[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling":3,"chapter-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-147":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Top Scholar of Da Ling",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2288982,4475,"Chapter 147: The Great Battle Approaches","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-147",147,"\u003Cp>Half an hour later, the remaining 40,000 troops, excluding the 3,000 deployed outside the city and the 7,000 guarding the walls, were fully assembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On the ground, the standing soldiers resembled mountains, their breaths congealing in the cold wind, carrying resolve and resilience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes burned with fervent flames, craving the process of battle, anticipating the glory of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu, clad in battle armor, stood on the high platform, his gaze like a cold blade sweeping across the soldiers’ faces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze was an invisible sword, piercing each soldier’s eyes, seeking their inner fears, helping them ignite their inner fighting spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice, like a winter gale, was icy and powerful: “Brothers, our long-awaited Xixia enemies have finally arrived! They are less than ten li from the city!” His voice cut through the night’s silence like a blade, sending shivers through the soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I won’t say more—outside the broken walls, you and I are the last barrier of Shangmu!” His words echoed in the wind, as unyielding as steel, drilling into every soldier’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze burned like roaring fire in each soldier’s heart: “Behind you are your families and homeland.” His words were molten lava, burning in every soldier’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once the Xixia cross you, their blades will point straight at your families in the city.” His words were thunder in the storm, shaking every soldier’s soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words echoed in the wind, as unyielding as steel, drilling into every soldier’s heart: “We are about to meet in bloody combat—we may all die. I ask you, for them, are you afraid?” His eyes burned like roaring fire in each soldier’s heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then, like an echo in the valley, the soldiers’ reply roared like thunder, louder with each shout: “Not afraid!” Their voices shook the world, like thunder in the gale, shaking every heart.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet, a sly smile flickered across Jiang Mingyu’s eyes. His gaze, like an owl in darkness, hunting prey, detected the tension and fear beneath their voices.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He knew these soldiers—aside from a few familiar faces who had fought bandits—were mostly facing real battle for the first time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their eyes held none of the refinement forged in blood and fire, only awkwardness and dread.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But he did not expose them; instead, with that bone-deep sly smile and the aura of a conqueror, he gave them a reassuring glance. He knew this was their trial—and their growth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Then I shall lead you to annihilate them beneath Shangmu’s walls. Zhu Ge Yu, issue the orders.” Jiang Mingyu’s voice, like thunder in the gale, instantly ignited the soldiers’ fighting spirit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In their eyes, tension and fear had vanished, replaced by steadfastness and resolve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His voice echoed through the night sky—a call, summoning them to fight for Shangmu, for their families, for honor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ge Yu accepted the military authority Jiang Mingyu handed him, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He spoke in a grave tone:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Heavy snow has fallen; the Xixia will move slowly. But our army must act swiftly!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The Thorn Array lies five li north of the North Gate; two li farther south lies our Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams Array. My first order: trap every Xixia soldier inside the array—let not one escape!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He raised his command flag high, gazing at Tu Kexiluo, who longed for vengeance: “General Tu, your martial skill is unmatched—I entrust you with the crucial first strike.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lead fifteen thousand men into formation before the Thorn Array and block the Xixia cavalry. Remember: allow defeat, but never victory—lure them into the trap as fast as possible.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Xixia soldiers who step on the thorns will rage and pursue—you must lead them straight into our Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams Array.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Once the Xixia enter the array, immediately turn and lead your troops toward the Xixia border. If reinforcements come, crush them—do not let them aid their comrades.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tu Kexiluo’s eyes burned crimson, eager to tear the Xixia into pieces.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He gritted his teeth: “Sir’s command—I shall give my all! I shall trap the Xixia barbarians in the array and make them pay in blood!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu gazed northward, silently thinking: the Xixia have come only because of food shortages—they will not retreat. If we win this battle, I will not only gain fame, but seize the Xixia’s Achilles’ heel!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The outcome of this battle determines not only the safety of the border, but also my own future.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ge Yu turned to Zhang Jiani, his voice firm and clear: “Miss Zhang, lead five thousand archers—regular bows in front, divine crossbows behind—ambush on both flanks of the Eight Trigrams Array. When the Xixia enter, suppress them, trap them inside the array—any who try to flee, kill them with one arrow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jiani stepped forward haughtily, took the command flag, her gaze unwavering: “Archers, follow me—deploy outside the city!” A sharp whistle pierced the air; five thousand archers followed in unison, advancing like an iron wall, ready to execute the order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ge Yu seized another command flag, this time giving it to Li Doggen and Cloud of the Murong, each leading ten thousand infantry spearmen. He warned them sternly: “If the Xixia cannot break our main array, they will flee north—you must block them completely, not a single one escapes!” They accepted the flags, their eyes resolute, pledging to fulfill the mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Meanwhile, Wu Xiao also received orders: lead a thousand cavalry scouts to monitor movements along the Xixia border. Zhu Ge Yu gave him a hundred swift horses, threatening death to any who slacked off.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As all units moved out swiftly, the training ground was finally left with only Jiang Mingyu and Zhu Ge Yu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu asked: “Then what should I do?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhu Ge Yu pointed north, calmly: “Master, if you have nothing else to do, join me on the wall to watch the battle. I’ll command the Eight Trigrams Array—you can simply enjoy the victory.” His tone was confident, composed—as if everything had already been planned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu smiled wryly. Though he had no direct role in this battle, he knew that with Zhu Ge Yu in command, victory was highly likely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was content to be a spectator, waiting for the moment the Xixia would be buried beneath the Eight Trigrams Array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu hurried up the city wall, gripping the eave, gazing far across the battlefield—Tu Kexiluo’s fifteen thousand men had already formed a magnificent array.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tu Kexiluo, clad in pristine white armor that gleamed in the sunlight, held a long sword, riding proudly at the front, standing alone as vanguard, his aura like a mountain, brimming with killing intent, invincible in presence. His gaze was resolute, as if determined to shatter Shangmu in one blow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, his troops formed a vast goose-wing formation, dense and majestic, their battle spirit soaring as if ready to crush the enemy beneath their feet. The entire formation was awe-inspiring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Far away, all units had hidden silently along the snow-covered land, following their assigned positions, ready to welcome battle. They were like dragons beneath the earth, waiting for the right moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Two li farther south, the Nine Palaces, Eight Trigrams Array loomed vast and mighty—three thousand elite troops stood with blades and spears like a forest, banners fluttering, awaiting the enemy’s entry. The array stood as stable as a mountain, yet radiated a mysterious aura, commanding solemn respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu was lost in admiration of it all when suddenly Zhu Ge Yu’s voice rang out excitedly: “They’re coming!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had he spoken than a howling north wind swept in, and a dark cloud surged from afar, blotting out the sky. Jiang Mingyu squinted—beneath the dark cloud were thirty thousand iron cavalry, like a storm of darkness, already upon them! Countless tattered banners flapped violently in the wind, reeking of blood and death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!” Thirty thousand hooves thundered like rolling drums, shaking the forests, making snow tumble from tree branches. Jiang Mingyu felt the battlefield’s tension, clenched his fists, and felt passion and urgency rise within him—this decisive battle had finally begun!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers breathed heavily, hearts pounding—they knew the enemy before them were not bandits raiding the border, but true warriors. A life-or-death battle was about to unfold.\u003C\u002Fp>",1366,"2026-06-20T03:28:17.113Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3a0944aa9c9f9324f3312ab7cad13a97c8310cd6d9b0f412519ffbc33ea1b982","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-148","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-146",392,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-top-scholar-of-da-ling-cover.jpg"]