Chapter 256: Just Around the Corner

Tian Jiu heard Jiang Jiang Mingyu's words, and a tremor ran through his heart. He knew Jiang Jiang Mingyu would not spare him. He knew Jiang Jiang Mingyu hated him to the bone. He knew Jiang Jiang Mingyu wanted his life. He also knew he had no retreat left, no choice left, no hope left. He could only fight to the death, could only strive for a sliver of life, could only seek a swift end.

He gritted his teeth, waved his hand, and shouted loudly to Hu Song and Fang Hang beside him: "Ignore him. We attack together. As long as we kill him, this war ends."

Hu Song and Fang Hang said no more. They also knew that only by killing Jiang Jiang Mingyu could they turn the tide, save their lives, and gain something. They no longer cared about the loss of troops, no longer cared about changes in the rear, no longer cared about the crisis on their flanks. They could only fight to the death, could only strive for a sliver of life, could only seek a swift end.

The three of them spurred their horses together, charging toward Jiang Jiang Mingyu. The weapons in their hands flashed with cold light, roars erupted from their mouths, fierce glints appeared in their eyes, and killing intent surged in their hearts. The three of them launched a final charge against Jiang Jiang Mingyu, the three of them unleashed a final attack on Jiang Jiang Mingyu, the three of them released their final power against Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

Seeing the movements of the three, Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled inwardly. He had long expected them to do this, had long prepared a response, had long arranged a counterattack. He feared not their charge, feared not their attack, feared not their power. He merely shook his head lightly, merely spoke a single sentence calmly, merely made a single movement coldly.

"You all, go die." Having spoken, he drew a short knife from his waist and thrust it toward Tian Jiu's throat.

Amidst a loud shout, the three waved their weapons and charged in different directions, attacking Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tu Tu Kesiluo.

Watching the great banner charging straight toward him, Tu Tu Kesiluo, whose white robes were already dyed red with blood, smiled coldly.

"You must be Tian Jiu, correct?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo remained calm, his long sword pointing horizontally at Tian Jiu. He spoke in a cold voice: "A mere barbarian soldier dares to stir up trouble? Today, you shall decide the outcome with me!"

Tian Jiu spat once and roared: "Tu Tu Kesiluo, you beast! Watch me chop off your dog head!" With that, he swung his great blade and struck.

Tu Tu Kesiluo neither dodged nor avoided. His long sword swept against the wind with a sharp "Zing!" Tian Jiu's great blade was knocked flying. Seizing the moment, Tu Tu Kesiluo thrust his blade backward, striking Tian Jiu squarely in the chest.

"Ugh..." Tian Jiu spat a mouthful of blood, his face turned deathly pale, and he fell to the ground. Tu Tu Kesiluo withdrew his blade, flicked off the blood, and said coldly: "A defeated general deserves to die!"

Our army's morale surged greatly. Shouts of killing shook the heavens as we advanced in formation. The soldiers shouted, "Behead the traitors, let none survive!" In an instant, the enemy army was thrown into chaos like a pot of boiling porridge.

At this moment, a fierce general burst forth from the enemy rear, clad in heavy steel armor and wielding a giant axe. It was Hu Song. Seeing Tian Jiu dead, he flew into a rage: "When did Tian Jiu allow you scum to kill at will? Do not be so arrogant!" With that, he swung his steel axe and brought it down upon their heads.

Tu Tu Kesiluo sidestepped. The gleaming steel axe grazed the hem of his robe. Immediately, he reversed his grip and thrust his sword. Hu Song's armor was too hard to penetrate; the blade brushed past him. The two fought in a tangle, evenly matched and unable to separate.

At this moment, Li Goudan quietly appeared behind Hu Song and sneered: "Vile villain, attacking from behind! Hu Song, you are tired of living!" With that, he slashed a knife into the gap at Hu Song's neck. Hu Song let out a wretched cry, and his head was severed from his neck.

Our army's morale surged greatly, and we killed even more fiercely. At that time, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was cautiously commanding from within the heavy encirclement, his heart still trembling with fear. Just then, a messenger rode up at full gallop, knelt on the ground, and reported: "Reporting to my lord: Tian Jiu and Hu Song have both been beheaded!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu rejoiced greatly, then pondered: "Tu Tu Kesiluo and Goudan are indeed skilled. This time, we faced danger and were saved by the two of them; I truly owe them a life-and-death friendship. Once the great merit is accomplished, I shall certainly bestow rich rewards!"

At this moment, Fang Hang barely managed to regroup his remnants, intending to turn and counterattack. Seeing that the situation was lost, Jiang Jiang Mingyu gave a decisive order: "Soldiers, surround and annihilate Fang Hang! Today, we must capture this thief!"

Our army's morale surged greatly, surrounding Fang Hang's remnants in a tight circle.

The slanting sun set westward, and the sunset glow painted the sky red. Fang Hang stood on the battlefield, gazing at the bodies strewn everywhere, his heart heavy. His troops numbered only a little over a thousand, having survived by luck, but they had all suffered greatly from the ravages of battle.

The lives of over a hundred thousand people turned to bubbles in this battle. Fang Hang understood that no matter how powerful a general, one could not change this. His heart was filled with helplessness.

Meanwhile, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had reunited with the two generals, Tu Tu Kesiluo and Li Goudan. Their armies had completed the encirclement of Fang Hang's remnants. They had successfully defeated Fei Hou's twelve thousand-strong army. This was a tremendous victory Jiang Jiang Mingyu had never experienced before.

Fang Hang's trembling drew a disdainful smile from Li Goudan. "My lord, let me behead this fellow and make Fei Hou, that thief, understand our power."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shook his head and said calmly: "No. This man is still useful."

Li Goudan asked in confusion: "Useful for what?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's smile grew even brighter: "Very useful."

Then, he spoke loudly to Fang Hang: "General Fang, are you willing to surrender?"

Fang Hang hesitated not at all, immediately dismounted and knelt: "I am willing. I, your humble servant, wish to surrender."

No one wanted to die. Fang Hang knew that under the current circumstances, surrender was the only way out. Jiang Jiang Mingyu was satisfied with his attitude, but Zhang Zhang Jiaqi quickly spoke out: "Brother Jiang, what are you doing? Have you forgotten the Tian Jiu incident before?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's gaze was firm. He replied: "Rest assured. I have my own plans."

Recalling his previous divine calculations, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi said no more. Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at Fang Hang kneeling on the ground and smiled slightly.

"General Fang, since you have already surrendered, you are one of us."

"Do not be so restrained. Raise your head. Jiang Mou has a great matter that requires your full assistance."

Fang Hang quickly raised his head, his face showing a sense of duty.

"Please, my lord, give your orders. As long as it is within my power, I dare not refuse."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu hummed lightly, then spoke.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded, his expression serious and calm. He understood that although this move was risky, it was necessary. To strike Fei Hou, one must first disrupt his rhythm.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu spoke slowly, his tone calm and certain: "General Fang, we hold no grudge. The enemy we now face together is Fei Hou. I need you to return to Jingcheng and deliver a false report of victory to Fei Hou, stating that our army has retreated in defeat and that Tian Jiu and Hu Song have both perished. This will cause Fei Hou to relax his guard temporarily, allowing us to take him by surprise and march straight to the remaining Han Shou and Taojiang commanderies. By then, the territory in Fei Hou's hands will likely be reduced to Jingcheng alone. Do you think this plan is feasible?"

Fang Hang's face showed embarrassment. He knew Jiang Jiang Mingyu was deeply scheming and that he had nowhere else to retreat. After a long moment, he answered in a trembling voice: "My lord sees clearly. I have nowhere else to go and can only follow to the end. I shall certainly do my utmost to complete the task entrusted by my lord."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded in satisfaction. He knew Fang Hang had no power to resist and could only comply. Then he looked at Tu Tu Kesiluo and said earnestly: "I wish for you to accompany Fang Hang to Yue Wang Cheng. First, to monitor his movements; second, to witness Fei Hou's collapse with your own eyes, and then bring back first-hand battle reports. This expedition is already won, but we must not be the slightest bit negligent. Are you willing to complete this task?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo answered immediately: "Big Brother, rest assured. I will certainly not fail your trust! Let me follow Fang Hang to Jingcheng. This is an important step for us to defeat Fei Hou and realize the Jiang family's rule over the world. I will look after Fang Hang, ensure he makes no small moves, and will witness Fei Hou's failure with my own eyes. Then, I will certainly send the battle report back immediately to report our army's victory. Brother, this expedition is undoubtedly a victory. I will never disappoint you. Please rest assured. Your younger brother will do his utmost to complete the mission!"

Having spoken, Tu Tu Kesiluo ignited with the passion of victory, eager to witness Fei Hou's failure. Jiang Jiang Mingyu also showed a gratified smile. He believed Tu Tu Kesiluo would certainly complete the task and would soon return in triumph.

Joy and satisfaction shone in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes. He patted Tu Tu Kesiluo's shoulder heavily and praised: "Goudan, you immediately send men to blockade all roads entering and exiting Zigu. You must intercept all news heading to Jingcheng. Before we capture Han Shou and arrive at the gates of Taojiang, news of Fei Hou's army's crushing defeat must not leak."

Li Goudan nodded in response, immediately turned his horse, loudly ordered his subordinates to blockade the roads, and then quickly departed to execute the task.

Watching Li Goudan ride away into the distance, Jiang Jiang Mingyu looked at Tu Tu Kesiluo again and smiled: "How is the situation in Guizhou? How is the occupation progressing?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo also showed a hearty smile and said with animated eyebrows: "Big Brother, rest assured. Of the five commanderies of Guizhou, we have already occupied four. When I led the troops away, Zhang Zhang Jiani had already begun attacking the last commandery. By now, Po Cheng Cheng Gong has likely been achieved!"

"The forces in various places of Guizhou were originally a ragtag mob, uncoordinated, fighting alone, with limited strength. With my skill, I basically eliminated them in a short time."

Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily and said excitedly: "Excellent! Once Zhu Ge Yu captures Taizhou, combined with Jingzhou in our hands, two-thirds of the territory of Great Feng will be ours!"

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, standing nearby, did not speak, but the joy in her narrowed eyes was evident. She was clearly happy for Jiang Jiang Mingyu's victory.

At this moment, Jiang Jiang Mingyu was in high spirits. He believed that, given the current situation, Fei Hou's downfall was inevitable. Great Feng was indeed beautiful, but the true world was his ultimate goal.

With the assistance of loyal generals like Tu Tu Kesiluo and Mo Zhang Jiaqi, plus the support of various feudal lords, the day of ascending the throne was just around the corner.