Chapter 7: The Northern Barbarian Cavalry Breaks Through the Siege
The corpse of the large black man fell to the ground, as if it had also fallen heavily upon the hearts of the numerous death row prisoners. Some of the prisoners had initially felt regret, but that feeling vanished instantly; instead, they were relieved they hadn’t recklessly thrown themselves into death so soon.
Commander Liu looked at the gathered prisoners. “Any objections?”
Hearing this, the prisoners quickly shook their heads. The body of the one who had voiced objections was still warm, so no one dared to dissent.
“No objections, then prepare to move out.”
...
Two hours later.
After some time on the road, the group arrived at the ambush site.
The ambush was set at the junction between two mountain peaks. An ancient path ran through the middle, flanked by wild forests on both sides.
Their task was to intercept the Northern Barbarian cavalry as they arrived here, to block their advance and coordinate with Commander Liu and his soldiers to encircle and annihilate them.
“Wait here for a moment.”
Commander Liu positioned the prisoners strategically and sent two scouts to spy on when the Northern Barbarian cavalry would arrive.
Li Dao leaned against a tree, slowly sharpening his long blade against a stone.
Though strong, he knew killing was also about efficiency.
Compared to bare hands, a blade could swiftly dispatch enemies, so weapon maintenance was crucial.
At the same time, he absorbed the attributes he had gained from the fallen black man’s corpse, adding them to his physique.
[Owner: Li Dao]
[Physique: 4.71]
[Available Attributes: 0]
His physique was already nearly five times that of an ordinary person. He wasn’t sure if this enhancement could continue infinitely.
If it could, that would be utterly absurd.
Elsewhere, not long after, the scouts sent by Commander Liu returned.
“Commander, the Northern Barbarian cavalry is approaching.”
The scouts hurried to report the reconnaissance.
Upon hearing this, Commander Liu immediately rose and addressed the prisoners, “Everyone, quickly get into position. When I blow the whistle, charge out together and block the Northern Barbarian cavalry. Do not let a single one escape.”
Li Dao picked up his long blade and silently took his chosen position.
Since this was their second time, the initial anxiety had faded, replaced by a strange surge of excitement.
As time slowly passed,
Finally, after an incense stick of time, the shadow of the Northern Barbarian cavalry appeared on the mountain path in the distance.
In that moment, Li Dao’s keen senses detected that the breathing of the prisoners and soldiers around him had all grown heavier.
Understandably so—the Northern Barbarian cavalry was infamous for their deadly prowess, naturally causing concern.
The Northern Barbarian cavalry steadily advanced toward the ambush site. Commander Liu had his hand ready at his mouth, poised to give the order.
At last, as the cavalry entered the ambush area, a whistle blew.
The next moment, the ambushing soldiers from the Great Qian army unleashed a volley of cold arrows on the Northern Barbarian cavalry.
For a moment, the arrows rained down like a storm upon them.
Just as everyone thought this ambush would succeed, no one noticed the leader of the Northern Barbarian cavalry smirk coldly.
“Fall back!”
Suddenly, a voice rang out among the cavalry.
The cavalry moved in perfect unison, swiftly pulling iron shields from their saddlebags to block the arrows.
Most arrows were stopped by the shields; only a few struck the warhorses beneath, which was of little consequence so long as the riders remained unharmed.
Commander Liu sensed something was wrong.
The Northern Barbarians’ reaction was too swift, almost instinctive, as if they had been prepared in advance.
However, there was no time left for guesswork.
At his whistle, the death row prisoners charged headlong into battle.
---
Li Dao sensed the trouble at first but hesitated only briefly before following the prisoners into the fray.
He was well aware of one thing: with his current physique, he could afford to test the waters. If things went awry, he could escape.
He wasn’t foolish enough to throw his life away recklessly.
Commander Liu saw the prisoners charging and quickly made a decision.
Gritting his teeth, he ordered, “All together—charge and kill!”
As the prisoners surged down the hillside, the Northern Barbarian cavalry appeared to be fully prepared.
Riders on both flanks simultaneously thrust out three-meter-long spears at the charging prisoners.
In just one wave, half of the prisoners were impaled on the spot.
The remaining half were stunned by the carnage—neither charging nor retreating seemed viable.
Li Dao paid no mind to hesitation; he decisively swung his blade and charged.
Those long spears could stop ordinary men but not someone with nearly five times the physique of a normal person.
The Northern Barbarian cavalry noticed Li Dao.
As he neared their ranks, several long spears suddenly thrust out from behind the first line, aiming directly for him.
These spears were not random; each was targeted at lethal points on the body.
Ordinary men would have panicked and been pierced instantly.
Li Dao’s gaze sharpened. With his focused attention, the spears seemed to move in slow motion.
Using his tremendous physique, he dodged through the gaps between the spears mid-air and plunged into the heart of the Northern Barbarian formation.
This stunned the surrounding cavalry.
They never expected someone to evade their perfectly coordinated attack in such a manner.
But Li Dao gave them no time to react.
Facing the armored Northern Barbarians, he swung his blade fiercely.
Crack!
With one heavy strike, the armor of a cavalryman shattered, and the rider fell from his horse.
Li Dao quickly followed up with a killing blow—a blade thrust through the man’s face.
[Enemy slain: +0.21 Attributes]
Hearing the system notification, Li Dao thought to himself, “No wonder the Northern Barbarian cavalry’s physical strength far surpasses that of ordinary Northern Barbarian soldiers.”
Li Dao’s actions jolted the Northern Barbarian cavalry awake.
While the front line continued to fend off with spears, the second line drew their long blades, hacking toward Li Dao.
Seeing this, Li Dao vaulted onto the horse of the fallen cavalryman and counterattacked with his blade.
---
Elsewhere,
The Northern Barbarian cavalry’s defense against the Great Qian soldiers’ ambush was near flawless.
Yet no one had anticipated Li Dao, the odd one out, breaking through their defense.
This caused a breach in their formation.
Commander Liu, with his military acumen, immediately spotted this unexpected advantage.
He ordered, “Right wing, advance on the position where nine-five-two-seven is located!”
This command eased much of the pressure on Li Dao.
Though his physique was nearly five times that of a normal man, it was still no match for a well-trained cavalry force on its own.
Facing blades and spears indiscriminately, his flesh and blood could not withstand much.
Surrounded by the tactically coordinated cavalry, merely surviving was impressive.
With Commander Liu’s timely support, Li Dao finally had room to fully unleash his strength.
Riding the warhorse, he charged through the ranks, swinging his blade wildly.
Wherever he struck, chaos followed.
Horses and riders alike fell beneath his heavy blows.
Some were lucky to be unseated; others were less fortunate, struck down where their armor was weak.
In short, wherever Li Dao went, disorder reigned.
Commander Liu watched with relief.
---
Relieved that among the prisoners was this special individual, nine-five-two-seven.
Otherwise, not to mention ambushing the Northern Barbarian cavalry, mere survival would have been doubtful.
With that thought, he decisively joined the intensifying battle.
---
Meanwhile,
Li Dao, reveling in his rampage, suddenly found himself alone.
Looking around, he realized he had charged too far, breaking out of the Northern Barbarian encirclement.
Seeing the Northern Barbarians he had severely wounded fall one by one to his comrades was painfully bittersweet.
These were all his attribute points.
He hurriedly turned his horse around, struck the horse’s flank with his blade, and charged back into the fray.
This time, Li Dao was wiser—he targeted those he could kill with a single stroke.
Thus, the system’s pleasant notification sounds rang continuously in his ears.
[Enemy slain: +0.22 Attributes]
[Enemy slain: +0.20 Attributes]
[Enemy slain: +0.19 Attributes]
[Enemy slain...]
His available attributes steadily increased.
“Bastard!”
Li Dao’s conspicuous actions quickly drew the attention of the Northern Barbarian leader.
At first, the leader thought the enemy’s luck had merely been good and paid little mind, confident their cavalry could handle the Great Qian soldiers.
But as this man refused to die and mercilessly slaughtered their cavalry, the leader realized Li Dao was no ordinary foe.
At that moment, he resolved to personally eliminate him.
---
Elsewhere,
Li Dao was joyfully harvesting attribute points when suddenly a chill ran down his spine.
“Die!”
A voice, accompanied by the rush of wind, came from behind him.
He instinctively bent forward; a blade whistled past the back of his head.
Cold sweat broke out along his spine—the first time since rebirth he had come so close to death.
But it wasn’t over.
The long blade that missed once quickly swung again.
This time, Li Dao was ready and raised his blade to block.
In an instant, he felt a terrifying force emanate from the attacker’s blade.
The unstoppable force lost its power against his defense.
Quickly recovering from his surprise, Li Dao reminded himself, this was a battlefield—any distraction could cost him his life.
“Boy, this time you won’t have a chance to be reckless.”
The Northern Barbarian leader sneered as Li Dao was unseated.
Raising his blade again, he struck swiftly, the blade flashing before Li Dao’s eyes.
Bang!
Before Li Dao could dodge, a blade suddenly stabbed in from the side, blocking the leader’s attack.
Looking up, Li Dao saw Commander Liu standing beside him.
Commander Liu glanced at Li Dao, then turned to face the Northern Barbarian leader.
“You Northern barbarians,” he said, “Isn’t it unfair for a cultivated warrior to bully an ordinary man?”
Cultivated warrior?
This term caught Li Dao off guard.
Suddenly, a childhood memory flickered through his mind.