Chapter 5 – Shooting of Palm in Xiapi

Original by Bro Got a Gun, Translated by James

“Fucking hell! Seems like I will be dying here!” Liu Mang smiled wryly. He wiped the blood from his body. This blood was mostly from his enemies while some were from his new subordinates. Earlier, a guard that he did not even know the name of took a slash for him and was chopped in half through the waist.

The East Gate was broken through, the South Gate was also broken through. Only the West Gate and the North Gate are left standing.

With the two Gates being broken through, the Cao army troops started pouring into Xiapi. In the two hours, Liu Mang and his troops had only advanced a couple hundred meters. In this period of time, nearly a hundred of his troops was killed. Amongst them was one who he just recently appointed company commander. One of his leg was chopped off. Although he wasn’t dead, but on the battlefield, he is not far from death.

This was only a couple hundred meters! If he managed to advance toward the inner city, how many of his three hundred troops would be left? Liu Mang’s felt that his body was already without strength. He does not know how many people he had killed so far.

Human lives in a troubled time are like grass. Liu Mang’s movement had already became mechanical – kill, kill again, change blade and kill, kill again.

“Sire, we cannot advance anymore!” Cheng Yu arrived next to Liu Mang after killing some enemies. He gasped and shouted. He also knew that the route they’re on was very difficult. However, he did not expect it to be like this. If they delay any longer, the incoming Cao troops will increase exponentially. In that time, before meeting Lu Bu, their whole battalion might be wiped out.

Liu Mang deflected an incoming spear with his blade and then killed a Cao soldier. He said “we must continue advancing regardless!” Liu Mang did not regret his stupid decision. He rarely gets moved by others. Lu Bu moved him and these three hundred soldiers also did.

“It’s only death. What, Cheng Yu are you afraid?!” Liu Mang satirized. “If you’re afraid of death then get lost!”

“Who says I’m afraid! The only thing I fear is my mother!” Cheng Yu also got angry. For him to be seen as being afraid of death, it was no less than an extraordinary humiliation!

This route was like a huge mountain, blocking Liu Mang and his troop’s advance. They had been delayed for another hour.

Now, Liu Mang really cannot even lift a blade. His arms was numbed and difficult to move. After finally repulsing an attack from the Cao troops, Liu Mang directly sat onto the ground.

The sky gradually darkened. The smell of blood was everywhere. Corpses filled the city. There’s Cao army corpses, Lu Bu army corpses and also regular civilians.

“Halt, Lu Bu army!” Another wave of Cao soldiers showed up. This time, however, the highest officer was a general instead of the squad leaders or company commanders that they have encountered thus far.

With a red tasseled helmet, body covered in armor, and on a white horse. This enemy general was very imposing.

“Ha ha ha ha! Perhaps today is I, Xiahou De’s lucky day! To encounter so many Lu Bu remnant soldiers! Ho, there’s also a big fish!” The Cao general on the horse laughed loudly. He obviously thought Liu Mang to be a top figure in the Lu Bu army. After all, he was wearing golden armor that isn’t reserved for ordinary people. “Remnant soldiers of Lu Bu, listen up! Quickly get on your knees and surrender! You will be spared! Else, you will be immediately executed!”

Xiahou De?! Liu Mang did not have any recollection of such a person. The people besieging Xiapi should be Xiahou Yuan and Xiahou Dun. Is this Xiahou De also of the Xiahou clan?

With no time to think, Liu Mang used all his strength and roared “All troops prepare for engagement!” Actually, without Liu Mang’s words, all these soldiers already stood up. They stood up in spite of all the sword wounds, blade wounds, fatigue and pain. While they could die in battle, they absolutely cannot surrender to live for they are the Lu Bu army!

“Good backbone, to dare resist!” The praisingly expression of Xiahou De soon changed to one of bloodthirst. He too did not want them to surrender because if they did, they he won’t have anyone to kill. Having not taken part in the siege, he wanted to at least have some small fries for his blade.

“Haha. While having backbone is good. You must also have the abilities to back it up!” Xiahou De thumped his horse and it started lunging toward Liu Mang. In his point of view, Liu Mang, the person in a golden armor, was the highest officer in the whole battalion.

“Trying to kill me?! No fucking way!” After having experienced so many life and death encounters, Liu Mang too displayed a fierce expression.

Liu Mang was not an idiot. The opponent was riding a horse. To take the horse head on, he’ll just get run over and die.

Liu Mang picked up a long spear the ground and threw it ferociously. Back when he was at the university he had won awards for the sport of javelin throw. Although the long spear that he picked up was much coarser than a regular javelin, the sport of javelin throw originated from the battlefield!

“What!” Seeing the spear flying toward him at high speed, Xiahou De was surprised. He wanted to strike the horse to dodge but because they were in the alley, there is nowhere for his horse to dodge to.

“Poof!” The spear pierced through the neck of the horse, nailing the horse on the ground. Xiahou De stumbled and fell from the horse. At this moment, there left a dying and howling horse.

“Opportunity!” Liu Mang delighted. This Cao army general fell from his horse. Also, he was leading the troops in the front. Thus, he was tens of steps away from the following Cao soldiers – a distance sufficient enough to kill him!

Liu Mang rushed toward Xiahou De and slashed his blade at him.

Although Xiahou De was just felled from his horse, being a person from the Xiahou clan, he immediately turned over and escaped the incoming slash.

“You dare!” Xiahou De got angry. For a descendant of the dignified Xiahou clan to be put in a situation like this. If he was to be beaten by some famous generals like Lu Bu, then so be it. But to get thrown onto the ground by some nameless golden armored individual and almost losing his life in the process, he cannot accept it.

The strength of an expert can be known once they start attacking! After standing up, Xiahou De immediately attacked Liu Mang like a storm.

“Bang bang bang!” A series of sparks appeared in the front, back, chest and neck of Liu Mang. Anywhere that could kill with a single strike was attacked by Xiahou De.

“What’s with this damn armor!” Xiahou De shouted. Countless times he could’ve killed this Lu Bu soldier in front of him but was unable to. That armor is very smooth. If you try to cut it then you will simply slip past it. Even a slash will end up with the blade slipping. With a stab that armor is rigid enough to defend it. The most critical thing is that this armor actually almost wrapped the whole body. Is it not heavy?!

“Hehe!” Liu Mang sneered. Fuck! So my martial arts isn’t up to par with you; I have less experience in the battlefield than you; but I have armor yo. I’m wearing a saint cloth yo. I’m like a fucking turtle shell. Try biting me!

Fucker attacked me so many times, time for me to fight back!

“Xiahou De, prepare to die!” Having came to the battlefield of this world, without screaming he really cannot gather up his energy because of how tired he was.

“Someone like you think you can kill me?!” Xiahou De could tell that this golden armored individual is certainly not a general. His skills with the blade was much too weak. Although seasoned, they were the basic movements of the battlefield – lifting blade, waving the blade and slashing the blade.

There is nowhere open on the body… the face! This Aries Gold Cloth’s helmet did not have face protection. Xiahou De threw his blade away and picked up a sword. He immediately started piercing toward Liu Mang’s face.

“Fast!” Xiahou De’s speed is too fast. Before Liu Mang could react, the sword is already en route toward his face. This was actually the regular speed of generals. Xiahou De was also a second rated general, if he had met the generals under Lu Bu like Zhang Liao or Gao Shun, they could easily dodge the attack. Alas, Liu Mang wasn’t a general!

He never practiced martial arts before. Not to mention generals, if he took off his armor he cannot even win against an ordinary soldier.

“Shit!” If this sword managed to stab his, then he is certainly finished.

“Am I going to die like this?!” Liu Mang closed his eyes. It shouldn’t hurt too much to be stabbed in the head right?! I should die immediately right?!

However, he did not feel any pain even after a long time. Instead, there was a miserable shriek.

“Am I dead?! Why is the shriek not mine?!” Liu Mang opened his eyes in confusion.

In front of his eyes was Xiahou De with blood flowing out of his hand. His sword was dropped onto the floor. An arrow pierced through his hand.

It was shot from behind him! Liu Mang turned around and saw a lofty individual who is currently pulling a bow.

White armor? Head full of black hair and a height of eight foot. Wasn’t this exactly the person Liu Mang and the troops were trying to find – Lu Bu, boss Lu!

From there to here was over a hundred and fifty steps. Xiahou De’s hand in a distance of over a hundred and fifty steps was no bigger than a coin. To be capable of hitting the target with an arrow from that distance, this boss Lu’s archery certainly reached the pinnacle.

Former was it the shooting of a ji in Yuanmen and today was it the shooting of a palm in Xiapi.

[TL: Lu Bu once shot a ji, a chinese halberd, at Yuanmen to prevent a battle between Liu Bei and Yuan Shu’s general Ji Ling. http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Long_Corridor-%E8%BE%95%E9%97%A8%E5%B0%84%E6%88%9F.jpg]