Chapter 554: The Death of Hong Taiji and Daišan

His own side had been beaten into this state—what on earth had happened?

Why had it come to this?

Seeing Daišan dragging him along, a bitter smile flickered across Hong Taiji's face.

Even if they fled now, where could they possibly go?

At this point, there was no hope left.

Still, Hong Taiji struggled to stand up, but failed.

Looking down at his thigh, Hong Taiji saw that it was already broken. In the explosion just now, he had been severely wounded. There was no way he could run now—he couldn't even mount a horse.

Hong Taiji turned his head to Daišan and said, "Elder Brother, you go on ahead. I'm not leaving. If we delay any longer, neither of us will make it out!"

"Go back to Hetu Ala immediately, take our people and run! We can't fight anymore! We can only wait for the future! I'm entrusting our khanate to you, Elder Brother. Take care of yourself, and please look after the family as well!"

This was entrusting his wife and children to another.

Daišan shook his head and gestured for the men still standing nearby to come support Hong Taiji, insisting on bringing him back together.

If his younger brother couldn't return now, then Daišan going back to Hetu Ala alone would accomplish nothing. Though he was the Great Beile and carried prestige, his position still lacked legitimacy.

If his brother died, or was captured by the Ming army, there would inevitably be those who wanted to surrender—such a scenario was not impossible.

Internal division would quickly be put on the agenda, and by that point, nothing could be done.

Besides, this was his own younger brother; the two of them had a good relationship. He could not leave him here—he had to take him away!

If his brother were left behind and fell into the hands of the Great Ming, who knew how they would deal with him.

So his brother had to return. No matter how one looked at it, he had to leave.

But just at that moment, the dense sound of hoofbeats like drumbeats suddenly rang out in the distance.

The sound of the hoofbeats grew louder and louder, like thunder on a summer night, drowning out Daišan and the others entirely.

Clearly these horses were galloping at full speed. Everyone knew these were the Great Ming's warhorses—the Ming cavalry was charging in.

And indeed that was exactly what was happening. The Ming cavalry that had been on both flanks moments ago had now charged up. They held long guns in their hands, and seeing people gathered together, they raised their guns in an instant. Without a moment's hesitation, they pulled the triggers.

No matter what the other side intended to do, none of them would be allowed to remain.

"Bang! Bang bang! Bang bang bang!"

Gunfire erupted instantly, bullets flying out directly.

The people who had been standing on the ground collapsed onto it in an instant, with absolutely no room to resist.

Hong Taiji watched with his own eyes as blood sprayed from Daišan's chest, and Daišan toppled headfirst to the ground.

The people around them also all collapsed to the ground, shot dead on the spot.

"Elder Brother!" Hong Taiji shouted at the top of his lungs, his face twisted with anguish.

But the next moment, blood also burst from his own chest—a bullet had pierced straight through it in an instant.

Hong Taiji collapsed to the ground at once. He tried desperately to lift his head, but it was futile. Gazing at the gray, gunpowder-reeking sky, a single tear of unwillingness slid slowly from the corner of his eye, and his consciousness gradually faded.

When everything sank into darkness, the earth fell silent.

A group of cavalry quickly surrounded the area, sealing it off.

At this moment, Lu Xiangsheng also pressed forward with his men.

He himself came from a military background and was highly skilled in martial arts, so naturally he couldn't just wait in the rear at a time like this.

He couldn't wait to get onto the battlefield. Sweeping his gaze around, he saw that it was indeed a scene of utter devastation.

Though they had drilled countless times, this was still the first time Lu Xiangsheng had truly witnessed the power of these weapons.

The scene was far too shocking—it made one feel numb all over, from head to toe.

Corpses were everywhere. Many of the bodies were already mangled, blown to pieces. Many warhorses also lay fallen on the ground.

When the cannons had been firing just now, Lu Xiangsheng had watched these warhorses, wounded by the blasts, bolt wildly in every direction, directly smashing through the formation. Some even ran into the midst of the infantry ranks.

These warhorses trampled the infantry, and in many places on the field one could see bodies crushed to death under hooves.

Though cannons were not something he was seeing for the first time, and warhorses were professionally trained and wouldn't necessarily go mad—this time the cannons used were different from before, and severely wounded horses would certainly go berserk.

Under such artillery fire, even a man's heart would collapse, let alone a horse's. That was how the present scene had come about.

After sweeping his gaze across the field, Lu Xiangsheng said directly, "Have them clean up the battlefield. Don't leave a single wounded man alive—finish them off with shots from a distance. Whatever you do, don't get close."

This was also an iron rule of the Imperial Guard Corps: after killing the enemy, finish off the wounded from a distance.

Getting close risked being injured by the enemy, so finishing them from afar was the best method.

And while the Great Ming's bullets were not cheap to produce, the training costs of these soldiers were even higher. Trading bullets for enemy lives was very worthwhile. These men had been strictly selected and meticulously trained—they were not something a single bullet could compare to.

Gunfire on the battlefield immediately rang out in a continuous roar once again. They carried out the finishing shots very quickly. Though tens of thousands of bullets would be expended, basically no one cared.

As for those who realized what the Ming army was doing, many could no longer lie on the ground pretending to be dead. Some jumped up and surrendered on the spot; others charged at the Ming soldiers and were shot down on the battlefield; still others drew their bows and loosed arrows, and by accident actually did wound two Imperial Guard Corps soldiers.

Seeing this, Lu Xiangsheng knew it was unavoidable.

The battlefield was cleaned up quickly—there wasn't much of value to begin with.

Soon, a scout ran up to Lu Xiangsheng and said, "Commander, we've found the corpse of the Jianzhou barbarians' leader."

Hearing this, Lu Xiangsheng's heart steadied.

Please let it be the one he hoped for!

If in this battle he had killed Hong Taiji, then he would gain countless benefits. Not only would his reputation soar, but his merit would surely skyrocket as well.

That was why, the moment he had spotted Hong Taiji earlier, Lu Xiangsheng had ordered the artillery to concentrate fire on that area. After the mountain guns had fired over, he'd added two rocket shells—that area had received special attention.

When the shooting started, the machine guns had also poured a great many bullets toward Hong Taiji's position. Under such circumstances, that side had certainly suffered heavy losses.

But as for the exact situation, Lu Xiangsheng didn't know. Hong Taiji might have survived, or he might be dead.

If he survived, that would naturally be best—he could take him prisoner and send him to the Emperor. But if he was dead, there was nothing to be done; bringing back the corpse would work just as well. The merit would be slightly less, but in the end, it was still killing the enemy chieftain.

"Hurry, go take a look!" Lu Xiangsheng said with a laugh.

Cao Wenzhao, who was beside him, also stepped forward at this moment. Upon hearing what had happened, he hurriedly followed along.

The two quickly arrived at the slope, where a crowd had already gathered, and a number of corpses lay on the ground.

Several of the bodies had been carried out, and judging by their clothing and bearing, none of these people were of ordinary status.

Lu Xiangsheng's gaze quickly fell upon the corpse laid in the middle.

This man was Hong Taiji!

He was the one he had just seen through the telescope!

The corpse beside him should be Daišan—he had been right next to Hong Taiji just moments ago.

Lu Xiangsheng glanced at the soldiers around him and asked, "Do you know how these men died?"

"Reporting to the Grand Marshal, we've already investigated. They were killed by a single volley when the cavalry came to clear the area. The cavalry saw a large crowd gathered here and opened fire." The general said with some indignation: "These people were simply too foolish."

He felt like killing someone right now.

These people mixed in here were all high-ranking figures. If I had captured them alive, what an enormous merit that would have been!

And now these bastards had killed them all with a single volley of pistols!

Now look what's happened—all that's left are corpses, nothing else.

Lu Xiangsheng nodded without saying anything.

There was no point in saying anything more. If he blamed his subordinates at a time like this, it would trigger a chain reaction and make his men unhappy.

So saying nothing at all was the best course—give credit where credit was due.

Lu Xiangsheng said, "Have someone prepare carts and send the bodies to Shanhai Pass immediately. Let the victory report go ahead first, with the bodies following after. Be careful along the way—don't let anything go wrong."

That general quickly replied, "Rest assured, Grand Marshal—we will complete the mission!"

Lu Xiangsheng nodded and continued, "Let the men who shot them down escort the bodies. By the time you return to Shanhai Pass, the merit should already have been reported. I believe the court and His Majesty will not be stingy with rewards."

Upon hearing these words, the faces of the men around him immediately lit up with joy.

Just moments ago they had still been dejected, after all, they were the ones who had killed Hong Taiji. Now the Grand Marshal not only refrained from blaming them, but was letting them escort the bodies to Shanhai Pass—he was giving them a chance to show their faces!

The rewards from His Majesty would surely be generous. This time it was worth it!

The men hurriedly bowed and shouted in unison, "Thank you, Grand Marshal!"

Lu Xiangsheng nodded and said to the soldiers nearby who looked somewhat envious, "Alright, no need to envy them. There are still great battles ahead. When the time comes, earn a bit more merit, and you'll have all the rewards you want."

Cheers erupted in that instant, and morale was roused in that moment.

Lu Xiangsheng smiled, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked back, his expression gradually turning grave.

Glancing at Cao Wenzhao beside him, Lu Xiangsheng slowly asked, "What do you think—how are things on Sun Chuanting's side? Have they taken Fushun City?"

Upon hearing this, Cao Wenzhao's eyes lit up, and he said, "I rather hope they haven't taken it."

The two exchanged a look and laughed together.

At that moment, they were of one mind—both had thought of the same thing: how to seize the credit.

Now that Hong Taiji was dead and his main force annihilated, whoever charged in first would reap the spoils.