Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 153 My Commander is a God Descended to Earth! (Bonus Chapter by Silver Alliance Leader Nuanyang1314)

The stone fell and hit the riot shield with a loud thud.

The soldier holding the shield fell to the ground, but quickly got back up.

The mountain was indeed steep, but the soldiers attacking it were all from the mountain people.

Back in their hometown, there are many mountains that are even steeper than this.

Rows of soldiers raised their shields and charged forward, bracing themselves against stones and crossbow bolts, to get close.

"kill!"

The soldier from the left wing thrust forward with his spear, but the spear, which had struck the riot shield, slid away with a whoosh.

The rebel soldiers looked through the observation windows of their riot shields, then charged forward, wielding their long spears and swinging their ram's horn hammers, striking the left-wing soldiers on the shoulders.

The leather armor worn by the soldiers of the Left Army was completely ineffective against such a heavy blow.

The crisp sound of bones shattering erupted along with screams of agony.

With a follow-up hammer blow, the soldiers of the Left Army fell completely silent.

The rebel soldiers charged forward with their shields raised, relying on their sturdy armor and shields to climb the mountain step by step, constantly cutting down and forcing back the Zuo Jun troops.

The riverside of Madang Mountain is a near-vertical cliff.

The soldiers of the Left Army, who were huddled together, were occasionally pushed off the cliff, falling into the surging river with pitiful screams.

"It's gone down! It's gone down!"

With no way out and unable to fight back, the remaining soldiers of the Left Army threw down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

They were tied up and taken down the mountain.

An interrogation and screening will follow.

Those who have committed crimes will be sentenced to years of hard labor, up to and including beheading, depending on the severity of their crimes.

For those who haven't committed any crimes, it depends on their individual abilities.

Those with the ability will be assigned to auxiliary troops.

Those who lacked the ability were assigned to various prefectures and counties for resettlement through a lottery system.

Lin Dao stepped up the mountain and raised his binoculars to observe the fleet of ships on the river.

Boats bearing Zuo Liangyu's flags almost covered the entire river surface.

Along both banks of the river, large numbers of troops are stationed at strategic locations, forming continuous encampments.

Regardless of public opinion, Zuo Liangyu, who had spent many years in the military, was certainly capable.

"From this vantage point, everyone is a target."

After putting down the binoculars, Lin Dao instructed everyone to step back.

His figure flashed and disappeared.

When it reappeared, it was accompanied by a bunch of cannons.

Zuo Liangyu believed that the mountain was too steep for the heavy iron cannons to be transported up.

That's certainly true, but he didn't know that Lin Dao had the ability to transport supplies across time and space.

Let alone Madang Mountain, even steep cliffs like those in Zhangjiajie.

As long as the forest road can be accessed, any kind of supplies can be delivered.

"Set up the gun emplacements!"

Lin Dao instructed, "Calculate the firing angle carefully and prepare ammunition."

"After dark, coordinate with the fire ships and bombard his lair!"

Within Pengze County, the thunderous sound of galloping hooves echoed.

Lin Dao personally led the team, with hundreds of cavalry and infantrymen, on a detour of over a hundred miles, changing horses but not men along the way, and finally arrived at the riverbank before dark.

He dismounted and came to the shore, and Lin Dao's figure disappeared instantly.

When they reappeared, there were already more than a hundred small boats in front of them.

Oil, hay, sulfur, orange life jackets, and other items were piled up like mountains.

The soldiers who witnessed this scene were all filled with fervor and breathing heavily.

The way they looked at Lin Dao was as if they were seeing a god appear.

The commander-in-chief is the true chosen one!

"You are all true warriors."

Lin Dao's gaze swept over the hundreds of soldiers who had volunteered. "You have come to rescue the oppressed people of Huguang and to help them live a better life."

"Your courageous deeds will surely be remembered in history."

"I will also tell the people of Huguang that you fought bravely for them!"

"I believe that the people of Huguang will erect monuments and build shrines for the warriors who died on the battlefield."

"Your achievements will be remembered by them for generations to come!"

The soldiers were filled with fervor as they listened.

They were all excited, eager to rush into the river right now.

Lin Dao looked up at the sky and waved.

"set off!"

The soldiers, divided into groups, ran toward the burning ships.

Pile hay, kerosene, and other materials on the boat, and check the tinder that each person is carrying.

After bowing to Lin Dao, they pushed the boats one by one into the great river.

Watching the fleet sail downstream and gradually disappear into the distance, Lin Dao breathed a sigh of relief.

"The more inspiring you are, the better your speaking skills become."

He mounted his horse, and his guards, leading a large number of horses, spurred them on and returned along the same route.

As dusk fell, Zuo Liangyu, aboard the large ship, felt increasingly uneasy.

He had experienced this feeling when facing the Jurchen army and when facing Li Zicheng in Zhuxian Town.

"what happened?"

Feeling restless, Zuo Liangyu got up and paced around the cabin.

"The fleet was upstream, with iron chains blocking the river, and hundreds of warships blockading the river."

"Both sides of the strait are heavily guarded by troops."

What exactly am I panicking about?

No matter how Zuo Liangyu thought about it, he didn't think he would lose, but he still felt uneasy.

"That's all."

His long-standing caution led him to decide to go ashore first.

Being down-to-earth will ultimately bring a sense of peace of mind.

Upon arriving at the camp on the shore, Zuo Liangyu's pent-up frustration had not dissipated much.

They summoned a military doctor, who said it was just seasickness.

After taking some calming herbal medicine, Zuo Liangyu gradually drifted off to sleep.

In his sleep, he dreamed that the Ming Dynasty had fallen.

With his own large army, he became a target for various parties to court.

He was granted titles and ranks, eventually becoming a king. In the end, he endured hardship and humiliation, spending ten years building up his strength and ten years learning from his mistakes, before sweeping across the land and unifying the world.

When the emperor ascended the throne and offered sacrifices to Heaven, thunderous cheers erupted and ten thousand cannons roared in unison.

The old brothers who had followed him through countless battles all smiled at him.

Feeling dizzy, Zuo Liangyu finally opened his eyes.

As soon as he opened his eyes, he saw his old brother Ma Shixiu's face right in front of him.

He blurted out instinctively, "I hereby bestow upon you the title of Emperor."

"Commander Zuo!!"

With an anxious expression, Ma Shixiu shook Zuo Liangyu violently, shouting, "The enemy army is attacking!"

"Wha, what?"

The tranquilizer was very effective; Zuo Liangyu was still a little dizzy at this point.

'Rumble~~~'

The thunder outside the tent finally brought him to his senses.

Thunder? Is it raining?

"It's not thunder or rain!" Ma Shixiu struggled to help him up. "It's the bandits on Madang Mountain firing their cannons!"

Shaking his head, Zuo Liangyu, wearing a silk nightgown, staggered out of the tent.

Large bursts of fire occasionally shot out from Mount Madang in the distance.

The booming sound of the artillery fire was like thunder.

The dense fleet of ships on the river became a fixed, live target.

One after another, scorching shells flew in, sending splinters of wood flying and damaging the ship's hull.

"how come?!"

Rubbing his eyes, Zuo Liangyu was filled with disbelief.

"How did they manage to transport such a heavy artillery piece that can fire over such a long distance?"

"They only captured Madang Mountain at noon, and now they can open fire?!"

Zuo Liangyu covered his head and said, "I was wrong. Madang Mountain is the core of the formation!"

"I should have defended Madang Mountain to the death; it was my mistake!"

"General Zuo!" Ma Shixiu stamped his foot anxiously. "Don't think about these things now. Quickly order the fleet to retreat."

"Okay, okay." Zuo Liangyu nodded repeatedly.

Just as the order was about to be given for the fleet to weigh anchor and flee, at least to get out of the range of the cannons.

To their astonishment, they saw tiny sparks of fire rising on the distant river.

"That is."

"They're fire ships!!"

More than a hundred fire-attack ships sailed downstream, their hulls ablaze, and crashed into Zuo Liangyu's fleet.

Here at Madang Gorge, the waterway is narrow.

Previously, Zuo Liangyu's fleet was almost always clustered together, one ship after another.

Fire ships drifted in from behind, crashing into the ships and setting them ablaze. With the help of the wind, the fire spread, igniting one ship after another.

Some boats, having already set sail, frantically attempted to drift downstream.

However, the iron chains they had set up to block the river actually stopped all these boats.

They were bombarded from above by artillery, and their retreat was cut off by a burning fire.

Zuo Liangyu's once-proud and massive navy was now trapped like a turtle in a jar.

"How could it have come from upstream?"

Zuo Liangyu was completely bewildered and couldn't believe his eyes.

The upstream area is all their own territory, so how could there be so many fire ships?

No one could answer his question.

Zuo Liangyu flew into a rage, shouting orders, "Go to the shore! Capture those bandits! I want to interrogate them about how they got here from upstream!"

The warriors who had set fire to the ships jumped into the water wearing life jackets and swam toward the banks.

Both sides were Zuo Liangyu's camps, and many people were captured and killed.

Soldiers were brought before Zuo Liangyu.

When questioned, the soldier simply replied, "My commander is a god descended from heaven!"

Enraged, Zuo Liangyu grabbed a knife, ready to kill.

But then, deafening shouts of battle erupted outside the camp.

The land offensive also followed.

The rebel army's offensive was extremely fierce.

Lin Dao, in particular, rushed back on horseback and immediately took to the field with his bulldozer without taking a break.

The bulldozers pushed soil to fill the trenches, smashed open the antlers, knocked down the fence, and created an opening.

A large number of armored soldiers surged in, setting fires and killing people everywhere.

The Left Army, caught off guard, suffered a collapse in morale and quickly descended into chaos and defeat.

"General Zuo!" Ma Shixiu grabbed Zuo Liangyu and pushed him onto the horse. "Go quickly!"

"My son Menggeng is still on the ship!" Zuo Liangyu was heartbroken. Looking at the fleet of ships burning ever brighter on the river, tears streamed down his face.

"Commander Zuo!"

Ma Shixiu shouted angrily, "What time is it? Protect yourself first!"

He loudly instructed Zuo Liangyu's servants, "Escort the commander back to Jiujiang Prefecture, I'll cover the rear!"

The river and its banks became increasingly turbulent.

Zuo Liangyu, who originally thought he had the upper hand, lost all his gambling money overnight.

They were defeated on both land and water.

Hundreds of ships perished, and many people, including his son Zuo Menggeng, are still missing.

Perhaps after some time, the fishermen downstream will be able to catch some.

Numerous camps on both sides of the strait were successively breached by the Lin Dao troops, as if they were being swept away by a whirlwind.

The morale of the left wing troops collapsed, and they stumbled around in the darkness like headless flies.

They were either killed or captured.

Ma Shixiu and other trusted generals either died in battle or were captured.

The army, which was said to number 200,000, was almost wiped out in a single battle.

Only a very small number of people escaped with their lives.

After being chased all night, Zuo Liangyu was left with only a few servants.

The defeat was so devastating that it was unprecedented.

When they fled to Xiaogushan, they couldn't help but burst into tears.

Before the crying had subsided, a large number of bandits surrounded them from all directions.

(End of this chapter)