Chapter 214: with translation of chapter title

Facing the sudden charge led by Niu Jizong and others of the Han Army soldiers, all the Northern Yuan troops showed panic and unease.

They were filled with panic and bewilderment, utterly unsure whether to resist or flee at this moment!

But the Han Army gave them no chance to choose.

「Kill……」

Niu Jizong, Zhou Yingyuan, Feng Tang and the others took the lead, tightening their reins, charging to the front.

The steeds beneath them were like lightning, and they quickly reached the anti-cavalry barriers at the foot of the Northern Yuan army's defensive line.

Zhou Yingyuan thrust his spear forward, and the anti-cavalry obstacles before him were immediately lifted aside.

Then, sweeping his spear sideways, three Northern Yuan soldiers who tried to step forward to resist were instantly knocked several meters away.

The Han Army soldiers followed closely, swarming forward, each brandishing blade and spear.

The Northern Yuan troops here already had little will to resist; the Han Army's charge caused them to collapse outright.

Some tried to resist, but as soon as they raised their knives, they were trampled into pulp by horse hooves.

Some tried to flee, but were cut down by a single slash from pursuing Han cavalry.

Some knelt and begged for mercy, only to be taken captive by the rear troops.

In less than the time it takes to finish half a cup of tea, the defensive line at the foot of the mountain was breached.

Niu Jizong and the others continued to spur their horses onward toward the mid-slope; upon reaching the camp there, they saw the gate wide open and flames shooting into the sky.

Burning tents were everywhere, and everywhere the Northern Yuan troops trampled and crowded each other; moreover, the Han Army's red flag fluttering before the golden tent was strikingly conspicuous.

Niu Jizong and the other Han Army soldiers were all invigorated, their hearts brimming with heroic fervor, and they swiftly threw themselves into battle.

The few Northern Yuan troops still resisting in the main camp were divided and surrounded by the Han Army soldiers who had charged up the mountain, then eliminated one by one.

Niu Jizong fought until his whole body was smeared with blood; he led his men straight into several lavish tents of the Qixue army, specifically seeking out Northern Yuan commanders to slaughter.

These Northern Yuan commanders had to be eliminated, and doing so would yield even greater military merit.

Feng Tang, meanwhile, led a detachment of archers to occupy high ground, shooting down those attempting to organize resistance.

One arrow, one target; never missing.

Zhou Yingyuan, on the other hand, took three hundred vanguard troops to block every passage from the mid-slope to the summit, trapping the fleeing Qixue troops in a sea of fire.

They were orderly and clear in their division of labor, slaughtering the Northern Yuan troops on Lang Mountain to the point of having no way to heaven or earth.

Meanwhile, while Niu Jizong, Ma Guocheng and others led their troops in a surprise assault on the Northern Yuan main camp, Jia Jing was not idle.

He and Zhu Que had already seized the Northern Yuan Khagan Batu Mongke and a thousand high-ranking officials, bringing them to the Han Army's banner outside the golden tent.

This was done mainly to ensure the Han Army's great flag would not be torn down, thereby continually undermining the Northern Yuan army's morale.

At this moment, atop the flagpole, the red Han flag was snapping loudly in the night wind.

In the firelight, the huge 「Han」 character flickered light and dark, like dancing flames.

At the base of the flagpole, Jia Jing gripped the Bright Silver Spear, standing firm there, while Zhu Que stood beside him, staring at the captive officials.

Batu Mongke and the others knelt within three feet before them, their hands bound.

Their foreheads pressed to the ground, their whole bodies trembling like chaff in a sieve, they dared not move an inch.

As time passed, more and more Northern Yuan troops gathered around Jia Jing and Zhu Que.

From a thousand to over two thousand, a dark mass pressed in.

These were the Khagan's personal guards stationed near his golden tent; although they had seen the great banner outside changed,

many still rushed over immediately to see what was happening.

As the Northern Yuan troops grew in number, their boldness swelled with the crowd, and many could no longer restrain themselves, wanting to rescue their Khagan from Jia Jing's hands!

「Release the Khagan quickly! 」

「Release the Khagan, and I'll spare your life! 」

From time to time, Northern Yuan officers dressed as thousand-commanders and hundred-commanders shouted hoarsely, hoping to intimidate Jia Jing and Zhu Que with their superior numbers.

Jia Jing ignored these cries altogether, merely listening calmly to the sounds of slaughter in the main camp and the hooves of Han Army cavalry coming from below the mid-slope.

He knew that Niu Jizong and the others had already acted according to plan, and the bulk of the Northern Yuan troops had been routed.

All he and Zhu Que needed to do now was guard the Han Army's banner and these important captives, Batu Mongke included.

As the Northern Yuan Khagan, Batu Mongke's political significance is immensely great!

Capturing him alive and bringing him back to Shenjing is far more valuable than sending his severed head to the capital.

Imagine if Batu Mongke and these Northern Yuan ministers were escorted to Shenjing, presented as captives at the Imperial Ancestral Temple, to comfort the spirits of Taizu, Chengzu, and the fallen northwestern soldiers of the Da Han Empire throughout the years.

That would greatly boost the morale of both the army and the populace of the Da Han Empire.

The Northern Yuan has been a border menace since the founding of the Da Han Empire, a foreign people that neither Taizu nor Chengzu could fully subdue.

If this battle manages to capture the Northern Yuan Khagan and bring him to Shenjing, there is no doubt that the victory report of this northwestern war will shake the entire Da Han Empire!

For such an achievement is exceedingly rare since the founding of the Da Han Empire, and unprecedented since Emperor Jing Sheng's ascension.

One can imagine,

the scene of the world shaken and the seas boiling, and how Emperor Jing Sheng ought to rejoice!

What could be more satisfying than the Northern Yuan Khagan kneeling in the Hall of Supreme Harmony while Emperor Jing Sheng demands: 'Ah, you little state, with wolfish ambitions, repeatedly invading our borders, unaware of life or death…'

What could better satisfy Emperor Jing Sheng's imperial vanity?

One could even have Batu Mongke perform a steppe surrender dance for Emperor Jing Sheng! Hail him as Heavenly Khagan!

Then the annals would record on the spot: 'In the tenth year of Jing Sheng, Batu Mongke presented a dance to the Da Han Emperor and received an honorific title.'

Such a scene, even if Emperor Jing Sheng did not grant him a dukedom, he would surely not escape being made a marquis!

Not to mention promotion and ennoblement, his future influence and voice in the court would increase manifold.

Thus, Batu Mongke is politically more valuable alive than dead.

Just as Jia Jing was pondering, the Northern Yuan troops over there were getting impatient.

The first to act was a Northern Yuan Commander of a Thousand.

This man was named Ha Dan, a famous warrior in the Kipchak Army, stout as an ox, skilled with a sixty-jin iron bone mace.

He quietly slipped through the crowd to Jia Jing's rear, using the cover of the Northern Yuan troops and the darkness, inching closer to Jia Jing.

Ten steps, seven steps, five steps.

Seeing the distance closing, Jia Jing remained unaware, Ha Dan exulted, and he suddenly raised his iron bone mace, aiming for the back of Jia Jing's head.

Then he shot out like an arrow released from a bow, slamming down his iron bone mace with great force.

Ha Dan's mouth split into a grin, convinced this strike could not miss.

The stalemate on the field was instantly broken, the frozen atmosphere ignited in an instant, and countless Northern Yuan troops showed looks of delight.

In that flash of lightning and fire, Jia Jing seemed to have eyes on his back; he thrust his spear backward, the spear's butt arriving first and striking Ha Dan in the chest.

"Crack!" — that was the sound of his breastbone shattering.

Ha Dan's whole body seemed struck by a heavy hammer, flying backward several times faster than his charge, soaring three zhang before exploding in midair with a boom.