[{"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-310":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},2289145,4475,"Chapter 310: Shangmu Falls, Murong Yunhai Dies in Vain","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-310",310,"\u003Cp>Hooves clattered as a swift horse galloped toward them, kicking up thick clouds of dust. The rider’s face was charred black, his expression terrified, his body swaying precariously. “Em... Emperor... it’s bad!” Before he could finish, he tumbled from his horse, collapsing lifelessly to the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The crowd rushed forward to support him, urging him to rest and drink water. Only then did the rider slowly open his eyes and blurt out: “Fifty thousand Xixia troops have breached the border and are now at the gates of Shangmu!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What?! Shangmu?! Jiang Mingyu’s heart clenched sharply, a dull ache spreading through him. He had hoped Shangmu, once rebuilt, would be renewed—how could he have imagined it would suffer such a blow so soon? With few troops at his command, Murong Yunhai could hold out against the Xixia army for at most thirty-five days. If Shangmu fell, the consequences would be unimaginable!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, the Xixia are advancing fiercely—we must drive them back. I’ll lead thirty thousand light cavalry, marching day and night to reinforce Shangmu.” Tukesiluo spoke in a grim tone, his face dark with anger. Jiang Mingyu nodded heavily, about to agree, when suddenly he remembered something and sharply halted Tukesiluo: “Wait! I’m going with you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No!” Tukesiluo urgently protested. “The situation in Shangmu is dire—Your Majesty cannot risk yourself!” The other generals also pleaded with him to stay. But Jiang Mingyu stood firm: “My decision is final. Shangmu’s plight is my fault—I abandoned my post. How can I face the people if I don’t go now?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time and again in his dreams, he faintly heard the people whispering beside him: “Master has gone far away—remember to take care of yourself!” He carried their trust deep in his heart, vowing to protect them in person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing they could not dissuade him, no one spoke further. All followed Jiang Mingyu as they set out to rescue Shangmu. Thirty thousand light cavalry soon vanished into the distant dust.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Midway, a sudden storm of wind and rain blocked their path. Jiang Mingyu, frantic with worry, ordered a temporary camp established beside the riverbank. The terrain, nestled against hills and water with dense forests, offered temporary shelter. Yet faint thunder rumbled from the northwest, as if an even greater storm was brewing. Jiang Mingyu stood atop a rise, gazing toward the Xixia border, his brow heavy with worry. This rain would surely slow the relief force—but it would also severely hinder the Xixia army’s advance. Could the defenders of Shangmu hold out longer now?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu strained to recall his time crossing into Yingchang, when he too had endured endless storms and trials. Yet remembering how he had raced nonstop to escort the people then, he saw a painful similarity to his current urgency. He let out a bitter laugh—life’s cycle had brought him back to relive those days. Only now, the burden on his shoulders was heavier, and his resolve to protect even stronger. Once this storm passed, he would push the army to march day and night, striking swiftly to lift the siege of Shangmu!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thus, amid the lashing rain and dense forest, Jiang Mingyu focused his mind, plotting the next route forward. He knew the road ahead was perilous—there was no turning back now. If Shangmu truly fell, he, Tukesiluo, and the entire army would have no chance of survival. This battle was nothing less than a fight for the survival of Dajiang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu and Tukesiluo split to oversee their troops, riding nonstop for five days until they crossed Jingzhou and entered the familiar territory of Cangzhou. Just as Jiang Mingyu urged them again to hasten their pace, a scout galloped up, face alight with joy: “Your Majesty! Three days ago, Lord Murong commanded with brilliance and decisiveness—he repelled the Xixia advance, slaying over ten thousand enemy soldiers!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Our forces now hold the line north of the city—the tide of battle is turning in our favor!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu exhaled deeply, praising: “Good! Yunhai truly has courage and insight—he has eased my mind!” He immediately ordered the scout to return and deliver word: tell Murong Yunhai to hold on—he would arrive at the latest in three days.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No sooner had the scout left than Jiang Mingyu’s joy vanished, replaced by even deeper gravity. Tukesiluo, puzzled, urged: “Big brother, with Yunhai holding the city, things are improving—why not rest a while before advancing?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Rest? It’s far too early to speak of that!” Jiang Mingyu’s face was stern. “Tuoba Jiqian has come to fight—he won’t retreat easily. Fifty thousand troops were merely a probing vanguard; a far fiercer assault is coming. To hold Shangmu, we must race against every second!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With that, he ordered the army to press forward at full speed. Along the way, soldiers’ faces were caked in dust, every man exhausted, nearly collapsing from fatigue. Then Tukesiluo joyfully announced they were only thirty li from Shangmu and urged immediate advance.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But unexpectedly, Jiang Mingyu ordered them to halt. He spoke calmly: “The situation is unclear. Rest for now, recover strength, send out scouts to reconnoiter—only when safety is confirmed will we advance.” The generals, hearing this, dared not slacken for a moment and immediately rested where they stood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu, however, did not sleep a wink. He stood high above, gazing silently toward Shangmu, his brow tightly furrowed. He knew his men were utterly spent—but he recalled how, in his youth, he too had fled eastward with the people, enduring wind, rain, and sharing life and death. Now, facing hardship once more, how could he afford the slightest laziness? This mission to Shangmu was nothing less than a fight for the lives of the old and young!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tukesiluo, seeing Jiang Mingyu’s grim expression, stepped forward softly: “Big brother, don’t overexert yourself. With Yunhai holding the city, Shangmu won’t fall easily. Haven’t these past days been all about him repelling Xixia raids?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu seemed not to hear. He kept his gaze fixed on Shangmu, his brow still knotted. He admitted he felt an inexplicable unease—fearing that one day, Shangmu might still fail. Seeing his profound worry, Tukesiluo said no more and found a spot to close his eyes and rest.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, distant hooves thundered toward them. A scout sprinted up, face pale with terror, as if bearing some dreadful news. Jiang Mingyu’s heart lurched—he rushed forward three steps at once: “Speak! What has happened at Shangmu?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The scout knelt, voice choked with tears: “Report... Your Majesty... the Xixia army launched a massive assault on Shangmu—and they’ve breached the walls! Lord Murong... he has... fallen heroically! Right now, all the elderly, weak, women, and children inside the city are trapped by the Xixia troops...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?!” Jiang Mingyu felt as if a hammer had struck his chest. He seized the scout by the collar, roaring: “Tell me how this happened!” The news of the city’s fall stunned everyone. Tukesiluo, beside him, gritted his teeth and demanded to lead the army to avenge Yunhai.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Terrified by Jiang Mingyu’s fury, the scout collapsed to his knees, pounding his head in apology. He confessed that when he arrived, the city had already fallen—he had seen nothing of the civilians, only Murong Yunhai’s severed head on the ramparts. Jiang Mingyu’s insides burned with agony. He knew the scout had done his utmost, yet he could not suppress a sliver of dread—Shangmu’s fall meant catastrophe!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu fell silent for a moment, then made his decision: “Even if the people still live, we must retake Shangmu at once! If the Xixia establish themselves here, chaos will spread through Dajiang. I will launch a night attack tonight—annihilate this treacherous Xixia force!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Big brother, our army is only thirty thousand exhausted troops—advancing so recklessly into enemy territory risks ambush! The consequences could be dire!” Tukesiluo urgently warned. Jiang Mingyu understood the danger—but the thought of the civilians trapped inside made waiting unbearable. Though this lone advance was perilous beyond measure, he remembered his duty: this was a fight to protect the land of Dajiang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Jiang Mingyu gazed westward, faint wisps of smoke rising from within Shangmu’s walls. The fate of its people remained unknown. But as ruler, he must now be calm, decisive—even if the odds were dire, he must spare no effort to protect his people. The thirty thousand troops camped to rest, but Jiang Mingyu did not sleep. He paced alone on the heights, planning every possible strategy to confront the coming enemy...\u003C\u002Fp>",1406,"2026-06-20T03:28:18.279Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","3fc843932d6e764b2414f38946fd9a0a38d41831c0713a87c6bda4a8706c110d","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-311","the-top-scholar-of-da-ling-chapter-309",392,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-top-scholar-of-da-ling-cover.jpg"]