IDWBE -Chapter 267 Fearless

Emperor Delong looked at Lin Yi’s expression and finally smiled. Supported by He Jin, he slowly rose to his feet and said,

“I told you—what I do not wish to give you, you cannot take.”

Lin Yi sighed. “You only sent a hundred thousand men. Why? Why not send them all? Is it to prove that I am a waste, and that Your Majesty’s judgment was never wrong? But even if you win, it proves nothing. I have seventy thousand under my command, but most are laborers. True soldiers number only a little over thirty thousand. If Father Emperor wins, it will only prove that you used many to bully the few—not that your son is incompetent.”

At this moment, he faintly guessed something.

Though his father had said in court that he had misjudged his son, in his heart he was unwilling to admit defeat.

This entire display might simply be to prove that this son of his was trash—and that he himself had not been mistaken.

Emperor Delong snorted. “Do you truly think I am old and blind?”

He Jin glanced at the Emperor and interjected, “The capital garrison is the elite of the realm. Among tens of thousands, there are barely a hundred Transforming Strength masters. Yet among Your Highness’s men, whether soldiers or laborers, nine out of ten are Transforming Strength experts. This old servant feels that even sending only a hundred thousand may be too few. It is only because His Majesty is merciful that he sent just that number.”

Lin Yi said, “If my men are truly that formidable, then Father Emperor has merely sent those hundred thousand to their deaths.”

Mercy? What mercy?

Emperor Delong said coldly, “I have ridden battlefields for half my life. Today I will teach you a lesson—on the battlefield, victory does not depend on personal bravery alone.”

“Since Father Emperor says so, then your son can only let Father Emperor witness what true power is.”

His father had once been an unfavored prince, unwilling to submit, who tempered himself in the army and seized the throne from horseback.

In commanding troops and waging war, Lin Yi truly did not match him.

Yet he remained unconcerned.

“Those who drown are the ones who know how to swim.”

The sun slanted westward.

The thick smoke that filled Ankang City and its outskirts blocked the final rays of sunlight—far less vivid than the blood spilled across the earth.

The two armies clashed. No trenches, no chevaux-de-frise, no caltrops—only the most primitive and savage methods of war, unfolding across the broad plains near the South Gate.

First cavalry against cavalry, then light infantry in brutal melee. You within me, I within you—locked together in a half-day of relentless battle.

He Jixiang watched as the South Gate opened once more and finally smiled. He turned to the signal officer beside him and said, “Pass down my order. Bao Kui’s camp is to charge straight at the city gate. Anyone who retreats a single step—behead him!”

This time he did not hide. Mounted on a small horse, he openly commanded and deployed troops.

He had no choice but to appear.

Whether Yuan Qing or Yang Changchun, both were renowned generals of the age. Shen Chu, Bao Kui, and Ji Zhuo simply lacked such experience.

Moreover, Yuan Qing and Yang Changchun led elite forces—including over twenty thousand heavy cavalry mounted on tall warhorses.

The heavy cavalry were disciplined and fearless.

Sanhe had only five thousand cavalry, most riding short horses.

Though many Sanhe cavalrymen were third-rank martial artists or above, against such numbers of heavy cavalry they were still outmatched. Many were forced to leap from their mounts, relying on personal martial skill to engage on foot.

As for the elephant corps, they were too few. The enemy’s heavy cavalry gave them no chance to charge. The Qian people tearfully abandoned the elephants they had cared for like children and fled alone.

Yang Changchun had clearly learned from the previous day. His light infantry formed shield-bearing fish-scale formations—impenetrable. Blades could not hack through, spears could not pierce. From head to toe they were like turtle shells.

Some agile Sanhe fighters leapt into the enemy’s rear—only to be hacked into minced flesh.

For the first time, the laborers—who had never known defeat—lost formation.

Nearly all had served as militia before, but militia were not true soldiers. They could fight one against three, one against ten—but not one against a hundred.

In the first clash, ten thousand Sanhe troops faced over thirty thousand enemy soldiers—and fell into disadvantage.

Yet He Jixiang remained unshaken.

Stack men!

Overwhelm with sheer numbers!

He had absolute confidence in the fighting strength of the Sanhe people.

In the end, he committed fifty thousand men at once.

After prolonged fighting, the enemy began to falter. But the city gates opened again, pouring out more and more enemy troops.

He Jixiang dispatched his final reserves—ten thousand laborers and ten thousand regular soldiers—twenty thousand in total—straight into the city!

“Order received!”

The signal officer raised the otter-banner and galloped through flying arrows, shouting,

“Lord He orders—Mighty Camp, attack the city!”

“Attack the city!”

“Attack the city!”

The roar spread.

War drums thundered.

Arrows rained from the walls. Sanhe troops seized captured shields and refused to retreat a single step, scrambling to enter the city.

Some tried to rely on superior lightness skills to scale the walls—but arrows, boulders, and rolling logs left them no chance.

On the hill behind the South Gate, Yang Changchun, who had circled from the North Gate, looked grim.

“The great matter is lost,” he sighed to Chu Liang beside him.

He had estimated Sanhe’s strength—but still underestimated them.

Chu Liang pointed to the banners waving atop the walls.

“General, that is General Yuan Qing’s banner. He is retreating.”

The drawbridge at the South Gate slowly rose. Those already on it slipped into the water if careless. Those not yet on it turned back in panic and clung desperately as the gates began to close.

Archers in the gate tunnel and on the walls did not hesitate—they loosed arrows at their own comrades.

Seeing the gates shut and the Sanhe army drawing ever nearer, the trapped soldiers’ faces turned pale.

“Those who surrender will not be killed!”

“Those who surrender will not be killed!”

Amid the thunderous shouts of Sanhe troops, the enemy soldiers trapped between moat and advancing army finally threw down their weapons.

Together with earlier captives, over twenty thousand were taken prisoner.

Then erupted earth-shaking cheers.

They were, in the end, invincible!

“My lord,”

Shen Chu, drenched in blood, rode up to He Jixiang.

“Yang Changchun escaped over the rear hills with more than five thousand men.”

He Jixiang looked exhausted.

“His Majesty’s move was indeed brilliant. Unfortunately, he miscalculated in the end. Heaven protects the Prince. We have not failed His Highness’s trust.”

Shen Chu said urgently, “My lord, the Prince is still in the palace. Shall we attack the city overnight?”

“No.”

He Jixiang shook his head.

“The forces of the Princes of Yong and Jin are now at His Majesty’s disposal. Add to that the capital garrison and Imperial Guards—our enemies are many. Moreover, we must guard against Mei Jingzhi advancing from the rear.”

Shen Chu hesitated. “Then what of the Prince?”

“He has Chief Steward Hong in the palace. Even if he cannot bring the Prince out, he can deliver the Prince’s command. We follow the original plan. Wait.”