Chapter 735: Crushing the Yuan Army

The darkest moment before dawn.

On the northern horizon of Haozhou, a dim blue light surged like a tide.

Within the light was a dense black crowd.

More than two thousand.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) stood on the city wall, scanning the enemy formation with a monocular.

The front rank remained three hundred black-armored soldiers.

But the middle ranks revealed over a dozen huge prison carts, each pulled by eight horses whose eyes glowed the same blue.

The cages were welded from thick iron bars and covered with black cloth.

Beneath the cloth, something slammed violently against the cage walls, emitting dull thuds.

Where the wheels passed, the ground retained two sticky blue trails.

"What… are those carts carrying?" Tang He said, his voice dry.

No one could answer.

The rear consisted of nearly two thousand Yuan infantry, formation loose but overwhelming in number.

Farther off, faint dust rose—cavalry.

"Scout cavalry of the Red Army."

Liu Ji lowered the south-pointing chariot; its magnetic needle had snapped.

"The Yuan court's elite forces have finally arrived."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) remained silent.

He lowered the monocular and turned to look inside the city.

At the foot of the wall, able-bodied men were hauling the last batch of rolling stones onto the wall.

Women and children had all withdrawn into the cellars.

Archers inspected their bowstrings; sword-and-shield bearers sharpened their blades.

Chang Yuchun's cavalry hid within the western gate's barbican; fifty horsemen stood still, their horses bitted, men silent.

"Xu Da."

"Present."

"Divide the archers into four squads; after three volleys of continuous fire, withdraw them to rest."

"Use the rolling stones and boiling oil sparingly; release them only after the enemy has climbed more than halfway up the wall."

"Yes."

"Tang He."

"Present."

"Take two hundred men and hold the barbican; if the outer wall falls, you will be the last line of defense."

Tang He nodded heavily.

"Master Liu."

"Ji here."

"Go down from the city to the cellar beneath the Hao Shen Temple."

Liu Ji blinked in surprise.

"Chief, I wish to stay here..."

"Go down."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) cut him off.

"If the city falls, I want you to lead the women and children out through the south gate's secret passage."

"Head south into the Dabie Mountains and do not look back."

Liu Ji fell silent for a moment, then bowed solemnly.

He turned and descended the city.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) finally gazed northward.

The enemy formation had advanced to two li.

Even at that distance, the clatter of the prison carts could be heard clearly.

Like a heartbeat.

An ominous heartbeat.

"Pass the order."

He raised his voice.

"Today, there is no retreat."

"Only a fight to the death."

The wall fell into dead silence.

Then, the creak of tightening bowstrings sounded one after another.

The sky grew lighter.

As the first ray of dawn pierced the clouds, the enemy moved.

It was not the black-armored troops who moved first.

It was the prison carts.

Over a dozen prison carts were pushed to the front of the formation, their black covers lifted simultaneously.

Inside the cages were twisted monsters.

They roughly retained a human shape, but their limbs were mutated like beasts, their backs hunched, their skin completely grey-blue, covered in tumor-like protrusions.

They had no eyes.

They had only a single huge mouth split to the ears, filled with fine teeth.

"Release."

The black-robed person's voice came from somewhere unknown, drifting like a ghost's wail.

The prison gate burst open with a boom.

The monsters surged out.

Their speed was extremely fast.

On all fours, they charged like a wolf pack toward the city wall.

"Fire arrows!"

Xu Da roared.

Arrow rain fell.

But the arrows striking the monsters were like shooting into mud, meeting no resistance.

The monsters rushed straight to the moat's edge and leapt——

They actually cleared the two-zhang-wide river and lunged straight at the wall.

Their claws hooked into the brick seams, climbing upward.

Their speed was several times that of humans.

"Rolling stones!"

Huge stones crashed down.

Several monsters were hit, fell from the wall, but flipped up and climbed again.

"Fire oil! Burn!"

Hot oil was poured down, followed closely by fire arrows.

Flames ignited on the monsters.

They emitted piercing shrieks, yet did not stop, continuing to climb while engulfed in flames.

They seemed to feel no pain.

The first monster scrambled onto the battlements.

The defenders thrust swords and spears, but could hardly pierce its tough hide.

The monster's huge mouth opened, biting a defender's head.

Crack!

The sound of a skull shattering.

The defender fell to the ground.

The monster chewed, grey-blue fluid dripping from the corners of its mouth.

"Make way!"

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) drew his sword and stepped forward.

"Strange iron" saber slashed down.

The blade cut into the monster's neck, meeting great resistance, but finally sliced through.

After three successive cuts, the head rolled off.

The headless body staggered a few steps, then fell.

"Only 'strange iron' can kill!"

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) shouted sternly.

But the strange-iron weapons on the wall numbered fewer than a hundred.

Meanwhile, the monsters had already begun to climb the wall in succession.

The melee instantly turned white-hot.

The defenders traded lives for lives, often needing three or four men to take down one monster.

Blood flowed like a river on the battlements.

Grey-blue and bright red mixed, a shocking sight.

"Leader! The eastern sector can't hold!"

Xu Da came rushing, blood-soaked, with a deep claw mark on his left arm down to the bone.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) looked toward the east wall.

There, over ten monsters had planted their feet, while the defenders kept retreating.

If this continued, the wall would surely fall.

He gritted his teeth.

"Send the signal."

"Let Chang Yuchun attack."

"Now?"

"Now!"

Three red signal arrows shot up.

The West Gate Barbican Gate opened.

Chang Yuchun led the charge, fifty horsemen surging forth like a torrent of iron.

They did not charge toward the main enemy force outside the city.

Instead, they followed the inner side of the city wall's horse road, charging straight for the eastern section.

The cavalry is up on the wall!

The garrison cried out in alarm.

Chang Yuchun led the cavalry onto the city wall's horse road—a design unique to Haozhou's walls, wide enough for two horses to ride abreast, spanning over ten zhang.

Fifty horsemen galloped on the walltop.

The "strange-iron" long blades, borrowing the horses' momentum, swept out arcs of silver-gray light.

The monsters were knocked off the wall.

They were torn apart by the blades.

They were trampled by the horses' hooves.

Where the cavalry passed, the monsters were cleared away.

Well done!

The garrison's morale soared.

But Chang Yuchun knew this was only temporary.

Galloping the cavalry on the walltop is extremely risky.

If a horse loses its front hoof, both rider and steed will fall from the wall—certain death.

Moreover, the warhorses have limited stamina; they can make at most two more charges.

Meanwhile, down below, the main force of the black-armored troops has not yet moved.

The black-robed figure stood on a distant hill, watching the cavalry rampage on the walltop.

His mutilated body trembled slightly.

Not from fear.

But from excitement.

"Finally... it has come out."

He raised his only remaining left hand.

The crystal spikes in his palm lit up.

But they were not aimed at the walltop.

Instead, they shot toward the sky.

A blue column of light shot up into the heavens.

A signal.

Down below, the three hundred black-armored troops lifted their heads together.

Their eyes blazed with blue light.

Then they moved.

Not charging toward the wall.

But split into three groups of a hundred each, running toward different sections of the wall.

In each group of black-armored troops, ten men carried thick metal tubes.

The tubes' mouths were aimed at the wall's base.

"What is that?" Tang He exclaimed in shock.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang)'s pupils contracted sharply.

He had seen similar things before—in his past life, they were called 'siege rams' or 'breaching cones.'

But those metal tubes glowed with an eerie blue light.

They were not ordinary metal.

"Aim for those carrying the tubes!"

He shouted urgently.

The archers and crossbowmen turned their aim.

A rain of arrows fell.

But the black-armored troops raised their shields for defense, making the arrows hard to reach them.

The three squads of black-armored troops had already reached the wall's base.

The metal tubes were braced against the wall's foundation.

Blue light flowed along the tubes' bodies.

Hum—

A low rumble sounded.

The wall began to vibrate.

Dust sifted down from the cracks in the bricks and stones.

"They're shaking the wall down!"

Xu Da shouted hoarsely.

"Rolling stones! Smash them!"

Huge stones crashed down.

The black-armored troops did not dodge, letting the huge stones crush several of them.

But the survivors kept holding the metal tubes, the blue light growing brighter.

The wall's vibrations intensified.

A section of the eastern parapet collapsed with a roar.

Rubble rolled down, revealing the tamped earth inside the wall.

"Gap!"

Among the Yuan army infantry, cheers erupted.

The black-robed man laughed.

"Charge in."

"Kill them all."

The Yuan army infantry surged toward the gap like a tide.

The defenders on the city wall tried to block, but were entangled by the remaining monsters.

The gap was about to be breached.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) drew his sword.

"Follow me!"

He led his personal guard charging toward the gap.

But someone was faster than him.

Chang Yuchun's cavalry charged straight down from the city wall.

Fifty cavalry, like a sharp spear, collided with the Yuan army troop surging toward the gap.

Flesh and blood flew everywhere.

Horse hooves shattered skulls.

The long saber severed limbs.

The Yuan army's formation was torn apart.

But the cavalry also fell into encirclement.

Chang Yuchun lurched left and right, his body already bearing several wounds.

He saw Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) leading his personal guard charging over.

"Chief! Don't come over!"

He roared.

"This gap cannot be held!"

"Take the men and retreat! Exit through the south gate!"

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) cut down a Yuan soldier with one sword, rushing to his side.

"Let's go together!"

"We can't go!"

Chang Yuchun grinned, mouth full of blood.

"I'll cover your retreat."

He turned his horse's head, facing the Yuan army surging again.

The remaining thirty-plus cavalry silently formed ranks behind him.

"Chang Yuchun!"

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) shouted sternly.

Chang Yuchun turned his head; the blindfold cloth over his eyes was already soaked with blood.

"Chief."

"Leave me a name."

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) was stunned.

"What name?"

"This cavalry unit... will be called the 'Breaking Formation Camp' from now on."

Chang Yuchun smiled.

"I came up with it, okay?"

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang)'s eye sockets heated.

He nodded heavily.

"Good."

"Breaking Formation Camp... today will gain fame."

Chang Yuchun laughed loudly.

He clamped his legs around the horse's belly.

Thirty-plus cavalry, a desperate charge.

Charged toward the boundless enemy army.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) gritted his teeth.

【223】 "Retreat!"

"Withdraw!"

"Everyone, retreat to the wengcheng!"

The defenders fought while retreating.

At the gap, Chang Yuchun's cavalry stood like a reef, firmly blocking the enemy army's flood.

Until the last cavalry fell.

Until the last roar faded away.

The gap was finally filled with corpses.

The Yuan army actually dared not advance for a moment.

On the city wall, the surviving garrison looked upon that sea of corpses and blood.

Silence.

Then, someone raised a blade.

"Revenge!"

The roar echoed throughout the city.

The black-robed figure stood on the high slope, watching the garrison suddenly erupt.

Watching them actually drive the Yuan forces step by step out of the breach.

Watching that blade-plow flag still fluttering atop the city wall.

Blue light surged violently in his eyes.

"How could this be..."

"These people... aren't they afraid of death?"

He didn't understand.

He would never understand.

The morning sun finally rose fully.

Huang Guang pierced the morning mist, illuminating Haozhou City.

Illuminating the corpses strewn across the fields below the city.

Illuminating the city wall, that flag standing firm and unfallen.

And beneath the flagpole, that figure drenched in blood yet still standing upright.

Zhu Yue (Zhu Yuanzhang) raised his blade, pointing north.

Pointing toward the high slope where the black-robed figure stood.

Soundless.

Yet louder than any roar.

Even more deafening.

The black-robed figure staggered back a step.

He felt a kind of... he had never felt before...

A chill.