Chapter 163: Zhu Di: I must have Zhu Ying at any cost!

In an instant!

The Long Menzhen, which had been as still as death, seemed to transform from a dead object into a living one.

It instantly came alive.

Zhu Ying stood on the high platform, holding the formation flags tightly in his hands, waving them fiercely; accompanied by the movement of the flags, the Long Menzhen was truly activated.

Inside the formation, the one hundred thousand Great Ming soldiers were like agile swimming dragons, quickly and orderly shuttling and moving within the large formation, without any omissions. Under the control of their respective generals, every soldier cooperated tacitly, and the entire military formation was filled with a murderous aura, endless murderous intent quietly condensing.

Back in Daning Prefecture.

Zhu Ying had already used the Long Menzhen to train his Daning border army and the soldiers of the Huizhouwei.

All for the sake of the Northern Expedition battle one day, facing the Northern Yuan's iron cavalry.

Now that the Long Menzhen was set up and they cooperated tacitly with each other, it was also the result of Zhu Ying's initial training.

And in the north!

Tap tap.

Tap tap tap,

The iron cavalry trampled like thunder, coming wrapped in endless yellow earth and dust.

The sixty thousand Yuan dynasty iron cavalry were like two fierce long snakes, sweeping and galloping from the left and right routes.

"Boys."

"Charge, kill."

Many Yuan generals roared.

The Northern Yuan iron cavalry's horse hooves trampled crazily, like muffled war drums, beating against the earth. Every Yuan cavalryman's weapon emitted a cold light, and combined with their iron cavalry charge, one could almost see that every Northern Yuan cavalryman's face was filled with arrogance and wildness.

It seemed.

They did not feel they would lose.

Morale was high.

When the Northern Yuan cavalry charging at the very front saw the Long Menzhen waiting in battle formation ahead, they were all stunned.

But immediately.

The Northern Yuan war general Meng Ha, who was leading the army, let out a burst of unbridled wild laughter: "Hahaha."

"Boys! These Ming soldiers must be crazy, actually daring to try to block the edge of our Great Yuan iron cavalry with mere shield soldiers!"

"In this battle, our Great Yuan will surely win."

Meng Ha roared at the top of his lungs, the iron cavalry charging, his voice echoing in the surrounding sky, and then he raised his war saber: "Boys! Charge from the left flank and grind these Ming soldiers into dust!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill the Ming army!"

Countless Northern Yuan cavalry followed and roared, murderous intent filling the entire grassland.

The sixty thousand iron cavalry were like a surging murderous intent, charging straight at the Long Menzhen regardless of everything.

Their speed became faster and faster, the dust kicked up by the horse hooves blocking the sky and sun.

Iron cavalry charge.

Two hundred zhang.

One hundred and fifty zhang.

One hundred zhang.

Just at this moment!

"Arrows!"

Center of the Long Menzhen.

Zhu Ying shouted violently, his voice like thunder, filled with murderous intent.

He raised the formation flag in his right hand high and waved it fiercely.

Instantly.

The archers at the forefront of the Long Menzhen, although they were inside the formation and could not directly see the Northern Yuan cavalry, heard Zhu Ying's order, and the tens of thousands of archers distributed in the formation quickly bent their bows and nocked arrows.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The tens of thousands of Great Ming archers let out deafening shouts, the sound wave rushing straight into the clouds.

Every soldier pulled the bowstring like a full moon.

The next moment.

Countless sounds of bowstrings vibrating rang out.

Xiu xiu xiu!

Xiu xiu xiu!

Countless rain of arrows like black locusts rose into the air, blocking the sky and sun, shooting overwhelmingly toward the Northern Yuan cavalry outside the formation.

In the void.

The arrows, like a violent storm, carried sharp whistling sounds, forming a net of death, crazily pouring toward the enemy army.

The oncoming Northern Yuan cavalry could not react at all.

"Ah... ah..."

"The Ming army is firing arrows."

"Ah..."

Instantly.

Miserable screams rose one after another; patches of Northern Yuan cavalry were shot into hedgehogs along with their horses, falling heavily into pools of blood.

Even if some cavalry tried their best to wave their war sabers to block, in the face of this violent storm of arrows, their resistance appeared so powerless.

"Boys!"

"Scatter and charge! Use mounted archery to kill the enemy!"

Meng Ha and Na Li, the two Yuan generals, seeing the situation was not good, hurriedly shouted loudly.

The sixty thousand Yuan cavalry heard this and quickly adjusted their formation, trying to distance themselves as much as possible, attempting to avoid the violent storm of arrows.

At the same time, the Northern Yuan cavalry also bent their bows and nocked arrows one after another; they were all well-trained and fired arrows back at the Great Ming army in front.

Xiu xiu xiu!

Xiu xiu xiu!

It was also the sound of sharp arrows breaking through the air.

The arrows of both sides intertwined in the void, forming a thrilling picture.

The Northern Yuan cavalry's rain of arrows was also like a violent storm, with murderous intent everywhere.

But under the perfect layout of the Long Menzhen, the Yuan army's rain of arrows could not cause substantial damage to the Ming army at all.

After this Long Menzhen formation was completed, it was like a wall of bronze and iron, and its defense could be called invincible.

"Shield!"

Zhu Ying quickly swung the formation flag in his left hand, his movements smooth and coherent.

In an instant.

The shield army everywhere in the formation raised their shields in unison, as did the shield army on the outermost perimeter.

Their shields were closely connected, without a single gap, defending tightly, without any openings.

"Defend! Defend! Defend!"

Countless shield soldiers shouted in unison, showing the soaring morale of the Great Ming soldiers, and even more, the combat power and morale bonus of Zhu Ying's command.

Xiu xiu xiu.

The sound of chaotic arrows breaking through the air was constant.

The rain of arrows shot from outside the formation hit the shields one after another, making the clanging sound of ironware colliding.

Under the tight protection of the shield army, the soldiers inside the formation were unharmed; all the arrows were successfully blocked by the shield army on the outer and inner layers.

And the archers inside the formation took the opportunity to continue firing arrows, reaping the lives of the Yuan army as much as possible.

Under the rain of chaotic arrows, countless Yuan soldiers fell forever on this vast grassland, blood like a river, dyeing this large area of grassland red, extremely cruel.

"Attack! Attack!"

"Trample the Ming army! Boys, kill!"

Driven by the generals, the Northern Yuan cavalry charged crazily, regardless of casualties.

At this time, they were less than a dozen zhang away from the outer shield wall of the Long Menzhen, but their charging momentum was still fierce, showing no signs of weakening at all.

And at this moment, it was the critical moment that would decide victory or defeat.

"Open!"

Zhu Ying stood on the high platform, his gaze like a torch, taking in every move of the Yuan army.

As the Yuan cavalry kept getting closer, Zhu Ying did not hesitate at all, his hands quickly waving the formation flags, his movements like flowing clouds and water.

He issued the formation flag order again.

Instantly!

The formation of the Long Menzhen changed again; the outermost shield wall, which had been like a wall of bronze and iron, suddenly opened dozens of gaps, especially the shield wall facing the Yuan army, where the gaps were particularly obvious.

It was as if a passage had been specially opened for the Yuan army.

The countless Yuan cavalry who were originally going to crash directly into the shield wall were all shocked.

"What are they doing? Why did they suddenly scatter?"

Many Yuan soldiers and generals charging at the front were stunned, their faces filled with doubt and surprise.

The sudden opening of the shield wall caught them off guard, and for a moment, they were at a loss.

The Ming army's performance today was truly too strange.

Their cavalry had already charged to within a stone's throw, but the Ming army was still only firing arrows, and the spearmen and Ming cavalry had yet to appear.

However.

The battle situation at this moment did not allow the Yuan army to think too much.

"Boys! Our Great Yuan iron cavalry is invincible! Kill all these damn Han barbarians, leave none alive!"

"Kill!"

Meng Ha and Na Li in the rear military formation roared loudly, their voices filled with madness and confidence.

Clearly.

Although the Ming army's performance was a bit strange, they firmly believed in the strength of their iron cavalry, thinking that the power of the iron cavalry traversed the world and no one could stop it.

Especially since they had already investigated clearly that there was no cavalry in the Ming army that could contend with them.

In this battle, they would surely win.

"Kill, kill, kill the barbarians."

"Slaughter the Han barbarians..."

Under the incitement of the generals, the Northern Yuan cavalry charged even more crazily.

Facing the gaps opened in the Ming army's shield formation, they naturally would not attack the shield formation, but charged into the passages opened by the Long Menzhen without hesitation.

The Long Menzhen set up by the one hundred thousand Great Ming soldiers occupied a very vast area. Looking from the left and right sides, the formation had opened dozens of gaps.

The Yuan cavalry did not notice the arrival of danger at all, like moths to a flame, charging in along the passages opened by the Long Menzhen.

Not long after.

More than half of these sixty thousand Northern Yuan cavalry were drawn into the Long Menzhen.

And it was precisely at this moment.

Changes occurred again.

"Surround!"

Watching the Yuan army enter the trap, a sneer appeared on Zhu Ying's face.

Subsequently.

The formation flag in Zhu Ying's hand swung fiercely, and the formation order moved again.

Boom!

It was as if the world changed color at this moment; the dozens of shield formation passages that had been wide open closed in an orderly manner instantly.

This closing speed was extremely fast, instantly blocking the Yuan cavalry on the outside, while the Yuan army that had already entered the formation completely lost their way back.

Following this.

The shield wall that had originally appeared to be only for defense suddenly erupted with murderous intent.

Xiu xiu xiu!

Spears thrust out from the gaps in the shields, the speed so fast that it caught people off guard.

This sudden change instantly turned the shield wall into a line of death, making it difficult for anyone to get close.

Outside the formation.

The two Yuan generals commanding the troops were completely stunned; they widened their eyes, the expressions on their faces changing from initial confidence to shock and fear.

Tens of thousands of troops were swallowed into the shield wall in front of them just like that, while they were directly blocked outside.

In the blink of an eye, they were completely bewildered.

"Boys! Attack, attack!"

At this moment, a hint of panic rose in the hearts of Meng Ha and Na Li, but they still tried to salvage the situation, immediately ordering an attack.

"Kill, kill!"

The various Yuan cavalry, under the command of the generals, charged toward the shield wall regardless of everything.

Warhorses neighed, their front hooves raised high; many warhorses that could not stop in time were directly pierced by the spears on the shield wall, blood spraying out.

The Yuan cavalry also charged with all their might, their long sabers and spears striking the shield wall violently.

However.

Even with the forward momentum of the warhorses, the shield wall in front of them was like it had merged with this plain, indestructible.

No matter how the Yuan army attacked, the shield wall did not move at all.

And inside the Long Menzhen, under the waving of Zhu Ying's formation flags, the Ming soldiers had been changing the formation in an orderly manner.

The tens of thousands of Yuan troops introduced into the formation were like lambs lost in a maze, completely losing their direction.

As the formation kept changing, their military formation became more and more chaotic.

"Not good!"

"This is the Han people's formation! We have entered the Han people's military formation!"

"Quick, follow me to charge out! Kill! Charge and break this shield wall!"

The Yuan army that had entered the Long Menzhen panicked completely, their faces filled with fear and despair.

This Long Menzhen was like a terrifying devouring monster, swallowing them step by step.

But at this moment.

These Northern Yuan cavalry trapped in the formation, besides blindly charging forward and crazily slashing at the wall of bronze and iron made of shields around them, seemed to have no other way.

Zhu Ying continued to wave the formation flags calmly, directing the changes of the Long Menzhen.

This time, the number of Yuan cavalry introduced into the Long Menzhen exceeded forty thousand; Zhu Ying's purpose was to completely disperse them and then gradually strangle them.

Under Zhu Ying's clever formation changes, the shield wall outside the formation was like an insurmountable wall of bronze and iron.

Spears kept thrusting out from the shield wall, blocking the approach of the outer Yuan cavalry.

At the very top of the shield wall, Ming archers kept firing arrows, shooting at the outer Yuan army to prevent them from getting close.

And inside the formation, the large formation kept changing, and the Yuan cavalry were divided into dozens of pieces.

The original strength of tens of thousands was now completely disrupted, and the military system was in chaos.

Even though they charged and attacked with all their might, in this unpredictable Long Menzhen, they could hardly even see the figures of the Great Ming soldiers, only seeing the impenetrable shield walls all around, a strange atmosphere covering the entire military formation, and even more so covering every Northern Yuan cavalryman.

Fear spread.

"Strangle!"

By this moment, tens of thousands of Northern Yuan cavalry were divided, completely trapped in the Long Menzhen, their morale low to the extreme.

The moment for the final finishing operation finally arrived.

Zhu Ying wore a sneer, as if it were the final judgment on the Northern Yuan cavalry.

Subsequently.

Zhu Ying held the formation flag and swung it fiercely, and the order to strangle was activated.

The next moment.

The Long Menzhen, which had originally been just an entrapment formation, suddenly changed, and a thick murderous intent rushed toward them.

"Kill, kill, kill!"

The Great Ming soldiers in the entire Long Menzhen let out deafening shouts, the sound wave like a surging tsunami, rushing straight into the clouds, their morale so high that it covered the entire void.

The Northern Yuan cavalry inside and outside the Long Menzhen were all shocked by this soaring murderous intent, their bodies trembling involuntarily.

From the very top of the shield wall, countless Great Ming archers appeared quickly.

They gripped bows and crossbows tightly in their hands, their faces full of murderous intent.

"Kill, kill all the Tatars."

"Kill them all..."

Watching the Yuan cavalry trapped below, they fired arrows without hesitation.

Xiu xiu xiu!

Xiu xiu xiu!

Chaotic arrows were fired in unison like dense raindrops, endless murderous intent falling.

"Ah... ah..."

One Yuan soldier after another was shot and killed by the chaotic arrows, falling from their warhorses, falling heavily to the ground, blood dyeing the surrounding land red.

The screams echoed throughout the Long Menzhen, making one's hair stand on end.

But this was only the beginning.

The next moment.

Hua chi, hua chi!

Spears thrust out from the gaps in the shields, each spear flashing with a sharp cold light, murderous intent infinite.

At the same time.

The shield wall that had originally appeared still began to close gradually; although the speed was slow, it carried an unstoppable momentum.

The Yuan cavalry trapped within were like being tightly surrounded by a wall of bronze and iron, and this wall of bronze and iron was constantly gathering.

"What to do?"

"General, what should we do?"

"It's over! We've been ambushed! What should we do?"

Countless Yuan cavalry were terrified, their faces filled with despair, but their gazes scanned everywhere, attempting to find a passage to escape.

But the path ahead was cut off, and there was no way back; they were like turtles in a jar, with nowhere to escape.

When the wall of bronze and iron turned into by the shield wall forced the Yuan cavalry completely together, overhead was a rain of chaotic arrows, accompanied by spears crazily thrusting out from the gaps in the shields.

Pu chi!

Pu chi!

Sounds of bodies being pierced and flesh being entered rang out, countless Yuan soldiers were pierced by spears, shot and killed by chaotic arrows, their blood spraying out.

Accompanied by the screams of the Yuan army, the entire Long Menzhen was covered by endless murderous intent.

This was completely a one-sided slaughter!

For the Northern Yuan cavalry who entered the Long Menzhen, it was even more of an extremely passive slaughter with no power to fight back!

Outside the formation!

The screams of the Yuan army inside the formation were like sharp arrows, constantly coming from within, making one's scalp tingle and one's whole body tremble.

It was conceivable how desperate and terrified the Yuan army inside was.

And the Yuan cavalry outside the formation, numbering less than twenty thousand, listened to the screams of their companions inside, looking at each other, at a loss.

But facing the wall of bronze and iron that was as solid as a rock in front of them, they had tried to attack many times, but could not break through at all.

This shield formation seemed to be naturally formed, without any gaps, without any flaws.

Conversely, the Ming archers on the shield formation kept firing arrows; as long as they got even slightly close, it was a life-and-death situation.

"General! What to do?"

"This is a trap; we've fallen into the Ming army's trap!"

"The Ming army... they are too cunning."

"The boys inside are afraid... afraid they won't be able to escape, and we can't break this shield formation either."

The various Yuan generals looked helplessly at Meng Ha and Na Li, the two vanguard generals commanding the troops, their eyes filled with despair.

Facing such a situation, Meng Ha and Na Li, the two Yuan generals, although they were in different positions, had extremely ugly expressions at this moment.

Originally thinking that in the cavalry's home field, they could easily crush the Ming army and win a great victory no matter what.

But now, they hadn't even seen the face of the Ming army, and most of their boys had already been trapped in the Ming army's military formation in front of them and surrounded and killed by the Ming army.

And the most hateful thing was that they had no way to deal with it.

"Retreat! Retreat!"

Almost at the same time, Meng Ha and Na Li, the two Yuan generals, issued the order to retreat.

They led the remaining Yuan army and retreated north like stray dogs.

At this moment.

They clearly realized that they could not break the Ming army's shield formation at all this time.

This shield formation could not be shaken by human power, and even if one step was broken, the Long Menzhen was unpredictable and connected to each other, so it was definitely not something that could be broken in one step.

Right now, Zhu Ying had also calculated that the Northern Yuan cavalry was too confident and would not bring cannons.

Although the shield formation could block human impact, it could not resist cannon attacks.

Inside the Long Menzhen!

The Northern Yuan cavalry trapped within were still scurrying around like headless flies; they tried to make a final stubborn struggle, but everything was in vain.

The Great Ming soldiers' strangling of them continued; the sound of weapons piercing bodies, screams, and blood spraying intertwined, death covering them.

This was slaughter!

And on the high platform of the Great Ming rear army, the crowd's previous knowledge of the power of the Long Menzhen was limited to records in the classics.

Now.

Zhu Ying set up the formation to fight the Northern Yuan iron cavalry, also because he was troubled by having no good strategy to deal with the one hundred thousand Northern Yuan iron cavalry.

Although he believed in Zhu Ying, he was actually anxious in his heart.

But at this moment, the moment the Long Menzhen was truly activated, whether it was Guo Ying, Zhu Di, or Li Jinglong, they were all stunned by the power of this Long Menzhen.

They stood on the high platform, their field of vision extremely wide, and could clearly see the operation within the Long Menzhen.

They witnessed with their own eyes tens of thousands of Yuan cavalry charging into the formation, originally worrying that this Long Menzhen would be crushed by the charge of tens of thousands of Yuan cavalry.

But under their witness, after tens of thousands of Yuan cavalry killed their way into the formation, they were quickly divided and lost their direction within the formation.

And now, facing the strangling like a wall of bronze and iron, the Yuan army had no power to fight back.

Spears like a forest, arrows like rain, it was completely a one-sided slaughter and crushing.

Facing this powerful Long Menzhen, the Northern Yuan iron cavalry, whose combat power was enough to sweep everything, did not display it at all, but was instead firmly held back by the Long Menzhen.

"Now, I finally understand the power of this Long Menzhen."

"As long as you enter the formation, you are a lamb waiting to be slaughtered."

"If I didn't know that the Northern Yuan cavalry's combat power was fierce, I would really think that these Northern Yuan cavalry introduced into the Long Menzhen were fake."

Li Jinglong was full of shock, his eyes flashing with disbelief, and he said with great emotion.

Although he was not proficient in the way of commanding troops, the scene in front of him made it clear to him at a glance.

On this high platform, he clearly saw the Northern Yuan cavalry, known as the best in the world, being surrounded and killed one-sidedly, without even a chance to counterattack.

This scene was something he had never seen before.

"General Zhu Ying, a future pillar of the country. Among the younger generation, no one can compare to him."

Guo Ying, a Grand General who had experienced many battles, was also filled with emotion.

Even.

At an age where he could be Zhu Ying's grandfather, he was now filled with praise and admiration for Zhu Ying; clearly, he had been deeply convinced by Zhu Ying.

And Zhu Di, who was on the side, also witnessed the magic and power of this Long Menzhen with his own eyes.

At this moment, there was only one thought in Zhu Di's heart: "I must find a way to get Zhu Ying; no matter what the cost, I must make him work for me."

"Must!"

Deep in Zhu Di's heart, a kind of madness was revealed, as if he had already made up his mind to bring Zhu Ying under his command at any cost.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 164 =====