Chapter 397

Xingqing Prefecture,

Everything in the city was in shambles,

The specific time was unknown,

Only knew it was very early in the morning,

Stars could not be seen,

Wind was blowing in the gloomy sky.

By the street outside the Zaijue mansion,

Not knowing if it was an overturned candle or a remaining stove fire, it had already ignited a house not far away, and with the help of the wind, it was burning fiercely.

The firelight shone on several figures leading horses in the distance.

Near the firelight,

"Pat pat"

"Tsk!"

Xu Zaijing patted the dust off his body and spat out a mouthful of saliva full of dust.

Just not far from Xu Zaijing, three Bai Gao Kingdom people—two adults and one child, all covered in dirt—were kneeling on the ground.

The two adults, a man and a woman, were speaking excitedly to Xu Zaijing in the Bai Gao language.

Then they saw Xu Zaijing's Great Zhou red cavalry uniform, different from the Bai Gao soldiers, after he patted off the clean dust.

A look of surprise appeared in the eyes of the two adults; they looked at Qingyun, Pang Wantun, and the others, and for a moment, they couldn't even speak.

Xu Zaijing turned his head to smile slightly at the child in the two people's arms, who was looking at him blankly with wide eyes, and then said, "Let's go, to the next place."

Xu Zaijing and the others walked forward; Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding, following behind, said in the Bai Gao language, "These are the heavenly soldiers and generals sent by the Great Zhou Emperor, they are the sons of the Xu family of Marquis Yongyi!"

After speaking, he walked quickly to catch up.

"Ayi! Ayi!..."

Behind was a segment of Bai Gao language that Xu Zaijing couldn't understand.

Behind a collapsed courtyard wall, a Bai Gao youth wearing pajamas, covered in dust, with a broken forehead, was crying and howling in front of a collapsed house.

The blood and dust on his forehead had mixed into black.

Hearing the crying and shouting, Xu Zaijing led his people over.

Walking closer, seeing the figures of Xu Zaijing and the others, the youth stood up shakily, pointed at the collapsed house and said a few words loudly to Xu Zaijing and the others, then knelt before the group.

"Fifth Young Master, this youth is begging us to save his grandmother."

Xu Zaijing nodded, looked at the door panel pressed by bricks and tiles before him, and the group became busy.

In less than half a quarter of an hour,

Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding helped close the eyes of an old Bai Gao woman lying on the ground, shook his head at the Bai Gao youth to the side, and said a few words in the Bai Gao language.

The kneeling youth, upon hearing this, instantly went limp on the ground.

After speaking, Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding followed Xu Zaijing's pace and continued walking forward.

Xu Zaijing walked on the road,

Took another glance at the brick pagoda in the south that hadn't collapsed yet,

In the dim morning light, Xu Zaijing, relying on his excellent eyesight, discovered that near the tall brick pagoda, blue smoke and black dust were drifting toward the sky.

Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding, following Xu Zaijing's line of sight, said, "Fifth Young Master, next to the Chengtian Temple brick pagoda over there is the Xingzhou forage field; Father had already sent people to guard it last night! It shouldn't be that place on fire."

Xu Zaijing nodded.

After continuing to help in a few places,

Xu Zaijing and the others rescued two Bai Gao Kingdom men who had survived the disaster from under a collapsed earthen house.

These two, one old and one young, were both very sturdy in build.

The older man's leg was somewhat deformed from being smashed.

But after being rescued by Xu Zaijing and the others, the sturdy old man gritted his teeth, trying to endure the pain to stand up and perform a bow and chest-touching salute.

The young Bai Gao Kingdom person to the side hurriedly stepped forward to support him.

But just as the old man's hand was placed on his chest and before he could bow, after seeing Xu Zaijing and the others' attire clearly, his eyes widened, he took half a step back, and shouted with a very fierce expression!

Wang Yan, beside Xu Zaijing, looked at the scabbard of the Great Gao sword dug out from the ruins and spat a mouthful of saliva with hatred: "Fifth Young Master, this old thing wants to kill us."

Before Xu Zaijing could speak, Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding at the side stepped forward a few steps and asked a few questions in a questioning tone.

Seemingly having been asked a key point,

Although this old man was full of resentment, he was asked by Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding until he retreated repeatedly.

In the end, it seemed as if his energy had leaked out, and he sat limply on the ruins.

Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding flicked his sleeves and walked back to Xu Zaijing's side.

Qingyun looked toward Wang Yan and said, "Brother Wang, what did he say? Look at how that old thing was lectured."

Wang Yan said, "Lord Zaijue asked this old thing what the customs of the Bai Gao Kingdom are, how one should speak to a benefactor, and how he should repay the debt of saving his life."

The group left,

Before they had walked far,

The young person who had just been rescued chased after them, following behind Xu Zaijing and the others.

The sky became much brighter,

And more people were rescued from under the ruins.

Xu Zaijing looked at the woman crying bitterly over her relative, sighed, untied the water bag from his waist, and took a few fierce gulps.

"Woo-hum~~~"

Listening to the warning horn sound from the city gate tower not far away, Xu Zaijing placed the water bag in his hand beside the woman and said to Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding, "What was this west gate called again?"

"Fifth Young Master, Zhenyuan Gate. It should be the Great Zhou cavalry arriving."

At this moment,

A Zaijue family servant, covered in dust, arrived here, bowed, placed his hand over his chest, and said a few words.

"Fifth Young Master, Father and the Division Minister invite you to hurry to the palace."

Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding translated.

Xu Zaijing nodded and said, "Let's go, let's go take a look."

As he spoke,

Xu Zaijing walked toward the back,

Before mounting his horse, he also took a glance at the sturdy young man who had just followed and helped rescue people with the group.

Putting on his helmet and flipping onto his horse, Xu Zaijing galloped toward the Bai Gao Imperial Palace.

On the road,

Seeing Xu Zaijing's group,

Most of the Xingqing Prefecture commoners who had survived the disaster hurriedly hid to the side, fearing to attract the attention of these fierce knights.

However, after a great disaster,

There were those busy saving people,

And there were also those busy harming people.

Riding on the back of the little Li horse,

Listening to the screams emitted by the woman ahead,

Looking at the thieves by the roadside who didn't care about the dust, naked-bottomed, tearing at the woman's clothes like beasts,

Xu Zaijing pointed and said: "Kill!"

"I'll do it!"

Pang Wantun, following behind, shouted.

During the time of speaking,

Xu Zaijing had already passed where the thieves were.

Qingyun, Wang Yan, Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding, and several others rode past.

The group didn't even look back,

After the rumbling sound of horse hooves,

By the roadside,

The thieves who were just doing evil,

At this moment, had a feathered arrow deeply stuck in the back of their necks,

But the thieves were not yet dead; they just lay limply to the side, their eyes filled with confusion about what had happened, as well as the terror of being unable to feel their limbs.

The rescued woman, her hands and feet weak and somewhat exhausted, crawled to the side, her eyes filled with panic as she gasped for breath.

Subsequently,

Looking at the thief who was still alive, lying on the ground with a feathered arrow stuck in him, his eyes blinking in terror, she looked around, picked up a blue brick with both hands, and walked toward the thief.

The Bai Gao Kingdom's palace city was also in chaos!

There were eunuchs and palace maids carrying bundles, ignoring the danger, shrinking in terror under the somewhat damaged great hall,

Looking from afar at the open space inside the west side gate,

There were several eunuchs lying on the ground with feathered arrows stuck in their bodies.

Clearly, this was the work of that team of fully armored Bai Gao fierce soldiers near the west side gate entrance.

At this moment,

There was a flurry of activity near the entrance,

The west side gate was opened,

A team of cavalry, whose armor was vastly different from the Bai Gao cavalry, charged in.

The leading cavalryman rode a magnificent black horse and held a long spear in his hand.

Bai Gao Imperial Palace,

In the open space before the main hall,

Stood the disheveled Bai Gao Emperor Liang Yifu and many high-ranking officials.

Around them were Bai Gao infantry and cavalry in armor guarding them.

Late last night, the Bai Gao high-ranking officials were still arguing about whether to fight or surrender.

Then, an earthquake eliminated all arguments.

The Bai Gao monarch and subjects who came to the open space outside the hall to take shelter at night,

Had already begun discussing which family's noble daughter to offer to Great Zhou to negotiate peace.

Hearing the sound of horse hooves coming from afar,

The Bai Gao monarch and subjects looked over one after another.

After seeing the armor style of Xu Zaijing's group clearly,

The Bai Gao monarch and subjects were in an uproar for a time.

The Bai Gao cavalry 'Iron Kites' guarding the surroundings put on their helmets one after another and lowered their face masks.

At the same time,

Great General Ren Duo, who had previously commanded the Bai Gao main army outside the Keyi Gate fortress, had not died in battle.

He had a white cloth strip stained with blood tied around his forehead; looking at Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding following beside Xu Zaijing, his eyes widened:

"Great Zhou cavalry? How did they get in?"

Immediately, he roared at Old Lord Zaijue, who was standing beside the Bai Gao Emperor Liang Yifu: "Zaijue, didn't you say your son died in battle? And you even pinned the responsibility for the death on my younger brother!"

Once these words were out,

Bai Gao Emperor Liang Yifu looked toward Old Lord Zaijue, his eyes filled with surprise.

Imperial Prince Liang Yiren withdrew his gaze from Xu Zaijing, his eyes filled with anger, and said, "So, the matter that the Old Lord said was a rumor is true?"

Old Lord Zaijue, beside Zhao Taifeng, had a face full of exhaustion; he placed his hand over his chest and said urgently: "Your Highness! In the end, it was Ren Duo, as the fortress commander, who made a big mistake! It was he who was unclear about the enemy situation and rashly attacked, causing a great defeat!"

Great General Ren Duo spoke out, saying sternly: "If it weren't for Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding delaying the military opportunity! According to my arrangement, even if we lost, Keyi Gate would not have been lost."

Old Lord Zaijue also refuted loudly:

"Huh?"

"According to your arrangement?"

The Old Lord pointed at Xu Zaijing and said: "Previously, Zhejue Zhongding told this old man! Just this one young general blocked the main army on that mountain road; even without Zhejue Zhongding's matter, your brother couldn't have brought the main army to the battlefield on time!"

"If he had really brought them over, I don't know how many more people would have died!"

"And! The scouts who were crucial for keeping watch were not promoted by my Zaijue family either!"

Imperial Prince Liang Yiren shook his head repeatedly, pointed at Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding and said: "Forget the rest! Men! Kill Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding, this traitor, first!"

Once these words were out, there was a commotion among the Zaijue unit soldiers in the surrounding Bai Gao infantry.

The Old Lord, who was arguing with Great General Ren Duo, widened his eyes and hurriedly spoke out.

However,

On the periphery of the Bai Gao crowd,

There were Bai Gao cavalry generals dressed as Iron Kites who had already heard these words and turned their heads to look at Bai Gao Emperor Liang Yifu.

Seeing Bai Gao Emperor Liang Yifu nod through the slits of his face mask,

The Iron Kite general turned his body and issued an order in the Bai Gao language.

Amidst the Old Lord Zaijue's urgent shouting of "Impossible, among them is the Marquis Yongyi's younger son...",

Not far away,

Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding looked at the Iron Kite general's actions, his eyes somewhat panicked.

Old Lord Zaijue's shouting did not take effect; Bai Gao Emperor Liang Yifu remained unmoved.

Looking at Xu Zaijing, who was dismounting before him, Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding shouted urgently: "Fifth Young Master, what are you doing? The Iron Kites are about to charge at us!"

Xu Zaijing, in Great Zhou armor, said: "Don't move! My horse isn't armored; if we collide with them, we'll be at a disadvantage!"

"I won't ride a horse, then my horse won't be at a disadvantage!"

After speaking, Xu Zaijing walked forward on his own, gripping his steel long spear.

Behind Xu Zaijing, except for Qingyun, whose expression was still normal, the others, Wang Yan, Pang Wantun, and the rest, were already shouting and preparing to use their guns and bows.

Qingyun hurriedly shouted to stop the others, telling them not to add trouble for their young master.

As Qingyun spoke, Xu Zaijing had already walked forward several steps.

Before the Bai Gao crowd, three Iron Kite riders had already charged toward Xu Zaijing, one in front and two behind.

After Xu Zaijing finished speaking, he, who was facing the Bai Gao heavy cavalry Iron Kites, also slowly began to run.

Bai Gao Emperor Liang Yifu asked in disbelief: "Why did this Great Zhou cavalry dismount? Were they scared stupid?"

Old Lord Zaijue: "Your Majesty, that is the Marquis Yongyi's younger son!"

"Ah? Is it?"

Just as Liang Yifu finished his feigned ignorance, his eyes widened.

The surrounding Bai Gao officials were all exclaiming.

Xu Zaijing ran slowly, watching the heavy cavalry rapidly approaching him.

With his excellent eyesight, he could clearly see the dull gaze behind the Iron Kite rider's face mask.

Just as the heavy cavalry entered the attack range of Xu Zaijing's long spear,

The Iron Kite rider hadn't reacted yet,

When he saw the long spear in the enemy's hand, who was fighting on foot, being waved into a blur,

A flash of white light before his eyes,

"Woo!!!"

"Bang!"

The whistling sound of the club being waved reached the Iron Kite's ears,

At the same time, the Iron Kite felt his mount suddenly plunge downward.

Amidst the horse's tragic neighing,

Under the action of the huge potential energy,

The Iron Kite was smashed heavily onto the ground.

While in the air, the Iron Kite already knew what had happened in his mind, but several thoughts flashed through his heart:

How dare he face the Iron Kites directly?

And I have iron leg guards on my horse's legs!

In the distance,

The front hooves of the Iron Kite's mount before Xu Zaijing,

Were directly smashed into a deformed shape by Xu Zaijing from the middle,

The people beside Qingyun widened their eyes one after another.

One reason was that Xu Zaijing's strength was actually so great,

The second was that the two Iron Kites behind were already waving their iron maces and smashing toward Xu Zaijing.

Coming at this speed, if Xu Zaijing were grazed, something would go wrong!

Then,

Everyone's mouths couldn't help but open,

In their field of vision, Xu Zaijing didn't jump,

He just held the long spear in his hand before his body and smashed it down with heavy force.

Under the huge force,

Those two Iron Kites waving their iron maces toward Xu Zaijing had their weapons directly smashed from their hands by Xu Zaijing.

Vaguely, one could see that one of the Iron Kites' wrists was somewhat deformed.

When the two Iron Kites reacted,

Both of their mounts had already run past Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing withdrew his long spear, looked at the three Iron Kites charging over again from behind, shook his head, and while running quickly, raised his long spear to his side.

Then, while running, he used the motion of throwing a short spear to throw the steel long spear in his hand with all his might.

Amidst everyone's dumbfoundedness,

Xu Zaijing's long spear pierced straight through the Iron Kite's armor, and the long spear blade protruded from behind the Iron Kite.

The huge force and pain made the Iron Kite unable to lift the weapon in his hand at all,

In the Iron Kite's field of vision, a black shadow suddenly jumped up, and the Iron Kite felt sharp pain in his chest again.

In the eyes of others,

After Xu Zaijing threw the long spear,

Waiting for the Iron Kite to pass,

He jumped up with extreme confidence beside the Iron Kite and gripped below the spear blade,

Borrowing the force of the horse's running, he directly pulled his long spear out from behind the Iron Kite!

This kind of terrifying and brutal action scared the Iron Kites behind into hurriedly reining in their horses.

But,

It was already too late,

Xu Zaijing, who was falling in the air,

Had already taken the opportunity to push the long spear forward, gripped the spear handle, and waved it out with force.

Looking at the distance,

The scene where six riders were killed or injured in a short while,

Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding's voice was unprecedentedly high, and he shouted with all his might in the Bai Gao language:

"Don't go up anymore!"

"All the experts from the Chuichuan Division who went to Bianjing before were wiped out by him alone!"

"If you go up again, you're just seeking death~"

As he shouted, there were actually tears in his eyes: 'Iron Kites! They were all swatted away by him! How could I, Zaijue Zhejue Zhongding, be so incompetent! Clearly, he is just terrifyingly strong!'

The Bai Gao monarch and subjects, upon hearing this,

Those who understood had faces full of disbelief,

Those who didn't understand began to whisper and inquire.

Liang Yiren gritted his teeth and looked at Xu Zaijing.

The hand in his sleeve was trembling slightly.

He understood the skills of the Chuichuan Division experts very well.