The warhorses were quickly brought over, totaling more than thirty.
Shao Xun inspected them and found them in good condition—all were abandoned by Meng Chao's cavalry.
"Those who can ride, step forward and follow me into battle," Shao Xun commanded.
He grabbed the sleekest horse, mounted it with ease, and drew a bow from the saddle, stringing and calibrating it with practiced hands.
Chen Yougen, Li Zhong, and Yang Bao, all skilled riders, each selected a horse and mounted up.
Along with them, a dozen or so others stepped forward and mounted their steeds.
That was all they had.
Although the Great Jin Dynasty was not short on horses and had many official stables in Henan and Hebei, ordinary soldiers rarely had the chance to practice riding.
Unless you were from a wealthy or powerful family, you were better off staying as an infantryman—horseback combat wasn't for you.
Still, twenty men seemed sufficient.
Shao Xun abandoned the long halberd—he truly didn't know how to use this popular cavalry weapon.
Instead, he had someone fetch a lance, a weapon that wouldn't become widespread until decades later.
When he held it, it felt natural and familiar in his hands.
Both the long halberd and the lance were popular cavalry weapons in ancient times.
The former was prevalent during the Han and Western Jin dynasties, while the latter became popular during the Northern and Southern Dynasties and the Sui and Tang periods.
By the Song Dynasty, neither was widely used anymore, as they were heavy and cumbersome, making them unsuitable for quick combat.
Lighter weapons like the cavalry spear became the norm.
But Shao Xun had no affinity for the heavy halberd or the light spear.
The lance was his weapon of choice, and he wielded it with great affection.
The enemy was still fleeing, and Shao Xun didn't waste time thinking.
He shouted, "Kill!"
Chen Yougen and the others, their bloodlust already roused, echoed his cry, "Kill!"
The infantry pouring out of the hall also roared, "Kill!"
Shao Xun laughed heartily, raised his lance, and charged forward.
The others followed, charging fearlessly into the fray.
The enemy hadn't gotten far, and they were in complete disarray, with no will to fight.
When Shao Xun caught up with the stragglers, none of them stopped to resist.
They all fled for their lives, each man for himself.
"Die!" Shao Xun skewered one man with his lance and flung him aside.
The body crashed to the ground, knocking over several others.
This was the classic "peeling the onion" tactic! Tang Dynasty cavalry, when surrounding infantry with no means of fighting back, would circle the formation, each pass using their lances to pick off a soldier and hurl them into the center.
After several passes, the infantry formation would grow thinner and thinner until it collapsed.
"Meng Chao!" Shao Xun shouted as he flung another man aside, his eyes fixed on the fleeing figure ahead.
Meng Chao, running for his life, turned his head and saw a red-robed general charging toward him on horseback.
"What an arrogant bandit!" Meng Chao cursed.
He was a hot-tempered man, which was why he had dared to humiliate Lu Ji to his face.
Seeing Shao Xun charging at him now, he was both furious and anxious.
Furious that Shao Xun had the audacity to chase him down, showing no respect for Meng Chao's status.
Anxious because this miscalculation had led to heavy losses, and it was all Shao Xun's fault.
"General, we can't keep running," Jia Hui, the cavalry commander, reined in his horse and pleaded.
"If we keep running, the men will scatter."
Meng Chao's eyes narrowed.
"General, let me lead a charge to blunt the enemy's momentum," Jia Hui said, brandishing his halberd.
"Fine! You lead the charge. I'll rally the troops. We can't keep running like this," Meng Chao agreed.
Without another word, Jia Hui gathered several dozen riders and charged back toward the enemy.
The thunder of hooves echoed as the fleeing soldiers scattered to the sides of the street, clearing the way for the cavalry charge.
Shao Xun didn't slow down, heading straight for Jia Hui.
Jia Hui was furious.
He came from a noble family, trained in horsemanship and martial arts since childhood.
He had never seen a common soldier act so arrogantly.
Did this man think he was divinely gifted?
Without a word, Jia Hui thrust his halberd toward Shao Xun's chest.
Shao Xun sidestepped and swung his lance, sweeping Jia Hui off his horse in one swift motion.
Behind Jia Hui, another rider thrust his halberd at Shao Xun.
Shao Xun abandoned his lance, narrowly dodging the attack.
He clamped the halberd's shaft under his arm, drew his ring-pommeled sword with his left hand, and with a swift motion, beheaded the rider as they passed each other.
"Meng Chao!" Shao Xun broke through the blockade without pause, charging straight toward Meng Chao.
In a single encounter, he had wounded one man and killed another, his movements clean and decisive, his aura overwhelming.
Meng Chao, watching from a distance, felt a pang of panic.
The infantry he had just rallied let out a collective scream and scattered in all directions.
"Your mother's whore!" Meng Chao cursed, then turned his horse and fled.
Shao Xun spurred his horse, wielding the halberd he had just seized, his eyes locked on Meng Chao.
Meng Chao urged his horse to run faster, not daring to look back.
The two raced down Pingchangmen Street for several miles, leaving the remaining thousand or so soldiers on both sides as mere spectators.
"Meng Chao, prepare to die!" Shao Xun closed the gap, and when he was just one horse-length away, he swung the halberd in a horizontal slash.
Meng Chao happened to glance back, his eyes widening in terror.
Without thinking, he ducked low on his horse's back.
"Whoosh!" The sharp blade of the halberd grazed his scalp, knocking off his helmet.
Meng Chao, now disheveled and terrified, spurred his horse even harder, the animal galloping wildly in pain.
Shao Xun's swing had slowed his horse slightly, allowing Meng Chao to pull ahead again.
But Shao Xun didn't give up, urging his horse forward, staying hot on Meng Chao's heels.
They soon reached the end of the street, with Pingchangmen Gate in sight.
At that moment, a disorganized group of soldiers appeared ahead, numbering at least a thousand, hastily retreating.
Meng Chao was overjoyed.
These were his men.
He shouted, "Come and help—ah!"
Mid-shout, he cried out in pain and fell from his horse.
Shao Xun, seeing that he was about to lose Meng Chao, had hurled the halberd in desperation, striking Meng Chao in the back.
The halberd, blocked by Meng Chao's armor, didn't kill him, but the impact caused him to vomit blood and collapse to the ground.
The retreating soldiers hesitated.
Some recognized Meng Chao and moved to help him.
Shao Xun, now in a bloodthirsty frenzy, was furious.
He drew his bow, already strung, and let loose two arrows in quick succession.
"Whoosh! Whoosh!" The arrows struck three men, who fell to the ground.
The enemy ranks were thrown into chaos.
Those trying to flee hesitated, unsure of what to do.
Shao Xun reined in his horse, drew his sharp ring-pommeled sword, and approached Meng Chao, who was struggling to his feet.
He grabbed Meng Chao by the hair, slashed his throat, and blood gushed forth.
The thousand enemy soldiers watched in stunned silence, unsure of what to do.
Shao Xun didn't stop.
With a few swift strokes, he severed Meng Chao's head, held it aloft, and laughed heartily.
The enemy soldiers, seeing Shao Xun drenched in blood and holding the gruesome head, were terrified.
Some instinctively stepped back, and their movement caused others to retreat as well.
Soon, the entire group was in disarray.
"Thud!" Shao Xun hurled the head into the crowd.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!" The war drums on Jianchangmen Gate's tower began to beat furiously.
"Run!" someone shouted, and the soldiers turned and fled.
"Run!" The enemy, already in retreat, panicked.
Those at the front turned and ran, while those at the back, unaware of what was happening, assumed the pursuers had arrived and fled even faster.
And so, a strange sight unfolded: a thousand enemy soldiers were routed by a single head, scattering in all directions.
Shao Xun mounted his horse again, took up his bow, and leisurely picked off stragglers from behind.
Occasionally, fleeing enemy riders would emerge on Pingchangmen Street, but upon seeing Shao Xun, they would detour around him.
Shao Xun didn't bother chasing them.
He simply stood his ground, occasionally firing an arrow or two, killing a few enemy soldiers who were running around like headless chickens.
No one dared to face him.
When his arrows fell, panic spread, and groups of soldiers—whether a few, a dozen, or even several dozen—scattered in all directions.
"Clip-clop! Clip-clop!" The sound of hooves grew louder as Chen Yougen and the others broke through the enemy ranks and emerged onto Pingchangmen Street.
"The commander is over there!" Chen Yougen pointed with his halberd, his voice filled with excitement.
The others turned to look.
The sun was setting, casting a bloody light over the land.
Commander Shao stood tall on his horse, his sword in hand, a headless corpse lying at his feet.
Scattered enemy soldiers fled at the sight of him, not daring to approach.
For a moment, it seemed as if no one dared to oppose him!
What a sight!
(End of Chapter)