Chapter 213: Attacked from Both Inside and Outside

Inside the Northern Yuan Army's main camp, as Han Army soldiers set fires everywhere, in an instant thick smoke billowed and flames shot up to the sky.

"Boom——" a stretch of tents and fodder caught fire simultaneously.

The fire borrowed the wind's force, the wind aided the fire's might, and it spread rapidly.

The tents' felt, wooden frames, and the fur and miscellaneous items inside were all flammable.

In just a few dozen breaths, over fifty tents in the camp were engulfed in huge flames, the firelight illuminating half the mountainside.

The Qiexue troops guarding the camp were stunned, not knowing what was happening or where the enemy attack came from!

Those Northern Yuan soldiers who had just been startled awake from sleep, many rushed out of their tents naked, only to meet a sea of fire.

Someone was licked by the flames, his whole body on fire, screaming as he rolled on the ground.

Someone was choked by the thick smoke, unable to open his eyes, stumbling into another sea of fire.

Someone had just run three steps when he was hit by a fire arrow and collapsed to the ground.

"Enemy attack......"

"Fire! Fire......"

"Help......"

Shouts in various languages blended into one, and at that moment the entire Northern Yuan camp on the mountainside descended into utter chaos.

The tumultuous noise and clamor filled the heavens and earth, echoing across the whole Wolf Mountain at once.

Someone tried to find his unit, but was scattered by the surging crowd.

Someone wanted to pick up a weapon to resist, but didn't even know where his own sword was.

Still others looked toward the Golden Tent, horrified to discover that at some point the great banner atop the flagpole outside the tent had vanished.

The golden banner that originally symbolized the Golden Clan and the Great Khan had been replaced by a bright red Han Dynasty flag.

That red Han Dynasty flag snapped in the night wind, especially conspicuous amid the firelight.

It caused all the Northern Yuan soldiers who saw it to be startled and terrified, their hearts shaken!

What is going on!

Where is that huge golden wolf banner in front of the Golden Tent?

"The great banner! Look, the great banner is gone!"

"It's the Han people's flag!"

"The Great Khan is dead!"

"The Golden Tent has been breached!"

"Where is the Great Khan? Great Khan......"

Countless Northern Yuan soldiers turned their gazes to where the Golden Tent stood; that glaring red Han flag filled them with panic and robbed them of the will to resist!

For a moment many stood frozen in place, not knowing what to do!

The Northern Yuan soldiers who had run out of the camp stared at each other, fear spreading like a plague in an instant.

Thereafter, countless of them began to move, fleeing in panic in all directions.

Some desperately ran toward the Golden Tent, wanting to see what had happened.

Others fled down the mountain, hoping to escape first and save their lives.

Still others remained where they stood, faces full of bewilderment, not knowing what to do!

Even a small fraction thought they were dreaming, rubbing their eyes hard and slapping themselves several times to wake from the nightmare.

At this moment, Jia Jing's achievement in first capturing and slaying the Northern Yuan Great Khan and those generals and ten-thousand commanders became evident.

The Northern Yuan Army's force of tens of thousands truly had only a few individuals capable of issuing orders.

The Great Khan, the Heir Apparent, the Left and Right Chancellors, the Ten-thousand Commanders, and others had all been captured in one fell swoop by Jia Jing inside the Golden Tent.

Faced with the sudden situation of the Han Army's assault, at this moment no one could issue a unified command, nor could anyone organize an effective counterattack.

Moreover, this Han Army attack came at midnight, already sudden, making it even harder for the Northern Yuan troops to mount an effective response in a short time.

At this time, the three hundred Han cavalry seized this rare opportunity, quickly killing and setting fires throughout the camp.

These three hundred were elite troops handpicked for their excellence; Ma Guocheng and You Shiyong were also brave generals of the Han Army.

Seeing the Northern Yuan camp plunged into chaos, they directly split into small units.

In groups of three, squads of five, they cut down anyone they saw and burned any tent they encountered.

Sabers came down, heads fell to the ground;

Spears and lances thrust out, victims screamed as they fell.

They specifically charged into crowded areas, specifically charged into commanders' tents, setting fires and killing along the way; in the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, they threw the entire mountainside camp into utter turmoil.

A Thousand Commander had just emerged from his tent, helmet not even on, when an arrow struck his throat and he fell face up.

A Hundred Commander, barefoot and trying to flee, was caught by the Han cavalry and cleaved in two with a single blow.

A group of several dozen Qiexue troops, having finally mustered, had not yet had time to form ranks.

They were then struck by a dozen or so fire arrows aimed at the crowd, collapsing on the spot, their formation instantly collapsing.

Flames shot to the sky, cries of slaughter shook the ears, and wails rose and fell one after another.

Nearly eighteen thousand Qiexue troops were roused from sleep, slaughtered in the chaos, and crushed in despair.

No one knew how many enemies there were, no one knew whose orders to follow, and no one knew which direction to charge.

The most deadly thing was…… the red Han flag fluttering in the direction of the Golden Tent.

It was like a thorn, piercing the heart of every Northern Yuan soldier.

Those who tried to find their superiors discovered that the Ten-thousand Commanders and others had already vanished without a trace.

Those who attempted to organize resistance, having just shouted a sentence, were knocked down and trampled to death by the fleeing troops.

The Northern Yuan camp's tens of thousands of troops were actually thrown into utter chaos by just three hundred Han soldiers.

And at this moment at the foot of the mountain,

The 5,700 Han cavalry had already been ready to march, and Niu Jizong, Feng Tang, Han Wu, and Zhou Yingyuan, upon seeing the flames on the mid‑mountain and the continuously fleeing Northern Yuan soldiers, instantly knew the moment to strike had arrived.

Niu Jizong carefully observed the situation on Wolf Mountain and saw the Northern Yuan troops at the footline also beginning to fall into chaos.

He leapt up at once, raised his long spear, and shouted loudly:

"Soldiers! The Northern Yuan troops have already been routed; our chance to slay the enemy and earn merit has arrived!"

"Annihilate the Northern Yuan in this strike; everyone, charge with me!"

The Han soldiers present had been waiting for a long time, and at Niu Jizong's command, everyone rose instantly, drew swords and spears, their blood boiling with fervor.

Most of them were soldiers from the north‑western border towns; who does not bear a grudge against the Northern Yuan?

Seeing that today they could breach the Northern Yuan royal court and establish supreme merit, their hearts swelled with unparalleled excitement.

"Kill the Northern Yuan Tatars!"

"Destroy those damned dogs!"

"Kill!"

At once, the battle cries thundered, and over five thousand Han soldiers surged from their hiding places, surging toward Wolf Mountain like a tide.

The sound of horse hooves roared like thunder, shaking the ground slightly; five thousand spears glinted coldly in the night, and five thousand faces bore fierce murderous intent.

"Uhh…"

"Uhh~~~~~"

A deep Han war horn sounded again at the foot of Wolf Mountain after countless years, its resonance strikingly awe‑inspiring under the silent night sky.

The booming sound startled the Northern Yuan army at the foot of the mountain.

The defenders of the footline were now thrown into complete disorder by the broken troops charging down from the mountain.

Many had heard that the Great Khan was dead or that the Golden Tent had been lost; seeing the flames and battle cries on the mid‑mountain, they were filled with terror, not knowing what to do.

Then, they suddenly saw tens of thousands of Han Iron Cavalry burst out from below the mountain, causing the enemy to lose all will to resist, descending into chaos.

"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"

"The Han Army still has a great force!"

"They are charging forward!"

Countless Northern Yuan soldiers shouted in panic, their faces showing fear and bewilderment.

With Han troops on the mid‑mountain and so many more surging from the foot, could the entire royal court already be surrounded by the Han Army!

What on earth is happening?