DEMI GODS AND SEMI DEVILS BOOK 3 OF 5 (Breaching The Formation) by Jin Yong

Quelling The Rebellion With Golden Axe Part 4

HongJi shook his head and said: "I can't even save my mother and wife, how can I be considered a real man? In the eyes of the Khitan, the victor is the hero, the loser is the rebel. I suffered a crushing defeat, how can I fight again? Forget me, escape by yourself!"

Xiao Feng knew he spoke the truth and sighed: "That being the case, I will accompany brother and fight the rebels till death. We are sworn brothers, you maybe the emperor, or even a lowly commoner, but Xiao Feng only treat you as my brother. When elder brother is in trouble, I should face it with you and we live or die together, where is the logic in running away by myself?"

YeLu HongJi was teeming with tears, he held both his hands and said: "Good brother, I thank you."

Xiao Feng went back to his tent, he saw AhZi lying curled in the corner of the tent, her big pair of eyes was open, she did not sleep. AhZi said: "Brother-in-law, do you blame me?" Xiao Feng was puzzled: "Blame you for what?" AhZi replied: "It's all my fault, if I did not insist on coming to this grass plain, you will not get trap in this situation. Brother-in-law, we will really die here correct? "

The torch's light outside the tent reflected off her face, a shade of red floated up her pale complexion, she look even more petite and delicate. Xiao Feng felt his pity rising and he said softly: "Why would I blame you? If I did not injure you, we would never have come to this place." AhZi smiled and said: "If I did not attack you with the poison needle, you will not have injured me."

Xiao Feng extended his hands and stroke her hair. After being injured for such a long time, AhZi lost more than half of her hair, her hair was sparse and yellowing. Xiao Feng gave a sigh: "You are so young, yet you have to suffer along with me." AhZi said: "Brother-in-law, originally I did not understand why my sister loves you so much, but now I know."

Xiao Feng thought: "Your sister treated me with boundless devotion, what would a little girl like you understand. In fact, I don't even know why AhZhu feel in love with the crude me, how do you even know?" as he thought of this matter, he shake his head in sorrow.

AhZi turn her head to the side and said: "Brother-in-law, have you guessed it, why did I attack you with the poison needle that day? I did not want to kill you, I only wanted to immobilize you so that I can take care of you." Xiao Feng was curious: "What is so good about that?" AhZi smiled and said: "If you are immobilized then you cannot leave me. Otherwise, since you despise me, you might abandon me anytime and not pay any attention to me anymore."

Although her words can be considered to be childish, but it also not casual nonsense, he cannot help but be secretly scared, wondering: "Since we are all going to die tomorrow, might as well say a few words to comfort her." He said: "You are really childish, if you really want to follow me, just tell me, I will not refuse."

AhZi eyes brightened, she said happily: "Brother-in-law, once I recovered, I still want to follow you, I will never return to my master's XingXiu Sea again. Don't you dare abandon me."

Xiao Feng knew the trouble she stirred up in XingXiu Sect is no small matter, naturally she wouldn't dare to go back, he smiled and said: "You are the great senior martial sister of XingXiu Sect, if you don't go back they will be like a group without a leader, then what will they do?" AhZi giggled: "Just let them be confuse. I don't care."

Xiao Feng pull a felt blanket and covered her till below the neck, after he tuck her in, he spread another felt and slept at a separate corner of the tent. The flame outside the tent was flickering, he heard faint crying and knew it came from soldiers who miss their family, everyone knew they would not survive tomorrows encounter, but they are loyal to the emperor and refuse to betray him.

Xiao Feng woke up early in the morning, he ask the room attendant to prepare the horses and to take care of AhZi, knowing his end is near, he ate one pound of mutton and drank three pound of wine, he walk to the hillside. It was still dark at this time, not long after, the sun rises from the east, the bungle call from from within the stockade, clanking sound was heard as the men don their armour and took up their weapons. Troops set off from the stockade and guarded the various strategic points. Xiao Feng look into the distance from his high ground, east, south, south-east, the rebel troops came gushing from all three sides. White mist blanket the distant, he can't even see the end of the rebel's troop formation.

Suddenly the sun ray emerged from the horizon, ten thousand golden ray penetrated the white fog, the mist slowly disperse, revealing the troops hidden by the mist, suddenly the drums roll and two yellow flag troops came galloping out, followed closely by the royal emperor uncle and the Prince of Chu, they pointed at the mountain with their horsewhip and started discussing their strategy.

YeLu HongJi led his guards and stood by the hillside, seeing such scenario, he was furious, he took a bow and arrow from one of his guard, draw the bow, and shot towards the Prince of Chu. Watching from the mountain top, it may seem they are not separated far apart, but in fact the distance is several times the range of the arrow, the arrow did not even reach halfway before running out of power and dropped down.

The Prince of Chu laughed and shouted: "HongJi, you usurp my father's throne and spent a lot of time as the fake emperor, it's time to abdicate the throne. Surrender quickly, my father will spare your life, and he will also be pretend to be benevolent and confer you as the royal emperor nephew, how does that sound? Ha ha ha!" these few words were obviously meant to insult HongJi for pretending to be benevolent by making YeLu ZhongYuan the royal emperor uncle.

HongJi was furious: "Shameless traitor, still flaunting and trying to win dispute."

The Chancellor of Northern Chancellery shouted: "Subordinate is willing to die for your disgrace! Your majesty has always shown great kindness to me, and today is the day I repay you. I will lead three thousand troops, we will shout in unison and rush down from the hill." The three thousand troops are all warriors from the Khitan capital, they are ready to fight to the death, one of them is equivalent to ten men, they shouted and rush ahead, immediately the enemy is forced to retreat a few li. The Prince of Chu wave his command flag, tens of thousands of cavalry surrounded the troops, their spear and sabre ready, their war cry shook the heaven and earth, flesh and blood flew in all direction. The three thousand troops were gradually killed off, eventually, all of them were killed. The Chancellor of Northern Chancellery killed several more people before committing suicide. HongJi, generals, ministers and Xiao Feng could see all the action from the mountain top, but they were powerless to save him, all of them shed long tears for the display of loyalty by the Chancellor of Northern Chancellery.

The Prince of Chu rode near the hillside and laughed: "HongJi, are you going to surrender or not? What can you do with that little amount of troops you have? Your troops are all brave warriors of the Liao Empire, why do you want them to accompany you till death? Be a real man, be decisive, surrender or fight, if you know your days is numbered, just commit suicide to thank the heavens, don't sacrifice your soldiers for nothing."

YeLu HongJi gave a long sigh and kept his tears, he said: "This beautiful Empire, I will give it to your father. You are right, we are first cousin, linked by flesh and blood, why should not sacrifice the lives of our Khitan warriors." As he said this, he raised his sabre and directed it towards his neck.

Xiao Feng stretch his arm and seize the sabre, he said: "Brother, if you are an honorable hero, you should die fighting in the battlefield, how can you die by committing suicide?"

HongJi sighed: "Brothers, these soldiers followed me for such a long time, I will die for sure, but I cannot bear to see them lose their life for me."

The Prince of Chu shouted: "HongJi, you still delay in committing suicide?" he pointed his horsewhip directly at HongJi's face, his expression arrogant to the extreme.

As Xiao Feng saw him move closer and closer, he had an idea, he whispered: "Brother, distract him and entertain him with words, I will quietly move closer and shoot him with an arrow."

Knowing his amazing skills, HongJi was overjoyed: "This is extremely good, if you can kill him with an arrow, I will die contented." Immediately he raised his voice and shouted: "Prince of Chu, I did not mistreat you and your father, your father wants to be the emperor, but he should not kill and injure so many officers and innocent citizens and weaken the Liao Empire."

Xiao Feng took a hard bow, a few jagged tooth arrows, pulled a horse and slowly guided it to the hill side, he bent down and hide under the horse's belly, his feet hooked onto the horseback, giving a kick with his toes, the horse rush off. The rebel army saw a rider-less horse, they knew this horse broke from its reins and escape, such matter is very common and no one paid extra attention to it. But after a while the rebel army noticed someone hiding under the belly of the horse and they immediately shouted out.

Xiao Feng use his toes to kick the horse, and it gallop straight towards the Prince of Chu, seeing that he was around two hundred footsteps away from him, he draw his bow from under the horse's belly and shot an arrow towards him. The personal guard of the Prince of Chu raised his shield and warded off the arrow. Xiao Feng mounted the horse and gallop quickly, he fired arrows in rapid succession, the first arrow toppled the guard and the second arrow went straight towards the Prince of Chu's chest.

The Prince of Chu deftly waved his whip and strikes the arrow. This art of using the whip to strike an arrow was the Prince's most proficient skill, but the person who shot this arrow had extremely strong muscular strength, in addition the arrow was infused with internal energy, although the whip hit the arrow's shaft, it only diverted the arrow slightly, with a "Bu" sound, the arrow plunged into his left shoulder. The Prince of Chu gave an "Ah Yo!" call and he lean on the saddle in pain.

Xiao Feng's arrow arrived again, this time the distance was even closer, the arrow entered his left side and penetrated out from his chest. The Prince of Chu immediately fell off the horseback.

Xiao Feng achieved success with one attempt, and he thought: "Why don't I take this opportunity and shoot that royal emperor uncle dead!

When the Prince of Chu was shot and fell off his horse, the rebel army shouted out loudly, a few hundred arrows was shot towards Xiao Feng's horse, in an instant the horse was hit by two hundred arrow, it became a porcupine horse.

Xiao Feng roll on the ground and slide below a horse ridden by an officer, he executed his cotton softness skill, immediately, from under the horse's belly he slide to the underside of another horse, he roll on the ground and slide to the underside of yet another horse. The rebel troop was unable to fire their arrows, and they tried to pierce him using spears. But Xiao Feng slide to the east and roll west on the ground, he displayed his skills from the underside of horses. The troops were thrown into confusion, thousand of horses push and trample each other, how can they even pierce him with spears?

The cotton softness skill displayed by Xiao Feng is a common ground fighting skill in the Central Plain. Be it ground-fighting fist, ground-fighting knife, or ground-fighting sword, all these skills require rolling and tumbling maneuvers on the ground, waiting for the perfect opportunity to attack an opponent's underside. Currently his using it on the battlefield, he moved deftly and avoided the trampling of over thousand horse's hoof. He took this time to determine the location of the royal emperor uncle, he rolled straight at him and sent three arrows whizzing towards him.