lifted his head slightly.

He forced the muscles throughout his body to relax again.

Then said:

“Transmit the order. Cross the river according to the original plan. No one is to panic and scramble for boats. So what if a Prince of Chu has appeared? Do not panic. Watch the younger generation break the enemy!”

...

When crossing a river by boat, speed and order were everything.

Both had already been calculated and repeatedly rehearsed beforehand.

The second, third, and later waves had all been arranged long ago.

The first wave prioritized actual combat strength.

The second and third waves placed greater emphasis on reinforcement speed.

Nearly half the men among them wore only leather armor—or no armor at all—and were specifically chosen for their swimming ability.

Trying to shove extra troops into the crossing at the last moment would not only disrupt the rhythm.

If men and horses jammed together along the bank, or boats overturned halfway across... the losses might become even worse.

Zheng Fan did not need anyone else teaching him how to remain clear-headed while deploying troops.

Right now... all he could do was maintain his “calm” posture while muttering the same thing again and again inside his own heart.

He was too embarrassed to keep chanting that Tian Tian was his son.

Put himself in Tian Tian’s place, under these exact circumstances... and there was actually no fundamental difference between Zheng Fan standing there and Tian Tian standing there.

After all, whether protecting Zheng Fan or protecting Tian Tian, the Brocade-Clad personal guards would fight to the death without hesitation.

Once morale had already hit its maximum, adding another little bit of emotional encouragement made no real difference.

And so... what Zheng Fan kept repeating inside his heart was:

You are Tian Wujing’s son.

You... can do this.

On the day of the assassination at the Prefectural Yamen in Nanwang City, Old Tian had sat on the threshold and watched him.

When Zheng Fan had led troops south without permission, broken Mianzhou City, and then become surrounded by the Qian army... the Jingnan Army had appeared.

Ever since Zheng Fan first entered military service... on a battlefield...

Old Tian had always seemed omnipotent.

His son... could be too.

...

Tian Tian pressed his lips together.

The vibration of the approaching hooves had already become painfully clear.

Even the clods of dirt beneath his boots were beginning to crumble faintly.

The Brocade-Clad personal guards around him were all fighting on foot.

And for infantry facing cavalry, the most terrifying moment was not necessarily when the cavalry finally entered the formation and began killing.

It was those brief moments beforehand... when the cavalry was still charging toward you.

That was the pressure of staring directly at life and death.

Tian Tian slowly forced his breathing to become calm.

At his chest, Demon Child lightly tapped him twice.

It was comfort from Big Sister.

A faint smile appeared at the corner of Tian Tian’s mouth.

If he could... he wanted to imitate Father now.

Adopt that loose, carefree posture.

Laugh and curse as he pleased.

Look utterly untroubled.

And without saying anything directly, grind the enemy into the mud with sheer contempt.

But Tian Tian was not his father.

At least... he could not yet display that kind of presence.

Which created a rather interesting scene.

The father sat across the river watching his son and praying that the boy had inherited the abilities of his biological father.

The son stood on the far bank thinking instead about the father sitting behind him.

Tian Tian lifted his shield slightly.

Then began striking it against the ground.

Behind him, every shieldman among the personal guards began doing the same.

The rhythm slowly synchronized.

Uniform movement allowed a soldier to feel the response of his comrades.

And on a battlefield... only the men standing beside you could give you the greatest sense of safety and courage.

The Chu princely banner was already clearly visible.

The golden Fire Phoenix above it spread its wings with savage arrogance.

Tian Tian muttered inwardly:

That bird still isn’t as good-looking as Dad’s Pixiu.

Then... he shouted:

“Raise!”

The shield dropped hard against the ground.

Tian Tian leaned backward another fraction.

The side of his long spear hooked into a catch built into the shield’s corner.

That allowed the spear to rise higher.

The two rows of shieldmen behind Tian Tian made the exact same motion.

Man.

Shield.

Spear.

All three were now almost locked into one structure.

Together they became a true wall at the very front.

It also meant that when the cavalry struck... they had no possibility of running.

Man and weapon alike would have to absorb the impact.

Every weapon carried by the Brocade-Clad personal guards had been specially modified and designed.

These designs were not suitable for general use throughout the army.

Ordinary soldiers simply could not meet the physical and technical standards required.

To a certain extent, the Brocade-Clad personal guards were the multifunctional combat force of this age.

One could even call them special troops.

Their mounted archery was first-rate.

Put them on horses, and they became outstanding cavalry.

At the critical moment, they needed to accompany the Prince’s banner itself while punching straight through enemy lines.

On foot, they were equally well-trained infantry.

To protect the Prince’s safety, they practiced forming ranks against sudden assassination attempts by top experts.

And if fast enemy cavalry ever launched a surprise charge toward the Prince, they could immediately form up and hold long enough to buy time.

Because in this world... there were probably only two things truly capable of threatening the Prince.

One was a top expert suddenly appearing at close range.

The other was a cavalry force charging in with overwhelming speed.

Against almost every other threat... the Prince’s power was already enough to keep danger far away.

As the distance between the two armies narrowed...

Xiong Tingshan could now clearly see eastern Jin’s formation ahead.

At a glance... it resembled one enormous, solid hedgehog.

Chu cavalry was precious.

Elite Chu cavalry was even more precious.

Under any other circumstances, Xiong Tingshan would never have ordered his own direct elites to charge head-on into a “hard lump” like this.

The cost was simply too high.

When cavalry faced infantry, the most efficient methods were harassment, flanking support, repeated feints, and pulling the enemy apart until a weakness appeared.

That was the proper way to obtain the greatest return for the smallest cost.

But Xiong Tingshan had no time for any of that.

Never mind that eastern Jin’s second wave would soon reinforce the troops already ashore.

Yan troops were probably already landing on both wings as well.

If he delayed too long... the side being surrounded might become his own.

That brat Xie Yu’an had been right.

Xiong Tingshan had only one chance to draw his blade.

He was even certain that if he grew greedy for battle and became trapped here, that Xie brat would not so much as glance back.

He would directly order the army to continue withdrawing.

He would not send one soldier to rescue him.

Then he would turn around and memorialize the Emperor:

**Xiong Tingshan disobeyed military orders, coveted glory, rushed into battle, and was killed.**

The problem was... even though Xiong Tingshan understood every step of cause and effect perfectly well... he had still agreed to become this blade.

For no other reason.

Ever since tens of thousands of Azure Luan troops were buried in Yupan City... the nearly ten years of war between Yan and Chu had simply been... too suffocating for Chu.

Now the Yan had invaded Chu territory again.

If he did not cut them once before retreating... he would never be able to swallow the anger in his chest.

“Sons of Great Chu!”

“Here!”

“Here!”

“Follow this Prince... and break their formation!”

“We obey!”

In the next instant... the distance between both sides reached the critical point.

Chu cavalry began firing from horseback.

Clang-clang-clang...

Chu arrows struck the Brocade-Clad personal guards.

They caused very little serious damage.

Beneath those flamboyant brocade robes... the guards wore some of the most complete protective armor in the army.

Of course, no defense was perfect.

A few unlucky men still took arrows through narrow gaps between plates.

But almost all of them simply endured the wound.

At most, a dull grunt escaped.

The formation... did not move.

Several breaths later... the archers and crossbowmen inside the center of the formation rapidly stood and opened fire at the cavalry charging toward them.

Chu riders fell one after another.

Most of the elite Chu cavalry wore armor as well.

Their horses... did not.

Tian Tian had already completed every defensive preparation in the foremost rank.

Then... once he confirmed that the Chu intended to commit to one direct hammer blow... he shouted:

“Brace!”

Battlefield commands, especially when directing only a few thousand men, needed to be as short and clear as possible.

The archers and crossbowmen who had just fired immediately threw down their bows and crossbows.

They drew sabers or axes.

The Chu had not come here to grind through a long engagement.

Their direct charge made their intention obvious.

Continuing to greedily fire arrows now would be meaningless.

The battlefield would not grant them enough time to keep circling and trading shots.

There was only one thing that mattered.

Hold the formation!

Against a cavalry charge... once an infantry formation broke... everything was finished.

The distance between both armies continued shrinking.

Then... at last... they collided!

BOOM!

Squelch!

“AAAH!”

In a single instant, the thunder of horses smashing into shields, the wet sound of spears driving through mounts and riders, and screams from both sides exploded together into one deafening wall of noise.

Tian Tian’s spear punched through the horse of one Chu cavalryman.

It went through the horse... and continued far enough to pin the rider behind it.

Before Tian Tian could release the spear and draw his saber... another warhorse slammed directly into the great shield before him.

BANG!

Something sweet surged into Tian Tian’s throat.

But he locked the shield in place and refused to let it collapse.

Then he quickly drew his saber and hacked downward through the narrow gap beside the shield.

Slash!

One section of the horse’s leg flew away.

The warhorse screamed and fell.

Its rider immediately lunged toward Tian Tian.

Elite against elite.

At this instant... everyone thought only about the fastest possible way to kill the enemy in front of him.

“Get... the hell away from me!”

The Chu rider’s saber slammed into Tian Tian’s chest.

But Tian Tian wore exceptional armor and possessed his own blood-qi defense.

The blow merely staggered him and threw out a shower of sparks.

Tian Tian seized the rider by the throat with one hand.

His saber cut in from the side of the man’s neck.

Blood sprayed across Tian Tian’s face.

Unlike his father, who had needed quite a while to steady himself after being splashed with blood during his first real battle...

Tian Tian did not care what was on his face.

He did not have time to care.

Another cavalryman charged toward him.

Tian Tian clenched his left fist.

Then smashed it directly into the horse’s head.

BANG!

The explosive punch drove the warhorse weak at once.

Before its rider could react...

Tian Tian seized the man by one leg and ripped him down from the saddle.

His saber followed immediately.

Once the sequence was finished...

Tian Tian rose.

He was just about to draw another breath... when an intense killing intent erupted from the diagonal.

Normally, shieldmen existed to build a defensive line with their own flesh and blood for the comrades behind them.

When cavalry charged with this kind of unreasonable force... the shield line naturally suffered the highest casualties.

And Tian Tian stood at the most exposed point of the first rank.

As long as he remained standing... the Chu would keep coming at him.

But this time... the attacker was clearly different.

Most importantly, Tian Tian had not yet had time to circulate the blood qi inside his body again.

It was like a man surfacing after holding his breath underwater... only to have someone seize his throat before he could even open his mouth.

Hum!

A horse lance stabbed toward him.

Tian Tian managed only half a turn.

Squelch!

The lance pierced into his chest.

In an instant... the armor broke.

His protective blood qi shattered.

Tian Tian’s entire body was lifted from the ground and raised into the air on the point of the weapon.

The man wielding the horse lance... was none other than **Prince Ding of Great Chu, Xiong Tingshan**.

When Xiong Tingshan first charged with the lance, he had no idea who this absurdly young silver-armored general was.

In the chaos... he had no time to wonder.

Truthfully, he was furious now.

Furious beyond measure.

He trusted that the cavalry under his command was among the finest iron cavalry in all of Great Chu.

Now that nearly every great aristocratic private army except the Xie Clan’s had fallen into decline, this force was strong enough to run rampant throughout Chu itself.

Yet during the very first charge... they had behaved like a man full of confidence smashing his head straight into a wall of bronze and iron.

Blood everywhere.

Xiong Tingshan could no longer command the overall engagement.

But he could still see one thing clearly.

The enemy formation that should, in his expectation, have broken after paying a certain price... remained utterly unmoved.

A shieldman died.

Another immediately stepped forward.

The defensive line remained stable.

His own cavalry, by contrast, had lost its momentum after the first collision.

Once bogged down, mounted men became locked into a meat-grinder struggle against infantry.

The Yan formation was disciplined to the extreme.

Whether in individual martial skill or coordination... it bordered upon perfection.

At this point, the question was no longer whether he could break the enemy formation.

It was whether he needed to withdraw early enough to prevent even greater casualties... or worse... before the enemy glued him in place completely.

To charge with cavalry... and then be bitten and held by the infantry you were supposed to crush... was an unbearable humiliation.

Put simply...

Prince Ding had badly underestimated the Brocade-Clad personal guards.

“Hm?”

Only now did Xiong Tingshan suddenly realize... his horse lance had failed to punch through the silver-armored youth’s body.

With the strength of a Third Grade Martial Artist, combined with the momentum provided by the divine steed beneath him... piercing through three layers of armor with one thrust should not have been difficult.

Yet the weapon had actually stopped here.

Pfft!

Tian Tian coughed up a large mouthful of blood.

His chest felt as though it had been set on fire.

The blood qi throughout his body had nearly been scattered apart.

But that terrifying lance had not killed him.

Because at his chest... one stone had absorbed most of the damage.

To some extent... one could say: he had finally experienced Father’s happiness for himself.

That one heartbeat of surprise... that tiny delay... was enough.

Xiong Tingshan’s eyes narrowed.

From the details of Tian Tian’s armor and the saber in his hand... he finally identified, more or less, who this young man had to be.

He had searched everywhere without finding him... only to stumble across him effortlessly!

“As expected of Tian Wujing’s son. You’ve got guts!”

He had dared stand in the first rank.

He was no coward.

That was genuine praise.

A tiger father had no dog for a son.

For Chu’s imperial clan, with its deep reverence for noble bloodlines... this was nearly the highest possible compliment.

Then came the next sentence:

“The man taking your life is Xiong Tingshan! You may take pride in that!”

Xiong Tingshan swept the horse lance sideways.

Tian Tian was flung from the weapon and smashed to the ground.

Then...

Xiong Tingshan leaped from the saddle.

Horse lance in hand... he stabbed straight down toward Tian Tian.

Tian Tian’s blood qi had collapsed.

His body was terribly weak.

But at that exact moment... from inside his chest... came a familiar laugh.

“Jie-jie... Jie-jie... Jie-jie...”

Immediately afterward... a familiar power began trying to enter his body.

Tian Tian did not resist it at all.

In the first instant... he opened his entire mind.

Almost anyone in this world who inherited Demon Child’s power... would turn into... a madman.

There were only two exceptions.

One was Zheng Fan.

He was Demon Child’s Master.

The other... was Tian Tian.

Because Tian Tian had grown up beside Demon Child from infancy.

Their thoughts and instincts had long since become intertwined.

Of course, perhaps Zheng Lin would be able to do the same once he grew older.

His constitution was different.

And he too had grown beneath Demon Child’s protection.

But Zheng Lin still suffered episodes far too often.

If Demon Child possessed him now and stimulated that constitution further... the brat might genuinely become incurable.

Just before Xiong Tingshan’s lance struck...

Tian Tian’s eyes turned gray-white.

The aura throughout his body... erupted violently.

Then... not only did his saber knock the descending horse lance aside... his entire body slid across the ground and rose smoothly to his feet.

Xiong Tingshan’s killing blow... missed completely.

Tian Tian slowly raised his head.

He looked at Xiong Tingshan before him.

His expression showed none of the savage distortion usually associated with evil spirits possessing the body.

There was little ghostly strangeness either.

Aside from the abrupt surge in aura and the dense resentment pouring around him... what emerged most clearly from Tian Tian... was absolute confidence.

At that moment... the son of Prince Jingnan slowly raised his saber.

He pointed it toward Prince Ding of Great Chu.

Then spoke calmly.

“You... think you’re worthy?”

[End of Chapter 951]