Just as Zhang Chen called out to the System, he was momentarily distracted, and Zhang Niujiao's saber came slashing down towards him.
"Clang!" A long spear blocked Zhang Niujiao's zhanmadao; it was Zhang He.
"Vile bandit, do not harm my Lord! This General is here to face you!" Zhang He roared, parried the zhanmadao, and thrust his spear towards Zhang Niujiao.
Zhang He's spear skill was the golden trait 【Pinnacle of Spear Skill】, his strength far surpassing Zhang Chen's. After fighting Zhang Niujiao for only a few exchanges, he began to feel overwhelmed, feinted a move, turned his horse, and fled.
Seeing their commander flee, the bandit army lost all will to fight. The cavalry immediately turned their horses and followed Zhang Niujiao. But the foot Soldiers couldn't keep up and suffered heavy casualties from a single charge by Zhang Chen's elite cavalry.
How could Zhang He let go of such an opportunity for merit? He immediately led his troops in direct pursuit.
Zhang Chen, meanwhile, rode his horse to the foot of the city wall and looked up. He saw a person dressed as a scholar standing on the city wall, staring blankly down below.
Zhang Chen thought to himself that this person must be the County Magistrate Dong Zhao, and immediately clasped his hands in greeting, "Lord Dong, Zhang Zifan, Magistrate of Guangping County, has brought troops to reinforce. Please rest for a moment, Lord, and I will speak with you after I defeat the bandit army!"
Having said that, Zhang Chen turned his horse and shouted an order, "All troops, heed my command! Charge towards the East Gate and annihilate the bandit army!"
Zhang Chen? Zhang Zifan!
Dong Zhao couldn't help but be startled.
He had known about this person from Ju Shou's letter long ago, but he didn't expect him to actually bring troops! And, he was so young, yet he had already become a County Magistrate?
At this moment, at the East Gate, Bai Rao and Sui Gu were directing their subordinates in a fierce assault on the city.
The battering ram had been pushed to the foot of the wall, just a hair's breadth away from the city gate, but a large number of Soldiers had already died around it. Arrows rained down from the city, making it impossible to approach the battering ram.
"Forward! Push forward for me, push the battering ram over, and break open the city gate!"
Bai Rao, holding his saber, directed the Soldiers to continue charging.
At this moment, he was extremely anxious.
Wasn't it said that there was an insider in the city? Wasn't the insider supposed to open the city gate after the battle began? How long had the battle been going on, and there was no sign of movement?
How reliable was this Zhang Niujiao, after all?
Although he called him 'Commander', the Black Mountain Army originally fought independently and were not subordinate to each other. He had only come this time to save face for him. Now it seemed that Zhang Niujiao's ability was just average; if the Black Mountain Army were truly in his hands, it would be lost sooner or later.
Forget it, once this matter is over, it's better to quickly leave him.
As Bai Rao was thinking to himself, a troop of cavalry suddenly galloped over from the right side of his army.
Zhang Niujiao arrived nearby, reined in his horse, looked at the battle situation before him, and then looked at the city wall, revealing a look of doubt.
What's going on? Why hasn't the city gate been captured yet?
Zhang Niujiao couldn't help but be greatly surprised. According to the agreement, the insider hiding in the city should have opened the city gate long ago!
Could it be that some unforeseen change occurred?
Zhang Niujiao looked at the tightly shut city gate, his anger boiling. He immediately shouted at Bai Rao and Sui Gu, "Damn it! Dawdling! Why hasn't the city been breached yet!"
Sui Gu quickly explained, "This... Commander, the government troops' defense is too strong, and the battering ram is too heavy. Our men can't even reach the city gate before being shot dead..."
"Useless wretches!" Zhang Niujiao cursed angrily, "Get out of the way, I'll do it! You two, quickly gather your men and wipe out those cavalry behind me!"
As Zhang Niujiao spoke, he immediately dismounted, snatched a shield from a nearby Soldier, and then ordered the Soldiers around him, "Raise your shields and follow me to the front!"
Having said that, Zhang Niujiao raised his shield and charged forward.
Bai Rao was furious and was about to erupt but was stopped by Sui Gu.
"The overall situation is important, don't be impulsive!" Sui Gu said, "First eliminate the cavalry behind us!"
Wait! Cavalry? What cavalry? Where did the cavalry come from?
After Sui Gu finished speaking, he exchanged glances with Bai Rao and immediately felt something was wrong.
As the two were feeling doubtful, they saw the direction from which Zhang Niujiao had come. The sound of hooves was deafening, and thousands of elite cavalry swept over like a tide.
Damn it! This bastard, why didn't he say earlier that there were pursuers behind him!
Bai Rao cursed Zhang Niujiao's ancestors eighteen generations back in his heart, and then shouted the order, "Quick! Quick! Block them for me!"
Of the twenty thousand strong army, several thousand were attacking the city, and Bai Rao and Sui Gu still had over ten thousand Soldiers by their side.
Bai Rao was a reckless man, possessing only brute strength and not a shred of strategy. Seeing that the one leading the charge was a General, he paid it no mind.
A mere youngster, whose hair hadn't even fully grown, dared to come to the battlefield!
Bai Rao immediately roared, "My men, do not panic, follow me and charge! First, cut down the approaching General!"
Having said that, he cast aside his saber, picked up his long saber, spurred his horse forward, and charged straight towards that General.
This General was none other than Zhang He.
Just after defeating Zhang Niujiao, while Zhang Chen rode to the foot of the city wall to speak with Dong Zhao, Zhang He had led his own troops and pursued directly.
In a moment, Bai Rao arrived on horseback, saber in hand, and roared at Zhang He, "Where did this little brat come from, daring to seek death here!"
Upon seeing the approaching General, Zhang He's heart immediately rejoiced.
After the Yellow Turban Rebellion, there were no major battles. Although he held the position of Military Commandant in the commandery, he merely trained troops every day and was almost bored to death. He didn't expect that by coming with Zhang Chen today, he would encounter such a situation, and even have an enemy General daring to challenge him!
Zhang He swung his spear and smiled, "Where did this vile bandit come from? Haven't you heard the name of this General, Zhang He?"
At this time, Zhang He was still a newly emerged General. How could Bai Rao know that the person before him would be a famous General who would shake the world in the future? He immediately laughed, "Hahaha, just an unknown nobody, yet you dare to boast! Your grandfather is Bai Rao, a General of the Black Mountain Army! If you know what's good for you, retreat quickly to avoid losing your life in vain!"
"Bah! Vile bandit, come quickly and face your death!" Zhang He said, spurred his horse, and charged straight at Bai Rao.
Although Zhang He was young, his martial skill was already remarkable. The long spear in his hand was used with divine proficiency.
Although that Bai Rao also possessed some bravery, he was merely a crude ruffian. How could he be a match for Zhang He?
The two met, and after only a few exchanges, Zhang He thrust his spear, hitting him directly in the chest, and impaled Bai Rao, knocking him off his horse.
Seeing this, the remaining bandit Soldiers were scared out of their wits and immediately scattered, holding their heads.
Sui Gu, who was nearby, was also greatly alarmed by Zhang He's divine bravery and quickly directed the Soldiers to go and resist.
"Raise shields, form a circular formation, and block the cavalry!"
Compared to Bai Rao, Sui Gu was clearly more composed. With a single command, the Soldiers instantly formed a formation.
At this moment, Zhang Chen also spurred his horse and arrived. From a distance, he saw a General lying on the ground, having been impaled and knocked off his horse.
This Zhang He, his execution is quite swift!
Zhang Chen couldn't help but sigh, while activating his 【Insight Eye】 and scanning the impaled enemy General.
The enemy General was dead, so his name couldn't be displayed, but the four trait cards surrounding him, two blue, one green, and one white, were still clearly visible.
【Superhuman Strength (Blue)】【Proficient Swordsmanship (Blue)】【Archery (Initial Understanding) (Green)】【Witless (White)】
It seems this guy wasn't much stronger than Yu Du; truly, birds of a feather flock together, and people gather in groups!
Zhang Chen sighed inwardly, and immediately activated his 【Hand of Plunder】, seizing all the two blue and one green traits. As for the white 【Witless】, Zhang Chen naturally wouldn't want it.
The System's Plunder Value also instantly increased by 400 points!
【Ding! Detected that the host currently possesses traits with the same name, the fusion condition has been met. Fuse and upgrade?】
Fuse!
A light screen appeared before him. Two green 【Archery (Initial Understanding)】 trait cards appeared before his eyes. The two cards gradually approached and overlapped, followed by a flash of blue light.
【Skilled Archery】!