Chapter 1 The Sword Saint

The Sword Saint once lamented from his own experience that even the sharpest swords and sabers in the hands of martial artists could not stir the winds and clouds of the imperial court.

Especially in this scene of clashing metal and armored horses, one person holding off an entire army was almost impossible and unrealistic.

An individual's martial prowess was just a slightly larger ripple on the vast battlefield.

However, when armies were arrayed against each other, there were also many examples of breaking through from a single point, and then expanding from that point to the entire line.

Seizing a breach, prying it open, and then pressing on, could often bring about a chain reaction of collapse in the opponent.

Back then, Zheng Boye's thousand-mile raid on Xuehai Pass was one such example.

Today, Fan Li's gate assault should also be classified as such.

Admittedly,

During the charge, Fan Li's personal martial strength and physical fitness played a huge role; otherwise, he couldn't have run so fast, nor could he have carried that exquisite and heavy coffin.

But the root cause was not Fan Li's personal martial strength. There were many good fighters in the Yan army. Even if Fan Li's physique was one in ten thousand, couldn't you just use two martial generals to carry the coffin?

It was clear that Fan Li didn't know beforehand that the Chu garrison would open the city gate and send out a group of people.

He just did something a fool would do, using his own foolhardy nature to its fullest extent.

Then, the Chu people opened the city gate.

Then, Fan Li decisively seized the opportunity.

Facts proved that being a fool and being stupid were not the same thing.

Seven parts of coincidence, two parts of strength, plus one part of divine will.

In the end, it caused a crack to appear in Xishan Fort, which Li Fusheng had been unable to conquer for so long.

The Chu people wanted to close the gate, but they couldn't. The Yan people, with a spirit of fearless sacrifice, charged inside while enduring the arrows from the city walls.

The city gate was the weakest point in a city. Military fortresses, completely abandoning civilian use, undoubtedly weakened the disadvantage of the city gate. But, as long as the Chu people couldn't give their soldiers wings, the location of the entrance and exit would inevitably still be a weakness.

Above the city gate, there were rows of grooves, densely packed with holes for arrows to be fired from, aimed at this place.

Hot oil was constantly poured down.

Fan Li, who was working hard to carry the gate, usually liked to eat oil-splashed noodles. He would put the seasonings in first, pile up the chili peppers, and finally pour hot oil on it. With a "sizzle" sound, the fragrance would immediately spread.

Now, many Yan soldiers around him had already emitted a fragrance.

The Yan soldiers who rushed in through the never-closed city gate not only had to face the arrows from above, but also had to fight with Chu people who far outnumbered them. Rushing in now meant that they probably wouldn't be able to walk out standing up, but the Yan army still followed one after another.

This was endurance, this was consumption, this was struggle;

During the previous attacks on Xishan Fort, Li Fusheng and the soldiers below him were all holding their breath.

The Chu people were good at defending. They attacked fiercely, but there was never a good opportunity. The initial opportunity for attacking the city was when the Chu people deliberately revealed a flaw and lured them into a trap.

Now, it was much better than the previous days. At least, hope was right in front of them.

……

On the high platform, Zheng Boye watched the grand scene in front of him, while worrying in his heart that Fan Li might really die in the front.

Li Fusheng repeatedly clenched his knife handle, and then repeatedly let go.

His eyes had already started to turn red.

He had been attacking this Xishan Fort for many days, but it was like the most experienced girls or pimps in the red tents, deliberately teasing you but never letting you enter.

Ordinary people could hardly endure it, let alone Li Fusheng, who had been diagnosed as a mental patient by a blind man?

He really wanted Zheng Fan to say:

Old brother, go charge in front, and I'll take command for you.

But Zheng Fan just stood there,

His body always at a very suitable angle to the sunlight, making the light reflected from his golden armor even more dazzling.

This wasn't intentional on Zheng Boye's part, but had already become a professional habit.

Zheng Boye didn't speak, so Li Fusheng had to endure this inner struggle, which was simply a torment.

Finally,

Li Fusheng couldn't bear it anymore.

"That... Brother~"

Zheng Boye came back to his senses. This tone made him think that Li Fusheng suddenly had an urgent need to relieve himself.

Turning his head to look at Li Fusheng, Zheng Boye read what Li Fusheng wanted from his expression.

Actually,

At this time, no superb command was needed. The point of contention was at that city gate.

The remaining task was to push each type of soldier forward as quickly as possible, to share and dilute the attention and strength of the defenders.

In this regard, Zheng Boye felt that he could handle it.

But,

How should he put it?

After getting through Fan Li's *yangge* and the initial attack on the city, Zheng Boye's heart had calmed down a little. Today, if this city was broken, then most of the credit would be his, and the halo would be placed on him.

In short, he couldn't let down A-Li's efforts.

Zheng Boye smiled at Li Fusheng,

And said:

"Old brother, go ahead, I'll take care of things here."

After saying this, Zheng Boye immediately turned his body back, looking forward.

It was a pity that he didn't have a fan in his hand, otherwise he really wanted to create the image of a feathered fan and a turban, talking and laughing.

"Alright, Brother Zheng, I'm going!"

Li Fusheng couldn't hold back anymore. With Zheng Fan's words, he immediately grabbed a pillar supporting the high platform with one hand and slid down.

"Damn it, personal guard battalion, follow me to charge!"

"Yes!"

"Yes!"

Zheng Boye continued to stand on the high platform,

With his hands behind his back.

Actually,

His palms were already sweating.

Fortunately, he had seen many scenes and experienced many things, plus he was indeed a student of a famous teacher. Although he didn't have many opportunities to practice personally before, this tension came more from excitement than from fear and lack of confidence.

Beside Zheng Boye, there were also messengers, and on both sides of the high platform, there were also flag bearers and drummers.

The Prince of Jingnan's military order was in front,

Li Fusheng's entrustment was behind,

His personal prestige and battle record were first,

Standing here miraculously, the city that had been attacked for many days without success actually showed signs of loosening!

All of this made Zheng Boye have the ability and absolute prestige to order this Northern Town Army that didn't belong to him.

Moreover,

None of the generals below would disobey him.

Zheng Boye lowered his head and looked at the trebuchets below. They should be almost ready, and there was still some finishing work, so the flag signals from below hadn't been sent up yet.

"Pass down the order, the trebuchets will throw fire stones into the city walls!"

"Yes!"

"Pass down the order, the trebuchets..."

The order was quickly transmitted, the drums sounded, and the flag bearers also issued flag signals.

Below, although they weren't fully prepared yet, those trebuchets that were already in place had loaded the specially made stone bullets, and the fire had been lit.

"Buzz! Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!!!!!"

The burning stone bullets were thrown towards Xishan Fort. Because the distance was deliberately increased, they all fell inside the city walls.

In this situation, it was impossible to pay attention to accuracy. Even if you clearly saw that the city walls were full of Chu soldiers, and you clearly knew that behind the city walls were also densely packed Chu soldiers.

But the accuracy of the trebuchets was actually just an approximation. Hitting farther away was better than hitting one's own people under the city walls, even if it didn't have any concrete effect.

In film and television works, there are often scenes where they don't hesitate to shoot their own people and the enemy together for victory, well, this is often just talk.

Unless it's a specific situation or a suicide squad or vanguard that has been fully informed and prepared, if you dare to launch an indiscriminate attack on them, the soldiers who are already red-eyed in front would dare to turn around and fight you to the death with their knives.

At the same time, this is also a huge blow to one's own morale.

However, the sight of "fire meteors" flying over the heads of the Chu soldiers should be enough to scare them into a cold sweat. The Chu people knew how critical their situation was, so reducing their morale and giving them greater pressure was also beneficial to the Yan army's battle situation.

"Pass down the order, scaling ladders and siege towers, move forward at full speed, and climb the city walls!"

"Pass down the order, archers, suppress the city gate tower!"

"Pass down the order, let the siege rams come down and clear the way!"

"Pass down the order, let the rear army's heavy cavalry enter the battlefield and form a formation!"

"Pass down the order..."

With Zheng Boye's orders, all the troops began to move quickly.

Now, the most important thing was to quickly increase the contact area between the Yan army and the Chu army in close combat, to reduce the pressure on the Yan army at the city gate and create opportunities.

As for the cavalry entering the battlefield, this was Zheng Boye's own way of making a name for himself in his early years.

Zheng Boye really felt that battlefield command was not difficult at all right now.

Because those who should be in front were already there, and what he had to do was not keen observation, but adding fuel to the fire, which was naturally simpler.

But no one knew how long this fierce battle would last.

Under normal circumstances, if such a big problem occurred at the city gate, the defenders' morale would likely have collapsed long ago.

And in general, when the attacking side broke open the city gate, the defending side should have felt that the overall situation was over. What followed was either escape or surrender.

But today's situation here,

Everything originated from Fan Li's *yangge*.

Although the Yan army had been attacking the city for a long time under Li Fusheng's command in the previous days, they had not been able to shake Xishan Fort. Instead, they made the Chu army inside more and more confident. This was not the final blow when the attacking side besieged and attacked the defending side, torturing them to the point of ecstasy, but rather a strange decision that began in a situation where both sides were caught off guard.

No warm-up, no foreshadowing,

Originally, the Yan army thought it was just another ordinary day of attacking the city. However, because the famous Earl of Pingye had come, they had some expectations in their hearts, and at the same time, they didn't lack the small thought of, "Heh, let's see how much real ability you, Earl of Pingye, have."

The Chu people, on the other hand, started cooking after hearing the horns in the Yan army's camp.

Therefore, in this situation, the Chu army's persistence and endurance would exceed the state of ordinary defending forces when the city was broken.

………

"Advance! Advance!"

"Advance! Advance!"

"Advance! Advance!"

Finally,

Under a chorus of roars, the city gate was completely opened.

The Yan soldiers began to charge in madly, but inside, the Chu army had prepared barricades and some obstacles in advance, as well as crossbowmen and spearmen who had been lined up and waiting.

"Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!!!!!!"

More than half of the Yan soldiers who charged in were killed or wounded at once, but the soldiers behind continued to step on the corpses of their comrades and charge forward, pushing away the obstacles in the face of arrows.

When the Chu spearmen formed a formation and pressed forward, they charged up without regard for their lives, being stabbed to death one after another, and then replaced by others behind them.

"Roar!"

Fan Li's axe had long been lost, but at this time, he had no way to retreat, because behind him were the Yan soldiers rushing forward, and he couldn't retreat even if he wanted to. Even if there was a sea of fire in front, he could only bite the bullet and rush forward.

However, Fan Li didn't plan to retreat either. Today, he was determined to perform well and to protect his little red flag for the last round!

He saw Fan Li grab two corpses from the ground, hold them in front of him, and then run forward again.

He was actually very tired, but his barbarian blood and physique made his endurance more sustained.

"Bang!"

Fan Li, like a big iron can, smashed himself over again. Although he knocked down a group of people, he was stabbed by two spears in the abdomen this time.

Fortunately, there was cotton armor inside the armor, and inside the cotton armor, there was also the golden silk soft armor that Si Niang had woven for everyone, so although the spears had broken through the defense, they were still stuck inside. Bleeding and injuries were certain, but he wasn't directly skewered.

Fan Li hugged the spears with both hands and pulled up the two spearmen together.

At this time, the other spearmen around him also swarmed up.

Fortunately, a group of Yan soldiers also rushed up, and everyone was entangled in a group. Just a little bit later, if they were two steps slower, Fan Li would have really become a hedgehog.

………

"Pass down the order, the cavalry will charge in!"

On the high platform, Zheng Boye issued this order.

Doing so was actually very dangerous, and this order was like something a rookie who only knew how to talk on paper would make.

Because it was full of Yan soldiers at this time, and everyone wanted to rush into the city gate. Even if the cavalry entered the battlefield, they could only be blocked by their own people on the periphery.

Forcibly charging in might even trample their own people.

But Zheng Boye still gave this order, because Li Fusheng himself was on the front line at this moment, and because this was a force mainly composed of the old Northern Town Army.

The soldiers were of high quality and had rich experience in battle formations, so they could do what others could not.

You know, when they went south to the Qian Kingdom, Li Fusheng himself ran into the heavy infantry camp, carried a *mashuo* (a long spear) and started charging, but his subordinates were still conducting oppression, feint attacks, coordination, cutting, and other battlefield behaviors in an orderly manner under the leadership of their respective generals.

This was the elite!

As expected,

When the cavalry began to pick up their speed and enter the battlefield,

The soldiers in front, after hearing the sound of hooves behind them, didn't even need their superiors to give orders. In fact, everyone was in chaos at this moment and had long lost their original organization, and it was difficult for the commanding officers to personally issue instructions.

But everyone still began to retreat tacitly, the ones outside retreating, and the ones inside also retreating, opening up a path for their own cavalry.

Looking from a high point in the distance, that is, from the perspective of Zheng Boye's location, it could be clearly seen that the black crowd under the city walls separated a line like the parting of the sea by Moses.

At first, there was some obstruction, but slowly, the path for the cavalry to enter became smooth.

Then, they began to pick up their full speed and raise their *mashuo*.

"The will to break through the formation!"

"To die without life!"

"To die without life!"

This group of knights, wearing heavy armor, and even the warhorses under their crotches were armored, were few in number. As the tip of the spear, they led their comrades behind them into the city gate.

"Bang!!!!!!!!!"

In an instant, the Chu's military formation behind the city walls was smashed into pieces, and the battlefield pattern inside the city was suddenly opened. The Yan army began to enter the city like a tide.

"Hoo……"

Zheng Boye breathed a long sigh of relief.

The battle was actually far from over, but the situation had been completely opened. Next, it was to clear the Chu army in the city. There would still be fierce battles, and there would still be casualties, but the overall situation had been set.

The periphery had long been covered by various Yan armies and countless sentry cavalry. Unless Nian Yao planned to have a large-scale field battle in advance, it was impossible for the Chu reinforcements to come.

The Chu people in the city, after losing the support of the city walls, could only jump around a little longer if they stubbornly resisted.

Zheng Boye gave several more orders in succession, mainly about the arrangements on the periphery to prevent the enemy from breaking out of the city and the arrangements for the rear camp.

After doing these things, he let a staff general under Li Fusheng continue to stand on the high platform to watch the situation, and he himself got off the high platform.

A-Ming had been standing under the high platform.

Because he had to be prepared, in case the master was hit by the Chu's trebuchets again, he had to catch him when the master jumped off the high platform. If he couldn't catch him, he had to be a meat pad.

Pixiu was next to A-Ming, and it was also here to be a meat pad.

Zheng Boye flipped over and mounted Pixiu, and said to A-Ming: "Follow me in and see what's going on with A-Li."

"Yes, Master."

This side of the city wall had been completely controlled by the Yan army. Now, the fighting inside the city was still continuing, but it had become quiet here.

Zheng Boye rode Pixiu through the city gate.

"Heh."

A-Ming snorted coldly.

Zheng Boye turned his head and saw A-Ming standing in front of the unrecognizable coffin.

This was his bed, the nest he had carefully designed and patiently had someone build.

Now,

It was gone.

Knowing that A-Ming was very angry now, Zheng Boye couldn't help but tease:

"I don't understand why you would use thunderstruck wood to make a coffin. Does it have an electric shock effect when you lie inside?"

Thunderstruck wood was used to ward off evil things.

A-Ming shook his head and said, "It's like electrotherapy, numb and comfortable."

"Let someone make another one for you when we get back. This time, it can be considered meritorious. Anyway, Shi Yuantang has already laid in it, and you don't bother to want it, thinking it's dirty."

Soon, Zheng Boye found Fan Li.

Fan Li was covered in blood, sitting in the corner. Xue San, who had entered the city first, was bandaging Fan Li's wounds.

When Zheng Boye rode Pixiu over,

He vaguely saw that Xue San seemed to be very happy and excited, saying something to Fan Li with a smirk, his face filled with schadenfreude.

Then,

Fan Li, who had been sitting there very quietly, suddenly raised his hand and grabbed Xue San's third leg.

"Oooohhhhh!!!!!"

Xue San, as an assassin, was shamelessly attacked, and it was still that critical part, and immediately screamed.

At this time,

Fan Li saw that the master had come.

He immediately let go of his hand,

And continued to show a simple and honest smile on his face.

Xue San was bent over, covering his crotch, his expression like a daisy.

It seemed that although Fan Li was seriously injured, his life was not in danger.

"Master."

Fan Li shouted, showing a simple smile;

His thick palms wiped on the ground.

Zheng Boye nodded,

Waved his hand,

And said:

"I'll go see what's happening in front, you guys continue."

————

There will be more tonight, probably at 2 am, you can get up tomorrow morning to read.

We are number 11 on the monthly ticket list, and I haven't really asked for monthly tickets this month, but everyone is too strong.

There is a record of honor in the main interface of the novel. The highest for The Descent of Magic was number 17 last month for monthly tickets. This time, I want to get into the top ten. Please give me your monthly tickets if you have any, hug tight!