"Quick, shield bearers forward!"
Zhou Cheng reacted quickly and ordered.
In reality, the order was irrelevant, as the front three rows of pikemen had already been eliminated, marked by white dots.
Next, Zhou Cheng's army's shield bearers stepped forward, using their shields to brace against the tower shields of Chu Chen's army, attempting to push them over.
They expected that three rows of shield bearers, one behind the other, would easily push over the tower shields.
However, the result was only a slight wobble; the shields didn't fall, nor did any significant gaps open up.
"This shouldn't be. What's with this eunuch's tower shields?"
Zhou Cheng was dumbfounded again.
He could understand not being able to push over three rows of tower shields, but this was one row of tower shields and one row of pikemen. Three men pushing one, even with the small triangular base for stability, shouldn't be unable to push it over!
But what made Zhou Cheng even more astonished was yet to come.
The front line, which had been locked in a stalemate of pushing shields and competing for strength, changed again.
With a swirl of sand and dirt, Zhou Cheng's shield bearers cried out in pain and cursed.
When the eyes are attacked, people instinctively prioritize protecting them.
This subconscious self-preservation action undoubtedly reduced the pushing force of Zhou Cheng's shield bearers.
They were directly pushed back a short distance, followed by the familiar deflection of tower shields and the thrust of spears.
Then, the formation closed and advanced, repeating the process.
"Thuggish behavior!"
Zhou Cheng shouted in anger, feeling utterly frustrated.
This was the kind of shameless act only seen from street thugs or children fighting.
"General, stop cursing and think of a solution!"
Each row consisted of fifty men. The pikemen had lost three rows, a total of 150 men eliminated. If another 150 shield bearers were lost, this battle would likely be a complete defeat.
Just as Zhou Cheng came to his senses and was about to order the left and right wing shield bearers to reinforce the front, he suddenly heard Chu Chen's loud shout.
"Shield bearers, attack!"
Soon, hundreds of shield bearers rushed out from the left and right wings, charging towards the flanks of Zhou Cheng's army, immediately tying down the soldiers on Zhou Cheng's sides.
"It's over."
Zhou Cheng was dejected. His left and right wings had only fifty shield bearers remaining in total. With them tied down and unable to support the collapsing front line, it was a sure path to defeat.
Without shield bearers, only pikemen remained, who were helpless against the turtle-shell formation. Moreover, once engaged in close combat, spears were difficult to wield effectively, and even drawing swords would be useless.
If spears couldn't pierce, could swords chop through? These were side swords, not greatswords or斬馬刀 (Zhanmadao - horse-chopping saber).
Although Zhou Cheng quickly recovered and ordered his remaining soldiers to retreat and create distance, intending to bypass the cumbersome tower shields and attack Chu Chen's flanks, the tower shields were cumbersome, but the shield bearers were not. They quickly dealt with their opponents and pursued, preventing them from reforming.
Then came Chu Chen's order to lower shields, followed by the advance of the pikemen.
Seeing his soldiers being eliminated one by one, Zhou Cheng couldn't help but draw his sword and charge towards Chu Chen from the side.
In this situation, he could only rely on his personal combat skills.
"Eunuch Chu, die!"
Before he even arrived, Zhou Cheng's imposing shout preceded him.
He had assumed Chu Chen was merely a personal eunuch to the Fifth Princess. Even if he held a nominal position as a chief eunuch managing internal affairs, his combat prowess would likely be low. He expected Chu Chen to be terrified and flustered upon seeing him charge.
However, Chu Chen remained unfazed, sitting calmly on his horse, watching Zhou Cheng charge.
He didn't even bother to draw his sword.
"Damn eunuch, daring to look down on me! I'll teach you a lesson later."
Zhou Cheng gritted his teeth, planning to land a couple of punches on Chu Chen when no one was paying attention after he defeated him.
At this moment, with most of the soldiers busy eliminating Zhou Cheng's remaining troops at the front, and the tower shields too far to return quickly, Chu Chen was only guarded by fifty shield bearers and fifty pikemen.
Zhou Cheng was confident that he could handle a hundred new recruits on horseback without issue.
Fearless, he charged directly at the soldiers attempting to block him.
Suddenly, several spears were thrust towards Zhou Cheng on his horse.
Zhou Cheng leaned to the side, parried with his sword, and charged through.
However, his expression turned grim; his earlier confidence had vanished.
"Impossible, absolutely impossible. These must be just a few exceptions."
Zhou Cheng recalled the strength he felt when parrying.
This was not the strength of new recruits, but of soldiers in the Body Tempering realm!
Zhou Cheng dared not think further, forcing himself to concentrate on the charge.
The second wave of interception arrived quickly, with several pikemen thrusting from above, below, and the sides simultaneously.
Zhou Cheng, armed only with a sword and no spear, couldn't possibly block so many simultaneous attacks.
He protected his upper body, but his legs and the horse were hit several times, directly eliminating him while still on horseback.
"I lost?"
Zhou Cheng was stunned.
But his warhorse didn't stop; it continued to charge towards Chu Chen.
It didn't understand the rule of white dots signifying elimination in a duel.
"Eunuch Chu, be careful!" the surrounding soldiers shouted in alarm.
"Xiao Chenzi!"
On the high platform, Princess Xin Yue, who had been overjoyed by Chu Chen's victory, instantly turned fearful.
"Not good, no time to rescue!"
Thirty meters away, dozens of experts responsible for the safety of this duel collectively changed their expressions.
Chu Chen, caught off guard, appeared calm, which to outsiders seemed like he was stunned.
While it was normal for eunuchs to ride horses, everyone assumed Chu Chen would likely be unskilled in mounted combat.
They worried about whether he could dodge.
"Fool, dismount quickly! Dismount!"
Seeing Chu Chen still sitting foolishly on his horse, Princess Xin Yue, deeply concerned for him, ignored the Empress's presence and shouted, trying to warn him.
"Fifth Sister, stop shouting. He can't hear you from this distance," the Third Princess said helplessly, her eyes filled with worry as she looked at Chu Chen.
She wanted to recruit Chu Chen, not see him die in a duel.
The Empress frowned, lost in thought.
As the person involved, Chu Chen then made an unexpected move.
He kicked away a soldier who had reacted and tried to pull him off the horse to safety. Then, he slapped the horse's back with both hands and leaped forward.
In an instant, he kicked Zhou Cheng off his horse with one foot and then, with a backhand slash, struck the horse's neck.
He then floated away gracefully.
Behind him, Zhou Cheng's warhorse, its neck struck with immense force, rolled its eyes and fainted.
Without the support of its hooves, the horse continued forward for a meter due to inertia before crashing to the ground.
This startled Chu Chen's warhorse, which was half a meter away, causing it to snort and retreat a few steps.
"He's... he's alright?"
"Eunuch Chu is actually a martial arts master?"
Those watching from the high platform and the training ground were collectively dumbfounded.