Chapter 304

A flicker of terror crossed Li Li Haoyang's face; he stumbled back two steps, nearly losing his footing and falling. The word "surrender" struck like thunder from a clear sky, leaving his mind blank.

After a long while, he slowly shifted his gaze toward the hall's exterior. Six hundred thousand enemy troops had already surrounded Jizhou City, forming an impenetrable cordon. The archers on the ramparts wore faces of despair; their arrows were long since exhausted, yet the enemy continued to surge forward endlessly. The newly recruited young soldiers' legs turned to jelly, and they could muster not a shred of fighting spirit.

Li Li Haoyang's fingers repeatedly jabbed at his temples; the throbbing veins reminded him that his final hour was near. He knew his despair and fury were laid bare before Jin Ling, yet he could no longer conceal the facade. Indeed, Great Liao was already shattered, and how could he possibly be a match for Jiang Jiang Mingyu?

At this thought, Li Li Haoyang slumped heavily onto the dragon throne. His withered fingers mechanically stroked the table surface, which was covered in death letters sent by frontline generals. These were once his trusted confidants, now all reduced to corpses beneath the blade. Jizhou was trapped by internal strife and external threats; the collapse of the great edifice was as certain as nails in wood.

Li Li Haoyang bitterly twisted his lips, as if trying to force out a self-mocking smile. Fate played cruel tricks; the bitterness he once endured, tossing and turning to build a nation, had now become the spoils Jiang Jiang Mingyu enjoyed. At this very moment, where was there any way out or hope?

"Your Majesty..." Jin Ling called softly, his tone filled with sorrow. Li Li Haoyang knew his Prime Minister was more clear-headed than himself; seeing the tide had turned and this battle was destined to fail, seeking peace was the best strategy. Yet for Li Li Haoyang, this was a hundred times harder than death.

Li Li Haoyang's gaze swept over the map on the wall: from Jizhou to Huzhou, from Hongzhou to Guanzhong, lands once under his command were now all engulfed in war. The enemy advanced as if through an empty land; Great Liao's army retreated step by step, as if this defeat had been destined long ago.

He recalled the victory report received a few days prior, describing the miserable death of Fei Long beneath horse hooves. At that time, Li Li Haoyang had been furious, crumpling the letter violently. Now, looking back, only endless exhaustion remained.

Fei Long, Wang Wang Sichao—the departure of great generals one by one was like chunks of Great Liao's foundation peeling away. And the defeats of Wu Wu Yongyan and Kuang Kuang Boya were merely adding frost to snow. Li Li Haoyang let out a bitter smile; indeed, Great Liao was now hanging by a thread.

Jin Ling spoke correctly; Jizhou faced internal troubles and external threats. Fang Hang and Li Goudan had raised troops in Huzhou, while Feng Xiwu attacked various commanderies; the great edifice was clearly about to collapse. Furthermore, with Jiang Jiang Mingyu's six hundred thousand troops arriving beneath the city walls, how could his mere two hundred thousand possibly be a match?

Li Li Haoyang threw his head back and laughed long, his voice filled with despair. He struck the pillar beside him with a powerful fist; the pillar shook violently, and the imperial plaque inscribed with "Great Liao Eternal Stability" above it fell to the ground with a "thud," its golden characters instantly twisting and deforming.

Is this the end? Li Li Haoyang closed his eyes, and the stern image of his father, Li Cunxu, floated in his mind. If it were him, how would he respond to this predicament?

Just then, a man's voice suddenly rang out.

"Your Majesty, surrender is absolutely unthinkable. Though unworthy, this general wishes to kill enemies and build merit for Your Majesty."

The speaker was not yet thirty years old; in his pair of bright black eyes, there was no trace of fear.

This man was Li Li Haoyang's Minister of War, and previously one of his subordinate generals, named Zhu Zhu Shaoyu.

As Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's words of volunteering fell silent, the hall became utterly quiet. Li Li Haoyang sized up this young subject from head to toe; a flicker of hope suddenly rose in his heart. He stared intently at Zhu Zhu Shaoyu, trying to detect any hint of bluffing, but saw only determination.

Zhu Zhu Shaoyu was not particularly tall; his figure was slightly lean, yet every muscle radiated explosive power. His gaze was sharp and fierce, showing no fear whatsoever, as if he had already cast life and death aside. A heavy long spear was slanted at his side, seemingly ready to be drawn for a fierce battle at any moment.

Li Li Haoyang nodded slightly, his beard trembling a few times; for the first time, his eyes showed a look of affirmation. Such a young and vigorous man, even if he died, would likely die on horseback, beneath an enemy's spear. Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's words caused a ray of hope to rise for the first time in his heart, which had been swallowed by despair for these past few days.

"Minister Zhu truly possesses heroic spirit!" Li Li Haoyang clapped his hands and laughed heartily. "Just now, I worried Great Liao's realm could not be preserved; now that you have taken the field, I can rest easy!"

"This subject shall fight to the death for Your Majesty and hang Jiang Jiang Mingyu's head on the city wall for all to see!" Zhu Zhu Shaoyu replied, clenching his fist.

"Haha, good! I just like young men like you, full of spirit and fiery blood!" Li Li Haoyang laughed heartily, rubbing his belly, and his earlier disappointment was swept away completely.

Zhu Zhu Shaoyu also answered loudly; he instantly seemed to grow several sizes larger. The whole man stood tall and proud, radiating a killing intent that demanded battle. Li Li Haoyang could not help but feel inspired; immediately, he placed all his hopes upon this brave and strategic young subject.

Zhu Zhu Shaoyu also laughed heartily, excitement and eagerness shining in his eyes.

He rushed to the hall door in three strides taking two, kicked open the heavy wooden door with one foot; the door panel "bang" flew open far away, revealing a dusty, dirt-faced little soldier outside.

"Someone, open the city gate for me!" Zhu Zhu Shaoyu shouted with a swing of his arms. The soldier snapped to attention at the call, loudly responding "Yes," then turned and ran toward the city tower.

Zhu Zhu Shaoyu turned back to look at Li Li Haoyang, his eyes flashing with firm light: "Your Majesty, rest assured; I shall certainly present Jiang Jiang Mingyu's head before the hall!"

At the same time, a stern shout suddenly rang out beneath the city: "People of the city, listen! I am Tuke Tuke Siluo, Marquis of National Stabilization under the One Da Jiang Emperor, leading five hundred thousand troops on a personal expedition! You must quickly open the city and surrender!" Everyone followed the sound and looked; they saw the tall Tu Tu Kesiluo holding a precious sword; he was the one who had just spoken.

Before his words had fully faded, Tu Tu Kesiluo waved his hand, and a bloody head flew forth in response, smashing at the feet of the crowd on the ramparts! Everyone looked in shock at the severed head; it was none other than the Grand Commander Wang Wang Sichao!

"Hurry and report!" the defending general urged again.

Just then, the city gate "boom" swung wide open; a young general in brocade robes strode out, with two hundred thousand troops behind him. "Who dares to falsely claim the title of Emperor, not knowing life from death!" This man was Zhu Zhu Shaoyu, Li Li Haoyang's trusted favorite general. He showed no fear of the heavy troops pressing behind Tu Tu Kesiluo, but stepped out proudly to fight.

"Minister Zhu, quickly send someone to report to His Majesty..." Before the defending general's words were finished, Zhu Zhu Shaoyu had already swung his weapon and charged straight at Tu Tu Kesiluo! Tu Tu Kesiluo looked back coldly; with one wave of his hand, fifty thousand archers immediately aimed at the city gate!

"Do you think a mere two hundred thousand men can contend with this Marquis?" Tu Tu Kesiluo said expressionlessly.

"Hahahaha!" Zhu Zhu Shaoyu laughed wildly. "Are you that rebel's lackey? Your day of death and your master's have arrived!"

He gripped his long spear tightly with both hands; the spear tip struck the ground, sparking a string of sparks. The fighting spirit that had been pent up in his heart for so many days finally found an outlet.

"Open the city gate!" Zhu Zhu Shaoyu shouted loudly. Two burly men responded by turning the door rings; the heavy city gate creaked open. Sunlight shot through the gateway; Zhu Zhu Shaoyu squinted his eyes and strode out of the city.

"Follow!" Dozens of cavalrymen swung their Mongol steel blades, shouting as they charged out behind Zhu Zhu Shaoyu. The blade edges flashed with chilling light in the sun; enemy arrows rained down one after another, yet they dodged them lightly and easily.

"Go die with your master, go die!" Zhu Zhu Shaoyu leaped high, the spear tip pointing straight at the enemy formation. A tall general in silver armor was riding toward them from within the enemy ranks; Zhu Zhu Shaoyu, with sharp eyes, instantly recognized that it was Tu Tu Kesiluo himself!

"Hey!" He thrust his spear out violently; Tu Tu Kesiluo sidestepped to dodge, bringing his right-hand Liu Tianyu Axe down overhead. Zhu Zhu Shaoyu laughed loudly, parried the axe shaft, spun around taking advantage of the momentum, and thrust his spear backward straight at Tu Tu Kesiluo's face.

"Good heavens!" Tu Tu Kesiluo reined his horse back, sneering: "You have quite the nerve!" With that, he actually turned his horse and retreated into the main army; Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's heart tightened, vaguely sensing something was amiss.

Indeed, countless willow-leaf arrows suddenly flew out from the enemy ranks. Zhu Shaoyan reacted swiftly, raising his hand to swing his spear, "ding-ding-dang-dang," deflecting most of the arrows. Several cavalrymen beside him were struck in vital points, screaming as they fell from their horses.

Zhu Zhu Shaoyu held a large blade, charging fiercely at Tu Tu Kesiluo. His eyes were bloodshot; he only wished to cut down this arrogant enemy commander before him with a single slash.

"Woo-woo-woo!" He leaped high, holding the blade with both hands to strike down from mid-air. This slash gathered all his strength; the blade edge turned into cold light, suddenly hacking toward Tu Tu Kesiluo's head.

With a "boom" of a huge roar, Tu Tu Kesiluo also drew his long sword to meet him, taking advantage of the momentum to block Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's large blade. Their weapons clashed, sending up a shower of sparks flying in all directions.

"You insolent maggot!" Tu Tu Kesiluo snorted, holding his sword with one hand to thrust straight at Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's chest. Zhu Zhu Shaoyu shrank sideways, narrowly avoiding it, then kicked at Tu Tu Kesiluo's lower body. Tu Tu Kesiluo simply spun, letting Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's kick pass; his long sword swept out an arc like a wind-shadow, "swish," slashing at Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's right arm.

"The martial world is treacherous; today I shall let you taste the flavor of losing your right arm!" Tu Tu Kesiluo shouted with a sneer. Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's face changed slightly; he swung his large blade with all his might, "clang," blocking it hard. The violent vibration in his right arm instantly made him show pain; he gritted his teeth, holding Tu Tu Kesiluo's sword blade, then swung his left hand fiercely, only to be lightly dodged by Tu Tu Kesiluo.

"Hahahaha!" Tu Tu Kesiluo laughed heartily, about to press the advantage. Zhu Zhu Shaoyu's chest heaved violently; sweat dripped from his forehead. He knew Tu Tu Kesiluo's martial arts far surpassed his own; continuing the fight would only lead to death.