Return to the City: The Strongest King

With a wave of his hand, the hundred men started closing in on them. They didn't attack immediately; they intended to use their numerical advantage to apply psychological pressure on Song Xiaodong's group, hoping to make them surrender willingly.

Song Xiaodong squinted and suddenly waved his hand. The entire team moved in perfect unison, launching an attack first and charging in one direction.

"Seeking death!" Lu Tian'ao sneered and shouted, "Kill!"

The hundred men immediately quickened their steps, filled with battle intent.

Song Xiaodong had participated in many military operations, but those were small-scale skirmishes. In modern warfare, close-quarters combat was rare, as problems were often solved from a distance with firearms.

This large-scale melee was the first Song Xiaodong had experienced.

When reading novels or watching movies, it always seemed like tens of thousands were fighting, creating a grand spectacle. Now, with a total of one hundred and twenty, it seemed trivial.

But being in the midst of it was a completely different feeling, as people surrounded him from all sides, creating an undeniably grand spectacle.

As the two sides drew closer, Song Xiaodong felt his blood surge with excitement. What man doesn't long for the battlefield? Now, he finally had the chance to immerse himself in such a scene.

The first to collide head-on with Song Xiaodong's team was a tall and strong man, a skilled fighter. He struck the massive rattan shield with both palms.

Given his strength, these two palms should have at least toppled the rattan shield, if not shattered it.

But the shield merely trembled and steadily held its ground against Song Xiaodong's people.

This startled the man greatly. He knew exactly how much power his palms held. His hands were usually meant to break enemy shields, so nothing could stop him. How strong was the person holding that shield?

The shield bearer wasn't on the same level as him, but let's not forget Song Xiaodong.

Song Xiaodong had modified the shield, adding a bracket that, when facing the enemy, could be lowered. This clever bracket acted as a force conductor, directing the opponent's strength to the ground, leaving the shield bearer unscathed.

While the man was stunned, two spears shot out from the sides of the shield, reaching his chest in the blink of an eye.

The man was instantly terrified, wanting to retreat, but others had charged up from behind, leaving him no room to escape. He could only use both hands to deflect the spears.

However, having already exerted full force with those two palms, it was too late to withdraw his hands, and he lacked the strength. Although he touched the spear shafts, he couldn't deflect them, only altering their direction slightly.

"Pfft! Pfft!" The two spears pierced his shoulder and thigh, then were swiftly withdrawn.

The big man cried out in pain and staggered. The best course of action then was to retreat.

Yet on this battlefield, wanting to withdraw when injured was impossible. The forward momentum of those behind him forced him onward.

No sooner had the spears been withdrawn than they stabbed out savagely again.

The strong man, already injured, had his defenses weakened. Though he managed to deflect one spear, the other pierced his chest directly.

Witnessing this unfold, Song Xiaodong couldn't help but sigh. That big man's strength would rank him among the top ten in the Su Family.

If not on the battlefield, the twenty-odd people here wouldn't have been able to take him down without him making a move.

Yet he was killed so effortlessly, likely without having exhibited even a tenth of his strength. On the battlefield, victory isn't decided by individual combat prowess, but by strategy and tactics.

The same scenario occurred repeatedly around them. In the blink of an eye, five opponents had been killed.

This significantly boosted the confidence of Song Xiaodong's twenty Family Guards. Any lingering fear dissipated, with large shields for protection and effective spear attacks, their coordination improved with their raised morale.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The sound of hitting the shields echoed, as the opponents saw them as the main obstacles and focused their attacks there.

But the shield's vines had been reinforced with oil, making them tough, with two layers of Poisonous Dragon hide lining them. Breaking through wasn't so easy.

Meanwhile, spears behind the shields threatened those attacking, like snakes poised to strike. After losing a dozen men, the attackers realized their approach wasn't working.

Lu Tian'ao frowned. He had thought these people were nothing but worthless. He believed his hundred men would easily defeat them, not expecting to encounter such a challenge.

With a wave of his hand, Lu Tian'ao shouted, "Attack!"

Several people leaped from the crowd, jumping over the shields and directly into the formation.

If they couldn't break through from the outside, they'd breach it from within.

Soon, a few spears rose to meet the airborne attackers.

But those attackers, also wielding spears, deflected the strikes mid-air.

This alarmed Song Xiaodong's men. If those attackers broke in, their formation would collapse, making survival impossible against so many opponents.

"Impudent!" With a deep voice, a spear shot forth like a dragon out of the sea.

An airborne attacker tried to parry, but the spear suddenly changed direction, sliding along his spear shaft and piercing his chest.

Before he could scream, the spear withdrew and thrusted at the next one.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

With three more spears, all four airborne attackers fell, unable to defend against Song Xiaodong's strikes.

The four spear thrusts occurred nearly simultaneously, their bodies dropping to the ground in unison as Song Xiaodong retracted his spear.

Song Xiaodong flicked his spear, throwing the four bodies to the side.

"Master, mighty!" The twenty men shouted in unison. When Song Xiaodong killed Cao Lian, they hadn't seen it. Witnessing his prowess now brought their reverence for him to its peak.

With Song Xiaodong overseeing the Central Army, they had no worries, their battle spirit surged, enhancing their abilities.

"Who else seeks death?" Song Xiaodong shouted among the crowd.

"Who else seeks death?" The twenty men echoed loudly!

Lu Tian'ao's face darkened. In the blink of an eye, he'd lost over a dozen strong men, a significant blow.

"Kill! We must take them down today!" Lu Tian'ao roared, his eyes reddening.

The rest charged again, eyes blazing. Among the fallen were their kin and friends, fueling their desire to tear Song Xiaodong's group to pieces.

This war was exceedingly brutal. Those in the thick of it lost all rationality, their only thought being to slay the enemy before them.

During war, humans are beasts.

Song Xiaodong remained calm throughout. Despite the initial success, he knew their opponents still held a numerical advantage and were individually stronger. Over time, they were bound to lose. Thus, planning a retreat was crucial.