214: Russian forces launched a surprise attack on Zhangjiakou. Mao Shiba fought to the death to protect his men, his iron will echoing with a sorrowful vow of revenge.

The morning dew had not yet dried, and the recruitment flag in the Zhuang family courtyard had just been raised, when urgent hoofbeats were heard outside the courtyard gate—a soldier of the Imperial Guard, covered in blood, fell from his horse and pointed to the north, shouting: "It's bad! Tsarist Russian cavalry has raided Zhangjiakou! Lord Xu Tianchuan can't hold on much longer, he sent me to ask for reinforcements!"

Xie Hui had just taken the breakfast handed to him by Shuanger when the bun in his hand dropped onto the table with a "thud".

He grabbed the soldier's arm, his voice tight: "How many cavalrymen? Did they use poison smoke bombs? Is Xu Tianchuan's injury serious?"

"At least three thousand cavalry!" the soldier said, coughing up blood, "They brought muskets and fired rockets. Lord Xu's arm was hit by an arrow, and the brothers are guarding the gate tower; they can't hold on much longer!"

"Long'er! Take twenty old subordinates and carry the improved cannon to follow me!" Xie Hui drew his black iron sword, the scabbard striking sparks against the ground.

"Fang Yi, you and Mu Jianping guard the Zhuang estate and organize the new recruits to await orders; Shuanger, prepare all the trauma medicine in the small universe and be ready to receive the wounded at any time; Wei Xiaobao, you take Mao the Eighteenth, Lord Suo, and the Imperial Guard to flank from the side; don't let the Tsarist Russian cavalry go around to the capital!"

Everyone acted immediately. Mao the Eighteenth ran over, carrying his large saber, his rough voice full of Killing Intent: "Don't worry, Brother Hui! My blade hasn't seen blood in a long time; today I must chop down a few Tsarist Russian devils to avenge our brothers!"

He patted Wei Xiaobao on the shoulder, "Lord Wei, follow me closely later; don't get separated by the cavalry!"

Wei Xiaobao clutched a crossbow bolt, his face pale but putting on a brave front: "Who... who needs your protection! I can also chop up devils; last time I even shot a Divine Dragon Cult member through the hand with one arrow!"

Songgotu also ran over, clutching his Small Scale, but this time he didn't mention the golden buddha, his tone unusually serious: "Brother Xie, I will go with you! Although I cannot fight, I can help count the captured weapons and hand water to the brothers!"

The team set off quickly, whipping their horses to rush toward Zhangjiakou.

On the way, Xie Hui used the walkie-talkie to contact Xu Tianchuan, but only heard intermittent shouts of battle, and finally, the signal was cut off.

"Speed up!" Xie Hui urged his horse forward, pushing his Nine Yin Manual Lightness Skill to the limit; even the dust kicked up by the horse's hooves couldn't catch up to his figure.

As they approached Zhangjiakou, they could see from afar that the gate tower was burning, black smoke rolling, and the hoofbeats of the Tsarist Russian cavalry made the ground tremble.

More than three thousand cavalry surrounded the gate, their sabers flashing with cold light, and from time to time, rockets were fired into the city, with the Imperial Guard brothers on the city wall falling one by one.

"Fire the cannon!" Long'er carried the improved cannon and aimed at the densest part of the cavalry. A fireball flew out with a "boom," instantly knocking down a swath of cavalry.

The Tsarist Russian cavalry didn't expect to encounter a cannon, and their formation was in chaos for a moment. Xie Hui took the opportunity to lead his men forward, his black iron sword sweeping across, directly cutting off the legs of two horses; the horses, terrified, threw the cavalrymen to the ground.

Mao the Eighteenth also charged up, his large saber whistling as he swung it. A cavalryman's saber had just swung over, only to be split in two by his blade, and he kicked the man away in one motion: "How dare you come to our territory to run wild! You're courting death!"

Wei Xiaobao followed behind, using crossbow bolts to shoot the horses' eyes, never missing a shot: "Big Brother Mao, I didn't hold you back, did I! How's this archery?"

"Well done!" Mao the Eighteenth nodded with a smile, but just as he was about to say something, he suddenly saw a dozen cavalrymen rushing in from the side, their muskets aimed at Wei Xiaobao—Wei Xiaobao was concentrating on shooting the horses and didn't notice the danger behind him.

"Careful!" Mao the Eighteenth didn't even think, lunging over and pushing Wei Xiaobao aside.

The muskets "banged," and the lead bullets all hit Mao the Eighteenth's back. He groaned, and his large saber fell to the ground with a "clang."

"Big Brother Mao!" Wei Xiaobao scrambled up, seeing the bloody hole in Mao the Eighteenth's back, his voice changing pitch, "How are you? Sister Shuanger has trauma medicine, I'll go get it for you right now!"

Mao the Eighteenth pressed his hand, blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, but he was still smiling: "Don't... don't bother, I know my own condition... Brother Hui and the others... are still waiting for us... to drive the devils out..."

He turned his head to look in Xie Hui's direction, his voice getting quieter, "Brother Hui... help me... chop a few more... avenge the brothers..."

Hearing the commotion, Xie Hui looked back, his heart feeling as if it had been fiercely gripped.

He rushed over like a madman, his black iron sword hacking those dozen cavalrymen to pieces, then knelt beside Mao the Eighteenth, carefully picking him up: "Big Brother Mao! Hold on! Shuanger has the best trauma medicine, it can cure you! We haven't dug for the golden buddha together yet, we haven't rebelled against the Qing Dynasty together, you can't leave!"

Mao the Eighteenth shook his head, reaching out to touch Xie Hui's face, but he had no strength, and his hand fell to the ground: "I... in this life... the most enjoyable thing... was rebelling against the Qing Dynasty with you all... it wasn't a wasted life..."

As soon as he finished speaking, his head tilted to the side, his eyes still open, staring in the direction of Zhangjiakou.

"Big Brother Mao!" Xie Hui held his corpse, his voice choked with sobs, his black iron sword stuck in the ground, the veins on the back of his hands bulging.

Growing up, whether in the real world or this Transmigration world, this was the first time he hated his own powerlessness so much—he clearly had the Time Stop skill, yet he failed to protect Mao the Eighteenth in time; he clearly had so much trauma medicine, yet he couldn't save a hero who died protecting his brothers.

Wei Xiaobao lay beside Mao the Eighteenth, crying like a child, the crossbow bolts in his hand soaked by his tears: "Big Brother Mao, didn't you say you were going to teach me saber techniques? How can you break your word! I haven't bought you wine yet, I haven't gone to Yunnan with you to find the Treasure Trove, don't go!"

Songgotu stood to the side, his Small Scale falling to the ground; for the first time, he didn't mention money, his eyes red: "Brother Mao... is a real man... I won't fight you for wine ever again... If you have an afterlife, I will definitely help you chop a few more Tsarist Russian devils..."

Long'er walked over and gently closed Mao the Eighteenth's eyes, her voice low: "Brother Hui, let's put away Brother Mao's body first, don't let him suffer any more harm. The Tsarist Russian cavalry is still here, we must drive them out first, then we can avenge Brother Mao."

Xie Hui took a deep breath, swallowing his tears, and carefully placed Mao the Eighteenth's body into the small universe—inside were the clean clothes Shuanger had prepared, and the strong liquor Mao the Eighteenth loved most; he couldn't let Big Brother Mao's body be exposed to the wind and rain outside.

"Right, revenge!" He picked up Mao the Eighteenth's large saber, still stained with the blood of the Tsarist Russian cavalry, "Today, we will leave all these devils here to be buried with Big Brother Mao!"

He carried the large saber and charged up again, all the Internal Energy of the Nine Yin Manual poured into the blade, the blade's wind carrying a sense of sorrow; every strike cut down a cavalryman.

Long'er, Wei Xiaobao, and Songgotu also followed, everyone's eyes full of Killing Intent—Mao the Eighteenth's death turned everyone's grief into rage.

Xu Tianchuan in the city heard the commotion outside and also led the injured Imperial Guard out, the arrow in his arm still not removed, yet he still held his saber high: "Kill! Avenge Brother Mao!"

The Tsarist Russian cavalry didn't expect to encounter such stubborn resistance and gradually panicked. Xie Hui seized the opportunity and had Long'er carry the improved cannon, aiming at the leader of the cavalry—a Tsarist Russian general with a large beard.

With a "boom" from the cannon, the fireball landed right in front of the general's horse, and the general fell from his horse. Xie Hui rushed over, swung his large saber, and cut off his head.

"The general is dead!" Seeing this, the Tsarist Russian cavalry dared not resist anymore and turned their horses to flee.

Xie Hui didn't pursue; he knew now was not the time to pursue, Big Brother Mao's body was still in the small universe, and the brothers were still injured; he had to deal with the aftermath.

After the battle ended, the gate tower of Zhangjiakou was in a mess, with corpses and bloodstains everywhere.

Xie Hui had Xu Tianchuan take the brothers to clean up the battlefield, while he sat on the steps of the gate tower, clutching Mao the Eighteenth's large saber, motionless. The warmth of Mao the Eighteenth still remained on the hilt, as if he were still by his side, smiling and saying, "I'll help you."

Shuanger arrived with trauma medicine. Seeing Xie Hui's state, she also felt sad. She handed over a clean cloth and whispered: "Brother Hui, wipe your face. Big Brother Mao is a hero; he certainly wouldn't want to see you like this. We must give him a proper burial and fulfill his last wish: drive out the Tsarist Russian devils, overthrow the Qing Dynasty, and establish a New Dynasty."

Mu Jianping and Fang Yi also walked over, holding some wild flowers they had just picked: "Brother Hui, we picked some flowers to place beside Big Brother Mao's body. He liked flowers the most; last time in Yunnan, he even said he wanted to pick some wild flowers to use as bookmarks for the brothers."

Xie Hui took the cloth and wiped the blood and sweat from his face, but tears still couldn't help falling: "I know, I cannot fall. Big Brother Mao protected us with his life; we must live on for him and finish the things he didn't finish."

He stood up and said to everyone: "Transport Big Brother Mao's body back to the Zhuang residence, find the best coffin, and bury him with honors! All the brothers will go to see him off, let him leave with dignity!"

Everyone agreed in unison. Xu Tianchuan carried Mao the Eighteenth's body and carefully placed it on the carriage, with Wei Xiaobao guarding the side, holding the large saber Mao the Eighteenth had dropped on the ground, afraid that someone else might damage it.

Songgotu had people go buy the best coffin; this time he didn't haggle, and even specifically asked the carpenter to carve the words "Tomb of the Righteous Hero Mao the Eighteenth" on the coffin.

On the way back to the Zhuang residence, there was no usual noise in the team; everyone lowered their heads, with only the sound of hoofbeats and carriage wheels.

Xie Hui rode on horseback, clutching Mao the Eighteenth's large saber, thinking silently: Big Brother Mao, don't worry, I will definitely drive out all the Tsarist Russian devils, I will definitely overthrow the Qing Dynasty and establish a New Dynasty, so that the common people of the world can live good lives; I won't let you die in vain.

When they returned to the Zhuang residence, Jianning also heard the news and stood at the door hugging a doll, her eyes red: "Xie Hui, did Big Brother Mao really leave? He promised to teach me how to ride a horse..."

Xie Hui stroked her head, his voice hoarse: "Yes, Big Brother Mao is gone, but he will be watching us from heaven, watching us beat away the bad guys, watching us establish a New Dynasty."

In the following days, everyone was busy preparing for Mao the Eighteenth's funeral.

Shuanger made the braised pork and strong liquor Mao the Eighteenth loved most and placed them beside the coffin; Mu Jianping wove a wreath with herbs and placed it on Mao the Eighteenth's head; Fang Yi contacted the brothers of the Heaven and Earth Society and Prince Mu's Residence, asking them all to come and send Mao the Eighteenth on his final journey; Long'er wiped Mao the Eighteenth's large saber clean and placed it in the coffin, so he could take his own blade with him when he left.

On the day of the funeral, everyone was dressed in plain clothes, standing before Mao the Eighteenth's grave.

Xie Hui took the wine and poured it before the grave: "Big Brother Mao, this is the strong liquor you loved most; take your time. The brothers will all remember you, remember everything you did for us. From now on, every year on this day, we will come to see you, tell you how many more victories we have won, and how much closer we are to the New Dynasty."

Wei Xiaobao also poured a cup of wine, choking with sobs as he said: "Big Brother Mao, I won't be greedy for money anymore. I will follow Brother Hui well, help with the anti-Qing cause, and help you get revenge... I will also teach the new recruits saber techniques, just as you taught me, so they all know that there was a hero named Mao the Eighteenth who sacrificed himself to protect them."

Songgotu also poured a cup of wine, this time not mentioning the golden buddha, his tone sincere: "Brother Mao, I used to always fight you for wine and always covet your treasures; don't take it to heart. From now on, I will help manage the military pay and will not embezzle a single cent; I will use this money to recruit soldiers and buy horses, help you get revenge, and help you fulfill your wish of opposing the Qing Dynasty."

The wind blew across the cemetery, and the leaves rustled, as if Mao the Eighteenth were responding to them.

Xie Hui looked at the words on the tombstone and clenched his fists—Mao the Eighteenth's death was not the end, but the beginning. From today on, he would work even harder, accelerate the improvement of cannons, strengthen recruitment, drive out the Tsarist Russian devils as soon as possible, overthrow the Qing Dynasty as soon as possible, and establish a New Dynasty, so that Mao the Eighteenth's blood would not be shed in vain.