Chapter 597: First Battle! Raising Prestige in He-Luo

Heavenly light breaks the dawn.

On the eastern and northern horizons of Luoyang, the morning mist had not yet cleared, yet it was already disturbed by a sudden surge of killing intent.

The low, thunderous war drumbeats, like the heartbeat of a slumbering beast, rumbled from the mist.

Next, one after another red-background black-character "Northward Aspiration-Yue" large flags pierced the mist and appeared in the defenders' view.

Beneath the flags stood a forest of advancing spears, armor reflecting the cold morning light, and countless silent, resolute faces.

"Enemy attack——!!!"

The shrill alarm instantly tore apart the brief tranquility atop Luoyang's walls.

The defenders scrambled and shouted, archers hastily took position, and rolling logs and stones were hurriedly shoved onto the battlements.

Wanyan Balisu rushed up to the east gate tower, gazing at the tightly disciplined, murderous army outside; his face instantly turned grim.

This was not the rabble he had imagined!

This formation, this aura—clearly that of battle-hardened elites!

Especially the fluttering "Yue" commander's flag in the wind, which sent a violent shock through his heart.

Yue Fei! He really has come! And he has come so swiftly, so decisively!

"Prepare for battle! All forces, prepare for battle!"

"Archers and crossbowmen! Fire arrows! Hinder the enemy's approach!"

"Send swift riders to Yanshi and Gongxian for reinforcements! Order them to march immediately and attack the enemy from the flanks!"

Wanyan Balisu bellowed hoarsely, issuing one order after another.

A rain of arrows began to pour down from the walls, aimed at the steadily advancing allied formation.

Yet the allied formation did not fall into disarray under the arrow rain.

The front ranks raised their large shields, layer upon layer, like a moving wall.

Arrows stuck in the shields, making a dense pinging sound, yet they were hard-pressed to inflict effective casualties.

Behind the ranks, dozens of lightly assembled trebuchets and bed crossbows, improved overnight by Northward Aspiration's military craftsmen, were swiftly pushed to the front.

"Fire!"

Yue Fei stood on the chariot beneath the central army's banner, his sword pointed forward.

"Hum——!"

"Bang! Boom!"

Boulders howled, crossbow bolts flashed like lightning.

Although few in number, their impact points were precise and their force ferocious.

Some struck the battlements, sending stone fragments flying; others directly smashed the gate tower, wood chips scattering; and thicker crossbow bolts pierced the parapet atop the wall, pinning the rear Jin archers—shields and all—to the wall!

The defenders on the wall fell into panic.

Wanyan Balisu felt somewhat reassured.

Although the enemy's weapons were formidable, their numbers were limited; relying on them to breach the city was no easy task.

The true threat lay in the infantry below, who began erecting siege towers and pushing battering rams.

"Rolling logs! Stones! Molten gold! Smash them down hard!"

"We must not let them climb up!"

The offensive and defensive battle at the east and north gates instantly intensified.

The allied soldiers, fearless of death, braved the arrow rain and rolling stones, climbing one after another.

The defenders on the wall fought desperately, slashing with blades and spears, as boiling oil and molten gold were poured down upon them.

Wails and roars intertwined, and blood soon dyed the walls red.

The battle situation was extraordinarily fierce.

But Wanyan Balisu gradually realized that, although the enemy's assault was fierce, it seemed……to lack a decisive, death-defying momentum?

It seemed more……like a holding action?

This thought had just arisen.

South of Luoyang City, over twenty li away in the Longmen Mountain ravine,

Lin Chong stood on a large rock, gazing toward the rising dust in Luoyang's direction, his ears faintly catching the shouts of killing and the rumbling carried on the wind.

Behind him, fifteen hundred elite cavalry, both men and horses fully rested, fed and watered, waited silently.

Each cavalryman had a cocked light crossbow at hand.

Lin Chong tightly gripped his "Star Pattern Token" in his left hand, feeling the steady warm current within it that subtly resonated with the central army's direction.

He closed his eyes, focused, and silently calculated the time.

The morning sun had fully risen above the horizon.

It illuminated Luoyang's towering walls, and also illuminated the figures locked in fierce combat atop them.

This is the moment!

Lin Chong suddenly opened his eyes, sharp light bursting forth!

He leapt onto his horse and raised his spear high.

No need for many words.

All the cavalry mounted in unison, their movements uniform and orderly.

"Lads!"

Lin Chong's voice rang like clashing metal, echoing in the ravine.

"To breach the city and earn merit—today is the day!"

"Follow the token, with me——"

He suddenly urged his will, activating the "Star Pattern Token" in his hand, and simultaneously shouted loudly:

"Break the formation!"

"Kill——!!!"

"Boom!"

A clear, powerful force, far surpassing any previous remote sensing, like a surging flood, surged out from the token, instantly engulfed Lin Chong's entire body, and, following some mysterious connection, covered all the elite cavalry behind him who held aloft their tokens and were mentally linked!

It was not a faint throbbing.

But rather a solid, stable, continuous eightfold power endowment!

Power exploded in his muscles and bones!

Endurance surged like a spring!

Reaction and sharpness reached the utmost limit!

Even his warhorse beneath him seemed to feel this power's blessing, becoming extraordinarily excited, exhaling scorching white vapor.

"Charge!"

Lin Chong took the lead on horseback, like an arrow leaving the bow, charging out of the mountain hollow.

Behind him, the fifteen hundred elite cavalry roared to life.

At first it was the urgent hammering of hooves on the ground.

Immediately, speed surged to an astonishing degree under the power of the token!

The sound of hooves, from dense drumming, rapidly gathered into a thunderous roar like rolling thunder!

Dust rose high, like a ground‑skimming earth dragon racing at unimaginable speed toward Luoyang's South Gate!

Over twenty li of distance, at this terrifying speed, was rapidly closed!

The attention of the defenders on the city wall was almost entirely drawn to the fierce fighting in the east and north.

Only when the thunderous sound of hooves approached within several li did the South Gate commander suddenly realize.

"Cavalry… cavalry! A large force of cavalry to the south!"

"Close the city gate! Quickly close the city gate!"

"Archers! Pin down the formation!"

In the midst of the hurried shouts, the heavy South Gate began to close slowly.

Scattered arrows shot from the city wall, but for the allied forces' elite cavalry charging at high speed and protected by the token's power, the threat was negligible.

"Yue Yun!"

In the charge, Lin Chong bellowed.

"Here!" Yue Yun, closely following, responded like thunder, his young face flushing red with excitement and battle spirit.

"Lead your unit of Sturdy-backed Light Cavalry to suppress the city wall with crossbow bolts!"

"The rest of you, follow me—ram the gate!"

"Yes!"

Yue Yun kicked his horse's belly, leading five hundred Sturdy-backed Light Cavalry to suddenly accelerate, shooting out from the flank.

They raised their light crossbows among the guests, relying on the astonishing stability and power granted by the token, aiming at the panicked defenders on the city wall, and pulled the trigger!

"Swish swish swish——!"

The arrows fell like a swarm of locusts, swift and accurate!

Tragic cries instantly rang out on the South Gate city wall.

At the same time.

Lin Chong had already led the remaining thousand cavalry, charging to before the gate that was nearly half closed!

"Break!"

He roared loudly, pouring all his bodily strength together with the surging mighty force from the token into his hand-held spear, and fiercely thrust it at the heavy door panel!

Not only him.

Behind him, several fierce generals of the Northward Aspiration Army, as well as the dozens of cavalry at the very front, at the same moment channeled the force of their spears, axes, and even the momentum of their charging horses, unleashing it all upon the city gate!

"Rumble——!!!"

A sound far exceeding ordinary impact, like mountains collapsing and earth splitting, a tremendous roar!

The iron‑clad gate that required dozens of people to operate a winch to close, under the impact of the terrifying force amassed from eightfold power, actually collapsed like paper!

The latch broke, the hinge twisted!

The two massive door panels, emitting a piercing metallic wail, slammed inward and toppled over!

The city gate gaped open!

"Kill inside!"

Lin Chong took the lead, charging into the barbican.

Behind him, a torrent of iron cavalry surged in!

The sudden loss of the South Gate, like a fatal blow, completely disrupted the Jin army's deployment.

The forces originally concentrated on the east and north sides, panicking and trying to reinforce, were firmly gripped by the main force under Commander Yue Fei and could not break free.

The interior fell into chaos.

Lin Chong led the cavalry to gallop across the streets, splitting and scattering the Jin troops attempting to regroup.

Yue Yun, meanwhile, led the light cavalry to set fires everywhere, creating greater panic.

Outside the city, Yue Fei saw the South Gate ablaze, knew the surprise attack had succeeded, and immediately ordered the whole army to intensify the assault.

"Luoyang has fallen! Those who surrender will not be killed!"

The earth‑shaking shouts came from outside the city, intertwining with the cries of slaughter and wailing within.

The Jin army's morale collapsed utterly.

Seeing the situation lost, Wanyan Baleisu, under the desperate protection of his personal guards, broke out in panic from the west gate, taking only a few hundred cavalry, and fled in disarray toward Yanshi.

With the commander gone, the remaining garrison lost all will to fight—some knelt to surrender, others scattered and fled.

By mid-morning.

The great banner of the Northward Aspiration-Yue allied army was finally planted on the walls of Luoyang.

This Zhongyuan stronghold, fallen for many years, welcomed a new banner under the deep autumn sunlight.

Outside the city, the people of He Luo who learned of Luoyang's recovery went from initial disbelief to frantic joy, countless supporting the elderly and carrying the young as they surged toward the gate.

They gazed at the unfamiliar yet heart-stirring Northward Aspiration-Yue battle flag on the city wall, and at the allied soldiers who, though weary, maintained strict discipline and harmed not a hair of the populace; many hot tears filled their eyes as they knelt and kowtowed.

The news, as if grown wings, spread rapidly in all directions with Luoyang at its center.

The Northward Aspiration-Yue allied army won its first battle, recovering Luoyang!

The whole realm trembled.