Chapter 311: Night Raid on Shangmu City

Jiang Jiang Mingyu focused his gaze southward, vaguely seeing faint cooking smoke rising within Shangmu City; whether the common people were still safe remained unknown. At this moment, he knew only that the burden on his shoulders had grown heavier; he must remain calm and in control to secure more chances of survival for the people. Ordering three thousand troops to rest in the wild, Jiang Jiang Mingyu paced alone on the high ground, calculating strategies in his mind.

Just then, a rider galloped over urgently, reporting that loud snoring could be heard from within the city, seemingly all drunken Western Xia soldiers. Jiang Jiang Mingyu pondered for a moment, his eyes suddenly flashing with sharp light. He understood the situation in the city: after the Western Xia soldiers had recklessly plundered, they would surely hold a grand celebration and drink heavily; this was the perfect opportunity for a night raid. Immediately, he ordered the three thousand troops to advance silently, preparing to attack the city.

At the third watch, the army had arrived beneath Nancheng. Faint lights shone brightly atop the city walls, and coarse and heavy snoring gradually rose. Seeing the blood-stained head of Lord Murong Murong Yunhai hanging on the city tower, both Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tu Tu Kesiluo's faces changed abruptly. "Big Brother, tonight I will make these beasts pay their blood debt with blood!" Tu Tu Kesiluo fiercely ordered the vanguard to scale the walls and annihilate the enemy.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu flew into a rage and shouted an order to Tu Tu Kesiluo: "Quickly lead the three thousand troops to scale the walls and seize the gates, to avenge Brother Murong Yunhai!" Hearing the order, Tu Tu Kesiluo immediately raised his steel blade high and roared to the soldiers behind him: "Brothers, follow me up to the city walls and slaughter all the Western Xia dogs guarding the city!"

In an instant, three hundred brave and skilled imperial guards were seen hooking long ropes and quietly leaping onto the city walls; with a swing of their hands and a fall of their blades, they eliminated all Western Xia sentries in the blink of an eye.

Halfway through, a deputy general suddenly requested an order to halt. While Jiang Jiang Mingyu was puzzled, he heard the sound of orderly footsteps approaching from afar. The arrivals were Western Xia patrol soldiers; before they could even see our army, the situation had reached a critical moment. "Loose the arrows!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu resolutely ordered. Several sharp arrows flew out like a swarm of locusts; in an instant, those seventy-eight Western Xia soldiers had already met their deaths.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu led a portion of the army to search the city, but every single alley was stained with blood, making his heart tighten painfully. At that moment, a deputy general stepped forward and advised: "Your Majesty, there seem to be Western Xia patrol soldiers ahead; should we set an ambush?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes sharpened; he drew his sword and shouted: "Perfect timing! Ambush here; I intend to capture these beasts alive!" The deputy general immediately obeyed and hid behind a wall. Moments later, a squad of fully equipped Western Xia soldiers marched in for drill; before they could even see the terrain, their bodies lay scattered everywhere.

After several waves of Western Xia soldiers were killed, the county yamen finally came into view. Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu was about to rush straight in, the deputy general hurriedly stepped forward to stop him: "Your Majesty, wait! This place is surrounded by enemies; do not act rashly!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed heartily: "Such mere soldiers, what can they do to me? You stay back to provide support; I will rush into the yamen to seek justice!" Saying this, he raised his sword and entered the main gate directly.

But as soon as he stepped across the threshold, a female corpse clad in tattered clothes lay starkly piled on the ground; this was Liu Liu Churan, whom Jiang Jiang Mingyu had saved years ago after she was bullied by the evil young master of the He family.

And now, the gears of fate had led him back to this land filled with blood and tears. All of this was like an inescapable nightmare, repeatedly reminding him of his own weakness and helplessness. With red-rimmed eyes, Jiang Jiang Mingyu slowly lifted Liu Liu Churan's already cold body. Asking heaven and questioning earth, how could fate trample the dignity of such a pitiful woman, and then, years later, place her tragic state before him again as a warning and a harsh rebuke?

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gently brushed the dust from Liu Liu Churan's face and gritted his teeth, muttering: "Xiao Ran, today I have returned. Even though your life has ended, I will surely seek justice for you! Even if I must stretch out my neck to be executed, I will return this native land to you and all our compatriots!"

When the first ray of dawn rose from the eastern horizon, Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood on the city tower gazing at the surroundings; he saw that the previously burned houses had been completely rebuilt. With wide streets and neat tiled houses stretching as far as the eye could see, all these changes filled him with deep emotion.

"Your Majesty, a great opportunity to defeat the Western Xia dogs has arrived!" the advisor beside him said joyfully. "As long as our army holds the city, we will surely swallow the Western Xia people alive!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled faintly, yet he was not as optimistic as the advisor. He knew that cunning Western Xia Third Prince would not easily admit defeat; he would surely return with renewed force to launch a fierce attack.

At that moment, the fully equipped army had finished forming ranks, and the military horns echoed through the clouds. Jiang Jiang Mingyu cleared his throat and ordered loudly: "Beat the drums! Issue the order: all city soldiers will march out to meet the enemy in half an hour!"

In a few beats, the powerful and resonant sound of war drums rapidly reverberated throughout the entire city. Then, Jiang Jiang Mingyu heard a series of tense and excited shouts:

"Get up quickly! Something terrible has happened! The Western Xia people are invading!"

"Oh heavens! It's barely sunrise, and we have to fight already?"

"What is going on! Disturbing the people so early in the morning!"

"Haven't you heard? Our new city lord led the army back into the city and utterly routed the Western Xia people!"

"Nonsense! The city lord was killed by the Western Xia people long ago; everything you say is false!"

Amidst various murmurs, lights quickly turned on in the houses along both sides of the street; the common people who had lived here for a long time, faces filled with fear, walked out of their homes in small groups.

Among them, an old man trembled, walking forward cautiously, then looked up at the figure on the city tower with an expression of disbelief: "This... is this the Old Master?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled and nodded, speaking gently: "Fellow villagers, I have returned. Rest assured; as long as I am here, the Western Xia people will never succeed again!"

In an instant, the common people, their eyes suddenly brimming with hot tears, knelt on the ground and sobbed softly:

"Old Master, you have finally returned! I knew you would not abandon us common people!"

"Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty! Long live Your Majesty ten thousand times over!"

"Old Master, please avenge Lord Lord Murong for us! Avenge Shangmu City for us!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu hurriedly stepped forward to help the old man up, smiling and comforting him:

"Enough, enough, stand up and speak. I have personally captured the Western Xia Grand Marshal and am about to give you an explanation!" Having finished speaking, he turned and waved his hand to the guards behind him.

Immediately, two warriors dragged a middle-aged man in ragged clothes, bound tightly with ropes, before the crowd; that man was precisely the Western Xia commander who had previously occupied Shangmu City. At this moment, he had lost his former prestige, his expression extremely wretched and panicked.

"You beast! Do you dare to show your face?"

"I demand your life! Give me back my wife!"

In an instant, the angry common people shouted, wanting to rush forward and tear the Western Xia commander to pieces. Jiang Jiang Mingyu hurriedly spoke to stop them, then turned to the Western Xia person kneeling on the ground:

"Do you know your crime? Do you have any last words to say?"

The Western Xia person suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, his expression trembling with excitement: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, even if you kill me, what can you do to me! My main force, personally led by the Western Xia Third Prince with heavy troops, is coming; Shangmu City will surely fall! At that time, you and your common people will all die!"

A wave of angry hissing immediately erupted from the crowd:

"Go to hell! Do you think I won't kill you right now?"

"Beast! Arrogant just by opening your mouth! I want you to learn your lesson!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood with his hands behind his back and said in a deep voice: "If that is the case, then I will personally handle this; I will use your flesh and blood to repay the hatred of the people!" Then he turned to Ao Tu Tu Kesiluo beside him: "Flay his skin!"

"As you command, Big Brother!" A flash of cold light passed through Tu Tu Kesiluo's eyes; he immediately drew the long blade from his waist and severed the Western Xia person's wrists and ankles with a single stroke. Immediately following, under the repeated tearing of the blade tip, the Western Xia commander's skin split and flesh tore, exposing the bones. His two legs quickly turned into white, bare bones, and his body gradually turned a deep red...

The common people of Shangmu City felt no revulsion at this inhumane torture; their hands were tightly clenched into fists, their eyes filled with vengeful fury, as if they were completing their own revenge through the hands of that devilish Ao Tu Tu Kesiluo.

Finally, amidst a pool of blood, only that devilish Tu Tu Kesiluo remained standing in place, with a corpse shaped like a monster piled behind him. Jiang Jiang Mingyu let out a long sigh, only then remembering the matter at hand.

The common people congratulated Jiang Jiang Mingyu on his victory one after another. An old man stepped forward and asked: "Your Majesty, the whereabouts of the Western Xia main army are unknown; whether they will come or not cannot be known. What is your intention?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu said in a deep voice: "The Western Xia's wolf-like ambitions have been revealed; their army's invasion is only a matter of time. To prevent small troubles from growing, I have already ordered Tu Tu Kesiluo to reinforce the border defenses. You all must also guard your homes and not let fear arise in your hearts."

A common person said with deep worry: "Your Majesty, we fear we cannot withstand the Western Xia iron cavalry. If our homes are ravaged again, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu comforted him: "You may rest assured; I have ordered reinforcements to hasten their arrival; at that time, we will join forces to encircle and annihilate the Western Xia beasts." Saying this, he beckoned Tu Tu Kesiluo over and instructed: "Tu Tu Kesiluo, immediately notify General Fang to lead the main army to come to our aid and strengthen the fortifications of the three cities! That Tuoba Third Prince is sinister and cunning; we must not be the slightest bit careless!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo immediately knelt to receive the order; just as he was about to turn, he suddenly heard Jiang Jiang Mingyu say again: "By the way, immediately send someone to notify Her Majesty the Empress to leave Cangzhou and seek refuge! The sooner the better!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo replied: "I have already sent people to search, but the road is long, and no news has arrived yet. I imagine the Western Xia lack provisions and would not dare to venture deep into the interior; Her Majesty should be safe." Hearing this, Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt slightly relieved and immediately ordered him to increase the personnel to ensure Liu Liu Yifei's safety.

At that moment, a middle-aged man suddenly knelt on the ground, crying: "Your Majesty, my wife and children are still following the Western Xia beasts performing hard labor in the Western Regions! I pray Your Majesty achieves great deeds and swiftly recovers our native land!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu hurriedly helped him up and said gently: "The army is already being organized; we will soon march out to the Western Regions. At that time, I will surely reunite your entire family."

By then, the sky was gradually darkening, and the common people had all returned to rest. Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood alone on the city tower, gazing toward the direction of the Western Xia, his expression sometimes firm, sometimes worried. He muttered to himself: "I will surely make the banner of One Da Jiang fly again over our native land, allowing the people to return home and live in peace..." The moonlight was like frost; Jiang Jiang Mingyu pointed his long sword to the ground, his heroic spirit and ambition still intact. As long as the Western Xia are not utterly exterminated in a single day, he will surely lead the army west day and night!

After this, accompanied by the urgent repairs and training throughout Shangmu City, time swiftly passed to the third day. The main army in the city was fully prepared for battle, and the common people were also trembling with fear. At this time, Shangmu City was filled with a grim atmosphere...