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But Mei Qian naturally knew there could be no hesitation at this moment.

He pressed his legs harder against the horse’s belly, raising his sword toward the sky with a fierce gleam in his eyes.

“What use is overwhelming momentum? Brothers, charge with me! Let them know today the might of the Songshan Army! Crush them! Slaughter them all! Break Jiangting! Leave not a blade of grass standing!”

Filled with battle fervor, Mei Qian’s troops charged toward the Jiangting soldiers who faced death without fear.

The two torrents of warriors collided abruptly!

“Kill!”

As the sun sank, the once gentle sunlight shifted slowly to the due south, drowned by the clash of battle and the thunderous cries of war.

Thousands of soldiers from both sides were tangled in chaotic combat. Yet, because Mei Qian’s forces held absolute superiority, the army led by Zhang Xun was soon split and surrounded, left to fight alone.

But Zhang Xun, commanding a group of several dozen fierce warriors, blazed a bloody path wherever he went. Many young soldiers, like headless flies, followed this contingent, seeking any chance to break through the encirclement.

Zhang Xun knew his elite guards were on the way and that if they could hold on just a little longer, victory would be within reach. Yet, this deadly crisis had to be survived intact; otherwise, even if Mei Qian was later defeated and scattered, everything they guarded and believed in would be lost forever.

Whether it was Jiangting or Li Miao, the stakes were the same.

“Break through! Break through! Kill!”

Zhang Xun chose a relatively weak point and began leading his troops forward in fierce combat.

“Get out of the way!”

“To death!”

Zhang Xun and Chen Dao led a hundred young soldiers forming a spearhead, killing without mercy, sparing no one—man or monk.

In the midst of the bloody chaos, they had long lost sense of direction. Under the protection of generals Zhang Xun and Chen Dao, their breakout initially went smoothly.

However...

“Send orders: no pursuit of retreating soldiers. The entire army must concentrate to encircle and annihilate Zhang Xun and Li Miao’s main force.”

Uneasy, Mei Qian decided to end the battle early and issued the command.

Thus, nearly a thousand of Mei Qian’s troops launched a full-scale siege on Li Miao and Zhang Xun’s main camp, surrounding it in dense layers.

“Those who block me die!”

At the forefront, Zhang Xun had long abandoned his horse for foot combat, swinging his battle blade like a windmill. Any soldier who came close was killed or wounded instantly.

Gradually, his armor was stained crimson with enemy blood, the gore flowing down through the gaps in his armor like a river.

Under Zhang Xun’s fierce assault, dozens of enemies fell at his hands. The cold gleam of his blade remained sharp and swift as ever.

Nearby, Chen Dao wielded a long spear, spinning and weaving like a dancer, creating a whirlwind that swept away countless foes.

Though not as strong as Zhang Xun, Chen Dao’s youth, courage, and ferocity drove him relentlessly forward, leaving a trail of bodies behind.

Severed heads and limbs, accompanied by spurting blood, formed a tempest of gore around Zhang Xun. He seemed to be walking through a waterfall of blood, embodying the true spirit of a killing god.

The three hundred young soldiers fought desperately. Though young, many had already claimed lives.

Under the command of these two fierce generals, the Jiangting army, though encircled by superior enemy forces, managed to inch forward slowly.

Zhang Xun, as the vanguard, slaughtered Gongsun’s soldiers, painstakingly leading the battle line forward. Meanwhile, troops on the flanks were slaughtered under Mei Qian’s siege, gradually weakening the already fragile fighting power of the young soldiers.

The sounds of slaughter, agonized screams, and the rain of severed limbs turned this battlefield into a hellish scene.

Blood rain drifting in the fierce wind stained Li Miao’s golden armor deep red. Surrounded within the formation, Li Miao’s face had turned pale with fright, horror, and helplessness.

Suddenly, a child soldier beside Li Miao was cut down by an enemy blade, and Li Miao’s expression changed completely.

“Ah Gou!”

Li Miao roared. The fallen child was Chen Ah Gou. Though the name was rough, his grandfather had named him so for practical reasons.

A few days ago, Li Miao saw Ah Gou refusing to eat the rations he received and gently pinched the corner of his clothes to ask why. Ah Gou said he was saving the food for his grandfather. Moved, Li Miao gave him more, and Ah Gou wept, pledging his life to Li Miao. Li Miao had merely smiled—what could a child’s life do?

But now, Ah Gou had died before him—alive and then slain.

And it was because Li Miao failed to see the blade coming from the side; Ah Gou took the blow for him. Ah Gou died for him.

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As a seasoned actor on the battlefield, Li Miao’s legs trembled despite his fear. But he knew what he must do to rally his men; otherwise, death was certain today. Ah Gou’s death struck a powerful chord in him, stoking the fire of his warrior spirit. Li Miao spurred his horse forward, shouting aloud:

“Death is inevitable today, so let the enemies’ blood be the sacrifice before my passing!”

But in his heart, he cursed, “Mei Qian! Damn your ancestors, damn all eighteen generations!”

With a sharp pull of the reins, Qin Hui’s horse reared up, then charged forward like a bolt of lightning, bringing its rider swiftly to the front line.

Li Miao, reckless now, brandished his cleaver wildly, slaying two of Mei Qian’s soldiers indiscriminately.

“Your Majesty!”

Zhang Xun and Chen Dao had not expected Li Miao to personally enter such danger and were shocked.

Li Miao nodded but said nothing.

A gush of hot blood splattered across his cold face. Pulling the blade from an enemy’s chest, he shouted amid the enemy’s screams and collapse:

“I, Li Miao, will live and die with you all! Let us forge our heroic souls with the blood of our enemies! Even if I fall today, I will have no regrets! Follow me, kill!”

Nothing stirred the troops more than seeing their leader on the front lines.

“Kill!” Li Miao roared, his cleaver flashing like a silver dragon, claiming enemy lives one after another. In this moment, he was no longer a ruler, nor a coward afraid of death.

He knew death was certain today, so he chose to fight with fiery passion.

At this moment, he was a fearless warrior, wielding his cleaver to carve the final, glorious chapter of his courage.

“Clang!”

An enemy’s blade suddenly struck Li Miao’s horse. He cried out:

“Damn it, I don’t want to die!”

In this instant, Li Miao’s true nature was revealed.

“Kill!”

Yet Li Miao’s presence on the battlefield stirred the Jiangting troops to renewed vigor, fighting desperately to break through the siege.

The battle grew even fiercer.

...

In the rear of Jiangting, Qin Huai led three hundred elite guards on horseback, nearing their final destination.

Chen Lan had supplied two hundred war horses, just enough to equip part of the three hundred elite guards. Qin Huai was filled with anxiety.

“General, General... Jiangting is locked in fierce combat. His Majesty and the others are surrounded and seem close to collapse.”

A scout hurried to Qin Huai’s galloping steed.

Holding a new battle blade, Qin Huai furrowed his brow but calmly commanded:

“Everyone, speed up again! Full force, strike Mei Qian’s main camp!”

“What? Why... why not save His Majesty first?”

The scout cried out in shock.

“Mei Qian’s main camp is behind the encirclement. Send the order quickly!” Qin Huai said, though his heart was aflame with worry. If anything happened to His Majesty, he’d be doomed.

This was a desperate move to relieve pressure on His Majesty’s camp. Charging directly to rescue His Majesty would trap Qin Huai’s three hundred elite guards as well. Though confident in their strength, he was no fool to throw away lives needlessly.

“Understood!” The scout acknowledged and immediately spread the order.

Thus, the three hundred elite guards spurred their horses and, under Qin Huai’s leadership, accelerated to assault Mei Qian’s camp.

Mei Qian had dispatched nearly all his forces to besiege Zhang Xun’s camp. Even scouts and supervising troops had been sent out, leaving the main camp poorly defended.

The desperate Jiangting elite guards exploded with twice their usual fighting spirit, quickly reaching Mei Qian’s rear and smashing his outer defenses.

Qin Huai’s anxiety was near panic. From afar, he saw Li Miao’s forces faltering, knowing time was short. He surged forward alone, leading a fierce charge into Mei Qian’s main camp.

Mei Qian turned to see an unfamiliar general, wielding a gleaming battle blade, cutting down enemy after enemy as he pierced through the lines, carving a bloody path.

Qin Huai, entering the enemy ranks, fixed his gaze on Mei Qian’s banner nearby, swinging his blade in a deadly dance.

He roared, “Songshan dog traitor! You dare encircle my lord? Prepare to die!”

“What!” Mei Qian was stunned by the voice. Lost in the joy of anticipated victory, he had neglected to fight. In truth, he feared Zhang Xun’s fighting prowess, but seeing the thunderous cavalry at his flanks, he was puzzled—weren’t there no reinforcements?

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What the hell is this?

Seeing Qin Huai charging alone, Mei Qian’s courage shattered; the hairs on his back stood on end, his face drained of color as he commanded nearby troops:

“Stop him! Stop him!”

Qin Huai charged alone, hooves pounding, his strength still terrifying. Single-handedly, he struck down soldiers on both sides, his blade slitting throats like pincers.

Mei Qian realized this warrior’s power rivaled, if not surpassed, that of Chen Dao and perhaps even approached Zhang Xun’s.

As Qin Huai closed in, almost at his side, the general’s overwhelming aura turned Mei Qian’s face ghostly pale. He turned his horse to flee, crying out:

“Save me! Save me!”

Qin Huai pursued Mei Qian, who fled wildly through his camp. At this moment, the three hundred elite guards, burning with unstoppable momentum, smashed through Gongsun Zan’s main camp.

To save himself, Mei Qian reluctantly ordered the troops besieging Li Miao’s camp to return.

Damn it, if they don’t come back soon, I’m finished.

Under his command, those soldiers already terrified by Zhang Xun and Chen Dao prepared to retreat at once and dashed back to aid.

Pressure on Li Miao’s camp was sharply reduced.

“Close the wings, break out together!” Zhang Xun stabbed an enemy to death with a raised hand. The remaining two hundred young soldiers focused their will, charging forward with all their might.

Under the brave leadership of Zhang Xun and Chen Dao, the desperate young soldiers finally tore a gap in the gradually weakening encirclement.

“Hold off the enemies on the flanks! Your Majesty, hurry!”

The breach was opened. Overjoyed, Li Miao, having initially been filled with fervor but soon stunned by the relentless bloodshed and severed heads, heard Zhang Xun’s call and dashed out without looking back.

About two hundred surviving young soldiers followed him.

Li Miao exhaled deeply, secretly astonished at his own survival.

“Dog traitor! Are you Mei Qian?”

Qin Huai eyed the increasing troops around Mei Qian, thinking, Is this the great leader of thousands? Such a coward?

Seeing reinforcements arrive, Mei Qian regained confidence, puffed his chest, and declared proudly:

“I am he!”

“I see your skill is great. If you join the Songshan Army, I will…”

“KILL YOU!”

Qin Huai roared fiercely, eyes blazing, hands gripping his long blade like iron clamps. Veins bulged on his arms; he was on the brink of an explosive strike.

Mei Qian’s expression changed as he looked toward Qin Huai. Unexpectedly, Qin Huai stood upright on his horse, his blade flashing coldly as it descended.

“Pfft!”

A spray of blood erupted. Mei Qian’s eyes widened in disbelief, filled with endless regret and fury.

Damn it, not even letting me finish my act.

“Chief! Chief!” The surrounding troops panicked, hearts pounding.

A battle blade fell from the sky, slicing Mei Qian’s forehead down to his nose, cleaving him in two. Even his horse’s back was stained a deep crimson.

Qin Huai stood against the wind, brandishing another blade, charging again into the enemy ranks!

The Songshan bandit leader—Mei Qian—was dead, slain by Qin Huai’s fury-filled blade!

“Chief...” Mei Qian’s soldiers cried out. Seeing their leader slain, they wondered if they could survive. What strength remained to continue fighting?

Almost all fled toward the distance. With the commander dead, what purpose was there to stay?

“Hold steady! Hold steady! Sound the retreat signal! Sound the retreat!”

Zhang Sanwen, with a few dozen men, watched nearby troops lose all direction and flee, his heart burning with anxiety. If these fools ran, the remaining nearly thousand troops would be lost.

But Zhang Sanwen was just an ordinary junior officer. The soldiers no longer heeded his orders.