Chapter 194: Sealing Langju Mountain! Only the Second in History!

But now!

Forget avenging my father.

His own life has already been marked by Zhu Ying.

“Hurry, stop him!”

“Hold him back, for this general!”

“Come on...”

At this moment.

Ma Er Ke Er could do nothing but scream wildly, ordering his personal guards and soldiers to block Zhu Ying.

He couldn’t even flee.

Thanks to his own folly, leading a routed army into chaos, he had turned the twenty million Yuan forces into a laughingstock.

Zhu Ying charged forward, slashing his blade.

His war blade swung.

He carved a bloody path straight through the chaos.

When he saw Ma Er Ke Er before him.

Zhu Ying spoke no words—his blade came down.

“No!”

Ma Er Ke Er’s eyes widened in terror and despair.

The blade sliced down instantly.

A sharp crack.

Ma Er Ke Er’s head flew into the air; his headless corpse spewed blood in all directions.

“Slain: Northern Yuan Grand General [Ma Er Ke Er]. Gained: +300 to all attributes, +300 days of lifespan, awarded: Tier-2 Treasure Chest.”

“Congratulations: All attributes exceed 7000 points. Awarded: Tier-1 Treasure Chest.”

As he slew him, the system prompt sounded.

Then.

With all attributes surpassing the threshold, Zhu Ying’s body underwent transformation—from within to without—all fatigue vanished, and he entered a new stage of evolution.

“Ma Er Ke Er.”

“Son of Gui Li Chi.”

“You two were lucky indeed—both of you fell to me.”

“Let your father and son reunite. I’ve done a good deed.”

Zhu Ying raised his hand, spurred his horse forward, and seized Ma Er Ke Er’s severed head.

Yet after seeing the system prompt, Zhu Ying sneered.

Gui Li Chi. Ma Er Ke Er.

He had slain two Northern Yuan Grand Generals.

That was indeed a fine thing.

But after killing him, Zhu Ying did not grow overconfident—he scanned the battlefield and immediately spotted the Northern Yuan battle standard.

On the march!

The banner leads!

Cutting down the banner is as great a feat as slaying the general.

“Kill!”

Zhu Ying let out a low roar.

Wu Feng surged forward; Zhu Ying raised his blade and slashed at the Northern Yuan soldier carrying the great banner.

A flash of crimson.

With a sharp snap, the Northern Yuan battle standard split beneath the blade.

Before the terrified eyes of countless Northern Yuan soldiers, their army’s soul collapsed!

The blow to the Northern Yuan army was unimaginable.

“The Grand General is dead.”

“Our banner has been cut down.”

“Run! Flee!”

“We’re defeated.”

“Run...”

Countless Yuan soldiers scattered in panic, their morale shattered.

For an army, the banner is its soul, its guiding light—soldiers charge under its banner; when it falls, the soul dies, and the army breaks.

“Soldiers of Great Ming!”

“The Northern Yuan Grand General has been slain. The Yuan army is utterly routed.”

“Kill!”

“Slay all who stand before your blades.”

“This battle will decide the fate of the Northern Yuan.”

“Kill!”

After securing the Northern Yuan banner, Zhu Ying roared.

He continued swinging his blade, slaughtering the fleeing Yuan troops.

“General’s divine might!”

“Prince of Guan Jun’s divine might!”

“Follow the General—slaughter every Tartar!”

“Make them dare not invade Great Ming again!”

“Leave not a single piece of armor!”

“Kill, kill, kill...”

Countless Ming soldiers roared; their battle cries mixed with the terrified screams of fleeing Yuan troops, turning the battlefield into a bloody feast of slaughter.

Time!

Gradually passed.

From dawn to dusk, from sunrise to nightfall.

From the eastern edge of the Northern Yuan court to the surrounding lands of Langju Mountain, corpses littered the ground, rivers of blood stained the earth.

Or rather—

In the days of the ancient Han Dynasty, the legendary General Huo Qubing, hailed as a god of war, had once led his army here in furious assault, achieving the supreme honor of a general: sealing Langju Mountain.

And now!

As a descendant of Huaxia, as a Han man,

Zhu Ying led an army of Han soldiers, carrying the highest reverence and glory of Huaxia and Han heritage, arriving at Langju Mountain—to once again achieve the feat of sealing Langju Mountain.

This battle!

Countless Yuan troops were slaughtered; a rough estimate exceeded seventy thousand, with countless more wounded.

With cavalry, Zhu Ying unleashed a bloody massacre upon the Northern Yuan.

Zhu Ying glanced at the sky, watched the fleeing Yuan troops, and roared: “Where are the soldiers of Great Ming!”

“Here!”

From every corner of the battlefield, countless Ming soldiers answered.

“Cease pursuit. Hold position and rest.” Zhu Ying issued his order immediately.

“The General’s command!”

“Cease pursuit!”

“Hold position and rest!”

Chen Heng, Zhang Wu, and other commanders roared the orders—their voices were already hoarse.

One could see how many times they had screamed today.

The cries of charge and slaughter had scarcely ceased.

At this moment!

Zhu Ying ordered the halt of attack for the sake of the greater strategy.

Under cover of night, visibility was poor; the Yuan army was routed, not annihilated. Blindly chasing them through darkness would not secure victory.

Let them flee first—while their formations are shattered, tomorrow’s pursuit will be decisive.

After all—

Though he had slain the Northern Yuan Grand General, the key targets remained uncaught: the Yuan Emperor and the court nobles.

Until they were dealt with,

How could one speak of breaking the Northern Yuan?

As for the Yuan Emperor’s whereabouts,

Zhu Ying already knew.

Today’s battle—

As the Yuan forces collapsed, Zhu Ying ordered the golden eagle to fly northward, searching for the Yuan Emperor’s trail.

He naturally found the Yuan Emperor’s trail—at a vast lake known in this era as Buyi’er Sea, and in future generations as Lake Baikal.

Though Zhu Ying’s presence had altered history, the Yuan Emperor’s flight to Buyi’er Sea remained unchanged; yet the glory of capturing and killing him, once destined for Lan Yu, now belonged to Zhu Ying.

Zhu Ying would become the general with the greatest northern campaign victory!

To secure the single greatest victory of the northern campaign!

“Account for all men.”

“Reorganize the troops.”

“Bandage the wounded.”

“Search for comrades.”

Zhu Ying turned his horse and issued orders to the officers ahead.

“We obey your command.”

The officers responded in unison.

They immediately dispersed to carry out orders and reorganize the ranks.

Time slipped away in this moment!

On the battlefield littered with corpses, Ming soldiers began to rest, drinking water and eating dried rations.

Today’s battle!

Had been a full-day pursuit and slaughter of the Yuan forces.

Had Zhu Ying not possessed the official seal’s attribute, his troops would never have held out this long—their stamina doubled, that was all.

“General.”

“We’ve made a rough count.”

“The battle’s outcome is truly a great victory.”

“If word reaches the realm, it will shake the entire empire.”

Chen Heng and Zhang Wu hurried forward, their faces flushed with excitement.

“What are our casualties?” Zhu Ying asked gravely.

This battle—

Zhu Ying knew casualties were light; aside from initial resistance against the Yuan forces, only a few Yuan soldiers fought to the death against Ming troops afterward.

“Our dead number under four thousand, but over ten thousand soldiers are wounded—though nothing serious, mostly minor injuries.”

“Moreover, the current death toll is still uncertain—many brothers are missing, others may be wounded and lagging behind. Only after the battle ends can we fully account for them,” Chen Heng added at once.

“The casualty figures must be recorded in meticulous detail.”

“In the northern campaign’s merit rolls, I will not allow a single name to be omitted.”

“Also—”

“Tomorrow, send a detachment to wait here and search for the bodies and surviving soldiers.”

“Even if they die on this northern frontier, I will bring their bones back to Ming for burial.”

“No comrade’s spirit wishes to remain alone in this foreign land,” Zhu Ying said solemnly.

This battle—

Though brilliantly fought, inflicting devastating losses on the Yuan forces,

And costing our side only a few thousand dead,

Was undeniably a monumental victory.

Yet in Zhu Ying’s heart, he still felt sorrow; the more time he spent among his troops, the deeper his bond with them grew.

Though—

Zhu Ying knew well that after entering this northern frontier, he could not bring them all home.

Several thousand dead—

It sounds few.

But each one was a family!

Now—

All Zhu Ying could do was fulfill his duty.

Every soldier who earned merit would not be forgotten; their names would be inscribed on the merit roll of this great defeat of the Northern Yuan and the countless enemies slain.

“Your servant understands.”

“No soldier will be overlooked.”

“If even one is missed, punish me with military law, General.”

Chen Heng bowed deeply to Zhu Ying, his face solemn.

“Hmm.”

Seeing this,

Zhu Ying said no more, waving his hand: “Rest well tonight. We march north again tomorrow. Until the Yuan Emperor is captured, this northern campaign is not over.”

“Winter is coming.”

“We have little time left to remain on the northern frontier.”

“If we cannot return to Ming before winter, we will never make it back,” Zhu Ying said, his voice heavy with gravity.

The northern frontier’s snow kingdom was no empty phrase.

Once winter arrived and snow fell,

This northern land would become a frozen wasteland, bitterly cold.

With the clothing worn by Zhu Ying’s troops, many would freeze to death.

“General.”

“Is that… the legendary Langjuxu Mountain?”

At that moment—

Zhang Wu raised his hand, pointing to the massive mountain behind them, his eyes filled with uncontainable excitement.

“Yes!”

“The legendary Langjuxu Mountain.”

“Long ago, General Huo Qubing crushed the Xiongnu and sealed Langjuxu.”

“Now we have come here too.” Zhu Ying turned his head, gazing at Langjuxu Mountain under the moonlight.

“Now—”

“General, you have led us to seal Langjuxu.”

“The highest honor for a warrior—we have achieved it.”

“General, your might is divine.”

“Your servant reveres you.”

Zhang Wu stared at Zhu Ying with fervent admiration.

Beside him, Chen Heng was equally overcome with emotion.

To seal Langjuxu!

Who among warriors did not long for it?

Yet now, they stood before Langjuxu Mountain—if they wished, they could climb it and seal it.

Or rather—

They had already sealed Langjuxu the moment they shattered the Yuan forces here today.

The title “to seal Langjuxu”

Was not merely climbing the mountain—it required crushing the enemy and reaching this very place.

And Zhu Ying had led them to do it.

It was like Mount Tai.

When Qin Shi Huang unified the six states, he performed the Fengshan ceremony on Mount Tai, making it the most sacred site for emperors throughout history.

But when a mediocre Song emperor climbed Mount Tai and performed Fengshan, the title was ruined—no emperor after him ever regarded it as an honor.

Sealing Langjuxu was the same!

“After we capture and kill the Yuan Emperor, we will return to Langjuxu Mountain—and I will lead you all to seal it!”

Zhu Ying gazed at Langjuxu Mountain and spoke solemnly.

“Your servants swear to follow you unto death.”

All officers replied with fervor.

The mountain stood before them.

They only needed to claim victory to ascend it.

But the Yuan Emperor had legs—he would keep running.

So—

They must deal with the Yuan Emperor first.

Meanwhile, on the other side—

Hundreds of miles from the Yuan court—

“General.”

We are completely lost.

What should we do now?

Chang Mao stared at the endless desert before him, filled with helplessness.

Before him, Lan Yu’s face was equally grim, marked by exhaustion.

He had entered the northern frontier alongside Zhu Ying.

Though he had led his army to slaughter many Northern Yuan tribes, today they were lost, and despite having sufficient rations and water, if they remained lost much longer, disaster was inevitable.

The direction we took before was entirely wrong.

From now on, charge in the direction I point.

Do not turn back—keep charging forward, and we will surely reach the Northern Yuan court. After a moment’s thought, Lan Yu roared.

Historically,

Lan Yu led hundreds of thousands of troops into the northern frontier, also became lost, but his luck was extraordinary—he eventually forced his way to Buryer Sea, capturing and killing the Yuan Emperor and numerous Northern Yuan nobles, earning a legendary achievement.

The northern frontier’s grasslands and deserts!

Vast and boundless.

Not even tens of thousands of troops could avoid getting lost here; even hundreds of thousands might perish within.

This is precisely why the Han people have never been able to conquer or control the northern frontier—too vast, too sparsely populated.

I wonder how that bastard Zhu Ying is faring.

I hope he’s lost too.

Chang Mao suddenly mentioned Zhu Ying, then sneered, outright cursing him.

Upon hearing this,

Lan Yu said nothing more, only: “Entering the northern frontier is all about who has better luck.”

We’ve been deep in the northern frontier for over a month—we can’t delay any longer.

If we don’t return to the Great Ming before winter snows arrive, our entire army will perish here.

Hurry up.

Lan Yu said grimly.

He immediately ordered: “All troops, charge forward!”

Yes, General!

The soldiers shouted in unison.

Under Lan Yu’s command, they charged straight ahead, with no compass, no golden eagles to scout from above—lost, they could only gamble on luck.

But Lan Yu and Chang Mao had no idea.

Zhu Ying, whom they saw as their thorn, was now advancing toward his final goal.

…

(End of Chapter)