Cao Bianjiao was famous for one thing above all else.
Reckless bravery.
He was the type of warrior who loved charging into battle more than anything. Whenever there was a fight, he always rushed forward first, moving faster than everyone else.
Commanding the army was his uncle Cao Wenzhao's job anyway.
Cao Bianjiao only needed to do one thing.
Charge.
But the moment he started climbing the ladder, something felt wrong.
He turned his head and glanced at the ladder beside him.
Gao Chuwu was climbing even faster than he was.
The number one reckless fighter of Gao Family Village, the biggest fool among the Three Idiots, was just as fearless when it came to charging into battle.
And a little further away, on another ladder, Zheng Daniu was also climbing upward at an outrageous speed.
Even more outrageous was the fact that he was still chewing half a steamed bun while climbing.
Cao Bianjiao's eyes widened.
"What the hell? Are they here to steal my battle credit?"
He immediately started climbing even faster.
He had barely climbed two rungs when an archer appeared on the wall above and fired an arrow straight at him.
Clang.
Cao Bianjiao casually raised the shield in his left hand and blocked it.
The arrow bounced away.
In the middle of climbing, he glanced again at Gao Chuwu.
Someone on the wall had also fired an arrow at him.
But Gao Chuwu had absolute confidence in his armor and did not even bother blocking.
Clang.
The arrow struck his helmet and bounced away.
Because he had not paused to block the arrow, Gao Chuwu used the opportunity to climb several more rungs.
Now he was even higher than Cao Bianjiao.
Cao Bianjiao roared.
"I absolutely refuse to lose!"
He immediately threw away the small shield in his left hand.
That useless thing was slowing him down.
Climbing with both hands was far faster.
Another enemy soldier appeared on the wall and fired an arrow at him.
This time Cao Bianjiao did not even bother dodging.
Dodging?
To hell with that.
If he lost the credit for being the first to reach the wall, what was the point?
Clang.
The arrow struck his helmet directly and bounced away harmlessly.
Cao Bianjiao burst out laughing.
"The Heavenly armor granted by Dao Xuan Tianzun really is amazing!"
But before his laughter had fully finished, another enemy soldier appeared on the wall.
This one was holding a stone weighing several kilograms.
He raised it high and hurled it straight down.
"What the hell!"
Cao Bianjiao instantly stopped climbing.
With one hand gripping the ladder, he swung his body violently to the side.
The stone whistled past him.
Cold sweat covered his back.
In the middle of all this chaos he glanced again at Gao Chuwu.
Another Qing soldier above Gao Chuwu had also picked up a stone and smashed it downward.
Cao Bianjiao shouted loudly.
"Watch out!"
But Gao Chuwu still did not dodge.
He only tilted his head slightly.
Bang.
The stone slammed directly onto his shoulder.
Cao Bianjiao's heart sank.
That must have injured him.
But Gao Chuwu merely paused for a moment before continuing to climb upward as if nothing had happened.
Cao Bianjiao inhaled sharply.
"What kind of monster is that? What did he eat growing up?"
Then he suddenly realized something terrible.
"Damn it. I fell behind again."
Grinding his teeth, he climbed upward with both hands and both feet working together.
Very soon he was close to the top of the wall.
A Qing soldier leaned over the battlements and thrust a spear down toward him.
Cao Bianjiao twisted his body to avoid the spearhead.
He grabbed the shaft with one hand and yanked hard.
The spear was instantly pulled away from the soldier.
Without hesitation, Cao Bianjiao stabbed it back upward.
The Qing soldier collapsed.
While fighting, Cao Bianjiao glanced again at Gao Chuwu.
Gao Chuwu had also grabbed a spear.
He pulled it violently.
The soldier holding it was stubborn and refused to let go.
The result was tragic.
The man was dragged right over the wall along with the spear.
He tumbled down the outside of the wall, screaming as he fell.
Cao Bianjiao blinked.
"That works too?"
Then he shook his head.
"Now is not the time to watch him."
With a powerful push, Cao Bianjiao finally flipped himself onto the city wall.
In the end he had reached the top just a tiny bit faster than Gao Chuwu.
He threw back his head and roared triumphantly.
"Hahaha! Cao Bianjiao has taken the wall first!"
Several Qing soldiers rushed toward him.
Cao Bianjiao swung his saber wildly, blocking left and right while refusing to retreat even a single step.
He stood firmly in place, guarding the ladder so that the soldiers behind him could climb up safely.
At that moment Gao Chuwu also pulled himself onto the wall.
The instant his feet touched the ground, he drew the heavy backed broadsword that Xing Honglang had given him.
Cao Bianjiao was still fighting defensively.
But Gao Chuwu had no interest in that.
He simply swung his blade.
The arc of the blade swept across like a crescent moon.
In the space of a single strike, everything within several meters of the ladder was cleared.
Cao Bianjiao stared in disbelief.
"What the hell!"
Not far away, Zheng Daniu finally climbed up as well.
He was still chewing his bun.
While chewing, he casually grabbed a Qing soldier and used him like a thrown weapon.
The man flew through the air and smashed into three of his own comrades.
Cao Bianjiao's mind went blank.
"What the hell, what the hell, what the hell. Gao Family Village is full of monsters."
Just as he was still recovering from the shock, a loud shout echoed nearby.
"Heaven! Rabbit! Tyrant Breaking Sword!"
The moment Cao Bianjiao heard that name of a sword technique, he gasped.
"Another monster? Just how powerful is this one?"
He turned to look.
And immediately saw Flat Rabbit trip over his own foot.
Thud.
He fell flat on the ground.
His ancestral sword slipped out of his hand and rolled several meters away.
A Qing soldier saw the opportunity and rushed forward, raising his blade to cut down the fallen Flat Rabbit.
Flat Rabbit shrieked.
Then he dove forward.
Straight between the man's legs.
As he slid through, he punched the soldier directly in the groin.
The soldier screamed in agony and dropped to his knees.
Flat Rabbit popped up behind him and kicked him in the back of the head.
The soldier collapsed unconscious.
Flat Rabbit then turned proudly toward Zheng Gouzi, who had just climbed onto the wall.
"Hmph. See? My sword technique is impressive, right?"
Cao Bianjiao nearly choked.
"You call that sword technique? That is clearly dirty fighting."
By this point, the fighting on the wall had completely exploded into chaos.
The soldiers under the Three Shun Kings had already been at a severe disadvantage during the ranged battle.
Now that the fight had become close quarters combat, they still could not gain the upper hand.
The difference in armor quality was simply too large.
Most of the soldiers under the Three Shun Kings could not afford proper armor.
Many of them wore cloth armor that was old and tattered.
Meanwhile, the Gao Family Village militia and Cao's Guan Ning Iron Cavalry were all equipped with top grade armor.
Lightweight aluminum alloy armor plates.
Calling it completely invulnerable might be slightly exaggerated.
But calling it nearly indestructible was not far from the truth.
Before the widespread use of firearms, armor had always been far more important than weapons.
And the Three Shun Kings had very few firearms.
The outcome of the battle was already obvious.
Cheng Xu needed only a single glance to see how this fight would end.
For many years his personal philosophy had never changed.
When the odds were bad, he became as cautious as an old dog.
But when victory was guaranteed, he transformed into the legendary God of War of Chengcheng.
Cheng Xu burst into laughter.
Then he personally joined the fight.
With a single leap he grabbed a ladder.
A few swift movements later he climbed onto the wall.
The moment the militia saw him appear, a thunderous cheer erupted.
"General He has arrived!"
"He has come to avenge the events of Dalinghe City!"
"General He is mighty!"
The militia's shout confused Cao Wenzhao and Cao Bianjiao.
"What just happened?"
Soon they realized something astonishing.
The chief instructor of the Gao Family Village militia had personally entered the battle.
That alone was shocking enough.
This mysterious masked man controlled the terrifying army of Gao Family Village.
Without question he was the supreme commander of the entire force.
And now he was personally fighting.
Just how terrifying would that be?
Cao Bianjiao even forgot about competing for battle credit.
He simply stared foolishly at Cheng Xu.