Chapter 93: Break Through 3,000 Enemy Kills, Earn Another Reward!

Kaiyuan City!

“Attack!”

“Attack!”

“If we do not break Kaiyuan, the army will not retreat.”

“Charge and slaughter!”

Lan Yu stood atop the central command chariot, drawing his sword and roaring toward the city walls.

As his order fell.

Boom, boom, boom, boom!!

Three hundred cannons lined the front, furiously bombarding Kaiyuan City.

The cannonballs fell like thunder.

Under Lan Yu’s command.

The assault army surged forward with the momentum to shatter the city, advancing relentlessly.

“General Lan.”

“Will we break the city this battle?”

Gazing at the mountain of corpses and blood before the walls—each a fallen hero of the expedition—Feng Sheng spoke with solemn gravity.

“Rest assured, Grand General.”

“This battle.”

“I swear I will breach this city,” Lan Yu roared back.

“Jincheng has fallen for many days.”

“Compared to Kaiyuan’s defenses before Jincheng fell, its strength has now weakened greatly.”

“If we still cannot take Kaiyuan, I cannot answer to the Emperor,” Feng Sheng declared loudly.

“Rest assured, Grand General.”

“This battle.”

“I swear I will break this city.”

Lan Yu spoke loudly, filled with unwavering resolve.

Tens of thousands of Ming soldiers rushed forward one after another toward Kaiyuan City.

Battering rams.

Scaling ladders.

Every Ming soldier charged without fear.

Frantically slaughtering.

On the city walls.

The Yuan artillery seemed exhausted; no more cannons fired at the Ming, only a hail of arrows rained down.

One volley after another.

Defending by attacking, this caused many Ming soldiers to fall beneath the chaotic arrows.

“Fire arrows!”

“Fire at full speed!”

“The Grand Chancellor has ordered:”

“If our forces hold Kaiyuan for one more month, it will be a great merit.”

“Our Yuan warriors swear to defend it with our lives.”

The Yuan commander on the walls roared, rallying his troops’ morale.

“Kill, kill, kill…”

The Ming soldiers roared as scaling ladders were raised and battering rams slammed against the gates, shaking the walls with thunderous impacts, making the gates tremble.

And then—

Lan Yu leapt directly from his chariot.

Raised his sword high.

Then roared: “All troops, follow me into the charge!”

“Today, we break Kaiyuan—or we die trying.”

With Lan Yu’s roar.

He himself charged straight toward Kaiyuan.

Seeing Lan Yu charging out.

Countless soldiers were galvanized.

“We follow our general to death!”

“Kill!”

Countless troops roared, their morale soaring, surging toward Kaiyuan City.

Seeing this,

Feng Sheng said nothing.

East of Kaiyuan City,

A cavalry force galloped swiftly toward them.

At their head rode a general, wielding a tiger-head greatsword, mounted on a towering black warhorse.

One man led, followed by nearly eight thousand cavalry.

As they galloped full speed,

The earth trembled beneath their charge.

As they drew near,

Kaiyuan City appeared before Zhu Ying’s eyes.

“Brothers.”

“Ahead lies Kaiyuan City.”

“Dare you follow me to break it and earn new glory?” Zhu Ying roared.

“We follow our general to death!”

“We follow our general to death…”

Wei Quan, Zhang Wu, and the eight thousand cavalry shouted in unison.

Following Zhu Ying into battle, they feared nothing, brimming with confidence—even death on the battlefield held no terror.

Kaiyuan’s East Gate.

As the rear gate, it was not the main Ming assault point.

Though Yuan troops guarded it, their defenses were not tight.

Garrison strength numbered only a few thousand.

When they saw the Ming cavalry charging toward them, their banners snapping in the wind, the Yuan soldiers on the walls panicked.

“Worse!”

“Enemy attack!”

“The Ming have circled around!”

“We never detected them flanking us—they must have come from Jincheng!”

“Report at once!”

“Ming forces are attacking!”

“Archers, ready! Form defenses!”

“This Ming force is cavalry—no siege equipment. Strengthen your guard.”

On the walls,

Amid the panic, the Yuan commander swiftly organized his troops.

The earth shook.

The cavalry was terrifying, sending chills through the heart—but precisely because they were cavalry, the Yuan soldiers calmed. They held the walls; without siege engines, cavalry could not breach a city.

Though they did not know the purpose of this Ming cavalry force,

They still needed to report up the chain.

But then—

Watching the cavalry race closer, clearly targeting their city,

The Yuan commander was baffled: “What is this Ming cavalry doing? Why keep charging? Do they think they can storm the city on horseback?”

Thinking this,

The Yuan commander looked utterly confused.

Cavalry storming a city?

Only if the gates were open and the defenses already broken.

Otherwise, how could they break in?

“Less than two hundred steps away.”

“Are they really going to attack our city?”

"Archers, prepare."

"Wait until the Ming cavalry enters range, then fire."

Watching the Ming cavalry draw ever closer, the Yuan commander stationed at this eastern gate, though puzzled, immediately ordered the archers to fire.

The Yuan archers on the city wall quickly gathered, drawing their bows.

"Are these Ming cavalry really going to attack the city?"

"They have no siege equipment—aren’t they just asking for death?"

"If they get close, just shoot. A gift like this—don’t let it go to waste."

"That’s right—archers, prepare..."

The Yuan soldiers on the wall, sneering, had already aimed their arrows at the city front.

At this moment.

Zhu Ying led the cavalry ever closer, now less than a hundred paces from the gate.

"Brothers."

"Spread out."

"Once I break through the gate, regroup."

Zhu Ying shouted loudly.

"As the general commands."

The soldiers had absolute faith in Zhu Ying.

As the order fell.

The two long lines of cavalry, each led by a Garrison Commander, swiftly split apart to avoid being pinned down by arrows.

"Wufeng, charge full speed."

Zhu Ying roared.

His warhorse let out a neigh, as if answering its master.

Its four hooves accelerated, transforming into an arrow loosed from a bow, instantly pulling ahead of his personal guard cavalry.

The blood-sweating steed’s full speed was now revealed.

"They really are attacking the city."

"Cavalry attacking a city? That’s suicide."

"Fire!"

The Yuan commander on the wall now confirmed beyond doubt that this Ming force was not bluffing—it was truly attacking—and immediately ordered the archers to fire.

The Yuan soldiers on the wall immediately loosed arrows at the charging Ming cavalry, especially targeting Zhu Ying—dozens of arrows streaked straight toward him.

Zhu Ying raised his blade and slashed.

A row of falling arrows was effortlessly swept aside.

Though the arrows flew fast, to Zhu Ying’s eyes they moved in slow motion.

And beneath him, Wufeng seemed possessed of spirit, dodging left and right to avoid the rain of arrows, sending countless errant shafts plunging harmlessly into the sandy ground.

"Fine horse."

Watching Wufeng’s uncanny awareness, Zhu Ying grew even more satisfied.

It reminded him of Xiang Yu’s legendary black steed, Wu Zhui, from days of old.

With Wufeng’s speed.

In an instant.

They reached the gate, mere steps away.

"Channel all strength into one slash."

Zhu Ying gripped his tiger-head greatsword.

His entire body’s nearly three thousand jin of strength surged instantly into the blade, amplified by his now-powerful internal qi, making the blade even stronger, sharper—its edge subtly coated with invisible qi, granting it unseen enhancement.

As he neared the gate.

Slash!

The greatsword crashed down upon the gate.

In the instant the blade fell, the air itself seemed to rupture with thunder.

The blade cleaved through air like a sonic boom.

The next instant.

The blade struck the gate directly.

No metallic clang echoed as expected—only sparks flew. The gate, like paper, split open instantly beneath the blade’s descent.

"Furious Blade Technique—Break!"

As the first slash shattered the gate, Zhu Ying activated another martial technique, channeling his internal qi.

The blade whirled into afterimages, slashing again and again at the gate.

Almost instantly.

The blade’s edge was razor-sharp, its force overwhelming.

The sturdy gate shattered like a spiderweb, roaring as it exploded into fragments of broken iron.

Just as Jincheng had been before.

Inside, the Yuan soldiers stared in utter shock, unable to believe what they saw—their solid gate, shattered by a single man wielding a greatsword.

"General, your divine might!"

"This is beyond human capability."

"The General’s strength rivals Xiang Yu of old—breaking a gate with sheer force alone."

"Today, we have witnessed it."

"City defenses mean nothing to the General."

"The General’s divine power..."

Zhu Ying’s gate-breaking feat was witnessed fully by the two hundred personal guard cavalry behind him, and by many other cavalrymen following.

Seeing this.

They were utterly stunned; their gaze toward Zhu Ying grew ever more reverent.

"Quick!"

"Form defenses!"

"Stop the Ming troops!"

The Yuan soldiers below cried out in terror.

"Wufeng, charge!"

Zhu Ying spurred his horse hard.

Wufeng neighed, hooves pounding, charging straight into the Yuan ranks.

Boom!

The sheer force sent several Yuan soldiers flying through the air.

"Kill!"

Zhu Ying swung his blade.

The blade drank blood.

The oncoming Yuan soldiers were cut down in a wave.

"Slain a Northern Yuan soldier: +10 internal qi, +10 days of lifespan."

"Slain a Northern Yuan soldier: +10 strength, +15 days of lifespan."

"..."

The system prompt stated.

"There are many Northern Yuan soldiers within the city—this is my chance to break through all attributes to three thousand." Zhu Ying’s heart brimmed with murderous intent.

After slaughtering a swath of Yuan soldiers before him.

Zhu Ying roared: "Brothers, follow me—kill every last Yuan soldier!"

At his thunderous cry.

His personal guard cavalry, along with Zhang Wu’s troops, charged forward.

The cavalry’s speed was fully unleashed.

Though arrows rained down from the walls, causing casualties, they could not dampen the soldiers’ morale or battle lust.

Zhu Ying charged on horseback.

With Wufeng as his mount, Zhu Ying’s cavalry combat power surged—each swing of his blade claimed one, even several, Yuan soldiers’ lives.

"The General’s divine might!"

"We swear to follow the General to death!"

"Kill!"

Liu Lei and Zhang Wu roared.

Morale soared; the troops charged after Zhu Ying.

This battle was unlike Jincheng.

During the assault on Jincheng, Man Jier deployed seventy to eighty thousand troops to guard the city gates and fortifications.

But in Kaiyuan City, the Great Ming’s main thrust was at its west gate—the main entrance—where the bulk of their forces were concentrated.

Only a few thousand troops were stationed at this eastern gate.

Zhu Ying led his cavalry in a sudden charge; from arrival to breaching the gate, less than half a stick of incense had passed—swift advance, direct entry through the broken gate.

They could not possibly resist as they had at Jincheng—that was true, endless, close-quarters bloodshed.

“Kill!”

“Break through Kaiyuan City!”

Zhu Ying shouted loudly.

He spurred his horse forward.

His battle blade swung, cutting down the Yuan soldiers as if slicing melons and vegetables.

Blade swung, Yuan soldier fell.

Wu Feng charged ahead with Zhu Ying, while Zhu Ying’s blade never ceased its swing—he truly resembled the ancient Western Chu Overlord, slaughtering low-ranking soldiers with ease.

“Slain a Northern Yuan soldier: +10 Qi, +10 days of lifespan.”

“Slain a Northern Yuan soldier: +10 Constitution, +10 days of lifespan.”

“Slain a Northern Yuan soldier: +10 Speed, +10 days of lifespan...”

“...”

“Host has slain over 3,000 enemies: reward—Tier One Treasure Chest.” The interface announced.

During the battle at Jincheng,

Zhu Ying had already killed nearly three thousand enemies in his charge.

Now, in Kaiyuan City, everything unfolded naturally.

“Follow the General—kill!”

“Slaughter all the Yuan troops...”

Behind Zhu Ying, countless cavalry charged, blades rising and falling, slaughtering the Yuan soldiers in frenzy.

Cavalry charging against infantry was always a crushing spectacle.

“Retreat!”

“Quickly retreat!”

“This Ming general is a demon!”

“Retreat quickly...”

The fewer than two thousand Yuan troops stationed here were easily routed, fleeing in disarray to the rear.

The Yuan troops on the city walls, like birds startled by arrows, scrambled down to flee.

“Zhang Wu.”

“Dispatch two thousand soldiers to dismount and seize the city fort.”

“Our rear cannot be cut off.”

Watching the fleeing Yuan troops, Zhu Ying immediately ordered.

“Yes!”

Zhang Wu shouted in reply, then turned to his two Battalion Commanders: “First and Second Battalions, seize the fort immediately—secure our rear!”

“Your orders are received!”

The two Battalion Commanders responded at once, then split their troops and charged toward the fort.

“Our Great Ming army is assaulting Kaiyuan’s main gate!”

“Rest of you, follow me—kill!”

“Break through Kaiyuan—strike from within and without!” Zhu Ying shouted loudly.

He chased the fleeing Yuan troops, his blade dripping blood.

His troops followed, blades in hand, spurring their horses to full speed.

Meanwhile, at Kaiyuan’s west gate,

Lan Yu, shield in hand, sword in hand, personally led the charge.

Below the walls,

Ming troops surged forward in waves; arrows rained from the walls; the Ming assault was fierce, yet the Yuan defenders inside fought with all their strength.

“Brothers!”

“Kill for me!”

“Whoever breaks into the city first—promoted one rank! Whoever kills Hala Zhang—promoted two ranks, granted a thousand gold!”

“Kill!”

Below the walls,

Lan Yu roared in frenzy.

He advanced under his shield toward the gate.

On the scaling ladders,

Ming soldiers climbed and fought desperately; the battering ram continued its relentless strikes.

Though Jincheng had already fallen,

for Lan Yu,

capturing Kaiyuan City was of immense significance—break through it, and his military prestige would be cemented; annihilating the Yuan garrison remained a great achievement.

And now!

At the rear army’s position,

“Grand General.”

“Captain Zhuang Wei of the First Cavalry Company, Danning Garrison, requests audience.”

Feng Sheng’s Personal Guard Commander pointed to the group of cavalry held back behind.

“Let him in.”

Feng Sheng waved his hand.

The guards parted.

Zhuang Wei, unimpeded, swiftly led his hundred cavalrymen to Feng Sheng’s side.

“Captain Zhuang Wei bows before the Grand General.” Zhuang Wei clasped his fists in salute.

“Where is General Zhu?” Feng Sheng asked with a smile.

“Your Excellency, I have been sent by the General to report.”

“The General has broken through the eastern gate of Kaiyuan City and has already entered the city.” Zhuang Wei announced loudly.

“General has already broken through the eastern gate of Kaiyuan City and has now entered the city,” Zhuang Wei reported loudly.

Feng Sheng’s eyes widened in astonishment: “What? General Zhu broke through the eastern gate of Kaiyuan? Entered the city?”

“Indeed.” Zhuang Wei replied loudly.

His expression radiated confidence.

“How did he break the gate?” Feng Sheng asked, stunned.

They had struggled for days to take Kaiyuan—and Zhu Ying arrived and shattered the gate immediately.

“The General is divine in martial prowess.”

“He simply cut through the gate.” Zhuang Wei spoke with awe and fervor.

“He shattered the city gate outright,” Zhuang Wei said, his face filled with awe and fervor.

“truly is mighty.”

Feng Sheng murmured in admiration.

“Grand General,”

“our General is now leading the charge within the city—soon, the western gate’s defenses will collapse.” Zhuang Wei said, eyes blazing as he watched the main army hammering the walls.

In this battle for Kaiyuan, their cavalry unit had claimed another victory.

Though not as difficult as Jincheng, this was still a glorious addition.

Although not as impregnable as Jincheng, this act was still a stroke of added glory.

Feng Sheng nodded, a hint of anticipation in his brow.

Inside Kaiyuan City!

The General’s Mansion.

“Report!”

“Your Excellency, great disaster!”

“The eastern gate has fallen—the Ming cavalry has breached the city!”

“Your Excellency, please decide!”

A Yuan officer, fleeing from the west gate, rushed into the mansion in terror.

On the main seat,

Hala Zhang’s face turned ashen.

On the main seat.

Harazhang’s expression changed abruptly.

“What did you say?”

“Dongmen has fallen?”

Harazhang’s voice trembled.

“Reporting to Grand General.”

“This Ming force is far stronger than the one at Ximen.”

“The troops left to defend Dongmen didn’t even hold out until reinforcements arrived—they broke and fled.”

“Your Excellency, please decide quickly.”

“Grand General, this Ming force has already broken into the city and is advancing straight toward the General’s Mansion,” the Yuan officer shouted.

“Grand General.”

“This situation is dire.”

“The Ming forces at Ximen are pouring all their strength into the assault, and now Dongmen has fallen—Kaiyuan City can no longer be held.”

“I propose we immediately break out through Dongmen and retreat.”

“Yes.”

“Since Jincheng fell, our Liaodong defense line has collapsed. Moreover, the Grand Tutor has moved thirty thousand troops from Kaiyuan to fortify Liaoyang—there are fewer than fifty thousand soldiers and over twenty thousand laborers left in the city.”

“This is utterly insufficient to stop the Ming army.”

“...”

One after another, the Yuan officers spoke to Harazhang.

Clearly, they were afraid and wanted to retreat.

Seeing this,

Harazhang frowned deeply.

Naha Chu had ordered him to hold Kaiyuan for a full month; to abandon the city now would be disobeying direct orders.

But if they did not retreat,

the entire garrison would be annihilated.

“Transmit my order.”

“Deploy all laborers to the walls for defense; leave three thousand elite warriors to supervise and hold the line.”

“The rest of the army will follow me out through Dongmen.”

After struggling for a moment, Harazhang ultimately chose to retreat.

At Ximen,

“Attack! Full assault!”

Lan Yu roared furiously,

directing his troops forward.

Time passed.

The Yuan resistance remained fierce.

Yet the Ming soldiers fought desperately.

Many Ming troops had already scaled the walls via ladders and engaged the Yuan in close combat.

But once they reached the ramparts, endless waves of Yuan soldiers surged toward them.

Yet now,

for some reason,

after scaling the walls,

many Ming soldiers slashed through their foes—yet the Yuan numbers had dwindled.

And faintly, they heard shouts from within the city:

“Grand General’s order!”

“Laborers to the walls! The main army breaks out through Dongmen and retreats!”

“Grand General’s order...”

Many Yuan officers shouted it out.

Soon after,

countless laborers were driven onto the walls—but they had little fighting strength against the ferocious Ming troops.

“The Yuan resistance has weakened.”

“What’s going on?”

Lan Yu, leading the assault, wore a look of confusion.

From the thinning arrows on the walls and the growing number of Ming soldiers surging onto the ramparts, Lan Yu immediately saw the Yuan were losing their will to fight.

PS: Thank you, brothers, for your support. Second update delivered—another five thousand characters. Please keep following and supporting—deeply grateful.

Ten thousand characters delivered today.

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(End of Chapter)