Left behind to handle the situation, the lieutenant saluted as his general rode off, then gripped his lance tightly and roared, "By the general's command—kill them!"
The rallying cry echoed as dozens of cavalrymen raised their lances and charged forward.
The thunder of hooves filled the air, and battle cries rang out in unison. Within moments, the cavalry had plunged into the stream.
However, just as Qin Ming had predicted, the water slowed their momentum significantly. With the stream reaching their horses' waists, the cavalry's greatest asset—their charge—was nullified.
Even so, these were no ordinary soldiers. As cavalry, they were elites—far superior to common infantry in both skill and equipment. While they weren't on the level of Cao Cao's famed Tiger and Leopard Cavalry, they were still a force to be reckoned with.
Against just two enemies, they were confident of their overwhelming superiority.
The first cavalryman to reach Qin Ming thrust his lance forward, aiming to skewer him.
Qin Ming reacted swiftly, catching the shaft of the lance mid-thrust. With a roar, he yanked the weapon, lifting the soldier off his horse and slamming him into the water with a loud splash.
Before the soldier could regain his footing, Qin Ming stomped down hard on his head, forcing him underwater despite his struggles.
Meanwhile, Qin Ming hurled the lance with all his strength. Enveloped in flames, the spear impaled another charging cavalryman, sending him flying from his horse.
The defeated soldier's mount galloped past Qin Ming, unburdened by its fallen rider.
As for the poor soul beneath Qin Ming's boot, his struggles ceased as he drowned in the shallow stream.
The lieutenant, enraged by the loss of two men in seconds, charged at Qin Ming with a furious bellow.
His lance struck empty air as Qin Ming dodged, and his warhorse's charge also failed to land.
Just as the lieutenant passed by, Qin Ming, his eyes glowing with a red light, let out a roar and slammed into the man with his shoulder.
The impact sent the lieutenant and his horse flying several meters, crashing into the water with a tremendous splash.
In the same moment, four other cavalrymen managed to land simultaneous strikes, their lances piercing Qin Ming's coat and grazing his skin.
The weapons failed to penetrate his muscles, but the force of the charge sent Qin Ming sliding backward across the water, leaving a wake behind him.
After several meters, the cavalry's momentum was spent, and Qin Ming came to a halt.
Snarling, Qin Ming clamped the four lances under his arms, flexing his immense strength to force his way forward. The four soldiers, caught off guard, were sent flying from their mounts and into the water.
Before Qin Ming could finish them off, more cavalry surged forward, their attacks turning the stream into a chaotic battlefield.
Arrows flew, lances thrust, and swords clashed as the cavalry encircled Qin Ming and Ghost Lady. The pair found themselves overwhelmed, their movements hindered by the water.
Though Qin Ming's durability made him nearly impervious to their attacks, Ghost Lady, with her speed-and-mind-oriented build, struggled to withstand the relentless assault.
Amid the chaos, a figure emerged from the forest—a man wearing sunglasses and a cigarette clenched between his teeth. It was none other than Tarma, the gun master Qin Ming had summoned.
Tarma quickly assessed the situation. Finding a vantage point on a nearby hill, he set up his light machine gun on a boulder.
From his belt, he retrieved his grenades, bundling them in threes with strips of cloth torn from his uniform to maximize their destructive power.
Taking a final drag from his cigarette, he exhaled a puff of smoke, dropped the butt, and steeled his expression as he aimed his weapon at the cavalry.
The machine gun roared to life, its deafening sound slicing through the battlefield.
Bullets tore through the air, splashing into the water and ripping into the ranks of the cavalry. Soldiers were thrown from their mounts, screaming as they fell.
Horses, panicked by the gunfire, reared and thrashed, throwing their riders into the water before fleeing in all directions.
The H-type machine gun's rounds, designed for use against light tanks, wreaked havoc among the soldiers. Fixed on its perch, the gun delivered precise and devastating suppression fire.
In seconds, the cavalry was decimated. Bodies and equipment floated in the bloodied water.
For those unfortunate enough to survive the initial barrage, Tarma had another surprise.
With a wicked grin, he lobbed his bundled grenades into the midst of the struggling soldiers.
A massive explosion erupted, sending water and bodies flying into the air. The cavalry, once a proud and disciplined force, was reduced to chaos.
On the hillside, Tarma adjusted his sunglasses, their lenses glowing red in the light of the gunfire. Though his attributes paled in comparison to other plotline characters, Tarma's firepower more than compensated for any deficiencies.
As a gun master, his short-term damage output was unparalleled. Armed with 500 machine gun rounds and 24 grenades, Tarma obliterated the cavalry in moments, leaving only scattered remnants.
Witnessing their comrades slaughtered, the remaining cavalry finally broke. Throwing down their weapons, they scrambled back toward the shore, desperate to escape the nightmare.
But without their mounts, they stood no chance against Tarma's pursuit.
The machine gun, known as the "cavalry killer," made short work of the fleeing soldiers.
Within minutes, the battlefield fell silent, the stream littered with the remains of what had once been a formidable force.