Chapter 386: Reaping the Bitter Fruit

Time passed quickly; in the blink of an eye, a single day had gone. The first ray of morning sunlight pierced Yan Hao's tent. He opened his eyes, rose with a clear mind and refreshed spirit, and went to eat.

Just as Yan Hao sat at the table eating, footsteps sounded outside the tent door. A soldier hurried in.

"Commandant, the brothers monitoring Jiang Jiang Mingyu's camp have returned and are waiting outside the door," the soldier reported respectfully.

Yan Hao did not lift his head, merely "hmm"-ing lightly: "Let them in."

Immediately, two men of slight build, looking like rats, filed into the tent and stood before Yan Hao. The leader clasped his fists, spoke with a humble expression, and reported:

"Reporting to the Commandant: We monitored Jiang Jiang Mingyu's camp for a day and a night and found no anomalies. Jiang Jiang Mingyu's people seemed busy preparing tonight's banquet; the banquet should have already begun by now."

Yan Hao raised his head and asked with great caution: "You didn't show any signs of suspicion, did you?" His brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of worry subtly emerged in his eyes.

The rat-like man immediately waved his hands to defend himself, his tone very confident, almost patting his chest to guarantee: "Commandant, please rest assured. I was extremely careful; Jiang Jiang Mingyu had not the slightest suspicion. There is still a brother in the camp continuing the surveillance. Should anything change, he will rush back to report to the Commandant immediately."

Hearing this, Yan Hao finally relaxed. He "hmph"-ed, nodded in satisfaction, and tapped the table to signal the two to withdraw.

After the two exited the tent, Yan Hao put down his chopsticks, slammed the table hard, and the tabletop made a loud "dong" sound. Bright light shot from his eyes. He stood up excitedly, rubbed his hands, and murmured to himself: "Good, good. Everything is under control! Tonight is that brat's day of death..."

The moonlight grew denser; the second watch finally arrived. Yan Hao held his long spear, leaped onto his warhorse, and looked down from above at the elite soldiers below, fully armed and ready, radiating killing intent.

"Brothers, Jiang Jiang Mingyu has fallen into the trap! He is currently gathered in the main camp drinking and feasting. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity!" Yan Hao wore a sinister smile, and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

"Tonight, you will be the meritorious heroes of the Southern Frontier! As long as you slaughter all of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's soldiers, countless honors and riches await you ahead!"

Yan Hao reined his horse and shouted, his voice like a great bell, shaking the four directions: "In this battle, advance only, never retreat; life and death are up to fate! I order you to behead Jiang Jiang Mingyu; behead him this very night!"

Hearing this, the 70,000 mighty troops simultaneously raised their long spears and great blades, shouting "Victory!" The entire camp boiled with hot blood, and killing intent surged to the sky!

Yan Hao looked satisfied at this ferocious steel torrent before him, glanced at the moon gradually sinking westward, suddenly waved his arm, and shouted loudly: "Set out!"

The 70,000-strong army surged forth like a towering tidal wave, rushing toward Jiang Jiang Mingyu's main camp. They were ravenous, as if they could already see gold and jewels falling from the sky. Behind all this lay the impending slaughter and blood...

Outside the city, it was very quiet. Less than ten li away, on a mountain plain, lay Jiang Jiang Mingyu's main camp.

After walking silently for two quarters of an hour, a fast horse suddenly met Yan Hao's army from the distance. The rider was Yan Hao's vanguard scout. His expression was tense as he whispered: "Commandant, everything in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's army is normal. The banquet has been going from the first watch until now. Calculating the time, it must end before the third watch."

Hearing this, a trace of coldness flashed in Yan Hao's eyes. He nodded slightly, and a cold, sinister smile curled his lips, seeming even colder than the night wind in the air: "Good. You have worked hard. Listen to orders: We will head straight for the One Da Jiang camp. Launch a surprise attack while they are drunk, behead Jiang Jiang Mingyu, and establish merit for Your Majesty."

Seeing this, the vanguard scout immediately turned his horse and left. Yan Hao strode toward the mountain plain. At this moment, dark clouds pressed down from the sky. The wind was strong, carrying fine rain that slapped against people's faces. Yan Hao was completely unaware of it; flames of hatred and killing intent burned in his eyes, and a cold, sinister aura emanated from his body.

After walking another roughly half a quarter of an hour, he looked into the distance and clearly saw the lights within Jiang Jiang Mingyu's camp. Under the distant firelight, some drunkards could be vaguely seen wandering around the camp. From time to time, loud snoring sounds came through; it seemed they were indeed drinking very joyfully.

Seeing this, Yan Hao's pace unconsciously quickened a few steps. The cold smile on his face deepened, and the killing intent in his eyes grew even thicker. The soldiers following behind him also secretly tightened their weapons in their hands, gathering spirit for this slaughter.

Finally, when he led his men to a spot not far from Jiang Jiang Mingyu's main camp, the lights opposite had already gradually extinguished, and the snoring sounds were overwhelming. Yan Hao suddenly drew the slender sword with a deep blue scabbard from his waist; it shimmered with a chilling, sinister cold light under the moonlight. His figure flickered, and he darted to the very front of the formation. With a blank expression, he gazed at the sleeping Jiang Jiang Mingyu camp ahead, and the killing intent in his eyes suddenly exploded!

"Charge up the mountain plain! Kill for me!" Yan Hao's low command rang out. He suddenly waved his long sword in his hand, carving a sharp arc in the air. Then, orderly killing intent surged to the sky. Yan Hao, clad in black armor, led a hundred-man squad, charging fiercely into the camp as if entering an empty world!

Before the words had fully faded, a rough, booming voice came from the opposite hillside.

"Yan Hao, you fool, you can go nowhere now."

The booming voice from the hillside was like thunder on a clear day, stunning Yan Hao and his 80,000 Southern Frontier soldiers into pale faces, standing frozen in place.

As soon as the words ended, dense torches suddenly ignited on the hillside. Orange-red firelight instantly illuminated the dark mountain plain. This sudden sound and firelight were like a bolt from the blue, directly stunning Yan Hao and his 80,000 Southern Frontier soldiers into standing frozen in place.

Yan Hao's face turned deathly pale, his eyes wide open. Before he could figure out what was happening, he saw the cold face of Ebu on horseback on the hillside, appearing and disappearing in the firelight. He saw him suddenly raise the Mo blade in his hand and shout in a deep voice:

"Iron Cavalry Camp, kill for me!"

Ebu let out a long roar. The neatly arranged gilded heavy armor on the hillside surged down the slope like a terrifying tidal wave. The sound of iron hooves rumbled; killing intent surged to the sky! The momentum was like an approaching storm, suffocating.

Yan Hao struggled to support himself, stumbling a few steps. Countless thoughts flashed rapidly through his mind. He suddenly realized that from the very beginning of accepting the surrender, Jiang Jiang Mingyu had already seen through this as merely his own stratagem!

"I've fallen into the trap!" This realization was like a bolt from the blue. Yan Hao felt a chill run down his back; fear and despair churned in his heart. However, it was too late; a mountain collapsed before him; the path to life was cut off!

Yan Hao gripped his long knife with all his might; his face had already turned ashen. He could only share life and death with these 80,000 soldiers!

Taking advantage of the high terrain, the cavalry of the Iron Cavalry Camp led by Ebu, like a flood and fierce beasts, rushed down with astonishing speed and momentum. The dense sound of horse hooves was like thunder; dust flew; the momentum of mountains calling and seas roaring was suffocating.

Yan Hao's face instantly turned as white as paper; his eyes bulged, and his lips trembled uncontrollably. He shook his hands, gripping his long knife tightly, yet felt no sensation from the hilt at all. He could not believe this scene before his eyes. The orderly Southern Frontier army instantly crumbled, turning into chaos in the race against time. "Impossible... this is impossible!" he screamed hoarsely, tears flowing out uncontrollably.

Wherever the Iron Cavalry passed, wails and despair raged in all directions. Yan Hao watched helplessly as his own soldiers fell one by one, blood splashing and dyeing the yellow earth red. Their eyes were filled with fear, despair, and unwillingness, yet they had no power to fight back. "Retreat! All of you retreat!" he roared loudly, his face grotesque, his mouth twitching. "Hurry up and run!" The Southern Frontier army instantly turned and fled, stumbling, dropping their weapons and spears, seeking only to save their lives. They fell to the ground, then scrambled up immediately; the injured groaned; corpses splattered with blood lay everywhere in a mess.

"You cannot escape..." Ebu smiled coldly, killing into the heavy encirclement like a ghost. This slaughter continued, and the scythe of death was merciless. Yan Hao's peripheral vision caught Li Goudan and Che Gang also leading troops into the fray. Under the three-sided pincer attack, his heart turned to ash. "Total annihilation... where is my dynasty!" he screamed in madness, his hysterical laughter tinged with insanity.

"Damn it! I must live!" Yan Hao cursed loudly while drawing his sword to cut the reins of the soldier beside him, snatching a warhorse and galloping toward Lingtaicheng. The wind howled in his ears; he clamped his horse's belly with all his might, seeking only to escape alive. The 80,000 Southern Frontier soldiers behind him had vanished completely; he could no longer care about those abandoned pawns.

At this very moment, only one thought existed in his heart: Live! At any cost, live! Yan Hao gritted his teeth, his heart beating like thunder, veins bulging on his forehead. On the escape route, he kept looking back, fearing someone would catch up. Those bloodshot eyes revealed deep fear and despair.

"Arrived at Lingtaicheng!" Finally reaching the city walls, Yan Hao was so excited that tears filled his eyes. He jumped off his warhorse and almost knelt heavily to the ground. At this moment, endless joy mixed with fear of the aftermath weighed on his heart. He panted weakly, laughing hysterically. The slaughter behind him continued, but he had survived! He had escaped alive!

When he galloped to Lingtaicheng, Yan Hao discovered in horror that the city walls were pitch black, without a single light. He nervously wiped away cold sweat and shouted loudly:

"Open the gate! Open the city gate quickly!"

Just then, several torches suddenly lit up on the city wall. Yan Hao saw Tu Tu Kesiluo's face appear in the firelight with horror. He felt his tongue trembling; cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

"W-what... why is it you?!" he stammered, unable to speak clearly.

Tu Tu Kesiluo chuckled twice, his voice tinged with amusement: "What's wrong, Yan Hao? Didn't expect this? Let me tell you the truth: Lingtai has been occupied by me. Your end has come."

As soon as the words ended, the flag of One Da Jiang was raised on the city wall, fluttering wildly. Yan Hao felt the world spin; his mind went blank. He rubbed his eyes tightly but found this was no illusion.

"N-no... impossible!" he murmured to himself, his voice trembling uncontrollably. "Two hundred thousand troops are still garrisoned in the city. How could it be breached so quickly?!"

Yan Hao screamed hysterically, his voice hoarse. He looked around and found no traces of battle beneath the city walls. In just one double-hour, how incredibly fast must Tu Tu Kesiluo have been to accomplish all this?

Seeing Yan Hao's face full of shock and confusion, Tu Tu Kesiluo sneered: "If you want to know, I can explain it to you." He was unusually gentle, as if treating a dying man.

Yan Hao stumbled to the foot of the city and looked up at his opponent. Although he already knew the situation was lost, he could not help but speak: "Speak! What exactly happened? Where did my 20,000 soldiers go?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo strolled leisurely on the city wall and patiently recounted the entire stratagem to him. It turned out he had long bribed Yan Hao's trusted confidants and planted spies within the city. As soon as Yan Hao left, Tu Tu Kesiluo immediately led men to attack the city silently. The traitors opened the city gates, allowing him to occupy it easily. The 20,000 defending troops had also defected long ago, all submitting to One Da Jiang.

Hearing the truth, Yan Hao felt as if five thunderbolts had struck him. He collapsed to the ground, his lips pale, his eyes vacant, his whole body as if falling into an ice cellar. After a long while, he whispered: "Truly, I reaped what I sowed. I deserved it..."

Facing the mockery of fate, he was powerless to feel grief or anger. For a moment, Yan Hao felt all hope extinguished, losing the last shred of hope for this cruel world.

Yan Hao's face instantly turned deathly white. He widened his eyes, and his lips trembled slightly. At this moment, he finally realized the situation was lost. For many years, the Jiangshan he had built through violence and intimidation had come crashing down.

He had once been so arrogant, possessing the golden and brilliant Wang Fu and tens of thousands of elite soldiers. But just when he was high above, looking down on everything, dark currents had already surged. Tu Tu Kesiluo had watched coldly from the sidelines, patiently setting the trap, waiting for the right moment.

And now, Tu Tu Kesiluo held a blade in one hand, his gaze sharp as lightning, slowly approaching him. Behind him surged One Da Jiang soldiers, their hateful eyes seeming ready to swallow him alive.

What he could not accept even more was that even the Imperial Guard, whom he had personally trained and who usually obeyed his every command, had already thrown away their armor and helmets and joined the siege against him.

"You... you have betrayed me, your Lord!" Yan Hao roared with a hoarse voice.

The Imperial Guards wore expressionless faces. Among them, a young officer curled his lips, sneering coldly: "Inspector Yan, my father was whipped to death by you, and my mother also perished under your tortures. I have hated you for a long time. Today, I wipe away past shame and avenge a great grudge; I only wish I could tear out your heart with my own hands!"

Having spoken, the other officers also opened their mouths one after another, venting the hatred they had accumulated over the years all at once. Yan Hao's face turned deathly pale, his whole body went soft, and he collapsed to the ground. At this moment, he truly experienced the feeling of "the tree desires stillness, but the wind will not cease."

And while the Imperial Guards betrayed him, the soldiers of One Da Jiang flooded into the city like a tide, taking over the city's defense. The common people also opened their doors and stepped onto the streets, turning years of pain and dissatisfaction into stones and rotting flesh to hurl at the Yan Manor Master.

"Return my son!"

"Beast, you have forcibly taken my daughter until now!"

"You killed my wife!"

Roars and cries of this sort rose and fell in waves. Yan Hao looked up and was immediately terrified—these common people, whom he had trampled into dust in the past, seemed to have transformed into evil ghosts at this very moment, wanting to slice him into a thousand pieces.

Yan Hao bit his back teeth tightly, forcing himself to suppress the trembling throughout his body. Facing him, who was on the verge of collapse, Tu Tu Kesiluo sneered once and spoke: "Manor Master Yan, did you ever think there would be a day like this?"

Yan Hao's Adam's apple rolled up and down; his mind was now a blank. And just then, the Imperial Guards rushed up, seized his arms, and forcibly dragged him before Tu Tu Kesiluo.

Tu Tu Kesiluo held a long blade, its edge flashing brightly in the sunlight. He advanced on Yan Hao in an aggressive manner and, looking down from a higher position, demanded: "I ask you one more time: will you kneel and submit to being bound, or shall I act with my own hands?"

Despair and anguish mingled on Yan Hao's face as he shook his head and murmured: "Impossible... this is impossible... my Imperial Guards... my people..." His eyes stared fixedly at Tu Tu Kesiluo before him, as if at this moment, his entire world had collapsed.

At this very moment, Yan Hao finally understood one truth—when he trampled ordinary people and treated them like straw, these seemingly small and powerless straws would one day turn into towering waves that would swallow him completely.

Yan Hao's eyes now flashed with a ruthlessness and determination never seen before, like a dying fierce beast, becoming even more dangerous. He suddenly drew his sword from his waist, the blade emitting a chilling, cold gleam in the sunlight.

"You want to use this Inspector's life to increase your prestige? Jiang Jiang Mingyu, do not even think about it!"

With a fierce shout, Yan Hao swung the blade like lightning, pointing directly at his own neck!

Everyone present immediately changed color. Jiang Jiang Mingyu and Tu Tu Kesiluo exchanged a glance; their earlier underestimation had vanished without a trace. They knew Yan Hao's nature too well—he would rather perish together with his enemy than willingly submit to being butchered by others.

"Beware!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu shouted loudly. Tu Tu Kesiluo reacted extremely quickly, swinging his long sword to block Yan Hao's blade aimed at his own neck with incredible speed. The two cold weapons clashed, ringing out with a clang, and a string of sparks flew from the collision.

Yan Hao was stunned; before he could react, a great force knocked him over onto the ground. Tu Tu Kesiluo, like a hungry tiger pouncing on prey, leaped forward and planted one foot on Yan Hao's chest, right at a vital point of the human body.

"Yan Hao, do you think you can end this so simply?" Tu Tu Kesiluo said with hatred in his voice. "I said long ago that I would make you die in an ugly way!"

Before his words had even finished, dozens of soldiers surged out from the city gate. They quickly pinned Yan Hao's four limbs, firmly subduing him. Yan Hao cursed loudly and roared like a dying mad ox, yet he could not break free in any way.

The last soldier took out a dirty sock and stuffed it tightly into Yan Hao's mouth. Now Yan Hao could only make strange "wu-wu" sounds, his eyes bloodshot, staring fiercely at Jiang Jiang Mingyu and the others.

"Come, take him to the great prison. I want to witness with my own eyes how he is sliced into a thousand pieces!" Jiang Jiang Mingyu commanded, his gaze burning like torches.

Thus, Yan Hao was dragged away in such a wretched state. Jiang Jiang Mingyu and the others let out a long sigh of relief; capturing Yan Hao, this battle-hardened, cunning, and mad ox, had required great effort.

After another half incense stick of time had passed, Jiang Jiang Mingyu led his troops to the city wall. Tu Tu Kesiluo was already on the city tower, fully armed and ready, welcoming the great army into the city.

After hearing the details of the fierce battle with Yan Hao just now, Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but praise: "Tu Tu Kesiluo, your strategy is brilliant, your martial arts are superior; you have achieved Da Gong!" The other generals present also nodded repeatedly.

In this battle, Yan Hao's seventy thousand great army was annihilated, while Jiang Jiang Mingyu's side also suffered over twenty thousand casualties. But in the face of the joy of occupying Ling Tai and capturing Yan Hao, these losses were insignificant.

What was even more gratifying was that the original twenty thousand garrison troops here had all submitted, which was undoubtedly a timely help in a time of need. Jiang Jiang Mingyu was overjoyed in his heart; now, the recovery of Ling Tai could be called a rich harvest and a stunning success!