The deafening explosions roared through the barbarian camp, throwing barbarians to and fro. Many lost their lives before they could even crawl out of their tents.
Ti Heya was jolted awake by an explosion, and he cursed furiously as he dressed. "Who dares to raid my camp? What do they take this place for? To come and go as they please?"
A subordinate officer hurried to report, "Great King, the camp has been bombed again. It's the same people as last time."
"How did they get here?"
"We don't know yet."
"Useless!" Ti Heya roared in anger. He haphazardly put on his clothes, donned his armor, and, ignoring everyone's pleas, wanted to rush out of the tent to kill the enemy.
However, his subordinate officers were unwilling to let him risk his life. "Great King, those people are not to be feared, but their weapons for raiding the camp are too formidable. Please do not go out. Wait until our generals have dealt with them, and then it will not be too late for you to emerge."
"Where is Ha Yue Zhu?"
"The Princess is unharmed." The subordinate officer knew nothing of Ha Yue Zhu's situation. He merely assumed that with only a few dozen people, they couldn't possibly reach the Princess's tent, and he lied to ensure Ti Heya's safety.
Little did Ti Heya know, it wasn't just a few dozen people who had arrived. After A Si and Li Man Er joined forces, the Grand Honor army led by Qi Yi Han also arrived.
The sounds of battle were deafening, the camp was ablaze with firelight, and screams of agony echoed everywhere.
The more Ti Heya thought about it, the more something felt amiss. Dozens of people, could they all be peak masters? To fight with the momentum of forty thousand men.
At the same time, on the battlefield outside, the neighing of warhorses grew louder, and the desperate cries of battle were certainly not caused by a few dozen people.
The more Ti Heya thought, the more alarmed he became. He wondered if the Grand Honor army had come. Impossible, the snow was so thick that it was difficult for carriages and horses, how could they have the ability to raid the camp?
Just then, a soldier ran over in a panic, "Reporting to the Great King, the Xiao family... the Xiao family's army has arrived, tens of thousands of them. Outside, the fighting is fierce, and our men were caught completely off guard, now being slaughtered in disarray."
"Useless, what are you all doing?" Ti Heya stood up abruptly. This time, no one could stop him. When he reached the outside of the tent, brandishing his saber, he discovered that the camp had long since become a living hell. Corpses were everywhere, brave barbarian soldiers lay dead in droves, many not even having put on their armor before being killed on the spot.
Not far away, the banner of the Xiao family was strikingly prominent. A general wearing a silver mask, wielding a spear, stood his ground, an imposing figure.
Ti Heya's eyes blazed with fury. There was no time to think of anything else. He immediately ordered someone to bring him a horse. "Where is my horse? Bring me my warhorse."
The soldier who delivered the message almost shrank his head into his crotch. "The people of Grand Honor are extremely cunning. When they raided the camp, they first bombed the main camp, and then they bombed our stables. Many horses were killed or burned, and some were frightened by the explosions and fled in all directions, unable to fight."
Ti Heya's eyes bulged. "A bunch of good-for-nothings! How did they sneak in? Where did they get so much black powder?"
The purification of gunpowder in those days was not simple, and many people's gunpowder had low purity with many impurities. Grand Honor had alchemists who refined pills and occasionally obtained some black powder. Later, after research, they began to mass-produce it, but it was only used for fireworks and firecrackers.
Some people had their sights set on black powder, wanting to use it to make killing weapons, but the purity was not enough, and the power was insufficient, often ending in failure.
They had never seen black powder with such power in Li Man Er's hands, so naturally, they were stunned.
"Great King, now is not the time to discuss this. You should leave quickly."
"Yes, Great King, flee for your life!"
Ti Heya was furious. "You want me to be a deserter? Where should I go?" He waved his arm, "Guards, follow me to fight the enemy!" With that, he charged into the battlefield, brandishing his saber.
When the Great King himself fought so desperately, how could his subordinates not follow?
Ti Heya's participation did indeed boost the morale of some barbarians, but unfortunately, the strength difference was too great.
Grand Honor had warhorses, but theirs were either dead or had run away, too frightened by the explosives to be controlled, so they had to be abandoned.
Although the Grand Honor troops had been traveling for some time, the snow on the road had been cleared, and they reached the barbarian camp with almost no effort.
On the other hand, the barbarians never expected the Grand Honor people to launch a surprise attack in the middle of the night. They were completely unprepared and easily allowed the vanguard to infiltrate.
After a barrage of explosives, some were killed and some were injured. The psychological defenses of the barbarians had long since collapsed. How could they fight?
Li Man Er and Qi Yi Han both knew the principle of capturing the king first. If Ti Heya had stayed hidden honestly, the two might not have targeted him, but he insisted on joining the battle with his men. How could they refuse such a readily available head?
Li Man Er was closer to Ti Heya and charged forward with her saber. The few barbarian soldiers who tried to block her were dispatched with a single strike each.
A Si followed closely behind Li Man Er, keeping an eye out for hidden arrows and finishing off any wounded soldiers she missed.
Ti Heya also saw Li Man Er. Seeing that although this person was thin, their movements were extremely fast and fierce, he knew he must be a general of the enemy and immediately charged forward with his saber.
The two met without incident. Li Man Er swung her saber, aiming to chop off Ti Heya's head. Ti Heya raised his saber to block, but he hadn't expected the opponent to have such immense strength. With a single blow, his arms went numb, and he could barely lift his saber.
Ti Heya was shocked and terrified. Although he was old, it wasn't to the point where he couldn't lift a saber. This showed that the opponent had great strength and excellent martial arts skills; they were indeed a tough opponent.
Ti Heya subtly exerted force with his feet and put all his strength into his arms, swinging forcefully, finally parrying Li Man Er's saber. However, before he could regain his balance, the opponent's saber whistled through the air again, aimed directly at his upper body.
Steady, precise, and fierce.
Ti Heya had no choice but to retreat two steps, dodging Li Man Er's attack, and then horizontally swept his saber, attacking Li Man Er's midsection. Li Man Er was as agile as a swallow. She gathered her strength and leaped, soaring more than two zhang into the air. She swung her saber down from mid-air with tremendous momentum, a wave of invisible pressure spreading out.
"Not good!" Ti Heya cried out, not daring to meet her blow head-on. He retreated.
At this moment, A Si and several vanguard soldiers had already engaged Ti Heya's retinue, and no one could spare him any attention.
Li Man Er's saber fell swiftly. Each strike was like a cold wind, slashing at Ti Heya's vital points, fast and sharp. Ti Heya was no match for her, only able to parry and having no power to counterattack.
However, this old fellow was very cunning and would not surrender so easily. He feigned exhaustion, stumbled back two steps, and shouted, "Oh no!"