Chapter 365: Seizing Xiongzhou

Inside the massive Xiongzhou City, the air was quiet and solemn. On the towering city gate, the garrison captain Tong Wa and Zuo Zhao both looked down with solemn faces.

In the open ground below the city, the One Da Jiang general Tu Tu Kesiluo was furiously raising his long sword and pointing it at the two, his voice booming like a great bell: "Grandsons, why don't you quickly kneel down and admit your crimes!"

Speaking the last words, his voice grew even colder, a thread of threat permeating his tone. His eyes narrowed slightly as he gazed at the scene below the city; though his face was expressionless, a hidden ruthlessness shone in his eyes.

Seeing this, Zuo Zhao, who had not spoken until now, instantly grew nervous. His body leaned forward slightly, his brows tightly furrowed, his expression somewhat panicked. "Commandant Tong, Jiang Jiang Mingyu is pressing us hard; how should we respond?" Anxiety was clearly audible in his tone.

The experience of the great flood in Jiangzhou, where he nearly drowned, had instilled in him an extremely heavy fear of Jiang Jiang Mingyu. Whenever he thought of Jiang Jiang Mingyu, he could not help but shiver, and cold sweat broke out on his back.

Tong Wa, however, was very calm, even appearing somewhat indifferent. He squinted his eyes, completely ignoring Zuo Zhao's question, and simply stared down at the city below for a long while before slowly curling a cold smile.

"Commandant Zuo, do not panic," he said coldly. "Although Tu Tu Kesiluo is arrogant and aggressive, their troops absolutely cannot compare to ours. Now, as long as someone leads troops out to fight and engages Jiang Jiang Mingyu in a chaotic battle, we will surely defeat his main force. By then, even if Tu Tu Kesiluo is invincible against ten thousand men, the only outcome awaiting him is a dead end."

His eyes shone with unparalleled confidence, as if victory was already in his grasp. According to his estimation, the troops available in the city were at least twenty to thirty thousand more than Jiang Jiang Mingyu's; these men were enough to deal with Tu Tu Kesiluo. Yet the moment he mentioned the need for one person to lead the troops, his gaze instantly locked firmly onto Zuo Zhao, his sharp eyes staring at him like a hawk eyeing its prey, unwilling to let it go.

Zuo Zhao instantly understood Tong Wa's intention. When one is under someone else's roof, one must bow one's head; he had no other choice. "Commandant Tong, I owe my life to your shelter; Zuo has no way to repay you. Today, Zuo is willing to lead troops out of the city to fight, first to repay Commandant Tong's great kindness, and second to avenge our fallen brothers." He spoke in a deep voice, his tone resolute.

"Commandant Tong, rest assured; if I do not chop off the heads of Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tu Tu Kesiluo today, Zuo swears not to return to the city." His fists unconsciously clenched tightly, and hatred flashed in his eyes. Although this act carried the risk of death, it was also an excellent opportunity to eliminate Jiang Jiang Mingyu and retake Jiangzhou. As for the responsibility of losing Jiangzhou, as long as Jiang Jiang Mingyu was put to death, Wei Wei Yangyao would surely show leniency.

Hearing Zuo Zhao's assurance, Tong Wa was overjoyed. "Good! Commandant Zuo is indeed wise. The army will march out immediately; this Commandant will personally lead the main force to support you!" He clapped his hands happily, a smile of expectation spreading across his face.

Such a scapegoat was simply perfect.

"Even if Zuo Zhao really defeats Jiang Jiang Mingyu, since the incident happens in Xiongzhou, won't all the credit belong to this Commandant me?" A cold smile curled Tong Wa's lips as he calculated secretly in his heart. But on the surface, he still pretended to be concerned, shaking his head toward Zuo Zhao: "Commandant Zuo, I have received word that Tu Tu Kesiluo is extremely cunning and fierce; you must be careful in your response."

He raised his chubby face, his brows tightly furrowed, looking deeply worried. His thick white beard fluttered gently in the breeze, his tone carrying a sense of deep deliberation: "I suggest that after you lead the army out of the city and set up formations, you should directly order the troops to launch a fierce charge against Jiang Jiang Mingyu and his gang. With the absolute numerical advantage of fifty thousand troops, annihilate the enemy in one stroke."

Zuo Zhao nodded slightly, his fingers brushing the sword hilt, a flash of cold light passing through his eyes as if calculating something. "What the hero says is very true. Zuo also has this very intention." He said lightly, his tone full of confidence.

In less than an hour, Zuo Zhao had led his five thousand elite troops to stand before Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tu Tu Kesiluo. The flood-like iron cavalry formed dense, impenetrable square formations; from a distance, they looked like cold iron walls. The cold light of long spears and sharp swords reflected dazzling white light under the sun, radiating killing intent. The solemn killing intent of the fifty thousand iron cavalry was as substantial as a physical object, making people feel unable to breathe.

Before Zuo Zhao could speak, Tu Tu Kesiluo in front of him unexpectedly shot out a flash of cold light. He waved his long sword, his body rising rapidly like an arrow leaving the string; man and sword became one, stabbing straight at Zuo Zhao's face. "Give up your life!" he roared loudly, his voice filled with fury and bloodlust.

A massive killing intent, as substantial as a physical object, exploded from the tip of Tu Tu Kesiluo's sword, and the air seemed to freeze. Zuo Zhao's face changed instantly, and alarm bells rang loudly in his heart. He subconsciously wanted to immediately order his army to counterattack fiercely, but it was already too late! He saw Tu Tu Kesiluo moving extremely fast, his long sword shooting toward Zuo Zhao like lightning, filled with the momentum of thunder and ten thousand pounds. Rarely, Zuo Zhao showed shock and panic.

Life and death hung in the balance for a split second! Zuo Zhao hurriedly raised his long spear horizontally, trying to block Tu Tu Kesiluo's fatal strike. Who knew that Tu Tu Kesiluo suddenly flipped in mid-air; this sword strike was a feint! He reversed his hand, and with a "whoosh," the tail end carrying the momentum of wind and thunder, he stabbed into Zuo Zhao's chest. The sharp, peerless sword tip mercilessly sliced Zuo Zhao alive into two halves. Fear and disbelief still lingered in Zuo Zhao's eyes as his two halves crashed down with a clatter, and hot blood immediately dyed half the ground red.

"No!!" Outside the fifty thousand Southern Border iron cavalry, Tong Wa's face changed violently, turning pale with horror. His heart pounded wildly; this scene happened too fast, leaving him overwhelmed. He had originally thought Zuo Zhao could hold off Jiang Jiang Mingyu, but who knew he would be ambushed by Tu Tu Kesiluo. Looking at the corpse on the ground gushing blood, Tong Wa felt a chill run down his spine, filled with regret.

At this moment, the neat and dense fifty thousand Southern Border iron cavalry felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave. Everyone stood dumbfounded, staring blankly at the sudden corpse on the ground and the shocking pool of blood; for a moment, no one reacted. Tu Tu Kesiluo, who could easily kill the commander-in-chief, was truly too terrifying and powerful! Countless soldiers turned pale, sweat pouring down their backs, their fighting spirit completely gone. Only at this moment did they truly realize Tu Tu Kesiluo's prowess and cunning.

Before Tong Wa could recover from the shock of Zuo Zhao's tragic death, Ebu, the new Iron Cavalry Camp general beside Jiang Jiang Mingyu, with eyes bloodshot, shouted loudly and raised his heavy broadsword: "Iron Cavalry Camp, follow me!"

With his command, the eighty thousand elite Iron Cavalry Camp troops of One Da Jiang, each a sturdy and powerful warrior, all raised their cold, gleaming cavalry sabers and responded in unison: "Kill—"!

The roar of eighty thousand people was like rolling thunder, filled with overwhelming killing intent. The Southern Border soldiers, who had not yet stabilized their footing, hearing this sound as if it could reverse the flow of rivers, instantly turned pale, their legs went soft, and their morale was on the verge of collapse.

The scene of Zuo Zhao being beheaded had already shaken their fighting spirit; many soldiers were still standing dazed in place, their faces full of terror and despair. Iron Cavalry Camp General Ebu would not give them time to react; with cold light intensifying in his eyes, he leaped high and let out a deep roar, leading his iron cavalry to charge into the Southern Border army like a swift wind, slipping through gaps, followed by a thorough and exhilarating bout of fierce hacking and slaughtering.

"Ah—" The screams of the Southern Border soldiers rose and fell in succession. Wherever Iron Cavalry Camp General Ebu passed, bodies littered the ground, and blood dyed the sky and earth red. Finally, Tong Wa, who had hurriedly recovered his senses, turned pale as paper. He shouted loudly, raising his sword to split several people in mid-air: "What are you staring at? Hold the line for me, quickly!"

But his roar was drowned out by the killing cries of the eighty thousand iron cavalry, completely unable to boost morale. Watching as Iron Cavalry Camp General Ebu and his men had already slaughtered the enemy to the point of leaving no armor or shields, if they were allowed to charge and kill back and forth a few more times, this fifty-thousand-strong army would likely be annihilated.

Just as Tong Wa was on the verge of despair, He Jing, beside Jiang Jiang Mingyu, keenly spotted signs of a Southern Border counterattack. Acting decisively, he drew his waist sword: "Archers, move forward! Quickly pin down the Southern Border soldiers' formation; let not a single one escape!"

With his command, five thousand archers hidden behind the One Da Jiang Iron Cavalry Camp quickly poked their heads out, and the sharp arrows in their hands fell densely like a swarm of locusts and a sudden storm. This sudden rain of arrows instantly shot down a swath of Southern Border soldiers who were just about to resist, and wails rose and fell in succession.

Even so, the remaining Southern Border forces, gradually recovering their senses, desperately reformed their formations and fought fiercely in a chaotic melee with the One Da Jiang army. Amidst the clanging sound of colliding weapons, severed limbs and broken arms flew in all directions like hail, and thick hot blood had long since dyed the dark green grass scarlet.

At the same time, Tu Tu Kesiluo was waving his azure, light and agile long sword, moving as if in an empty world. His body was surrounded by an aura of murderous rage that reached the sky; his eyes were bloodshot, and he continuously swung his sword to hack and kill the Southern Border enemies beside him. The long sword in his hand was like thunder from the nine heavens; whenever the sword light flashed, thirty-five enemies fell to the ground in response, none escaping.

Under the leadership of Iron Cavalry Camp General Ebu and Tu Tu Kesiluo, the hundred thousand One Da Jiang soldiers fought with increasing courage. The daggers, spears, swords, and halberds in their hands seemed like weapons from the Underworld of Yanluo harvesting lives. The corpses of the Southern Border soldiers piled higher and higher, while their flags gradually dimmed under the enemy's rain of arrows and the flashing of blades and swords...

In contrast, the Southern Border army, which had the numerical advantage, was retreating step by step, heavily wounded, with heavy casualties. The momentum that had once been at its peak was now completely gone. In his heart, Tong Wa felt immense regret, realizing his wishful thinking had led him to misjudge the strength of the Yeda Jiang army.

Seeing the battle situation gradually tilt toward the One Da Jiang side, two beams of golden light instantly shot from Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes. He gripped his King Sword, pointed toward the sky with killing intent surging: "He Jing, quickly lead all the infantry to charge the enemy and annihilate them in one stroke!"

How could He Jing miss such a rare battle opportunity? He saw his eyes bloodshot, roaring as he shook his entire body's muscles, the steel sword in his hand pointing straight ahead: "Brothers, follow me and kill upward!"

The thirty thousand One Da Jiang infantry shouted and cheered in waves, their momentum vast and their killing intent surging to the sky. Seeing that Tu Tu Kesiluo and Iron Cavalry Camp General Ebu were still engaged in fierce combat, this fierce attack by He Jing made Tong Wa's face change violently again. He shouted loudly: "What are you staring at? Quickly release arrows! We absolutely cannot let the enemy charge over!"

Once He Jing's thirty thousand infantry joined the fray in one go, the consequences would be unimaginable—whether it was the troops under his command or Xiongzhou behind him, both would surely be reduced to ashes. This life-and-death battle, Tong Wa had to defend to the death.

Just then, a storm of feathered arrows rained down from the sky, surrounding He Jing and his men so tightly that not even water could leak through. But to Tong Wa's great surprise, He Jing not only did not slow his pace but fought with increasing courage. Shouting "Raise shields!", he led the One Da Jiang infantry to quickly raise shields to protect themselves, charging forward while resisting the rain of arrows.

"Bang, bang"—hundreds of arrows pinned into the shields raised by the One Da Jiang soldiers. Although over a hundred people fell to the ground in response, the entire military formation continued to advance fiercely, unstoppable like a bamboo forest being split. Tong Wa flew into a rage and laughed loudly: "Shoot well! Continue firing! Make sure to shoot them until not a single piece of armor remains!"

At this very moment, Tu Tu Kesiluo's brows were tightly furrowed, and cold, clear light shot from his eyes. He shouted loudly to Iron Cavalry Camp General Ebu, who was nearby and had eyes bloodshot from killing: "I will go deal with Tong Wa; you continue to fight and buy time for the General!" With these words, he leaped into the air, chopped down with one sword strike to shatter the head of a Southern Border soldier, and charged straight at Tong Wa without stopping.

Indeed, the moment Tu Tu Kesiluo made his move, the main force of the Southern Border army was immediately firmly attracted by Iron Cavalry Camp General Ebu and the eighty thousand iron cavalry. Tong Wa continued to mobilize archers to fight, but the One Da Jiang iron cavalry were all experts in mounted archery; they easily dodged the rain of arrows and continued their fierce attack. This made Tong Wa extremely angry, but besides continuing to order his subordinates to resist, he had no other way.

"Haha..." Tu Tu Kesiluo let out a cold laugh, his killing intent surging: "Tong Wa, today is your day of death!" Holding his sword, he leaped into the air, shooting straight for Tong Wa's face like an arrow leaving the string. The distance between the two was rapidly shrinking; Tong Wa turned pale with horror, stumbled backward in great alarm, and almost fell to the ground...

At this time, Jiang Jiang Mingyu also led a group of experts to arrive behind Tu Tu Kesiluo. As long as this major threat, Tong Wa, was eliminated, capturing Xiongzhou was just a matter of days!

Seeing that Tu Tu Kesiluo ignored everyone else and rushed straight toward him, Tong Wa's face changed. Remembering the scene of Zuo Zhao's tragic death just now, he immediately shouted loudly at the infantry beside him:

"Quickly, block him! Do not let him get close!"

Several infantrymen, hearing the order, hurriedly raised their long spears to block Tu Tu Kesiluo. He saw Tu Tu Kesiluo's eyes bloodshot, his grotesque face twisted and deformed by anger. He raised his long sword and, without the slightest hesitation, hacked at the infantrymen in front of him.

"Four!" he roared from his mouth. His sword momentum was like a rainbow; one infantryman, unable to react in time, was chopped into two pieces. Blood splashed onto Tu Tu Kesiluo's face, adding three points of ruthlessness to him.

The other three infantrymen, seeing this, were terrified and raised their long spears to stab. But Tu Tu Kesiluo swept his long sword horizontally; the three fell to the ground in response, each with a fatal bloody gash on their necks.

Tong Wa's face grew even uglier; he realized Tu Tu Kesiluo's martial prowess was shocking, and relying on just these few infantrymen would not be enough to stop him. Just then, one of his confidants saw a wide open gap behind Tu Tu Kesiluo. Drawing a fine steel short halberd from his waist, he quietly crept behind Tu Tu Kesiluo and suddenly thrust at his back.

Tu Tu Kesiluo, with keen eyes, detected this sneak attacker at the last moment. He turned his body, reversed his hand with one sword strike, and chopped off both the short halberd in the man's hand and his hands. Before the two broken spearheads could hit the ground, he used his long sword to flick them up, piercing them straight into the man's chest.

"Ah!" The man let out a miserable scream and fell heavily to the ground.

Tong Wa's brows twitched involuntarily; he realized that relying on these miscellaneous soldiers would not lead to victory. He immediately shouted loudly to call the iron cavalry for reinforcement. The iron cavalry pulled their horses around, raised their heavy steel swords, and charged toward Tu Tu Kesiluo.

The leader of the Iron Cavalry Camp was leading the light cavalry in a charge and had no time to attend to Tu Tu Kesiluo's predicament. He stared fixedly at Tong Wa's flag and the archers, his heart burning with anxiety. As long as that flag fell, Tong Wa's morale would surely suffer a heavy blow. But that group of archers was like dense thorns, preventing him from breaking through the encirclement.

Tu Tu Kesiluo fought desperately alone, while that group of iron cavalry fought with increasing courage. He was beginning to show signs of fatigue; finally, someone took the opportunity to strike his arm, leaving him with a long bloody scar.

"Ah!" Tu Tu Kesiluo let out a loud cry, his body stumbling slightly. At this moment, He Jing's voice suddenly rang in his ear:

"Your Highness, do not worry; this subordinate comes to assist!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo looked up and saw He Jing break through the encirclement. With one hand raising the sword and the other dropping it, an iron cavalry soldier fell to the ground in response. He Jing then took the opportunity to thrust a spear, hitting another enemy, finally blocking the path of that group of iron cavalry.

Tu Tu Kesiluo secretly breathed a sigh of relief, grabbed a long spear from the ground, and threw it fiercely toward Tong Wa. That long spear flew to Tong Wa's front in the blink of an eye. Tong Wa instantly broke out in a cold sweat and hurriedly raised his sword to strike it down.

It was just this startle that made him lose the mood to command the army; instead, he focused all his attention on defending against Tu Tu Kesiluo's sneak attacks. The leader of the Iron Cavalry Camp took the opportunity to lead the light cavalry into the encirclement. After several rounds of attacks, he finally chopped down Tong Wa's flag.

Tong Wa's face turned iron-green; he realized the situation was lost. In this battle, he was afraid he would be defeated by the schemes of Tu Tu Kesiluo and the leader of the Iron Cavalry Camp!

Seeing Tong Wa refuse to surrender, Tu Tu Kesiluo's eyebrows knitted together fiercely, his face filled with rage. His large, copper-bell eyes glared at Tong Wa with sinister intensity, cold killing intent radiating from their depths as if he intended to swallow Tong Wa alive. The right hand gripping his long sword trembled slightly, his whitened knuckles betraying the fury he barely restrained. Tu Tu Kesiluo shouted, word by word: "Tong Wa, you have one last chance! If you do not surrender, next time you will not be so lucky!"

Tong Wa's face instantly turned as pale as paper, as if his hair had turned white overnight. His lips trembled slightly, tinged with an unnatural bluish-purple. Sweat seeped from his forehead, driven by terror, flowing down his cheeks and merging into tiny streams in his beard. He knew the situation was hopeless; even if he surrendered, he could not escape Jiang Jiang Mingyu's vengeance. After all, he had not only plotted to encircle and annihilate Jiang Jiang Mingyu's army but also insulted Jiang Jiang Mingyu's envoy. Jiang Jiang Mingyu would certainly not let this pass and would only make his death more gruesome.

This meant that now, aside from perishing together with Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Tong Wa had no path to survival. Thinking of this, Tong Wa's eyes, filled with despair amidst his anger, swept around. He clenched his teeth so hard that veins bulged on his neck, glaring fiercely at Tu Tu Kesiluo. He raised again the great blade stained with enemy blood, its edge flashing with a chilling, eerie light in the cold wind.

"Tu Tu Kesiluo, do not be too arrogant! As for what fate awaits Jiang Jiang Mingyu, you yourself are not safe!" Tong Wa roared, word by word, his voice brimming with malice.

Having spoken, he suddenly turned his head, staring fiercely at the Southern Border soldiers beside him with eyes red as purple. The veins on his forehead pulsed, as if they would burst in the next second. He screamed hoarsely: "Listen to me all! Today we have only one path: to perish together! Follow me to break through the encirclement and serve the Southern Border! Whoever takes the heads of Tu Tu Kesiluo or Jiang Jiang Mingyu, I will personally petition the Lord of the City for Da Gong!"

The soldiers' pupils contracted, their faces showing greed and ferocity. With red eyes, like a pack of hungry wolves, they roared and lunged at Jiang Jiang Mingyu's army.

Tu Tu Kesiluo's eyebrows twitched violently. He sneered and shouted: "You little wretch, dare to speak big words to this General! Then today I shall grant your wish!" Before his words had fully faded, he leaped up, stomping several times on the head of a Southern Border soldier, a cruel smile on his face, and charged straight at Tong Wa. That long sword, like the scythe of death, swung down upon him head-on.

Tong Wa's face changed abruptly. Just as he raised his blade to meet the attack, Tu Tu Kesiluo's sword edge was already before his eyes! "Die!" Tu Tu Kesiluo roared with a sinister grin. At this critical moment, a long spear suddenly thrust from behind!