Chapter 731

Haozhou's east gate was completely breached at the initial moment of the Yin hour.

The cost was huge.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) stood inside the city gate arch, beneath his feet mud mixed with blood and viscous blue liquid.

Of the thirty assault troops who had infiltrated the city, only seven survived.

The Xu Da unit feigning attack at the dock lost over forty men.

Meanwhile, in the area less than twenty zhang square at the city gate, more than sixty corpses lay fallen.

Half of them were the black-armored soldiers glimmering with a faint azure light.

"The tally is complete."

Tang He bore a fresh sear on his face—a trace left by being grazed by the blue light.

His voice was hoarse.

"About two hundred of the defending troops fled, retreating toward the west of the city."

"The black-armored soldiers inside the city totaled fifty-four, all of them slain."

"Our side suffered 107 killed in action and 33 seriously wounded."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) listened in silence.

He gazed toward the street inside the gate.

There, Chang Yuchun knelt on one knee, wiping his strange-iron blade—already nicked—with a rag.

The blade was smeared with dark-blue viscous fluid.

The bandage on his left shoulder was soaked through with blood, yet his sword hand remained steady as a rock.

It was he who, leading the last six cavalry, charged out from a side street at the moment the gate was about to fall.

With the charge of seven warhorses, he shattered the formation of the black-armored soldiers.

With seven strange-iron swords, he hacked a bloody path through them.

"Chief."

Liu Ji hurried down from the city tower, holding a scroll of the city's defense map seized from the garrison headquarters.

"The city's granary, arsenal, and headquarters are all under our control."

"But just now, after interrogating the prisoners, I learned a piece of news."

"Speak."

"Three days ago, a force of about fifty 'black-clad divine soldiers' entered the city, led by a black-robed person, and directly took over the city's defense."

"The garrison commander was sidelined; all orders came from the black-robed person's mouth."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang)'s eyes narrowed.

"Where is the black-robed person now?"

"I don't know." Liu Ji shook his head. "When the city fell, prisoners said they saw the black-robed person leading over ten bodyguards out through the west gate."

"West gate..." Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) turned his head toward the western direction of the city.

That is the direction in which the defeated troops fled.

It is also... the direction from which the black-armored soldiers first surged.

"Chief Constable Chang."

"I'm here."

"Take your cavalry and now go control the west gate."

"No need to pursue the fleeing troops, but you must seal the gate, allowing no one to enter or leave."

"Received!"

Chang Yuchun rose, swung onto his horse, and led the remaining five cavalry westward at a gallop.

"Xu Da."

"Here."

"Your unit will take over internal security, post placards announcing peace for the people, and strictly forbid pillage."

"Anyone who, taking advantage of the chaos, plunders the people's property or commits rape shall be executed on the spot."

"Yes."

"Tang He, you and your men clean the battlefield, especially the corpses of the black-armored soldiers and that blue viscous fluid."

"Concentrate on burning, bury deep, and keep away from water sources."

"Understood."

"Master Liu."

"Ji is here."

"Come with me to the headquarters; I want to examine Haozhou's household registers, grain stores, and treasury."

"Immediately."

The four went their separate ways.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang), under Liu Ji's guidance, passed through streets still echoing with sporadic battle sounds, heading for the garrison headquarters at the city's center.

Along the way, the townsfolk kept their doors and windows shut; only the bold peeked through the cracks.

They saw a Jun Ying that, though bloodstained and weary, yet had strict military discipline.

No doors were smashed.

No looting occurred.

Only the sound of hurried footsteps and brief commands could be heard.

The headquarters' gate stood wide open.

Inside, everything was in disarray; evidently the defending troops had tried to burn the documents before fleeing, but the fire was put out in time.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) strode straight into the main hall.

On the table lay an unfinished grain register.

He picked it up and read it by the oil lamp.

Haozhou Ever-normal Granary holds 8,400 shi of grain.

The armory holds 300 bows, 5,000 arrows, and 800 each of swords and spears.

The silver treasury... is empty.

Liu Ji walked out from the inner room, holding several unopened letters in his hand.

Chief, here is an official document sent from the False Song forces of Zhang Shicheng, dated five days ago.

The content.

It demands that the Haozhou garrison step up grain requisition and... cooperate with the 'Divine Envoy' in their actions.

Divine Envoy?

It likely refers to that black-robed man." Liu Ji handed over the letter, "The document states that the Divine Envoy is a special envoy of the Supreme Honored, with plenipotentiary authority."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) took the letter and skimmed it quickly.

Between the lines, there is reverence, even fear, for the "Divine Envoy".

This is not an ordinary superior-subordinate relationship.

It is more like a kind of... vassalage.

Or rather, a puppet.

The False Song has already colluded with those things.

He set the letter down, his voice icy.

Not only the False Song.

Liu Ji took out a map from his sleeve and spread it on the table.

On the map, the cities in the Huai Xi region have all been marked.

Haozhou, Baihe Town, Gu Town, Huaiyuan...

Each mark bears a small annotation.

This was found in a hidden compartment of the black-robed man's study.

Liu Ji pointed to those annotations.

Look, Haozhou's annotation reads 'Node Three, Infiltration Complete'.

Baihe Town is 'Node One, Cultivation in Progress'.

Gu Town is 'Node Two, Mature Form'.

Huaiyuan... is 'Abandoned Point'.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) stared at the map.

Node.

Infiltration.

Cultivation.

These words reminded him of reports from his previous life about disease control or industrial production.

Cold.

Inhuman.

They are using all of Huai Xi as a testing ground.

He said softly.

Using living people, using cities, to test that kind of... Yuneng Pollution.

Liu Ji fell silent for a moment.

Chief, I have a question I don't understand.

Speak.

If these demons truly have such means, why not simply overwhelm with a great army and destroy everything?

Instead, they infiltrate, cultivate, and advance slowly?

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) did not answer immediately.

He walked to the window and gazed eastward.

The horizon already showed a fish-belly white.

A night of bloody battle is finally over.

A new day has begun.

There are two possibilities.

He spoke slowly.

First, their power is limited; they need time to accumulate.

Second...

He turned and looked at Liu Ji.

What are they afraid of?

Or rather, what rules restrict them from acting as they please?

He recalled the signal from the east.

He recalled the fragmented messages about "energy," "pollution," and "purification."

He also remembered the lump of "strange iron" in his bosom.

This world seems to have some kind of……

A balancing opposition.

And he happened to be at the node of this balance.

Report—

A messenger soldier rushed into the government office.

"Chief, the Regular Patrol Chief outside the west gate intercepted a group trying to escape the city."

"Among them, one wearing a black robe resisted fiercely and wounded three of our brothers."

"The Regular Patrol Chief is leading men to surround and capture them."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang)'s eyes turned fierce.

"Go!"

West Gate Barbican.

Chang Yuchun, with over ten infantrymen, had already driven the black-robed man and his six personal guards into a corner.

The black-robed man's hood had been pulled off, revealing a pale, gaunt face, but his eyes were completely filled with an eerie blue light.

He held a black bone staff in his hand, the crystal at its tip emitting a pulsing blue light.

The six personal guards were completely clad in black-armored soldiers' gear, but their armor was more refined, and the blue light in their eyes shone even brighter.

"Drop your weapons, and I will spare your life."

Chang Yuchun held his sword before him and said coldly:

The black-robed man let out a hoarse laugh.

"Ants."

He raised the bone staff.

The blue light blazed.

But Chang Yuchun was faster.

"Fire arrows!"

"Three 'strange iron' arrows shot from the flank, aiming straight at the black-robed man's face."

The black-robed man waved his bone staff, and a blue light curtain appeared.

The arrows struck the light curtain, emitting a piercing tearing sound.

The light curtain shattered.

But the arrows veered off, flying past and grazing the black-robed man's shoulder.

"Kill!"

Chang Yuchun surged forward, taking advantage of the moment.

A short dagger slashed toward the black-robed man's neck.

The black-robed man stepped back, and two black-armored personal guards moved forward to intercept.

A blade flashed past.

A head flew up.

But the blade of another black-armored personal guard had already stabbed into Chang Yuchun's ribs.

Chang Yuchun twisted aside, the blade scraping his leather armor and throwing up sparks.

He swung backhanded and severed the opponent's arm.

The third strike severed the head.

The movements were executed in one fluid motion.

The black-robed man's blue light in his eyes suddenly contracted.

He clearly hadn't expected these 'ants' to be so brave.

He also hadn't expected their blades to so easily cut through black armor.

"Who... who exactly are you?"

He asked in a hoarse voice.

Chang Yuchun grinned.

"The one who will take your life."

He surged forward again.

But just then.

The black-robed man suddenly thrust his bone staff into the ground.

The crystal at the staff's tip exploded with a boom.

A blinding blue light erupted, engulfing the entire barbican.

"Close your eyes!"

Chang Yuchun shouted urgently:

But it was already too late.

The blue light washed over like a tangible wave.

Several infantrymen screamed as they collapsed, blood oozing from their eyes, mouths, and noses.

Chang Yuchun also felt a stinging pain in his eyes, and his vision instantly blurred.

He gritted his teeth and, relying on memory, swung his blade forward.

The blade cut through empty air.

The blue light faded.

The black-robed person disappeared.

Together with the four surviving black-armored guards, they all disappeared.

Only the broken bone staff on the ground remained, along with a viscous blue liquid slowly seeping into the earth.

"Sentry Captain Chang!"

When Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) arrived with his men, Chang Yuchun was kneeling on one knee, supporting himself with his sword.

His eyes were swollen and red, tears streaming nonstop, yet he still stared fixedly in the direction the black-robed person had vanished.

"He got away."

Chang Yuchun's voice was filled with reluctance.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) helped him up.

"You've done well enough."

He looked at the puddle of blue liquid on the ground and the broken bone staff.

Then he lifted his gaze toward the outside of the city.

In the morning light, the distant wilderness was utterly silent.

It was as if nothing had happened.

But he knew.

This war.

had only just begun.

And he.

had already taken the first stronghold.

"Order the whole city."

He turned around, his voice clear and strong.

"Haozhou, from now on, takes the surname Zhu."