Chapter 208

That night, the moon was hazy, the streets sparsely populated; Jiang Mingyu wore armor, a veil covering his face, revealing only a pair of cold eyes. He waved his hand lightly and whispered, "Advance." Eighty thousand troops silently circled the county, vanishing again into the darkness.

After five days of hiding by day and marching by night, on the sixth night, exhausted, Jiang Mingyu finally arrived outside Dingdong City. Beside him stood his trusted general, Tukesluo, a foreigner from the Western Regions, tall and dark-skinned, golden hair streaming in the wind. Tukesluo scanned the surroundings warily; only after confirming no movement did he whisper, "Big Brother, what do we do now?"

Jiang Mingyu gazed toward the city, a flicker of resolve in his eyes. After a moment's thought, he spoke: "Listen to me…"

Before he could finish, a rustling sound suddenly emerged from the woods. Tukesluo frowned, his longsword already drawn: "Who's there?" A figure leapt out from thirty feet away; Tukesluo's blade instantly pressed against the man's throat.

The man hastily whispered, "General Tukesluo, I'm a scout sent by the Lord, just returned from Xiawei." He produced his identity token; Tukesluo sheathed his sword. "What's the situation?" The scout wiped sweat and whispered, "Lord, I've confirmed it—Zhong Nianyu isn't in Dingdong. He took ten thousand troops to Xiawei to reinforce."

Jiang Mingyu's lips curled slightly: "Perfect." He felt inner delight: Zhong Nianyu's fifty thousand troops were likely split—over twenty thousand each in Dingdong and Xiawei. With ten thousand gone to Xiawei, Dingdong's garrison now numbered barely over ten thousand. Jiang Mingyu's eighty thousand faced just ten thousand—overwhelming advantage.

A glint of frost flashed in his eyes: "Tukesluo, take forty thousand and assault the city gate. I'll take forty thousand and scale the walls. While the moon is dark and the wind high—break this city!" Tukesluo nodded: "Got it!" He turned and roared to his troops: "Listen up! Tonight's our chance to turn the tide! Follow the Big Brother and me! Crush these southern bastards! Forward!"

A quarter-hour later, Jiang Mingyu swept his sleeve as he stared at the brightly lit eastern gate of Dingdong.

"Beat the drums."

After thunderous drums shook the earth, Jiang Mingyu's tens of thousands surged to the foot of Dingdong's walls.

The dark mass of troops sent the defenders on the ramparts into panic.

"Enemy attacking the walls! Signal! Send the signal quickly…"

In desperation, the soldier's voice cracked.

As three signal arrows soared into the sky, all of Dingdong's defenders rushed toward the eastern gate.

Meanwhile, Wang Leyuan, ordered to hold the city, gasped as he scrambled onto the ramparts.

The sudden appearance of troops from nowhere filled him with dread.

"You… who are you?"

Below the wall, Jiang Mingyu replied coldly.

"Jiang Mingyu of Cangzhou."

Jiang Mingyu?

Wang Leyuan, as a neighboring commander, had heard the name before.

"We've never crossed paths—why are you here in Dingdong?"

Jiang Mingyu chuckled aloud: "Wang Du Du, I've set my sights on your Dingdong City. Open the gates and surrender, and I'll spare your life."

Wang Leyuan clenched his fists inwardly—this man was audacious! He forced calm into his voice: "Jiang Mingyu, Dingdong isn't some place you can just storm into. I'll overlook this today—take your men back to Cangzhou!"

Jiang Mingyu sneered. This man would never let him go so easily. He pressed on without retreat: "Wang Du Du, you're deluding yourself. Save your family's lives—surrender the city. Otherwise, tomorrow you'll be kneeling before the King of Hell!"

Wang Leyuan's eyes widened—he truly meant to kill him! He gritted his teeth and roared: "Jiang Mingyu, this is a threat! Dingdong is Zhong family territory! I, Wang Leyuan, will fight you to the death!"

Jiang Mingyu watched Wang Leyuan's flushed face and knew battle was inevitable. Slowly, he drew his sword and said to Li Goudan beside him: "Looks like we've no choice—prepare the troops for assault!"

"You're sticking a scallion up your pig's nose—think you're someone? If you break Dingdong tonight, I'll make you call me Grandpa!" Wang Leyuan shouted tauntingly from the ramparts, voice dripping with contempt.

He believed he commanded a hundred thousand troops, held a fortified city—Jiang Mingyu, no matter how skilled, was nothing but trash. He dismissed Jiang Mingyu entirely, seeing him as a fool marching to his death.

Yet the moment he finished speaking, a soldier came rolling and crawling from below, face twisted in terror and despair.

"Commander, disaster! The northern gate's fallen to Jiang Mingyu!" the soldier gasped, drenched in blood and dust.

Wang Leyuan felt the sky collapse. He grabbed the soldier's throat, screaming hysterically: "What did you say? The northern gate's fallen? Wake up! Jiang Mingyu's right here! How could he be at the northern gate?"

The soldier trembled violently: "I don't know! Jiang Mingyu's men appeared like they fell from the sky—too fast!"

"Before our men could react, arrows rained down and felled entire ranks. Then some black-faced brute scaled the wall, killed dozens, and opened the gate."

"Inside, Jiang Mingyu's troops, led by a woman, slaughtered over a thousand of us in an instant. She's beautiful, but cruel! She set fire to our granaries and armories—now the whole city blazes and explodes."

"I barely escaped to warn you—Jiang Mingyu's men are already inside the city! Commander, what do we do?" The soldier's face was a mask of despair.

Wang Leyuan wanted to slap the coward dead. His mind reeled, paralyzed. He turned to Jiang Mingyu below—still standing motionless, expressionless, watching him.

Wang Leyuan suddenly realized he'd been tricked. Jiang Mingyu was merely bait—the real attack came from the north. He remembered his own words and felt like a fool.

"Quick! Take men to the northern gate and repel Jiang Mingyu!" Wang Leyuan shouted instinctively—but his confidence was gone. He knew he'd already lost.

Just as he kicked a soldier aside, Jiang Mingyu's voice boomed from below: "Wang Du Du, how foolish are you? You think I'm just wasting time here with you?"

"I knew you'd shift troops to defend this gate—northern gate left undefended. I sent Tukesluo and Jiaqi to strike there—broke the gate open in one go."

He sneered: "You think I actually wanted you to surrender? To be friends? You're delusional—that was just a delay tactic!"

Wang Leyuan finally understood—but too late. Tukesluo had already breached the northern gate; he was likely already at the eastern gate.

If he sent troops to reinforce, Jiang Mingyu outside would attack immediately. This pincer assault—no matter how many brains Wang Leyuan had, he couldn't save himself.

Indeed, sounds of Tukesluo and Jiaqi's troops arriving echoed from behind.

Wang Leyuan stared in despair at the burning city.

Hearing the cries of battle nearby, he snapped his head toward the gate—only to see it smashed open, a sea of fire, armored enemy troops pouring in. He recognized the black-faced brute and the beautiful woman instantly—Tukesluo and Zhang Jiaqi, Jiang Mingyu's two top warriors.

They slaughtered without mercy, swords and spears flashing—each strike claimed a life. Wang Leyuan's heart pounded in terror—he knew he was finished.

A kneeling soldier beside him, trembling, pleaded: "My lord, we're done—surrender now, or we'll all die without burial!"

Wang Leyuan hesitated, then chose survival. He shouted: "Hey, Jiang Mingyu! Stop killing! If I surrender, will you spare my men?"

Jiang Mingyu ceased his mockery and called back loudly: "I admire sensible men. If you truly submit, I won't harm you."

Wang Leyuan felt as if granted divine mercy. He waved his hand: "Open the gates! We surrender!"

The gates creaked open. Jiang Mingyu stood tall on horseback and roared into the city: "Brothers, go in!"

A flood of sword- and spear-wielding warriors surged into the city. Wang Leyuan knelt on the ground, begging for mercy. Jiang Mingyu surveyed the captured city with satisfaction, already planning to loot it thoroughly and replenish his supplies.