Zhu Heng stood tall in front of the Chaoyang Hall, with rows of imperial guards behind him. The students who had been fighting with the imperial guards also stood behind Zhu Heng.
Behind them, the corpses that had littered the ground after they fought their way in from the palace gates had long since disappeared, replaced by vibrant people who stood behind Zhu Heng as well.
The sunlight shone on him, making half of his body almost unreal.
The area outside the palace was so quiet it was almost unreal; the sounds of fighting inside and outside the imperial city could hardly reach the deep palace walls.
"Father, your son has come to protect you." Zhu Heng walked slowly toward them with a smile on his lips.
The sword in his hand fell to the ground. His sword was clean, without a trace of blood. The tip of the sword scraped against the bluestone slab, making a piercing and sharp sound that made Zhu Zhi's eardrums feel like they were about to explode.
Behind him, Xiao Song, who had been seriously injured, held a knife and steadily protected him.
As expected, Zhu Heng is his son, and his wisdom and strategy are unparalleled!
pity.
Zhu Heng did not turn around, but spoke to Xiao Song beside him: "Go and pick up our people."
Xiao Song immediately agreed and led a large number of imperial guards toward the palace gate.
More than two thousand imperial guards remained at the entrance of Chaoyang Palace.
Zhu Heng thought that killing one dog emperor and Zhu Zhi would be enough.
They didn't even have to lift a finger; his sword hadn't been stained with blood yet.
"Ha!" The old emperor sneered. "Zhu Heng, you are my son. Do you think you can definitely win today?"
Zhu Heng sneered, "These are all my men. If I can't win, why would it be him?"
Zhu Heng pointed his sword at Zhu Zhi, his face full of mockery: "Foolish, cowardly, and self-righteous, Zhu Zhi, you are good for nothing except being the eldest son and the legitimate heir!"
Just as Zhu Zhi was about to say something, he suddenly felt the ground shaking, and the sound of armor rubbing together as he moved almost tore the Chaoyang Palace apart.
The next moment, a large number of soldiers with swords suddenly emerged from the side hall of Chaoyang Palace. They were all dressed in black armor and formed a circle, quickly protecting Zhu Zhi and the old emperor behind them.
The soldiers in black armor are from the Northern Army!
"The Northern Army! How could it be the Northern Army?" Zhu Heng's heart sank.
In the suburbs, Lu Xiaoyun unfurled her soft sword with a rustling sound, transforming it into a formidable weapon capable of cutting through thorns and slaying enemies. With a spur of her horse, she charged toward Xiong Haiquan.
The clash of swords produced a piercing sound.
The horse beneath Xiong Haiquan reared up, letting out a long neigh.
The phantom beneath Lu Xiaoyun also reared up on its forelegs, letting out a long neigh.
The next moment, their swords clashed again.
All around them, the Northern Army soldiers in black armor were locked in combat with Zhu Heng's private troops.
The Northern Army has always been known for its bravery, but no one expected that Zhu Heng's troops would also be so formidable.
Chaos and bloodshed filled the outskirts of Shengjing City, where corpses lay scattered on the ground, including those of the Northern Army and the rebels.
But most of them were rebels.
On the horizon, a red sun had risen high overhead. Beneath the sun, the bright sunlight illuminated the flying blood and severed limbs.
What should have been a beautiful spring day turned into a living hell because of this battle.
One soldier after another fell, and more soldiers surged forward, only to become corpses and fall again.
The imperial city of Shengjing, which has been the capital since the previous dynasty, is seeing more deaths today than during the dynastic change more than forty years ago.
Lu Xiaoyun had only been practicing martial arts for a short time, and over time she gradually fell into a disadvantageous position.
Feng Yan and the other four bodyguards protected Lu Xiaoyun at all times, but the enemy forces outnumbered them and were all brave, so they inevitably suffered some injuries.
Furthermore, they cannot afford to waste too much time in this place.
Although the Northern Army numbered 200,000, only about 30,000 were sent to the capital to defend the emperor in order to lull Zhu Heng into a false sense of security.
The rest of the men hid in the mountain valleys on the outskirts of Shengjing City, waiting for the signal to surround them from all directions.
Just then, the two armies locked in battle suddenly saw a purple robe flash before their eyes. The next moment, the woman drew her bowstring taut, her gaze cold and deep, and released it with a bang. The arrow flew straight toward Xiong Haiquan, who was entangled with Lu Xiaoyun.
The arrow was unstoppable, its fierce killing intent irresistible.
"General!" the rebel deputy general exclaimed in alarm.
Xiong Haiquan was the most skilled archer and horseman among Zhu Heng's 50,000 private troops, and the most capable assistant to the Second Prince. Yet, he was killed by an arrow to the throat.
The rebels, still fighting, saw their commander clutching his neck with one hand before dying, blood gushing out like a fountain, and the next moment his mountain-like body collapsed.
Immediately, the morale of the troops wavered.
The rebel deputy general turned pale. Looking into the distance, he saw a woman in purple standing steadily on her horse. She hadn't even lowered her bow yet. When she saw Xiong Haiquan's mountain-like body fall, she spun around and mounted her horse, rushing towards the fighting crowd.
There wasn't even a chance for her to retaliate; the woman was incredibly fast, treading through mountains of corpses and seas of blood like a demon from hell.
The lieutenant's pupils contracted, a chilling, disorienting feeling, like being targeted by a hunter, creeping up from the soles of his feet to the top of his head.
It even gave him the illusion that he was born in a cage with no way to escape.
How could that be? The other person is clearly a thin and frail woman.
Upon closer inspection, the deputy general stared in astonishment, his mind overwhelmed by a wave of disbelief that made it hard for him to breathe. Wasn't this Lu Xiaoyun, the eldest daughter of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, who had been ordered by the Emperor to divorce Prince An not long ago?
How could she possess such superb martial arts skills and superb archery?!
Lu Xiaoyun watched the purple figure getting closer and closer, a smile playing on her lips, before her expression suddenly darkened. Why was Zhu Yu here? Wasn't he told to stay in the manor?
Now that she is a woman, she is shorter and weaker than a man, making it very dangerous for her to come to this battlefield where swords and spears have no eyes.
For a moment, Feng Yan, Jiang Chuan, and the others were in a daze, as if the person rushing towards them was not the princess, but the commander of the Northern Army, Prince An, Zhu Yu, who was charging ahead without changing his expression in the face of 300,000 iron cavalry!
"What are you standing there for? Kill!" Zhu Yu shouted, her once gentle female voice now breaking through the sounds of clashing weapons, pouring into the ears of every soldier in the Northern Army.
As Zhu Yu shouted, he raised his arm, drew his bow, and with a whoosh, shot the rebel deputy general who had just been staring at him in disbelief off his horse.
Almost instantly, the soldiers of the Northern Army snapped to their senses, their morale soaring like a rainbow. They raised their swords and charged at the rebels.
With the rebel commander and deputy commander both dead, morale plummeted, and they surrendered within half an hour.
Leaving some men to guard the surrendered soldiers, Lu Xiaoyun, Zhu Yu, and the others rushed towards the imperial city.
ยท
At this moment, at the palace gate, Zhu Dan and Lu Yucheng's Northern Army clashed with Xiao Song's Imperial Guards.
Limbs and corpses lay scattered everywhere, blood flowed freely, weapons clashed, sparks flew, and the sounds of killing, screams, and curses mingled together.
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