Beginning with the Ubume Bird Chapter 66 – Chapter 66: Chapter 20: Fierce Battle at Peony Peak

Chapter 66: Chapter 20: Fierce Battle at Peony Peak

“`

Dawn was breaking as Li Yan, holding the Ring Dragon Han Sword, gazed into the distance.

The snow-covered Peony Peak shuddered with its forest sea, picturesque and poetic. A cannon fire in front of Pyongyang City shook off the snow from the mountain, momentarily lifting everyone's spirit. Ji Town's Deputy Officer Wu Weizhong drew his long sword and bellowed, “Pass my command, attack the mountain!”

“Attack the mountain!”

With a downward sweep of his hand, more than a hundred Ming soldiers surged up Peony Peak behind Li Yan!

Li Rusong's allotted quota was a total of eighty cavalrymen and more than one hundred thirty infantrymen, equipped with long spears or short knives and twenty crossbows. Among them, Deng Tianxiong and Diao Xiayan were appointed as Chief Flag Officers, while Wang Sheng and two others served as Junior Flag Officers.

In principle, Li Yan, merely a Chief Flag Officer, had no authority to command equals such as Deng Tianxiong and Diao Xiayan. However, principles were just that, and now the General Li, who openly declared in front of all the soldiers that he was willing to exchange his official position for each of his brothers to be promoted to a flag officer, was somewhat of a celebrity in the Right Army camp where Deputy Officers were a dime a dozen.

According to Li Rusong's orders, the fire bow soldiers and the Wolf Halberdier Team who had ambushed the night before, including the cavalry led by Li Yan, were not required to join the first round of the siege at dawn.

However, Li Yan, known for his extraordinary vigor far beyond ordinary men, volunteered to take part in the assault on Peony Peak.

The Ji Town soldiers, under the Great Ming banner, collided fiercely with the Japanese army stationed on the mid-slope of Peony Peak! And Li Yan once again saw a similar radiance to that of the Red Guards Army, but this time, it was emanating from the Ji Town soldiers themselves!

Ji Town Strong Army (5032!)

Basic enhancement: Attack, defense, and speed increased with numbers.

Destroy Japanese Pirates: When facing Japanese pirates, increase attack power by 50% and armor penetration by 50%.

Mandarin Duck Array (activated with more than 10 people): Increase attack power by 150% when facing Japanese pirates,

Jintown: (activated with more than 500 people): Increase offensive and defensive capabilities by 150% during coastal defense,

The Ji Town soldiers formed teams of twelve: two with bird guns, two with Wolf Halberds, two with vine shield, four with long spears, and two leading with trident halberds topped with explosive charges. The teams, interspersed with long sword soldiers, plunged into the enemy ranks, sweeping the Japanese to the ground with the long Wolf Halberds, followed by stabs from the spears, and support from the firearm soldiers. They were like whirlpools on the mountainside battlefield, crazily decimating the ranks of the Japanese pirates.

Diao Xiayan, basked in the same glow as the Ji Town soldiers, clashed his long sword against the katana of the Japanese. His one eye gleamed with a cunning brilliance.

The men led by Li Yan wound around the flank of the battlefield, relatively more fragile compared to the battle-tested Ji Town soldiers.

It was not surprising for Diao Xiayan, formerly a Ji Town soldier, to enjoy the bonuses of the Ji Town Strong Army. However, Li Yan did not have this privilege, and each member of this unit stationed at Peony Peak was skilled with over 60% specialization in military skill, with at least 20% of them having a specialization of 70%. For Li Yan, who had just entered Yan Fu, being entangled by more than four Japanese could be somewhat overwhelming.

But that was the Li Yan who had just entered Yan Fu.

The Ring Dragon Sword whistled through the air, severing a neck and sending a head flying high. Li Yan moved gracefully like a dragon through the boiling battlefield, his Ring Dragon Sword, heavy and forceful, swept into the crowd, causing several arcs of blood to spurt forth with each strike.

Having reached a breakthrough of 89% in Ancient Martial Arts Specialization, with the Hook Star state adding 160% to his attack speed and explosive power, and the readily available Ring Dragon Han Sword, Li Yan cut through the enemy ranks like a hot knife through butter.

The Ring Dragon Sword, still gleaming as if fresh despite the fresh blood, but the blood of the Japanese pirates kept dripping off its master, like an evil ghost incarnate.

“Your mission-type skill Cold Killer has been unlocked!”

A thought flashed through Li Yan's mind as a thick, bloody black light rushed towards his face. He had no time to dodge and rolled on the spot, covering himself with a smeared mix of flesh and dirt, in a rather sorry state.

A Japanese, helmeted in foreign fashion and clad in black armor, coldly stared at Li Yan. He sprinted with his knee at ninety degrees, swinging his Naginata towards Li Yan's head.

Li Yan raised his Ring Dragon Sword from below, clashing it with the descending naginata, prompting the sword to emit a mournful cry.

“Woo~”

Li Yan found his feet sinking into the mud, a ringing in his ears, while the Japanese man stepped back half a step before lunging forward once again with a fierce chop!

Li Yan twisted his calf and rolled away to evade the blade once more. Another Japanese pirate took the opportunity to swing his katana at Li Yan's belly. Li Yan on the ground leveraged his Ring Dragon Sword against the attacking blade, twisting with force, and the katana was sent flying away. His sword then swept upward, lightly tapping the throat of the swordsman.

“`

“Thump.”

The Japanese pirate who thought to pick up an easy prize clutched his throat and knelt to the ground.

The armored Japanese tightened his lips, not uttering a word, and without glancing at his fallen comrade, he placed his naginata by his calf and charged forward with explosive speed.

Li Yan held the Ring Dragon horizontally in front of his chest, gently spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood that had pooled under his bitten lip.

Name: Goto Kagi

Warring States Great General!

Status: Ox Ghost, Daimyo's Seal

Specialization: Naginata 89%

Skill: Reaping Slash (Passive)

Reaping Slash: Increases sharpness by 30 when using naginattype weapons. (Standard cold weapons have a default sharpness of 10)

Ox Ghost: Attack power increased by 100%

Daimyo's Seal: A vassal personally sealed by Konishi Yukinaga, protected by Demonic Strength, exempt from 10% of all damage, 25% damage exemption when traversing Yan Fu,

The naginata struck fiercely once more. With no room to dodge in the chaotic battlefield of Peony Peak, Li Yan took a stance, and the Ring Dragon clashed once again with Goto Kagi's naginata, a droplet of blood unconsciously falling onto the back of Goto's neck.

With a sudden burst of power, the two were evenly matched, but Goto was almost without hesitation. After withdrawing his blade, he struck again, and Li Yan, with a numb wrist, decisively stepped forward twice, thrusting his longsword straight ahead recklessly.

Goto's vision blurred, the Ming soldier who was clearly in front of his blade edge had ghostly moved two steps closer, the naginata's handle smashing onto his shoulder, while a chill spread across his own waist and abdomen.

“Damn it!”

Li Yan cursed angrily, the naginata handle hitting the shoulder armor plate, the pain piercing deep into his bones. The Ring Dragon pierced into Goto's rib cage armor, entering the flesh shallowly.

Goto Kagi roared like a tiger. Withdrawing his blade, he struck again; from the start of their clash, he had used only this singular, extremely swift strike, pressuring Li Yan to the point where he could barely defend.

Li Yan leapt backward, running towards the chaotic battlefield where the Ming army and Japanese pirates were entangled. Goto, seeing him escape with bloodshot eyes, chased after him, but his armor weighed much more than Li Yan's, and the surrounding Japanese were simply unable to stop Li Yan. In desperation, Goto grabbed a Japanese pirate at his feet whose right leg had been severed by Li Yan and, moaning in pain, he hurled him towards Li Yan like a sandbag!

Li Yan, who was running towards the central battlefield, paused, swerving to evade a thrust from a junior officer's spear, and with a ringing sound from the Ring Dragon, he drew a bloody line from the junior officer's crotch to his right shoulder. With a kick, Li Yan toppled the Japanese pirate's corpse, snatched the spear, and turned to strike, sending the Japanese pirate who had been used as projectile flying to the side. Planting the Ring Dragon Sword in the ground, he pointed the spear straight at Goto.

“Second round,” he said coldly.

Goto silent, his body poised like a predator ready to pounce, his naginata horizontal, charging with a thick stench of blood!

Li Yan thrust directly with a horizontal spear technique, the spearhead resisting the blade of the naginata.

“Screech…”

The grating sound of metal on metal echoed, the spear shaft bending into an arc under the fierce force of the naginata.

Goto strained his arms, but at the sound of Li Yan's shout, he flicked the spear shaft, and the spearhead, agile as a python, darted towards Goto's wrist.

“What (no need for ‘Nani' now…)”

Goto broke into a cold sweat, pressing down the naginata to narrowly avoid the spearhead, but with his momentum exhausted, he watched helplessly as the mud and blood-stained spearhead plunged straight into his chest!

Chapter end