Magical Water Margin: They all call me brother

Page 131

Several days later, the angel arrived in Jeju Island and first sent someone to Liangshan Marsh to inform them.

Liu Hong gathered his followers daily in the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness to discuss military matters. Dongping Prefecture was within 800 li of Liangshan Marsh, and they could attack it today and arrive tomorrow. However, Daming Prefecture was too far away, and Gao Qiu had increased its defenses. Several people were discussing how to kill Daming Prefecture twice when a messenger arrived, bringing news of the imperial amnesty to the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness.

"Great Sage! The Imperial Court has dispatched Grand Commandant Chen Zongshan with ten bottles of Imperial Wine and a decree of pardon and amnesty. He has arrived in Jizhou City. We are here to welcome him."

When Liu Hong heard that he was to be granted amnesty, he was filled with anger and disdain. Amnesty, amnesty, what kind of amnesty is that! But his expression remained unchanged, and he first looked at the leaders.

Lu Zhisheng, Lin Chong, Wu Song, Guan Sheng and the others looked angry and had no desire to be granted amnesty. They were all heartbroken by the state of the world.

However, the surrendered generals Huyan Zhuo, Qin Ming, Hua Rong, and Sun Li showed joy on their faces, and Song Jiang was overjoyed, saying to everyone, "We have accepted the amnesty and become subjects of the state. All the hardships we have endured have not been in vain; today we have finally achieved our goal!!!"

The remaining bandits, such as Fan Rui, Zhu Wu, and Wang Ying, had inscrutable expressions. They felt both the freedom and joy of being bandits on Liangshan and the prestige of being officials in Tokyo. They were indifferent to either option and had no particular preference.

Wu Yong frowned and offered his opinion: "In my opinion, this attempt to recruit us will definitely fail. Even if it succeeds, the court will still see us as worthless as weeds and won't offer us a high price. We should wait until the court sends a large army, then charge in and fight our way through, leaving them dead and their horses broken, so that they'll be terrified in their dreams! Only then will we have the dignity to accept the offer, and only then will the court offer us a high price."

Lin Chong snorted coldly: "When high-ranking officials from the imperial court come, it may not necessarily be a good thing."

Guan Sheng was not optimistic either: "The imperial edict will surely contain some threatening words to frighten us."

Xu Ning was also extremely angry: "The person who came must be a disciple of Grand Commandant Gao."

Seeing that the generals were in a bad mood, Song Jiang quickly tried to persuade them, which led to a heated argument between the two sides.

Liu Hong secretly observed that about one-third of the leaders were willing and eager for amnesty, which was quite a large number, and many of them held high positions. In the past few years, in order to expand rapidly, he had indeed lied to his old generals such as Suo Chao, Yang Zhi, and Huyan Zhuo, vowing to be amnesty. Now he had to take care of their feelings.

"No matter what, let's put it to the test and see what the court has to say before we make a decision!"

Liu Hong made the final decision, first ordering Wu Dalang and Cao Zheng to prepare a banquet, and then appointing Chai Jin to oversee the preparations. He ordered the Grand Commandant's tent to be laid out, with colorful silks and colorful decorations hung in the hall and below.

Then, Pei Xuan, Xiao Rang, Lü Fang, and Guo Sheng were sent down the mountain ahead to ambush the enemy from twenty li away. The naval commanders prepared large ships to dock at the shore.

Finally, Liu Hong instructed Wu Yong to secretly find the three Ruan sisters, who were absolutely unwilling to accept the imperial amnesty and were happy to live a carefree life, as well as Li Kui and other simpletons, and gave them a strict order: no matter what, I must give them enough face on the surface, I cannot lose face for Liangshan, and I cannot disappoint the brothers and sisters who are willing to accept the amnesty.

But privately, you guys must sabotage this amnesty for me! I'll reward you handsomely afterward!

Chapter 376: Ruan and Li Disrupt the Water Margin

Here, the renowned scholar Xiao Rang, accompanied by three attendants and five or six unarmed men, was waiting for them twenty miles away with wine and fruit.

On his way to Zhao'an, Grand Commandant Chen's entourage numbered well over two or three hundred. The officers from Jizhou numbered about a dozen horsemen, with a procession of guides leading the way. Those riding horses carried imperial wine in dragon and phoenix baskets, while the riders carried the imperial edict box. There were also fifty or sixty jailers from Jizhou, all heading to Liangshan Marsh, hoping to find some small fortune.

However, Zhang Ganban and Li Yuhou, dispatched by Gao Qiu, were infiltrated into this team. Although Gao Qiu dared not openly oppose the imperial amnesty, he was still wary of secretly planting a few troublemakers.

Xiao Rang and Pei Xuan met them halfway down the road, kneeling prostrate by the roadside to greet them. Lü Fang and Guo Sheng, unable to kneel, stood and watched the spectacle. Zhang, the clerk, was the first to jump out, launching into a tirade: "Liu Hong! Where is Liu Hong? The Emperor's edict has arrived, why didn't you come to greet him personally? This is blatant deception of the Emperor! You lot deserve to die, how could you accept the court's offer of amnesty?!"

"Try spewing feces out of your mouth!"

Lu Fang and Guo Sheng suddenly flew into a rage, drew their halberds and were about to kill someone, but were stopped by several soldiers who persuaded them to stop, saying, "Garlic Bird, Garlic Bird, our brother, your master has given orders," and only then were they able to hold back the two women.

Xiao Rang and Pei Xuan trembled and prostrated themselves to plead guilty: "Since the imperial court has not issued any edict to the camp, we have not seen the truth. Brother and all the leaders are waiting at Jinshatan. We beg the Grand Commandant to temporarily quell his wrath and do what is right for the country."

Li Yuhou also retorted arrogantly, "If we don't help you achieve your goal, we don't care if you thieves fly to the sky!"

The group followed each other to the water's edge, where three warships were already waiting. One was loaded with horses, another with Pei Xuan and his entourage, and the third was for the Grand Commandant and his entourage to disembark. The imperial edict and wine were placed on the bow of the third ship, which was supervised by Ruan Xiaoqi, the Living Yama.

That day, Ruan Xiaoqi sat at the stern of the boat, directing more than twenty soldiers to row, each family carrying a waist knife. When Grand Commandant Chen first disembarked, he was arrogant and oblivious to his surroundings, sitting in the middle. Ruan Xiaoqi instructed everyone to row the boat, and the sailors on both sides began to sing together.

Li Yuhou, a confidant of Grand Commandant Gao, was determined to sabotage the imperial amnesty, and cursed, "You country bumpkin! With such a noble person here, you have no scruples whatsoever!"

The sailor ignored him and continued singing. Li Yuhou picked up a rattan cane to hit him, but the sailors on both sides showed no fear. Several of the leaders retorted, "We're just singing, what's it to you!"

Li Yuhou angrily brandished his whip, shouting, "You traitors who can't be killed all the time, how dare you answer me!" He then began to beat them with the rattan cane. Both sailors jumped into the water.

At this moment, Ruan Xiaoqi also received Wu Yong's secret order to disrupt the imperial amnesty. He snorted coldly and jumped into the water. It turned out that Ruan Xiaoqi had prepared a broken boat in advance. He rowed to the middle of the lake, pulled out the wedges at the bottom of the boat, and shouted "The boat is leaking!" Water quickly rolled into the cabin.

When they cried for help, there was more than a foot of water in the boat. The two boats swarmed together, and everyone rushed to help Grand Commandant Chen get on board. Everyone quickly rowed their boats apart, and there was no time to think about the imperial wine and edict. The two fast boats went ahead.

Ruan Xiaoqi laughed heartily, plugged the leak again, called the sailors over, scooped water from the cabin, and then called all the sailors to drink the imperial wine completely. This imperial wine was drunk by the emperor himself, so it was naturally a top-quality brew. They drank the ten vats of wine clean, but then filled ten bottles with village-style fermented white wine, tied off the original seals, put them in the dragon and phoenix carrying pole, and rowed the boat as fast as they could.

Upon reaching Jinshatan, they were able to disembark. Liu Hong and others were there to greet them, with incense, flowers, lanterns, candles, gongs, drums, and village music all playing. Imperial wine was placed on the tables, with four people carrying each table, and the imperial edict was also carried on one table.

When Grand Commandant Chen disembarked, Liu Hong and the others did not kneel but merely bowed. Upon seeing this, Li Yuhou roared again, "Grand Commandant is a high-ranking official of the court. It is no small matter for a minister to come and offer you amnesty. How could you send such a wretched boat to those ignorant village thieves, almost endangering the life of a high-ranking official?!"

Liu Hong frowned and immediately retorted, "I have plenty of good boats here, how dare I send a leaky one to carry the Grand Commandant?" Zhang Ganban said, "The Grand Commandant's clothes are still wet, how can you deny it!"

Behind Liu Hong, the five tiger generals Guan Sheng, Lin Chong, Huyan Zhuo, Qin Ming, and Dong Ping followed closely, never leaving his side. Even Huyan Zhuo and Qin Ming, who were most eager to be granted amnesty, angrily drew their steel whips and spiked clubs. Huyan Zhuo was still considering whether to fight or not when Qin Ming grabbed Zhang Ganban by the collar, lifted him up, and slammed him hard on the ground. He didn't catch his breath for a long time before a trace of fear was seen in his eyes.

"You madman! Don't you dare slander my brother! If you dare to spout nonsense again, I'll beat you to a pulp!"

Qin Ming snorted coldly and walked back behind Liu Hong. Liu Hong also smiled and invited the Grand Commandant to get into the sedan chair and enter the Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness to read the imperial edict.

Grand Commandant Chen paused for a moment, then loudly proclaimed the imperial edict.

The decree states: "Civil administration can bring peace to the country, while military force can stabilize it. The Five Emperors established their territories through rites and music, while the Three Sovereigns pacified the world through warfare. Events follow the natural order, and people are either wise or foolish. I have inherited the great legacy of my ancestors, and my glory shines like the sun and moon. All under heaven submits to me. Recently, Liu Hong and his ilk have gathered in the mountains and forests, plundering and pillaging counties and cities. I originally intended to punish them according to Heaven's will, but I fear it would burden my people."

Now, Grand Commandant Chen Zongshan has been dispatched to offer amnesty. Upon receipt of this edict, all due provisions, military equipment, horses, and ships must be surrendered immediately, their hideouts dismantled, and the leader led to the capital. This offense will be pardoned. However, if anyone still disregards their conscience and defies this edict, the imperial army will arrive, and none will be spared. Therefore, this edict is hereby issued for your information. Issued on the fourth day of the first month of summer in the third year of Xuanhe.”

After Grand Commandant Chen finished reading, even Song Jiang, who was most eager to surrender, showed anger on his face. Who did they think they were! They had attacked Liangshan three times and suffered crushing defeats each time. How dare they expect us to dismantle Liangshan and go to the capital to be punished?

Those generals who originally did not want to be granted amnesty were even more furious! Wu Yong gave Li Kui on the roof beam a look, and Black Whirlwind Li Kui jumped down from the beam, snatched the imperial edict from Grand Commandant Chen's hand, tore it to shreds, grabbed Grand Commandant Chen, and started punching him!

Seeing that the villain had already taken the stage, Liu Hong began to play the good cop, blocking Li Kui and protecting Grand Commandant Chen. At this moment, Li Yuhou misjudged the situation and actually thought that Liu Hong wanted to be granted amnesty. He immediately shouted angrily, "Who is this guy? How dare he be so bold!"

Li Kui was worried that Grand Commandant Chen was being blocked by his brother, so he grabbed Li Yuhou and started beating him. This time, Liu Hong didn't stop him at all. It was indeed not good to let his brothers beat the Grand Commandant, but what difference would it make if he killed a mere Yuhou? So he let Li Kui rush into the face of Gao Qiu's confidant and punched Li Yuhou, knocking out two of his front teeth!

"This is an imperial edict! What are you trying to do?! Rebellion?!"

Zhang Ganban, standing to the side, also roared in horror, trying to intimidate the demons by invoking the emperor's authority.

Li Kui didn't tolerate her either, and punched Zhang Ganban so hard that two of his front teeth flew out, shouting loudly.

"Your emperor is truly ungrateful, daring to act so arrogantly! Your emperor's surname is Zhao, and he is an emperor, but my brother's surname is Liu! My surname is Li! I was an emperor hundreds of years ago! Don't you dare offend me, or I'll kill all the officials who wrote your edicts!"

After saying that, Li Kui swung his fist again, as if to knock out all their teeth. Blood splattered everywhere, broken teeth flew everywhere, and the entire Hall of Loyalty and Righteousness was in chaos.

Seeing that Li Kui had caused enough trouble, Wu Yong ordered his brothers and sisters to push Black Whirlwind off the stage. The hall was filled with the chirping of garlic birds.

At this moment, Liu Hong pretended to want to be granted amnesty and tried to get close to Grand Commandant Chen: "Grand Commandant, please rest assured, there will be no mishap. Let's get some imperial wine and let everyone share in the favor."

He then took a jeweled gold-inlaid bell and ordered Pei Xuan to fetch a jar of imperial wine. He opened it and drank, but it turned out to be village-style fermented white wine.

They opened all nine vats, only to find it was just ordinary, weak village wine. Everyone was horrified and quickly left the hall. Lu Zhishen, carrying his iron staff, shouted and cursed, "You sons of bitches! This is outrageous! Trying to pass off cheap wine as imperial wine to trick us into drinking it!"

Red-haired Devil Liu Tang also charged forward wielding his broadsword. Wu Song, the Pilgrim, drew his twin swords, and without restraint, Mu Hong and Nine-Tattooed Dragon Shi Jin attacked simultaneously. The six naval leaders, seemingly cursing, fled the pass.

Seeing that things had gotten out of hand, Liu Hong continued to play the good cop, blocking the way and urgently issuing orders to have the Grand Commandant escorted down the mountain by sedan chair and horses, and to prevent the wounded prisoners from being harmed.

At this moment, most of the leaders, big and small, started to make a fuss. Liu Hong ordered Song Jiang to personally mount his horse and lead Huyan Zhuo and some brothers who were willing to surrender, along with the Grand Commandant and the imperial edict and his entourage, to escort them down the three passes. The group of men were so frightened that they fled to Jizhou, marking the complete failure of the first attempt to surrender.

At this moment, the third of Liangshan who did not want to be granted amnesty were naturally very happy, while the third of their brothers and sisters who did want amnesty did not blame Liu Hong for breaking his promise. Instead, they all cursed the court for being too arrogant!

Chapter 377: Tong Guan Leads the Troops in Tokyo

When Liangshan refused the imperial amnesty, Gao Qiu was overjoyed and secretly rewarded Zhang Ganshi and Li Yuhou, who had ruined the amnesty. He then slandered Liangshan to the Emperor, saying that Liangshan was ungrateful and disregarded the Emperor. The Emperor was furious and roared, "Summon the troops! Summon the troops!"

This time, instead of sending local generals to fight, the highest military commander in charge of guarding the entire northwest, Tong Guan, the Privy Councilor, was directly dispatched to launch a distant expedition against Liangshan, determined to defeat them in one battle.

Tong Guan, the Privy Councilor, having received the position of Grand Marshal of the Emperor's Army, went directly to the Privy Council and issued a warrant to mobilize troops, ordering the allocation of 10,000 infantrymen from the eight prefectures and states under the jurisdiction of Tokyo, to be commanded by the local military commanders; in total, this amounted to 80,000 local troops.

Subsequently, 15,000 infantry and 5,000 cavalry were selected from the Imperial Guards of the capital to form the central guard. This brought the total to 100,000 troops. All affairs of the Privy Council were entrusted to the Deputy Privy Councilor. Two capable generals were selected from the Imperial Guard to serve as the left and right wings.

The orders were given, and everything was completed within ten days. All the military provisions were to be supplied by Grand Commandant Gao, who dispatched people to expedite their transport.

Looking at the Eighth Route Army, they were Duan Pengju, military commander of Suizhou; Chen Zhu, military commander of Zhengzhou; Wu Bingyi, military commander of Chenzhou; Han Tianlin, military commander of Tangzhou; Li Ming, military commander of Xuzhou; Wang Yi, military commander of Dengzhou; Ma Wanli, military commander of Ruzhou; and Zhou Xin, military commander of Songzhou.

Two capable generals were selected from the Imperial Guard to serve as commanders of the central army: Feng Mei, the Flying Dragon General, and Bi Sheng, the Flying Tiger General.

Tong Guan, commanding the central army as commander-in-chief, ordered all three branches of the army to prepare, and allocated weapons from the armory. He appointed Duan Pengju, the military commander of Suizhou, as the vanguard; Chen Zhu, the military commander of Zhengzhou, as the deputy vanguard; Wu Bingyi, the military commander of Chenzhou, as the rearguard; Li Ming, the military commander of Xuzhou, as the deputy rearguard; Han Tianlin, the military commander of Tangzhou, and Wang Yi, the military commander of Dengzhou, as the left flanks; Ma Wanli, the military commander of Ruzhou, and Zhou Xin, the military commander of Songzhou, as the right flanks; and the two generals, Feng Mei and Bi Sheng, as the central army's wingmen. Tong Guan, as the marshal, led the army, fully armored, and personally supervised the operation. Three war drums sounded, and all the armies rose up.

Dai Zong, the chief of the Liangshan intelligence agency, immediately dispatched Liangshan scouts to investigate. They found a massive Song army of 100,000 men, their formation incredibly imposing.

The troops were divided into nine teams, with flags displayed in five directions.

Green-sapped spears, steel-tipped spears, and crow-horn spears spread their light across the fields; Azure Dragon Blade, Crescent Blade, and Goose Feather Blade exuded a murderous aura that filled the sky.

The Sparrow-Painted Bow, the Iron-Body Bow, and the Precious-Carved Bow are inserted into the Flying Fish Bag; the Tiger-Shooting Arrows, the Wolf-Tooth Arrows, and the Willow-Leaf Arrows are all gathered in the Lion-Shaped Pot.

Crossbow carts, lacquered crossbows, and foot-mounted crossbows filled the front ranks; mountain-splitting axes, crescent axes, and embroidered axes followed closely behind the middle ranks.

Bamboo-joint whip, tiger-eye whip, and water-milling whip are all hung on the elbows; meteor hammer, chicken-heart hammer, and flying claw hammer are each carried by the hand.

The halberd's tail flared and danced, while the eighteen-foot spear was adorned with intricately intertwined pearls.

The dragon-patterned sword draws forth a pool of autumn water, while the tiger-head plaque paints wisps of spring clouds.

The vanguard is fierce and brave, leading elite troops to clear mountains and open roads; the marshal is heroic, commanding brave men who drink water and break bridges.

The Left Commander-in-Chief is renowned for his imposing presence and skill in capturing enemy generals and seizing flags; the Right Commander-in-Chief possesses great courage and strategic vision, and the ability to bring peace and prosperity to the nation.

Beneath the green-painted canopy stands the Central Army of the Eastern Hall; beside the imperial banner, the Imperial Guards serve as its wings.

The earth-shaking drums shook the mountains, and the banners that shone in the sun warded off ghosts and gods.

Upon hearing that Tong Guan had personally called this time, Liu Hong also acknowledged the correctness of Guan Sheng's assessment.

So far, I have fought against the Song Dynasty four times. The first time, Qin Ming led an army of 100,000 from Shandong; the second time, Huyan Zhuo led an army of 100,000 from Shanxi; and the third time, Guan Sheng led an army of 100,000 from Hebei.

And this time, Tong Guan was still able to pull out an army of 100,000 from Henan to beat him up!

The sheer size of the Song Dynasty was immense and terrifying. Every time Liu Hong defeated the Song army, it was the result of the entire Liangshan forces giving their all. The deaths of tens of thousands of men were a huge blow, requiring time to recover. Song Jiang and Luan Tingyu even nearly suffered defeats on several occasions.

The Song Dynasty suffered hundreds of thousands of casualties, yet nothing happened. It was as if Liangshan's all-out battle had only scratched the surface of the Song Dynasty, and they could easily send another wave to attack. Even after defeating 300,000 Song soldiers, Tong Guan could still nonchalantly send another 100,000 to attack Liangshan!

If Liangshan were to engage in such a large-scale troop deployment and open battle several times, they might win, but they would certainly suffer heavy losses and waste a great deal of money and supplies. They wouldn't be able to utilize these resources for production and construction.

However, things are different now. Under Guan Sheng's advice, Liangshan only focuses on training two thousand imperial guards and more than ten thousand elite troops in six legions. Military expenditure has dropped significantly and can be invested in the construction of Dengzhou, developing Penglai into a huge port city.

As for the battle? Guan Sheng has already given targeted advice based on the military situation of the Song Dynasty. The best way to defeat the Song army is through a decapitation strike. The Xiang Army are recruited soldiers who fight for money. Under the monetary employment relationship, the Xiang Army's fighting spirit is not high to begin with. The greed and corruption of the Song army have made their fighting spirit even lower. The Imperial Guard is not much better. The current Imperial Guard is no longer the strong and powerful army that followed Emperor Taizu and Emperor Taizong to conquer the world.

Therefore, the best way is to carry out a decapitation operation. Why risk your life for a few hundred dollars a month? As long as we take down Tong Guan, even 100,000 men are nothing!

After agreeing on the plan, Liu Hong personally led two thousand Imperial Guard cavalry. These two thousand men were handpicked by him, including one thousand heavy cavalry and one thousand armored cavalry—the elite of Liangshan's best. These two thousand cavalrymen alone were equipped with six thousand horses, two thousand of which were top-tier Dragonblood warhorses. The best of the best, the finest of the finest, they were Liangshan's sharpest blade.

In order to ensure that the attack would be effective, Liu Hong personally led a small detachment to scout ahead. He flapped his wings and hid in the clouds, observing Tong Guan's marching pattern.

Tong Guan, as expected of a Privy Councilor, led a disciplined and orderly army. Although most soldiers did not wear armor during the march, the four columns of the army—the front, rear, left, and right—comprising approximately ten thousand men, were undoubtedly fully armed and armored. The remaining ninety thousand men carried their armor and weapons lightly on wagons.

This way, if the enemy launches a surprise attack, the outermost troops, fully armed, can hold off the enemy for a period of time, giving the other 90,000 men ample time to don their armor and go into battle fully armed.

These armored soldiers would march for a day each time, then rest in the central army the next day, and another 10,000 armored soldiers would continue the march in order to take their place.

Liu Hong nodded, already having a plan in mind, and focused his attention on a location on the map: Puyang. This place was nestled between the Yellow River and the Ji River; it was early spring, and the winter snow and ice had melted, causing the spring water flow to surge. The roads on both sides of the river had all become muddy tracks.

Therefore, in Puyang in spring, only a few official roads are passable. All the roads are long and narrow, making it impossible for the army to deploy. It was here that Tong Guan was defeated!

Chapter 378: Liu Hong's Raid on Jeju Island

The afternoon sunlight, with its hazy, viscous feel, barely pierced through the low-hanging gray clouds and fell upon the narrow official road winding through endless swamps.

Tong Guan frowned. He was a capable general, but having spent his entire life on the grasslands beyond the Great Wall, fighting against the Western Xia, he had never seen such muddy terrain north and south of the Yellow River. He had underestimated the terrain. Now, with the snow melting and spring floods, the land was horribly muddy. As far as the eye could see, there was only an endless expanse of mud, soaked with rainwater and snowmelt. Horses and men could sink to their bellies or knees instantly, and if they were not careful, they would struggle to get up and become bait in the swamp. Not to mention the heavy supply wagons—grain, arrows, and cannons—which could only be traversed normally on the official roads paved with stones.

However, the official road was not wide. Even in the widest part, it could only allow four carriages, ten warhorses, or fifteen soldiers to pass side by side. The 100,000 Song soldiers were instantly stretched into a long snake that stretched for thousands of meters and reached the end of the field of vision.

Tong Guan, draped in a crimson cloak, sat atop a steed heavily guarded by his personal guards, his face so grim it seemed to drip water. The entire army was forced into an extremely long, twisted line; the vanguard's banners had long since disappeared into the folds of the horizon at the edge of sight, the central army moved slowly, and the rear guard—Tong Guan didn't even need to turn around to know he couldn't see the rear guard at all. The 100,000-strong army marching on the official road resembled a clown walking a tightrope.

The shouts of the generals, the complaints of the soldiers, the creaking of wheels stuck in the mud, and the weary neighing of the mules and horses, mixed with the gurgling sound of the churning mud, formed a heavy, oppressive, and chaotic background noise that was suffocating.

Moreover, the air was thick with the stench of damp earth, decaying plants, and sweat, making one feel uneasy. A huge, latent sense of unease, like a cold snake, quietly coiled around everyone's spine.

Forget it, it doesn't matter. Puyang is sandwiched between the Yellow River and the Ji River, which is why it looks like this. If we go a little further, we can get rid of it.

Just as Tong Guan's army was at its most vulnerable, a sharp, rapid whooshing sound ripped through the air! The Song soldiers at the front were stunned for a moment. Before them was a bend in the official road, flanked by trees. The next second, Liu Hong, leading two thousand Imperial Guard cavalry, also charged along the road under the cover of the trees! The first dozen or so cavalrymen crashed into the unsuspecting marching column with precision and ferocity!

"Enemy attack——!"

The piercing sirens blared almost simultaneously, filled with undisguised panic. But it was too late!

With her twin pistols at the forefront, Dong Ping suddenly erupted with a dazzling, blinding white light! The light initially swirled around her, but then, like a supernova explosion, it engulfed her entire body, shaping her into thirty-six wings of light that unfolded in succession. She shot out at a speed beyond the limits of the naked eye, transforming into an indestructible spear of light that ruthlessly carved through the space!

"boom!!!"

Where the beam of light passed, the air emitted a piercing, shrill wail like melting glass, and a blinding flash of light. The Song soldiers who were hit head-on didn't even have time to scream before their armor softened and deformed like wax, vaporizing in a fraction of a second. The flesh and bones inside were left only as a blurry silhouette for a moment before turning into scattered ashes and a wisp of pungent smoke. Man and armor, completely wiped out.

Even more horrifying was that, along the edge of the beam's trajectory, soldiers who weren't directly hit were merely affected by the dissipated high-energy particle waves. Their hair and clothes instantly ignited, and their skin was as if it had been branded by an invisible iron, leaving behind shocking charred and carbonized marks. They screamed and rolled on the ground, like ants that had accidentally fallen into a furnace.

A convoy of wooden supply wagons carrying arrows, blocking the way, silently disintegrated the instant the beam of light touched them—the shafts shattered into burning sawdust, the thick planks transformed into sprays of fireflies, the rain of arrows they carried burst into flames like matches, and the metal hoops melted into dripping, crimson iron. It was as if they weren't solid wood and iron, but merely fragile pieces of paper gently kissed by the spear of a seraph's judgment.

With a single charge, Dong Ping carved a straight, charred, smoke-filled, and sparking death tunnel through the dense enemy ranks. At its end, the terrifying figure of the dual-wielding demon appeared and disappeared in the dazzling light, its flames flickering erratically, like the embodiment of destruction.

Almost simultaneously with the raging beams of light, the western sky suddenly darkened. It wasn't dark clouds obscuring the sun, but rather a ghostly green light, carrying a heavy, acrid smell of sulfur and exuding a sense of despair and blasphemy, that abruptly suppressed the daylight.

Accompanied by a deep, tearing sound like the opening of a hellish abyss, a massive fireball enveloped in emerald-green ferocious flames and surging with dark red molten blood-like lava crashed down with the ferocity of a falling meteor—it was none other than Thunderbolt Qin Ming!