Chapter 191: Daxuan Army Breaks Through Yu Guo's Border Pass

A scorching, pungent smell hit the face.

Where the city wall was hit, thick smoke billowed and sparks flashed; many bricks shattered, opening a gap larger than a carriage compartment.

This scene left General Yu's mind blank.

"Senior General... is this... a meteor falling from heaven?" the Deputy General said, still shaken.

His words had just fallen.

Boom!

Another spot on the city wall erupted with a huge roar.

The Yu Guo soldiers could no longer attend to their own catapults, clutching their heads and scattering in flight.

General Yu watched helplessly as silver flashes flew one after another from afar in the sunlight, striking the city wall with thunderous crashes; amidst the heaven-shaking, earth-splitting din, the Huangsha Pass defenders had no power to fight back.

All of this was beyond his comprehension.

In that stunned moment, even the watchtower where he stood was blown apart, smoke and flames rising, the high platform swaying on the verge of collapse.

"Senior General! Withdraw quickly!" the Deputy General roared, dragging him away with all his might.

The two tumbled and crawled down the watchtower; before they could steady themselves, a huge boom sounded, and the watchtower shattered into pieces.

Rubble and burning wood rained down like heavenly flowers scattered.

Countless Yu Guo soldiers near the city wall retreated in a frantic, tide-like surge, while innumerable others who hadn't had time to descend from the wall fell to the ground—some dying instantly, others gravely wounded and unable to defend themselves, trampled to death by comrades.

In the extreme chaos, even General Yu, the supreme commander, could no longer control the situation; he could only exert his utmost to flee the wall like the other soldiers.

In an instant, the towering city wall seemed to turn into a fire dragon riddled with a thousand holes.

At the center, the originally impregnable, tall and thick main gate was blown to rubble.

"General, the Huangsha Pass wall is breached!" a subordinate of Duan Wu reported excitedly, "The bombs we hurled with the catapults are incredibly powerful—smashing and blasting, they're unstoppable!"

Duan Wu said: "That's only natural—before, we could level the mountains north of Lin Xian Village with explosives; a mere city wall is nothing. The Fairy even told me that once conditions improve, we'll have something even more powerful than gas-canister bombs. It's said that a single such bomb can destroy an entire city."

"Alright, pass the order: the whole army enters the pass! Ten thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army will follow me to meet the enemy head-on; a hundred thousand troops will seize key points inside the city; we must capture the entirety of Huangsha City before noon!"

At the command, Duan Wu spurred his horse forward, whip in hand, leading the way; 110,000 Daxuan troops followed closely, surging mightily into Huangsha Pass.

After fleeing the wall, General Yu met with all the deputy generals.

Behind them lay the main city of Huangsha Pass.

Besides the 300,000 Da Yu troops, there were also tens of thousands of civilians conscripted to help the logistics corps.

These civilians were mostly the elderly, weak, women, and children; their men had been impressed into the army, their stored grain seized as military rations, and then they were treated like beasts of burden by the Yu Guo logistics corps, squeezed dry of any usefulness.

At this moment, a deputy general reported to General Yu that the soldiers and civilians in the main city had heard that heaven-shaking, earth-splitting commotion, all were somewhat panicked, and some even wanted to flee from the rear of the main city.

General Yu angrily replied: "Whether soldier or civilian, anyone who tries to flee will be treated as a deserter—killed without pardon!"

"Senior General! Xuan Guo's troops are charging in!" a soldier came running from the direction of the city wall, shouting at the top of his lungs.

The situation was so urgent that General Yu couldn't afford to deliberate slowly.

He immediately ordered all combat forces in the city to engage the Xuan Guo army in battle; he would oversee overall command from the rear of the main city.

However, just as he reached the rear camp behind the main city and hadn't even sat down, a deputy general entered the tent to report the situation.

He said Duan Wu led over ten thousand cavalry clad in black armor, wielding a fearsome great long sword never seen before, unstoppable wherever they went.

Before them, the Yu Guo soldiers were as flimsy as paper.

They couldn't land a hit; even if they fought desperately, it was hardly more than tickling the enemy.

If they turned to run, the infantry's two legs couldn't outpace the enemy's four-legged mounts.

When the enemy caught up and swung their great long sword, the combined arm strength and horse's momentum needed only a bent-over, forward thrust to easily behead an iron-armored Yu Guo soldier—as easy as slicing melons and vegetables!

That scene was truly oppressive and terrifying!

With just over ten thousand men, they routed tens of thousands of Da Yu troops, leaving them discarding helmets and armor.

In just half a morning, General Yu had already suffered several shocks beyond his comprehension: "What did you say? You can ride a horse and still slash with a blade?! Won't you fall off?"

"I've seen it with my own eyes!" the humble general exclaimed. "Those black-armored cavalry are extraordinarily agile, as if fused with their horses; no matter how fast they go or how wildly they charge, they never fall off. According to my careful observation, their saddles differ—on each side hangs an unseen ring-shaped device; stepping into it stabilizes the rider! Moreover, their warhorses aren't just clad in impervious armor; even beneath the hooves lies a metal plate harder than refined iron! Charging, they not only knock our people flying, but also trample the wounded to death."

Hearing this, General Yu stared, dumbfounded.

Before this, he would never have imagined, even if beaten to death, that cavalry could be used this way.

No one had ever been able to brandish blades or spears while riding, because even a slightly larger movement would unseat the rider, let alone slashing while galloping.

Thus, in any battle, only archers could ride about, shooting arrows to harass the enemy and assist their own infantry.

Even highly skilled archers, when shooting, must slow their horses and clamp their legs tightly around the belly to avoid falling off.

Yet now the Xuan Guo actually employ them as the main force for charging and killing enemies!

"Senior General... we... should abandon the city and withdraw!" the Deputy General said, sweat beading on his face, forcing himself to speak, "Even if we had more men, we... we have no ability to resist; better not to die pointlessly than to preserve some strength."

General Yu's face turned extremely grim.

But at this moment, the sounds of defeat outside were drawing ever closer.

He could hear his soldiers' anguished cries and the distinctive clatter of metal hooves striking the ground.

At the same time, the other deputy generals stumbled into the tent in disarray, all saying that no matter what battle formation they adopted, they were no match for Duan Wu's cavalry.

What's more frightening, Duan Wu had deployed less than one-tenth of his forces.

Moreover, another 100,000 troops had not yet engaged directly; part of them followed the black-armored cavalry to tidy the battlefield and capture prisoners, while another part attacked various key areas of the city in shifts.

Their terrifying combat power and highly efficient, swift actions were unprecedented.

If this continues, even sacrificing the lives of Huangsha Pass's over 300,000 soldiers and civilians wouldn't hold out for more than a few days.

"Senior General! Withdraw!"

"This battle truly can't be fought!"

"In such circumstances, even if you withdraw, His Majesty won't blame you!"

"Two hundred li behind Huangsha Pass lies another natural fortress pass, more suitable for defense; moreover, we have stockpiled sixty percent of our provisions there—retreating there would allow us to hold!"

The deputy generals began urging each other strongly.

General Yu asked, "Just now, the troops sent to resist Duan Wu—what kind of soldiers were they?"

"Reporting General, they were all conscripted later from the populace; though lacking training, most are still quite brave, after all many of their families still work in our logistics corps, so even if they fear death, they must look after their kin."

"What about the fifty thousand elite troops we brought from the Royal City?"

"Those are the trusted officers and men you have cultivated over the years; naturally they cannot be dispatched lightly—thirty thousand are stationed at the rear grain depots, and twenty thousand remain in the camp, not yet deployed."

Upon hearing this, General Yu pondered briefly, and a hint of ruthlessness appeared on his face.

He immediately informed the deputy generals, insisting that the over two hundred thousand Yu Guo soldiers recently conscripted from the populace, together with tens of thousands of their families, must be kept here to delay the Xuan Guo army.

He himself, together with the deputy generals, took the twenty thousand trusted elite troops from within the city, carried some provisions, and immediately withdrew from Huangsha Pass.

Upon hearing the commander-in-chief's decision, the deputy generals breathed a sigh of relief and hurried to make the arrangements.

Before the main city of Huangsha Pass, over two hundred thousand Yu Guo militia soldiers were all committed to battle, while in the rear, General Yu and the deputy generals led the twenty thousand trusted elite troops, sneaking out swiftly through the rear gate.

However, this situation did not escape the notice of the Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army's drone scout team.

Upon learning the situation, Duan Wu gazed at the endless stream of Yu Guo soldiers advancing before him and let out a long sigh: "These people… were originally just ordinary civilians of Yu Guo, yet now they have become the sacrifices sent to me by their commander-in-chief for his withdrawal. Issue the order: hold fire for now, and try to persuade them to surrender as much as possible."

Using the walkie-talkies for communication, the ten thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army soldiers quickly ceased their advance and retreated in neat formation several hundred meters.

Seeing the Xuan Guo cavalry, which had just been unstoppable and fierce, suddenly withdraw, the Yu Guo soldiers were momentarily bewildered and dared not recklessly engage again.

However, as more and more Yu Guo soldiers arrived from all directions, they began to grow restless again.

After all, merely seeing the dense, endless crowd behind them could generate tremendous fighting spirit.

The ten thousand Xuanjia Armor Armor Armor Armor Army changed formation, drawing together into a single mass, protecting Duan Wu in the center, encircling themselves in a ring, and vigilantly faced off against the Yu Guo soldiers.

At the same time, another hundred thousand troops of Daxuan gathered in the various key areas they had already occupied within the city, relying on the terrain to adopt a purely defensive stance, not attacking.

Hum——

A sharp tearing sound rang out.

Several hundred drones rose from the Daxuan forces, and in a very short time flew to each combat zone where the two armies faced off within the city, then hovered in midair.

In every large and small combat zone, some Yu Guo soldiers who had still been trying to fight the Daxuan troops, upon seeing this strange sight, also halted their advance in astonishment.

Duan Wu picked up a walkie-talkie and said, "Scout team, hear my order: now activate the audio system on your drones, and place your walkie-talkies beside the remote controllers."

The scout team immediately complied.

"Hey hey hey!" Duan Wu shouted into his walkie-talkie.

In midair, all the drones simultaneously emitted his voice.

The Yu Guo soldiers' faces changed one after another; they were stunned, staring at the strange object hovering in the air that also emitted a human voice.

"What… what exactly is… that strange bird?"

"It has no head or tail, appears to have four wings yet does not flap, and can float in midair—strange enough as it is… but… it can actually… produce a human voice?!"

""

The crowd was both curious and panicked, and even their murmurs trembled.

"Everyone, the voice you are hearing now is mine speaking," Duan Wu declared loudly, "I am Duan Wu, commander-in-chief of the Daxuan Xi Tun Pass, and I tell you that General Yu has already fled with his trusted officers and troops."

"I know you are all ordinary civilians of Yu Guo, conscripted into soldiers to attack my Daxuan by a single order of the Yu Guo king; in truth you never wanted to fight."

"And our Daxuan king only wishes to execute the mandate of heaven by destroying the Yu Guo royal house, unwilling to harm innocent civilians; if you lay down your weapons and surrender, I will certainly not slaughter you indiscriminately."

"Within Huangsha City, all grain and supplies—we will take none of it; these were forcibly levied from your homes by the Yu Guo king, and rightfully belong to you."

Upon hearing these words, the Yu Guo soldiers' faces filled with disbelief; they stared dumbfounded and fell into a silence.

Duan Wu added, "If you do not believe me, you may now go to the city's granaries and storehouses to retrieve your grain and supplies."

A commotion gradually began to stir among the crowd.

Soon someone could no longer restrain themselves; although they had not laid down their weapons, they turned and ran toward the granaries and storehouses.

Once someone set the example, everyone rushed forward, fearing to be left behind.

Not long after, every place in the city where grain was stored became packed with people.

The Daxuan forces that had previously occupied those locations immediately opened the warehouse doors.

General Yu fled in such haste that he had no time to carry off the city's grain and supplies, so the warehouses remained virtually full.

Seeing this, the crowd's eyes widened, and they immediately surged forward to rush in and loot.

The Daxuan troops guarding the warehouses all assumed combat formations, brandishing their swords to intimidate.

The officer timely shouted a warning: "The grain and supplies may be distributed to you, but if anyone hoards and loots excessively, they will be killed without mercy!"

"You… really will leave those for us?" someone asked dubiously, gazing at the materiel inside the warehouse doors.

"Could this be a trick? In this world, who would seize a city and then refuse its grain and supplies?"

"Exactly! After capturing a city and looting its lands, burning, killing, and plundering is the norm in warfare—how could you be an exception?"

"What exactly do you mean? What are your intentions?"

Doubtful questions rang out one after another.

The drones in midair sounded with Duan Wu's voice:

"Of course it's because you are so numerous; if you disregard order, chaos will surely follow! Look at our Daxuan army—strong horses, sturdy troops, excellent equipment—would we even deign to look at your paltry grain and supplies? We wouldn't even want them given for free!"

The doubters instantly flushed red with embarrassment.

Duan Wu added, "It is still more than an hour until noon; as soon as you remove your armor and lay down your weapons, you may begin to line up and receive grain and supplies from the warehouses by headcount. Those among you whose families are also in the city may go fetch them and come together to collect. Moreover, anyone who wishes to leave Huangsha Pass may do so freely—the Daxuan army will not obstruct you."