The Swift Wolf Regiment finally got passed the flame wall. However, by this time, the main force of the Peerless Battalion had retreated back to the hillside, and the Peerless Battalion Air Force were still firing down from above.
Shangguan Fei’er took a look at the back, and since their mission was accomplished, she immediately shouted an order: “Switch!”
The Peerless Battalion Air Force Physical Jewel Masters did not have a high cultivation level, and using their Wings to fly and the Consolidated Bow to boot was a huge toll on their Heavenly Energy. They still needed to reserve some Heavenly Energy to fly back, and in order to ensure the safety of her men, Shangguan Fei’er decided to be more conservative.
Keeping their Consolidated Bows, the Peerless Battalion Air Force switched to the javelins on their back. Three hundred javelins rained down like metal forest. Four rounds in total.
These javelins did not have any imbued Skills, not even any imbued Heavenly Energy, just totally dependant on their skill and strength. However, the Peerless Battalion Air Force were at least three hundred yards high in the sky, and each of these javelins weighed about than five kilograms. With that in mind, the sheer force and impact of these javelins already held an insane killing force.
Four rounds in total, and a thousand two hundred javelins had been thrown down. Although the Swift Wolf Regiment officers were pretty strong, but facing such a rain of attacks and without their war wolves mounts, how could they take care of all of them.
Screams rang out all around once more, with many of the wolf cavalry soldiers totally pierced through along with their war wolf mounts, pinned down to the ground as their lives fled their eyes.
Shangguan Fei’er did not stay to look at the result. As soon as the four rounds of javelins were thrown, she immediately gave the order to retreat. Their Consolidated wings flapping, the three hundred Air Force soldiers flew back towards the hillside, leaving a sea of corpses behind them.
Butler was gnashing his teeth so hard that he almost broke them. From the start of the fight, both sides had not even met, and he had already lost forty percent of his Swift Wolf Regiment, and that was not even considering the injured. Such a massive blow, even when they had fought against the main army of the ZhongTian Empire, they had never suffered such losses.
The feeling that the Peerless Battalion gave him could be simplified into two words. Strange… weird… Indeed, they did not seem overly powerful, or with some special unbeatable formation, just… strange…
Such a fighting style from the Peerless Battalion was totally out of his previous experiences and expectations. Their attacks were almost unblockable, all ranged to boot.
The Swift Wolf Regiment was definitely not weak at all, but in front of the Peerless Battalion, it felt like they had all the strength in the world yet could not use any of it. That was the most terrible feeling for a fighter indeed.
A harsh cry emitted from Butler’s mouth. The wolfmen tribe army usually issued their orders via these howls, and with his Heavenly Energy, the long howl could be easily heard from up to ten li away. Filled with humiliation, disgrace and unwillingness, Butler gave the order to retreat.
As the Regiment Commander of the Swift Wolf Regiment, he had to be logical and not lose himself to emotions. As such, he did not order his troops to continue charging. The Swift Wolf Regiment was just too important to his Wolfman tribe, and the entire tribe only had six such Regiments. It was because of these sixty thousand Wolf Cavalry soldiers that the Wolfman tribe was honoured as one of the greater tribes in the entire WanShou Empire.
Although the Peerless Battalion only numbered over a thousand men, they had already given the Swift Wolf Regiment just too huge a loss. Butler could not afford to lose any more! Furthermore, these cunning enemies had retreated to the hills, and such terrain would definitely be detrimental to the Wolf Cavalry soldiers fighting prowess, instead increasing the prowess of archers. Who knew what other traps or ambushes they had in that area as well. As such, Butler had to make the painful but accurate choice, instead of ordering a berserk charge forward like he wanted. Even if he managed to wipe out these enemies, it would not bring back his lost tribesmen, and they might have to pay an even heavier price in order to accomplish that. Weighing all of that, he could only grit his teeth and bear the burden of shame, leading his Swift Wolf Regiment to encircle the area before heading off back into the distance, leaving a field of corpses behind.
“The Swift Wolf Regiment retreated?” Zhou Weiqing stood on the hillside, looking curiously at the retreating figures of the Wolf Cavalry soldiers. This was the first true battle he had actually commandeered, and though he might seem confident and stable, only he knew that his clothes were totally drenched with sweat from both exhaustion and the sheer pressure.
At his side, Wei Feng cried out excitedly: “Battalion Commander, we have won! We… we have actually defeated a Regiment of ten thousand Wolf Cavalry soldiers! We have won, we have won…”
All the Peerless Battalion soldiers were dazed momentarily, before the entire hillside erupted into cheers. Every single one of them were jumping, yelling, screaming their hearts out with excitement and glee. They had won. This was the first true major victory of the Peerless Battalion. They were no longer the scared little turtles of the past, the Ruffian Battalion hiding away in the icy dredges of the north. They were now truly the Peerless Battalion, Peerless in all the lands!
The Company Leaders of the Peerless Battalion totally forgot about Zhou Weiqing’s strength, and they swarmed forward. In the next instant, Zhou Weiqing had been tossed up in the air amidst the cheers.
Indeed, it was the arrival of this young Battalion Commander, Zhou Weiqing, which had brought them all they had today. The massive change of the Peerless Battalion had all been given by Zhou Weiqing, this unbelievable joy of victory! Not only could they eat their fill, dress warmly, no longer needing to suffer day and night… now they could have such honours as well.
So what if they were ruffians? So what if they were scoundrels? They were still human, they still had their emotions. This victory could only spark the fire in their hearts, reinforcing a true sense of belonging to the Peerless Battalion, increasing their respect and love for this Battalion Commander of theirs, Zhou Weiqing.
Shangguan Fei’er also led her Peerless Battalion Air Force, which had definitely provided one of the greater contributions in the fight, to land back down safely. Looking at the soldiers who were swarming about ready to throw her up in the air as well, she did not act as usual to teach them a lesson severely, instead spreading her Consolidated Wings to escape laughingly. Everyone was filled with pride and excitement, the atmosphere infectious and spreading like wildfire. This was a victory that belonged to all of them, a pride that they had earned indeed!
Half a year of intense training, it had undoubtedly given all of them a major boost in power, and also padded their pockets. However, sometimes profit wasn’t everything. This major victory was a true treat to their spirits and morale. The WanShou Empire Wolf Cavalry soldiers, previously seemingly invincible in their eyes, actually seemed so weak now, and the battle had proven that their hard work and training had paid off indeed, all their toil was not wasted, and this sense of accomplishment was more important than anything.
The celebration continued for almost an hour before the dizzy Zhou Weiqing was finally allowed back on the ground. He gave the order to clear the battlefield and for a good meal to be cooked as celebration.
In truth, Zhou Weiqing had a slight sense of regret when he saw the Swift Wolf Regiment retreat earlier. After all, he still had a whole series of follow up plans against them. The Peerless Battalion could still retreat to their tunnels to recover their Heavenly Energy, and their series of tunnels had many exits. As long as they made proper use of the terrain, using guerrilla warfare to the max, he was confident in slaughtering the entire Swift Wolf Regiment.
Butler’s wisdom and swift decision making had allowed him to keep his forces intact. Still, despite the regret, it was not a bad thing for the Peerless Battalion. At least, their underground base would still remain hidden, and there was always the possibility of using it in the future. Of course, they could no longer stay for long. They did not know if the WanShou Empire would send a larger force to take revenge.
Still, the celebratory meal had to be eaten, and many large cauldrons were brought out and fires started. The war wolves that had been freshly killed on the battlefield would now be a delicious meal for the Peerless Battalion soldiers.
The rich fragrance of well cooked meat wafted across the hills. The battlefield had been fully cleared, and the Swift Wolf Cavalry had left behind over four thousand one hundred corpses, as well as over two thousand war wolves. Some of the war wolves who had lost their owners had fled into the surroundings.
Such a battle with no losses, yet the Peerless Battalion had managed to kill almost three times their own number. More so, it had been against elite forces like the Wolf Cavalry Soldiers. It could be said that this was a magnificent victory indeed.
“Battalion Commander, how about a post battle speech for us all?” Wei Feng’s emotions were still stirred, and he looked at Zhou Weiqing with a bright look in his eyes. If not for the fact that he was already very familiar with Wei Feng, Zhou Weiqing might have mistook his sexual orientation.
Zhou Weiqing stood up, right beside the large flag of the Peerless Battalion.
“Brothers, I will just say a few simple words, and will not keep you from your delicious meal for too long. This battle, we have won it beautifully. All of you are heroes, heroes of our Peerless Battalion!”
Zhou Weiqing’s loud voice once again ignited the excitement of the Peerless Battalion soldiers, and once again, cheers filled the air.
“You have used your arrows to show our enemies how strong we are. However, there are two things I need to declare now. Firstly, we will have to leave this place and return to the Seventh Legion as per their invitation. We will join the Seventh Legion as a separate, autonomous Battalion. All of you do not need to worry, our Peerless Battalion will not be split up, and you will always be our brothers of me, Zhou Little Fatty. Secondly, when we return to the Seventh Legion, I want everyone to keep silent about this battle.”
“As the saying goes, If a tree grows far above the forest canopy, the wind will destroy it. I do not want the northern army command to know too much about our fighting capabilities too quickly. Once that happens, we will be given the most dangerous missions. As I have said many times, each and every one of our brothers’ lives are precious… priceless… and I do not want to have any needless sacrifices. Understood?”
“Understood.” Including Wei Feng, everyone acknowledged the order.
Zhou Weiqing smiled and said: “Very good. I also have one last thing to say. Since we will be leaving for the Seventh Legion after this meal, we’ll just have meat now. However, I have also prepared five hundred jugs of good wine; when we reach the Seventh Legion and camp there, you all can drink your fill as a reward for this victory.”