Chapter Ninety-Five: A Little Waiting Does No Harm
Lou Yi, the captain of the Golden Sabre Guard, had been somewhat uneasy at first. But when he heard these words from Li Shimin, his eyes at once gleamed with excitement.
“Only eighteen men need be defeated? Is that... not a little too easy?”
“Cough, cough!”
Li Zhi snapped sharply, “Mind your words. Do you know who stands before you? That is the invincible Black Armor Army. If you can defeat even eighteen of them, that already counts as remarkable!”
Inwardly, Li Zhi was almost overjoyed.
Only eighteen men?
Then was there any need for this battle at all?
They would win in an instant.
“Your Majesty... sending only eighteen men, isn’t that a bit too few?” Xue Rengui could tell that the Golden Sabre Guard was no ordinary force. Luo Tong, in particular, had even defeated Yuchi Jingde with ease.
Since they had dared to come, they must have been prepared.
Xue Rengui had always been cautious and was unwilling to take risks.
“General Xue, are you afraid of them?” Li Zhi stepped forward and asked.
“Your Highness need not goad me. Since we agreed earlier, let all three thousand Black Armor troops go forward together. That would be proper!”
“Bah!”
Li Zhi wore a look of disdain.
...
Li Shimin’s old face was beginning to burn.
He could not allow anyone to look down on the Black Armor Army.
So he huffed, “With General Xue leading them personally, dealing with the Golden Sabre Guard and that little Luo Tong will be more than enough.”
“Your Majesty...”
“No more words. Do as I command!” Li Shimin was adamant, insisting on a battle of equal numbers.
Xue Rengui had no choice but to bow and say, “This subject obeys the imperial order!”
After the soldiers had been selected, the two sides faced one another before the command platform.
Luo Tong raised the gleaming silver spear in his hand and cried out, “Today’s battle is your chance to make a name for yourselves. No matter how strong the opponent may be, I want you to fight with all you have and leave no regrets!”
“Yes!”
The Golden Sabre Guards were already burning with fierce determination, and the curved blades in their hands rattled faintly.
Killing intent surged everywhere, soaring straight into the heavens.
“These men are not ordinary...” Xue Rengui warned the Black Armor Army that would take part in the fight. “Perhaps you were once an elite force, but you have not seen battle for years. Do you still have any fighting strength left?”
“If you wish to preserve your honor, then you must fight with everything you have!”
“Kill! Kill! Kill!”
The Black Armor Army’s aura was equally fierce.
“Good!”
Li Shimin was delighted and waved his hand. “Then begin!”
Clang!
A guard nearby, holding a bronze gong, struck it hard.
“The contest begins!”
Drums thundered at once.
The booming sound echoed throughout the Southern Gardens.
The Golden Sabre Guard and the Black Armor Army stood armed with wooden staves.
According to the rules of the contest, victory went to whoever knocked the opponent to the ground and rendered him unable to continue fighting. For that reason, Lou Yi quickly issued the order to incapacitate the enemy.
“Are you all brimming with confidence?”
“Yes, yes!”
Li Zhi chuckled. “Since you are so confident, I’ll make things a little more difficult. I want you to settle this within ten breaths. Can you do that?”
Ten breaths?
That was ten seconds.
Could the Golden Sabre Guard manage it?
Lou Yi answered with certainty, “Your Highness, rest assured. We will not embarrass you.”
On the other side, Luo Tong stood opposite Xue Rengui.
“Little Luo Tong, I know your family’s Luo spear is formidable. But I, Xue Rengui, am not a man to be underestimated either. If you think you cannot beat me, then surrender early, lest my silver spear show no mercy and injure you.”
“Ha!”
Luo Tong let out a contemptuous laugh.
He planted the sword at his waist into the ground, driving it several inches deep, then slowly lifted his silver spear.
“General Xue, I have long since heard of your martial prowess. But have you ever seen mine?”
“Hahaha... whether I have or not makes no difference!”
“Indeed.”
“Then come!”
Luo Tong thrust forward with his spear, aiming directly for Xue Rengui’s face.
Clang, clang, clang...
The two silver spears collided again and again, sparks flying fiercely from the impact.
At first glance, neither seemed to have the advantage.
Li Shimin’s eyes shone with admiration. “To be able to fight General Xue to a draw, truly the son of Luo Cheng. His martial skill is genuinely extraordinary!”
Had he not seen it with his own eyes, he would never have believed it.
At only fourteen years of age, Luo Tong had reached such a level in martial arts!
“It seems I underestimated him. The tiger cub of the Luo family should be properly nurtured.”
Li Shimin’s thoughts turned in many directions.
The old ministers of the court each had their own networks and ties, all of them linked in one way or another. To place the army in their hands would sooner or later lead to disaster.
But Luo Tong was like a blank sheet of paper, with no faction behind him and absolute loyalty to the court.
If he were given important responsibilities...
He would surely be able to hold a frontier in the future!
“Father, look over there!” Li Zhi suddenly shouted.
Li Shimin came back to himself.
He saw that the Black Armor Army, on whom he had placed such high hopes, was being beaten down by the Golden Sabre Guard. As soon as the battle began, they had taken several heavy blows. Four or five men were injured, and their formation collapsed into chaos.
“This...”
The Black Armor Army was clearly losing.
Li Shimin panicked.
“Zhi’er, where in the world did you find these guards? There should not be such elite troops among the imperial guard, should there?” Li Shimin asked.
“Father, do not worry. The real show is still to come.”
The Golden Sabre Guard changed formation.
In groups of three, they encircled the Black Armor Army, steadily tightening the ring around them.
In just a few breaths, the enemy had been driven into a desperate corner.
Bang, bang, bang...
Lou Yi struck first, sending two Black Armor soldiers flying with a single kick, leaving them with no chance of resistance. By the ninth breath, the entire Black Armor Army had been taken down.
Li Shimin stared in disbelief. “How is that possible? These are all...”
“Black Armor Army captains? Or officers?”
Li Zhi had known all along.
In order to win, Xue Rengui had deliberately selected officers from the Black Armor Army, forming a unit of eighteen men. Though they were called ordinary soldiers in name, each of them had a strong foundation in martial arts.
With their abilities, they would have no trouble dealing with several hundred ordinary soldiers.
But when they met the Golden Sabre Guard, they could not even last ten breaths.
“Reporting to Your Majesty and Your Highness, the Golden Sabre Guard has not failed its mission!” Lou Yi came forward, holding down the defeated Black Armor troops as he reported.
Li Shimin felt utterly humiliated and sat down with a darkened expression.
Li Zhi, however, said happily, “Well done. Go and stand guard for Luo Tong. If he cannot defeat Xue Rengui, then you can take his place!”
“Yes!”
The Golden Sabre Guards changed back into their original equipment.
Each man wore a curved saber at his side, carried a bow and arrows, had a dagger tucked at his calf, and covered his face with a black cloth.
Li Shimin seemed to remember something.
“Zhi’er, these guards of yours... where do they come from? Their appearance seems strangely familiar. I feel as though I have seen it somewhere before, but I cannot recall where.”
“If Father wishes to know, then promise your son he may leave the palace and serve as a county magistrate.”
“You haven’t won yet!”
Li Shimin pinned his hopes on Xue Rengui.
After all, Xue’s martial skill far surpassed that of Cheng Yaojin and Yuchi Jingde, and he was widely acknowledged as the finest fighter under heaven.
How could a young boy like Luo Tong possibly be his match?
“Very well.”
“Your son can wait a while longer,” Li Zhi said with a smile, though his confidence never wavered.
Clang, clang...
Luo Tong and Xue Rengui had exchanged dozens of blows without a decisive result. Judging from the situation, Xue Rengui clearly held the upper hand, pressing Luo Tong back at every turn, but in such a short time he still could not secure victory. The two were locked in a deadlock.
“The young master’s Luo spear has improved again!”
“Yes...”
“The young master still has not used his full strength, and he has not even brought out the Dugu Nine Swords. If he were to fight with everything he has, Xue Rengui would not be his match!”
The Golden Sabre Guards, standing by to support him, whispered among themselves.