The Iron Flail shot out, smashing heavily into a Qiang and Hu tribesman rider. The Soldier didn't even have time to let out a wail before he was sent flying from his horse. He crashed to the ground, vomiting blood incessantly, and died in moments.
The Nameless Strongman who had charged into the fray was like a human-shaped beast. Previously, he had defeated fifty cavalrymen barehanded. Now, with that iron chain mace in his grasp, he was truly invincible. He Xian saw that the Nameless Strongman didn't even need to use any martial techniques; simply by swinging his Iron Flail, he forced back all the cavalrymen and fierce Soldiers.
Then, like a keen wolf, the Nameless Strongman sensed someone nearby itching to make a move and hurled his flail at them. Even if the person dodged skillfully, the flail was incredibly heavy. A mere graze meant broken bones and snapped tendons.
In an instant, a tiger had leaped into the fight between two wolf packs, immediately tipping the battle into a completely one-sided affair.
Soon, with the addition of this tiger—the Nameless Strongman—the Liang Province Soldiers and Bing Province Soldiers were naturally separated. They gathered in their respective groups, shouting and yelling, but seeing the gruesome deaths of their comrades nearby, none dared to step forward again.
At this moment, He Xian knew it was his turn. He gestured for the Nameless Strongman to stop, then hurried to his side and shouted loudly, "I am the assistant military officer of the Western Garden! You dare cause chaos in the streets! Do you know your crime?"
"assistant military officer of the Western Garden?" To He Xian's surprise, these riotous Soldiers didn't care about their crimes at all. Instead, they sneered at his official title: "Just a spineless coward from Luoyang City. You're neither from Liang Province nor Bing Province. What right do you have to meddle in our affairs?"
The leader of the more numerous Bing Province Soldiers side flew into a rage and, emboldened, roared, "I'm the Squad Leader of the Scouts under Lord Zhang Liao, the Bing Province Attendant! Today, I'm determined to slaughter all these Qiang and Hu bastards!"
Hearing this, the Nameless Strongman's brows furrowed in anger. Without anyone noticing when he put down the iron chain mace, he charged barehanded into the formation of over thirty Soldiers. The shouting fellow had just raised his blade when the Nameless Strongman suddenly bellowed, "You dare!"
That roar was like a tiger bursting from the forest, thunderous and rolling. The Squad Leader raising his blade was momentarily stunned by the Nameless Strongman's imposing aura. By the time he reacted, he felt his feet leave the ground.
He had been lifted with one hand by the Nameless Strongman!
The Scout Squad Leader kicked and punched in mid-air, trying to get the Nameless Strongman to put him down. But the Nameless Strongman, like a wrathful guardian deity, paid no heed to the Squad Leader's struggles. He carried him straight to He Xian and, seeing He Xian give a slight nod, violently slammed the Squad Leader onto the ground. Dust billowed into the air on the street!
"My young master is asking questions here! Answer what you know! If any of you dare bark and boast again, your dog lives are forfeit!" After this threat, the Nameless Strongman delivered a heavy kick to the Squad Leader's chest—the sound of cracking ribs was clearly audible. Then, with another kick, he sent the nearly two-hundred-pound Squad Leader flying back into the Bing Province formation as if he were trash.
Such a violent and powerful strike made these arrogant Soldiers suddenly realize the situation: So, this fierce man is that pretty boy's Subordinate, no wonder that pretty boy dares to interfere in the affairs of us Bing and Liang Province men...
"The Han Army regulations contain seven prohibitions and fifty-four capital offenses! Among them is the crime of 'abusing the local populace upon arrival,' known as the 'treacherous army' clause. Offenders are to be executed! You dare brawl recklessly and slaughter the innocent under the very eyes of the imperial court? Your crime is unforgivable! Now, what caused this incident? Confess immediately!"
Under the Nameless Strongman's tiger-like gaze, He Xian's words carried weight. However, these men were cowed by the Nameless Strongman's valor, not He Xian's by-the-book demeanor. Most still looked at He Xian with contempt in their eyes. Thus, none of them spoke up first.
Seeing this, the Nameless Strongman flared up and immediately took a step forward.
His movement made the over thirty fierce Bing Province Soldiers shrink back in unison. The Nameless Strongman then turned his head, and the Liang Province Qiang and Hu tribesmen did the same. Seeing this, the Nameless Strongman didn't bother with more effort. He simply pointed at the two leaders of the Bing and Liang Province groups and shouted, "You two, come here! Answer the young master's questions! If I see any more contempt, I'll start by chopping off your dog heads to establish authority!"
Hearing the Nameless Strongman say this, the trembling Bing Province leader and Liang Province leader who stepped forward knew He Xian was determined to handle today's matter. Therefore, the Liang Province leader spoke first: "We are under the command of Liang Province Commander Hua Xiong. Today, we were ordered to patrol the streets. We saw this group of bandits acting suspiciously, carrying sharp blades, so we went to investigate. Who would have thought they not only refused to cooperate but also drew weapons on us! They clearly intended to rebel!"
"Bullshit!" The Bing Province leader instantly flared up, yelling, "I already told you! We are Soldiers under Bing Province Attendant Zhang Liao! Today, we were ordered to bring these thirty newly recruited Soldiers into the Western Garden! You obstructed us for no reason, picking a fight! Clearly, you Liang Province Soldiers are all cowards who only know how to use despicable tricks!"
With just these two statements, He Xian understood the source of the conflict: Under Dong Zhuo's command, only the Liang Province Soldiers and Bing Province Soldiers had long garrisoned the frontier. They were fierce and arrogant. Since ancient times, there's no clear first in scholarship, but in martial matters, there's always a second. When these two groups of Soldiers gathered together, naturally, they had to compete for supremacy. Therefore, it was no novelty for Soldiers from both sides to oppress, fight, clash, and cause chaos.
Today, these two sides collided. Regardless of the reason, a fight was inevitable. Fortunately, He Xian had no desire to meddle in the messy affairs between Bing and Liang Provinces. Knowing they had only harmed the Common People after being blinded by bloodlust during the clash, he said, "Your disputes between Liang and Bing Provinces are none of my concern. I only want to know: during the recent clash, who accidentally harmed the Common People?"
"Accidentally harmed the Common People?" Hearing He Xian still pursuing this, the Liang Province leader couldn't help but sneer. His ear twitched, and when he glanced back behind him, his expression immediately turned arrogant and domineering again: "They're just lowly Common People. You can't kill them all, can't behead them all. What does it matter?"
Then, seeming quite pleased with himself, he even incited the Soldiers behind him: "We men of the frontier, which of us doesn't have several lives on our hands? Probably only those Bing Province softies, unable to beat us and blinded by bloodlust, would dare kill some Common People to make up the numbers!"
After saying this, the Liang Province leader suddenly tried to retreat. Unfortunately, in front of the Nameless Strongman, he had no chance.
The Nameless Strongman waved his hand, his huge palm scooping up the Liang Province leader like a chick. He then snapped both of the leader's arms. Amid a shrill, agonized scream, he and He Xian looked toward the dust-choked street together.
On Guangyang Avenue, a horde of Cavalry was surging forward, stretching into two black lines that seemed endless. Within the billowing dust were tall, powerful horses—all were the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, renowned throughout the Han realm for being worth a hundred men each!
Before this, He Xian had seen at most around fifty Xiliang Iron Cavalrymen, and even then, they weren't in formation. But today was different. Two hundred elite Iron Cavalry were charging forth, vast and majestic, their momentum like a rainbow. That arrogant, fierce aura grew more intimidating as the galloping horses drew nearer, striking fear into hearts.
The young Cavalry Commander at the head of the formation, embodying the characteristic arrogance of Liang Province Soldiers, made no distinction between right and wrong. Though he hadn't yet arrived, he leveled his Iron Lance and shouted, "Whoever you are, release my Liang Province brave men immediately, or face execution without mercy!"
No doubt, the Liang Province leader had seen his reinforcements arriving, felt emboldened, and wanted to save face in front of He Xian.
It was no wonder he thought this. Perhaps fifty Iron Cavalrymen were no match for the Nameless Strongman. But two hundred Iron Cavalrymen charging in formation would surely cut down the Nameless Strongman from his horse—Cavalry caught in chaotic melee and Cavalry charging in full formation were entirely different concepts!
"You Dog Commander, release me at once!" Seeing a flicker of fear in He Xian's eyes, the Liang Province leader grew even more emboldened.
But He Xian turned back, looking at the Liang Province leader with something like pity, and asked, "You just admitted that during the chaos, you intentionally killed Common People?"
"That's right!"
"Good." He Xian nodded, then said simply to the Nameless Strongman, "Nameless, kill him."
"You dare!" The Liang Province leader was shocked. He never imagined this seemingly weak Commander was actually a reckless fool.
But before he could shout again, the Nameless Strongman had lifted him high. Then, with a furious roar, he slammed the leader's body hard against his right knee. The leader's scream cut off abruptly, and his body went limp, collapsing into a pile of mush...