[{"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-299":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},2289134,4475,"Chapter 299: Night Battle, Life and Death on the Edge as the Wind Turns!","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-299",299,"\u003Cp>On the battlefield, blades clashed and shadows danced, arrows rained down, and the drums of war never ceased. Jiang Mingyu’s troops collided fiercely with Wang Sichao’s Liao warriors, flames burning high, staining the sky crimson.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The clash between Wang Sichao and Tukesiluo echoed like a symphony of war—swords met, sparks flew. Wang Sichao roared: “Tukesiluo, do you truly think you can take my life so easily?” Tukesiluo sneered: “With such pitiful skill, you dare challenge me?” “Your arrogance will cost you—today you’ll witness the might of Liao!” Wang Sichao swung his waist saber, his strikes like a storm of wind and rain, trying to overwhelm Tukesiluo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tukesiluo responded coldly: “Futile struggle.” He raised his longsword, slashing down—the clang of steel filled the battlefield.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beside them, Zhang Jiani frowned and shouted: “Archers, concentrate your fire!” Arrows poured like rain onto Jiang Mingyu’s lines. Wang Sichao commanded calmly: “Shield bearers, hold the line! Archers, return fire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Jiani told Tukesiluo: “Help me break through their line!” Tukesiluo nodded: “Rest assured, I’ll clear your path.” Wang Sichao’s voice rang out: “You’re walking straight to your deaths!” Zhang Jiani laughed mockingly: “Do you think we fear a mere traitor like you?” Wang Sichao gritted his teeth: “I’ll crush your arrogance!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the chaos, words wove through flashing blades—each utterance carried the blood-soaked valor of warriors, intensifying the battlefield’s tension.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Sichao shouted: “Charge! Break their formation!” Tukesiluo replied coldly: “Wang Sichao, do you know your hour of death has come?” “Death?” Wang Sichao sneered: “It seems you’re the one blinded by arrogance.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath the rain of arrows, Wang Sichao roared: “Don’t fear—charge!” Zhang Jiani told Tukesiluo: “Hurry, break their line—give Jiang Mingyu his chance!” Tukesiluo scoffed: “These ignorant ants will learn the true power of our forces.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Soon, the tide began to tilt toward Jiang Mingyu. His troops were battle-hardened survivors, risen from piles of corpses—ferocious, relentless. They wielded long blades, waved blood-drenched banners, and charged forward, unstoppable.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Sichao’s men were mostly newly recruited by Li Haoyang—nearly devoid of combat prowess. Facing Jiang Mingyu’s iron cavalry, they panicked, retreated, even turned and fled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to organize a counterattack, but his men were already shattered, unable to form any effective resistance. He could only watch helplessly as his army was slowly annihilated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His fear grew stronger. He knew victory was gone—only death awaited him. He refused to die like this. He wanted to flee, find an opening, and rise again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He looked up at the sky—a bright moon hung high, bathing the blood-soaked battlefield in silver light. Memories of a poem surfaced in his mind:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moon rises, bright and clear, the fair one glows.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tender grasses and trees, all bathed in moonlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The moon rises, the wind blows, the wind drifts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only the lingering sound—full of sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a Liao folk song, praising the moon’s beauty while expressing deep sorrow. Wang Sichao felt it perfectly mirrored his soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He clenched his teeth, whipped his horse, and plunged into the chaos, hoping the moonlight would shield him from Jiang Mingyu’s pursuit. But his hope shattered quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He had ridden only a short distance when a roar echoed behind him: “Wang Sichao, where are you running?” He turned—and saw Tukesiluo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Tukesiluo chasing him, he gasped, drew his short dagger, and charged. He meant to fight to the death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the midst of the melee, they clashed in a life-or-death duel. Their blades clashed again and again, ringing with metallic cries. Their horses neighed, kicked, and slammed into each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their fight drew the eyes of nearby soldiers. All combat paused. They formed a circle, watching the duel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both Wang Sichao and Tukesiluo were elite warriors—each strike flawless, lethal, leaving no room for error.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Their battle lasted half an hour—no victor emerged. Both were drenched in blood, their breaths growing faint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Sichao knew he had no strength left. If he fought on, he would die by Tukesiluo’s blade. He made his choice—he retracted his dagger and thrust it straight at Tukesiluo’s face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hoped to force Tukesiluo to retreat, then escape. But Tukesiluo did not dodge—he caught the blade with his bare hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His right hand gripped Wang Sichao’s wrist, preventing him from pulling back. His left hand swung the longsword—down toward Wang Sichao’s neck.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wang Sichao felt searing pain—his neck was severed by Tukesiluo’s blade. His head, trailing a drop of blood, flew through the air and landed on the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His eyes remained wide open, his mouth still agape, his face frozen in terror and defiance. His body still twitched atop the horse, spurting gouts of blood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tukesiluo was no better off—his left eye had been pierced by Wang Sichao’s dagger. Blood smeared his face, his breathing ragged.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He shoved Wang Sichao’s corpse off the horse, seized his head, and raised it high, shouting to the surrounding troops: “Cease all fighting! Wang Sichao is dead. My emperor is merciful—surrender, and live!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The remaining two hundred thousand Liao soldiers turned—and saw the dripping head in Tukesiluo’s hand. Their hearts turned to ice; their faces drained of color.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s the Grand Commander—he’s dead!” Someone screamed. Instantly, the already crumbling Liao forces erupted into chaos.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Some dropped their weapons. Some knelt and begged. Others scattered in all directions. All will to fight vanished—they only wanted to live.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid the pandemonium, Tukesiluo swung his blade, slaying three Liao soldiers. His icy gaze swept the wreckage, his voice as cold as frost: “I say this once more—drop your weapons, or die.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tukesiluo’s sword gleamed like frozen light; his words sharper than any blade. At the same time, Zhang Jiani cried out: “All troops, advance! Archers, ready—kill anyone who hasn’t surrendered in three breaths!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her voice cut through the night like frost—sending shivers through the Liao soldiers. Jiang Mingyu watched, smiling bitterly: “Two hundred thousand men threatening nearly three hundred thousand? What a strange world—stranger things happen every year, but this year tops them all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Three breaths passed—the Liao soldiers still hesitated. Zhang Jiani’s brows snapped shut, her gaze piercing like arrows into their hearts: “Fire!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The twang of bowstrings pierced the air—arrows surged like a black cloud crushing the city. One Liao soldier screamed: “Wait! I surrender! Don’t kill me!” His weapon clattered to the ground as he trembled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu nodded in satisfaction, turning to the remaining two hundred thousand: “What about you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After a brief silence, all of them, without delay, hurled their weapons to the ground and shouted in unison: “We surrender!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This scene made Tukesiluo frown. He whispered to Jiang Mingyu: “Brother, they surrendered so easily—isn’t that suspicious?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu replied thoughtfully: “This battle demands resolution. Avoiding unnecessary bloodshed is the wisest path. We need their surrender—it will secure better conditions for our march and future campaigns.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Tukesiluo and Zhang Jiani calmly organized the surrender process, bringing a temporary end to the chaotic battle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, Tukesluo and Zhang Jiani calmly arranged the surrender procedures for the Liao troops, bringing a temporary end to this chaotic battle.\u003C\u002Fp>",1166,"2026-06-20T03:28:18.279Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","83dea4768ab65a6530398573eef0478ec489bc6b4d717c337f304b2c85fbba80","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-300","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-298",392,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-top-scholar-of-da-ling-cover.jpg"]