Chapter 42: Operation: Breach the City

The top warrior of the Three Kingdoms, a fierce general even more valiant than Zhao Yun.

Fang Tian painted halberd, the Red Hare Horse, the Yuan Gate spear throw, and the three heroes battling Lu Bu—these are all well‑known anecdotes.

His physical strength surpasses ordinary men; his cavalry combat, archery, and spear techniques are all top‑tier.

Lu Bu repeatedly led his troops in daring charges, achieving remarkable battle records.

For example, when confronting Zhang Yan of the Black Mountain Army, he led dozens of cavalry to repeatedly assault Zhang Yan's formation of over ten thousand elite soldiers; for more than ten consecutive days he could behead enemies and return, ultimately crushing the enemy army.

In the Battle of Yanzhou, he led cavalry to charge head‑on against Cao Cao's Qingzhou troops, at one point forcing Cao Cao to flee on horseback, demonstrating tremendous battlefield impact.

His martial heritage surpasses even Zhao Yun's by a clear margin.

As for Xiang Yu's martial heritage, need not even mention!

Wang is no match for Ba, a general is no match for Li; this is the pinnacle of the martial ceiling of the entire Chinese civilization.

Xiang Yu is universally recognized as a top‑class fierce general; his combat power in the age of cold weapons was a peak, later praised as the "one‑of‑a‑kind" "duel king."

In his youth, he possessed divine strength, able to lift a cauldron!

He is the only general recorded in official histories to have single‑handedly slain hundreds, even while gravely wounded.

In the Battle of Julu, fifty thousand Chu troops defeated four hundred thousand Qin troops, winning nine battles in a row, terrifying the world.

In the Battle of Pengcheng, thirty thousand elite soldiers defeated Liu Bang's five hundred sixty thousand allied forces, slaying over a hundred thousand; the Sui River ceased to flow.

Within eight years of raising his army, he fought more than seventy victorious battles, earning the title "Hegemon of Western Chu"!

It can be said that Xiang Yu's martial bravery reached a superhuman level.

Now that he possesses the martial heritage of Zhao Yun, Lu Bu, and Xiang Yu, what level has Jia Jing's own martial power reached?

To be honest, even he himself does not know.

All one can say is, he hates the heavens for having no handle, and hates the earth for having no rim.

When Li Yuanba arrived, Jia Jing still dared to confront him with a single hand.

Among ten thousand troops, taking an enemy's head is as easy as reaching into a bag.

Stacking the martial heritage of these three onto Jia Jing alone is certainly not a simple addition.

At this moment, Jia Jing can feel that his constitution has undergone a strange transformation, though he has not yet figured out exactly what it is.

But he knows,

At the very least, breaking through Jizhou City's gates now is not a difficult task.

At present, he can use Jizhou City's high walls and thick gates to test the limits of his strength.

Amid the shocked gazes of the crowd, Jia Jing dismounted and, with one hand, lifted a massive hammer nearly seven feet tall.

This hammer was commissioned by him to Zhu Que, who ordered artisans to forge it from refined iron; the whole hammer weighs over six hundred jin, naturally formed and incredibly sturdy.

"Heavens! Is Uncle still human?"

"That's absurd! Truly terrifying!"

"A hammer this heavy, and Uncle lifted it with a single hand!"

Feng Ziying and the others, watching Jia Jing swing the massive hammer as if it were light, swallowed hard, each heart pounding.

As for the Han Army soldiers, their gazes at Jia Jing were filled with fanatical reverence, like devout worshippers gazing upon their deity.

Following such a valiant commander, they would find it hard even to lose a battle!

"All commanders, heed the order!" Jia Jing boomed.

"Please, General, issue the command!"

The commanders responded in unison!

In each eye flickered a fiery glow—does this battle even need to be fought?

They are certain to win!

This sky‑splitting military merit is about to be in hand!

"Feng Ziying, Liu Fang, the two of you lead eight thousand cavalry infantry at the east city of Jizhou, set successive ambushes, form three defensive lines with deep ditches and high ramparts, stock plentiful arrows and crossbows; when the Qing Army flees through the east city gate, strike together and let no one escape!"

"Han Qi, Hou Xiaokang, the two of you lead eight thousand cavalry infantry to set ambushes outside Jizhou's south city, with similarly deep ditches and high ramparts, allowing no one to escape!"

"Qin Qiong, you command eight thousand cavalry infantry to ambush at the west city gate, with the same mission—no Qing soldier may escape!"

"Zhu Que, you lead the remaining sixteen thousand cavalry infantry; once I breach the city gate, immediately lead your troops into the city,"

Jia Jing's successive orders were issued one after another.

The commanders all wore uncontrollable smiles, while secretly praying that the Qing Army would flee from the gates they defended.

The commanders each bowed deeply to Jia Jing, then, full of anticipation, set off to carry out their orders.

Jia Jing and Zhu Que waited two hours in front of the formation; after the other troops reported that their ambushes were ready, Jia Jing alone, hammer in hand, walked on foot to the foot of Jizhou City to challenge.

Behind him stood over ten thousand cavalry infantry, ready to act at any moment.

At the city gate, when Jia Jing reached about a hundred steps from the gate, a volley of arrows rained down from the wall like raindrops.

With his current martial power, these arrows could not harm him at all.

First, to his eyes the arrows moved very slowly, allowing him to dodge with ease,

Second, clad in several layers of heavy armor and a helm, the arrows could not pierce his defense.

Jia Jing ignored the arrows, dragging the great hammer, and with a burst of speed ran straight toward the gate like an arrow loosed from a bow.

The Qing Army guard commander atop the gate, momentarily unable to discern Jia Jing's intent, asked bewildered soldiers beside him:

"That Han general is Jia Jing, isn't it? Is he mad? Does he intend to breach our gate alone?"

The Qing guard commander could not bring himself to believe Jia Jing could breach Jizhou City's gate alone, even with Jia Jing dragging a hammer that appeared far from light.

But who knows what material it's made of; perhaps it's iron‑wrapped wood, meant to intimidate us!

"He must be trying to scare us! He can't possibly be so hopeless as to ram himself to death at the gate!" a nearby soldier replied in jest.

"Never mind him! This young, overconfident Jia Jing knows no limits! We just need to hold the walls steady! The Eldest Prince has already requested aid from Shengjing; reinforcements will arrive soon, and then we'll settle scores with the Han Army!"

The city defenders were pacifying the surrounding soldiers.

Jia Jing didn't care what the Qing Army thought; he just kept charging toward the city gate.

One hundred steps…… fifty steps……

Getting closer and closer,

Jia Jing could already clearly see the gate of Jizhou City; the majestic gate, profound as a tiger's mouth, lay stretched before his eyes.

The gate was covered with large copper nails mottled with rust, and above it hung the plaque of Jizhou City; although the lacquer had peeled off, the brushstrokes still revealed a heavy and solemn aura.

Before such a massive gate, human strength is indeed insignificant!

Of course, that's for ordinary people!

When he was a few steps away, Jia Jing had already lifted the huge hammer high, holding it with both hands, using the momentum of his run, he leapt up.

Instantly, heaven and earth seemed to fall silent at this moment!

Everyone's gaze gathered on Jia Jing,

At this moment, the wind seemed to stop blowing, and the light seemed to congeal.

Jia Jing exerted all his strength; the power of Zhao Yun, Lu Bu, and Xiang Yu all gathered in his hands.

"Ha!" Jia Jing exhaled sharply, veins bulging on his hands, muscles tensed.

In an instant, Jia Jing's martial power went off the charts.

"Boom!"

A tremendous roar echoed between heaven and earth.