"dog thief, you're looking for death!"
Before the Xiliang Iron Cavalry, the handsome cavalry officer saw the frail-looking young man actually execute a Liang Province Soldier right in front of him. His face instantly filled with a maddened killing intent. Leveling the iron lance in his hand, he aimed to take the young man's life!
"Little thief, do not act so wildly!"
Seeing this, the Nameless Strongman did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately hurled the corpse in his hands at the charging cavalry officer, then bent down to pick up the chain mace. Facing two hundred elite Iron Cavalry, he showed no trace of fear, actually intending to hold them off alone!
But He Xian would certainly not allow such a thing to happen. He first stopped the Nameless Strongman. Then, just as the young cavalry officer swung his lance to deflect the corpse, He Xian suddenly raised his identity plaque levelly and shouted loudly: "I am the assistant military officer newly appointed today by Lord Dong! Who are you? State your name!"
This time, He Xian did not say he was going to take up a post at the Western Garden, but rather that he had just been appointed by Dong Zhuo.
Although the position itself remained unchanged, the implication was vastly different.
Everyone knew Dong Zhuo had attended court today. If the assistant military officer he had just appointed were killed on Guangyang Avenue that very afternoon, few in all of Luoyang could withstand Dong Zhuo's wrath once such an incident occurred.
Judging by the fact this young cavalry officer had only brought two hundred Xiliang Iron Cavalry, he wouldn't be an officer of higher rank than He Xian. At most, he was the Company Commander in charge of a single company.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the young cavalry officer was slightly taken aback, his expression wavering. Yet in the next instant, the iron lance he held level still pointed straight at He Xian as he charged forward!
In that moment, the chain mace in the Nameless Strongman's hand almost flew out. Even the feigned composure on He Xian's face trembled slightly.
Fortunately, He Xian immediately saw the cavalry officer's lance shift from his throat to his hand. With a faint sound, He Xian felt the plaque in his hand being flicked up by the lance, soaring high into the air before being caught by the young cavalry officer. He Xian's hand, however, was not harmed in the slightest.
From this, it was evident that this young cavalry officer possessed considerable martial skill, likely coming from a family with some heritage. After all, many Soldiers could exert their full strength, but few could control their force as skillfully as this young officer.
And his display of this skill was clearly intended to establish his authority in front of He Xian. Therefore, after snatching the plaque, he waited until his warhorse was almost upon He Xian before sharply pulling the reins. The tall steed reared up, its two large front hooves lifting high, kicking a cloud of dust straight into He Xian's face.
"How dare you!" The Nameless Strongman flared with anger, roaring as he prepared to act. But He Xian extended a hand, stopping the Nameless Strongman. Then, with a tone of disdain, he asked the young cavalry officer, "Are you literate? Did you clearly see the characters on the plaque?"
Thud...
The warhorse's front hooves landed, and the rider sat straight in the saddle. A pair of handsome eyes fixed on He Xian, their sharp gaze almost tangible. After a long moment, he asked with arrogant deliberation, "Are you determined to stand up for these Bing Province bumpkins?"
These words made his pride and hostility clearly visible.
But He Xian remained unmoved, not disturbed in the least by the cavalry officer. He asked again coldly and firmly, "Who are you? What is your rank? State it quickly!"
The young cavalry officer's face suddenly flushed red. Clearly, he realized He Xian had discerned his low rank and intended to use rank to suppress him. However, as a man of Liang Province, he had always looked down upon the likes of He Xian—weaklings who couldn't even truss a chicken, yet obtained official posts merely through family background. Hearing He Xian's relentless questioning, he flew into a rage, brandishing his whip to teach He Xian a lesson: "Weak dog of Sili Province, you are not worthy of knowing your grandfather's name!"
"Looking for death!"
Seeing the cavalry officer's unreasonable aggression, the furious Nameless Strongman beside them had long lost patience. As the whip lashed out, he abruptly stepped forward, grabbed the tip of the whip, and yanked hard, directly pulling the cavalry officer off his horse.
The fallen cavalry officer was alert. He immediately tried to roll and rise to counterattack. However, the Nameless Strongman seemed to have anticipated his move, stepping on his chest first and pressing down, causing him to spit blood and appear utterly disheveled.
"You dog! I am Hua An, nephew of Commander Hua! If you dare harm me, my uncle will never let you go!" Though defeated by the Nameless Strongman, the young cavalry officer on the ground grew even more aggressive, roaring furiously. The two hundred Iron Cavalry he had brought all assumed combat stances, loudly demanding that He Xian release him.
But upon hearing the man's name, He Xian immediately curled his lip in disdain. He stepped forward and slapped Hua An twice across the face: "Commander Hua? Hua Xiong? You, the mere nephew of a minor deputy commander under his banner, actually have the face to shout at me? Don't you know that yesterday, Dong Huang, the nephew of the Minister of Works, was just beaten by me until he fled in panic?"
"You... you are He Xian, son of the Former Grand General?" Although Hua An was only a minor Company Commander in the army, thanks to his uncle Hua Xiong, he naturally knew of yesterday's events.
Yet, for a moment, the look he gave He Xian held not fear, but a keen eagerness.
He Xian's brow furrowed sharply. He instantly understood Hua An's thoughts and couldn't help but slap Hua An hard across the face again: "You dog! Do you intend to order these two hundred Xiliang Iron Cavalry to kill me, then take this achievement to go lick Dong Huang's boots?"
"Exactly!" The young cavalry officer, having received this slap from He Xian, regarded it as a lifelong humiliation. He cried out recklessly, "Men! Kill this dog for me! When Colonel Dong learns we have avenged him, he will surely reward us handsomely!"
At this moment, the nearest and most immediate threat to He Xian was not the two hundred Iron Cavalry Hua An had brought, but the dozen or so Liang Province Soldiers who had been fighting with the Bing Province Soldiers earlier. One of them happened to be standing behind He Xian. Upon hearing Hua An's order, his eyes instantly turned crimson. Raising the ring-pommeled sword in his hand, he aimed to strike He Xian from behind!
"Young Master, be careful!"
The Nameless Strongman naturally would not allow such a situation to occur. In fact, the moment those men's eyes revealed their frenzied, impulsive killing intent, he had already begun vigilantly guarding He Xian. Seeing the Liang Province Soldier raise his sword to strike, the Nameless Strongman immediately reached out, pulling He Xian aside. Then, with a Go with the flow motion, he swept his arm horizontally, causing the Liang Province Soldier's nose to smash hard against the iron bracer on his forearm.
The Liang Province Soldier let out a miserable howl, immediately clutching his blood-gushing nose as he fell to the ground. However, the Nameless Strongman, who still needed to restrain Hua An, had to halt his pursuit. Moreover, more and more Liang Province Soldiers were now raising swords and leveling spears, charging over!
At this moment, He Xian immediately realized the peril of his situation. He hadn't expected these Liang Province Soldiers to be so lawless and audacious! He had to devise a way to stabilize this chaos. Otherwise, he and the Nameless Strongman would surely be hacked to pieces by these Liang Province Iron Cavalry.
Then, he looked up and saw the ring-pommeled sword that the fallen Liang Province Soldier had just dropped.
A crazy and ruthless idea suddenly rose in He Xian's mind. Amid the chaotic shouts, a sliver of killing intent was abruptly awakened in his mind. So, he quickly ran to the fallen Liang Province Soldier, reaching the sword before the Soldier could, and picked up that ring-pommeled sword.
The Liang Province Soldier, still clutching his nose in agony, saw this scene. First, a flash of astonishment and fear appeared in his eyes. But then, he burst into loud laughter: "Noble young master who can't even truss a chicken, what, are you going to kill someone?"
This Liang Province Soldier did not believe that a high-born youth like He Xian, who probably didn't dare even kill a chicken, would have the courage to kill a person.
However, just as his words trailed off, the clear sound of a blade piercing flesh reached his ears. He stared in disbelief at the ring-pommeled sword embedded in his chest. Raising his head to face He Xian, whose eyes now gleamed with a cold light, his expression finally became one of extreme shock: "You... you've killed before?"
He Xian had absolutely no interest in responding to this Liang Province Soldier. After thrusting the sword into the Soldier's chest, he suddenly turned to face the Xiliang Iron Cavalry behind him and declared righteously and sternly: "Causing trouble in the streets, conspiring to assassinate a superior officer—these are extraordinary crimes requiring extraordinary measures! Without severe punishment, there will be no justice for the people!"