Chapter 496: Right Where It Counts
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
Fu Baoguo's voice was sonorous and thick, echoing above the battlefield.
"Who are you, and what is your purpose? Why are you attacking Yutang? You are all invaders, coming to invade Yutang's land! We, as the border army, are guarding our land peacefully. You have forced us to fight! Only we have the right to say that we have no other option than to fight! On what basis can you, the invaders, claim that you have been forced to fight as well? Our hearts know what is right and what is wrong... to say that your hand has been forced is ridiculous! It could, perhaps, be the world's biggest joke! Quickly go and hide, don't make fools out of yourselves and further!"
Fu Baoguo's words were enunciated clearly and his tone was furious. "You say that it's a militant's responsibility to die fighting in the war. I agree, but what exactly are you fighting for? Dying for? Let me tell you - for fortune and wealth! However, if we were to lose our lives in the war, it is in the defense of our homes and country against intruders!"
"You rascals have no right to claim that you are exercising a militant's responsibility! The greatest glory is not relevant to you, not in the slightest bit."
Zhan Ge's expression grew cold as he heard the accusatory words.
"You said that if you were to die in battle, you would have no regrets, while if I die in the war, you hope that we can become each other's confidant…"
Fu Baoguo chuckled coldly. "Allow me to give you a word of advice. It is better to wind in your wild wishes and stop being so absurd! Even when we die in the war, even when there's an afterlife, we shall never be your confidants, the head of intruders! Whether life or death, whether in this lifetime or the next, you are our greatest enemy! If there is to be a next life, I will only enlist in the military and keep advancing through the ranks to become the main marshal again, so that I can do battle against you once more!"
"We Yutang militants are never afraid of war, but we'd never initiate one ourselves!"
Fu Baoguo said loudly, "If you all had not come, many of us wouldn't even have enlisted in the army! If you all had not come, a lot among us would rather have stayed at home and spend the day with our wives and children, to work on our farms and have a happy ever after. We would befriend our neighbors, take care of our elders, educate our children – we'd rather spend our lifetime performing ordinary tasks, dying of old age in the forests, unheard of but happy and at peace…"
"Still, you all have come! You invaders have come!"
"We have to fight. If we don't, our homes will be destroyed – our parents, our wives, our children will be killed and all of us will become slaves. So we stand here to defend against you invaders!"
"Now, to boost your morale, you actually dare to utter such shameless words – the greatest glory of a militant? Coming from your mouths, that statement will only taint the saintly occupation of a soldier! The greatest glory of a militant - the people of Dongxuan have no right to mention this! Only we, the soldiers of Yutang, deserve to claim it."
"This is ours!"
Yutang's hundred thousand soldiers were flushed red, their hearts about to burst from how rapidly their blood was surging. They could not help roaring out loud together, "Ours!"
The resolute voices in unison sounded like a thunderbolt out of the blue that deafened the nine heavens.
Zhan Ge's expression paled as his pupils rapidly shrank. He finally realized the reality now; he had failed. Yutang's morale, that had taken a massive blow, had not only recovered from Fu Baoguo's words, it had increased tenfold! On the contrary, plenty of people from his side lowered their heads, displaying genuine shame.
Alas, Zhan Ge did not expect Fu Baoguo to be so well versed with words besides being proficient in warfare. His tongue was sharp and his words were straight to the point, prickling where it mattered. It seemed like Zhan Ge had lured himself into a trap this time.
Just as he was about to interrupt Fu Baoguo's fervent speech, he heard the latter roar again, "Of what you've said so much just now, there's only one part which you actually got right. You said that I am reluctant to drink a goblet of wine with you; you are absolutely correct! I'm unwilling to! I will drink, but I will only drink with my friends, my brothers, and my comrades! But I, Fu Baoguo, will never drink with an invader!"
"Do you even have the right to drink with me?"
Fu Baoguo's guffaw was thunderous. "What are you? You are but an invader who is here to attack my land, to intrude into my home, to kill my brothers, to torment my comrades… You have the wild wish to drink with me? Just you? Hah!"
Zhan Ge was trembling with fury and shouted wildly, "Fu Baoguo!"
Fu Baoguo ignored him and began to recite, "Yutang, the heart of fighters, resilience, the will to serve the country; we fight the war today without the concern for our lives!"
He then cried, "Beat the drums, blow the horns! Attack!"
The majestic war drums reverberated loudly, following Fu Baoguo's command while the solemn horn seemed to have blown open the gates of hell as an endless, cold aura spread and engulfed the entire area!
Yutang's fighters, who were already boiling with heat, roared at the same time, "Kill!"
The sound of galloping hooves resembled that of thunder.
There were eight cavalry teams. Each person leading the eight teams raised a large flag, charging out into the fray like a raging dragon.
Wang Dingguo, who was in the central position, bellowed, "The Steel Cavalry is here, who dares to invade our land?"
Behind him, thousands of men from the Steel Cavalry shouted in a single voice, "The Steel Cavalry is here, who dares to invade our land?"
The voices were so in sync, it seemed like a large pit had suddenly collapsed in the middle of the sky.
"Serving Troop! We enlist in the military, we serve our nation with loyalty!"
"Bathe the battlefield with blood, let us not waste our prime and youth!"
"Today I shall repay my country with my life!"
"Kill!"
The army of a hundred thousand soldiers charged out like a tsunami, unafraid to die. The targets of their fury were the Dongxuan ranks. For a brief moment, the aura they emanated was like nothing that had ever been witnessed before.
The military flags fluttered in the wind. Fu Baoguo stood behind Yutang's troop, proud and tall like a mountain. His eyes were dead set on the flags that were about to charge into the enemy base and were gradually turning blurry as if he was seeing into the next lifetime.
He stood towering, like a majestic mountain that overlooked the rest, but his eyes were already growing fuzzy.
On the opposing side, the Shadow Cavalry had set off as well, surging from the horizon towards them like a black color tide. Within the span of a breath, they had covered half of the battlefield, hell-bent on forcefully stopping Yutang's advance.
They were elites set against elites; both armies were ready to fight for what their lives were worth the moment they caught sight of each other.
The final battle of Yutang's eastern border army had begun.
"Good brothers! Good men! We must continue to fight together in our next lifetime! I, Fu Baoguo, shall be your marshal again!"
Fu Baoguo's legs squeezed his warhorse, the sword in his hand pointed forward and he was about to speed off at a gallop. However, just before he set off, he was jolted in his seat. He froze, halting his momentum inexplicably. Simultaneously, his gaze was one of disbelief.
Another person who experienced the same sentiment was Han Sanhe, who sat all the way back on the opposing end of the field; he stood up then, looking horribly upset.
At that very moment, the billowing winter wind had turned from a stiff northern breeze to a violent western gale! The berserk western gale came abruptly, rolling the dust and debris and tossing them towards the east.
Wind, sand, and dust were all being hurled into the sky in a wild frenzy.
The wind billowed and hissed, becoming a hurricane in the time it took to snap one's fingers. Slowly, it did not just raise sand and dust, but also snow and ice that had been frozen on the ground. It was like heaven had finally triggered its hidden weapon in the form of wind and had hauled everything towards Dongxuan's troops.
At the same time, clouds met the wind in the air; the fog and clouds seemed to have received instructions to assemble as they gathered in the sky above the war zone. Dense, ominous clouds quickly accumulated into a thick layer. Before long, the rumbling of thunder could be heard.
Right after the thunder's growl was heard, a flash of lightning descended onto the land. It may or may not have just been a coincidence; perhaps it was simply God's will.
Regardless of whatever it was, the bolt of lightning landed right in the middle of Dongxuan's Shadow Cavalry.