Di Ming

Chapter 232 So Uncle Tiger is really that brave!

Inside and outside the Danxia landform, corpses lay strewn everywhere.

The first to die in battle had been dead for a day and a night, and were beginning to stink in the scorching desert.

The pungent stench of corpses permeated the surrounding area for miles, causing nausea.

The increasingly terrifying stench of corpses made both sides feel extremely nauseous.

But the fierce battle continues!

Even Zhu Yin, the commander-in-chief of the Ming army, personally went into battle to kill the enemy, shooting and killing several Tartars with his bow.

It was already early afternoon, around 3:30 PM. The Ming army was nearing its end and it would be difficult to hold out until nightfall.

Gunpowder was completely exhausted, and the milk candy that could quickly replenish energy was also gone.

The knife has been chipped.

Of the more than 500 soldiers, only 300 remained, and they were all exhausted and wounded. Only one person was uninjured: the commander-in-chief, Zhu Yin, who was under protection.

Even Lancha, who possessed superhuman strength and could fight a hundred men, was now at his limit.

Mao Wenlong, Cao Wenzhao, Meh, and other strongmen were all covered in wounds, their bodies covered in blood.

Even Ding Hongying, who had been protecting Zhu Yin, was hit by several arrows at close range; the arrowheads pierced through her armor and injured her flesh.

Xiao Hei was also slightly injured.

Today, even it has joined the fray. When the Tatar soldiers advanced to within a dozen or so feet, it charged forward, slit the throats of two Tatar soldiers, and bit off the manhood of another.

The kill of three enemies was exchanged for a few cuts and arrows. Fortunately, its custom-made dog armor was of very high quality and difficult for the enemies to penetrate, resulting in only superficial wounds.

The Falcon and Flying Tiger blinded several Tatars and were nearly shot.

Even Black Tiger and Flying Tiger joined the battle, which shows how intense the situation was.

From yesterday to today, the Tatar army has launched a total of nine attacks!
Ten thousand men took turns attacking, their offensive as fierce as fire.

But at this very moment, in the very heart of Danxia, ​​three hundred exhausted soldiers are still holding their ground, and Zhu Yin's banner remains firmly planted on the highest point of Danxia.

Lancha, Mao Wenlong, Cao Wenzhao, and others each led a group of people and stood on the outermost edge.

Even at this point, the morale of the Ming army did not collapse; on the contrary, it became even more vigorous.

All three hundred men were determined to die in battle!

Even Zhu Yin was prepared to die in battle. If reinforcements didn't arrive before nightfall, Danxia Land couldn't be held.

Zhu Yin still had plenty of energy, and his handsome face remained calm—a calmness that was absolutely resolute.

He was a former special agent who had faced death multiple times during dangerous missions. His strong mental fortitude allowed him to confront death with equanimity.

He was just worried about the Ning sisters.

If she were to die, the Ning sisters would find it difficult to protect their vast family fortune. Even the Eight Banners of Daishan Island and Jingzhou would likely no longer be under Ning Caiwei's command.

This era was too oppressive to women. No matter how capable the Ning sisters were, it would be difficult for them to live like they used to.

They had to confront the powerful patriarchal society and the rigid feudal order that were prevalent throughout the world, both in the East and the West.

Unless Ning Caiwei has a son who can control the business empire and overseas Eight Banners in his name, she can barely maintain the situation.

Without even a son, the Eight Banners overseas would no longer obey a woman. Her business empire would also fall into disarray, gradually being seized, swallowed up, and divided up.

Unfortunately, she had no son.

Everything the Zhu family had painstakingly built up over the past five or six years would vanish with his death, including the originally happy lives of the Ning sisters.

Unless Ning Caiwei is exceptionally lucky and finds a powerful, open-minded ancient man who truly loves her, she'll be lucky.

Unfortunately, this is too difficult.

As Zhu Yin thought about this, a thought slowly emerged in his mind: He absolutely cannot die!
He must not die!

Even if they are captured alive by the Tatars, they must try their best to survive. As long as they are alive, they can always turn the tide.

Endure! A true man endures what cannot be endured, bearing humiliation and hardship!

Goujian, Han Xin, Sima Yi, Murong Chui... all had times when they endured humiliation.

Even the Oirat student who went abroad to study was an emperor, and he was once a prisoner of war. In the end, because he was able to endure, he not only returned, but also successfully restored his rule and ascended the throne again.
I am just a minister, why can't I endure humiliation after being captured?
Looking at the devastated Tatar army and the pale-faced Huo Luochi outside Danxia, ​​Zhu Yin pondered how to surrender at the last moment and persuade the furious Huo Luochi to spare his and his men's lives.

Surrendering now would increase your chances of survival. But you must not surrender now.

At this moment, Zhu Yin was thinking about how to seize the last opportunity to surrender!

None of the three hundred soldiers could have imagined that Zhu Yin, who looked so resolute, was actually thinking about surrendering to save his life.
...

Beyond the Danxia landform, the fire glowed crimson, its face ashen.

From yesterday to today, after nine attacks, four thousand of our own troops have died! Only a little over a thousand of our most elite armored soldiers remain.

Of the 10,000 troops, fewer than 6,000 are currently capable of fighting.

The losses were devastating.

Even Wuzhe and Atai, two trusted generals, were killed in battle, by a fierce general wielding a spiked club and a junior general wielding a halberd in the Ming army.

The Duoluo tribe suffered severe damage, losing a great deal of its strength!

The fire fell on the red-haired taiji, and I felt so heartbroken that I couldn't breathe.

He deeply regretted his decision to fight Zhu Yin to the death. After yesterday's initial defeat, he should have swallowed his pride and withdrawn his troops; he really shouldn't have fought to the bitter end.

I'm so regretful.

But now he is sinking deeper and deeper into trouble, suffering such heavy losses, how can he possibly retreat? If he retreats and returns to the Western Sea, even his position as Taiji will be in jeopardy!
There is only one way out now: hold on to our last breath and annihilate this terrifying Ming army.

Even if he eliminates Zhu Yin, he still has a chance.

Huo Luochi was extremely depressed. When he smelled the strong stench of the corpse, he suddenly couldn't hold back anymore and vomited.

Five or six thousand exhausted Tatar warriors silently looked at their Taiji, their gazes somewhat vacant, a vacantness tinged with indifference.

The once vigorous and fierce warriors were now like walking corpses.

After fighting for so long and losing so many people, they still couldn't wipe out the Ming army, which numbered only a few hundred.

This Ming army is terrifying.

why?
They didn't want to fight anymore, but the Ming army in front of them had become an obsession.

“Ugh…” Suddenly, a soldier started vomiting, and more and more people started vomiting.

In the end, thousands of people vomited together.

They vomited not only because of the unbearable stench of corpses on the battlefield, but also because of the nightmarish battle.

The remaining thousand or so Tuda warriors felt as if they were in a dream.

This time, more than three thousand of them followed Huoluochi on the expedition. But nearly two thousand died in a single day! Most of the Tuda warriors perished under the drive of the Mongol generals.

They felt despair, anger, and fear... yet they were also numb and indifferent.

After vomiting, Huo Luochi suddenly drew a dagger from his waist and slashed his own face.

Make noodles!

Blood flowed out, and Huo Luochi, his face covered in blood, swore:
"I, Huoluochi, swear to Buddha that if I cannot destroy the Ming army before me, Mangus will devour my body, and Maowusi will eat my soul..."

Just as he was swearing his oath in blood, Zhu Yin's words came from Danxia:
“You are people abandoned by the Eternal Heaven! The Taiji who drove you to your deaths is a monster who has forgotten his ancestors! He is not your Taiji or your master! Do not be misled by him any longer to attack the protectors of the grassland herders!”

Seeing Huo Luochi's bloodied face and the blood oath, Zhu Yin knew that Huo Luochi would definitely kill him.

Since surrendering will only lead to death, let's fight to the bitter end.

Upon hearing Zhu Yin's words, many Tatars looked at the Taiji with even colder eyes. The Tuda soldiers, in particular, harbored deep hatred for Huoluochi.

But they only had a little over a thousand men left, and they had no armor, so they couldn't do anything.

Huo Luochi felt the gazes of his subordinates and became even more furious.

"Toototemur!" Huo Luochi shouted sternly to his personal general, "Lead three thousand warriors and continue the attack! Until this Ming army is annihilated!"

"Yes, sir!" Tuotuo Temur had no choice but to obey, and reluctantly organized three thousand men, distributing all the armor to those participating in the attack.

The tenth attack has begun again!
However, although this attack was equally large-scale, the morale of the Tatar soldiers was extremely low.

In fact, they were also exhausted. While the Tatars were organizing their forces to prepare for the attack, Zhu Yin was also making preparations.

I've never used a warhorse before, but I'm finally going to use it!

.........

Less than twenty miles east of Danxia, ​​a weary army was on its way.

It was the main force of the Ming army, numbering over 13,000 men!

The Ming army marched through the night for nearly a day and a night, covering more than 200 li (approximately 100 kilometers), and both men and horses were exhausted.

Originally, Huoluochi's cavalry scouts should have spotted them long ago, but Huoluochi was now focused on attacking Danxia Land and had relaxed his vigilance in the eastern desert, unaware that a Ming army was approaching.

However, with Wei Zhongxian leading the way and providing guidance, the Ming army's scouts had already discovered the Tatar army.

This is where Wei Zhongxian's brilliance lies. He has an excellent memory and is also very meticulous. As early as yesterday, when he set off, he carefully memorized the terrain along the way, as well as the approximate directions and distances.

Even in the desert, he could remember the general route and bring the main force of the Ming army here.

If it were someone else, even someone who was slightly careless, it might be very difficult to find it again.

Zheng Guowang was dressed in magnificent armor, and although her beautiful face was covered in dust, it could not hide her beauty.

Although Zheng Guowang was a woman by nature, she had learned martial arts and was in good spirits.

Hao Yunlai was different.

Hao Yunlai was a pure scholar; his eyes were bloodshot, his expression exhausted, and he was on the verge of collapse. If it weren't for his youth, he wouldn't have made it this far.

Xiong Tingbi and Li Rubai, however, remained in high spirits.

Zheng Guowang suddenly reined in his horse, looked at Wei Zhongxian, and said, "Wei Zhongxian, are you heading in the right direction? How much further?"

Wei Zhongxian said discreetly, "The direction is definitely right, it'll be at most twenty li away."

No sooner had he finished speaking than two cavalrymen appeared in front of him; they were Ming scouts.

"Reporting to the Grand Chancellor!" the scout reported in a panic, "Less than twenty li to the west, the Tatar army is besieging a small hill in the desert..."

"What!" Zheng Guowang's expression changed. "It's not our army besieging the rebels?"

The scout said, "It's definitely not our army besieging the rebels. The outer perimeter is full of Tatar troops. The ones being besieged must be our army, it should be the Governor-General..."

When Wei Zhongxian heard that the Tatar army was still besieging the city, he felt a great sense of relief.

As expected, our lord is still holding out!
Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai weren't stupid; how could they not know they had been deceived by Wei Zhongxian?
There was no great victory at all! There was no encirclement of Prince Qing and Bo Bai!

Not only was it not a great victory, but Zhu Yin was also besieged by the Tatar army and was in imminent danger!
Zheng Guowang stared intently at Wei Zhongxian with murderous intent, and roared, "Wei Zhongxian! How dare you deceive me?"

Hao Yunlai wanted nothing more than to lash out with a whip, “Wei Zhongxian! What great victory! You lied about military intelligence! How dare you!”

Wei Zhongxian bowed respectfully and apologized with a grin:

“How could I dare to deceive you? You two Taoist priests, the General Fu personally led five hundred men, risking his life to act as bait to lure the Tatar army. The Tatar army of ten thousand attacked, but the General Fu remained unmoved. The Tatars must have suffered heavy losses and their morale has collapsed. Isn’t this a great victory? This is a great victory.”

Zheng Guowang and Hao Yunlai looked at each other, speechless.

A few hundred men held out against ten thousand enemy troops and have held out until now. Isn't that a great victory?
That seems to be true.

This Wei Zhongxian is truly cunning.

But then again, if Wei Zhongxian hadn't tricked him, he probably wouldn't have sent troops out overnight to protect the safety of the rear army after hearing the news that Zhu Yin was besieged by the Tatar army.

The commander-in-chief is indeed important, but he is not as important as the army. From the perspective of the court and the emperor, 13,000 troops are certainly more important than the commander-in-chief.

With Zhu Yin already surrounded and possibly killed or captured, the safest course of action was not to immediately send troops to his rescue, but to preserve the 13,000-strong army.

Even if troops were sent to rescue them, it would likely be too late, and they would instead be ambushed by the enemy who had laid a trap.

Therefore, refusing to send troops is a prudent and safe strategy, and the imperial court cannot find fault with it.

To everyone's surprise, Wei Zhongxian lied about the plot, tricking him into leading his troops there. If they were ambushed by the Tartars because of this, wouldn't he die unjustly?

The two men even considered killing Wei Zhongxian.

Upon hearing this, Xiong Tingbi almost burst into laughter.

Very well, the General is unharmed! And the Tatar army will remain pinned here!

Suddenly, Wei Zhongxian shouted, "Two Taoist priests, General Li, General Xiong! The Grand Marshal is holding firm at Danxia Land. The Tartar army has suffered heavy casualties and its morale is low. It has already been severely damaged by the Grand Marshal. Now is the time to annihilate them in one fell swoop!"

"You've come at the perfect time! This is an opportunity for you to make a name for yourselves, created by the General of the Army. Such an opportunity will be fleeting! The Tatar army is about to discover our forces. Before they can escape, strike decisively!"

Hao Yunlai and Zheng Guowang originally wanted to question Wei Zhongxian, but they were distracted by his words and for a moment forgot about questioning him.

Because Wei Zhongxian was right, this was indeed a golden opportunity to defeat the enemy!
This opportunity was created by Zhu Yin.

Although they were Zhu Yin's adversaries, they could not afford to miss this opportunity.

Zheng Guowang's handsome face flushed crimson, and he suddenly drew his sword and shouted:
"Now is the time for a true hero to make his mark! The Tatar army must be exhausted, and Fu Jun is still holding his ground. Issue my order: a full-scale attack! General Li! You lead the cavalry to attack first, flanking from both sides!"

"Xiong Tingbi! You will lead 1,500 Jiangnan infantrymen in a close-quarters charge alongside the cavalry!"

"Zhang Jiong! You lead your three thousand troops to protect the grain and supplies!"

"The remaining troops, along with Master Hao, will break through from the middle!"

"Master Hao, do you have any objections?"

Although Hao Yunlai held the same official position and military supervisory power as Zheng Guowang, he was a member of Zheng's faction and naturally had to follow Zheng Guowang's lead.

"No objections!" Hao Yunlai said. "Let's do as Master Zheng says!"

Zheng Guowang turned to look at Wei Zhongxian, who seemed completely unaffected, and shouted angrily with wide almond-shaped eyes, "Wei Zhongxian! I will settle accounts with you after this battle!"

After saying that, he shouted, "Send the troops!"

At a single command, the army thundered westward!

.........

At this moment, the final bloody battle finally broke out in Danxia Land.

The three thousand Tartar soldiers, bracing themselves for battle and led by Tuotuo Temur, charged through the blood-stained yellow sand towards the carnage-strewn Danxia land.
"Kill!" Zhu Yin, clad in two layers of armor, personally charged into battle.

This time, the Ming army did not attack separately. Instead, under Zhu Yin's leadership, they united as one force, chose the most advantageous route for a dive, and actually took the initiative to break out of Danxia and rush straight towards Huoluochi's banner!

Cavalry charge!

What?! Huo Luochi had anticipated many things, but he never expected that Zhu Yin would take the initiative to lead his cavalry out of Danxia and head straight for him!

"Boom!" Three hundred Ming cavalrymen swooped down like a sharp sword, breaking through Tuotuo Temur's troops and charging fiercely towards the Tatar army's Harasuluding!

Zhu Yin wore a demon mask, rode a white horse, and held a long spear, looking like a god descending to earth!

Little Black, dressed in dog armor, galloped in front of his horse like a fierce tiger!
For the first time, Zhu Yin personally led his troops in a charge, acting as a general!
After years of diligent practice, his martial arts skills have finally come to fruition.

With a lightning-fast strike of his spear, he killed a centurion who was at the forefront of the attack! With another thrust of the spear, he killed another Tatar soldier!
He killed two people in quick succession, swift and ruthless, while riding his horse and brandishing his spear.

"Woof—" Black Tiger leaped into the air and swiftly locked onto the neck of a Tatar soldier. With a bite of its fangs, the Tatar soldier's throat ruptured, and blood gushed out!

Even Ding Hongying, who was very familiar with Zhu Yin, was astonished to discover that Uncle Tiger was so brave! He was definitely no less than Cao Wenzhao, who was about the same age!

Seeing Zhu Yin's bravery and skill in battle, and his personal leadership in the charge, the three hundred elite soldiers were filled with even greater fighting spirit, each one seemingly possessed by a god of war!
With only three hundred riders, their momentum was like that of a thousand troops!
At this moment, the Tatar soldiers were not on horseback, and they were immediately torn apart like rags by the troops personally led by Zhu Yin.

"Kill! The Ming Dynasty will surely win!" Zhu Yin raised his blood-stained spear, his cold, ghostly face contorted in a ferocious grimace.

At this moment, he was not like a civil official at all, but a true fierce general!

"The Ming Dynasty will surely win!" Three hundred iron cavalrymen charged down from their high position, like a tidal wave.

Huo Luochi was instantly terrified and shouted, "Stop them! Stop them!"

His personal guards rushed forward at the cost of their lives, blocking the three hundred iron cavalrymen who were charging down.

Just then, a thunderous roar came from the east, as if a large cavalry force was galloping in.

A scout rode up in a panic, shouting, "Taiji! There's a large Ming army in the east, at least ten thousand strong! Their cavalry has arrived!"

Huo Luochi felt a buzzing in his head and almost fell off his horse.

Finished!

(End of this chapter)