Chapter 387: To Preserve the Integrity of the Son of Heaven

The corpses under the city wall had already piled up into a large slope, and now there was no need for the help of scaling ladders; the court army could just step on the corpses of their companions and rush onto the city wall.

But this path was not easy to walk either; Jiang Ze had long ago called for fire oil to be poured on it, and these corpses were sufficient fuel; at this moment, lighting it up, the corpses piled up like mountains instantly ignited into raging flames.

To want to step on these corpses and launch a charge, one had to cross over this fire; if one was not careful and fell into it, it would be a fate of being burned alive.

Even if soldiers successfully climbed onto the city wall from here, they would basically lose their combat ability if they were on fire, and the threat to the Ming Army was limited.

And the ramming vehicles at the city gate had already broken down several times, plus the piled-up corpses, which completely blocked the city gate, so the court army could not break through from here either.

By the time the sky turned bright, the court army's crazy offensive, which had lasted all night, seemed to have a sign of exhaustion.

The court army's offensive was no longer as unstoppable as it was at the beginning, and the subsequent replenishment of troops seemed unable to keep up.

Fewer and fewer death squads climbed onto the city wall, the Ming Army's defensive line remained largely intact, and morale became even higher after withstanding the most fierce impact.

Wei Xi Yuan's subordinates still had a few left, but at this moment he could no longer command them.

"Damn it! The dog Emperor just wants us to go die, I'm not going!"

"Brothers, rebel! Instead of going to the front to die, it's better to fight this dog Emperor!"

"Didn't we say we were going to fight the south at the beginning? Why are we fighting the Ming Army now? The dog Emperor is deceiving us into going to die!"

"And those supervising the battle, just directing us to go die, while they hide in the back!"

"Rebel! Fuck the dog Emperor!"

"Yes! Tie him up and give him to the Ming Army, in exchange for a way to live!"

Such riots were not impulsive, but everyone had long harbored grievances, only because no one took the lead, most of them said nothing.

But when they saw that the city they had attacked all night was still standing there, their emotions completely exploded.

No one was willing to go die for no reason, especially when they were forced to move forward.

Once someone took the lead, the rest of the people immediately began to respond.

The supervising soldiers killed several leading soldiers, but it only ignited the anger in the hearts of the remaining soldiers even more!

"Fuck your mother! Fuck him!"

"Rebel! Surrender to the Ming Army in exchange for a way to live!"

"Charge! Brothers, don't go to the front line, tie the dog Emperor up first!"

Wei Xi Yuan's face was ugly; he didn't expect the soldiers' emotions to explode completely at this moment.

It wasn't just the soldiers who had complaints; even many generals remained silent and stood with the soldiers who were preparing to rebel.

They were not stupid; they knew they couldn't take down the Ming Army at all, and Wei Xi Yuan just wanted them to die to fulfill his own reputation!

"It's time!"

Bai Ting looked at the battlefield that was gradually becoming clear, looking at the signs of movement and collapse appearing in the rear of the court army, a sense of excitement in his eyes, "Jiang Ze, press up from the front, counterattack! Han Xiao, Zhang Honghong, take your men and charge out from the flank, kick their asses hard! The target is the enemy's main camp, where that dragon flag is!"

"Woo woo woo!"

The horn for the Ming Army's counterattack sounded!

The Ming Army reserve team and cavalry, who had been resting and building up strength, poured out from behind the solid camps, launching a counter-charge against the exhausted and demoralized court army!

"Move fast! The Ming Army has come out of the city!"

"Do it! Kill these dog officials and surrender!"

"Fast! If we wait for the Ming Army to arrive, we won't have a chance!"

When Jiang Ze led the troops to the front, he saw the court army that was in the midst of a rebellion.

"Drop your weapons! Surrender and you won't be killed! Anyone with a weapon is an enemy, annihilate them all!"

Hearing this, many of the court soldiers who were rebelling immediately retreated and dropped their weapons, only praying that the Ming Army would keep their word and let them go!

About half of the soldiers threw away their helmets and armor, while the rest huddled around Wei Xi Yuan, preparing for a desperate fight with the Ming Army.

Zhang Honghong and Han Xiao arrived, charging directly into the battlefield with cavalry, without any mercy, hacking and killing the court army.

Bai Ting also arrived at the battlefield, shouting for the first time: "Leave no one! Kill them all!"

This shout scared the surrendering soldiers until they trembled, but fortunately, the Ming Army did not move those who surrendered.

The battlefield was quickly divided, and the surrendering soldiers tacitly moved to a safe zone to avoid being accidentally injured, and once they reached the outside, they consciously hugged their heads and squatted down, while quietly raising their eyes to observe the battlefield situation.

And the court army was retreating while fighting, with Wei Xi Yuan as the center!

"The Lord has an order! Capture Wei Xi Yuan alive!" Bai Ting had a strong desire to kill, but still didn't forget Jiang Jinshi's order.

Wei Xi Yuan stood in the crowd, looking at the surrendering soldiers, the ferocious Ming Army, and the generals who were still protecting him, and he understood that he had completely failed!

The defeat was like a mountain collapsing! He failed to shake Shuoning city, failed to create enough chaos, and buried the last bit of organized strength under the Ming Army's city wall.

That bright yellow dragon flag representing the identity of the Da Qian Emperor was broken at some point and finally fell.

And what stood up on the battlefield were countless flags with the character "Ming"!

"Protect the Emperor! Toward the west! Break out toward the west!"

An old general with a face full of blood and gore shouted with all his might, trying to change direction and find a way to survive.

However, the west was the area where Zhang Honghong's cavalry was charging most fiercely, and it was a dead end.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way for Zhen!"

Wei Xi Yuan, surrounded by his personal guards, hacked down a routed soldier who had bumped into his horse in a panic; his hair was disheveled, his armor was covered in blood and filth, and he no longer had the dignity of an Emperor.

He looked at the endless stream of Ming Army, looked at the fewer and fewer guards beside him, and only tragedy remained in his heart.

"Your Majesty! There is a mound ahead, we can take temporary refuge!" A personal guard pointed to a bare hillock that was only ten feet high and shouted.

The remaining hundreds of people protected Wei Xi Yuan, fought a bloody path, and rushed onto that bare hillock.

However, this last bit of struggle was ridiculously laughable in the face of the rapidly encircling Ming Army.

In the blink of an eye, the hillock was surrounded by the Ming Army, layer upon layer, impenetrable.

The archers drew their bows and aimed at Wei Xi Yuan's head, but did not shoot.

Bai Ting carried his long spear, which was still dripping blood, and under the protection of a team of personal guards, crossed the crowd and arrived at the bottom of the hillock.

He looked up and happened to meet Wei Xi Yuan's gaze on the hillock.

"Wei Xi Yuan!"

Bai Ting shouted calmly, "The situation is gone, resisting to the end will only lead to death! Drop your weapons, come down and be bound, and you might save your life!"

"Rebel! Zhen is the Son of Heaven! Receiving the mandate from Heaven! How can Zhen kneel to you rebellious subjects!"

Wei Xi Yuan roared hoarsely, "Zhen would rather die here than suffer your humiliation!"

He suddenly raised the long sword stained with blood in his hand, looked around at the remaining guards who were all injured, and then looked at the dense Ming Army under the hill.

"Ancestors above!

Unfilial descendant Wei Xi Yuan, unable to guard the empire, causing the state to collapse, today... only death can apologize to the world!

To preserve... the integrity of the Son of Heaven!!!"

Wei Xi Yuan smiled miserably and suddenly turned the sword blade toward his own neck! ===== CHAPTER 388 =====