Chapter 153

Accompanied by a series of sharp whistling sounds, over a dozen giant crossbow bolts, carrying the force of a thunderbolt, shot toward the direction where Zhu Ying was located.

Each of these crossbow bolts could easily kill a fierce tiger.

However!

The next moment.

These dozen-plus giant crossbow bolts all missed their mark entirely.

Bang, bang, bang.

One could see the many crossbow bolts piercing heavily into the city wall, emitting dull thuds, before falling to the ground one after another due to uneven force, kicking up a cloud of dust.

The pervasive murderous intent became a joke.

"Where is the person?"

"Where did he go?"

The exclamations of the Yuan soldiers rose one after another, filled with confusion and fear.

Just a moment ago, they had seen with their own eyes that the bed crossbows were about to shoot and kill Zhu Ying directly.

Yet in the blink of an eye, Zhu Ying, who had been standing right in front of them, had vanished without a trace like a ghost.

While they were in a panic.

The next second, Zhu Ying, like a bolt of black lightning, had almost teleported to where the several bed crossbows were located.

"Die!"

As Zhu Ying swung the Seven-Star Precious Saber in his hand, a dazzling blade light slashed across the sky; wherever the blade light passed, the air seemed to be cut by a sharp edge, accompanied by spurting blood.

"Ah... ah..."

The dozen or so Yuan soldiers around the bed crossbows did not even have the time to blink before their throats were instantly slashed by the blade light.

Fresh blood sprayed out like a surging fountain, splashing onto the surrounding ground and instantly gathering into shocking pools of blood; in an instant, their bodies lost strength and collapsed into the blood, heads and bodies separated.

"He's here."

"Kill him."

The Yuan general widened his eyes in terror, his face filled with an expression of disbelief.

With trembling hands, he pointed toward the direction of the bed crossbows, roaring at the top of his lungs; his voice echoed across the battlefield, carrying a trace of a desperate tail-end.

But when the gazes of the many Yuan soldiers converged there, only an afterimage moving faster than a normal person flashed before their eyes.

That afterimage was like a ghost, vanishing in a flash.

Immediately following.

Another series of shrill screams rang out, and another group of Yuan soldiers were separated head from body, collapsing heavily into the pools of blood.

But when the surrounding Yuan soldiers regained their senses and tried to surround Zhu Ying, his figure had disappeared without a trace, as if he had never appeared at all.

He was like a ghost or phantom that came without a shadow and left without a trace, weaving through the Yuan army's formation, impossible to lock onto.

"How can this be?"

"Is he human or a ghost?"

"How can anyone have such speed?"

The Yuan general commanding the battle was also completely bewildered, the color draining from his face instantly, turning deathly pale.

Facing the ghost-like Zhu Ying, at this moment, fear engulfed him like a tide, leaving him filled with despair.

Perhaps.

This was what they meant by supernatural phenomena!

Zhu Ying's speed at this moment was indeed too terrifying, completely ghost-like; the naked eyes of the Yuan soldiers could only capture blurred afterimages.

But by the time the afterimage appeared, Zhu Ying had already reached the other side.

Besides a ghost, who could achieve this?

"Raise shields."

"Fire arrows..."

The Yuan general suppressed the fear in his heart, but his voice had become somewhat shaky as he roared loudly.

But before his words had completely faded, a sharp blade light flashed like lightning through the shield-bearers' defensive line.

The few shield-bearers in front of him did not even have time to react before they were separated head from body, their heads flying high into the air, blood spurting from their headless bodies.

The next moment.

The blade light, carrying cold murderous intent, instantly slashed onto the Yuan general.

With a "crack" sound.

Fresh blood sprayed out, the Yuan general's head rolled to the ground, and he also fell straight into the pool of blood.

"Killed a Northern Yuan Ten-Thousand-Man Commander, gained 50 points to all attributes, gained 100 days of lifespan, rewarded with one First Rank treasure chest." The panel notification rang in Zhu Ying's mind.

"Full strength unleashed."

"Divine weapon in hand."

"For these ordinary armored soldiers, this is undoubtedly a dimensional strike."

"Unless they can exhaust my stamina, even if there were thousands of them, I could kill them until they are in total disarray."

At this moment.

Zhu Ying's heart was also extremely excited.

This was the first time he had truly unleashed his full strength.

He possessed speed dozens of times that of an ordinary person, and his strength was also far beyond that of a normal person; coupled with the internal qi circulating in his body, even martial artists who also possessed internal qi could hardly catch up to him.

This is because Zhu Ying was not just powerful in a single aspect of internal qi body refinement, but comprehensively powerful in all attributes.

If it were an ordinary martial artist, even if they cultivated body refinement to the perfection realm, their strength would at most be a thousand jin.

But Zhu Ying had long transcended this category; every swing of his blade seemed to contain the force of a thousand jun, making enemies look on in fear.

"Kill!"

Zhu Ying gave a cold shout, his voice like thunder, echoing for a long time over the battlefield, filled with murderous intent.

Simply put.

Zhu Ying repeated his old trick.

He casually threw away the shield in his left hand; the moment the shield hit the ground, the Qinghong Sword instantly appeared in his hand, the blade flashing with cold light, as if it couldn't wait to drink the enemy's blood.

As his speed was fully unleashed, his whole person became like a bolt of black lightning, weaving and shuttling through the Yuan soldiers guarding the city.

One could see afterimages flashing rapidly through the Yuan army's camp; every flash was inevitably accompanied by the deaths of groups of Yuan soldiers.

Where the blade edge passed and the sword light appeared, every slash and every thrust precisely struck the vital points of the Yuan soldiers.

Under his attacks, the Yuan soldiers fell one after another like autumn leaves in the wind, completely unable to withstand his fierce offensive.

"Killed a Northern Yuan soldier, gained 1 point of internal qi, gained 10 days of lifespan."

"Killed a Northern Yuan soldier, gained 1 point of strength, gained 15 days of lifespan..."

As Zhu Ying exerted his full effort, in just a few dozen breaths, the Yuan soldiers at the city gate were already strewn with corpses, blood flowing like a river.

A heavy, nauseating smell of blood permeated the air.

The blood on the ground gathered into small streams, flowing toward the low-lying areas.

Zhu Ying's power on this cold-weapon battlefield was undoubtedly a dimensional strike, making the Yuan soldiers tremble with fear.

"Ghost."

"He is an evil ghost."

"We can't see him at all."

"Evil ghost... this Ming general is an evil ghost..."

In the past, before Zhu Ying had displayed his extraordinary speed, the Yuan soldiers were already terrified of him.

Now that he had unleashed his full strength, he was viewed by the Yuan soldiers as an evil ghost; their eyes were filled with fear and despair, and under Zhu Ying's attacks, they fled in all directions, clutching their heads.

Just at this moment.

A series of rhythmic stomping sounds swept over.

Liu Lei led over six hundred personal guards, all holding shields and fine steel sabers, charging into the city through the gap Zhu Ying had broken open.

Seeing the Yuan corpses covering the city, the personal guards felt no surprise at all; they had long since deeply believed in Zhu Ying's strength.

"Brothers."

"Follow the General."

"Kill all the Tatars."

Liu Lei shouted loudly, gripping his fine steel saber tightly, his eyes burning with murderous intent as he charged toward the Yuan soldiers in front.

"Follow to the death!"

"Kill!"

The personal guards shouted in unison, their voices shaking the air, following closely behind as they fought courageously toward the Yuan soldiers in the city.

Their figures were like a black torrent, sweeping toward the Yuan army; wherever they went, the Yuan army collapsed.

After the personal guards entered the city, Chen Heng also led the Daning infantry to charge over.

"Brothers."

"The Daning border army is invincible."

"Kill!"

Chen Heng raised his saber high, pointing directly at the front of the city, and shouted loudly.

"Follow the General."

"Kill!"

Tens of thousands of Daning soldiers let out deafening roars, pouring into the city like a tide.

Their battle cries intertwined, forming a powerful wave of sound that seemed as if it would overturn the entire city.

Outside the city!

The scaling ladders had already been set up. Archers nocked arrows and fired crazily into the city; the dense rain of arrows covered a large area like locusts.

The arrow feathers pierced the air, making "whoosh" sounds, constantly shooting at the Yuan soldiers inside the city and causing huge casualties to the Yuan army.

With Zhu Ying charging into the city, the outcome of this battle was no longer in suspense, just like the battle for Zhenxiacheng.

In the rear army, twenty thousand Daning cavalry stood in battle formation, personally commanded by Zhang Wu.

"General Zhang."

"The General has already charged into the city."

"Is it time for us to act as well?"

Wei Quan rode his horse to Zhang Wu's side, his face full of anticipation as he asked.

Looking at Wei Quan's appearance, his eyes revealed a trace of eagerness, as if he couldn't wait to join the battle.

"Before the General attacked the city, he said that one hour after he charged into the city, we would detour to the north gate of this city to cut off the Yuan army's path of escape."

"In this battle."

"The General wants to annihilate all the Yuan soldiers in the city."

"Therefore, we must act with caution."

Zhang Wu said with a solemn expression and a deep voice; at this moment, he was incredibly firm and filled with trust in Zhu Ying.

"This subordinate understands." Wei Quan nodded, said no more, and waited quietly.

In the military camp!

The Grand General's headquarters.

"Reporting to the Grand General."

"General Zhu has already broken through the city gate, and now the Daning border army has already charged into the city."

Guo Ying's personal guard commander walked quickly into the tent to report, his tone unable to hide his excitement.

"So fast?"

Guo Ying stared at the personal guard, a trace of surprise flashing by.

"Reporting to the Grand General."

"General Zhu Ying is incredibly brave; just like at Zhenxiacheng, he broke open the city gate with one man and one saber," the personal guard commander replied excitedly.

To the side, Zhu Di and Li Jinglong were not too surprised upon hearing this.

After all, they had personally experienced the battle of Zhenxiacheng and had long since witnessed Zhu Ying's bravery with their own eyes.

"Haha."

"It is no surprise that General Zhu broke through the city gate."

"Having General Zhu in our two-route army is truly a blessing for our army."

Li Jinglong laughed excitedly, feeling secretly proud in his heart.

In his view, he and Zhu Ying were in a relationship of mutual achievement.

The greater the military merit Zhu Ying established, the more glory he, Li Jinglong, would share.

Therefore, he couldn't wait for Zhu Ying to kill more enemies and establish more merit.

"General Zhu."

"A god-like man."

Guo Ying couldn't help but sigh at this moment, a trace of admiration appearing in his eyes.

"How are General Zhang Yu and General Mu Sheng doing?" Guo Ying asked again.

"Reporting to the Grand General."

"They have already begun to attack the cities."

"However, since they are a hundred miles away, news cannot be delivered very quickly."

"But the cities that the two generals are attacking do not have many Yuan troops stationed there, so the key results still depend on General Zhu's side," Li Jinglong replied immediately.

"The Northern Yuan border cities are just the fruits of the first battle."

"We are not yet facing the main elite forces of the Northern Yuan."

"Let's fight and see." Guo Ying nodded.

Li Jinglong then said: "Being able to achieve such results in just a few days is all thanks to General Zhu Ying; it is said that the Marquis of Yongchang has not even broken through his first border city yet."

When saying this, Li Jinglong did not hide the pride on his face, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, as if he were showing off his own achievements to everyone.

Although the Huaixi faction was dominant in the imperial court, Li Jinglong had a noble status and did not put the Huaixi faction in his eyes at all.

Others might fear the Huaixi faction, but he, Li Jinglong, did not.

Who told him to be born so well!

"The Marquis of Yongchang's side."

"Has already done his best."

"After all, not everyone can be like General Zhu Ying."

"And looking through history, those who can be as brave as General Zhu Ying are few and far between."

"No, regarding the act of breaking a city with a single saber, besides General Zhu, I have never heard of it," Guo Ying said in a deep voice, his admiration undisguised.

"Indeed."

Li Jinglong nodded in agreement.

"Next."

"It is to wait for the results of Zhu Ying breaking the city."

Zhu Di, who was on the side, said with a smile.

"Perhaps it can be taken tonight," Li Jinglong laughed.

"Not necessarily."

Zhu Di shook his head: "This time Zhu Ying is prepared to annihilate all the Yuan soldiers in the city, which is even more difficult than the battle situation at Zhenxiacheng before."

Hearing Zhu Di say this, Li Jinglong also showed a worried expression on his face: "The Yuan army in the city may be no less than sixty or seventy thousand; I don't know if Zhu Ying can handle it."

"Let's fight and see."

"Since General Zhu has such a plan, he must have confidence," Guo Ying said in a deep voice.

Time flew by, and it was almost evening.

The sunset was like blood; the sun was about to set, and the horizon was dyed an orange-red, as if soaked in blood.

But the slaughter in the city was still intensely continuing; the battle cries and the sounds of weapons clashing intertwined, deafening.

Under Zhu Ying's leadership, countless Ming soldiers surged like a tide, crazily charging toward the Yuan soldiers in the city.

At this moment, the Yuan soldiers in the city had already lost the power to resist and were being killed and forced to retreat step by step.

Their corpses were piled like mountains, and fresh blood dyed the entire street red.

In the inner city government office, bursts of battle cries sounded like rolling thunder from all directions, shrouding the entire city under a dark cloud of slaughter.

"Second Imperial Prince."

A Yuan general ran over with a panicked expression and stumbling steps, his face pale, his forehead covered in sweat from nervousness.

"How is the battle situation?" Di Baonu asked with a deep frown and a solemn expression.

However.

A trace of unease had already appeared on his face, as if he had already sensed something ominous.

"Reporting to the Second Imperial Prince."

"The battle situation is not good."

"These Ming soldiers are too powerful."

"This subordinate personally supervised the battle and committed all the elites in the city, but we simply cannot block the Ming army's spearhead."

The Yuan general said in terror, his voice carrying a trace of trembling, his body also shaking slightly, not daring to look directly into Di Baonu's eyes.

"There are fifty thousand elites in the city, plus tens of thousands of able-bodied men."

"And you still can't block them?"

Di Baonu's face instantly turned gloomy, extremely unwilling.

"Second Imperial Prince..."

The Yuan general beside him had a hesitant expression, wanting to speak but stopping.

"Speak if you have something to say," Di Baonu said in a deep voice.

"Since we can't hold it, we should retreat."

"The Ming army is good at attacking cities; our army is no match for the Ming army in the city, it will only increase casualties in vain!" The Yuan general immediately said in a low voice, his eyes revealing a trace of anxiety.

Hearing this.

Di Baonu pretended to be deep in thought and struggling for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said: "Retreat."

"However."

"Retreat gradually."

"We cannot retreat all at once, otherwise we will be tightly bitten by the Ming army."

Di Baonu said, a trace of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes.

Obviously.

He was prepared to sacrifice the subordinate army that was already engaged with Zhu Ying in exchange for his own chance to escape.

"Please rest assured, Second Imperial Prince; this time this subordinate has also left behind ten thousand men, enough to protect the Second Imperial Prince and retreat safely," the Yuan general on the side said immediately, guaranteeing it on the spot.

"Good."

Di Baonu finally breathed a sigh of relief; for him, saving his life was the most important thing now, and hearing that there were still ten thousand elites to protect him, a trace of relief also flashed in his eyes.

Inner city!

The slaughter continued.

Zhu Ying was still holding a saber and a sword, charging and killing crazily like a god of slaughter.

Slashing and killing Yuan soldiers was as easy as cutting melons and vegetables for him.

His body was covered in blood, as if he were an evil ghost or Asura who had walked out of a pool of blood.

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

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

"Total number of enemies killed reached 9,000, rewarded with one First Rank treasure chest." The panel notification rang in Zhu Ying's mind.

"Today's battle."

"Is even longer than the lifespan gained last time."

Zhu Ying was extremely excited in his heart, the saber and sword in his hands never stopping for a moment, continuing to fight and charge courageously.

At this moment.

Excitement shone in Zhu Ying's eyes, as if he were enjoying this feast of slaughter.

Watching the Yuan soldiers fleeing in disarray ahead, Zhu Ying led the army to bite tightly and not let go, like a hungry pack of wolves chasing prey.

"Follow the General."

"Kill."

"Kill..."

Behind Zhu Ying, the battle cries of the Ming soldiers were deafening; everyone was fighting with all their might, morale was high, and every Ming soldier was seizing every opportunity to kill the enemy and establish merit.

"The Yuan army should be about to retreat."

"Although many Yuan generals have been killed, the Yuan Emperor's son has not been captured yet."

"Zhang Wu should have already blocked the rear gate of the city."

"The Yuan Emperor's son, a proper Northern Yuan royal, killing him would be a great achievement."

Zhu Ying thought secretly in his heart, very firm.

He was determined to take this military merit.

At this moment, a golden eagle was circling high in the sky, its sharp eyes taking in the entire scene of the city.

It was precisely because of it that the enemy's movements were completely presented before Zhu Ying's eyes.

At the rear gate of the city, the gate was wide open, and a large number of Yuan soldiers were fleeing rapidly outward like a tide.

Their figures were panicked and hurried, like a flock of frightened birds.

All of this did not escape Zhu Ying's eyes.

"Personal Guard Battalion, listen to my orders."

"Vanguard Battalion, listen to my orders."

"Follow me to kill through the city and block the Yuan army's escape."

Zhu Ying roared, his voice like thunder, and charged forward with his saber and sword.

Having a target.

And knowing that Di Baonu wanted to escape, Zhu Ying also accelerated his speed, leading his army to charge toward the rear gate of the city.

The slaughter continued!

The scene shifted.

At the rear gate of Zhentangcheng, the cold wind, carrying the smell of blood, blew into their faces.

Under the heavy protection of a group of Yuan soldiers, Di Baonu sat on his warhorse, his expression panicked, constantly whipping his horse and fleeing in a sorry state toward the outside of the city.

All around were Yuan soldiers following; it was called protection, but in reality, it was also fleeing.

Defeat like a collapsing mountain!

Perhaps that is exactly what this is.

"This time we cannot defend the city anymore; we must retreat to the new capital and wait for the Emperor's decision."

Di Baonu gritted his teeth, calculating secretly in his heart.

Thinking of Zhu Ying's fierce appearance on the battlefield and the miserable state of his own army's defeat, fear surged from the bottom of his heart.

Not a match.

Simply not a match.

Even though he had made all preparations beforehand.

He still couldn't hold it for a single day.

Just as Di Baonu rushed out of the city gate, secretly rejoicing that he was about to escape, a deafening "Kill!" suddenly came from far away outside the city.

This roar was like a thunderclap, instantly breaking the deathly silence of the city's rear gate.

It was precisely Zhang Wu's loud shout.

Immediately following, the battle cries of countless Ming soldiers sounded like rolling thunder, sweeping in from all directions and shaking the heavens and earth.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

Following the shouts, twenty thousand Daning cavalry, like a black tide, had already surrounded the entire Zhentangcheng tightly.

The faint sunset light fell, illuminating all the Daning cavalry outside the city, and intense murderous intent spread rapidly in the air.

In an instant.

Ten thousand arrows were fired simultaneously, shooting like raindrops toward the Yuan soldiers swarming out of the city gate.

The rain of arrows pierced the void with sharp whistling sounds, each one a murderous intent, soul-snatching.

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

"Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!"

Those Yuan soldiers who had originally thought they could escape with their lives were instantly shot into hedgehogs under this dense rain of arrows.

They let out shrill screams, falling one after another into the pools of blood; fresh blood spread rapidly on the ground, mixing with the dust to form a muddy blood swamp.

"Not good!"

"The Ming army has surrounded the city!"

"Second Imperial Prince, we are surrounded!"

"Protect the Second Imperial Prince!"

The Yuan generals around Di Baonu were terrified, their faces instantly turning deathly pale; their voices trembled with fear, sounding particularly harsh on the chaotic battlefield.

The personal guards beside Di Baonu reacted quickly, immediately raising their shields to protect him tightly in the middle; the shields collided, emitting dull sounds, and many stray arrows were blocked.

"How could this be? Is the Ming army not afraid of their retreat path being cut off? How dare they do this!"

Di Baonu widened his eyes, his face filled with disbelief, his body trembling uncontrollably, his voice becoming shrill and panicked.

It seemed he could not escape.

Thinking about the possibility of dying, how could Di Baonu not be afraid?

"Second Imperial Prince, this subordinate will definitely fight to the death to protect you and break out of the encirclement!"

The Yuan general on the side gritted his teeth and roared loudly.

Di Baonu scanned his surroundings with panicked eyes, suddenly seeing the Daning flag fluttering in the Ming army's ranks, his face changing drastically, his voice trembling: "This is the Daning cavalry under Zhu Ying... we... cannot break out!"

"Daning border cavalry, invincible!"

"Kill!"

Zhang Wu, wearing black armor, stood majestically on his horse, gave a low shout, and swung the long saber in his hand fiercely.

The cavalry, who had been standing in a tight encirclement around the city, heard the order and, like an unstoppable black torrent, charged toward the front of the city; the sound of horse hooves was like thunder, and the earth trembled because of it.

"Retreat! Quickly retreat back!"

Di Baonu shouted in terror, his face deathly pale, and he hurriedly turned his horse's head.

Surrounded by his personal guards, he retreated into the city regardless of anything else, almost falling off his horse in the panic.

However.

Everything was already too late.

The battle cries and the sounds of weapons clashing inside the city intertwined, rising one after another, never stopping.

Many fleeing Yuan soldiers crowded together, becoming a mess, pushing and trampling each other; the scene was chaotic and unbearable.

"Follow me to kill!"

Zhu Ying's battle cry was like thunder, piercing through the heavy clamor and resounding inside and outside the city.

At this time, he was exuding a chilling murderous aura, like a god of war descending to earth.

He held a sharp blade, leading the charge, and with his personal guards, like a sharp dagger, he plunged directly into the Yuan army's formation at the city's rear gate.

The Yuan soldiers at the city's rear gate collapsed one after another before him, completely unable to block his fierce offensive.

"Zhu Ying... it's him again."

"He has already killed his way here."

"We cannot enter the city anymore."

"Kill our way out, protect this Imperial Prince and kill our way out! There will be heavy rewards!"

Seeing Zhu Ying from afar, Di Baonu was filled with fear and shouted at the top of his lungs.

At this moment.

He had completely panicked, again whipping his horse regardless of anything else, fleeing forward.

"Protect the Second Imperial Prince, kill our way out of the encirclement!"

Many Yuan generals shouted at the top of their lungs, trying to organize resistance, but under the Ming army's fierce attack, their voices seemed so weak and helpless.

Zhu Ying's eyes were like torches, instantly locking onto Di Baonu's figure.

"Son of the Yuan Emperor, killing you will be a great achievement!"

"Perhaps even a greater one."

Zhu Ying thought secretly in his heart, a trace of cold murderous intent flashing in his eyes.

Immediately, Zhu Ying quietly put the Qinghong Sword back into his storage space, and a long spear instantly appeared in his right hand.

The next moment.

Zhu Ying tensed his whole body, his gaze fixed, the power in his body quickly gathering on his right arm, internal qi added.

"Whoosh!"

The long spear instantly broke through the air like lightning, carrying a sharp whistling sound, skimming over the heads of many Yuan soldiers.

The next moment.

With a dull thud.

The long spear instantly pierced through Di Baonu's body with the force of a thunderbolt.

The huge impact force carried him flying out, and like a kite with a broken string, he was fiercely thrown into the chaotic army.

"Killed the Northern Yuan Second Imperial Prince 【Di Baonu】, gained 200 points to all attributes, gained 500 days of lifespan, rewarded with two First Rank treasure chests." The panel notification rang in Zhu Ying's mind at the right time.

(End of chapter)