xymnovel Chapter 57 Mighty
Chapter 57 Mighty
The fighting on the walls of Zezhou had reached an extremely brutal stage.
The vanguard of the suicide squad was now down to only seven men. They were leaning against the parapet, covered in blood, and had changed their knives countless times. Their hands, gripping the knives, were trembling slightly from exhaustion.
"Bah! You murderous scoundrel, it seems you're about to meet your end here!"
Jing Si spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
He glanced at the approaching rebels, veins bulging on his neck, and roared, "Come on! Kill me if you dare!"
So what if I die?
If he were afraid, he wouldn't have joined the army!
No one dared to speak. Instead, the rebels all took a half step back, glancing fearfully at the dozens of corpses piled up at the feet of the group.
Just then, a muffled "boom!" was heard, and the city wall trembled slightly.
Ma Quanyi, who was standing by the wall, hurriedly peered down at the city wall. His face lit up with joy, and he shouted urgently, "A car crash is coming!"
Outside the city gate of Zezhou, a dozen soldiers were pulling the tow rope with all their might. After a moment of effort, a battering ram, two zhang long and as thick as a thigh, slammed into the city gate.
(Car crash illustration)
The city wall trembled slightly again, and dust fell in a flurry.
"Kill them!"
Seeing this, the defending general knew that he could no longer delay. He roared and dozens of rebel soldiers rushed forward, their long swords aimed straight at the faces of Jing Si and his men.
"Kill! Every one we kill is a bonus!"
Jing Si raised his knife to block, and in the process, he crashed into the other man's arms, causing him to stagger. Then, his left arm tightened around the man's neck like an iron clamp, and his right hand plunged the knife into his heart.
"Pfft—"
Warm blood splattered all over his face, but he didn't even blink. He drew his sword and slashed at another rebel!
Just then, a knife suddenly slashed from the side, its angle tricky and ruthless, aimed straight at his waist!
This strike was in Jing Si's blind spot. By the time he reacted, the blade was already only seven inches away from his waist!
Dangerous!
Jing Si's expression changed drastically, but it was too late to dodge!
At this critical moment!
"clang!"
A crisp sound rang out, and sparks flew everywhere!
The knife was stopped by a small, completely black stick. Jing Si was taken aback and glanced at it subconsciously. He saw that the stick was about three feet long and had an iron chain attached to its end. At the other end of the chain was a long stick about six feet long.
The staff, adorned with a coiled dragon, exudes a menacing aura under the firelight!
But the one holding the stick was someone Jing Si never expected!
"His Majesty?!"
He was stunned!
Ma Quanyi and the other assassins were stunned and subconsciously looked over. They saw Zhao Kuangyin, wearing bright armor, stepping onto the top of the cloud ladder and leaping up the city wall like a tiger, the sound of armor clashing powerfully.
But what shocked them even more was yet to come.
Behind Zhao Kuangyin, Zhao Dezhao, dressed in a miniature version of the Mingguang Armor, also stepped onto the top of the cloud ladder and leaped up, landing steadily on the city wall.
"Your Majesty...Your Majesty?!"
When Zhao Kuangyin personally climbed the city wall, they were shocked, but soldiers like Ma Quanyi, who had followed him for many years, could not completely disapprove.
But Zhao Dezhao's appearance completely shocked everyone, making their eyes practically pop out of their sockets!
Even Ma Quanyi was speechless for a moment, first looking at Zhao Kuangyin, then turning to look at Zhao Dezhao, looking incredulous.
Your Highness is only ten years old, right? This... you've already gone up the city wall with the army?
Is Your Majesty really at ease with this?
"Don't get lost in thought!"
Zhao Kuangyin frowned, and with a sudden flick of his wrist, the dragon-patterned staff in his hand lashed out like a snake emerging from its hole, striking the wrist of a rebel soldier who was rushing towards him with a "snap".
With a sharp "crack," the opponent's knife fell to the ground, his wrist twisted at an odd angle, and he screamed as he rolled to the ground.
"There is no Your Highness in the army! I am merely His Majesty's personal guard!"
Zhao Dezhao followed closely behind, sweeping his staff horizontally and forcefully cleaving the cleaver that came from the left. Although his movements were somewhat immature, his momentum was by no means weak.
Jing Si and the others suddenly came to their senses, and an indescribable surge of passion and fighting spirit welled up in their chests, instantly sweeping away their previous fatigue and despair!
They gripped their long swords, quickly formed a battle formation, and followed closely behind Zhao Kuangyin and his son!
This formation is like a drawn sword, and Zhao Kuangyin is the sharpest tip of the sword!
With a dragon-coiled staff, he can conquer all four hundred prefectures and counties under the Zhao family!
You can say the Song Dynasty was weak, but you can never say Zhao Kuangyin was weak.
In terms of individual combat ability alone, among all emperors throughout history, Zhao Kuangyin was second to none!
Zhao Dezhao and Jing Si, among others, were like sharp blades, focusing on dealing with the rebels on the left and right flanks, while leaving the enemy forces in front entirely to Zhao Kuangyin.
With the addition of a dozen or so personal guards, the rebels who had been desperately blocking the breach were actually forced to open a gap and retreated in defeat!
"Th-those are His Majesty and His Highness?!"
"His Majesty actually brought His Highness to the city walls in person!!"
Someone shouted in alarm from below the city, and the Song soldiers below were stunned at first. But when they saw the two familiar figures on the city wall, they instantly erupted in cheers!
"If His Majesty and His Highness are willing to risk their lives, what do we have to fear?!"
"We will not return to camp until we have captured Zezhou tonight!!"
They gazed at the two blood-soaked figures, one large and one small, on the city wall, their eyes filled with fervor and determination!
Throughout the Five Dynasties period, there were emperors who personally led expeditions and those who took the lead in battle, but who has ever seen an emperor leading his ten-year-old son to the front lines to defeat the enemy?
They had never even heard of it, let alone seen it!
But today, their emperor and their prince are standing on the city wall, sharing life and death with them, fighting side by side!
"Your Majesty is mighty! Your Highness is mighty!!"
The earth-shaking shouts swept across the entire battlefield, and Zhao Dezhao's figure was forever etched into the hearts of all the soldiers of the Great Zhou Imperial Guard!
Who doesn't admire heroes?
At the age of ten, he joined the army to climb the city walls and fight bloody battles. If such a prince is not considered a hero, then who in the world dares to call himself a hero?
At this moment, the army's recognition of Zhao Dezhao reached an unprecedented level!
At the same time, seeing the morale of the three armies soar, Shi Shouxin and others immediately ordered a full-scale attack on the city!
Dozens of siege ladders stretched like a long dragon across the city wall. Soldiers climbed the ladders, and when someone fell, someone immediately took their place, stepping on the corpses of their comrades to continue climbing!
Rams, catapults, crossbows... all kinds of siege weapons were deployed to the battlefield!
(War diagram)
Beneath the city wall, a shallow, blood-red river slowly emerged.
This is the siege warfare of the cold weapon era. There are no fancy skills, only the most primitive flesh and blood mill, where people use their lives to win a battle!
"Your Majesty is mighty! Your Highness is mighty!!"
Amidst the fighting, Zhao Dezhao also heard the deafening shouts around him. As the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, he couldn't help but marvel at his father's bravery.
There were reasons why Zhao Kuangyin was able to end the entire Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
As the art of war says, "He who puts himself before others will be the strongest in the world; he who puts himself before others will inspire courage in his soldiers."
Everyone understands the principle, but how many people can actually put it into practice?
Such an emperor and such a general, even in this immoral era, would still have countless people willing to follow him loyally!
"Charge towards the center!"
On the city wall, Zhao Kuangyin's voice was exceptionally clear amidst the fighting, his dragon-patterned staff pointing directly at the enemy formation in the center of the city wall.
He swept through the enemy ranks, wielding his dragon-patterned staff with impenetrable skill, and no one in his path could withstand even a single blow!
Zhao Dezhao looked in the direction his father pointed and saw a large group of rebels gathered there, surrounding an old man dressed in general's armor, his face full of fear and anger.
This must be Li Jun, the leader of the rebels.
"To catch the thief, first catch the king! Capture Li Jun!"
Zhao Dezhao roared and followed closely behind his father, his dragon-patterned staff occasionally slashing out to clear away the threats from the left.
……