Chapter 44: The Demon God Descends

Hongwu Third Year, fourth month, eighth day, Shen'er Valley.

The sky was gray and hazy, the morning mist had not yet lifted.

In the valley came the neighing of war horses, mingled with the clashing of metal.

Kuokuo Tiemuer's Vanguard cavalry, two thousand Mongol light riders, suddenly appeared on the Ming forces' left flank at sunrise.

They surged out of the mist, arrows like flying locusts.

"Enemy attack..."

The warning horn tore the morning's tranquility.

In Chang Yuchun's Central Command Tent, the generals were in council.

Hearing the horn, Chang Yuchun sprang up, grabbed his helmet and rushed out, shouting, "Damn it, Kuokuo this kid came fast!"

Xu Da, steadier than him, held his shoulder and said, "Yuchun, no rush; the scouting report only brought the Vanguard, Kuokuo's main force is still over thirty li away."

He looked toward the generals in the tent and said, "Prince Wu."

Zhu Yong clasped his fists and replied, "Here!"

"Take five thousand men of your unit to meet this Vanguard; remember, just wound them enough, don't pursue too deep—Kuokuo is cunning and may have an ambush."

"Got it!"

Zhu Yong strode out of the tent.

Outside the tent, five thousand soldiers were already in battle array.

Zhang Wu led a Black Horse; don't ask about Treading Snow, Treading Snow is gone now... I don't even know how many horses have been swapped.

Zhu Yong flipped onto his horse, pointed his hammer forward and said, "Follow me!"

The five thousand surged out of the camp like arrows released from a bow.

On the left battlefield, Mongol cavalry were assaulting the Ming forces' defenses.

They split into several squads, taking turns to fire arrows; the arrows struck shields, producing muffled thuds.

Ming infantry raised shields for defense, while archers and crossbowmen returned fire from behind the shields.

But the Mongol cavalry were too mobile, their archery precise, and dozens of Ming soldiers fell, pierced by arrows.

"Move!"

A loud shout came from the rear.

Ming soldiers turned their heads and saw a single Black Horse charging like a whirlwind, bearing a senior general in Golden Armor wielding a silver hammer.

"It's Prince Wu!"

"The Prince has arrived!"

"...."

The soldiers' spirits lifted, and they voluntarily cleared a path.

Zhu Yong, on a lone horse, charged out of the line, confronting the Mongol cavalry.

Opposite them, the Mongol cavalry also saw this Ming general.

The leading centurion squinted and shouted in Mongolian, "That man is Zhu Yong! Kill him, the prince will give a great reward!"

More than twenty riders turned their horses and charged toward Zhu Yong.

They drew their bows, and arrows sliced through the air.

Zhu Yong neither dodged nor evaded, swinging his Double Hammers.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

Arrows struck the hammer heads, scattering sparks.

In the blink of an eye, the distance between them was less than Ten Zhang.

Mongol cavalry sheathed their bows and drew swords, the blade light sharp.

Zhu Yong swept his left hammer horizontally.

"Bang!"

The first three riders, man and horse together, were smashed and flung outward; in midair their bones shattered.

His right hammer followed swiftly, striking down.

Another rider was struck squarely in the chest by the hammer head; the iron armor dented, the rider was thrown three Zhang from the horse, landing in a heap unrecognizable as a human.

Zhu Yong, horse unremitting, surged into the enemy ranks.

The Double Hammers whirled, like a tiger entering a flock of sheep.

Each hammer blow fell, inevitably killing a man or horse.

Where the hammer wind reached, flesh and blood flew sideways.

In but a moment, all the more than twenty riders were annihilated.

The centurion's face turned ashen, he spurred his horse to flee.

Zhu Yong clamped the horse's belly, and the Black Horse shot out like lightning.

The two horses crossed paths in an instant, the hammer head lightly tapped.

The centurion's back exploded, a spray of blood erupted, and he fell from his horse.

Zhu Yong halted his horse, pointed his hammer toward the Mongol cavalry still firing arrows, and bellowed, "Who else!"

His voice thundered, shaking the valley in echo.

The Mongol cavalry's Formation stalled.

They had long heard of Zhu Yong's fame, but seeing him with their own eyes today, they realized the rumors were true.

"This is no man; clearly a demon god has descended!"

"Retreat! Quickly retreat!"

The Vice General shouted loudly in Mongolian.

The Mongol cavalry turned their horses and retreated into the deep valley.

Zhu Yong did not pursue.

Zhu Yong remembered Xu Da's instruction: just make them feel pain.

But we also cannot let them get away so easily.

"Crossbowmen!" Zhu Yong shouted back.

After the formation, five hundred crossbowmen moved forward.

"Fire the arrows!"

A rain of arrows rose into the air, shooting after the silhouettes of the Mongol cavalry.

Screams of agony came from the mist, and dozens of riders fell from their horses.

The remaining Mongol cavalry fled in panic, vanishing into the morning mist.

The battlefield fell silent.

On the ground lay more than a hundred bodies of Mongol cavalry, scattered haphazardly, and dozens of wounded warhorses whined.

The Ming soldiers began cleaning the battlefield.

Zhu Yong dismounted and walked to a corpse.

It was a Mongol commander; judging by his armor style, he was at least a Thousand Household.

Chen Heng stepped forward, searched, and pulled a bronze badge from the corpse's chest, handing it to Zhu Yong: "Prince, this is Kuokuo's Imperial Guard."

Zhu Yong took the bronze badge, looked at it, and saw Mongolian script engraved on it.

Zhu Yong couldn't read it, and slipped it into his chest.

"Count the casualties," he ordered.

Zhang Wu returned quickly to report: "Prince, we lost twenty‑three men, fifty‑seven wounded, cut down one hundred forty‑six enemy riders, captured eighty‑nine warhorses, and seized a number of bows, arrows, swords and armor."

Zhu Yong nodded.

The first battle was a minor victory, but Kuokuo's vanguard is this elite; the main force will surely be harder to deal with.

Just then, Chang Yuchun rode over with Imperial Troops.

"Prince, well fought! Those Tatars fled at the sight of your hammer, like rabbits!" Chang Yuchun laughed heartily.

He tossed his mount aside, surveyed the battlefield, and clicked his tongue: "One hammer per man, clean and swift, but… General Xu said this is only a probe; that Kuokuo kid is definitely holding something back."

Zhu Yong nodded and said, "I know."

Chang Yuchun patted his shoulder: "Let's go back to camp; General Xu wants to discuss the next step."

In the Central Command Tent, the sand table had already been set out.

Xu Da pointed at the terrain of Shen'er Valley and said, "Kuokuo chose this battlefield with calculation; see, the valley has mountains on both sides, a narrow middle, and wide ends."

"If he hides his main force deep in the valley to lure us in, then blocks both ends, it would be like trapping a turtle in a jar."

Li Wenzhong frowned and asked, "Then we don't go in?"

"If we don't go in, how do we fight? Do we just stall here with him?" Chang Yuchun glared, "

Xu Da gestured, "Hold on. If Kuokuo wants to lure us, we'll play along."

He looked at Zhu Yong: "Prince, your five thousand men will march into the valley at first light tomorrow with great fanfare, but remember, stop after three li, dig trenches, hold firm, and give the appearance of setting up camp."

He then turned to Mu Ying: "Mu Ying, lead ten thousand men, quietly loop around to the north ridge of the valley, bring extra crossbows and fire guns, and when the Prince's side engages, fire down from the heights, targeting their backs."

Finally he looked at Chang Yuchun and Li Wenzhong: "Each of you commands twenty thousand men, ambush the two sides of the valley entrance. Once Kuokuo's main force appears, seal the mouth of the valley, and we'll execute a counter‑encirclement."

The generals clasped their fists and said, "As you command!"

Xu Da looked at Zhu Yong, his expression solemn: "Prince, your five thousand will serve as bait; if Kuokuo attacks, it will be a thunderous onslaught. You must hold for at least an hour until Mu Ying comes down from the mountain to strike."

Zhu Yong nodded gravely: "I can hold it."

That night, the camp was bustling.

The soldiers inspected weapons, sharpened swords, and fed the warhorses ample fodder.

Zhu Yong sat in his own tent, looking at the terrain on the sand table.

Zhang Wu brought dinner: a large bowl of mutton soup and three steamed buns.

"Prince, eat while it's hot,"

Zhu Yong took it, ate, and asked, "How's the morale of our five thousand?"

"High morale! Today your one‑hammer‑per‑man approach impressed the brothers; they all say fighting under you is exhilarating!" Zhang Wu laughed.

Chen Heng also nodded: "Exactly. In the past, charging with General Chang was brave, but none were as… as decisive as you, Prince."

Zhu Yong gave a simple smile and kept drinking the soup.

After the meal, he sent Zhang Wu and Chen Heng to rest, and sat himself by the oil lamp.

Footsteps of patrolling soldiers came from outside the tent, and horses whinnied in the distance.

He recalled those Mongol cavalry on the daytime battlefield.

Their eyes were fierce, yet unafraid of death.

Kuokuo has roamed the Mobei for years; his men are indeed extraordinary.

This battle will not be easy.

But Zhu Yong is not afraid.

He clenched his fists and closed his eyes.