Chapter 262: Taojiang City Breached

Seeing the scout obey and depart, Jiang Jiang Mingyu continued giving orders:

"Go, and also notify Zhu Ge Yu and Zhang Zhang Jiaqi; tell them to immediately lead all the troops they can mobilize to secretly march and assemble at Jingzhou."

"By the time we capture Taojiang City, the armies of Zhu Ge Yu and Zhang Zhang Jiaqi will already be ready."

Speaking thus, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's brows furrowed slightly, and he said with determination:

"That will be the moment we face Fei Hou in a final battle; we will seize Jingzhou in one stroke and face Fei Hou head-on, destroying ourselves together!"

After the scout received the order and left, Jiang Jiang Mingyu silently recited the impending final battle in his mind. He knew this would be the most arduous battle of his life.

Two days later, the great army finally arrived outside Taojiang City. Gazing at the towering city walls, Tu Tu Kesiluo said coldly, "We have arrived; Taojiang City is right before our eyes!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's gaze was firm as he said, "The strategy is set, and the plan has proceeded smoothly so far. You immediately take thirty-five thousand men to ambush on the city's left, while Fang Hang flanks from the right. Let us see if Liu Liu Jiayi will take the bait and come out to fight."

Tu Tu Kesiluo and Fang Hang received the order and departed. Jiang Jiang Mingyu then led his remaining thirty thousand troops to maneuver and demonstrate force below the city, intending to lure Liu Liu Jiayi into attacking proactively.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu checked the sky and quietly ordered his subordinates to prepare weapons and tools for the siege. Zhang Zhang Jiaqi also ordered the female soldiers to dirty their clothes, turning the originally majestic great army into a miserable sight of defeat and rout. Even Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, who loved beauty, did not hesitate to soil herself, ready to risk her life for Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

Once everything was prepared, Jiang Jiang Mingyu nodded in satisfaction and ordered the great army to begin marching toward Taojiang City. Soon, this "defeated" army arrived below Taojiang City. Zhang Zhang Jiaqi pretended to pant heavily and shouted loudly, "Listen, defenders within the city! My lord Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army has come to attack the city! Open the gates immediately and hand over one hundred thousand shi of grain, and we will spare your lives; otherwise, even your commander Liu Liu Jiayi will be beheaded on the spot!"

Hearing this, the defenders on the city wall all showed expressions of surprise and said, "How is this possible? Wasn't Jiang Jiang Mingyu already defeated at Taizhou and turned back? How does he still have the strength to attack us?" They immediately hurried to report to Liu Liu Jiayi.

After a quarter of an hour, Liu Liu Jiayi, with a face full of shock and suspicion, ascended the city wall. After seeing the miserable state of Jiang's army, he sneered disdainfully, "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you truly have a hard life, escaping with your life from Your Majesty's great army's encirclement! You should have gone to the deep mountains and old forests to live in shame, yet you unexpectedly come to die again! As far as I know, your disciple Zhu Ge Yu has already returned in a great defeat from Taizhou; with this wretched appearance, you still want to attack the city? It is simply a joke!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu pretended to be surprised and asked, "How do you know about the battle at Taizhou?"

Liu Liu Jiayi sneered, "After I behead you and you reach the underworld, you will naturally understand everything! Today I will behead you and present your head to Your Majesty to request merit. At that time, you and Zhu Ge Yu, this pair of failed master and disciple, can reunite on the road to the Yellow Springs!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's face was solemn; he pretended to beg for mercy, saying, "General Liu is magnanimous; please spare our lives! Look, we are already at the end of our tether; even if you let us go, we are powerless to fight again."

Liu Liu Jiayi laughed heartily. He turned to the adjutant beside him and ordered, "You take eight thousand men to guard the city; the rest of you follow me out of the city to exterminate Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Brothers, the time to establish merit has arrived!"

If Heaven does not take it, one must suffer the consequences! Liu Liu Jiayi thought, if he could personally behead Jiang Jiang Mingyu, it would be equivalent to controlling most of the Jiangshan of Great Feng; based solely on this one merit, Fei Hou would surely appoint him as a Great General.

Seeing the wretched and defeated appearance of Jiang's army outside the city, Jiang Jiang Mingyu below the city sneered inwardly, thinking, "Liu Liu Jiayi, you have indeed fallen for the trap and taken the bait."

Shortly after, Liu Liu Jiayi led the main force out of the city with the city walls at his back. Glancing at the "dusty and dirty" Zhang Zhang Jiaqi, he said arrogantly, "Little woman, weren't you very arrogant just now? This General will start with you!"

Having said this, he swung the three-pronged blade in his hand and slashed down at Zhang Zhang Jiaqi's face.

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi's lips curled slightly, and she shouted coldly, "Then go die!"

She hated being called a "little woman" the most. Zhang Zhang Jiaqi's long sword suddenly left its scabbard; amidst the flying dust and smoke, Liu Liu Jiayi, who had not yet reacted, was sliced and sent flying.

Seeing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu also revealed a fierce expression and roared, "Leave not a single one; attack!"

Seeing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army instantly transform from beggars into fierce warriors, Liu Liu Jiayi's fifty thousand troops immediately lost their composure and became panicked.

"Not good, the commander is dead! Run, everyone back to the city!" The entire army collapsed in rout and could not recover.

With Liu Liu Jiayi dead, combined with everyone's fear of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's notorious name, the enemy army's morale instantly scattered. Seeing them flee left and right, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi pointed her long sword and ordered, "Release arrows, pin down the rear guard; absolutely do not let them return to the city!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered and waved his hand lightly; a dense rain of arrows shot down from the sky. Liu's soldiers were thrown from their horses, and wails filled the land.

Just as the enemy army was fleeing in all directions, Fang Hang and Tu Tu Kesiluo, who had been ambushing nearby, simultaneously led seventy thousand troops to surge out, attacking from left and right.

"All attack! Leave not a single one!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu roared. Beside him, Tu Tu Kesiluo had already sliced off the head of an enemy soldier trying to escape with a single blade strike. The surrounded enemy troops retreated step by step; casualties increased, and the footsteps of those trying to flee became increasingly frantic.

Just as the remaining enemy troops were about to cross the moat and escape into the city gate, Fang Hang had already blocked the entrance with his troops and shouted, "Want to run? No way!" He charged down to attack together.

The enemy adjutant on the city wall, seeing the situation, was extremely terrified and hurriedly ordered, "Release arrows, release arrows down for me!"

But Zhang Zhang Jiaqi had already spotted the timing; just as the enemy's rain of arrows shot down, she immediately ordered, "Shield bearers, step forward to block the arrows; we will counterattack!"

The two armies thus engaged in an intense exchange of arrow fire below the city. Just as casualties on both sides were heavy, Tu Tu Kesiluo was seen easily bending down, picking up a long spear two zhang in length from the ground. With a flick of his wrist, the spear flew toward the city wall in the blink of an eye.

Only the sound of "whoosh" was heard; the spear, swift as lightning, pierced through the heavy rain of arrows and accurately penetrated the chest of the enemy adjutant commanding on the city wall. Before the adjutant could even scream, he fell backward, dying with his eyes still open.

With a "plop," the adjutant's body fell from the city wall, which was five zhang high, smashing into a meat patty. The surrounding enemy soldiers were all dumbfounded; the scene just now was simply beyond imagination. A five-zhang-high city wall was pierced so easily by a spear; Tu Tu Kesiluo's arm strength must be several times greater than an ox's!

"This... is this the strength a human can have?!"

"This fellow is not simple; run quickly!"

Seeing the adjutant die suddenly on the spot, a cold chill spread through the bodies of the defenders on the city wall. Almost everyone forgot to fight back; their legs went soft, and they stumbled backward, too afraid to continue fighting.

Seeing the enemy army defeated, Zhang Zhang Jiaqi immediately ordered, "Release arrows, shoot dead the remaining enemy soldiers on the city wall; leave not a single one!"

After several rounds of "whoosh whoosh" arrow rain, the city wall, which had been noisy just moments ago, instantly fell silent; not a single enemy soldier remained who could stand up.

Seeing the opportunity could not be missed, Jiang Jiang Mingyu roared, "What are you still staring at? Quickly batter down the city gate and charge into the city!"

The tactical opportunity was fleeting; they had to seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance, otherwise, once the remaining enemy troops inside the city reorganized and ascended the city wall, the situation would reverse again.

Hearing this, Fang Hang immediately roared at his subordinates, "Quickly, use wooden frames to batter down the city gate!" The soldiers worked together, lifting thick logs one by one to fiercely batter the city gate.

Just at this moment, the remaining enemy troops inside the city, amidst their regret, quickly reassembled and began to surge onto the city wall to counterattack frantically.

"Defend Taojiang City to the death; we absolutely cannot let the city fall!" the enemy troops inside the city shouted.

Zhang Zhang Jiaqi had already been watching the movements on the city wall; seeing this, she immediately ordered, "Release arrows, shoot down every enemy who ascends the city wall; leave not a single one!"

A dense rain of arrows shot down again, knocking down fifty-six dozen enemy soldiers on the city wall, but reinforcements were still arriving continuously. Just as the two sides were engaged in fierce combat, with a "Boom," our army finally successfully broke into the city!

Tu Tu Kesiluo waved his long sword and roared, "Sister-in-law, you guard the city gate; Fang Hang and I will charge into the city to exterminate the remaining enemies!" Before his words had even finished, he had already drawn his sword and charged into the city.

As rolling sword qi swept through, enemy soldiers blocking the way fell one by one. Fang Hang followed closely behind, engaging in a desperate hand-to-hand fight.

The remaining few thousand defenders inside the city, seeing the situation deteriorate, were already panicked and lost their way. Who still cared about Taojiang City? Saving one's life was the priority!