Chapter 145: Total kills 7000!!!

Without a doubt!

After this battle, once Zhenxiacheng is broken, Zhu Ying will undoubtedly become the person with the undisputed first merit of the Northern Expedition.

Taking this prominent military merit is equivalent to laying a solid foundation for Zhu Ying to accept the imperial court's rewards for merit after the Northern Expedition achieves total victory in the future.

Moreover, this is only the first battle of the Northern Expedition; as the army continues to attack into the territory of the Great Yuan, it is obvious that Zhu Ying will certainly have many excellent opportunities to achieve great merit in the future.

Time passed quietly!

The killing in Zhenxiacheng had already fallen into a fierce stage of white heat.

The Great Ming army was like a surging, unstoppable torrent, each harboring a determination to die, charging crazily, fighting with all their might, slaughtering the enemy crazily.

And the Great Yuan army's resistance was also unusually tenacious, their eyes revealing unwillingness and struggle.

Clearly, after the great defeat in Liaodong, the Great Yuan high-level increased the supervision of the army under their command; the supervising team in the army held sharp blades, patrolling back and forth behind the formation, and soldiers who showed the slightest intention of retreating would be beheaded on the spot.

Only in this way could the trend of defeat of this army be slightly reversed.

The government office of Zhenxiacheng, at this moment, the atmosphere was so solemn that it made people unable to breathe.

Inside the government office great hall.

"Report!"

A Great Yuan general looked panicked, his footsteps staggering as he ran into the great hall, kneeling down and bowing with a thud, his voice carrying obvious trembling, reporting loudly: "I inform the Second Prince, the Ming army has already broken into the city! General Mahawu is organizing the army to defend with all his might, but the Ming army's offensive is too fierce, in this subordinate's view, I fear Zhenxiacheng cannot be held!"

On the main seat of the great hall sat the second son of the Great Yuan Emperor, also the Second Prince of the Great Yuan, Di Di Baonu.

He wore a gorgeous Great Yuan prince robe, carrying a hint of nobility.

But at this moment, his face was unusually ugly, full of shock and disbelief.

In the border area bordering the Great Ming, more than two hundred thousand Great Yuan troops were garrisoned; these troops were all the confidants of the Great Yuan Emperor, and the military power was firmly controlled in the hands of the imperial family.

After all, since the Great Yuan lost the Central Plains, their control over the various tribes had collapsed like a high platform, dropping sharply.

Therefore, the Great Yuan Emperor arranged for his two sons to command one hundred thousand troops each, garrisoning the key locations of the border.

One was Di Di Baonu, and the other was the Third Prince of the Great Yuan, Elebek.

As for the eldest son of the Great Yuan Emperor, the Crown Prince of the Great Yuan, he sat in the new capital, guarding the core hub of the Great Yuan.

"How could it be so fast?"

Di Di Baonu's voice rose abruptly, carrying a hint of sharpness; he stood up fiercely, his hands gripping the armrests of the seat tightly, his eyes staring at the subordinate before him: "Wasn't the city gate sealed? How could it be lost so quickly? Exactly how did the Ming army do it?"

The repair and reinforcement of Zhenxiacheng, and even after learning that the Ming army had the intention to attack, the Great Yuan Emperor ordered the sealing of the city gate; these affairs were all supervised by Di Di Baonu himself.

Under his strict supervision, the city gate was strictly sealed with thick bricks and stones, and an extremely thick city wall was built to stand before the city gate.

Such a solid city defense, in his view, even if hundreds of cannons roared at the same time, it would be difficult to break it open easily.

But at this moment, this seemingly indestructible city defense was actually broken?

And it wasn't that it held for ten days or half a month; in less than half a day, this city was already in danger.

"Second Prince, it was the Daning border troop commander Zhu Ying of the Ming nation who led the army to break the gate."

The Great Yuan general's voice trembled increasingly, cold sweat rolling down his forehead, continuing: "He is simply a monster; the city gate and the blocked city wall were all broken by him alone."

"Now a large number of Ming troops are killing their way into the city under his leadership, and it fundamentally cannot be blocked."

"General Mahawu asks the Second Prince to lead the army to retreat quickly, he will lead the sons of the outer city to fight to the death to block the Ming army."

"Additionally, General Mahawu specifically explained that regarding Zhu Ying, one must absolutely not measure him with common sense."

"In other cities, besides reinforcing the city defense, one must also set up killing weapons aimed at Zhu Ying."

"Only by solving Zhu Ying can our Great Yuan resist the Ming army's blade, otherwise no city can hold under his attack."

"General Mahawu..."

Di Di Baonu's face revealed an extremely conflicted expression; he sat back in the seat slowly, his expression solemn.

He knew clearly in his heart that being able to force Mahawu to such a desperate situation was truly an unprecedented thing.

Garrisoning in this Zhenxiacheng, the most relied upon and most capable battle general of Di Di Baonu was Mahawu; now this situation made him feel incomparably helpless and pained.

"Second Prince, there is no time for more thought!"

A Great Yuan general to the side saw Di Di Baonu still hesitating, anxiously: "The city pass is broken, more and more Ming troops are killing their way into the city."

"If this continues, I fear we won't even have the chance to retreat."

"General Mahawu said, retreat to Zhenhuacheng, reinforce the city defense, and wait for our Great Yuan reinforcements."

Hearing this!

Di Di Baonu fell into deep thought.

But listening to the increasingly deafening shouting and killing sounds in the city, like thunder, made his whole body tense.

He gritted his teeth, struggled for a moment, and ordered loudly: "Pass my order, except for the sons under General Mahawu, all other sons retreat with me!"

This moment.

Di Di Baonu was full of helplessness and unwillingness; originally he had carefully planned, thinking that when the Ming army invaded, Zhenxiacheng could at least hold for half a month, and retreat from the city calmly when there were signs of the city being broken.

But in just one day, the Ming army's fierce offensive like a storm had impacted his defensive strategy until it was shattered.

At the junction of the inner city and outer city of Zhenxiacheng, thousands of Great Yuan shield soldiers were arranged neatly, the shields in their hands connected tightly, forming a solid iron defensive line.

And under the protection of the shield army.

A Great Yuan general walked in a hurry, almost running to Mahawu's side, bowing slightly, and reporting in a low and urgent voice: "General, the Second Prince has already led the four thousand-strong army garrisoning the inner city to retreat."

"Good."

Mahawu's face revealed a hint of relief; he raised his head slightly, his gaze looking toward the distance, as if he could see the army retreating from the inner city through layers of buildings.

Subsequently.

He spoke slowly, his voice low and firm: "Our Great Yuan spent huge manpower and material resources to build ten solid cities in this border area, just to guard against the Ming barbarians, thinking that our Great Yuan could advance to attack and retreat to defend."

"Now it seems, the Emperor truly has foresight."

"If not for these fortified cities, our Great Yuan would truly be unable to block the Ming army and could only retreat to the northern frontier grasslands."

"General, the Ming army broke through our city on the very first day of the war."

A Yuan general nearby looked utterly humiliated, his fists clenched tight, his voice carrying a hint of anger and unwillingness: "How could the Ming army have become so formidable?"

"In the past, these barbarians could only bow their heads and submit at the feet of our Great Yuan, but now..."

Hearing this.

One could also tell.

Perhaps many Yuan people are still immersed in the illusion of being high and mighty, unrivaled, from the days when the Yuan Dynasty ruled the world.

"Enough!"

Maha Wu's expression turned stern, a look of determination flashing in his eyes as he shouted: "Our Great Yuan's sons once galloped across the world and trampled all directions; how could we lose to these barbarians?"

"Pass on my order: except for those already engaged with the Ming army, all other men are to retreat two streets back."

"All archers are to immediately climb onto the rooftops in the city and occupy favorable terrain."

"The cannons and crossbows in the city must also be prepared to ensure nothing goes wrong."

"In this battle, we fight with all our might to annihilate the invading Ming army."

"I, Maha Wu, will live and die with all my men!"

The voice fell.

"We will strictly obey the general's order!"

The surrounding Yuan generals responded in unison, their voices echoing across this bloody battlefield.

After issuing the orders, a look of resolve flashed in Maha Wu's eyes; he lowered his head slightly and muttered to himself in his heart: "Your Majesty, you have shown grace to my tribe; today, I shall repay you with my life."

"After this battle, after I die, the survival of the Great Yuan will have nothing to do with me."

At this moment.

Maha Wu's heart was filled with concern for his son far away in the tribe, but now, he could only bury this longing deep in his heart; for the sake of the Great Yuan and his tribe, he had no other choice.

Inside Zhenxiacheng, the flames of war burned fiercely, and the smoke of gunpowder filled the air, resembling a living hell.

The air was thick with a pungent, bloody stench, mixed with the smell of burning wood and gunpowder, which was nauseating.

Riding Wufeng, Zhu Ying took the lead, transforming into an unstoppable god of slaughter, leading his army in a frenzied massacre.

"Killed Northern Yuan soldier, gained 1 point of speed, gained 10 days of lifespan."

"Killed Northern Yuan Garrison Commander, gained 30 points of all attributes, gained 60 days of lifespan, rewarded with one Common Treasure Chest."

"Killed Northern Yuan Ten-Thousand-Man Commander, gained 50 points of all attributes, gained 100 days of lifespan, rewarded with one First Rank Treasure Chest."

"Killed Northern Yuan soldier..."

As Zhu Ying charged, the system prompts echoed continuously in his mind.

This was also a form of invisible motivation.

"Wild Dance Saber Art!"

Looking at the Yuan soldiers before him who were already scattered like birds startled by the bow, Zhu Ying's eyes flashed with ruthlessness; he raised his battle saber high, the blade glinting with cold light, and slashed down violently while shouting loudly.

In an instant.

The battle saber in his hand moved like a nimble dragon, dancing wildly, and brilliant, almost tangible saber shadows appeared in the void.

With every saber shadow that fell, the surrounding Yuan soldiers fell one after another, screaming like lambs to the slaughter.

Where the saber light flashed, blood splattered, and groups of Yuan soldiers died miserably, falling into a pool of blood as dark as ink.

Behind Zhu Ying, his personal guards followed closely; they wore black armor, their sharp blades glinting with cold light, every movement fluid and lethal.

The Daning cavalry also surged like a torrent, the sound of hooves like thunder, their long spears dancing, and wherever they went, the Yuan army crumbled.

"General!"

Liu Lei shouted loudly at Zhu Ying while fighting fiercely, his face splattered with enemy blood, his voice somewhat hoarse from excitement: "The Yuan army in this city seems to have retreated; they are no longer blocking us as crazily as before."

"No need to overthink it!"

Zhu Ying replied calmly, his voice clearly audible over the noisy battlefield.

"Keep charging! Do not gather the army in one place; use the Garrison Battalion as the main force, disperse, and charge, taking the outer city first."

"The archers have already entered the city; have each Garrison Cavalry Battalion lead one Military Marquis Archer Battalion forward."

"Chen Heng, Zhang Wu, did you hear me?"

"We will strictly obey the general's order!"

Chen Heng and Zhang Wu, who were behind, replied loudly upon hearing this.

The two looked at each other, their eyes full of fearlessness.

Subsequently, the two quickly began to reorganize the troops according to Zhu Ying's orders.

They shouted loudly on the battlefield, directing the soldiers to change formations, using the Garrison Battalion as the vanguard, and continued to charge forward bravely.

Clearly.

Zhu Ying had already experienced many siege battles and naturally knew this situation like the back of his hand.

The fact that the Yuan army was no longer coming to block them in a suicidal manner indicated that the Yuan generals had gathered the fresh troops in the city and were reorganizing and setting up defenses in the rear.

In a while, there would surely be a more cruel and intense close-quarters battle.

"The Yuan general defending this city is indeed quite capable."

Zhu Ying thought to himself as he looked at the thinning Yuan army ahead: "To be able to reorganize and regulate such a routed army."

"Back in Liaodong, apart from Nahachu, others could not do this."

Zhu Ying was determined to win the credit for breaking the city in this battle, especially the first credit for the Northern Expedition!

This battle.

That first credit could already be considered in his pocket.

"Brothers, follow me and kill!"

Zhu Ying shouted, spurred Wufeng, took the lead, and continued to kill the enemy without pause.

Catching up to the fleeing Yuan soldiers ahead, he swung his battle saber, cold light flashing, and unleashed a series of fierce slashes.

"Killed Northern Yuan soldier, gained 1 point of internal breath, gained 15 days of lifespan."

"Killed Northern Yuan soldier..."

The system prompts echoed continuously in Zhu Ying's mind.

As time passed, nearly two hours went by.

Most of the outer city had been captured by the army led by Zhu Ying.

Inside the entire Zhenxiacheng, there was a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood; the streets were piled with bodies, both Ming and Yuan, and blood gathered into small streams, flowing slowly along the slope of the streets, dyeing the ground dark red.

The civilians in the city were trembling with fear, hiding in their rooms, covering their ears tightly with shaking hands, trying to block out the terrifying sounds of killing outside.

Their eyes were filled with fear and despair, and they dared not make a sound, fearing it would attract the wanton killing of the army.

"Killed Northern Yuan soldier, gained 1 point of speed, gained 10 days of lifespan."

"Total number of enemies killed reached 7,000, rewarded with one First Rank Treasure Chest."

When Zhu Ying killed the Yuan soldiers in front of him again, the system prompt sounded once more.

"Seven thousand." Zhu Ying was incredibly excited, and a look of excitement appeared on his face: "Very good, this time I have accumulated quite a few treasure chests from killing enemies."

At this time.

Most of the Yuan army in the outer city had been wiped out; Yuan corpses were everywhere, their bodies twisted, their faces still retaining the fear and unwillingness from before they died.

Blood flowed like a river, and the thick, bloody stench filled the air, making one almost suffocate.

The straggling Yuan soldiers were also quickly killed by Zhu Ying's soldiers without the slightest mercy.

"General, the outer city here has been cleared."

Chen Heng and Zhang Wu came to Zhu Ying's side and reported respectfully.

The two of them had also been fighting continuously; their armor was already covered in blood, some of it dried and turned dark red, while some was still dripping slowly, gathering into a small pool of blood at their feet.

"From now on, infantry first, cavalry behind."

Zhu Ying looked solemn as he scanned Chen Heng and the other generals beside him.

"The Yuan army in the city must be setting up defenses ahead, and there must be Yuan archers on the houses."

"Tell the brothers to be extremely careful and cautious."

The voice fell.

Several generals responded immediately: "We will strictly obey the general's order."

Immediately after.

Zhu Ying dismounted, his movements agile.

He hung his blood-stained tiger-head saber on Wufeng's back, then drew the Seven-Star Treasure Saber from his waist, held the Treasure Carved Bow in his hand, and carried a quiver on his back.

Seeing this, the personal guards also dismounted without hesitation, drew their battle sabers, and followed behind their general.

"Soldiers, infantry first, cavalry behind, follow me and keep killing!"

Zhu Ying shouted, his voice like a great bell, resounding all around.

As always.

Taking the lead.

He was the first to charge toward the unknown danger ahead.

"We swear to follow the general to the death!" Tens of thousands of soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens and earth, like rolling thunder exploding in the city.

They followed Zhu Ying, with the Garrison Battalion as the main force, archers in front, drawing their bows and arrows, eyes focused, ready to shoot a lethal arrow at any moment.

The shield-bearers and pikemen were behind, shields tightly connected, spears like a forest, charging forward in an orderly fashion.

Zhu Ying felt no panic in his heart.

With his current attributes, even without wearing armor, these ordinary weapons could only scratch his skin.

He looked up; the street ahead was very empty and deathly silent, exuding a strange atmosphere.

The doors and windows of the houses on both sides of the street were tightly closed, with not a breath of life leaking out, like rows of silent graves.

But with just one glance, he could clearly feel the infinite murderous intent hidden in the dark.

Especially Zhu Ying, who could keenly sense the many dangers lying in ambush ahead.

The Yuan army was all hidden in the dark, holding their breath, gripping their weapons, waiting for the Ming army to step into the trap.

When Zhu Ying had moved forward forty steps, he suddenly stopped.

Then.

He suddenly raised the battle saber in his hand, his expression cold and stern, and shouted: "Archers!"

Behind him on all sides, nearly twenty thousand Daning archers were dispersed, ready for battle.

Following Zhu Ying's order, a uniform response rang out: "Kill, kill, kill!"

Every archer drew their bow and arrow, their arm muscles tense, pulling the bowstring to the limit, raising the angle.

The next moment, ten thousand arrows were fired simultaneously, whistling toward the seemingly empty and silent street ahead.

The rain of arrows tore through the sky, making a dense whistling sound, as if countless sharp arrows were shuttling through the air.

Countless sharp arrows, like silver meteors, carried the aura of death and pierced directly through the houses.

Perhaps this rain of arrows had already affected the civilians inside.

But war is inherently cruel, with no absolute right or wrong.

In this era, once a war breaks out, it is difficult to worry too much about the safety of civilians.

As countless arrows fell, the previously empty street suddenly erupted with painful screams and miserable wails.

These sounds were bone-chilling.

Clearly, these sounds were made by the Yuan soldiers hidden in the dark ahead.

"Keep the arrow rain going, kill all the Tatars!"

Zhu Ying shouted, his voice carrying an unquestionable momentum.

Although his spiritual power could not yet be fully projected, his sense for murderous intent was incredibly keen.

Zhu Ying could clearly sense the murderous intent of tens of thousands of people gathered ahead.

The so-called ambush of the Yuan army was nothing but a joke in his eyes.

Moreover, high in the sky, the golden eagle was already circling, its sharp eyes overlooking everything in the city, seeing the Yuan army's ambush layout clearly.

Clearly, the Yuan general in the city intended to wait for Zhu Ying to lead the army into the trap and then fire ten thousand arrows at once, at which point the Ming army would surely suffer heavy casualties.

But they had ultimately underestimated Zhu Ying.

At this very moment, they were within the range of the Ming army's bows, and the Ming army's bows shot further than the Yuan army's.

Countless arrows fell, causing heavy casualties among the ambushing Yuan soldiers; the street instantly became chaotic, with the screams of the Yuan soldiers and the sound of weapons dropping intermingling.

"Oh no, the Ming army has discovered our position! General!" A Yuan general looked terrified, his face as pale as paper, and he hurriedly looked at Maha Wu. His body trembled slightly, his eyes filled with fear and despair.

"How could they know our ambush location so accurately?"

Maha Wu frowned, his face full of shock and confusion.

In his thoughts.

He tried to find the reason why the Ming army knew their ambush location.

This time, under his careful and tight layout, his nearly thirty thousand Yuan soldiers were all hidden extremely well, perfectly concealed everywhere.

On the rooftops, behind the ruins of collapsed buildings, and in every street, his elite soldiers were hidden, having set up a giant pocket like a net, just waiting for the Ming army to step in unprepared, so they could close the net and annihilate them in one fell swoop.

However, at this moment.

Zhu Ying had led the Ming army to stop abruptly, followed immediately by ten thousand arrows fired at once.

The dense rain of arrows was like a swarm of locusts, pouring down on the hidden positions of the Yuan army; this sudden murderous intent.

Was completely unexpected by Maha Wu, and even more confusing to many Yuan soldiers!

"General, what should we do?"

The Yuan general nearby looked flustered, his voice trembling, clearly terrified by this unexpected situation, and urgently asked for Maha Wu's orders.

"Hold your ground, shield-bearers in front, archers on guard."

Maha Wu gritted his teeth and said, trying to appear calm.

He scanned his surroundings, trying to find a glimmer of reassurance.

"This might just be a coincidence; our army's hidden positions could never have been exposed."

Maha Wu's tone carried a bit of self-consolation, as if the Ming army had really just stumbled upon them by accident.

But just then.

Zhu Ying took action again.

Zhu Ying wore a cold sneer, his smile carrying mockery for the ignorance of the Yuan army.

Through the vision of the golden eagle circling high above, he saw the Yuan army still holding their ground and hiding everywhere.

"Still holding your ground? Do you think it's just a coincidence?"

Zhu Ying sneered and ordered the archers behind him loudly again: "Archers, move forward ten steps, keep firing!"

Following Zhu Ying's order.

The Ming archers quickly and orderly moved forward ten steps.

Each one was focused, their longbows pulled like a full moon, bowstrings taut.

Immediately after, wave after wave of arrows poured toward the hidden positions of the Yuan army, each arrow carrying infinite murderous intent, tearing through the sky with a sharp whistling sound.

(End of chapter)