Chapter 575: Sweeping Through a Thousand Foes

His ears filled with countless piercing screams, Zhang Zhongqi ran tirelessly through the crowd, his mind completely blank. He had no idea which direction he was fleeing — he just followed the others as they ran.

Suddenly, a rumbling of hooves sounded ahead. A force of Later Jin cavalry stormed into the disordered troops like a gale. Sharpened heavy blades and great axes swung, cutting down the scattered soldiers nearby, and then countless horses trampled over them.

More cavalry squadrons charged through the center. The surrounding routed soldiers howled as they fled to either side. Zhang Zhongqi was jostled by the people beside him until he could barely stand. He staggered a few steps in flight, then fell to the ground. He hurriedly shielded his head and curled up — this was a lesson he had learned from years on the battlefield. After being trampled a few times, the footsteps around him grew quieter. Behind him, the shouts of slaughter and agonized screams of the cavalry clashing with the Dengzhou infantry rose up to shake the heavens.

Dizzy and reeling, Zhang Zhongqi sat up. He still clutched that flintlock in his hand. Using the buttstock to brace against the ground, Zhang Zhongqi slowly stood. After catching his breath a few times, he prepared to keep fleeing. At that moment, not far away, another man also staggered unsteadily to his feet.

Zhang Zhongqi took two steps, then suddenly stopped. He stared at that man blankly and said, "Taketan... I've found you."

Taketan held a smooth saber in his hand. His face was covered in blood and grime, his armor in disarray, his helmet nowhere to be seen, and the queue at the back of his head had come loose. One of his legs seemed injured; he was unsteady as he stood. He focused his eyes and saw it was Zhang Zhongqi. He quickly waved and called, "Zhang Zhongqi, quickly help me get away... What are you doing? What are you doing!?"

Before him, Zhang Zhongqi slowly raised the firelock in his hands and aimed it at Taketan. Zhang Zhongqi's mouth hung slightly open as he stared into Taketan's eyes. "You killed my child... I'm going to avenge him."

"I gave you grain and saved your life!" Taketan roared angrily. "If I hadn't killed him, he would have been eaten by the others in the village... You lowly Nikan. I should have killed you back then, let you die together with that mute of yours."

"It was you who killed them... back then. Your father killed my whole family, killed everyone in my village. Hailan starved the mute to death and fed her to the wild dogs. You people then drove the second mute to her death, and finally killed my child! I'm not afraid of you anymore!" Zhang Zhongqi suddenly bellowed. "You've been defeated. The Han people have defeated you. Damned Jurchen warriors, worse than damned! You're all going to die! I'm not afraid of you anymore!"

Taketan brandished his smooth saber and lunged fiercely. "You lowly Nikan! Ungrateful Han dog!"

A thunderous bang. Fire flashed before Taketan's eyes. His whole body felt as if struck by a hammer, but his powerful frame carried him forward a few more steps. His face contorted with ferocity, Taketan crashed into the white smoke, his smooth saber stabbing viciously into Zhang Zhongqi's belly.

Zhang Zhongqi screamed and dropped the flintlock. The two men tumbled together, Taketan pinning Zhang Zhongqi beneath him. Zhang Zhongqi endured the searing pain in his abdomen and clamped both hands tightly around Taketan's throat. Taketan twisted the saber handle twice. Zhang Zhongqi spat out a mouthful of blood, howling in agony, his hands losing the strength to keep gripping Taketan's throat.

Blood gushed from Taketan's chest. The massive wound caused by the lead ball quickly drained his strength. His power gone, he slumped limply to one side. His face happened to end up directly facing Zhang Zhongqi. On the corpse-strewn battlefield, both men lay sprawled on the ground, vomiting blood, their faces twitching as they stared at each other.

Taketan laboriously raised his left hand and pointed at Zhang Zhongqi's face. He coughed up some bloody froth from his throat but ultimately could not speak. His eyes, however, were filled with loathing and incomprehension.

Zhang Zhongqi panted, staring blankly at Taketan. His abdomen had been mangled into a pulp by Taketan's smooth saber. Blood pooled across the ground. His stubborn life had finally reached its end.

The light in Taketan's eyes faded away. His raised finger dropped limply.

Zhang Zhongqi grinned, then coughed twice more. He turned his head, which had been tilted to the side, toward the sky. With the massive blood loss, he could no longer feel the pain. His ears could still catch the crack of Dengzhou soldiers' firelocks and the agonized whinnies of horses struck by bullets. In the overcast sky above, he seemed to see the figures of the two mutes and his son.

A peaceful smile spread across Zhang Zhongqi's face. He murmured, "I am not a dog! I am a person."

Ahead, there was nothing but silver-white cavalry. The ground rumbled and shook. The howling cavalry crashed into and overwhelmed the scattered Dengzhou flintlock soldiers and routed troops alike.

Drenched in blood, Tang Wei howled and charged toward those cavalrymen. After that last frenzied charge, their formation had scattered. The only teammates left beside him were Huang Shan, Wang Zhanqing, and Su Cutui. Wang Zhanqing shouted loudly, trying to rally the soldiers around him.

Huang Shan rushed over and grabbed the crazed Tang Wei, dragging him forcibly back to Wang Zhanqing and the others. A dozen or so soldiers from other squads nearby also converged, all pointing their bayonets outward to form a small circular formation. Their position was at the edge of the Later Jin Gabsihiyan Coha's charge.

Wang Zhanqing stood in the center, tapping the shoulders of the soldiers on the outer ring at intervals. "Those I tap, reload! Those I don't tap, keep your bayonets facing out!"

After his shoulder was tapped, Tang Wei immediately pulled a paper cartridge from his waist and began reloading methodically. Ahead, the first wave of Later Jin cavalry had already charged past the advancing Dengzhou flintlock soldiers and was heading toward the rear formation.

Wang Zhanqing roared, "Stand firm, all of you! Don't worry about the rear. Behind us, our Company Commander's three-platoon column formation is still there. They're the ones going to their deaths!"

That close-range volley from the Dengzhou Garrison had instantly shattered the Ujen Coha. The front line of battle had achieved a breakthrough. The carefully prepared second column assault that Zhong Lao had readied was not needed; it was still advancing behind the charging formation.

Tang Wei focused intently on reloading. In his heart, he felt no fear at all. Only the exhaustion made his hands tremble slightly. The reloading motion, drilled thousands of times by Zhong Lao's brutal training, was as natural as breathing. After biting open the paper cartridge, he began priming the flash pan.

At that moment, the second wave of Later Jin cavalry also surged through the gap. Several outriders swept past this small circular formation. A few light arrows and iron mace-heads came whistling through the air with the wind. Beside Tang Wei, Huang Shan, who was holding his bayonet up, let out a miserable cry. An iron mace-head struck him in the chest, and he collapsed. Wang Zhanqing behind him dragged Huang Shan into the inner circle.

Tang Wei glanced back. He saw Huang Shan spit out two mouthfuls of blood; his ribs were likely broken. Wang Zhanqing was examining his injuries. Tang Wei turned back and focused on reloading, cursing fiercely under his breath, "Zhong Lao is behind us. He'll take care of you."

As he was cursing, a young soldier beside him suddenly shouted, "Look, look! It's the Jianzhou Chieftain's great banner! The Jianzhou Chieftain is charging past! He's trying to flee! Kill the Jianzhou Chieftain!"

Tang Wei looked up. The charging Later Jin cavalry had reached its tail end. A large yellow banner, surrounded by a cluster of White Armor Soldiers, was passing by ahead. Seven or eight young soldiers in the small circular formation shouted in response, hollering as they chased after the tail of those cavalrymen.

"Get back here! You little calves!" Wang Zhanqing yelled curses. Light infantry like firelock soldiers could not possibly fight cavalry without forming a defensive formation. Those young soldiers were simply going to their deaths.

"Huang Taiji?" Tang Wei murmured. This was a role he had played countless times, and a man for whom he had taken countless beatings. He had never imagined he would encounter the real person on the battlefield.

"I want a medal!" Tang Wei lifted his firelock and ran after those young soldiers.

"Tang Wei, what are you doing! Get back here, damn you."

"I'm going to avenge Xie Fei. Don't worry about me!" Tang Wei shouted back as he ran. "If I die, tell Guan Xiaomei that I wasn't afraid to die. Fatso Tang is no coward..."

Tang Wei ran further away as he shouted. Wang Zhanqing cursed furiously where he stood. Beside him, Su Cutui said to Wang Zhanqing, "We've only got this many brothers left. If we die, we die together. Let's go too."

Wang Zhanqing looked around. There were only seven or eight men left, and they all seemed eager to try. He said fiercely, "Damn that Fatso Tang. Two men stay to look after the wounded. The rest of you, follow me to hunt Huang Taiji."

Huang Taiji galloped amidst the mass of cavalry. The wind whistled past his ears. It felt as if the days of campaigning east and west alongside the old Khan had returned. In his memory, the Later Jin soldiers were invincible. Even in the rare defeat, most would escape, and then in the next battle, they would annihilate the enemy.

In a daze, he felt as if he were charging toward victory. As long as he broke through the battle line ahead, he would be the victor. Or perhaps, he could rescue Haoge's Plain Blue Banner from Ertaizi Village, and then return to central Liaodong.

As for what came after that, he did not think about it. Perhaps he could return to Hetu Ala, or move toward Ningguta. He would still be the Khan of the Great Jin.

Suddenly, a thunderous roar of guns and cannons erupted ahead. Huang Taiji knew they had encountered another volley from the Dengzhou Garrison. Could the Later Jin's most elite Gabsihiyan Coha break through those Dengzhou infantrymen? Huang Taiji asked himself. In the past, Ming infantry had been synonymous with heads to be taken, but that was no longer the case. He had never imagined infantry could be so formidable.

Immediately after, two more earth-shaking volleys rang out. The helmeted heads of the cavalry ahead were scythed down in neat rows. The cavalry formation fell into chaos. Horses reared in panic. Many cavalrymen wheeled in place. Ahead, a roar of battle cries erupted. Dengzhou infantry and Long Qibing charged up fiercely, stabbing at close range at the cavalry that had lost its momentum. Then, hundreds of Dengzhou cavalry charged in from the flank. Their fierce formation cut the Gabsihiyan Coha's formation in half at the waist. The Gabsihiyan Coha, whose momentum had been unstoppable, lost all formation after these successive blows. Surrounded by over seventeen hundred Dengzhou infantry, they had no power to fight back.

Huang Taiji raised his sword high and roared furiously, ordering the cavalry around him to keep charging. But his voice was drowned out by the shouting men and neighing horses all around.

Just as he was bellowing, several of his personal Goshiha pressed close. The one leading them was the head of his personal guards. "Great Khan, flee quickly! The Dengzhou cavalry formation is coming again."

In his fury, Huang Taiji raised his sword to strike. Another Goshiha lunged over with all his might and snatched the blade away. The head of the personal guards grabbed the head of Huang Taiji's horse and, without another word, fled north. Several Goshiha guarded him, rallying seven or eight nearby Gabsihiyan Coha as they went. The head of the personal guards pulled Huang Taiji's horse westward for a stretch to retreat. They did not bring that enormous Khan's banner with them as they left the main Gabsihiyan Coha formation, to avoid becoming a target for the Dengzhou soldiers' assault.

These Goshiha were all veterans of a hundred battles, and they had experience in fleeing for their lives on the battlefield. This stretch of land was an empty zone. Most of the Dengzhou soldiers who had charged forward earlier had not yet returned, and the Long Qibing behind them were still some distance away. The Dengzhou cavalry formation would not launch a charge against a small group like theirs. They had a chance to escape.

At this moment, Huang Taiji sat on his horse in a daze, his mind completely blank. He let the Goshiha drag his horse northward. As they fled at full speed, a volley of gunfire rang out from the west. Seven or eight Dengzhou soldiers, just over ten paces away, fired a volley at them.

Several Gabsihiyan Coha fell at the sound. The head of the personal guards barked an order. A few other Gabsihiyan Coha broke away from the group and charged toward those Dengzhou soldiers. The head of the personal guards continued dragging Huang Taiji's horse as he fled.

Weakly, Huang Taiji turned his head to look west. In his field of vision, a fat figure in red appeared.

Tang Wei's solitary figure crossed the corpse-laden battlefield. He panted heavily. His stamina was still no match for those seven or eight young soldiers ahead; they had left him behind. However, the flintlock in his hands was already loaded. The position of the second column formation was filled with earth-shaking battle cries. Countless Long Qibing and infantry surrounded the outer edge of those Later Jin soldiers. Inside, the figures of cavalry were rapidly dwindling. Tang Wei only hoped he could make it in time for the encirclement and annihilation of the Later Jin Khan's banner. That way, he might be awarded a decent medal.

A small group of cavalry suddenly burst out ahead. The young soldiers fired a volley and knocked down a few. The remaining riders charged toward the young soldiers. The young soldiers hollered, yet did not retreat an inch, stabbing wildly at the cavalry's mounts with their bayonets.

Several riders were still fleeing north. Tang Wei focused his gaze. The mount of the one in the center was being led by the rider in front. That rider wore a suit of gilded armor unlike any he had ever seen, giving off a faint yellow hue. He was extremely conspicuous among the White Armor Soldiers.

"A big Tatar official!"

Tang Wei suddenly snapped to attention. He immediately halted. The distance to those riders was about a dozen paces. Tang Wei raised his flintlock and cocked the hammer. The riders moving laterally made for a large target. Tang Wei aligned his eye with the rear sight and front sight, aiming at the mount of the one in the gilded armor in the center.

"Kill the Jianzhou Bandits!" Tang Wei shouted and pulled the trigger. The gunpowder in the barrel erupted in flame. An eight-mace lead ball, propelled by the expanding gases, flew out of the smooth barrel and slammed into the body of the galloping horse.

The mount let out a piercing, agonized whinny. Its front legs buckled, and it crashed to the ground. The one in the gilded armor was thrown several paces away. The rider in front who had been leading the horse was also dragged down. His own mount, however, kept galloping wildly. His foot was caught in the stirrup, and he was dragged along by the fleeing horse.

The few accompanying riders instantly passed the fallen horse. They hurriedly reined in their mounts to stop, but the horses, running at full speed, had immense momentum. The horses tossed their heads and slowed, but could not come to a halt quickly.

"Xie Fei, I've come to avenge you!"

Tang Wei bellowed as he charged toward the place where the rider had fallen. His plump body erupted with astonishing energy as he sprinted to where the gilded armor lay.

The figure in gilded armor was just staggering upright — a heavyset man, clutching a broken blade picked up from the ground. With a furious roar, Tang Wei drove his bayonet ferociously into that figure. Riding the momentum of his charge, the sharp solid triangular iron spike pierced straight through the iron plates of the gilded armor with a shriek of tearing metal. The point broke through the armor's defense and plunged into its wearer's body. Tang Wei's momentum was so fierce that the bayonet sank in all the way to the muzzle. The gun barrel slammed against the Later Jin high official, and the bayonet, unable to withstand the impact, snapped with a crack. Both men tumbled and crashed to the ground.

The Later Jin high official screamed in agony. His abdomen had been grievously wounded by the bayonet, and blood gushed from his armor. Face down on the ground, he howled and struggled to rise, the broken blade in his hand lifting slightly as he still tried to hack at Tang Wei.

Tang Wei rolled twice on the ground, then scrambled to his feet despite his head still spinning. In a few strides he reached the gilded armor. He reversed his firelock and, using the stock, rained blows indiscriminately on the Tatar high official on the ground.

"This is for the Han people of Liaodong! For Xie Fei! For Sister Guan! For Peng Yunfei..." Drenched in blood, Tang Wei looked like a mad tiger, shouting curses as he struck. The hard wooden stock smashed against the Tatar's skull, clanging against the helmet. The Tatar official's face slammed into the dirt. He struggled twice, then under Tang Wei's relentless bludgeoning, moved no more.

The several Jianzhou bandit cavalrymen who had been about to turn back had just wheeled their horses around when they witnessed this scene. Just as they were about to ride to the rescue, several more Dengzhou soldiers charged from the west. The Jianzhou cavalrymen exchanged glances, then in unison wheeled their horses and fled north.

Wang Zhanqing, who had just arrived, grabbed hold of the still-flailing Tang Wei. Seeing the rare armor on the ground, he burst into loud laughter. "A Tatar high official! Tang Pangzi, you've earned your medal! Quick, send someone to report to Company Commander Zhong."

The battle to annihilate the Gebuxi Xian Chaoha was not yet over when Zhong Laosi arrived at Tang Wei's location with a squad of men. He dismounted, crouched on the ground, and examined the Tatar officer, who had been turned over.

Zhong Laosi grabbed a Plain Yellow Banner Later Jin soldier who had just been taken captive. "This fat — what kind of Beile is he?"

The Later Jin soldier dropped to his knees with a thud and wailed loudly.

Zhong Laosi kicked the Later Jin soldier several times. "I'm asking you which Beile he is, and you're crying for your mother."

The armored soldier howled, "It's the Great Khan... it's the Later Jin Great Khan!"

"The Great Khan?!" Zhong Laosi froze for a moment, then immediately pulled over another captured officer of the Uzhen Chaoha. The officer, trembling, examined the body for a moment, then also said to Zhong Laosi, "It really is the master... it really is the Tatar Great Khan, Huang Taiji."

Zhong Laosi suddenly burst into roaring laughter. The Dengzhou soldiers around him joined in the laughter.

When his laughter subsided, Zhong Laosi asked Wang Zhanqing, "Were you the one who killed him?"

Wang Zhanqing quickly pointed at Tang Wei. "He's the one who killed him."

Zhong Laosi grabbed Tang Wei. "So it was you, you fake Huang Taiji. Well done. The real one couldn't beat the fake. You lucky bastard, I'm going to apply for Dengzhou's highest honor for you — the First-Class Flying Tiger Medal, for killing the Jianzhou Chieftain... From now on, you'll be a combat hero as famous throughout the land as Guan Dadi."

"Mine? First-Class Flying Tiger Medal! Ha ha... ha ha ha." Tang Wei laughed heartily.

Zhong Laosi released Tang Wei and said to the staff officer beside him, "Long Qibing, regroup. Mount up and advance north. The Second Guards Battalion and the Second Cavalry Regiment will continue the assault on the Later Jin center."

The staff officer immediately departed with the order, leaving a group of soldiers standing dumbfounded around Zhong Laosi.

Another staff officer asked Zhong Laosi, "My lord Zhong, what do we... do now?"

"We go kill people." Zhong Laosi picked up a long spear from the ground.

"Battalion Commander, sir. You... you're not commanding anymore?"

"Command my ass." Zhong Laosi bellowed, "Anyone who can still move, charge with me! Kill the Tatars!"

Tang Wei, Wang Zhanqing, and the others roared in unison, following Zhong Laosi as he charged westward.

The last Later Jin reserve force vanished on the left flank. Huang Taiji's great banner vanished as well. Dengzhou's powerful right wing, now completely unopposed, launched wave after wave of assaults against the Later Jin center from the flank. The Dengzhou Guards Cavalry Regiment appeared behind the Later Jin battle line.

Under the ferocious attack of the Dengzhou army's right wing, the Later Jin battle line collapsed section by section, like a dike destroyed by a flood. Finally, the entire line crumbled. The orderly Later Jin formation dissolved into countless routed soldiers scrambling to flee for their lives. On the open fields outside Yulinpu, tens of thousands of Later Jin soldiers screamed in panic, fleeing northwest under the pressure of the Dengzhou front.

The Second Guards Battalion and Second Cavalry Battalion of the Dengzhou right wing exploited their mobility advantage, swiftly cutting westward to block the Later Jin center's line of retreat. The Second, Third, and Seventh Battalions shifted their attack line to the west. Half-encircled, the Later Jin soldiers fled in blind panic, surging westward. Mentally shattered, they trampled one another. Cavalry hacked down infantry blocking their path; infantry stabbed at halted cavalrymen, fighting only to seize a mount. Han soldiers no longer feared the true Jurchen. The Goshiha no longer guarded their masters. Every man fought only for his own life. Amid the mutual slaughter and trampling of the routed troops, the wilderness was strewn with corpses.

The routed troops from the center soon filled the area north of Zhuanzi Shan. The three banners of the Later Jin right wing found their escape route north completely cut off. Tens of thousands of cavalry, trapped within the mass of fleeing soldiers, milled about in confusion, finally fleeing west with the rout — until they discovered they had reached the frozen Liaodong Sea. Only then did the lead fugitives turn and flee north along the coast.

The Dengzhou Guards Cavalry Regiment appeared to the north. In waves of three companies, they launched repeated dense charges against the disorganized Later Jin soldiers. Countless Later Jin troops perished beneath the hooves of the Dengzhou cavalry formation. The routed soldiers fled blindly in every direction, only to be driven back to the shore by the Dengzhou forces pressing in from the east and south.

The Dengzhou Second, Third, and Seventh Battalions all arrived north of Zhuanzi Shan. The entire battle line shifted from a north-south standoff to the Dengzhou forces compressing the Later Jin troops against the Liaodong Sea from the east. Their own formations grew disordered, but they maintained their unit organization. Musketeers and pikemen still coordinated, swiftly attacking the fleeing Later Jin soldiers. The Dengzhou battle line was now only about one li wide from the edge of the ice.

A tidal wave of Later Jin soldiers let out a tsunami-like shriek of panic. No one resisted anymore. Everyone thought only of escaping through that narrow corridor. Many fled onto the frozen sea. Countless galloping cavalry slipped and fell on the ice, and no one among the fleeing masses paid them any heed.

The Dengzhou Long Qibing appeared to the north. Using their mounted mobility, they reached the direction of the Later Jin rout ahead of the fugitives. They did not seal the gap completely. Ranks of Long Qibing formed up along the shore. Some of the four-pounder and eight-pounder cannons towed by horses also arrived, positioned between the Long Qibing ranks. The artillerymen excitedly loaded canister shot.

The routed troops surged past the Long Qibing like a tide. They all saw those red ranks. Not a single man dared to charge them, nor did anyone dare to stop. Everyone had only one thought: to keep fleeing forward without pause.

Zhong Laosi sat on his horse behind the Long Qibing ranks. He had fought his way through, and both man and horse were covered in blood. His face was flushed crimson with excitement. He waited until the fleeing Later Jin soldiers filled the front, then gave the order. The firelocks and cannons of the Long Qibing ranks erupted like a volcano. The Later Jin soldiers on the ice were like grass flattened by a fierce gale. Amid a wild spray of blood mist, men and horses toppled in chaos.

The Long Qibing and artillerymen excitedly loaded and fired. The corpses of the Later Jin routed troops before them piled layer upon layer, until even the horses behind could not pass. Many fugitives, terrified by the gunfire ahead, fled back south. The fleeing soldiers jammed together, trampling each other on the ice. The Dengzhou battle line from the east caught up to the ice and launched round after round of thrusts and volleys at the fugitives. With no way out, the Later Jin soldiers pushed those to the west, forcing them out onto the sea. The ice at the edge collapsed section by section under the trampling crowd. Later Jin soldiers already at the ice's edge were shoved into the sea by the mass of people. Dense clusters of heads bobbed and struggled in the water. The icy seawater quickly turned them into floating corpses. Soon, the Liaodong Sea was covered with bodies.

Many routed soldiers still fled north. Some mounted true Jurchen jumped off their horses and fled north over the corpses. The dense mass of fugitives thinned before the Long Qibing lines. After escaping the Long Qibing's field of fire, they continued their frantic dash north. Returning to open ground from the ice, they encountered the pursuing Dengzhou cavalry formations here. After this desperate, life-or-death sprint, the Later Jin soldiers' stamina was finally exhausted. They were almost utterly defenseless. The Dengzhou cavalry no longer maintained formation either, freely chasing and slaughtering across the snowy plain. The countless fleeing Later Jin soldiers became corpses blanketing the snowfield. Exhausted Later Jin soldiers collapsed to their knees. Some kowtowed repeatedly to the cavalrymen. Even more slumped to the ground, powerless, awaiting the arrival of an unknown fate.

The tide of Later Jin routed troops finally vanished on the southern bank of the Qinghe River. The last fleeing Later Jin soldiers were intercepted and slaughtered by the pursuing Dengzhou cavalry at the Qinghe. Fewer than three hundred men crossed the Qinghe. The Later Jin garrison troops left in Gaizhou watched from the city walls as the once-invincible Later Jin army met its end.

The shouts of battle faded. A faint haze of gunpowder smoke still drifted over the battlefield outside Yulinpu. The snow-white wilderness had, after the great battle, become a patchwork of black, white, and red. The corpses of over ten thousand Later Jin soldiers covered the earth. Masterless warhorses whinnied on the snowy ground.

Chen Xin stood on the mountainside of Banxian Shan. Behind him was the Heyang Temple on Banxian Shan, where, according to legend, the Yellow Flower Elder achieved immortality and rode away on a crane.

Before him, the coast of the Liaodong Sea was carpeted with corpses, weapons, armor, and banners. Flowing blood had dyed the white ice red. Groups of captives, under the guard of Dengzhou soldiers, were being led back to the shore. In the distance, the sea was thickly dotted with floating bodies. That mighty armed force, which had caused civilization itself to recede, was thus annihilated.

Footsteps approached from the side, followed by Liu Pojun's agitated voice. "My lord, Huang Taiji was killed by the Second Guards Battalion. Among the Eight Banner Lords of the Later Jin, Duoduo, Yuetuo, Daisan, and Jirgalang all died in battle — their bodies have been found. Dorgon surrendered at the foot of Zhuanzi Shan and is currently detained in Zhuanzi Shan village. He claims he wants to be your bondservant, my lord."

Chen Xin couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this. "I don't need bondservants. Hand him over to Wu Jianzhong for custody first."

Liu Pojun continued, "Of the Later Jin army of over forty thousand, about half the mounted armored troops of the Plain Blue Banner at Ertaizi Village escaped. From the center and right wing, over a thousand cavalry broke out before the encirclement was complete. After the encirclement, only a few hundred escaped. The Later Jin main force is finished."

Chen Xin nodded slightly, his expression utterly composed. Liu Pojun's voice choked with emotion. "My lord, Liaodong has finally been recovered by your hands."

Chen Xin turned to look at Liu Pojun. The Liaodong man's face was now streaked with tears. Chen Xin patted his shoulder. "It was recovered by the hands of all our Dengzhou officers and soldiers. It is the glory of us all. Send orders to the entire army: infantry battalions are to clean the battlefield and tend to the wounded. The First Cavalry Battalion, Second Cavalry Battalion, and the Guards Brigade are to regroup. We march to the walls of Gaizhou today."

Liu Pojun acknowledged the order, wiped away his tears, saluted, and turned to leave. Chen Xin turned back. Beside him, the standard-bearers unfurled the army flag and the Regional Commander's personal banner. The red, one-zhang-six-chi Regional Commander's red flag and the Flying Tiger flag billowed in the wind atop Banxian Shan.

The Dengzhou army below the mountain soon spotted the red flags on Banxian Shan. Cheers of "Wansheng" — Ten Thousand Victories — gradually rose. Over thirty thousand Dengzhou soldiers cheered fervently toward the army flag.

The cheers below the mountain finally merged into a tidal wave of response. The cry of "Wansheng" became "Your Majesty" — Long Live. Chen Xin clasped his hands. Nine years of hacking through thorns and brambles, and he had finally annihilated Huaxia's most vicious enemy. All his dreams, at this moment, were finally becoming reality.

Two streams of hot tears rolled down his cheeks.

At the central position where the Second Guards Battalion had fought fiercely, Huang Shan was being lifted onto a stretcher. This area had seen less fighting and had become a collection point for the Second Battalion's wounded. After examining him, a medic said he had only broken a few ribs and his life was not in danger, but he could not move for now, and even speaking loudly caused him pain.

Huang Shan had witnessed the spectacular collapse of the Later Jin army. He was still grinning even now. Several times he wanted to burst into loud laughter, but the wound in his chest restrained him, preventing him from laughing out loud.

Two soldiers from the Seventh Battalion lifted Huang Shan's stretcher. Huang Shan glanced around. Soldiers cleaning the battlefield were gathering armor and weapons nearby. Others, carrying blades, were severing heads.

Huang Shan sighed comfortably. The greatest enemy had been destroyed, and he had survived. The dream of receiving land, marrying a wife, and raising children was no longer distant.

Just as he was about to turn his head back, he suddenly saw a familiar face.

"Zhang Zhongqi!" Huang Shan murmured.

Zhang Zhongqi's corpse lay on the ground; before him was also the body of an armored soldier. A Dengzhou soldier had just chopped off that armored soldier's head and tossed it into a basket, then immediately walked over to Zhang Zhongqi's side, grabbed Zhang Zhongqi's queue and glanced at it, as if identifying whether he was a true barbarian.

"Don't..." Huang Shan had just uttered one word when the pain in his chest prevented him from making a sound. His right hand stretched out, as if to stop that soldier from the Dengzhou Seventh Battalion.

Huang Shan's throat gurgled; his hand was already stretched to its limit, but that soldier did not hear his protest. The raised axe chopped down fiercely.

Huang Shan whimpered from his mouth, tears streaming down his face, watching helplessly as Zhang Zhongqi's head was lifted by that soldier, swaying in his hand. Zhang Zhongqi's severed head still wore a serene smile. (To be continued...)