89: Chapter 0089 Black Knife Sees Blood

Lin Xiao smiled and picked up the military report, announcing:

"We annihilated over four thousand soldiers of the White Kings Army! The enemy commander, General Du Lun, has been beheaded! We have over a thousand prisoners! We have also successfully taken Wu Mountain City!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers erupted into cheers, and shouts of excitement and joy echoed throughout the entire army.

"Husband, it seems the bunkers are truly very useful!" Mu Wanying said happily.

"Indeed. I didn't expect that fellow Du to be so foolish; knowing full well that they couldn't break through the bunkers, he still sent troops to charge."

Lin Xiao read the battle report, which stated that General Du Lun had been shot to death by a compound crossbow while fleeing.

It had to be said that even though the production volume of these compound crossbows was low, their range, accuracy, and power made them absolute killing machines in this world!

Mu Wanying smiled and said, "Actually, it's not hard to understand. They were trapped in the city for nearly a month and had been pent up for so long; how could they remain calm?"

"They just felt that their superior numbers would allow them to fight once they closed the distance, but they didn't realize that whether near or far, they were just fish on the chopping block."

Lin Xiao nodded. Regardless, a heavy burden had been lifted from his heart.

He immediately wrote a letter and had a messenger take it back.

It was mainly about how to manage Wu Mountain City and how to utilize the prisoners to collect more ore during this period.

For those loyalists of Prince Bai who harbored rebellious intentions, they should be killed without hesitation; one could not be soft-hearted.

For those who were merely commoners, they should be kept as labor if possible.

Additionally, keeping technology like cement a secret was of the utmost importance.

With General Zhao Kuan and Wei Dongxue's traits of "Keen Eye for Talent" and "Troop Deployment," Lin Xiao believed he didn't need to worry too much.

The next evening, darkness fell early.

The army could already see the faint glow of fires in the distance from Baishui City.

Just then, a fast horse galloped over from the direction of Baishui City.

"General Lin! Urgent report!"

Lin Xiao took it and read it, frowning involuntarily.

"The Northern Barbarians have already set up camp three miles away. A rough estimate puts their army at fifty thousand."

"Among them, twenty thousand cavalry have already split into multiple groups and are heading to slaughter the people in the county towns and villages of Baishui Prefecture."

Qin He, standing nearby, was burning with rage. "Damn Northern Barbarians! They are going to burn, kill, and pillage the commoners' villages again!"

"Dammit! If only a few border cities were still standing, we wouldn't be in such a passive position, allowing them to slaughter their way into the heart of Baishui Prefecture!"

The Northern Barbarians' autumn invasions usually took place at dawn or night.

Taking advantage of the darkness, they were hard to detect in advance.

They fought quickly and decisively, stealing grain and women before leaving, never lingering in battle.

However, killing, arson, and harming the commoners were inevitable.

Wang Chong cupped his hands and said, "General, there's no time to return to the city to reorganize. Let me take the brothers to intercept the Northern Barbarian cavalry!"

"General! My hometown is in Wansong County. Let me lead the troops there!"

Commander Bai Buhei and several other generals also requested orders.

Lin Xiao thought for a moment and said, "In open terrain, trying to fight their twenty thousand cavalry with our numerical disadvantage is impossible."

"Commander Bai Buhei, Wang Chong, do not split your forces. Take all the cavalry to Wansong County in the west; the surrounding villages are yours to defend."

"Wanying, you return to the city. Have Chen Chuan and Li Xu take their cavalry to Huishan County, Taoxia Village, and other areas."

"General Wu Jinzhe and all the Golden Scale Guard will head towards Xiaoshi Village in the east!"

"In short, everyone who can ride a horse must go out; the rest will guard the city!"

Lin Xiao quickly ordered, "There are few people in the direction of Xiaoshi Village, so there shouldn't be many Northern Barbarians. However, there are many workers at the salt mine. I will go there first, and General Wu Jinzhe can come to support!"

Mu Wanying and the others looked nervous upon hearing this.

"Husband, you are going to Xiaoshi Village alone!?"

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Don't worry. I even made it back alive from a camp of ten thousand Barbarian Army soldiers; I will be fine."

"Our cavalry numbers are inferior to theirs, and my martial arts are higher than all of yours, so I should be the one to hold back more of them."

"No one needs to argue with me. If you don't want to see me get hurt, then wipe out all the Northern Barbarians in the other directions!"

Although the soldiers felt it was crazy, they had to admit that Lin Xiao was right.

The enemy cavalry had already taken the first step, and there was no time to hesitate.

Coupled with Lin Xiao's past record, which was indeed convincing, they stopped trying to persuade him.

Even though Mu Wanying was worried, military orders were like mountains, so she whipped her horse and rushed back to the city to coordinate.

After separating from the main force, Lin Xiao headed straight for Xiaoshi Village.

"Hehe..."

Lin Xiao pulled out his black blade. He had been worrying about not having a place to farm kills, and now work had finally arrived!

To be honest, if the Northern Barbarians were fighting a siege, it wouldn't be easy for him to steal kills.

But in field battles, it was much easier!

However, the Northern Barbarian Army might already be familiar with his appearance.

To make the enemy lower their guard, Lin Xiao simply disguised himself with a generic face.

After galloping for half an hour, a small group of Northern Barbarian cavalry appeared ahead, numbering about five hundred!

The cavalry were lightly equipped. There was nothing else on their horses except for some empty large sacks, clearly intended for looting.

[Qada, 36 years old, Northern Barbarian Army Chiliarch, Aptitude: mystic grade]

Lin Xiao couldn't be bothered to look at other information; he had seen enough to gain experience.

Anyone with an aptitude below "Earth Grade" could not possibly surpass him in martial arts cultivation.

"A Chiliarch... it seems he is the main commander in charge of this side."

Lin Xiao gathered his strength, accelerated his horse, and charged directly from the flank towards this cavalry unit!

Although there were no torches for illumination, Qada still saw Lin Xiao early on.

Seeing that he was alone and wearing the common armor of a Great Gan soldier, he immediately ordered his men to shoot him down.

The Northern Barbarian cavalry were all excellent archers, and hundreds of arrows were shot towards Lin Xiao!

Lin Xiao quickly flipped off his horse, unleashed his "Startling Swan" technique, and his speed exploded!

He dodged the rain of arrows in one breath, closed the distance by twenty or thirty meters, and slashed out with his black blade!

Scorching Fire Burning the City!

The scorching blade aura seemed to ignite a raging fire in the darkness, instantly burning and shattering the heads of a dozen front-row cavalrymen!

[Kills +13, Cultivation +13]

[Bloodlust +13, Duration 60 seconds...]

Lin Xiao suddenly discovered that although this black blade hadn't been unsealed, it was very comfortable to use.

The wolf fang cold moon blade he used before, although also of mystic grade, was just not as natural and smooth as this black blade.

It seemed that because his blade techniques were originally those of a Central Plains person, using the curved blades of the barbarians wasn't as compatible.

This straight blade, however, was a perfect fit!

Watching the numbers on the black blade (13/1000) change, Lin Xiao felt confident.

"Attack together! Kill him!!"

Chiliarch Qada was shocked, but immediately became furious and ordered a siege!

A smile of excitement curled at the corners of Lin Xiao's mouth, and Bloodlust caused his eyes to flush scarlet...

"Right on time!!"

The night of slaughter had begun!!