Chapter 99: Blood Battle at Black Wind Ridge

Under the cool shed, Zhu Ge Yu rested his hand on a wooden pillar, his gaze heavy as he stared toward the shanzhai.

His brows furrowed slightly, as if pondering a certain question. After a while, he turned his head to look at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, a deep expression on his face: "Master, look."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu gazed at Zhu Ge Yu, nodded slightly, and signaled him to continue.

Zhu Ge Yu cast his eyes toward the shanzhai, pointing at the defensive structures with a tone of certainty: "Blades and spears stand thick within the shanzhai, and the defenses are strict; that Yang Yang Dazhuang has surely prepared to fight to the death."

"This way, not only will you achieve the effect of training your troops, but you can also give the scorpions of Scorpion King Gully another knock."

His analysis was profound and accurate, as if he had already seen through Yang Yang Dazhuang's intentions and plans.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's brows furrowed slightly, his eyes flickering with the light of thought.

He pondered for a moment, then finally made up his mind: "In that case, there is nothing more to say; charge directly from the front and wipe him out in one stroke."

Upon hearing this, Tu Tu Kesiluo, who had long been unable to wait, looked filled with excitement and determination. He spoke impatiently: "Mr. Zhu Ge is right; we should do exactly this. My lord, give the order."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu smiled slightly, his smile carrying firmness and decisiveness: "Very well. Issue the order: charge forward. It is time for the soldiers to fight a real battle with real blades."

His words revealed a firm will, as if the decision had been made long ago.

He knew this battle was not only a training exercise but also a test of whether they could meet greater challenges.

Hearing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's order, Tu Tu Kesiluo's heart surged with emotion.

Without hesitation, he raised his arm, his voice echoing through the valley: "My lord has ordered: charge up Black Wind Ridge, kill!"

These words seemed like the striking of a war drum, stirring the fighting spirit in every soldier's heart.

The soldiers immediately rubbed their fists, their eyes flashing with battle intent, ready to throw themselves into this decisive battle.

With Tu Tu Kesiluo's command, Jiang Jiang Mingyu's great army stood ready, cavalry arrayed in formation, infantry in ranks, the atmosphere tense yet impassioned.

Under Jiang Jiang Mingyu's leadership, they began to march toward the shanzhai, pressing forward without looking back, determined to charge toward victory.

About a quarter-hour later, the atmosphere before the shanzhai grew tense. Yang Yang Dazhuang sat on his horse, staring at Jiang Jiang Mingyu and his two thousand men before him, a cold sneer rising on his face. He

glared with one eye alone, like a fierce beast's eye: "This must be the Imperial Envoy, my lord Jiang, I presume? I am Yang Yang Dazhuang."

"Though we brothers took to the mountains to become bandits, we have never harmed your officials in the slightest. Why does my lord Jiang's great army press upon our borders?"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's smile seemed colder than the winter wind. He pointed his whip at the shanzhai: "Yang Yang Dazhuang, listen well to this official."

His gaze was sharp, like a keen sword, piercing straight into Yang Yang Dazhuang's heart.

"You bandits, killing and robbing without law or restraint in your daily lives, have caused the common people to complain bitterly. Today, this official leads troops here to uproot you completely and restore peace to Shangmu."

"If you have sense, dismount and surrender at once; otherwise, where my great army goes, I guarantee not a blade of grass will remain."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's voice was clear and firm, his words like a declaration announcing his mission.

Yang Yang Dazhuang's eyes grew even darker, his expression becoming more ruthless. Unwilling to show weakness, he curled his lips into a cold sneer: "From what my lord Jiang says, you are determined to kill us brothers."

His voice was full of provocation and anger; he seemed utterly fearless.

"In that case, I, Yang Yang Dazhuang, truly wish to see what formidable power lies in the troops under my lord Jiang."

His gaze was fierce and mocking as he fearlessly challenged Jiang Jiang Mingyu's renowned name.

With that, he spoke no more, pointed his long blade, and raised his voice high: "Brothers, kill for me!"

The moment Yang Yang Dazhuang gave the order, the bandits behind him, already prepared, surged forward like tigers released from their cage, howling as they charged at Jiang Jiang Mingyu's army.

A cold sneer flashed in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes; he knew this was the moment he had waited for.

"Living without knowing death," he muttered disdainfully, then said to Tu Tu Kesiluo beside him: "Tu Tu Kesiluo, advance!"

Tu Tu Kesiluo's face was filled with excitement and battle intent. Without hesitation, he spurred his horse into a charge, with the soldiers following closely behind.

The soldiers' footsteps thundered like rolling thunder, the war drums surged like tides, and the entire battlefield instantly became chaotic and fierce.

The clashing of weapons and the sounds of bodies falling intertwined, blood and death permeating the air.

Yang Yang Dazhuang's lips twitched. He looked at Tu Tu Kesiluo in surprise, a sense of unprecedented tension rising in his heart. He never dreamed that Tu Tu Kesiluo, charging left and right through the crowd, would be so ferocious.

In less than the blink of an eye, more than a dozen bandits who feared no death had become cold corpses beneath his blade.

Li Goudan also performed quite well, swinging the large cleaver in his hand with all his might, continuously hacking and killing the bandits before him.

Though his techniques looked somewhat clumsy, they carried traces of Tu Tu Kesiluo's sword style; it was clear he had learned quite well from Tu Tu Kesiluo.

As for the two thousand men under Jiang Jiang Mingyu, leveraging their numerical advantage, they surged against the bandits' crumbling defenses in wave after wave.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu, watching the battle from a distance, could not help but nod: "This Tu Tu Kesiluo is truly excellent material for training troops."

"In just a few days, the soldiers have become this brave. If given time, why worry that the people of Other Xi Xia will not be destroyed?"

Zhu Ge Yu smiled along: "What Master says is right; I fear this battle will end very soon."

He stroked the small mustache on his lips, looking utterly at ease.

On the other side, Yang Yang Dazhuang was already stunned. Only now did he realize that his men were nothing but a mob of disorganized rabble.

In ordinary times, robbing unarmed common people, they could appear mighty on all sides, but facing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's official army, they immediately crumbled like earth collapsing.

While hacking fiercely with his blade, he instinctively shouted aloud: "Old Li, damn it, what are you waiting for? Act now!"

Old Li, hidden within the shanzhai gate, saw that Yang Yang Dazhuang, whom he had always relied upon, was about to be defeated. Anxiety stirred secretly in his heart.

He stared fixedly at the triumphant Jiang Jiang Mingyu directing the battle, his gaze shifting from initial fear to ferocity.

If this Jiang Jiang Mingyu were not eliminated, how could he himself survive? The moment this thought occurred, Old Li's hand, tightly gripping his long bow, trembled slightly. He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and his gaze locked once more onto the back of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart.

At the same time, Old Yu had been crouching near the shanzhai gate for a long while, waiting only for Old Li to act, so that he could spring forth like an arrow, aiming straight for the head of the man on Jiang Jiang Mingyu's neck. Old Yu's palm, gripping his blade, was sweaty. He struggled to control his breathing, like a fierce tiger poised to strike.

Once Jiang Jiang Mingyu was struck by the arrow, he, hailed as the number one expert of Black Wind Ridge, would charge out fiercely, taking advantage of the crowd's unpreparedness to capture Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

To capture the bandits, first capture their king; this was the plan Yang Yang Dazhuang had set last night.

Once the commanding officer, Jiang Jiang Mingyu, was held in their grasp, whatever they wished to do in the future would be nothing more than a single word from Yang Yang Dazhuang, the lord.

Yang Yang Dazhuang's loud shout and the sound of Old Li drawing and releasing his bow caused Tu Tu Kesiluo, who was locked in a life-and-death struggle with the bandits, to suddenly feel a tightening in his heart.

His eyes widened abruptly, his pupils contracting rapidly due to surprise and alertness.

Tu Tu Kesiluo quickly turned his head and saw a feathered arrow, like a venomous snake leaving its bowstring, streaking toward the back of Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart with the cold light of death. Tu Tu Kesiluo wanted to raise his hand to intercept it, but several burly bandits were grappling him on both sides, leaving him unable to move.

Seeing that fatal arrow about to strike, Tu Tu Kesiluo could only cry out to the sky: "My lord, beware behind you!"

Tuke Tuke Siluo's shout exploded like a thunderclap beside Jiang Jiang Mingyu's ears, jolting him abruptly from his triumphant command state.

"What?!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's pupils instantly dilated from shock; he instinctively turned his head to look back. The volume of his voice even startled the warhorse beneath him into a shudder. The horse's powerful hind legs kicked out with sudden force, and Jiang Jiang Mingyu, caught completely off guard, tumbled from the horse's back.

Just as Jiang Jiang Mingyu crashed heavily to the ground, clutching his head and screaming in pain, the arrow shot by Old Li just grazed the top of his head, whistling past from above.

Seeing the arrow aimed at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, Old Yu in the shanzhai felt wild joy. He clenched both fists and shouted: "Hit! Old Li! My turn to appear!" He lightly tapped the ground twice and leaped into the air just as Tuke Tuke Siluo had that day, diving straight toward the fallen Jiang Jiang Mingyu.

A grotesque smile hung on Old Yu's lips, and his eyes revealed cruelty and coldness.

He roared: "Jiang Jiang Mingyu, accept your fate!"

Tuke Tuke Siluo turned his head and saw Old Yu's figure sweep past. A flicker of surprise crossed his eyes, then he said: "So this place harbors such a master. Good! Let me face you!"

He slashed down an enemy before him, leaped three feet into the air, and blocked Old Yu's path.

Speaking thus, knowing full well that Jiang Jiang Mingyu was unharmed, he hacked down the bandit before him, leaped three feet high, and directly blocked Old Yu's way.

Old Yu's target was Jiang Jiang Mingyu; he dared not linger and intended to flash past Tuke Tuke Siluo directly.

Tuke Tuke Siluo's snow-white cloak billowed in the howling wind. He exerted force beneath his feet, and his figure swept by like a silver-white lightning bolt, moving at a speed difficult to believe.

Old Yu felt only a killing intent pressing against his back. Fear suddenly rose in his heart, and he turned back in terror to look.

In the instant he turned, Tuke Tuke Siluo had already arrived behind him. That agile long blade hummed in the wind, reflecting a cold, grim light.

Before Old Yu could even draw his waist knife, Tuke Tuke Siluo's blade tip pierced through his back like an arrow loosed from a string, stabbing out through his chest.

Blood gushed forth. Old Yu's eyes widened, his face still bearing an expression of fear and disbelief.

Then, Tuke Tuke Siluo suddenly whipped the blade. The long knife sliced horizontally through Old Yu's chest, and the sharp edge cleaved Old Yu in two.

The two severed halves of the corpse fell heavily, splashing up a rain of blood.

The number one master of the shanzhai thus met the King of Hell.

The surrounding bandits' faces suddenly changed; each instantly lost their fighting spirit. "It's over! Even Old Yu has been slain!"

"Our numbers are dwindling. What war is there to fight? Run!"

"Boss, let's not fight. Let's make a dash for it!" The bandits argued among themselves, all preparing to break through and flee.

At this moment, Yang Yang Dazhuang was surrounded layer upon layer by Jiang Jiang Mingyu's soldiers, fighting desperately. Seeing this situation, he quickly ordered: "Everyone stop! Heifeng Ridge is completely surrounded; there is no escape. Fight them to the death!"

Before his words had even faded, Yang Yang Dazhuang saw Tuke Tuke Siluo glide gracefully before him, a faint cold sneer on his face, the long knife in his hand still seeping with Old Yu's hot blood.

Yang Yang Dazhuang's eyes widened in terror. His gaze locked onto Tuke Tuke Siluo's face. His mouth slowly opened, yet he could not utter a single sound.

His legs turned to jelly. His knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground. His fingers stiffened, and his weapon slipped from his hand, crashing heavily onto the ground with a dull thud.

He exclaimed in shock: "It's over..."