Chapter 247

A portion of the Zhenbei Army relied on the streets and houses to engage in brutal street fighting with the Xiongnu who had entered the city, using corners or houses to conduct a desperate and stubborn resistance.

The battle lasted from late night until the darkest hour before dawn; although the Zhenbei Army's resistance caused some trouble for the Xiongnu, it could not reverse the overall situation.

Even in the tug-of-war in the city, the Xiongnu held the advantage, and the Zhenbei Army was continuously driven toward another city gate.

Once past this gate, the Xiongnu would be able to drive straight down into Beijiang, and there would be no one left to stop their advance.

If not for the terrain in the city, the Zhenbei Army would have been defeated long ago, and now that the final battle line had been forced to this point, the Vice General knew that they had nowhere left to retreat!

"Brothers! Even if we die, we must let the Xiongnu see the mettle of our Beijiang men!" The Vice General's throat was already hoarse, yet he still possessed an unyielding spirit.

Wei Xikang was covered in blood, his sword broken at some point, and he leaned against the city gate gasping for breath; the hand holding the sword trembled slightly—not from fear, but from exhaustion!

He listened to the triumphant, ferocious laughter of the Xiongnu soldiers and looked at the sun about to appear on the horizon, feeling only a helpless sigh in his heart.

He never thought his end would be like this! But it was fine; dying at the hands of the enemy was better than dying at the hands of his own brothers!

Father Emperor... your son is coming...

Just as he prepared to close his eyes and await death, a strange sound faintly reached him.

The sound started very faint, gradually becoming clearer and denser, and it made him feel very familiar!

It was the sound of horse hooves! And it was the sound of extremely dense horse hooves!

Not only the Zhenbei Army, but the Xiongnu army heard it too!

The ferocious grin on Adunla's face froze, and he tilted his head to listen in confusion.

The sound of hooves grew closer, like a surging tide, coming from the south!

Adunla's expression turned grave, and he hurriedly stood at a high point, looking toward the direction of Beijiang, only to see a 'black torrent' heading toward Lin City.

"This... what is this..." The Vice General opened his mouth wide, his expression one of great surprise.

He naturally knew this was an army, but...

Within the borders of Beijiang, where did an army come from?

Adunla narrowed his eyes and suddenly saw a huge black banner held at the very front, with a crimson gold 'Ming' character that was very conspicuous.

The Zhenbei Army naturally saw this banner as well, looking at each other in confusion, not knowing what it meant.

"Ming?"

Wei Xikang was even more confused; he had never heard of such a banner!

Immediately following, a clear, loud, and highly penetrating horn blast pierced the darkness before dawn!

This horn blast carried a kind of unquestionable majesty and power!

"Woo—um—"

Before the horn blast had faded, an even louder war cry came from outside Lin City!

The sounds converged, shaking the ground:

"Wind! Wind! Great Wind!"

The Vice General hesitated, not knowing whether the newcomers were friend or foe!

But Adunla's reaction was very swift, "Everyone close in! Stand ready! Prepare to meet the enemy!"

This army came from the direction of Beijiang; no matter what, they could not be friends of the Xiongnu, so they could only be enemies.

That's right! This troop was precisely the Great Ming Volunteer Army led by Jiang Jinshi!

After setting out, Jiang Jinshi had sent scouts to report the situation ahead continuously; at night, the scouts reported that the Xiongnu were attacking Lin City, so the Ming Army marched through the night and finally arrived outside the city at this moment.

"Brothers of the Zhenbei Army, clear the city gate, let us enter the city and fight the Xiongnu!" Luo Feng saw the dense crowd at the gate and quickened his pace to report in advance.

Many Zhenbei Army soldiers who had escaped Lin City were watching this troop, the surprise in their eyes clearly visible!

The Vice General had no time to think; hearing that they were going to fight the Xiongnu, he immediately shouted loudly: "Brothers, withdraw from the gate, clear the way!"

The already desperate Zhenbei Army immediately ran out and stood on both sides of the road, watching this army.

As they got closer to the city gate, Wei Xikang's expression became increasingly complex, because he had already clearly seen the face of the person in the lead.

"Jiang... Chief Jiang!!"

The Vice General naturally also saw Jiang Jinshi, as well as Jiang Ze beside him!

So the origin of this army was already very clear; these were actually the bandits from Yangguangzhai!!

Jiang Jinshi did not notice Wei Xikang on the side of the road at all; in his eyes, there was only the seriousness of the upcoming battle against the Xiongnu.

"All listen to my order! Charge! Drive the Xiongnu out of Lin City! Drive them out of Beijiang!"

In an instant, the Ming Army charged into the city, heading toward the Xiongnu to kill.

The Xiongnu were scattered in the city; even though Adunla had ordered them to assemble, they could not react that quickly. The Ming Army appeared extremely suddenly, cutting into the battlefield at the fastest speed!

The Xiongnu, who had just thought victory was in their grasp, were instantly plunged into massive chaos.

They had not expected an army to appear suddenly at all!

In their haste, horns and shouts rang out in disorder, attempting to organize resistance.

Adunla stood at a high point and ordered: "Don't panic! Consolidate and close in on me!"

"Big Brother! That person should be the main general!" Luo Feng also heard Adunla's shouting and signaled to Jiang Jinshi.

"Charge! Get him!" Jiang Jinshi gripped his long halberd with one hand and charged toward Adunla without stopping.

"Brothers! Charge!" Luo Feng shouted to the Ming Army behind him, following closely in Jiang Jinshi's footsteps.

The Ming Army was like a sharp knife, stabbing toward the Xiongnu army.

Adunla looked at this troop that had popped up from nowhere, feeling incredibly stifled.

Just by the fact that the banner they held was not "Qian", one could judge that they were not with the Zhenbei Army, but the timing of their arrival was simply too perfect.

Xiongnu cavalry were adept at grassland charges, not such street fighting, and their combat effectiveness would be restricted.

If he had waited until the Zhenbei Army was defeated and occupied Lin City, the Xiongnu would not have feared the opponent if they held the city.

But as things stood, it was impossible for Adunla to hand over the Lin City he had just obtained; he would test the opponent's mettle first!

"Sons of the grassland! Engage! These two-legged sheep have come to die on their own!"

Many Xiongnu cavalry wanted to block Jiang Jinshi's path, but they underestimated Jiang Jinshi's martial prowess.

Every time the long halberd in his hand thrust out, a Xiongnu cavalryman would fall from his horse.

His movements had not a hint of flashiness, only extreme power and speed! Wherever he passed, men and horses were overturned; there was not a single opponent who could withstand a single blow!

The Ming Army behind him saw their Big Brother killing Xiongnu as easily as chopping melons and vegetables, and their morale soared; they no longer felt the Xiongnu were so terrifying!

The Xiongnu were also human; if you cut them with a blade, they would bleed, so why would I be weaker than you?

The Ming Army's tactics were very simple and efficient.

Three men to a group, small formations nested in large formations, long spears thrusting, large blades hacking, their coordination was incomparably tacit.

This was the tactic proposed by Jiang Ze, most suitable for this kind of city fighting!

The Vice General could finally catch his breath, leaning against the city gate and staring wide-eyed at the rigorous fighting in the city.

He had originally worried that Chief Jiang, a bandit, would not understand military law and feared he would be no match for the Xiongnu, but now his jaw had dropped in shock.

Adunla looked at the valiant enemy leader, a flash of ruthlessness appearing in his eyes, and he drew his bow to a full moon, the arrowhead aimed at Jiang Jinshi.

"Shoo!"

The sharp arrow flew toward Jiang Jinshi's head, but before it could even get close, it was knocked down by Luo Feng with a spear.

"Daring to show off your petty skills?"

Jiang Jinshi continued to charge toward Adunla, not forgetting to order: "Vanguards, follow me to take the enemy leader's main camp! Left and right wings, flank them, leave none alive!"

"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"

The mountain-shaking, sea-roaring response showed the extremely high morale and discipline of the Ming Army.

Seeing that his sneak attack had no effect, Adunla immediately vaulted onto his horse: "Who do you think you are? The Prince of the North? Sons! Follow me and charge!"

Neither side avoided the battle, and they collided fiercely with high fighting spirit!