Chapter 191 The Great Xuan Army Breaks Through the Border of the Yu Kingdom

A pungent, burning smell wafted towards us.

Thick smoke billowed and flames flickered where the wall was hit, and many bricks were broken, creating a gap larger than a horse-drawn carriage.

This scene left General Yu completely stunned.

"General...is this...is it a shooting star falling from the sky?" the lieutenant asked, still in shock.

The words had barely left his mouth.

boom!

Another loud noise erupted from a spot on the city wall.

The soldiers of Yu Kingdom no longer cared about their catapults and scattered in all directions, covering their heads.

General Yu watched helplessly as one after another, silvery flashes of light flew from afar under the sunlight, then crashed onto the city wall with thunderous sounds. In the midst of the cataclysmic upheaval, the soldiers of Huangsha Pass were utterly powerless to retaliate.

All of this was beyond his comprehension.

In the brief moment of stunned silence, even the watchtower where he was located was smashed, sending thick smoke and flames billowing into the air, the high platform teetering on the verge of collapse.

"General! Retreat quickly!" the lieutenant roared, desperately pulling him away.

The two scrambled down the watchtower, but before they could even stand up, a loud crash rang out and the watchtower shattered into pieces!

Rocks and burning wood scattered like petals from a fairy maiden.

Countless soldiers of the Yu Kingdom retreated frantically like a tidal wave near the city wall. Countless others who couldn't get down from the city wall fell to the ground, either dying on the spot or being trampled to death by others while barely alive and unable to protect themselves.

In the extreme chaos, even General Yu, the supreme commander, was unable to control the situation and could only do his best to get away from the city wall, just like the other soldiers.

In an instant, the towering city wall seemed to transform into a fire dragon riddled with holes.

Right in the center, the once impregnable, tall and thick main city gate was blasted into pieces.

"General, the walls of Huangsha Pass have been breached!" Duan Wu's subordinates excitedly reported. "The bombs we threw with our catapults were incredibly powerful! They were devastating, practically indestructible!"

Duan Wudao said, "Of course! The mountain north of our Linxian Village was leveled by explosives before, so what's a mere city wall? Fairy also told me that when conditions improve, we'll be able to use something even more powerful than a gas cylinder bomb. It's said that just one of those bombs can destroy a city!"

"Alright, pass down the order: the entire army enters the pass! Ten thousand Xuanjia soldiers will follow me to meet the enemy head-on, and one hundred thousand troops will seize key locations within the city. We must take the entire Huangsha City before noon!"

At his command, Duan Wu spurred his horse and led the charge, followed closely by 110,000 Xuan soldiers, who surged into Huangsha Pass in a mighty procession.

After escaping the city walls, General Yu reunited with all his lieutenants.

Behind them was the main city of Huangsha Pass.

In addition to the 300,000 troops of Daewoo, there were also tens of thousands of civilians who had been captured to help the logistics army.

These people were mostly the elderly, women, and children. The men in their families were conscripted into the army, and all their stored grain was requisitioned as provisions for the soldiers. They were then treated like animals by the Yu Kingdom's logistics army, and anything of value was squeezed dry.

At this moment, a lieutenant reported to General Yu that the soldiers and civilians in the main city had all heard the earth-shattering noise and were in a state of panic, with some even trying to escape from the rear of the main city.

General Yu roared, "Whether soldiers or civilians, anyone who tries to run away will be treated as a deserter! Kill them without mercy!"

"General! The troops of Xuan Kingdom have stormed in!" a soldier shouted as he ran from the direction of the city wall.

The situation was so urgent that General Yu had no time to think things through.

He immediately ordered all combat forces in the city to engage in a major battle with the Xuan Kingdom's army, while he would remain in the rear of the main city to command the overall situation.

However, he had barely reached the camp behind the main city and hadn't even sat down when a lieutenant entered the tent to report the situation.

It is said that Duan Wu led about 10,000 cavalrymen dressed in black armor, wielding a kind of sharp, long sword that had never been seen before, and was invincible.

The soldiers of the Yu Kingdom were like paper in front of them.

You can't hit them even if you try your best, and even if you do, it's like tickling them.

If you turn around and try to run, an infantryman with two legs can't outrun someone on horseback with four legs.

The man caught up and swung his long sword. With his arm strength and the momentum of the warhorse, he could easily behead the armored soldiers of the Yu Kingdom with a single bend of his waist and a single slash, as easy as cutting melons and vegetables!

The scene was so oppressive, so terrifying!

The enemy, numbering only about ten thousand, routed the tens of thousands of Dayu soldiers who were fighting against them.

In just half a morning, General Yu had already been shocked several times by things beyond his comprehension. "What did you say? You can ride a horse and wield a knife at the same time?! Won't you fall off?"

"I saw it with my own eyes! Those black-armored cavalrymen are extremely agile, as if they were connected to their warhorses. No matter how fast they go or how wildly they charge, they will not fall off their horses. Upon careful observation, I discovered that their saddles are different. On both sides, there are ring-shaped objects that I have never seen before. Stepping on them can stabilize the body! Moreover, their warhorses are not only covered in armor that is impervious to swords and spears, but even their hooves have thick metal plates that are harder than refined iron! When they run, they can not only knock our men away, but also trample the wounded and the fallen to death!"

General Yu was speechless upon hearing this.

Before this, he would never have imagined that cavalry could be used in this way.

No one has ever been able to wield a sword or spear while riding a horse, because if you make even the slightest movement while riding, you will lose your balance and be thrown off the horse, let alone wield a sword and kill someone while galloping on horseback.

Therefore, in any battle, only archers can ride around and shoot arrows to harass the enemy and assist their own infantry.

Even the most skilled archers must slow their horses down and grip their bellies tightly with their legs when firing an arrow to avoid falling off.

How could they still be used by the Xuan Kingdom as the main force for charging into battle and killing enemies?

"General... let's... abandon the city... and retreat!" The lieutenant, his face covered in cold sweat, forced himself to say, "Even if we have more men, we... we have no power to resist. Rather than die in vain, it's better to... better preserve our strength."

General Yu's face was extremely grim.

But at this moment, the sounds of defeat outside were getting closer and closer.

He could hear the screams of his own soldiers and the distinctive sound of horses' hooves hitting the ground.

At the same time, the other deputy generals rushed into the camp in a disheveled state, all saying that no matter what battle formation they adopted, they were no match for the cavalry led by Duan Wu.

What's even more frightening is that Duan Wu only mobilized less than one-tenth of his troops.

Another 100,000 troops did not directly participate in the battle. Some of them followed the black-armored cavalry of the Xuan Kingdom, cleaning up the battlefield and capturing prisoners of war, while others attacked several important areas in the city in batches.

Their combat power was terrifying, and their actions were efficient and swift, unlike anything seen before.

If things continue like this, even if we sacrifice the lives of the more than 300,000 soldiers and civilians at Huangsha Pass, we won't be able to hold out for more than a few days.

"General! Let's retreat!"

"This war is truly unwinnable!"

"In this situation, even if you withdraw, the Emperor will not blame you!"

"Two hundred miles behind Huangsha Pass, there is another fortified pass that is even more suitable for defense than this place. Moreover, we have 60% of our grain stored there. Only by retreating there can we resist the enemy!"

The lieutenants began to try their best to persuade him.

General Yu asked, "What kind of soldiers were sent to resist Duan Wu just now?"

"Reporting to the general, they were all recruited from the common people. Although they were not well trained, most of them were quite brave. After all, many of their families were still working in our logistics army. Even if they were afraid of death, they had to take care of their families."

"What about the 50,000 elite troops we brought from the capital?"

"Those are your trusted soldiers whom you have trained over the years. Of course, they cannot be mobilized casually. Thirty thousand of them are stationed at the grain depot in the rear, and twenty thousand are in the camps and have not yet been deployed."

Upon hearing this, General Yu pondered for a moment, a ruthless look appearing on his face.

Immediately inform the deputy general that the more than 200,000 Yu Kingdom soldiers who were later conscripted from the civilian population, along with tens of thousands of their families, must remain here to delay the Xuan Kingdom army.

He himself, along with his deputy generals, led 20,000 trusted elite troops from the city, along with some provisions, and immediately withdrew from Huangsha Pass.

Upon hearing the general's decision, the lieutenants breathed a sigh of relief and quickly went to make the arrangements.

In front of the main city of Huangsha Pass, more than 200,000 Yuguo soldiers were engaged in battle, while in the rear, General Yu and his deputy generals led 20,000 trusted elite troops to secretly and quickly withdraw from the rear city gate.

However, this situation did not escape the notice of the Xuanjia Army's drone scout team.

Upon learning of the situation, Duan Wu sighed as he watched the endless stream of Yu Kingdom soldiers surging towards him. "These people... were originally just ordinary citizens of Yu Kingdom, but now they have become sacrifices sent to me by their general in order to evacuate. Pass down the order: stop fighting for now and try to persuade them to surrender."

Communicating via walkie-talkie, the 10,000 Xuanjia soldiers quickly ceased their attack and retreated several hundred meters in unison.

When the soldiers of Yu Kingdom saw the Xuan Kingdom cavalry, who had been advancing with unstoppable momentum and full of killing intent, suddenly retreat, they were confused and dared not engage in a rash battle.

However, as more and more soldiers from the Yu Kingdom arrived from all directions, they began to get restless again.

After all, just seeing the dense, endless crowd behind them could inspire immense courage to fight.

The ten thousand Xuanjia soldiers changed formation, gathered together, and protected Duan Wu in the center, forming a circle around him, vigilantly confronting the Yu Kingdom's soldiers.

Meanwhile, another 100,000 Da Xuan troops also gathered in various important areas they had already occupied in the city, relying on the terrain to defend and not attack.

Buzz—

A whooshing sound rang out.

Hundreds of drones took off from the Da Xuan army and, in a very short time, flew to the various combat zones in the city where the two armies were facing off, and then hovered in mid-air.

In various battle zones, large and small, some Yu Kingdom soldiers who were still trying to fight the Da Xuan army stopped their attacks in surprise upon seeing this strange situation.

Duan Wu picked up a walkie-talkie and said, "Scout team, listen up! Now turn on the voice system of your drones and put the walkie-talkies next to the remote control."

The scouts immediately complied.

"Hello, hello, hello!" Duan Wu shouted into the walkie-talkie in his hand.

In mid-air, all the drones simultaneously emitted his voice.

The soldiers of the Yu Kingdom all changed their expressions, staring in shock at the strange thing hovering in the air and emitting human voices.

"What...what kind of strange bird is that?"

"It has no head or tail, and seems to have four wings, but they don't flap. It can even float in mid-air. That's strange enough... but it can even... make human voices?!"

"..."

The crowd was both curious and apprehensive, and even their voices trembled as they discussed the matter.

"Gentlemen, the voice you are hearing is mine," Duan Wu said loudly. "I am Duan Wu, the Grand General of Xitun Pass of Daxuan. I am telling you that General Yu has already fled with his trusted generals and his troops."

"I know that you are all ordinary people of the Yu Kingdom. You were conscripted into soldiers to attack my Great Xuan Kingdom just because of a decree from the king of the Yu Kingdom. In fact, you do not want to fight at all."

"My Great Xuan King only wishes to destroy the Yu Kingdom's royal family in the name of Heaven, and does not wish to harm innocent people or cause widespread suffering. If you can lay down your weapons and surrender, I will never kill indiscriminately."

“We will not take a single grain of food or supplies from Huangsha City. They were forcibly confiscated from your homes by the King of Yu Kingdom and should be returned to you.”

These words left the soldiers of the Yu Kingdom speechless with disbelief, and they fell into a moment of silence.

Duan Wu added, "If you don't believe me, you can go to the granaries and warehouses in the city now and retrieve your food and supplies."

A disturbance gradually began to arise in the crowd.

Soon, some people couldn't contain themselves any longer. Although they didn't put down their weapons, they turned around and ran towards the grain warehouse.

Once someone takes the lead, everyone rushes to join in.

Before long, all the grain and supplies storage areas in the city were filled with people.

The Da Xuan army, which had already occupied these places, opened the warehouse doors on the spot.

General Yu fled in haste and did not have time to take the grain and supplies from the city with him, so the warehouses were still almost full.

Everyone stared in disbelief, and immediately rushed forward to grab it.

The Xuan Army guarding the warehouse formed battle formations, brandishing their swords to intimidate the enemy.

The general promptly issued a loud warning: "The provisions and supplies can be distributed to you, but anyone who tries to take more than they need will be killed without mercy!"

"You...are you really going to leave those to us?" someone asked doubtfully, looking at the supplies inside the warehouse.

"Could they be lying to us? Who in this world would seize a city and then refuse to provide food and supplies?"

"That's right! After conquering cities and seizing territories, there's always been burning, killing, and looting. That's how wars have always been! How could you possibly be an exception?"

"What exactly do you mean? What are you really up to?"

Doubtful questions began to rise one after another.

Duan Wu's voice rang out from the drone in mid-air:

"Of course it's because you have a large number of people. If you don't maintain order, chaos will surely ensue! Look at how strong and well-equipped our Great Xuan Army is. Do you think we would even care about your meager food and supplies? We wouldn't even want them if they were given to us for free!"

The questioners immediately blushed.

Duan Wu continued, "There is still more than an hour until noon. As long as you remove your armor and put down your weapons, you can start lining up to receive the food and supplies from the warehouse. Some of you have family members in the city, so you can go and pick them up to receive them together. Also, anyone who wants to leave Huangsha Pass is welcome to go; the Great Xuan Army will not stop them!"