Chapter 313: The Empty Fort Strategy

At the third watch, the city of Shangmu, which had been peacefully asleep, was jolted awake. A squad of Other Xi Xia soldiers crept silently into the city, led by the Other Xi Xia famous general Mo Mo Yanbin.

"Be careful in your movements; under no circumstances alert the Southern barbarians in the city," Mo Mo Yanbin whispered to his men.

The Other Xi Xia soldiers moved cautiously, step by step, shifting toward the city center. The silent night instilled fear in the timid soldiers, who feared alerting the Southern barbarians and inviting death upon themselves.

"Commander, how shall we deal with these Southern barbarians?" Yan Yan Anfu, following behind Mo Mo Yanbin, asked cautiously.

"First, capture a Southern barbarian for interrogation to learn the location of their main camp, then annihilate them in one stroke," Mo Mo Yanbin said with determined eyes.

Just then, blinding flames suddenly lit up all around, leaving the Other Xi Xia soldiers momentarily at a loss. Immediately after, a domineering male voice exploded in the night sky: "Mo Mo Yanbin, do you still recognize me, Jiang Jiang Mingyu!"

"This... what is the situation?!" Mo Mo Yanbin's face turned ashen. Shortly after, reinforcements led by Fang Hang surrounded the Other Xi Xia troops completely.

"Close the city gates!" A command rang out from afar. The city gates slammed shut with a boom, trapping Mo Mo Yanbin's reinforcements outside the city.

Illuminated by the flames, a young man stepped forward; it was Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

"Didn't expect this, Mo Vanguard. I told you long ago there was no ambush in the city," Jiang Jiang Mingyu mocked. "If you had successfully broken into the city back then, you would now be a pile of cold corpses. How about it? Was my Empty Fort Strategy not bad?"

"You cunning Southern barbarian, you actually deceived me!" Mo Mo Yanbin's eyes turned red, and he wished he could swallow Jiang Jiang Mingyu alive and tear him apart.

"Calm down. I already gave you a chance. But you insisted on overestimating your strength and breaking in, so do not blame me for being ruthless," Jiang Jiang Mingyu said calmly. He then raised his sword and shouted: "Kill them all; not one shall be left!"

"Protect the Commander! Protect the Commander!" Yan Yan Anfu hurriedly shielded Mo Mo Yanbin. Fang Hang's fire arrows fell upon the Other Xi Xia soldiers like meteors, leaving corpses strewn everywhere.

"We must break through!" Yan Yan Anfu gritted his teeth as the Other Xi Xia soldiers desperately charged toward the encirclement.

Just then, a sword light as bright as Bai Xue slashed through the sky, aiming straight for Mo Mo Yanbin's throat. Mo Mo Yanbin barely managed to block it and fell to the ground.

"You shall not harm my Commander even a fraction!" Yan Yan Anfu roared, swinging his long sword down at that person. That person dodged lightly; Yan Yan Anfu's attack missed, and he was instead kicked to the ground by that person.

That person pressed the sword tip against Yan Yan Anfu's throat and said coldly, "Jiang Mou will definitely take both your lives today."

"You detestable Southern barbarian, how dare you insult my Great Other Xi Xia!" Mo Mo Yanbin struggled to his feet. "I will fight you to the death!"

"What arrogance! But this Shangmu is destined to become your burial ground!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu was not willing to yield.

The two drew their swords, their battle intent surging. At that moment, a roar of killing cries came from afar; it was Tu Tu Kesiluo's vast army arriving.

"Reinforcements have arrived! Haha, you Southern barbarian, today in this Shangmu, I will cut you into a thousand pieces!" Mo Mo Yanbin summoned his courage.

"Let us see if you have the ability!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu sneered.

"Mo Mo Yanbin, prepare to die!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo's eyes were bloodshot. Holding a long sword gleaming with cold light, he aimed straight for Mo Mo Yanbin's throat. Mo Mo Yanbin was locked in combat with a One Da Jiang soldier; hearing the sound, he turned back, but it was already too late to parry.

"Save the Commander!"

Yan Yan Anfu shouted loudly and leaped toward Tu Tu Kesiluo. After their swords clashed, Yan Yan Anfu was kicked flying and crashed heavily to the ground.

"Get out of my way!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo, looking like a ferocious demon, thrust his sword at Yan Yan Anfu. Yan Yan Anfu barely rolled aside to avoid it, then scrambled up to fight again.

"Be careful!"

Seeing Tu Tu Kesiluo's fierce approach, Mo Mo Yanbin, ignoring the several bloody wounds on his body, swung his great sword at Tu Tu Kesiluo. The two became locked in a brawl, and Yan Yan Anfu joined the melee.

"Roar!"

Fang Hang held a long spear and slashed diagonally at Mo Mo Yanbin. Mo Mo Yanbin dodged and countered with a sweeping kick, sending Fang Hang flying.

"I will deal with this stinking baldy!"

Yan Yan Anfu rushed in front of Fang Hang, striking with his spear. The two fought to a stalemate.

"There is only one path: death!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo took the opportunity to swiftly circle behind Mo Mo Yanbin. With flashing sword light, he slashed at his neck.

"No good!"

Mo Mo Yanbin hurriedly raised his sword to block, but he was already powerless to parry. A jet of blood sprayed from his neck, and his head rolled to the ground.

"Hahaha!" Tu Tu Kesiluo picked up Mo Mo Yanbin's severed head, leaped onto a rooftop, and held it high. "Mo Mo Yanbin is dead! Follow me and kill; slaughter them all!"

"Commander!" Yan Yan Anfu cried out in anguish, momentarily unable to believe it.

"Detestable Southern barbarians, I will fight you to the death!" Tears blurred his vision; only killing remained in Yan Yan Anfu's heart.

"Die!"

Just then, a sharp blade struck from behind, and Yan Yan Anfu's head fell to the ground with a thud. The attacker turned out to be Li Goudan.

"Hahaha, Other Xi Xia beast, you shall also go to hell to accompany that baldy!" Li Goudan kicked Yan Yan Anfu's severed head aside and, with a sinister grin, threw himself back into the battle.

With the main commanders of the Other Xi Xia army dying one after another, morale immediately dropped several notches. Surrounded by enemies on all sides, they had no chance of survival.

"Follow me and kill! Avenge our commander!" someone shouted. Most of the remaining Other Xi Xia soldiers fled the battlefield in panic. The few who remained fought desperately in despair.

"Good! Blood for blood!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu held the Monarch Sword, moving through the enemy lines as if no one existed.

"Cut them down!" Tu Tu Kesiluo also waved his long sword and leaped into the thick of the fight.

Soon, the remaining Other Xi Xia soldiers lay dead everywhere, and the battlefield fell into a dead silence.

"Commander!"

"There are still survivors! Kill them quickly!" The officers and soldiers threw themselves back into the battle, quickly wiping out the last batch of Other Xi Xia people. By the time the sky had fully brightened, this bloody battle came to an end. Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood silently on the battlefield, mourning the fallen soldiers.

After clearing the battlefield, Jiang Jiang Mingyu led the army back to Shangmu City. From a distance, the One Da Jiang military banner fluttered in the wind atop the towering city, bathed in the morning light as if narrating this hard-won victory.

"Enemies still remain within the city; strengthen the defenses and forbid opening the city gates," Jiang Jiang Mingyu ordered. Immediately, the army entered the city in batches. The city gates slammed shut heavily behind Jiang Jiang Mingyu, cutting off both the dried corpses outside and the thin morning light.

Passing through the blood-stained long streets and alleys, they arrived at the city center square. The once-bustling market was now as silent as death. Occasionally, a few crows were startled from the ruined rooftops, emitting mournful cries. The continuous corpses on the square testified to the fierce fighting during the day. With a grim expression, Jiang Jiang Mingyu walked past them and returned first to the Shangmu Palace.

"You stay and command the treatment of the wounded," he instructed Tu Tu Kesiluo. "All other camps must thoroughly sweep the remaining Other Xi Xia forces within the city. If Liu Cong or other One Da Jiang captives are found, ensure their successful rescue."

"As you command." Tu Tu Kesiluo accepted the order and left. Jiang Jiang Mingyu watched him depart, let out a long breath, and, feeling slightly weary, pushed open the door and entered the palace.

This palace, once resplendent with gold and jade, was now unrecognizable; the walls were cracked, the roof collapsed, and debris lay everywhere. He walked along the hall where the royal banner hung, and soon saw Tuoba Tuoba Jiqian, who was tending to his wounds.

"The Other Xi Xia people suffered over half their casualties, and our army also suffered heavy losses," Jiang Jiang Mingyu said as he sat down beside him. "However, Shangmu has been reclaimed. For this victory, we paid too much in blood and fire..."

Tuoba Tuoba Jiqian nodded silently and sighed, "I did not expect the Other Xi Xia army to fight to this extent; they were more stubborn than imagined." They looked at each other in silence, each pondering the meaning of this victory.

Soon, Jiang Jiang Mingyu received reports from all parts of the city; except for scattered resistance in a few places, the remaining Other Xi Xia forces had been annihilated. One Da Jiang people like Liu Cong were all rescued. That night, Jiang Jiang Mingyu held a victory banquet in the palace to celebrate the reclamation of Shangmu. The soldiers drank heavily to celebrate. After three rounds of wine, everyone finally felt a bit tired and dispersed in groups of three and two.

On the second day at dawn, under Jiang Jiang Mingyu's urging, everyone began to seriously clean the battlefield. They collected and cremated all the corpses, then cleared away the ruined buildings. Three days later, Shangmu City became neat and fresh, with almost no traces of war to be found; everything was in perfect order.

When the night was deep and silent, Jiang Jiang Mingyu stood alone among the broken walls and ruins, gazing at the waning moon on the horizon. This once-glorious Wang Cheng had fallen into decay, covered everywhere in bloodstains and rubble. He let out a soft sigh, just thinking about post-war reconstruction, when a pair of soft hands wrapped around his waist.

"What are you thinking about, not even noticing me coming?" Jiang Jiang Mingyu turned back in surprise, meeting Liu Liu Yifei's watery eyes.

"Why aren't you asleep yet?" he reproached, "You must be exhausted from these past few days?"

Liu Liu Yifei coquettishly said, "I just missed you... We finally got to see each other, and you're still thinking about the war?" Her tone carried a hint of grievance.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu laughed helplessly, touching her hair: "Alright, I wasn't forgetting about you. It's just that there are so many things to think about..." he explained softly. Only then did Liu Liu Yifei show a smile, holding his hand even tighter.

The two looked at each other in silence, enjoying this long-overdue tenderness. At that moment, Liu Liu Yifei suddenly perked up and said, "I just heard from Feng Feng Xiwei that you suffered heavy casualties last night? What exactly happened? Tell me the details!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu helplessly shook his head and calmly recounted the sudden attack by Other Xi Xia and the entire siege battle. Hearing him say that 50,000 soldiers had fallen, Liu Liu Yifei's eyes reddened: "It's too tragic, 50,000 lives! Don't blame yourself too much; being able to defend Shangmu is already difficult." Having said that, she took his hand.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled slightly and pulled her into his arms again: "With you here, I fear nothing. As long as we are together, we will surely flatten the entire Other Xi Xia in the future!" The two stood embracing, drawing strength from the devastation. At that moment, footsteps approached from not far away, and Tu Tu Kesiluo walked over.

"Report, Big Brother, Xicheng has been cleared. We concentrated the cremation of the corpses and found several granaries." As he was speaking, he noticed Liu Liu Yifei was also there and couldn't help but feel a bit awkward.

Liu Liu Yifei hurriedly said, "You've worked hard, Tu Tu Kesiluo; go rest early tonight!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu also chuckled, "Just right; if I don't sleep now, your sister-in-law will surely pinch me to death!" Having said that, he winked secretly at Tu Tu Kesiluo, who then dispelled his awkwardness and smiled as he took his leave.

"This young man really is, always worrying about the war, not thinking about his own body." The two watched his departing figure. "Mm-hmm, unlike someone who gets all clingy as soon as they arrive," Jiang Jiang Mingyu teased. "You!" Liu Liu Yifei pouted, pinching him once. The two continued to tease each other, one speaking and the other replying, before finally embracing and falling asleep.