Chapter 53 - 51: The Iron Hammer Giant
「A short time later.」
The troops on the forced march donned their Armor. Led by County Captain Xu, they descended the hill and passed through Siyang Town’s earthen walls. They then reached the residences near Liu Family Castle and took cover.
"Are there any Divine Archers?"
"Shoot down those two Martial Artists on the watchtower."
County Captain Xu turned and glanced at the dozen or so Military Officers behind him.
At this time, they were about six or seven hundred paces from Liu Family Castle.
At this distance, only a Divine Archer from the army, drawing a Five-Stone Hard Bow, could kill the two Martial Artists standing guard in the watchtower.
An ordinary person, even if their aim was true, would not possess such strength.
The dozen or so Military Officers looked at each other in dismay.
Although their martial skills were decent, their archery and strength were not enough to take a life from six hundred paces away.
Drawing a Five-Stone Hard Bow was a feat generally only Martial Scholars could achieve.
"I am willing to go." Seeing this, Wei Tu wasted no time. He cupped his fist in a salute to County Captain Xu and accepted the mission.
After they parted ways at Xuanhe Tower all those years ago, Fu Zhizhou had instructed his three sworn brothers to refine their martial arts and secretly train soldiers, all for a day like this—a day to achieve glory.
Wei Tu took the Five-Stone Hard Bow from his Cyan Horse, bent the bow, nocked an arrow, and aimed at the two Martial Artists in Liu Family Castle’s watchtower.
He first fired one arrow.
In the instant the first bowstring sang, he flipped, changing position. He switched the bow to his right hand, drew the string with his left, and fired again.
The two arrows flew one after the other, loosed in an instant.
They struck the two patrolling Martial Artists in the watchtower square in the chest.
"Shooting with both hands! Army Envoy Wei’s archery is superb! After we take Liu Family Castle, I will record a great merit for Army Envoy Wei!"
Seeing Wei Tu’s incredible archery, County Captain Xu’s eyes lit up, and he couldn’t help but praise him aloud.
He had also come from a martial background—he was even a Martial Scholar—but after so long as an official, he had neglected his practice. His muscles had turned to fat, and he could no longer draw a strong bow.
The lookouts were dead.
Seeing this, the dozen or so Military Officers no longer hesitated. Following County Captain Xu’s prior deployment, they ordered their respective soldiers to charge Liu Family Castle.
Including Weii Fei.
As a Head Coach, Weii Fei had some standing with County Captain Xu, so he was also given command of a squad of soldiers this time.
After firing the two arrows, Wei Tu watched this unfold. His eyes flickered. He circulated his Inner Strength to force beads of sweat onto his forehead, then began gasping for breath, feigning exhaustion as he fell behind the others.
Drawing a Five-Stone Hard Bow was genuinely strenuous, so his act wouldn’t arouse suspicion.
Wei Tu only drew his Golden-Backed Saber and followed the soldiers inside about a dozen breaths after the Military Officers had charged into Liu Family Castle.
’By killing the two Martial Artists in the watchtower, I’ve already earned a great merit, one comparable to being the first to scale the walls during a siege.’
’So, it wouldn’t be wise for me to charge into Liu Family Castle with the other Military Officers now to compete for more glory.’
’It would only breed resentment!’
’Second.’
’The provincial Military Examination is next year.’
’If I pass the examination and become a Martial Scholar, I can be appointed as a Seventh-Grade or Eighth-Grade Military Officer.’
’The merit these Military Officers earn today might get them promoted two or three ranks at most, but they would still be considered minor officials.’
’How could that compare to becoming a Martial Scholar and being appointed to a proper post?’
’Finally, blades have no eyes. The battle in Liu Family Castle is unpredictable...’
’Falling behind the others allows me to adapt to the situation. If a powerful enemy appears, I can be the first to retreat and ensure my own survival.’
Wei Tu knew in his heart that he had become a Military Officer to improve his status, not to die for the Zheng Country Court.
"Since Army Envoy Wei is exhausted, you may as well bring up the rear with me..."
After charging into Liu Family Castle, County Captain Xu saw Wei Tu gasping for breath and said with a smile.
"Thank you, County Captain." Hearing this, Wei Tu no longer pretended to push himself. He immediately fell back and stood behind County Captain Xu, acting as his bodyguard.
Only then did Wei Tu have the leisure to observe the battlefield within Liu Family Castle.
Although the soldiers were a motley crew, under the leadership of the dozen or so Military Officers, they advanced cautiously, holding round shields and pushing step-by-step into the castle’s interior.
From the buildings of Liu Family Castle, several burly men would occasionally rush out, weapons in hand, and charge the Battle Array.
But even though these burly men had the strength to tear apart tigers and kill charging horses, they were gradually Exhausted after killing a few soldiers under the assault of the shield wall.
The Xiang Army’s advance was unstoppable.
They encountered almost no strong resistance.
However, just as the men from the Government Office thought the dust had settled...
A giant of a man with bulging muscles, clad in Profound Armor and carrying a great iron hammer on his back, walked out of the main hall. He swept his gaze over the Official Soldiers in their Array Formation and cursed, "The Court is getting more and more pathetic! A sneak attack in the dead of night—it goes against the Righteous Dao!"
Before anyone could retort, he took the iron hammer from his back and smashed it into the shield wall formed by the Official Soldiers, who were a dozen or so paces in front of him.
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
The round shields were instantly shattered by the terrifying force. The soldier at the very front had his head smashed open by the hammer, his blood and brains spilling onto the ground.
Any other soldier just grazed by the hammer was sent flying more than ten feet into the air.
In a matter of moments.
Thirty to forty elite Xiang Army soldiers were brutally killed in an instant.
The losses were even greater than those sustained while first breaking into Liu Family Castle.
Beyond the casualties, the hammer-wielding giant had also shattered their morale.
The several hundred Xiang Army soldiers from Qingshan County had been hastily assembled. As long as they were winning, the difference between them and truly elite troops wasn’t apparent.
But now that their momentum was broken and they had suffered such heavy losses, the army’s morale instantly wavered.
Many soldiers fled in terror.
"Reform the Array Formation! Anyone who dares to flee will be executed on the spot!" County Captain Xu roared. He drew the long saber at his waist and cut down a soldier who was deserting.
Soon, the dozen or so fleeing soldiers were cut down one by one by the disciplinary squad.
The army’s morale was instantly stabilized by the grim display.
They turned once more to face the giant with the iron hammer.
"If I don’t kill their Commanding Officer, they’ll wear me down and kill me sooner or later." The hammer-wielding giant stood with his weapon, panting slightly. He could tell the Official Soldiers before him were going to be trouble.
Just now, he had used nearly half his stamina to kill thirty to forty armored, shield-bearing soldiers. He had hoped to intimidate the Official Soldiers.
But unexpectedly, their Commanding Officer was no fool; he had actually managed to stabilize their morale.
"Army Envoy Wei, you’ve recovered your strength by now, haven’t you? In a moment, find the right opportunity," County Captain Xu whispered, sidling up to Wei Tu.
There were only two ways to deal with a heavily armored infantryman like the hammer-wielding giant, who was armed to the teeth.
One was to throw lives at him until he was exhausted and dead.
The other was to find an opening for a sneak shot, striking a weak point for a fatal blow.
"I’ll... try..." Wei Tu felt a sense of helplessness upon hearing this, but he gritted his teeth and agreed.
’My archery is passable, but to kill the hammer-wielding giant, I would have to aim for his exposed eyes.’
’On a battlefield, things can change in an instant.’
’This is far more difficult than killing those two Martial Artist lookouts from over six hundred paces away earlier.’
Focusing on the giant’s movements, Wei Tu cleared his mind. He drew his bow, nocked an arrow, aimed for the giant’s eyes, and loosed three arrows in quick succession.
TWANG! TWANG! TWANG!
The bowstring boomed three times.
But—
The result was unexpected.
The first two of Wei Tu’s three arrows missed the giant’s eye sockets by a mere inch.
But the final arrow, just as it was about to strike, was blocked by the giant’s palm and snapped in two.
"What a Divine Arrow Master! Taste my hammer!" the giant roared, then forcefully swung his great hammer and hurled it toward Wei Tu’s position.
The giant’s roar was so powerful it threatened to shatter the eardrums of everyone present, leaving their ears ringing.
Everyone was stunned for a moment.
At that moment, Wei Tu, who had just fired the three arrows and was about to catch his breath, heard the WHOOSH of a heavy object tearing through the air beside him. He was horrified. Without even looking to see what it was, he immediately threw himself into a hard roll to his left to evade the attack.
The next moment.
A deafening CRASH exploded beside his ear.
Wei Tu glanced to the side and saw the incredibly heavy warhammer the giant had thrown at him clanging as it smashed into the ground.
At the same time, Wei Tu felt a dull, throbbing pain in his right side.
He looked down and thought, ’That was close.’
It turned out he hadn’t completely dodged the giant’s heavy blow, but thankfully, he had forged a suit of Refined Armor before the battle.
This time, the Refined Armor and padded tunic he wore had helped him withstand the impact.
’From now on, I can’t be so conspicuous again.’
’I must be more careful...’
Realizing how close he had come to death, Wei Tu silently admonished himself once he had recovered from the shock.
If not for his quick reaction and thorough preparations before the battle, even if the giant’s last attack hadn’t killed him, it could have paralyzed him for the rest of his life, leaving him a wastrel.