Love Lock

Chapter 328 Who does he resemble?
"So you...you...you were actually the traitor Zhao Zun's men!"

Upon hearing this, several members of the Big Character Team revealed contemptuous smiles.

Da Jiu slightly raised the muzzle of his M16, pointing it at Qiu Zhenyu, and retorted, "So what if you are? Aren't you all serving the Prince now?! Take him down!"

At the command, several members of the Big Character Squad who were already nearby pounced like tigers, instantly subduing Yang Shaojie and Qiu Zhenyu before they could react and disarming them.

Yang Shaojie's personal guards were shocked to see this and were about to take action when the Sixteenth Master next to him moved his finger without hesitation.

"boom!"

With a gunshot, the guard who tried to draw his sword fell from his horse, a bloody flower blooming on his chest, and died on the spot.

The swift and merciless killing, along with the terrifying power of the M16, instantly stunned all the other guards and the surrounding officers and soldiers.

Yesterday they witnessed Zhao Zun and his five hundred soldiers sweeping through tens of thousands of sentry soldiers, and just now they witnessed this weapon accurately killing the enemy's Grand Commander from afar and disrupting tens of thousands of troops. Therefore, no one dared to make any rash moves at this moment.

Da Jiu surveyed his surroundings, gathered his strength, and shouted loudly to the 30,000 soldiers of Jizhou and the new army: "Brothers! Look carefully! The Dongming traitors are right before us! Marshal Li and our compatriots are being humiliated! Regardless of what the Prince was like in the past, he is here to fight the Dongming traitors! He has powerful weapons that can defeat the Dongming people! Are you willing to follow the Prince and wipe out these Dongming traitors who have invaded our homes and humiliated our Marshal?! Those who are willing, obey the Prince's orders! After we have wiped out the Dongming traitors and recaptured Dongguan, whether you stay or leave, the Prince will not stop you! If you are willing to follow the Prince to fight the enemy and serve your country, the Prince will welcome you even more!"

The soldiers looked at each other, glancing at the chaotic Dongming army ahead, then at the terrifying weapons in the hands of Da Jiu and the others, and recalling the humiliation suffered by Marshal Li and the resentment in their hearts. After only a moment's hesitation, their fighting spirit and desire for victory took over.

"willing!"

"Let's follow the prince and kill the traitors!"

"Avenge Marshal Li! Slaughter all the Dongming dogs!"

A deafening roar echoed through the sky. The morale, which had been suppressed by humiliation, instantly transformed into overwhelming fighting spirit upon hearing Da Jiu's words!

"Good!" Da Jiu nodded in satisfaction, pointing his gun at the chaotic Dongming army formation. "Brothers of the New Army, charge with me! Brothers of the Jizhou Army, save them! Kill—"

"Kill!"

In an instant, with the members of the Big Character Team as the spearhead, the relatively well-equipped and well-trained New Army took the lead like tigers released from their cages, launching a fierce charge against the already chaotic Eastern Ming Army.

The Jizhou army followed closely behind, with one part rushing to the front lines to quickly support and rescue the prisoners who had just escaped death and were still in shock, while the other part followed the new army into the enemy ranks.

The situation on the battlefield reversed instantly!

The "da da da" sound stopped.

Hearing the sounds of fighting below from the city wall, Murong Tai, who was hiding under the crenellations, tentatively stood up. He quickly looked around, trying to find the enemy soldiers hiding in the shadows.

Before he could even see where the enemy was in the shadows, he heard a loud "bang!" and his body, which had just straightened up, froze. He fell backward as hard as a door, half of his head a bloody mess.

Behind the earthen slope in the distance, Zhao Zun put away his binoculars and gave a thumbs-up to Hei Yazi, who was hiding behind a tree: "Yazi, your marksmanship is really impressive!"

Hei Ya Zi chuckled, revealing a set of white teeth: "Hehe! Thank you for your praise, Your Highness. As long as he dares to stick his head out, I can beat him up."

Zhao Zun slung the M16 over his shoulder and drew his longsword from his waist. "Let's go! Let's kill the enemy!"

"Kill!" Hei Yazi shouted, slung his sniper rifle over his shoulder, and drew his curved knife from his waist.

Outside the city gate, a fierce battle had broken out, with prisoners, Da Jing soldiers, and Dong Ming soldiers all mixed together. To avoid accidentally injuring their own people, they could only fight the enemy at close range for the time being, and would adapt to the situation once they entered Dongguan City.

Murong Tai was killed with a single shot, and Dongfang Jiming rolled down the city wall, his fate unknown.

Having lost unified command and suffering from mysterious and terrifying attacks from the rear, the Dongming army was simply unable to organize effective resistance.

Faced with the ferocious and furious soldiers of the Great Jing Dynasty, and the occasional deadly sniper shots fired from afar, they completely broke down, leaving them only with the instinct to flee and desperate howls.

The sun finally sank completely below the horizon, and darkness descended, but the carnage beneath Dongguan City had only just begun its bloodiest climax.

Gunshots, shouts of battle, and screams mingled together, creating a cruel and eerie war symphony—the first time cold weapons and firearms intertwined.

The deafening shouts of battle, like rolling thunder, echoed endlessly beneath the walls of Dongguan City.

Da Jiu took the lead, his M16 spitting fire, the bullets like the Grim Reaper's scythe, cutting down swathes of the chaotic Dongming army in front of him.

The same was true of the Big Character Team brothers behind him; they rode their warhorses, charging left and right through the enemy lines.

Modern automatic weapons exerted devastating power in ancient military formations, causing chaos and destruction wherever they went, tearing apart the already crumbling defenses of the Eastern Ming army.

The new army soldiers followed closely behind. Seeing their general so brave and the enemy so easily defeated, the fighting spirit in their hearts and the humiliation they had just accumulated completely erupted at this moment.

They brandished their swords and roared, "Kill all the Dongming dogs! Avenge the Marshal!"

Like a flood bursting its banks, they surged into the enemy ranks, hacking and slashing wildly at the terrified Dongming soldiers.

Outside the city gates, the Dongming army completely collapsed, crying out for their parents and only wanting to get away from those terrifying weapons that spewed flames and the ferocious Dajing soldiers. Countless soldiers trampled each other to death.

Before the M16 and light machine guns appeared, the Eastern Ming army had a significant advantage in weaponry. But once Zhao Zun and his men arrived, the Eastern Ming army gained no advantage whatsoever.

Meanwhile, the soldiers of the Jizhou army rushed towards the prisoners who had just experienced a great humiliation.

These former comrades now mostly look blank and have empty eyes, as if their souls had died the moment they were dressed in sheep's clothing and driven around and laughed at, leaving only numb shells.

The soldiers of Jizhou felt a pang of sorrow at the sight. While remaining vigilant against any potential counterattacks from the scattered Dongming soldiers, they quickly used their knives to cut the ropes binding them and struggled to tear off the sheepskins that symbolized their shame.

"Brother, it's alright! The prince led us back!"

"Hang in there! We're home!"

"You damned Dongming bastards, none of you will escape!"

The soldiers shouted words of comfort, trying to rouse their comrades' will to live.

They moved as gently as possible, as if handling fragile porcelain, but each of them had a burning rage in their eyes, a rage directed not only at the Dongming people, but also at the cowardly and compromising court and generals of the past.

In the chaos, several Jizhou soldiers who were near the city wall rescuing prisoners suddenly stirred up a commotion.

Someone exclaimed, "Look! Who's that?"

The flickering torchlight illuminated a striking bright red figure in the corner of the wall.

The man lay face down, motionless. His magnificent crimson brocade robe was covered in dust and dark brown bloodstains, and the intricate patterns embroidered with gold thread were faintly discernible in the firelight.

"That uniform...it's that damned Grand Commander!" A sharp-eyed soldier suddenly recognized it, his voice shrill with excitement and hatred. "It's that beast from Dongming who was just standing on the city wall!"

"That's right! It's him! He's the one who forced our people to perform the 'sheep-leading ceremony'!"

"Is he dead?"

"He seems to have stopped breathing! How could he possibly survive falling from such a high city wall?"

The soldiers immediately surrounded them, their emotions running high.

Recalling the humiliating scene of Marshal Li and many of his comrades being forced to perform the "sheep-leading ceremony," the soldiers found an outlet for their endless humiliation and hatred.

"Even if he's dead, drag him back! Whip his corpse! Let those Dongming dogs see what happens to their master!"

"Yes! Chop it up and feed it to the dogs!"

"Hang him up! To mourn our fallen brothers!"

Amidst angry roars, several soldiers stepped forward and roughly turned the "corpse" over.

As expected, it was Dongfang Jiming. Even in his unconscious state, his face, which had always possessed a touch of feminine allure, was now as pale as paper, with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth.

A soldier checked his breath and exclaimed with a mixture of surprise and resentment, "He's still breathing! This bastard isn't quite dead yet!"

Just then, Zhao Zun led Hei Yazi and five hundred soldiers through the encirclement and rushed to the city gate.

The sporadic resistance on the city wall had been cleared by the Big Character Team members, and the heavy city gate was completely pushed open.

"Your Highness! Come and see!" Upon seeing Zhao Zun, the soldiers immediately shouted, "We've captured the official from Dongming! That scoundrel is still alive!"

Zhao Zun reined in his warhorse, his cold gaze sweeping over the glaring red stain on the ground.

Upon hearing the words "an official from Dongming," a cold glint flashed in his eyes. Recalling the horrific scene below the city, his killing intent almost materialized.

He kicked the horse's belly hard, and the horse lunged forward a few steps. He then raised his long sword and struck Dongfang Jiming heavily with the scabbard.

"Ugh..." The excruciating pain seemed to elicit a barely audible groan from the unconscious Dongfang Jiming.

"Take him away! Lock him in jail and keep him under strict guard! Don't let him die easily!" Zhao Zun's voice was as cold as ice. "His crimes are not yet fully settled!"

"Yes!" the soldiers responded in unison.

With a sense of triumphant satisfaction, they roughly dragged Dongfang Jiming up and threw him onto a hastily found stretcher.

Just as the soldiers lifted the stretcher, preparing to take him to the city's prison, the torchlight clearly illuminated Dongfang Jiming's face, which was covered in blood and dust.

Zhao Zun's gaze swept over the area unintentionally, his brows furrowed suddenly, and he abruptly raised his hand: "Wait!"

The soldiers stopped immediately.

Zhao Zun jumped off his horse, walked to the stretcher, and bent down to examine the face carefully.

Previously, from a distance and on the battlefield, he only thought the boy was effeminate and handsome. But now, up close, despite the dirt on his face, the contours of his eyebrows and eyes... especially in his current state of unconsciousness and complete lack of defense, gave him an indescribable, eerie sense of familiarity.

It seems... I've seen it somewhere before?

But in that moment, with war raging everywhere, he couldn't remember anything at all.

This strange sense of familiarity made him feel a little suspicious, but the war was urgent and he didn't have time to investigate further.

He straightened up and waved his hand: "Take him away! Keep an eye on him!"

"Yes!"

Suppressing his doubts for the time being, Zhao Zun pointed his longsword at the open city gate, his voice echoing throughout the surrounding area.

"Large-character troops lead the way, followed closely by the government troops, and then the new army! Sweep away the remaining enemy forces in the city and recapture Dongguan!"

"kill!"

A deafening roar resounded once more, and the army surged into Dongguan City like a torrent.

However, the tens of thousands of enemy troops at the city gate were only the vanguard; the real battle was just beginning.

Inside Dongguan City, the main force of the Dongming army, having heard of the earth-shattering events outside the city, was alarmed. Although the news of the death of their commander-in-chief Murong Tai caused panic, the generals who remained behind were still trying to organize resistance.

Especially when they learned that the invaders were the "two-legged sheep" they had always despised, some of the arrogant Dongming generals could not accept it and roared as they ordered their soldiers to use the streets and alleys to launch a counterattack.

Not long after the army rushed into the main road of the city, a large number of archers and infantrymen with spears, swords and shields suddenly appeared at the corners of the streets and on the rooftops on both sides!

"Release the arrows!" a hoarse command rang out.

A dense hail of arrows rained down like locusts. The first few members of the Big Character Squad immediately raised their guns and fired in bursts, accurately taking down several officers who were scouting out to give orders. However, several soldiers of the New Army were still hit by arrows and fell to the ground.

"Take cover! Suppress the arrows!" Da Jiu roared, leaning against a stone pillar and firing his M16 wildly at the source of the arrows.

The other members of the squad also sought cover, some kneeling, some standing, their automatic weapons spitting out deadly flames.

"Da da da da da-"

In an instant, rapid and explosive gunfire once again dominated the battlefield, and a storm of metal, far exceeding the speed of arrows, slammed into the Dongming army's positions.

The archers and soldiers of the Eastern Ming Dynasty, who were standing in the open, fell down in layers like wheat being cut down, and their screams were incessant.

The Dongming soldiers on the rooftop were also unable to lift their heads due to this completely incomprehensible firepower, and people kept being shot and rolling down.

The light machine gunners also found their positions, set up their machine guns, and began long bursts and sweeps, further suppressing the enemy's counterattack.

"Charge!" Taking advantage of the moment when the enemy was disoriented and suffering heavy casualties from the powerful firepower, Zhao Zun swung his longsword, and the new army roared and launched a charge, fighting fiercely with the remaining Dongming soldiers.

Because the city's residents had to be taken care of, the street fighting became extremely brutal.

The Dongming army, relying on their familiarity with the terrain and the buildings, put up a stubborn resistance, fighting for control of the area street by street and house by house.

The firepower advantage of the Big Character Squad and the Fubing (a type of local militia) was somewhat limited in the complex alleyways, but it was still formidable. They often used precise bursts of fire to eliminate key targets, opening up passages for subsequent troops.

But the most infuriating thing in the battle still happened—

Some desperate Dongming soldiers, seeing how powerful the fire-breathing "short sticks" were and how impossible it was to defend themselves, went mad and rushed into the houses on both sides of the road, dragging out the trembling Dajing people who were hiding inside, using them as human shields, and shoving them in front of them.

They tried to use the people of Dongguan City to block the bullets, and howled to make the Dajing army hesitate to attack.

"Don't come any closer! If you do, I'll kill them!"

"Put down your demonic weapons! Or we'll slaughter these two-legged sheep!"

The hostages cried out in terror, struggled and begged for mercy, and the scene became a stalemate. Sure enough, the big-character squad members and the garrison soldiers at the front hesitated, and their offensive paused.

Upon receiving the report, Zhao Zun, who was in command at the rear, instantly turned ashen-faced, his eyes blazing with murderous intent.

These Ming traitors, unable to win on the battlefield, resorted to such despicable and shameless means!

"Your Highness, what should we do?" a guard asked anxiously.

Without the slightest hesitation, Zhao Zun said coldly, "Blackie!"

"Here!" Hei Yazi immediately stepped forward, his sniper rifle already itching for action.

"See those scumbags using the common people as shields?" Zhao Zun's voice was icy cold. "Name them one by one! It would be best if they could save the people, but if not... we must not let the Dongming dogs' extortion succeed! Prioritize killing the biggest threats!"

"understand!"

A sharp glint flashed in Hei Yazi's eyes. He quickly found a relatively high, dilapidated attic, nimbly climbed up, and set up his sniper rifle.

Through the high-powered scope, the chaotic streets, the menacing Dongming soldiers, and the terrified faces of the civilians were clearly visible.

He took a deep breath, held it, and placed his finger firmly on the trigger.

"boom!"

A crisp gunshot, unlike the continuous fire of the M16, pierced the noise.

In the distance, a Dongming soldier who was brandishing a scimitar and shouting behind the old man fell to the ground with a bloody hole between his eyebrows.

"boom!"

Another Dongming soldier who attempted to kill civilians with his sword was shot in the head.

"boom!"

The third……

Blackie's bullets never missed their mark; each bullet precisely took away a despicable coercer.

Sometimes bullets would graze the bodies of civilians, a truly terrifying experience, but in the end, it was always the despicable Eastern Ming soldiers who fell.

The hostages were initially terrified, but then they saw the demon behind them suddenly fall to the ground. After a moment of stunned silence, they scrambled and cried as they fled toward the Great Jing army.

The Dongming army's despicable tactics were completely ineffective against the precise sniping from an extremely long distance. On the contrary, Hei Yazi's superb marksmanship caused even greater panic.

"Devils! They are devils!"

"A monster is helping them!"

The morale of the remaining Dongming soldiers completely collapsed, and they were utterly unable to resist. Taking advantage of this, the Dajing army launched a full-scale attack, mopping up the remaining enemy forces.

The battle lasted from dusk until late at night.

Torches and burning houses cast an uncertain light on Dongguan City. The streets and alleys were littered with corpses and rivers of blood, most of whom were Dongming soldiers, with only a very small number of Dajing soldiers who had died in battle.

The corpses of the Dongming army were piled up like mountains, gleaming eerily in the flickering firelight, and the heavy stench of blood filled the air, making people nauseous.

After nearly an hour of brutal street fighting, the main force of the Eastern Ming forces in the city was finally basically annihilated.

However, some troops originally stationed near the east gate were quick to sense the danger as soon as the city fell. Without any resistance, they hurriedly opened the east gate and fled outside the city, disappearing into the dark night, thus managing to save their lives.

After the last organized resistance was crushed, Dongguan City, a border town that had fallen into enemy hands and suffered ravages, was finally recaptured!
Zhao Zun ordered all units to quickly mop up any remaining enemy forces, extinguish the flames, appease the frightened civilians, and tally the casualties and prisoners of war.

"Your Highness," a lieutenant reported, "the remnants of the Dongming army in the city have been largely wiped out, and about three thousand prisoners have been taken to the city's prison. The captured weapons, armor, and provisions are being counted."

"Hmm," Zhao Zun nodded, his face showing little joy, only the weariness and sternness of a battle. "What are our casualties?"

"The garrison suffered no casualties, while the new army and the Jizhou army suffered minor casualties; the exact number is still being tallied. In addition... of the rescued former garrison prisoners, about several hundred could not be saved due to severe injuries or... mental breakdown." The lieutenant's voice lowered.

Zhao Zun closed his eyes, remained silent for a moment, and a flash of pain crossed his eyes: "Give the fallen soldiers a proper burial and do everything you can to treat the wounded. Those prisoners who... couldn't bear the humiliation and left, give them a proper burial as well; they were all heroes."

"Yes!"

At this moment, another soldier ran over: "Your Highness, that official from Dongming has been imprisoned. The army doctor examined him and said that he had a gunshot wound to his shoulder, but mainly suffered internal injuries from falling from the city tower. He has fainted, but his life is not in danger for the time being."

Upon hearing the mention of that official from Dongming, Zhao Zun's expression darkened further.

That face, which gave him a strange sense of familiarity, resurfaced in his mind.

"Take me to see," he said, and strode toward the city's prison.

The prison was dark and damp, filled with the smell of blood and mold.

Dongfang Jiming was locked in a cell by himself. His gorgeous red clothes were tattered and stained with blood, but his wounds seemed to have been treated. He was lying unconscious on a pile of hay.

Zhao Zun stood outside the prison gate, his gaze coldly scrutinizing that alluring face.

The torchlight illuminated Dongfang Jiming's face, stripping away the ferocity and gloom of his battlefield appearance. At this moment, his face was pale, and his brows were furrowed, as if he were suffering pain even in his unconscious state.

The contours formed by those eyebrows, that nose, those tightly pursed lips... that sense of familiarity grew stronger and stronger.

Who does he resemble?
Thank you all for your support, love you all!!