[{"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-259":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},2289094,4475,"Chapter 259","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-259",259,"\u003Cp>Lu Xiong was sound asleep when a pair of icy hands suddenly clamped over his mouth and nose. He jolted awake to utter darkness, barely making out Zhang Jiaqi’s frostbitten face before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Struggling for breath, Lu Xiong’s mind turned foggy; he fought desperately to cry out, but Zhang Jiaqi held him too tightly—no matter how he writhed, only muffled groans escaped him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Then moonlight slipped through the curtain, revealing the scene: Zhang Jiaqi pressed him hard to the ground, her longsword pressed against his throat, gleaming with lethal intent, as if ready to sever his life in the next instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiong’s eyes widened—he finally realized all was lost. His heart pounded wildly as his mind raced: Who were these intruders? How had they breached the camp? But it was too late. Lu Xiong despaired—he knew this sleep might well be his last.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His groans faded as the blade drew closer, inch by inch... At that moment, the Reaper’s scythe rose high, poised to claim his life. Lu Xiong shut his eyes, waiting for the final flicker of existence to die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu’s lips curled slightly, his eyes glinting with cunning. He whispered, “I am Jiang Mingyu. Where is the military tally? Answer wrong by a single word, and your life ends.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiong stared, eyes wide with terror and disbelief. He tried to scream for help, but Zhang Jiaqi’s sword already pressed against his throat—any moment now, it would take his life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Despair filled Lu Xiong’s gaze as he trembled, pointing toward a nearby commander’s desk. Li Goudan strode over and overturned the entire desk. Finally, a bronze military tally clattered out from a mountain of documents and letters. Li Goudan snatched it up and carefully offered it with both hands to Jiang Mingyu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Lord, we found it!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu gently traced the tally’s engravings, a flicker of cunning delight in his eyes. He smiled triumphantly, about to speak—when Zhang Jiaqi’s sword suddenly arced upward, ending Lu Xiong’s life in an instant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Xiong’s eyes bulged, filled with fury and refusal, then slumped sideways onto the desk. Zhang Jiaqi coldly wiped the blood from her blade. Jiang Mingyu ignored the corpse, tucked the tally away safely, and smiled at Li Goudan: “At dawn, summon the forty thousand troops in the city to pay homage to their new master.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Goudan bowed respectfully, his eyes gleaming with excitement. He hadn’t expected them to seize the tally so easily—now, all they needed was to win over the city’s troops, and Jiang Mingyu’s great cause would unfold smoothly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Dawn broke quickly. Jiang Mingyu sat steady, a faint, smug smile playing on his lips. He softly said: “Beat the drums.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, thunderous drumbeats pierced the sky, shattering the morning calm. “Boom! Boom! Boom!” After three rolls, the forty thousand troops stood assembled, rigid and motionless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The soldiers exchanged uneasy glances, whispering among themselves: “Why drum so early? Is something major about to happen?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Has the rebel army breached the city?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t be absurd! Jiang Mingyu is dead—where’s the rebel army?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You’re right. It’s broad daylight—stop dreaming! Get to formation!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu gazed at the forty thousand troops before him, cleared his throat, and spoke calmly: “Gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself—I am Jiang Mingyu.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No good! He claims to be Jiang Mingyu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What? That Jiang Mingyu—who’s already dead?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s going on? Has Lu Xiong been stripped of command?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murmurs rose like waves; soldiers stared in terror, utterly bewildered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu smiled knowingly. Slowly, he drew the bronze military tally from his sleeve, his tone calm: “I am Jiang Mingyu—alive and well. As for Lu Xiong, I have executed him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Now, the tally is in my hands. You have only two choices: surrender or die. Surrender, and your lives are spared—you may join me, Jiang, in building glory. Resist, and you join Lu Xiong in the underworld!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The forty thousand troops erupted in chaos, babbling in confusion. Jiang Mingyu sighed, gestured to his men behind him: “They still don’t believe me. Let’s show them.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Instantly, fifty thousand troops surged forward like a tidal wave, surrounding Lu Xiong’s thirty thousand remnants, leaving them no room to move. Countless arrows aimed at them, ready to kill at any moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu’s subordinate Li Goudan tossed Lu Xiong’s severed head onto the ground before the enemy ranks. The head rolled, dripping blood. The enemy troops trembled instantly, morale collapsing. Jiang Mingyu wore a light smile, watching the disorganized rabble—his mind already made up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Gentlemen, you see the situation. Will you surrender or not? The choice is yours,” Jiang Mingyu said, calm and composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Jiang Mingyu finished speaking, a burly officer in a deputy commander’s uniform, still defiant, stepped forward. “Jiang! You’re nothing but a rebel! You dare ask us to surrender? Dream on!” Before he finished, an arrow pierced his throat—blood spurted. Jiang Mingyu’s face remained expressionless, as if he’d expected this resistance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Anyone else wish to speak? Jiang will listen,” Jiang Mingyu said coldly. The corpse in the blood pooled silenced every voice—no one dared utter another word.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thirty thousand surrounded troops, pale and trembling, weighed life against death. Finally, a young soldier dropped his weapon, knelt, and shook as he cried: “I surrender! I surrender!” His act opened the floodgates—more soldiers threw down arms and knelt, begging for mercy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, all thirty thousand enemy troops laid down their weapons and knelt in surrender. Jiang Mingyu’s wish fulfilled, a smile finally broke across his face. He raised his voice: “You’ve finally learned sense! Lay down your weapons, and you shall be reborn. Follow me, and I’ll ensure you never lack food or clothing!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The thirty thousand enemy troops now had only one path left: submit to Jiang Mingyu. They preferred becoming surrendered troops over dying pointlessly. Jiang Mingyu’s men methodically collected enemy weapons and armor, recording their names. Jiang Mingyu hung Lu Xiong’s severed head high as a warning to all: this was the fate of those who opposed him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu was pleased with his handling of the surrendered troops. He ordered Li Goudan to disperse them, integrate them into his own ranks, and watch them closely—any sign of unrest meant immediate execution. He smiled warmly at the kneeling soldiers: “Trust Jiang—I keep my word.” His gentle tone chilled the surrendered troops to the bone as Li Goudan led them away for reassignment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu turned to Zhang Jiaqi: “Take control of the city’s defenses—we’ll soon be at Taojiang City’s gates.” Zhang Jiaqi immediately agreed, smiled at Jiang Mingyu, then strode off to carry out his order.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As Jiang Mingyu sat in camp, studying the map in thought, a guard suddenly reported: “Lord, General Tu Kesiluo has returned.” While Jiang Mingyu led the attack, Tu Kesiluo had ridden light cavalry back to the capital at breakneck speed—faster than the infantry. Now, he had completed his mission.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu looked up at once: “Bring him in.” Immediately, Tu Kesiluo and his companion Fang Hang appeared before Jiang Mingyu. Jiang Mingyu asked urgently: “How did it go?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tu Kesiluo looked weary, plopped himself into the chair opposite Jiang Mingyu, grabbed a teacup, and drank two large gulps before grinning: “Big Brother, the mission went perfectly. General Fang didn’t say much—Fei Hou believed his fabricated story.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Fei Hou has ordered us to eliminate your remaining followers and deliver your head to the capital for reward. When I and Commander Su left, that fool was leading a procession to honor his ancestors, eager to boast about it.” Tu Kesiluo burst into laughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu’s lips curled into a cold smile. “Good. Tu Kesiluo, you and General Fang have done far more than destroy Fei Hou’s twelve thousand troops. This is even more critical.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As long as Fei Hou remained unprepared, they could soon seize Taojiang Commandery and the capital. Jiang Mingyu had already devised the perfect strategy.\u003C\u002Fp>",1311,"2026-06-20T03:28:18.279Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","df568a8dd61ec7d4fa92f3e7cfdd157dae9377ea8f9d6bad243e57655578ef05","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-260","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-258",392,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-top-scholar-of-da-ling-cover.jpg"]