In the arena, Sheng Qi wielded his giant sword, sweeping away and cleaving through men and horses with a single strike. Sheng Qi charged through the Manchu army like a human tank. Although Sheng Qi charged and attacked fiercely, his swordsmanship was not chaotic. Every Qing soldier who stood in front of him or beside him met his end without exception.
Dao Zhi's figure moved swiftly among the Manchu soldiers like a ghost. Every person he passed by was left with a wound on their neck, accurate and deadly. His killing speed was no less than that of Dao Zhi, and he remained untouched by the spray of blood.
The swordsmen, including Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang, moved through the dense ranks of Manchu soldiers as if they were nothing. Their figures were as agile as fish, weaving through the crowd. With each strike and each breath, at least one person died by their blades, leaving a trail of corpses in their wake. In less than three minutes, these thirty-odd men had slaughtered over two thousand Manchu soldiers. And this was after Wang Han had deliberately instructed them not to use their sword energy against the enemy.
"How is this possible? Could these be the true martial arts masters?" Dai Tuo stared blankly at Gai Nie and his men, who were relentlessly slaughtering soldiers, a chill running down his spine. He simply couldn't believe his eyes. Every strike of their swords resulted in the death of one or even several soldiers; it was as if they were killing one person with every step. Every sword strike was incredibly swift, even generals were finished off with a single blow. The soldiers who charged forward weren't fighting; they were practically offering themselves up for slaughter. Soldiers fell one after another under their swords, and in a short time, these thirty-odd men had each killed dozens or even hundreds of people. Dai Tuo even began to doubt whether the more than ten thousand men he had brought were enough for these martial arts masters to kill, and whether the Manchu invasion of the Ming Dynasty was truly justified.
Time ticked by, and as more and more soldiers died, with casualties exceeding half, the Qing soldiers grew increasingly disheartened, fear beginning to spread through their hearts. Many hesitated, no longer daring to charge forward, and some even deserted.
Seeing that the soldiers' morale was in danger of collapsing, Yue Tuo immediately killed several fleeing soldiers and shouted loudly: "All soldiers, listen to my command! Anyone who kills one of them will be rewarded with five hundred taels of silver and promoted to Niru. Those who die in battle will be compensated with one thousand taels of silver. Those who retreat will be killed without mercy. Organize a supervisory team. Those who desert will be beheaded."
On the battlefield, hearing Yue Tuo's roar, the soldiers mustered their courage once more and charged towards Gai Nie and his men. A great reward always attracts brave men, especially since retreat meant death, while dying in battle would bring a thousand taels of silver as compensation.
Unfortunately, the strength of Gai Nie and his men could not be countered by courage alone. The Qin soldiers were far more courageous than them. As more than 70% of the Manchu soldiers died, fear could no longer be suppressed and spread uncontrollably.
“These people are devils; there is no way we can defeat them.”
"If we stay, we'll all die. Let's all escape together; the law won't punish everyone."
“That’s right. If we all die, who will fight the war? And with so many people dying, it’s impossible to compensate everyone with a thousand taels of silver, and there isn’t that much silver to compensate.”
As words of despair spread, the soldiers stopped charging, more and more began to flee, even the supervising soldiers started to run away, and finally the besieging Manchu soldiers collapsed and fled.
"Should we pursue these fleeing enemy soldiers?" Xuan Jian asked Wang Han as he saw the Manchu soldiers begin to flee.
“No need. I have other plans for the people hunting them down. None of them will escape.” Wang Han shook his head and said, “After everyone has arrived, I will tell you what I need you to do next.”
Xuan Jian nodded, sheathed his twin swords, and waited with his arms crossed.
Seeing that Xuan Jian had his arms crossed and was no longer moving, the others knew that Wang Han did not need them to chase after the remaining deserters, so they all stopped and came to Wang Han's side.
Seeing everyone gathered, Wang Han nodded and said, "Now I'll tell you about this world. First, this world also has an era of seven warring states, which is very similar to the world you lived in before, and even many historical events are the same. However, although the eras are similar, there are still many differences. First, the cultivation physiques in this world are different. This world doesn't have internal energy; all martial arts are based on techniques and power generation skills. Second, the current era is equivalent to 1,500 years after your era. The Han Chinese country at this time is called the Ming Dynasty. You will have plenty of opportunities to learn about this era and the events that occurred before it later; there's a lot to learn, so I won't go into detail. Let me tell you about the present..." The tasks I need you to accomplish are twofold: First, eliminate the Ming Dynasty's external enemies. Second, the Ming Dynasty itself is rotten to the core; its officials, merchants, and army all suffer from significant problems. Your task is to revitalize the Ming Dynasty, helping it regain its status as the most powerful nation, while simultaneously improving the lives of its people and making it a powerful and prosperous empire. It is important to note that I suspect the Ming Dynasty's decline is related to the will of Heaven, perhaps even a scheme orchestrated by Heaven. This period coincides with the Little Ice Age, marked by constant natural disasters and severe food shortages. In other words, this is going against the will of Heaven. Although I will contend with Heaven, you must each be careful not to easily attract its attention, or I may not be able to save you in time.
"In addition, I have a kill list here. Everyone on the list must be killed, not a single one should be spared," Wang Han said, handing a copy of the list to Xuan Jian. Xuan Jian glanced at it and then passed it on to the others.
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