Chapter 147

Mahawu's slash was sharp and fierce, carrying the skill of a veteran long-accustomed to the battlefield; the saber wind whistled as he delivered a ruthless blow straight at Zhu Ying.

It seemed that in his heart, if he could perish together with Zhu Ying, that would be the greatest battle result achieved.

For his Great Yuan, eliminate Zhu Ying!

But!

Facing Zhu Ying.

This seemingly fatal slash of his was as if it were nothing; Zhu Ying's face was calm, and just as Mahawu's saber was about to touch him, he tilted his body slightly, and that fierce slash brushed past him, failing to harm him in the slightest.

Almost the moment he dodged the slash, the battle saber in Zhu Ying's hand moved abruptly.

He slashed directly through the air!

With a 'crack' sound.

Breaking bone and entering flesh, blood sprayed.

Mahawu's movements paused instantly, his body stiffened, and before he seemed to have reacted to what had happened, his body slowly fell, his head separated from his body, and blood sprayed out like a fountain, rapidly spreading across the ground.

"Killed Northern Yuan main general 【Haohai Dayu】, gained 100 points to all attributes, gained 200 days of lifespan, rewarded with one First Rank treasure chest."

The moment he killed Mahawu, the panel in Zhu Ying's mind prompted him in a timely manner.

"Mahawu, Haohai Dayu."

Zhu Ying thought silently: "Is he the father of that Mahamu in history?"

Hearing this name, he still had some impression of it; in the vast sea of historical records, this name had left a trace.

However, Zhu Ying had no time to think too much at this moment; the situation on the battlefield changed in an instant.

He held Mahawu's head high in one hand, the blood flowing down his arm and dripping onto the land, merging with the bloodstains on the battlefield.

Zhu Ying shouted loudly, his voice resounding through the entire battlefield: "Great Ming soldiers, the Yuan main general Mahawu has been killed by me!"

The voice carried endless momentum, piercing through the shouts of battle on the field, with infinite authority.

"Yuan soldiers in the city, those who do not surrender will be killed without mercy."

Zhu Ying added immediately, his tone cold and resolute.

"Kill!"

This shout fell like a spark igniting the fire in the hearts of the Great Ming soldiers.

Countless Great Ming soldiers instantly became excited; their eyes flashed with impassioned light as they roared in response.

"The General's divine might."

"The General is invincible."

"The General is the reincarnation of the Overlord of Western Chu."

"Kill all the Tatars."

"Kill... kill..."

The shouts of countless Great Ming soldiers rose one after another, wave after wave.

The weapons in their hands were brandished with more force, their killing intent grew stronger, and they launched even fiercer attacks against the Yuan army.

As for the Yuan army, the morale that had been struggling to hold on dissipated instantly like clouds swept away by a gale the moment their main general was killed.

Fear and despair appeared on the soldiers' faces; having lost the command of their main general, they were like headless flies, their formation in disarray, and their defeat was like a collapsing mountain.

At this moment!

The battle situation was settled.

Nearly one hundred thousand Great Ming troops surged into the city like a rushing tide.

Every Great Ming soldier was immersed in the excitement of impending victory; they saw only the enemy in their eyes, and the weapons in their hands fell continuously, harvesting the lives of the enemy.

Outside the city!

Only a few thousand central troops remained to guard the area.

Zhu Di and Li Jinglong stood on a war chariot in the midst of the central army, waiting quietly.

The flags on the war chariot fluttered in the wind, as if cheering for the victory that was about to arrive.

Just then.

A fast rider from within the city rushed over like an arrow released from a bow.

The horse's hooves kicked up clouds of dust as it headed straight for the central army.

"Reporting to the Prince of Yan, reporting to General Li."

The rider reached them, dismounted with clean, efficient movements, bowed, and reported loudly: "Just received news, the Yuan main general Mahawu in the city has been killed by General Zhu Ying, and Zhenxiacheng is about to be captured."

The rider's voice trembled slightly from excitement, his face flushed with the red glow of battle fervor.

Upon hearing this.

Zhu Di and Li Jinglong looked at each other.

A flash of surprise crossed their eyes; even though they had long expected that the odds of winning this battle were set, killing the enemy general so quickly and capturing a fortified city in less than a day still exceeded their expectations.

"General Zhu."

Li Jinglong spoke first, his voice filled with excitement and admiration: "He truly is a peerless battle general!"

"Even the Overlord of Western Chu in the past cannot compare to him."

"In one day, a fortified city guarded by a large number of Yuan elites was broken by him, and the main general was also killed by him."

"Such fierce bravery, I don't even know how to describe it."

Li Jinglong said excitedly.

Zhu Di was shocked in his heart and slowly looked up at the sky.

At this time, although the sun was not high in the sky, it was still very bright; there was at least an hour before the sun would set.

The sunlight fell on his face, reflecting his complex expression.

"Zhenxiacheng is guarded by not just one hundred thousand troops, but at least fifty or sixty thousand, plus quite a few able-bodied civilians."

"The city walls are high and thick, and with such manpower, there is no lack of defensive military equipment."

"Captured in one day." Zhu Di said with emotion: "Now, I finally understand why the Emperor and my eldest brother value Zhu Ying so much."

Zhu Di shook his head slightly, his eyes holding both appreciation and a trace of indescribable complex emotion.

"Indeed."

Li Jinglong nodded in agreement, his face beaming with an excited smile.

He did not see that trace of complexity in Zhu Di.

What he was thinking about right now was the first merit of the Northern Expedition; Zhu Ying had taken it, which also meant that he, as the main commanding general, had glory on his face—this was solid merit, as if he had gilded his resume.

And at this moment, Zhu Di's heart was even more complex; his fists clenched involuntarily, and he thought to himself: "If he cannot be used by me, then he cannot be an enemy."

"The Shen family!"

"You caused me to lose a peerless battle general, and even worse, you caused me to create a great enemy."

The more outstanding Zhu Ying was, and the more fierce he performed, the deeper his anger toward the Shen family became.

Originally, Zhu Ying was a man of his Beiping Prefecture, but now everything had turned into a bubble.

"Prince of Yan."

Li Jinglong turned his head to look at Zhu Di and said with a smile: "After the battle ends in a while, we must personally go and praise General Zhu."

"Such great merit, such great achievement, he should be the first in merit."

Li Jinglong smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits, as if he had already seen the glory he would receive because of this battle.

Praising Zhu Ying was an encouragement, letting Zhu Ying fight even harder in the future.

That way, the military merit he would reap would be even greater.

"Naturally."

Even though Zhu Di was extremely unhappy in his heart, he still nodded with a smile on the surface, though the smile on his face was somewhat stiff.

In the city.

With Mahawu killed by Zhu Ying, the great battle gradually drew to a close.

Many Yuan soldiers had long been chilled to the bone by Zhu Ying's killing, losing all morale.

Now that a large number of Ming troops had surged in like a tide, and their main general was dead, they had completely lost the will to fight.

Many Yuan soldiers simply threw down their weapons and knelt to surrender, their faces full of fatigue and fear, while many others, holding onto a glimmer of luck, turned and fled, their footsteps chaotic.

And Zhu Ying seized the opportunity, leading his army in a pursuit, still charging at the very front, the battle saber dancing in his hand; wherever he went, enemies fell one after another.

His figure on the battlefield was like a black lightning bolt, leaving a trail of blood wherever he passed.

Before the sun set, the Ming army had completely controlled Zhenxiacheng.

At this time, the city was filled with a heavy scent of blood; on the streets and beside the houses, there were corpses and blood everywhere.

Occasionally, unextinguished flames flickered in the evening breeze, reflecting this tragic battlefield.

Of course.

There might still be many Yuan soldiers hiding in civilian houses or disguised in the shadows within the city.

But there was no need to worry about this; the city had been strictly sealed off by the Ming army, and there were patrolling Ming soldiers everywhere.

Later, these remaining enemies would naturally be searched out and dealt with one by one.

Inside the city, at the General's Mansion!

Compared to the corpses strewn everywhere and rivers of blood in the outer city, the inner city had fewer traces of slaughter, but the air was still filled with a tense and bloody atmosphere.

Zhu Ying sat on the steps in front of the government office, leaning against a pillar to rest.

His personal guards were like him, either sitting or lying down, dispersed all around.

After the battle ended, the fervor and power brought by the fighting instantly dissipated, and a sense of fatigue surged in like a tide, drowning them.

Here, no one could see the faces of the soldiers around Zhu Ying; they were covered in blood and filth, their clothes already soaked through with blood, sticking tightly to their bodies.

If one were to wring out their clothes, blood would definitely flow out.

Even though the outcome was settled, all the soldiers were exhausted to the extreme, not even having the strength to talk, and they lay on the ground, not caring about the bloodstains on the ground or the corpses around them.

Their faces were full of fatigue and relaxation, as well as the feeling of surviving a disaster after the great battle, enjoying the hard-won rest in this moment of silence.

"Logistics Army Assistant Commander Liu Wang, ordered to deliver food."

At this moment, footsteps approached.

A general in battle armor ran quickly to Zhu Ying, his face showing awe as he bowed.

"Let the brothers in logistics deliver the food cakes."

"The soldiers have been fighting for a day and are all exhausted."

Zhu Ying looked up and said gently to the logistics general before him: "It is also hard work for the logistics brothers to mobilize, speed up the cleaning of the battlefield, and send the wounded on the war chariots to the wounded camp."

"This subordinate obeys." Liu Wang replied immediately, his voice loud.

Then, with a wave of his hand, a group of logistics soldiers carrying boxes walked over quickly.

The boxes were filled with food, and in this battlefield filled with the scent of blood, the fragrance of cakes wafted out.

They began to distribute food to the surrounding soldiers in an orderly fashion, their movements quick and skilled.

After a day of slaughter, the siege army was exhausted to the extreme, both tired and hungry.

So after the battle was basically settled, Zhu Ying immediately had the logistics army prepare food and deliver it into the city as quickly as possible.

At the same time, he also ordered Mu Sheng's Huizhou Guard to clean up the battlefield in the city, carefully searching for wounded soldiers to treat, and finding enemy soldiers feigning death to finish them off; the Daning Guard rested in place to recover their strength.

"Brothers." Zhu Ying stood up, and although his voice was not loud, it clearly reached every soldier: "Eat the cakes first, rest after you are full."

"After we finish eating, we will go back to the military camp and sleep enough."

Zhu Ying showed a hint of an encouraging smile, his eyes full of concern for his soldiers.

Hearing Zhu Ying's voice, the soldiers also regained their senses one after another, responding loudly with unspeakable fervor and awe: "We obey the General's orders."

They looked at Zhu Ying, their eyes full of trust and respect.

In their hearts, Zhu Ying was their backbone; as long as Zhu Ying was there, they had nothing to fear.

As the logistics army distributed the food, the soldiers couldn't help but reach out to take it and eat it in large mouthfuls.

They ate ravenously, as if they hadn't eaten for several lifetimes.

To avoid choking, the logistics army also brought over water jars, and the soldiers took turns walking to the jars to drink large gulps of water, relieving the dryness in their mouths.

"General."

Chen Heng walked over at some point and sat directly beside Zhu Ying, his face still carrying the excitement after the battle, saying excitedly: "After today's battle, I killed quite a few Tatars. I chopped down at least twenty or more."

As he spoke, he gestured, the expression on his entire face one of showing off.

However, when the personal guards around Zhu Ying heard this showing off, they all laughed.

Their smiles carried a hint of teasing, and also a hint of pride in their own battle records.

"General Chen."

Liu Lei asked with a smile while eating a cake: "Do you know how many Tatars the General killed?"

He deliberately kept them in suspense, his eyes flashing with a mysterious light.

"With the General's bravery, and charging at the front, I'm afraid he killed hundreds of Tatars in this day."

Chen Heng thought for a moment and replied with a smile. Although he knew Zhu Ying was fierce, he could only guess the specific number of enemies killed.

"Hehe." Liu Lei smiled inscrutably and then said: "I have been charging with the General the whole time; although I couldn't keep up with the General's pace later, I generally saw the General's slaughter. The number of Tatars who died under the General's saber and sword this time is at least over a thousand, or even more."

Liu Lei held up a finger, his expression very solemn, his eyes flashing with admiring light.

"W... what?"

Chen Heng was completely stunned; he widened his eyes, looking at Liu Lei as if he had heard a tall tale.

One thousand people!

Just hearing this sounded unbelievable.

Fighting on the battlefield, even in a frontal charge, if anyone killed more than a hundred enemies in a day, they would be a peerless warrior.

Just like when Zhu Ying first went to the battlefield, he killed over a hundred enemies alone, and his name was eventually presented to Yingtian because this result was too dazzling.

And now, Zhu Ying had created an even greater result, and the significance was self-evident.

This number might not be believed by anyone if said out loud, but Chen Heng was different; he knew Liu Lei very well, and even more clearly understood Zhu Ying's powerful combat strength.

He knew that Liu Lei would not lie, and Zhu Ying absolutely had such strength.

"One thousand people, only more, not less."

Xiao Han also said with a smile on the side, his face carrying a relaxed smile, as if he were talking about the most ordinary thing.

"The Town Commander who counts the battle results this time will be very busy." Xiao Han added, a hint of a smile flashing in his eyes.

"The General truly has divine might." Chen Heng said with a look of admiration. Although killing so many enemies sounded like a tall tale, thinking of Zhu Ying's bravery in breaking the gate alone, how could Chen Heng not believe it?

His admiration for Zhu Ying grew a few more points at this moment.

"General Chen." Liu Lei suddenly said with a chuckle: "Do you know how many enemy soldiers I killed this time?"

His eyes flashed with excited light, and he was also impatient to share his battle record.

"How many?" Zhang Wu asked from the side; he was also attracted by Liu Lei's words, stopped what he was doing, and looked at Liu Lei.

"Seventy in total." Liu Lei said very excitedly; his voice rose a few points from excitement, and as he spoke, he proudly patted his own chest, his face full of pride.

"You killed seventy?" Zhang Wu and Chen Heng both widened their eyes, their eyes full of surprise.

Seventy—this was not a small number; on such an intense battlefield, being able to kill so many enemy soldiers was enough to prove Liu Lei's bravery.

"Not just me."

Liu Lei continued, his face proud: "Every one of the personal guards under my command killed at least twenty or more, and this kid Xiao Han also killed thirty or more."

"Since we are the General's personal guards, we cannot lose face for the General."

As he spoke, Liu Lei scanned the surrounding personal guards, his eyes full of pride.

And Chen Heng and Zhang Wu had complex expressions.

When they broke into the city, they naturally saw the fierceness of the personal guards.

Every personal guard was like a strongman, relying on brute force and fierce saber techniques to kill enemies.

Every swing of their sabers carried powerful force, making the enemy tremble.

Perhaps Chen Heng had been under Zhu Ying's command for a shorter time; after all, Chen Heng used to be Zhu Ying's superior.

But Zhang Wu was a solid follower of Zhu Ying.

He knew very well the standards for selecting personal guards in the past; although they were all elites in the army, they didn't have this kind of fierce bravery—all of this was something they only possessed after becoming Zhu Ying's personal guards.

Even that terrifying strength was the same.

"It seems the General bestowed something upon them; otherwise, it would be impossible for every personal guard to be so god-like."

Zhang Wu thought secretly in his heart, and even an idea appeared.

It was just that the Northern Expedition had only just begun, and everything would have to be mentioned later; he temporarily suppressed this thought in his heart and continued to listen to everyone's conversation.

"Alright." Seeing the generals still discussing, Zhu Ying immediately said seriously, his voice returning to a bit of sternness: "Now that the city is initially settled, let the ordinary soldiers have a good rest, and all officers above the rank of Military Marquis will work with the Town Commander to count the battle losses; also, actively cooperate with the logistics army to treat the wounded."

As he spoke, Zhu Ying scanned the surrounding generals, revealing an unquestionable order.

"This subordinate obeys." The generals responded in unison, not daring to be slow, and they all sped up their cake-eating speed, preparing to clean up.

They knew that now was not the time to relax, and there were many important things waiting for them to do.

"Have the personal guard casualties been counted clearly?"

Zhu Ying looked at Liu Lei and asked, revealing concern.

The personal guards were all his confidants, following him through life and death; he naturally cared very much about their safety.

Furthermore.

To cultivate them, Zhu Ying had also paid quite a few resources.

Losing even one was a great loss.

"Reporting to the General." Liu Lei replied immediately: "Seven hundred personal guards, seven hundred-man units, plus this subordinate."

"A total of seven hundred and eight people, not one died in battle, but more than half of the brothers were wounded, and only twenty or so had more serious injuries; now those who were injured have already been sent to the wounded camp."

Hearing this battle result, Zhu Ying nodded and said no more.

The personal guards under his command were confidants who had been taught by Zhu Ying hand-in-hand for more than a year; each one practiced the 'Horizontal Refining Art', and with the cooperation of 'Bone-Connecting Powder' for tempering, not only was their strength beyond ordinary people, but their physical fitness was also greatly improved. Not to mention being impervious to swords and spears, but the name 'Horizontal Refining' was naturally very easy to understand—it was body tempering.

Moreover, every personal guard wore battle armor, protecting their vital parts, and their General was the one charging first, and they cooperated tacitly, so naturally, none died in battle.

"Seven hundred personal guards and not one died in battle!" Zhang Wu and Chen Heng, who were just about to leave, were shocked in their hearts when they heard this battle report.

They stopped in their tracks, widened their eyes, and couldn't believe their ears.

Charging into the city first, attacking first, and under the city gate, it was a situation of nine deaths and one life, but these seven hundred personal guards didn't have a single death? This was truly shocking.

"General, he must have given the personal guards something."

Even the stupidest person could think that the reason Liu Lei and these personal guards possessed such combat power was all because of Zhu Ying.

Besides that, there was no other possibility.

They looked at each other, a flash of realization crossing their eyes.

After the generals left, Zhu Ying continued to lean against the pillar, preparing to count the gains from killing enemies this time.

Not to mention the attribute bonuses, there were also treasure chest rewards.

After Zhu Ying's attributes broke through five thousand points, he had already undergone a transformation; killing ordinary soldiers could only pick up 1 point of random attribute, but picking up lifespan remained unchanged—killing one enemy could pick up at least 10 days of lifespan, which accumulated to quite a lot.

Of course, killing enemies with official positions now naturally yielded more; above the rank of Military Marquis, one picked up all attributes.

And killing generals above the rank of Garrison Commander could yield treasure chests.

This time, Zhu Ying naturally kept his eyes on the Yuan army officers, rushing over whenever he saw them; the number of officers who died at Zhu Ying's hands was not small, definitely no less than ten.

Zhu Ying, harboring a bit of excitement, calmed his heart and looked at the number of his treasure chests.

"Seven First Rank treasure chests, some obtained from killing generals, and others related to the increase in all attributes and the total number of enemies killed."

"In addition, killing those Yuan generals below the rank of Ten Thousand Commander also yielded eight ordinary treasure chests."

Seeing the number of treasure chests, a joyful smile appeared on Zhu Ying's face: "My goodness, fifteen treasure chests in total!"

In an instant.

Zhu Ying felt as if many treasures were about to be thrown at him.

Fifteen treasure chests!

You know, the value of one treasure chest is more precious than ten thousand gold!

In the myriad realms of the heavens, there are countless rare treasures, from technology that leads the era to cultivation methods that can make people reborn, astonishing martial arts, longevity-extending elixirs, and divine weapons that can cut iron like mud—as long as your luck is good enough, you can open them from treasure chests.

"As long as my luck is slightly good, it's definitely a huge profit."

Zhu Ying was extremely excited: "This time, it's really great!"

Returning to reality from his fantasy, Zhu Ying no longer hesitated and immediately recited in his heart to summon his attribute panel.

A flash of light appeared before his eyes, and a panel emitting a faint glow emerged.

Host: Zhu Ying

Age: 15 years old

Internal Qi: 6138 points

Strength: 6235 points

Speed: 6052 points

Constitution: 6042 points

Stamina: 6023 points

Spirit: 6014 points

Lifespan: 328 years 29562 days

Storage Space: 69 cubic meters

Cultivation Methods: Post-Heaven Profound Art... Horizontal Refining Art

Martial Arts: Power-Accumulating Saber Slash 【Late Stage】, Wild Saber Technique 【Late Stage】, Mountain-Crushing Fist 【Early Stage】, Divine Arrow Consecutive Shot 【Late Stage】, Tiger Roar Art 【Early Stage】, Golden Bell Cover 【Mid Stage】, Eight Extremities Fist 【Mid Stage】, Berserk 【Entry Level】.

Skill Points: 3 points 【Can improve proficiency in any martial art】

Zhu Ying's gaze swept across the panel rapidly, and when he saw the 'Lifespan' column, he couldn't help but gasp, thinking excitedly: "My goodness. After this battle, I actually picked up eighty years of lifespan!"

(End of chapter)