Chapter 142: God of War Zhu Ying, attacking and killing once again!

"Your Majesty."

General Guili Chi stepped forward, his expression solemn and his tone carrying a hint of urgency, as if the entire fate of the Great Yuan hung by a thread at this very moment.

"Since the Ming barbarians have mobilized their troops against our Great Yuan this time, they must have deployed the entirety of their northern frontier forces."

"The Reclaiming Liaodong Daning border army, as well as the Ming elite forces, must surely be among them. There is no time for hesitation."

As General Guili Chi spoke, he slightly raised his head, feigning a heavy heart, while his peripheral vision swept toward the many military generals standing to the side.

"I second this." A military general immediately stepped out, cupping his hands and saying in a loud voice, "I implore Your Majesty to prioritize the bigger picture. The Ming nation is the true great enemy of our Great Yuan; I beg Your Majesty to think thrice."

No sooner had the words fallen than a crowd of Northern Yuan military generals stepped out one after another. Each of them wore an expression of acting for the sake of the Great Yuan, shouting in unison: "We implore Your Majesty to prioritize the Great Yuan."

The sound reverberated through the great hall, shaking the curtains within the hall until they trembled slightly.

Clearly, their intentions were identical to those of General Guili Chi. They all realized that the Ming nation's arrival this time was aggressive and that the Great Yuan was facing a massive crisis. Although it was a crisis, it was also the best opportunity for their own estates and tribes to be free from the imperial court's control.

Seeing this scene, the Northern Yuan Emperor furrowed his brows, a trace of hesitation and conflict appearing in his eyes. He slowly cast his gaze toward Chancellor Shilie Men, as if in this situation, Chancellor Shilie Men was the only straw he could grasp to save his life, and he could only seek help from him: "Chancellor, what do you think?"

"Your Majesty." Chancellor Shilie Men bowed slightly, his expression steady, and said unhurriedly, "The Ming nation has now occupied the Central Plains, but it is absolutely impossible for them to have mobilized more than five hundred thousand troops."

"After all, the Ming nation must defend the south on one hand, and defend against the Wokou of the East Sea on the other. Once the army exceeds five hundred thousand, the Ming nation's baggage and supplies will absolutely not be able to sustain it."

As Chancellor Shilie Men spoke, he appeared extremely confident.

"What does the Chancellor mean?" The Northern Yuan Emperor immediately pressed, his body leaning slightly forward, anticipation showing in his eyes.

"Mobilize one hundred thousand troops to reinforce, and leave one hundred thousand troops to garrison; that will suffice," Chancellor Shilie Men said immediately.

Upon hearing this, the Northern Yuan Emperor closed his eyes slightly and pondered carefully for a moment.

Finally, he nodded slowly.

Clearly, this seemingly simple act of mobilizing troops actually contained a power struggle.

General Guili Chi and the others were mobilizing troops, but they were also guarding against the Northern Yuan imperial court. If the Northern Yuan Emperor did not make concessions, then generals like General Guili Chi would absolutely not honestly send troops to assist.

"The Chancellor's words are reasonable."

The Northern Yuan Emperor opened his eyes and said in a deep voice: "Adding the troops sent by the various generals, plus the one hundred thousand troops I am mobilizing, our Great Yuan will have a total of six hundred thousand troops to deal with the Ming barbarians."

"Moreover, our Great Yuan possesses the power of cavalry. In mounted warfare, who can contend with our Great Yuan?"

As the Northern Yuan Emperor spoke, he stood up, hands behind his back, a sense of imperial aura emanating from him at this moment.

"Your Majesty." Chancellor Shilie Men spoke again, his expression still steady: "Our Great Yuan's six hundred thousand troops are enough to pressure the Ming nation, but it is not enough if we want to counterattack and move south."

"I propose summoning the Jianzhou Jurchens and other tribes subordinate to our Great Yuan to attack the Ming nation and contain them."

"Not just the Jianzhou Jurchens, but also Gao Li. These must all be utilized."

"Let them lead troops to attack the Ming nation. We do not need them to achieve any great results, but they must attract the Ming nation."

"Furthermore, there are quite a few Han people within our Great Yuan's territory; we can forcibly conscript a batch of young, able-bodied men to form an army to deal with the Ming nation."

Hearing this proposal, the Northern Yuan Emperor nodded slightly, but still wore a thoughtful expression: "The Jianzhou Jurchens can still be utilized. After that battle back then, although the Jianzhou Jurchens suffered some losses, they have recovered after such a long time."

"If we let the Jianzhou Jurchens send troops, they certainly will not refuse, nor would they dare to refuse. As for Gao Li, didn't we receive news that their General Li Chenggui has rebelled?"

"Now that the Gao Li King can barely protect himself and is still fully occupied with suppressing the rebellion, I reckon we cannot count on the Gao Li nation."

"Your Majesty is wise." Chancellor Shilie Men immediately echoed: "In that case, we shall just mobilize the Jianzhou Jurchens."

"Chancellor, draft an imperial decree for me immediately, ordering the Jianzhou Jurchens to mobilize troops to attack the Ming nation's Daning Prefecture."

"In addition, the slave army of Han people you mentioned is also feasible; I leave this matter entirely to you," the Northern Yuan Emperor said immediately, a hint of decisiveness appearing in his eyes.

"I accept the decree." Chancellor Shilie Men immediately responded, bowed slightly, and retreated to the side.

Just at this moment, a messenger soldier was seen running into the great hall in a panic.

His forehead was covered in sweat, and his face wore a look of terror as he reported loudly: "Report! I petition Your Majesty, we have just received an urgent report from the border city garrison; the Ming army has already broken camp and mobilized."

"Who is the Ming commanding general?"

The Northern Yuan Emperor asked immediately, a hint of tension revealing itself in his eyes, his body leaning forward involuntarily.

"The Ming generals are Guo Ying. Also, the Ming Prince Zhu Di, Marquis Lan Yu, General Chang Mao, and Li Jinglong."

"This is what our scouts hidden in the Ming nation have discovered."

The messenger soldier replied respectfully, lowering his head slightly, not daring to look the Emperor in the eye.

Hearing the names of these battle-hardened generals, the Northern Yuan Emperor's face instantly became extremely ugly, revealing a hint of fear and worry: "Such a lineup! So many brave and fierce generals! It seems the Ming barbarians truly intend to fight a decisive battle with our Great Yuan."

"Your Majesty." Chancellor Shilie Men said hurriedly, anxiously: "Given the current situation, we must gather troops quickly. Relying on the Second Imperial Prince and the Third Imperial Prince to garrison the border is far from enough."

"En." The Northern Yuan Emperor nodded, his gaze turning toward General Guili Chi and the other generals, his expression serious and his tone carrying a hint of majesty: "My dear ministers, mobilize troops to reinforce immediately; there must be no delay. Whoever delays, I will absolutely not show leniency."

……

Before Zhenxiacheng, an atmosphere of killing permeated the air.

Dark clouds gathered in the sky, as if feeling oppressed by the great battle about to arrive.

One hundred thousand black-armored Ming troops stood neatly and solemnly, like a black iron wall.

Their armor shimmered with cold light under the dim sky, and their weapons were gripped tightly, revealing a resolute momentum.

Five hundred cannons stood before the formation, their black muzzles pointed at Zhenxiacheng, like giant beasts ready to devour life at any moment.

Archers were positioned in the rear, their quivers full and bowstrings taut, waiting only for the order.

At the center of the army, on a tall chariot, Zhu Di and Li Jinglong stood side by side. Zhu Di wore a red cloak that fluttered gently in the breeze, his eyes fixed on the battlefield ahead.

Li Jinglong stood to the side, also quietly waiting for the battle to begin.

The sound of war drums shook the heavens.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The sound was like a roar from hell, sweeping across the entire firmament, shaking people's eardrums until they ached.

Every beat of the drum seemed to inject a powerful force into the Ming soldiers.

Zhu Ying stood at the very front of the army formation, even in front of the artillery line.

Today, Zhu Ying had recovered his past momentum of battlefield slaughter, riding the blood-sweat horse Wufeng.

Zhu Ying wore his battle armor, the scales on the armor shimmering with cold light, holding a tiger-headed broadsword. The blade was wide and thick, the edge sharp, exuding a silent pressure.

At this moment.

Zhu Ying's eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, staring fixedly at Zhenxiacheng, revealing a murderous intent.

"Where are the Great Ming soldiers?"

Zhu Ying raised his battle sword, which shimmered with a cold, biting light under the dim sky, and shouted with majesty.

Zhu Ying's voice was as loud as a great bell, piercing through the clamor of the battlefield and entering the ears of countless Great Ming soldiers.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

One hundred thousand Great Ming soldiers let out a deafening shout, the sound resounding through the clouds.

They held their weapons high, the cold light of the blades shimmering under the dim sky, exuding an endless aura of slaughter. That momentum seemed capable of shaking the very heavens and earth.

"Cannons, fire!"

Zhu Ying ordered immediately, his voice firm and decisive.

Now that there was the deterrence of firearms, even if the current cannons could only inflict so much damage on the enemy, the deterrent effect of the cannons was unspoken.

Five hundred cannons fired in unison, and with ten thousand shells prepared, once they rained down, it would absolutely be enough to send the enemy fleeing in panic.

"Boom!"

Following Zhu Ying's order, the artillery soldiers who had long been prepared immediately took their torches and lit the cannons.

Their movements were skilled and swift, their eyes revealing a hint of tension and excitement.

In an instant.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

A series of thunderous roars from the cannons erupted, and five hundred shells, carrying trails of fire like meteors, bombarded Zhenxiacheng ahead.

The trails of fire appeared particularly dazzling under the dim sky, like streaks of lightning tearing through the night sky.

The shells crashed down.

"Bang, bang, bang."

They smashed into the city. Although the shells did not explode like the high-explosive gunpowder of the future, the moment they landed, the shells shattered, and the iron needles and iron filings inside erupted instantly.

Those iron needles and iron filings were like countless life-taking hidden weapons, splashing in all directions.

"Ah... ah..."

"..."

The moment the shells exploded, the iron needles and iron filings inside spread outward with powerful impact, and many Northern Yuan soldiers were pierced through before they had a chance to react.

Their bodies were riddled by the iron needles and iron filings, blood flowed down, and they let out bursts of wails.

The sound was miserable and desperate, as if it were a wail from hell.

This was precisely the latest artillery shell achievement obtained by the Great Ming Ministry of Works: shells hiding needles, concealing murderous intent, with even greater power.

With every round of bombardment, five hundred shells, the murderous intent caused within the city could be imagined.

"Why aren't we using the cannons to fire back?"

On the city tower, the Yuan general Ma Hawu, who was guarding the city pass, looked at the cannons that had not yet been lit, with soldiers running everywhere to hide, and asked angrily in a loud voice.

At this moment.

His face was flushed red, his eyes revealing a hint of anxiety and anger, his hands gripping the railing on the city tower tightly.

"General."

The young officer in charge of the Yuan army's cannons on the city tower replied bitterly, his face revealing a hint of helplessness and frustration: "The Ming army is outside the range of our cannons; even if we light the cannons, it is useless."

"How can the Ming nation's cannons be so powerful?"

Ma Hawu's face became extremely ugly, terrified and puzzled: "In the past, their firearms were the same as our Great Yuan's!"

"And how can these shells release iron thorns?"

For them, more than twenty years ago, the Central Plains were still the world of their Great Yuan, and everything in the Central Plains was once their Great Yuan's.

Those Han people were all bowing and scraping under the enslavement of their Great Yuan.

But how many years had it been? The situation seemed to have reversed.

The slaves of the past were now counterattacking their Great Yuan, and everything was already out of control.

Of course, their Northern Yuan's cannons and firearms were also crafted by Han craftsmen of the past; even now, within their empire, those craftsmen were all Han people, enslaved by them and forced to build them.

But the Great Ming had been established for more than twenty years, and the Han people had regained their dignity. With the full support of Zhu Yuanzhang, they also knew that firearms would become the great killing weapon on the battlefield, so the Ministry of Works naturally perfected the firearms even further.

"The Ming army is aggressive, and their methods are extremely cruel."

Ma Hawu took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down, and with a warning and a threat, shouted to all the Yuan soldiers on the city tower: "My Great Yuan's sons, once the Ming army breaks the city, only a dead end awaits you."

"Today, our one hundred thousand troops are garrisoned here, and we will surely be able to hold the city."

"Think about how we treated the barbarians in the past; if they break the city, it will be hard for us even to die."

Ma Hawu's voice was loud, and although the sound of cannons roared continuously, his voice still clearly entered the ears of many Yuan soldiers.

After hearing his words, many Yuan soldiers looked at the Ming army before the city, their eyes filled with trepidation and worry, filled with fear.

It seemed.

They thought about what would happen if the Great Ming truly broke the city.

If the city fell!

What kind of ending would they have?

"Pass on this general's order." Ma Hawu shouted loudly, a hint of determination emerging in his eyes: "Swear to defend Zhenxiacheng to the death. Once the Ming army enters range, fire the cannons immediately."

"Sons, rest assured, the Second Imperial Prince is also garrisoning within the city. With him here, the Emperor will certainly send reinforcements."

"The Emperor is with us."

The words fell.

"We respectfully follow the General's order."

The Yuan soldiers on the city tower replied loudly while dodging.

Although their voices carried a hint of exhaustion and fear, under Ma Hawu's encouragement, they still mustered a hint of courage.

Following this, Ma Hawu mobilized the supervisory army to garrison.

Looking again at the Ming army bombarding crazily before the city, Ma Hawu thought coldly in his heart: "These barbarians were our slaves before, and they will be in the future. As long as we hold out, our Great Yuan will surely be able to enter and rule the Central Plains again."

And at this moment, the Ming army's cannons before the city were still bombarding continuously.

Zhenxiacheng had already turned into a purgatory. Smoke permeated the city, fire soared into the sky, and the sound of houses collapsing and the wails of soldiers intertwined.

Zhu Ying stood at the front of the formation, watching very calmly, without a ripple in his eyes, as if all this was within his expectations.

Since he had the advantage of cannons, Zhu Ying would naturally make perfect use of them.

Using cannons to trade for greater casualties for the enemy, his own soldiers could also avoid greater casualties.

Time continued.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

"Boom, boom, boom!"

The cannons bombarded crazily.

Finally, when the barrels of the cannons were glowing red and were about to be unable to fire.

"Where is the Daning border cavalry?"

Zhu Ying raised the battle sword in his hand, which shimmered with a cold, biting light under the dim sky, and shouted with majesty.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Behind Zhu Ying, seven hundred personal guards and twenty thousand cavalry soldiers raised the battle swords and long spears in their hands, all shouting hoarsely.

Their voices resounded through the clouds, their fighting spirit boundless. Their eyes revealed a hint of solemnity and anticipation; even though they knew the danger, as soldiers, they had no choice. At this moment, they had to charge onto the battlefield and engage the enemy in a life-and-death struggle.

Zhu Ying commanded the army, naturally with the blessing of the official seal of authority; now, the combat power and morale of Zhu Ying's subordinates could be doubled.

Moreover, Zhu Ying's Daning border army was originally a true elite force.

After being trained by Zhu Ying, they had become even stronger elites.

"The general does not covet life, the soldiers do not fear death."

"This is an invincible army."

"I command the army to attack and kill, still the old rules."

"I charge and kill at the front, all soldiers follow us to charge."

"If I fall off my horse, if I am killed by the enemy, the offensive must not stop, the killing must not cease."

"Daning border army, do you understand?" Zhu Ying shouted loudly, his gaze sweeping firmly over every soldier, as if conveying an unyielding and fearless belief to them.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

All the border army soldiers responded to Zhu Ying with their roars. The sound was like a surging sea wave, one wave after another, as if to completely drown the enemy.

The next moment, Zhu Ying did not have any hesitation.

"All soldiers, follow me to kill." Zhu Ying shouted loudly. He whipped his horse fiercely. Wufeng let out a neigh, the sound like a bugle for battle, and immediately charged toward the city ahead.

Wufeng's four hooves galloped, kicking up a cloud of dust. Zhu Ying's figure appeared and disappeared in the dust, as if a god of slaughter from purgatory was about to begin the massacre.

"Swear to follow the General to the death. Kill!"

Liu Lei raised his battle sword and roared. Fanaticism emerged in his eyes, and he led the seven hundred personal guards to follow closely.

Their figures were like a long black dragon, following Zhu Ying closely, charging toward Zhenxiacheng.

And behind the personal guards.

"Swear to follow the General to the death."

"Brothers, kill."

Chen Heng shouted and charged on horseback.

Behind him, Wei Quan, Liu Zhen, and the twenty thousand Daning cavalry also followed closely.

They first dispersed, and only after breaking the city would this cavalry force become like a long dragon, charging directly into the city.

The Daning border army was very strong, but even stronger was their general, unstoppable.

As the Daning cavalry charged out, the thirty thousand Daning border army infantry remained motionless.

Zhang Wu stood on horseback, waiting quietly, as if waiting for the best opportunity.

And at the center of the army, Zhu Di and Li Jinglong stood side by side, surrounded by troops holding shields, as well as personal guards for protection.

It could be seen that the defense was high.

Those shield-bearers surrounded them tightly, forming a solid defensive line, while the personal guards held weapons, watching the surroundings vigilantly, ready to deal with any sudden situation at any time.

"Zhu Ying, leading the army to attack and kill."

Zhu Di stared at the Daning border army charging out and spoke slowly, his eyes revealing a sense of curiosity and anticipation.

"Cavalry attacking a city, this Prince has also never seen it before."

"If Zhu Ying truly breaks the city with cavalry today, then it will be an eye-opener," Zhu Di said.

"In the past, when attacking Liaodong, were the two cities of Jincheng not broken by Zhu Ying with the power of cavalry?" Li Jinglong also spoke slowly: "Both city gates were blocked by the Yuan army, and I truly find it hard to imagine how Zhu Ying managed it."

"But he is still attacking with cavalry this time. From a common sense perspective, this is suicide, but he is so confident, we can only watch."

"Let's keep watching." Zhu Di said in a deep voice, his gaze fixed on the army attacking and killing ahead.

In his heart, perhaps there was even greater doubt.

Cavalry breaking a city, how could it be done?

Having not been on the battlefield for a long time, Wufeng seemed a bit excited, charging at full speed, leaving the personal guard cavalry behind by dozens of steps.

And the Yuan soldiers on the city tower saw the Great Ming cavalry attacking. If it were before Liaodong was recovered by the Great Ming, they might have mocked them. But with Liaodong settled by the Great Ming.

The name of Zhu Ying, the advantage of cavalry breaking a city, had already spread throughout their Northern Yuan.

Although they did not know how Zhu Ying broke the city, there was naturally a tactic for cavalry to break a city.

"Daning cavalry, Zhu Ying."

The Yuan general guarding the city tower roared loudly, his voice filled with fear: "The Ming nation's Zhu Ying. That god of slaughter of the Ming nation."

"Cannons fire in unison. Bows and arrows fire in unison. Kill!"

This order fell.

"Boom, boom, boom!"

There was also a roar on the city tower. Hundreds of cannons on the city tower fired simultaneously, and shells bombarded the Daning border army charging toward the front of the city.

Those shells carried the whistling sound of the wind, smashing toward the Ming army like raindrops.

At the same time, thousands of archers on the city tower fired arrows in turns.

The rain of arrows was continuous, crazily shooting at the Ming army charging toward the front of the city.

Those arrows shimmered with cold light under the dim sky, like countless life-taking cold stars.

Under the chaotic arrows, Ming soldiers fell off their horses from time to time, some being shot into hedgehogs along with their horses, dying on the spot.

Battlefield combat was just this cruel. No matter how Zhu Ying trained, no matter how he encouraged, no matter how well he commanded the army, he could only ultimately avoid casualties among his soldiers as much as possible.

"Disperse the march."

Zhu Ying roared.

At the same time.

"Slash!"

Zhu Ying raised his battle sword and mobilized his internal qi.

Slashing in mid-air.

Patches of arrow rain were slashed down.

Even the solid cannonballs that were bombarded down were directly slashed open by Zhu Ying.

With Zhu Ying's current full attributes.

If he truly unleashed himself regardless of everything, it would absolutely be extraordinary, but every time on the battlefield, Zhu Ying was still somewhat restrained.

Blocking on one side.

Charging and killing on the other.

In the blink of an eye.

Zhu Ying had already charged to the location of the Zhenxiacheng city gate.

"Power-accumulating single sword slash."

…………

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 143 =====