Chapter 94: Mengshan

This turned the wagon formation into a simple, small fort.

Unexpectedly, Meng Shan, in a fit of fury, grabbed one of the stacked wagons and flung it away. Naturally, his chest was struck repeatedly, over a dozen times, by the Great Gale Army's spears and halberds, but no one could penetrate his heavy armor. Immediately after, Meng Shan ripped open the wagon in front of him and charged inside!

He Lingchuan didn't witness that display of overwhelming brute force, as he was in the middle of raising his crossbow to shoot. However, he happened to be in Meng Shan's path and was consequently sent flying like a cannonball.

What sent him flying was a massive shield.

Shields typically measured two to three feet in height, but due to Meng Shan's immense stature, his specially made great shield exceeded four feet and weighed over 165 pounds. It was crafted from blackwood infused with refined brass, and a Baxia (dragon-turtle) was emblazoned on its surface.

This weapon, painstakingly forged, was not only for defense; under Meng Shan's incredible strength, it functioned entirely as a heavy weapon. Now, wielding a massive axe in one hand and his heavy shield in the other, he was cutting a swath through the enemy.

No one dared to directly confront him.

With this warrior leading the charge, the Baling people quickly squeezed through the gap in the wagon formation.

“Think carefully before you try to shoot Meng Shan,” a warrior suddenly spoke from a few feet away, even before He Lingchuan made a move. “At least not from here.”

This man had suffered a critical knife wound to his thigh, deep enough to reach an artery, though fortunately his vital parts were unharmed. A Luo had already tended to him, meaning he couldn't move easily. Now, he had no choice but to hide behind a wagon and shoot arrows onto the riverbed.

He Lingchuan took one look and inwardly thought this guy was truly cunning. His hiding spot was incredibly sneaky; the entire wagon completely concealed him, making it difficult for enemies on higher ground to target him, while he could shoot upwards through the gap between two planks.

His accuracy was far superior to He Lingchuan's; every two arrows would land a hit, and enemies would consistently fall with screams.

This significantly relieved the combat pressure on the riverbed.

Such individuals might not excel in combat, but they possessed a unique knack for survival. After all, surviving a battle meant everything.

So He Lingchuan, with a glint in his eye, said to him, “I've thought it over. Help me reload two more crossbow bolts!”

This man also had a one-handed crossbow by his feet. Hearing this, he reloaded two bolts for He Lingchuan and tossed them over. “What’s your name?”

“He Lingchuan.”

He Lingchuan slung one crossbow onto his back, held another in his hand, and struggled to stand up. “It's time to use our trump card.”

If he hadn't taken the medicine, he doubted he'd be able to move at all; this was truly potent medicine, and he'd have to find a way to get more after he woke up.

“My name is Hu Min.” The man bowed to him. “Brave warrior, if you fall, we will follow.”

He Lingchuan rolled his eyes and quickly moved toward the second wagon formation, shouting, “Scatter the money! What are you waiting for?”

It was time.

Dozens of soldiers were stationed behind the second wagon formation, this time using the wagons as sandbags, lying on the roofs to shoot arrows. When He Lingchuan roared, several squads realized it was indeed time, grabbed the items behind them, and flung them forward.

Indeed, what they threw out were gold, silver, and jewels.

With a clatter, gold coins, silver coins, pearls, and agate spheres bounced and rolled chaotically across the ground.

At this sight, He Lingchuan recalled a game he had played long ago. What was that skill called?

Rain of Gold.

Hey? Who threw out a golden toilet along with them?

The Baling people initially thought hidden weapons were coming their way, but a closer look revealed a dazzling shower of gold.

Wealth has a powerful allure.

What's your reaction when there's gold on the ground?

Of course, you bend down to pick it up.

The Baling soldiers who had breached the wagon formation instinctively bent down to pick up the money.

Let others bear the weight of the world; what truly matters is money in your pocket.

These common soldiers had come to the Coiling Dragon Wasteland to risk their lives; ultimately, they were either criminals, conscripts, or simply desperate for money.

Unlike the inhabitants of the Coiling Dragon Wasteland, they could still return home, and this gold and silver would be incredibly useful to them.

With the Baling people in disarray, the Great Gale Army wasted no time, swinging their blades to cut them down.

As for Meng Shan, everyone actively avoided him.

Such a formidable opponent, the common soldiers knew they couldn't handle, and naturally left him for their leaders.

So while Meng Shan rampaged indiscriminately, he hadn't actually incapacitated many people, apart from unlucky ones like He Lingchuan.

Of course, he successfully drew the attention of Commander Xiao. The latter sheathed his saber, exchanged it for a long spear, and roared, “Don't panic! The enemy's fortune is waning; make the most of it!”

Alerted by his words, everyone looked closely, and indeed, the aura surrounding the Baling soldiers had dimmed, far from its previous brightness.

There was already a morale gap between the two sides, and this disparity became even more pronounced with the new development.

What was happening? Why had the enemy's morale suddenly plummeted? He Lingchuan only understood this question when he carefully observed Meng Shan:

The green glow surrounding the formidable man had suddenly brightened.

In other words, he had used the Nation-Founding Token to redistribute fortune, allocating more to himself.

With him taking more, the other soldiers naturally received less.

Such an allocation was justifiable. Meng Shan was tasked with forcefully breaching the wagon formation and breaking through the Great Gale Army's defenses; naturally, the stronger he was, the better, so he could focus his efforts, and he had indeed accomplished it.

So, his next target was the second wagon formation.

Meng Shan was about to charge forward, but Commander Xiao had already arrived, using a long spear to pin him down.

Meng Shan guarded his neck and eyes, two critical weak points, and unleashed a flurry of slashes at Commander Xiao.

Even from that distance, He Lingchuan could hear the whooshing of the wind.

Even Commander Xiao would likely lose his footing if struck.

Of course, Commander Xiao had no intention of directly confronting an opponent with such astonishing strength. He dodged, or deflected the force, his spear tip flashing with cold light as he unleashed more than a dozen rapid, rain-like thrusts!

His martial arts skill was truly astonishing. Even with He Lingchuan staring intently without blinking, he felt dazzled and couldn't keep up with Commander Xiao's speed.

The long spear left afterimages as it moved, and most terrifyingly, every thrust landed on the exact same spot: Meng Shan's rear knee joint!

Although covered in heavy armor, the joints would certainly be relatively weaker.

Meng Shan's body twisted, and he cried out in pain. Suddenly, he lifted his heavy shield and slammed it hard onto the ground.

With a thunderous boom, the ground within a ten-zhang radius around him quaked like a magnitude seven or eight earthquake. Both friend and foe, caught off guard in the midst of battle, simultaneously tumbled down, while objects on the ground leaped up.

As the shockwave spread, Commander Xiao, directly in its path, couldn't maintain his footing, and staggered back three steps.

Meng Shan seized the opportunity to swing his axe, producing three resounding 'clang' sounds. Commander Xiao reacted swiftly, parrying all three blows with his long spear, but was still knocked back more than two zhang.

Despite Meng Shan's imposing height, heavy build, and full armor, he was surprisingly not cumbersome at all. His axe strikes were astonishingly fast. He Lingchuan noticed a faint glow on his axe and surmised that this weapon had a lightweight or swiftness effect.

A mighty warrior and a powerful weapon truly complemented each other.

Meng Shan was about to pursue, when an arrow whizzed and shot towards his eye.

The formidable man raised his axe, and the arrow was blocked by its broad blade.