Chapter 106: Zhu Ying Descends Like a Divine Warrior!

General Chang Mao.

Marquis Lan Yu shouted loudly.

Your servant is here.

I order you to lead your infantry as the vanguard and breach Tieling.

Capture this city, and it shall be a great merit, Marquis Lan Yu shouted loudly.

Your servant accepts the order.

Chang Mao accepted the order with visible excitement.

Then.

Return to the main formation.

Advance the cannons.

Advance the archers, Chang Mao ordered loudly.

As the orders were given.

The siege army, long prepared, advanced steadily toward Tieling City.

Over three hundred cannons, each guarded by several Ming artillerymen.

Fire.

As the cannons reached position, Chang Mao roared.

Instantly!

Boom, boom, boom!

A thunderous roar shook the heavens.

All three hundred cannons fired at once.

Cannonballs, with deafening force, slammed into Tieling City.

With the cannons firing.

The Ming offensive began.

Chang Mao drew his battle saber and pointed at Tieling City: "Kill!"

The first to breach the city gates shall be promoted two ranks and awarded a thousand gold pieces.

Kill for me!

As the order fell.

The Ming vanguard, under multiple commanders, charged toward Tieling City.

Under the cannon fire.

The cries of dying Yuan soldiers echoed from the city walls.

The siege had lasted nearly four months.

The Yuan forces in Liaodong had exhausted their cannons; faced with Ming artillery, they could only watch helplessly, waiting for the Ming to draw near before killing them with arrows.

Siege warfare!

Valor comes first!

The Ming launched furious assaults; the Yuan defenders inside the city fought desperately.

Tieling City became a meat grinder.

The battle raged on.

The Yuan resistance is fierce.

They clearly intend to hold Tieling to the death.

Marquis Lan Yu watched the battle, seeing the Yuan defenders fighting to the last with no sign of retreat—he believed they meant to die defending Tieling.

General.

It seems Zhu Ying's warnings were merely alarmist.

He never had good intentions.

Hu Hai said grimly.

He won't share in the glory of Tieling.

Marquis Lan Yu nodded in agreement.

Then.

Issue my order.

Take Tieling before sunset.

Full assault—do not give the Yuan a moment to breathe, Marquis Lan Yu roared.

Your servant accepts the order.

All generals responded in unison.

Nearly one hundred thousand troops before the city surged forward, launching the true assault on Tieling.

Time passed.

Under Marquis Lan Yu's full-force assault.

The gates of Tieling City were breached.

The Ming surged in, slaughtering wildly, engaging the Yuan in close combat within the city.

Everywhere, screams of battle, the crack of blades cutting flesh, the splatter of blood.

Extremely brutal.

The Yuan defenders inside fought back furiously.

But behind the city.

General.

Fifty thousand troops have been fully committed; ten thousand enforcers stand behind.

Not a single man has retreated.

They are fighting to the death against the Ming.

A Yuan general reported to Alishili.

Once the Ming break into the inner city, the battle will be decided.

I have finally fulfilled the Grand Tutor's heavy charge, Alishili's eyes hardened with resolve.

Issue my order.

Troops withdraw in orderly fashion.

Once the Ming have fully entered the city, the two thousand hidden death soldiers shall ignite the explosives and perish with them.

In addition.

The twenty thousand cavalry hidden outside the city shall launch a full assault on the Ming's rear guard and cut off their escape.

This battle.

I will annihilate every last one of the hundred thousand Ming soldiers, Alishili's eyes burned with madness.

As you command.

The surrounding Yuan generals shouted.

Outside the city, and even within it, the Ming soldiers remained unaware that Tieling was a trap.

First, their scouts had reconnoitered and found no anomalies.

Second, the Yuan resistance inside was fierce—clearly not the behavior of a trap.

This speaks to Naha's brilliance: he not only controlled intelligence but understood human psychology.

Had the Yuan resistance been weak, Marquis Lan Yu would have sensed something amiss and halted his advance; but with the Yuan fighting desperately—as if determined to die defending the city—Marquis Lan Yu would believe they meant to hold, not to deceive.

Tieling City was Naha's trap, paid for with tens of thousands of Yuan lives.

To secure victory, those lives meant nothing to Naha.

Everything for victory.

Brothers.

Kill!

Slaughter every Yuan soldier.

Kill them, take Tieling City, and it shall be a great merit.

Kill!

Inside the city.

Chang Mao swung his long saber, roaring loudly.

Morale soared.

The Ming troops ahead pressed forward furiously.

Faced with the Ming's ferocity, the Yuan defenders, under the watch of rear enforcers, though faltering, could only grit their teeth and charge—cut down by Ming blades.

Finally.

When Chang Mao's troops reached the inner city's governor's mansion.

Countless Ming soldiers saw the light of victory.

Brothers.

The governor's mansion of Tieling City has been taken by our forces.

Tie Ling City will fall.

Transmit my order.

Those among you, Yuan soldiers, who lay down your weapons and surrender shall be spared.

Chang Mao screamed in agitation.

But just then!

Throughout the city.

In many streets, in homes, even beneath the courier stations.

Numerous Yuan soldiers suddenly crawled out.

They held lit torches and immediately set fire to the flammable materials already prepared around them.

Almost simultaneously.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!!

Across Tie Ling City.

Suddenly, roaring flames erupted, spreading with terrifying speed, engulfing the entire city. What had been only the sounds of shouting and combat now joined the crackling roar of fire devouring everything.

"Fire! Fire!"

"Run for your lives!"

"How did the fire start?"

"Run for your lives..."

Civilians hiding in homes were startled by the sudden blaze; countless civilians poured out, heedless of the battlefield outside.

Both the Yuan and Ming soldiers within the city were stunned.

"What's happening?"

"Why is the fire so huge?"

"Such a massive fire—the whole city is burning!"

"What do we do?"

"We're trapped in a sea of fire."

"General, what should we do?"

At this moment.

Flames raged across the land.

Spreading rapidly through the city.

The Ming and Yuan armies, still locked in combat, were thrown into panic. Even though the Ming forces had gained the upper hand, the sight of fire consuming the entire city sent them all into terror.

Water and fire show no mercy.

This was beyond human control.

In an instant.

Both armies, once locked in battle, now scattered in chaos, fleeing in all directions.

Even the presence of execution squads could not hold order; they were powerless against the flames.

"How could this be?"

"How could this happen?"

"Is Naha Chu insane?"

Chang Mao, seeing the flames engulf the city, stood frozen.

He had never imagined Naha Chu would be so mad as to sacrifice the entire city of Tie Ling to burn it to ashes.

He knew the city held not only tens of thousands of Yuan soldiers, but also tens of thousands of civilians!

Yet Naha Chu showed no hesitation—he burned the entire city.

And precisely because of this.

Naha Chu's burning of the city had deceived Marquis Lan Yu, hiding his true plan.

Had Naha Chu evacuated the civilians beforehand and left only a small force to resist, Marquis Lan Yu's army would never have advanced deep into the city.

This entire scheme was Naha Chu's design.

The stronger the Yuan resistance within the city, the more Ming troops poured in, the fiercer their assault became.

"Zhu Ying was right."

"The Yuan army truly set an ambush in Tie Ling."

At this moment.

Remembering Zhu Ying's earlier warning, Chang Mao felt as if struck by lightning—his mind trembled.

"General."

"What do we do?"

Chang Mao's deputy urgently asked.

"Retreat."

"Withdraw from the city at once."

"Retreat in order—do not panic."

"Or we'll all be trapped inside."

Chang Mao roared.

Then.

He spun his horse around and retreated swiftly.

But beneath the flames.

Fear gripped every man.

With fire raging all around, heat scorching the air, and thick smoke rolling through the streets, chaos engulfed the entire city.

Screams echoed everywhere. Wails filled the air.

Everything in the city had collapsed into utter disorder.

Outside the city.

When Marquis Lan Yu saw the thick smoke rising from within, his face turned pale.

In an instant, he understood what had happened.

"No."

"Ambush!"

"Fire burns the city."

"Naha Chu is ruthless."

"He used the entire city of Tie Ling as bait to lure my army inside, then burned it all to ashes." Marquis Lan Yu's eyes widened, his face drained of color.

The moment he saw the smoke, he understood.

"Quickly."

"Order the army to retreat—do not enter the city again."

"Clear escape routes."

"Do it at once."

Marquis Lan Yu shouted immediately.

"I hope it's not too late."

After issuing the order, Marquis Lan Yu's heart grew heavy.

He had commanded troops for years—he knew that if the Yuan army had sacrificed Tie Ling City to burn it down, they must have other plans.

Their true goal was surely to annihilate him entirely.

Just as Marquis Lan Yu suspected.

"Men of the Great Yuan."

"Kill every last Ming soldier."

"Our Yuan lands of Liaodong will not be coveted by these Ming dogs."

"Kill!"

From the east, where Marquis Lan Yu's rear guard stood.

A thunderous roar of hooves surged toward them.

Beneath the pounding hooves.

Yuan battle flags rose high in the air.

Tens of thousands of cavalry charged from the east of Marquis Lan Yu's rear guard, radiating deadly intent.

As they neared Marquis Lan Yu's rear guard.

They opened fire with arrows first.

Countless arrows rained down upon Marquis Lan Yu's rear guard.

Though the rear guard had prepared for battle, the dense arrowstorm inflicted massive casualties.

"It's over."

Seeing the sudden cavalry assault, Marquis Lan Yu felt a wave of dread surge through him.

He knew it well.

He had lost this battle.

And there was no way left to change the situation.

The Yuan cavalry had come to cut off the retreat of the Ming troops who had stormed into the city, trapping them alive within its walls.

This battle.

Naha Chu had intended from the start to annihilate him.

"Zhu Ying, he is right."

"The Yuan ambush at Tie Ling was no simple trap—it was a firestorm meant to burn the city and annihilate our army," Marquis Lan Yu felt dread surge in his heart.

But now.

He had no other choice.

"All troops, listen!"

"Change from offensive formation to defensive formation."

"Hold back the Yuan cavalry."

"Archers, loose your arrows."

"Shield troops, advance with spears."

"Stand and fight."

Marquis Lan Yu stood atop his war chariot, drew his sword, and roared.

The ten thousand Ming soldiers swiftly reformed; archers loosed volleys at the charging Yuan cavalry.

Under the hail of arrows.

Both sides exchanged fire.

But the Yuan cavalry, this time, seemed to have unleashed their full strength, charging wildly toward Marquis Lan Yu's rear guard.

Cavalry charged the formation.

Unstoppable.

In an instant.

The Yuan cavalry struck like knives, smashing into Marquis Lan Yu's rear guard, swords slashing.

Waves of Ming soldiers were slaughtered beneath the Yuan cavalry's blades.

Marquis Lan Yu's rear formation shattered instantly.

"My sons!"

"Kill!"

"The Ming general Marquis Lan Yu is ahead! Whoever captures him gets three promotions! Whoever kills him gets two!"

"Kill!"

The Yuan cavalry commander, Yixianbu Hua, roared.

He swung his sword wildly, trembling with excitement.

Today's battle.

Naha Chu had planned for months, waiting for this day of triumph.

If they annihilated Marquis Lan Yu's entire army, the Great Yuan could reverse its failing fortunes in Liaodong, launch a full counterattack, reclaim every lost city, and even strike back at the Ming state.

"Kill!"

Yixianbu Hua screamed, wildly elated.

He charged through the cavalry ranks, slashing wildly at the defending Ming soldiers.

Beyond the advancing Yuan cavalry.

Outside Tie Ling's walls.

Nearly seventy to eighty thousand Yuan infantry had silently formed a ring, encircling the entire area around the city.

This battle.

Was meant to annihilate Marquis Lan Yu completely.

The cavalry was only one part; the infantry was the trap.

"General."

"We're surrounded by Yuan forces."

The faces of Marquis Lan Yu's officers had turned pale.

Now.

They were spent, utterly trapped within the Yuan encirclement.

"Break out!"

"Break out through the west!"

Marquis Lan Yu glanced at the battlefield and barked.

"Are we abandoning our brothers inside the city?"

"If we retreat, they lose their chance to escape—the city will be fully sealed off."

"Eighty thousand men who stormed inside will all die."

Hu Hai said, terrified.

"If we don't retreat."

"We'll be annihilated."

"The Yuan have surrounded us completely."

Marquis Lan Yu gritted his teeth.

"But…"

Hu Hai wanted to say more.

But now.

It was too late.

"Kill, kill, kill."

"Kill the Ming soldiers…"

Around them, the Yuan cavalry roared their battle cries.

Everywhere, Ming soldiers screamed in agony.

Marquis Lan Yu's rear formation had been torn open, defenseless.

"No chance left!"

As Marquis Lan Yu turned his horse, aiming to flee westward.

He looked—and saw.

Countless Yuan battle flags appeared.

To the west, vast waves of Yuan infantry had arrived; the battlefield of Tie Ling was now fully encircled.

"Great Yuan warriors!"

"The hour of counterattack has come!"

"Kill the Ming soldiers!"

In the center of the Yuan army.

Alishili screamed with excitement.

His face glowed with triumph, the satisfaction of a plan fulfilled.

Naha Chu's months-long strategy of luring and annihilating had succeeded.

Though paid for with tens of thousands of soldiers' lives and the lives of tens of thousands of civilians in the city, the plan had worked.

Once this battle ended.

One hundred thousand Ming troops would vanish into nothing.

The Great Yuan could then muster its counteroffensive and wipe out every Ming force in Liaodong.

Reversing all prior defeats.

"Lost."

Marquis Lan Yu's heart was filled with bitter despair.

He had planned to use this battle to secure the fate of Liaodong, to win a great victory—but he never imagined Naha Chu had devised such a scheme.

Using such a terrible cost as bait.

Using the entire city of Tie Ling as bait.

Though Marquis Lan Yu had fought countless battles, he had never imagined Naha Chu could be so mad.

"We can't break out."

Marquis Lan Yu spoke slowly, quietly drawing his sword from his belt.

"General."

"Perhaps if we hold on, there's still a chance."

"Zhu Ying still has fifty thousand troops from Danning's border garrison. If he knows of this battle, he'll come to rescue us," Hu Hai said grimly.

It was his last hope.

"Maybe."

"But perhaps it's already too late," Marquis Lan Yu said with a bitter smile.

Then.

Marquis Lan Yu drew his waist saber and shouted loudly: "Brothers!"

"This ambush by the Yuan forces is my fault."

"Today's battle—"

"I, Marquis Lan Yu, will live and die with all of you."

"Even if we die, we will fight the Yuan to the last drop of blood."

A roar.

Marquis Lan Yu charged straight at the Yuan forces, saber in hand.

"We swear to follow the General to death!"

"Let's fight the Yuan to the end!"

"Kill!"

The Ming soldiers around him, inspired by Marquis Lan Yu's charge, surged wildly toward the Yuan forces.

The great battle began.

The true bloodbath arrived.

But now—

Though some Ming troops had escaped from the city, Yuan forces surrounded them outside; the moment they emerged, they were forced into desperate combat.

The battlefield was utterly chaotic.

As time passed—

The number of Ming soldiers around Marquis Lan Yu dwindled, and the Yuan encirclement tightened.

The space for the Ming troops fleeing from the city shrank further, until their final fate became annihilation by fire or slaughter in the encirclement.

The tide of battle seemed to have reached its irreversible end.

And just then—

Behind the Yuan lines—

A cavalry unit, banners flying the Great Ming war flag, charged in like a storm.

At their head rode a man atop a towering black Akhal-Teke, wielding a tiger-head saber.

Clad in battle armor, his presence was formidable.

He led as the vanguard.

Behind him followed twenty thousand cavalry.

Zhang Wu, Liu Zhen.

Two Commandants led the cavalry in pursuit.

"Bows!"

Zhu Ying roared.

He held his saber horizontally.

In his hand rose the Precious Carved Bow.

He drew one from his back.

Seven arrows instantly nocked upon the bowstring.

Behind him—

The twenty thousand cavalry raised their bows as well.

As they galloped, they widened their spacing and formed their battle line.

When they drew within fifty paces of the front-line Yuan cavalry—

"Kill!"

Zhu Ying let out a low command.

His Precious Carved Bow, drawn taut as a full moon, trembled.

Seven arrows instantly became streaks of lightning, shooting from the bowstring.

The moment the arrows left—

Like lightning and serpents of thunder.

They pierced the air, hurtling toward the front-line Yuan riders.

In an instant—

"Ahh… ahh…"

The seven arrows spread apart.

Almost instantly, each pierced through dozens of Yuan soldiers—each arrow easily ran through five or six men.

"Slain Northern Yuan soldier: +10 Strength, +10 days of lifespan."

"Slain Northern Yuan soldier: +10 True Qi, +15 days of lifespan."

"Slain Northern Yuan soldier…"

System prompts flashed continuously.

"Kill!"

The twenty thousand Ming cavalry raised their bows and unleashed a storm of arrows.

They rained down upon the front-line Yuan forces.

Beneath the hail of arrows—

Lay boundless slaughter.

Shhh.

Shhh-shhh.

"Ahh… ahh…"

The arrows hissed through the air, accompanied by the screams and wails of the dying Yuan soldiers.

In an instant—

The rear ranks of the Yuan forces were mowed down in droves.

"Bad!"

"The Ming have reinforcements!"

"Turn around immediately and counterattack!"

"Front line becomes rear, rear becomes front!"

"Attack!"

Yexianbuha, seeing the sudden arrow storm from behind, roared orders.

The sudden arrival of the Ming cavalry had stunned Yexianbuha.

But Zhu Ying was unaffected; Wu Feng galloped forward at full speed, Zhu Ying raised his bow again, aimed at the front, and fired seven arrows in rapid succession.

He fired again.

Arrows tore through the air.

Dozens more Yuan soldiers were instantly pierced through.

And the soldiers behind Zhu Ying kept firing without pause.

Just as they had ambushed Marquis Lan Yu's rear guard, so now Zhu Ying ambushed them.

When Yexianbuha finally reacted and led his cavalry to meet the charge—

Zhu Ying had already lowered his Precious Carved Bow, gripping his tiger-head saber tightly in his right hand.

"Brothers."

"Break through the Yuan lines!"

Zhu Ying spoke no more—he roared.

Raising his saber, he charged straight into the front-line Yuan forces.

Seeing the Yuan riders charging toward him—

"Kill!"

Zhu Ying raised his blade and slashed.

Where the blade passed—

Several Yuan soldiers before him were instantly beheaded, their heads flying through the air.

As before—

Wu Feng galloped at full speed, Zhu Ying's saber swung relentlessly.

Alone, he rode like the Western Chu Overlord—yet even more terrifying, like a god of slaughter.

Where he passed, a river of blood opened, none surviving his blade.

One man, like ten thousand armies, unmatched.

"We swear to follow the General to death!"

"Kill every last barbarian!"

"Kill!"

Zhang Wu and Liu Zhen roared in unison.

"I swear to follow the General to death."

"Kill!"

Twenty thousand Danning cavalry roared and charged out behind Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying commanded the troops.

He led from the front.

This was precisely to inspire morale and stir the heart.

With the authority of his official seal enhancing his power, the boost to combat effectiveness was obvious.

Each Danning cavalryman could fight against several Yuan soldiers.

After Zhu Ying charged forward,

the twenty thousand Danning cavalry became a blade, slashing fiercely into the Yuan army.

"Kill!"

"Kill!!"

"Slaughter all these barbarians!"

Countless Danning cavalrymen roared, raising their sabers and striking down with ferocity.

Whole ranks of Yuan cavalry were instantly cut down; the battlefield was left with countless riderless horses.

Just one strike.

The Yuan formation shattered immediately, torn apart by four long lines of Danning cavalry charging through it.

"General."

"Look over there."

Hu Hai, trapped within the Yuan encirclement, seemed to hear something—he looked up, and his eyes instantly filled with hope.

Marquis Lan Yu also raised his head to look.

There, numerous Ming banners flapped in the wind, and countless red-armored cavalry were furiously attacking and slaughtering the Yuan troops.

The nearly complete Yuan encirclement was instantly torn open by this cavalry charge, creating multiple gaps.

And the general leading at the very front was unstoppable, unmatched!

Marquis Lan Yu recognized him at once.

"Zhu Ying."

Marquis Lan Yu stared, his expression complex.

This situation—

Marquis Lan Yu had never anticipated it.

He had not expected Naha Chu to be so ruthless, willing to use any means to win.

He had used Tieling and tens of thousands of Yuan soldiers and civilians as bait, luring Marquis Lan Yu's army into the city.

Although Zhu Ying had previously warned him to beware of Yuan ambushes,

because of Zhu Ying's warning,

even though Marquis Lan Yu distrusted Zhu Ying deeply, he had still maintained battlefield caution—but no matter how carefully he guarded or scouted, he could not uncover Naha Chu's plan, for the latter had kept his scheme secret and made no mistakes.

"It's him who came to save me."

Marquis Lan Yu's heart was filled with complex emotions.

Regarding Zhu Ying,

without doubt,

Marquis Lan Yu felt some distrust, even some hostility.

But now,

Marquis Lan Yu quickly snapped back to himself.

"Brothers!"

"Reinforcements have arrived!"

"Follow me—kill every Yuan soldier at the city gate and rescue our troops inside!"

"Kill!"

Marquis Lan Yu roared loudly.

He led his troops in a counterattack, first clearing the Yuan soldiers crowding before the city gate.

Only by eliminating the Yuan forces outside could the soldiers inside the city have a better chance of survival.

The battle raged on!

When he saw the relentless charge of the Danning cavalry,

Alishili's face changed.

"How could the Ming still have reinforcements?"

Alishili asked urgently.

"Your Excellency,"

"They must be the Danning frontier troops."

"They do not fall under Marquis Lan Yu's command."

"They have always operated independently."

"Yet… yet they've arrived at Tieling as well."

The deputy general hastily reported.

"Zhu Ying."

"That Zhu Ying of the Danning frontier troops."

At the mention of Danning frontier troops, Alishili immediately thought of Zhu Ying—the man who had inflicted repeated defeats upon the Great Yuan.

"No."

"The battle situation is clear—Marquis Lan Yu's army is already surrounded. We cannot let this change anything."

"Issue my order!"

"Tighten the encirclement. Today, the Great Yuan leaves no survivors—slaughter every last Ming soldier."

Alishili shouted loudly.

Now,

he held a numerical advantage, and the battle situation was clear.

He was not afraid.

"By the General's order!"

"Tighten the encirclement!"

"By the General's order…"

As Alishili's command was issued,

the Yuan formation immediately accelerated its tightening encirclement.

Yet,

one side of the Yuan cavalry had already been torn open.

"Kill!"

Zhu Ying roared.

His saber slashed continuously.

Each blow brought down several Yuan soldiers.

"Advance! Advance!"

"Who retreats—behead them!"

Yixianhua roared loudly, urging his cavalry forward.

But,

his shouts immediately drew Zhu Ying's attention—and so did his battle standard.

"Yuan cavalry commander."

Zhu Ying's gaze sharpened; he locked onto Yixianhua.

He shook his saber.

Blood dripped.

Zhu Ying directly spurred Wufeng toward Yixianhua's position.

He charged through, meeting no resistance.

"Zhu… Zhu Ying."

When Yixianhua sensed the killing intent,

his face paled.

He looked up—a Ming general, drenched in blood, was charging straight at him.

With each swing of his blade, unstoppable—his target was none other than himself.

"Forward!"

"Charge!"

"Who retreats—behead them!"

Yexianbuha was already panicked; being targeted by Zhu Ying felt like being watched by ghosts or gods.

At his command, his personal guard cavalry charged wildly forward.

But.

Zhu Ying's advance showed no sign of slowing.

In an instant.

He was already before Yexianbuha.

"Die."

……

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(End of Chapter)