Chapter 409 Flanking Maneuver

In Hutuke's eyes, the silhouette charging against the light grew larger and larger, bringing with it the chill of wind, snow, and death.

Every cell in his body screamed and trembled! That face... it was... him?! It was actually him?!

The shock momentarily even outweighed his fear. The wind from the hammer was already upon his face!

The blood in Hutuke's veins seemed to freeze in that instant, and his survival instinct overwhelmed everything!

He threw himself backward violently, nearly snapping his spine, while his right hand shot out, grabbing the arm of a nearby guard who had drawn his blade, and yanked with all his might!

The guard, caught off guard, stumbled forward, putting himself directly in front of Hutuke.

Before the guard could make a sound, Cheng Ge's iron hammer, carrying the force of a thousand jun, came crashing down!

"Thud—crack!" A sickening, dull impact mixed with the clear crack of splintering bones exploded!

The hammer head slammed into the guard's arm, which he had hastily raised to block.

The arm twisted and snapped instantly, the hammer's momentum unhindered as it continued downward, slamming into his chest!

The chest guard dented and shattered instantly, followed by the terrible muffled sound of his sternum collapsing.

The guard couldn't even manage a full scream; his eyes bulged, and blood sprayed from his mouth.

His entire body flew backward as if hit by a battering ram, his chest a bloody mess, and he was silent upon landing.

Warm blood splattered all over Hutuke's face and head!

Seizing the gap bought with a human life, Hutuke summoned a final surge of strength.

He rolled backward, scrambling awkwardly to get out of the hammer's terrifying range, and crawled toward an unclaimed warhorse a few steps away.

The horse, startled by the sudden noise and bloodshed, was kicking its hind legs.

Hutuke ignored everything, desperately grabbing the reins, stepping into the stirrup, and mounting in a frantic rush, his golden crown askew and his appearance utterly disheveled.

"Hyah! Hyah!" He whipped the horse's hindquarters wildly.

The warhorse, in pain, neighed and charged toward a relatively weak gap in the side of the royal tent!

If he could just break through here and reach the front camp, his main force of ten thousand awaited him! Then, all these rebels would die!

Cheng Ge's strike missed, and the cold gleam in his eyes sharpened. Seeing Hutuke mount and flee, he snorted coldly.

With a flick of his wrist, he swung the heavy hammer one-handed and, in a javelin-throwing stance, hurled it straight at Hutuke's back!

The hammer tore through the air with a terrifying howl!

Though Hutuke was galloping, the chill of death from behind made the hairs on his neck stand up!

Relying almost purely on the dangerous instincts honed through years of battle, he twisted sideways in the saddle, drew the curved saber at his waist, and swung it blindly behind him in full defense!

"Clang—!!!" A piercing metallic clash exploded! Sparks flew where the hammer met the blade!

Hutuke felt a mountain-like force surge through the blade, his entire right arm going numb instantly, the webbing between his thumb and index finger splitting and bleeding freely, and a distinct dent hammered into the saber itself!

His chest churned with rising blood, a sweet taste rising in his throat, and he nearly spat blood!

What... what monstrous strength?! How could Cheng Ge, this seemingly frail man from the Central Plains, possess such terrifying power?!

Hutuke's heart was filled with shock and fury, and his gaze at Cheng Ge burned with incredulous malice and a hint of fear he himself refused to acknowledge.

"You deceived me!" Hutuke gritted out, his voice hoarse and broken.

Cheng Ge had already spurred his horse closer. Hearing this, he merely curled his lips into a mocking smile.

He didn't slow down; instead, he clamped his legs tighter against the horse's flanks and let out a short whistle!

Snowstep seemed to share its master's intent, suddenly sidestepping mid-gallop, hooves kicking up snow and dirt from the frozen ground, and charging toward the spot where the hammer had fallen!

Cheng Ge leaned almost entirely out of the saddle, forming a perilous angle with the horse's back, the wind pulling his wild hair and fur cloak taut behind him.

Just as Snowstep's front hooves swept past the heavy iron hammer, Cheng Ge's outstretched right hand, fingers like hooks, grabbed downward with lightning speed, and the hammer was back in his grip.

He didn't slow; instead, he spurred harder, and Snowstep surged forward until nearly neck-and-neck with Hutuke.

Cheng Ge leaned in, raising the hammer again—not to smash this time, but to drive it viciously toward the neck of Hutuke's mount with a heavy, pushing force!

Hutuke's pupils contracted; he tried to raise his saber to block, but his numb right arm couldn't move in time!

"Thud!" A dull impact sounded. The warhorse neighed, its neck struck hard, its front legs buckling, and its entire body losing balance and rearing up suddenly!

Hutuke's eyes went wide!

In that instant, Hutuke could no longer steady himself and was thrown violently from the saddle!

"Crash!" He slammed onto the frozen ground, tumbling several times, his golden crown rolling aside and his braids caked with dirt.

His organs felt like they had shifted, but the fear of death overwhelmed all pain.

Hutuke didn't even have time to groan; he pushed himself up with his hands, scrambling to his feet to flee again.

"Protect the Great Khan!!"

"Stop them!"

It all happened too fast; only now did the surrounding royal guards react, shouting and surging forward.

Some desperately blocked Cheng Ge and Wuliji's followers charging behind him, while others frantically helped Hutuke to his feet.

Cheng Ge was momentarily entangled by several desperate royal warriors, and Wuliji cut down two more, but the escape route was blocked by the influx of royal soldiers.

Hutuke was dragged upright by his guards, his eyes bloodshot as he swept his gaze over Cheng Ge, Wuliji, and the tribal chiefs glaring at him with hatred, along with the rescued clansmen. His hatred nearly became tangible.

"Go! Follow me! To the front camp!" he roared hoarsely, his voice twisted with rage.

Once back among his main army, he would still be the supreme Great Khan! Today's humiliation would be repaid a hundredfold!

A guard desperately shoved a horse's reins into his hand. Hutuke, enduring the pain, climbed back into the saddle, using both hands and feet.

This time, he didn't even bother to sit properly, kicking the horse's flanks hard and crouching low, charging desperately with his loyal guards toward a direction outside the royal tent area where the sounds of battle were relatively quiet!

"Chase him! Don't let him reach the front camp!" Cheng Ge swept aside a Northern Di soldier in his path.

Cheng Ge swept aside an obstructing royal soldier with his hammer, his gaze fixed like a blade of ice on Hutuke's fleeing figure ahead.

He knew well that this viper must never be allowed to return to his lair, or everything they had done would be for nothing.

There's no room for failure today—only success!

"Wuliji!" Cheng Ge spurred his horse closer, his voice cutting through the wind, clear and cold. "Take your men and swing around the left, cut off his path to the main road!

I'll take the right and block the narrow trail through the tent ruins! We'll meet at the scrap yard ahead and catch him like a rat in a trap!"

Wuliji's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly at that.

Splitting forces could indeed improve the chances of interception, but it also meant dividing their strength, and Cheng Ge's side seemed to have fewer men.

Though Hutuke was defeated, he still had loyal guards around him, and cornered, he might lash out desperately...

He instinctively wanted to speak up, to volunteer to take the right-side trail himself.

However, Cheng Ge gave him no time to hesitate. The second he finished, he yanked the reins hard, and Snowstep neighed as it turned.

He raised his heavy hammer and barked low at the dozen or so elite warriors of the Uerha Tribe and several fierce fighters from other clans following behind: "Follow me!"

Hooves churned, flinging up snow and mud, and Cheng Ge shot off like an arrow from a bow toward the narrow passage on the right, his figure quickly swallowed by the tangled shadows of the tents.

Wuliji watched Cheng Ge's resolute back, swallowed the words stuck in his throat, and his eyes went dark.

"Erdene! Take your men and follow me on the left! The rest of you, fall in!" Without further hesitation, he spurred his horse forward and charged out first.