The Jiaoren cavalry hastily steadied their horses. Just as they were about to organize a counterattack, the second wave of arrows from Jiang Jin's group rained down again, accompanied by one or two larger boulders.
Over here, Liu Mi and Feng Qingzhu were extremely busy pushing rocks. The large ones they pushed together, while the smaller ones they handled individually. In short, they were giving it their all.
Luo Qingci was assigned to the top of the southern slope. Aside from scouting for any enemy presence to the south, she was also on the lookout for any stragglers.
If any cavalrymen managed to slip through and run her way, she would push the rocks in front of her. She didn't necessarily need to hit them; just slowing down their advance was enough.
It was evident that these cavalrymen had a certain degree of combat experience. After their initial panic, they quickly drew their bows and nocked their arrows, attempting to fight back.
However, they realized that from the bottom of the valley, they couldn't see the enemies above at all. They had no choice but to abandon their counterattack and begin to flee.
Naturally, Jiang Jin and the others would not give them the chance. Arrows flew wildly, and stones rained down chaotically.
Towards the end, when there were no more large rocks left, Feng Qingzhu and Liu Mi picked up small pebbles, dirt, and gravel to throw down.
They didn't aim to hit anyone, only to disrupt and slow down the enemies' escape, buying more time and opportunities for the archery team.
And it actually worked. The showering dirt and gravel fell thick and fast, directly blinding several cavalrymen and their warhorses, making them unable to open their eyes for a moment, rendering them practically blind.
The scene became even more chaotic, with incessant screams echoing through the air.
At the temporary camp in the dense forest.
Hearing the screams from the canyon, Yao Ji felt a mix of gratification and regret, wishing he could join the battle himself.
But he also knew that if he fought again, he might never be able to hold his cavalry lance in the future.
After taking the medicine brewed by Liu Mi, he didn't have much of a fever today. Even if he did, it was only a low-grade one. Given his physical constitution, he estimated he would be able to move freely in a couple of days.
However, a full recovery would probably take at least half a month, if not longer.
At this moment, he wasn't too worried. He knew that canyon; it was easy to defend and hard to attack, making it an excellent location for an ambush.
Setting aside the Princess's abilities, just the Great General and Xie Nanxiao alone were enough to give the Jiaoren a hard time.
Furthermore, if the Jiaoren managed to break through the ambush and escape the canyon, the only path leading to the top of the canyon was the dense forest where they were currently located. If that happened, he would risk his life to kill a few of them.
Chen Zi leaned against the carriage, looking somewhat tense. She also wanted to help, but her body wouldn't allow it; her wounds hurt terribly.
Fortunately, Liu Mi had also treated her wounds and prescribed some medicine. After resting for most of the day, she felt a bit better.
The screams gradually ceased, and both of their faces lit up with joy, knowing the battle had concluded.
Sure enough, not long after, they saw Zhou Sui leading a few people hurriedly down from the mountaintop, rushing outward.
Dong Si returned to the carriage to grab some burlap sacks.
Yao Ji quickly asked, How did it go? Is it all taken care of? Where is the Lady?
Dong Si's face was full of excitement. Of course, we wiped them all out! The Lady is at the top of the slope holding the line for us.
After saying that, he ignored Yao Ji and trotted off to catch up with Zhou Sui and the others.
Jiang Jin stood at the top of the slope, looking at the river of blood at the bottom of the valley and the bewildered warhorses. If any horses tried to run, she fired warning shots.
Besides preventing the horses from escaping, she also had to watch out for any cavalrymen feigning death trying to slip away, as well as any sudden arrivals from the north.
She was used to being cautious, so she stayed behind to keep an eye on the men and horses in the valley, just in case.
Soon, she saw Zhou Sui and the others arrive at the valley floor. Zhou Sui, Xie Nanxiao, and Chen Xi were responsible for controlling and soothing the warhorses.
Meanwhile, Dong Si's three-person kitchen crew was in charge of searching the bodies. They didn't mind the blood and filth on the corpses, conducting their searches with meticulous care.
Even Feng Qingzhu and Liu Mi didn't feel much discomfort. Perhaps they had seen too much, or experienced too much, making them indifferent to it all.
Dong Si pulled a small string of copper coins from a cavalryman's shoe, his eyes curving into a smile.
See? I was right. Shoes, waistbands, and undergarments are the most common places to hide money. You must search thoroughly; all of this belongs to the Lady.
Liu Mi and the other nodded, taking the lesson to heart. Understood. We promise to search meticulously and not miss a single copper coin.
Dong Si nodded in satisfaction. Also, their bows, arrows, quivers, and swords, pick them all up. These all belong to the Lady.
Feng Qingzhu suddenly exclaimed, Ah! I just felt a few dozen copper coins on this man's thigh. He actually sewed a hidden pocket into the thigh of his pants?
Hearing this, Dong Si acted as if he had discovered a new continent. He quickly went over to check, using his knife to slice open the pants, and indeed found the hidden copper coins inside.
He was greatly shocked and deeply pained. Oh no, oh no! I forgot to check the thighs last time. I might have missed out on so much money!
It seems my method was flawed. We need to search their entire bodies. Feel around carefully; we absolutely cannot miss a single copper coin.
After saying this, he took the lead, groping the corpses all over, not even sparing their private parts.
As a eunuch, he probably felt that area was the root of all evil. After feeling around, he couldn't resist stomping on it twice, only feeling satisfied when he heard the sound of something crushing.
Liu Mi and Feng Qingzhu were women of experience and had little psychological burden about searching entire bodies. They also harbored a deep hatred for that part of a man, so after searching, they similarly stomped viciously on it twice.
Zhou Sui and the other two, who were busy leading and calming the warhorses, suddenly felt a tightness in their own lower regions. For the first time, they realized that these three were not weak at all, but rather quite ruthless.
Xie Nanxiao even broke out in a cold sweat, recalling his attitude when teaching the three of them that morning. Perhaps, just maybe, he had been a tiny bit harsh. He wondered if they held a grudge.
Standing at the top of the slope, Jiang Jin listened to the trio's conversation and watched their ruthless actions, unable to stop her mouth from twitching.
She then looked at the warhorses below. Two had been struck directly by large boulders and clearly wouldn't survive; they would have to figure out a way to deal with them.
Four other horses had varying degrees of injuries, but none were fatal. With some care, they should recover just fine. This meant she had gained another forty-one horses from this encounter.
Just as she was thinking this, a cavalryman lying on the ground suddenly sprang up, letting out a loud roar as he charged toward the nearest person, Dong Si.
It turned out to be a cavalryman who had planned to play dead to survive. But after hearing the sounds of balls being crushed one by one, he suffered a mental breakdown and decided to lay his cards on the table. He couldn't pretend anymore!
What was the point of pretending? If he kept playing dead, his balls were going to be crushed!
Damn it! On the battlefield, you only ever heard of finishing off the wounded, never of crushing their balls! This was absolutely intolerable!
Jiang Jin was faster. The arrow in her hand shot out, striking the man dead in the neck.
Dong Si jumped in fright and was about to run when he saw an arrow pierce the neck of the man who had just been baring his fangs and brandishing his claws. The man let out a gurgling sound from his throat.
A warm current welled up in Dong Si's heart as he looked toward Jiang Jin standing at the top of the slope.
Because he was at the bottom of the valley and due to the angle, he could only see a small portion of the top of Jiang Jin's head. However, his mind automatically filled in the image of Jiang Jin's heroic posture. He felt deeply grateful and moved; the Princess was simply too good to him!
But it wasn't over yet. Like a chain reaction, a few more heavily wounded cavalrymen on the brink of death struggled to their feet.
None of them could accept having their balls crushed while they were still alive!
It was just too damn cruel and ruthless!
