"Golden Guard—"
"Iron Pagoda—"
"Tiger and Leopard Cavalry—"
"Follow me into battle and protect His Highness Prince Jin!"
Almost at the same time, when Kang Yang, the commander of the Imperial Guard of Daxin, who was in Tumu Fortress, issued the order for the Imperial Guard cavalry to attack and protect the emperor.
In the camp of the Jingnan Army in Longcheng, several generals, including Huo Qubing, Pang Xianchu, Fan Wuji, and Xiao Po, also brandished their spears and swords and charged out on horseback.
General Wang Jian immediately ordered the Qin elite troops to advance, ready to provide cover for the cavalry with large crossbow carts at any time.
Thump thump thump!
Thump thump thump!
In an instant, tens of thousands of warhorses galloped outside Tumu Fortress, their flying hooves pounding the earth like a tornado sweeping through, stirring up clouds of yellow sand and flying dust.
At this moment, Chen Huai'an and Zhao Gan, who were at the center of the battlefield storm, seemed to automatically filter out everything that was happening around them.
Their eyes were only for each other.
The two of them, dressed in golden armor, stood proudly on horseback, one arm hanging down, dragging a halberd that shone with a cold light, as if a single halberd could shatter the heavens and the stars.
The other, also clad in golden armor, was thrown from his horse. The peerless divine weapon forged from a meteorite—the Overlord Spear—lost its luster in his hands, becoming utterly dim.
However, even more dim than the tarnished Overlord Spear was the gaze of Zhao Gan, the second emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty.
The Jian'an Emperor, who once considered himself extraordinary and boasted that his civil and military achievements were comparable to those of Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, no longer had the fierceness in his eyes.
All that remained was endless humiliation and resentment.
He never dreamed that he, who had followed the late Emperor Zhao Mang in his campaigns since he was fifteen and made great contributions on horseback, would lose to Chen Huai'an, this good-for-nothing.
In such a humiliating way, he was defeated by Chen Huai'an in just one move.
I am not reconciled!
How is this possible?
Zhao Gan lay on the cold, stiff ground, ignoring the excruciating pain from Chen Huai'an's halberd that had displaced his internal organs, and forced himself to roll over and get up.
Then, he stepped forward in a lunge position, gripped the Overlord Spear tightly with both hands, and assumed a desperate offensive stance.
On the other hand, Chen Huai'an looked down at his defeated opponent Zhao Gan with the same calm and composed demeanor, neither pleased nor worried.
It seems that, to him, there was no essential difference between knocking Emperor Zhao Gan off his horse and knocking out the bandit Zhao Gan.
At this moment, amidst the shouts of battle between the two armies' cavalry and the deafening sound of horses' hooves, Chen Huai'an still had the leisure to joke with Zhao Gan.
He returned to Zhao Gan exactly the words Zhao Gan had spoken to him a moment before the incense stick burned: "Zhao Gan, surrender!"
"If you are willing to surrender and perform the rites of a subject to me, I will spare you the punishment of being slowly sliced to death, and instead have you torn apart by five horses. Is that acceptable?"
"Chen Huai'an, the outcome is still uncertain, yet you dare to speak so arrogantly! Take this!"
Enraged, Zhao Gan picked up his Overlord Spear and charged at Chen Huai'an.
It must be admitted that although Zhao Gan was incompetent, his martial prowess was among the best of all the generals in the entire Xin Dynasty.
Otherwise, he would not have been able to gain a foothold in the new dynasty's palace, where martial prowess was paramount, and ascend the throne as the Crown Prince.
A mighty spear, wielded with ferocious power in his hands.
Even when dismounted, the spear's power remained undiminished.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
In an instant, Zhao Gan, who had dismounted to fight, launched three attacks at Chen Huai'an, who was still on horseback.
They used every means at their disposal: sweeping, slashing, and stabbing.
Unfortunately, Zhao Gan was about to face Chen Huai'an, a hidden god-level general of the entire Great Xin Dynasty.
Just like the duel on horseback, Chen Huai'an still gave Zhao Gan three moves before gripping the halberd tightly and raising both hands above his head.
Then, he pushed off the stirrups with both feet, and his whole body leaped into the air, turning into a long golden afterimage, and smashed down on Emperor Zhao Gan on the ground with a powerful blow.
In the rush, it was too late for Zhao Gan to turn around and dodge, so he had no choice but to grit his teeth and take Chen Huai'an's fatal blow.
Clang!
The next second, Chen Huai'an's halberd and Zhao Gan's spear clashed fiercely without any suspense.
These two divine weapons, crafted by the same artisan and forged from meteorites over eighty-one days, sparked and produced a deafening metallic clang when they clashed.
With just this one move, Zhao Gan, the tyrant among the top ten warriors of the Great Xin Dynasty, was forced to his knees by Chen Huai'an's halberd. The tiger's mouth of his two hands, which were tightly gripping the Overlord Spear, had already been numb by the divine power from beyond the heavens.
For a moment, a bizarre scene unfolded on the battlefield, yet it carried a touch of dark humor.
Emperor Zhao Gan, clad in golden armor and holding the Overlord Spear atop his head, knelt upright before Prince Chen Huai'an, who was also clad in golden armor and wielding the Fangtian Halberd in a posture of forceful cleaving of Mount Hua.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on the two of them, reflecting countless golden rays.
This left the soldiers on both sides of the battlefield somewhat confused about who the emperor was.
Whoosh!
Suddenly, an arrow that came flying at him almost grazed Chen Huai'an's face.
It's Emperor Zhao Gan's Imperial Guard cavalry arriving!
Carrying a lance, Kang Yang, the commander of the Imperial Guards who was charging at the forefront, immediately turned to the side and shouted: "Who gave you permission to fire arrows? What if the Emperor is accidentally injured?"
Immediately afterwards, he turned around and roared at Chen Huai'an: "You traitor Chen Huai'an, don't you dare harm His Majesty's health!"
"All Imperial Guards, follow me to capture the thief and rescue the Emperor!"
"Kill them!"
at the same time.
General Pang Xianchu also arrived on horseback, his eighteen-foot spear pointing directly at Kang Yang, the commander of the Imperial Guards, and he roared, "Kang Yang, you brat, General Pang Xianchu is here! Don't be so insolent!"
As they spoke, the two cavalry armies, charging at high speed, inevitably clashed on the battlefield.
Almost instinctively, the two cavalry units, which were charging fiercely, tacitly chose to turn their horses around when they were about to approach Chen Huai'an and Zhao Gan in the center of the battlefield.
It's like two high-speed flood peaks being split in two by towering mountains.
After bypassing the mountain peak, they clashed again.
Clang!
Clang!
Clang!
In an instant, the long swords and spears of the Imperial Guard cavalry, the Ironclad Cavalry, and the Tiger and Leopard Cavalry clashed repeatedly, producing a series of ear-piercing metallic clangs.
The shouts of soldiers and the pained neighing of warhorses mingled together in a cacophony.
Ironclad Cavalry and Tiger Leopard Cavalry were both elite cavalry units of the Dragon City's Jingnan Army, and the Imperial Guard of the Great Xin Dynasty, which they were to face in this battle, was also the elite of the entire Great Xin Dynasty.
Cavalry against cavalry.
Elite against elite.
The Battle of Tumu Fortress was destined from the very beginning to be an extremely brutal close-quarters battle on horseback.
Every moment, every second, people are falling from their horses and dying in battle, and countless others are injured.
In the final battle, all 20,000 imperial troops defending Tumu Fortress against Japanese pirates and 20,000 elite Qin soldiers from the Longcheng Pacification Army were thrown into the battlefield.
The two armies, numbering between 60,000 and 70,000 men, fought a fierce battle outside Tumu Fortress, from dusk till nightfall, from sunset to moonrise.
On the simple earthen walls of Tumu Fortress, Sun Heling, the third-ranked scholar in the imperial examination of the Zhenwu Dynasty of the 20th year of the Great Xin Dynasty, leaned against the wall with his hair disheveled.
Those cloudy yet resolute eyes never left the fierce battlefield outside Tumu Fortress, and two streams of hot, cloudy tears had already soaked his aged cheeks.
Gradually, the number of Japanese pirates and imperial guards on the battlefield decreased until they were completely submerged in the sea of people of the Jingnan army in Longcheng.
Sun Heling finally couldn't resist standing up and climbing up the city wall crenellations by himself.
By the light of the bright moon, he could vaguely make out two golden figures on the battlefield.
One was tall and resolute, the other was listless and wretched.
Sun Heling roared to the sky: "Dragons fight in the wilderness, their blood is black and yellow;"
The once-great Xin dynasty has crumbled and fallen apart.
The chaos of the princes has returned to the world;
The suffering of the people—
As he spoke, Sun Heling covered his face and smiled bitterly, choking back tears and unable to say anything more.
In a daze, a hunched figure fell headfirst off the simple earthen wall of Tumu Fort.
Almost simultaneously, a roar echoed across the battlefield outside Tumu Fortress: "All the treacherous officials in the imperial army have been executed; the tyrannical Emperor Zhao Gan has been captured alive—"
"The Dragon City Pacification Army is mighty!"
"Long live the Prince of Jin!"
......
Jinling City, the Prime Minister's Residence.
Prime Minister Qin Ruhui of the Great Xin Dynasty was restless, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably, and he had a feeling that something big was about to happen.
As was customary, Emperor Zhao Gan, who personally led his troops on campaigns, would send messengers back to the capital daily via express courier, covering 800 li, to relay the army's itinerary so that the Six Ministries could prepare logistical support based on the army's progress.
However, Qin Ruhui, the prime minister who was acting as emperor in court today, did not receive any battle reports from the front lines during the morning court session.
Even though it was already afternoon, there was still no news of the Emperor or the army on the front lines.
This made Qin Ruhui quite uneasy.
The court officials gathered at the Prime Minister's residence were all speculating whether something unexpected had happened at the front.
Finally, Qin Ruhui decided to take the initiative to send an urgent message to inquire about the Emperor and the army at the front.
Unexpectedly, before Qin Ruhui could even issue an order, he received an urgent message from the front lines.
"Report—"
"Your Excellency, this is an urgent dispatch from the front lines!"
At this moment, Qin Ruhui, sitting in the council hall of the Prime Minister's residence, finally felt relieved. While ordering someone to present the battle reports from the front lines, he even had the leisure to joke with the officials:
"I knew it! The Emperor may be a bit playful, but when it comes to important matters, he's never ambiguous."
"After all, our emperor is destined to be a wise ruler, comparable to Qin Shi Huang and Emperor Wu of Han, and a great emperor for all time!"
Upon hearing this, the court officials present all nodded in agreement, flattering the prime minister for his uncanny foresight.
Qin Ruhui's face also broke into a wide smile.
However, when he opened the urgent message sent from the front lines, the smile on his face immediately froze.
This urgent message, delivered by express courier, was not sent in the name of Emperor Zhao Gan, but rather by Minister of War Shen Guangming, along with officials from the six ministries who accompanied the army on the expedition.
The content consists of only one line: The army was defeated at Tumu Fortress, and the emperor was captured alive by the traitor Chen Huai'an!
brush!
Qin Ruhui was struck dumb, cold sweat instantly beading on his forehead. He instinctively closed the memorial.
Inside the main hall, an official noticed Qin Xiang's unusual behavior and immediately asked with concern, "Prime Minister Qin, did His Majesty send a letter with any new decrees?"
Ha ha!
The next second, Qin Ruhui's expression returned to normal, and he resumed his usual calm and collected demeanor, smiling as he said, "No, no!"
"They're just everyday trivialities in military operations!"
With that, Qin Ruhui stood up and walked into the council hall, addressing the officials present: "Gentlemen, now that we have restored contact with the Emperor and the army at the front lines..."
"Gentlemen, there's no need to linger here any longer. Go back to your respective government offices and get back to work. If there's anything that requires our cooperation, I will send someone to your government offices."
Since Prime Minister Qin Ruhui had spoken, the assembled civil officials no longer insisted.
After rising and bowing to Prime Minister Qin to bid him farewell, they left the Prime Minister's residence council hall in twos and threes.
Only a few of Qin Ruhui's trusted courtiers remained, as was customary, awaiting further instructions from Prime Minister Qin.
"Close the door!"
As soon as the court officials left, Qin Ruhui immediately changed his expression and solemnly ordered the doors of the council hall to be closed.
Seeing this, the former princelings present, now powerful officials of the Daxin court, finally realized that the urgent message that had just been sent back from the front lines must mean something big had happened.
As expected, Qin Ruhui went straight to the point and said, "Gentlemen, something terrible has happened! The imperial army's northern expeditionary force has been defeated at Tumu Fortress, and the Emperor has been captured alive by that scoundrel Chen Huai'an!"
hiss!
Upon hearing this, the people present couldn't help but gasp.
Minister of Revenue Wang Xuefeng, with an incredulous expression, looked at Qin Ruhui with piercing eyes and said, word by word, "Prime Minister Qin, this is no laughing matter!"
Guo Wei, the Minister of Justice, hurriedly chimed in, "Yes, Prime Minister Qin, is this news true?"
Faced with his trusted confidants on the same boat, Qin Ruhui directly handed over the urgent message sent back from the front lines to Wang Xuefeng, the Minister of Revenue.
The latter glanced at it and immediately looked as if struck by lightning, standing there dumbfounded in disbelief.
The others, after reading the memorial sent back from Tumu Fort by Minister of War Shen Guangming at great risk, all looked as if they had lost their parents.
Finally, it was Wang Xuefeng, the Minister of Revenue, who was the first to come to his senses and humbly asked Qin Ruhui, "Prime Minister Qin, this matter is of great importance. How should we deal with it?"
"Yes, Prime Minister Qin, what should we do now?"
"Prime Minister Qin, you make a decision, we'll all listen to you!"
In an instant, the crowd, having regained their senses, looked at the solemn-looking Qin Ruhui and felt as if they had found their pillar of support.
Qin Ruhui remained silent for a while before speaking: "Gentlemen, we now face two problems."
"Firstly, what will the treacherous Chen Huai'an do after capturing the Emperor alive?"
Secondly, if the emperor were to meet with misfortune, how should the successor to the throne be chosen?
"Only by understanding these two issues can we be targeted and invincible!"
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