After ten years of accompanying me in my studies, the entire court begged me to shut up.

Chapter 131 Winning People Over with Virtue

Liu Xiang's heart sank.

At the breach, Mongols were still pouring in.

The ground was littered with corpses, some of them Ming soldiers, others of the Mongols.

The blood soaked the soil, steaming in the cold wind.

"Hold on! Hold on for me!"

Liu Xiang roared and desperately hacked down the enemy soldiers in front of him, but someone immediately took his place.

His arms were sore and weak that he could barely hold the knife.

At the critical moment, Sun Wenyuan rushed over and repelled the enemy troops surrounding Liu Xiang.

But he was also nearly exhausted, covered in blood, and couldn't tell whether it was from the enemy or his own blood.

He gasped for breath and said with a wry smile, "Father-in-law, I'm afraid I'm going to die here today—"

Liu Xiang gritted his teeth and said, "Bullshit! The Crown Prince is still in the city. Even if we die, we'll hold him off!"

Even so, he knew in his heart that he couldn't possibly stop this small number of people.

The breach was widening, and enemy troops kept pouring in.

Just then, a shout came from behind.

"It's His Highness the Crown Prince!"

"Brothers! His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

Liu Xiang turned around abruptly and saw Zhu Houzhao in full armor, riding a horse, charging towards the gap.

Behind him followed five hundred Imperial Guards, all clad in black armor and wielding long swords, their steps precise and their killing intent palpable.

Zhu Houzhao was not tall, but the armor he wore gave him a certain air of authority.

The Ming army, which had been retreating steadily, was taken aback when they saw the Crown Prince arrive in person. Then, their eyes lit up again.

"His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived!"

"His Highness has personally taken to the front lines!"

"Brothers, let's fight the enemy!"

Someone shouted first, and then everyone else joined in.

The sound spread from the breach, reverberating throughout the entire section of the city wall and reaching every corner of the city.

The morale that the Ming army had just lost was restored in an instant.

Liu Xiang felt a surge of adrenaline rush to his head, and he raised his arm and shouted, "Kill!"

The Ming soldiers roared in unison, and their previously scattered formation regrouped. They charged forward recklessly.

An old soldier was slashed in the shoulder, the bone was exposed, but he still gritted his teeth and plunged the knife in his hand into the enemy's stomach.

Sun Wenyuan went berserk, charging into the Mongol ranks like a beast, slaying three men and getting covered in blood.

Five hundred black-armored imperial guards, like a sharp blade, plunged fiercely into the gap.

The leader was a burly man, none other than Li Chun, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

He wielded a large cleaver and with one slash, a Mongol's head flew off, blood gushing from his chest and splattering all over his face.

"kill!"

The Imperial Guards roared in unison, their longswords flashing like snow.

These Imperial Guards were all handpicked, their swordsmanship was fierce, and their teamwork was impeccable. Wherever they went, enemy soldiers would fall to the ground.

The Mongols were caught off guard by this sudden counterattack, and their momentum to rush into the breach was abruptly halted.

At the breach, the two armies clashed fiercely, swords flashing and blood and flesh flying everywhere.

Zhu Houzhao, holding a knife, was so anxious he was jumping up and down.

He saw Li Chun dominating the battlefield, and a surge of anger welled up inside him.

"Make way! Let me up!"

He drew his sword and charged forward, but was firmly stopped by several Imperial Guards around him.

"Your Highness! You cannot go!"

"It's dangerous ahead, Your Highness, please step back!"

Zhu Houzhao glared and roared, "Get out of the way! I will personally kill the enemy!"

Those Imperial Guards dared not let go and stood firmly in front of him.

Li Chun turned around in the crowd and saw Zhu Houzhao about to rush forward. Terrified, he shouted, "Protect His Highness! Don't let His Highness take another step forward!"

Zhu Houzhao stomped his feet in anger: "Li Chun! How dare you stop me!"

Li Chun didn't have time to reply. He slashed down the enemy soldier in front of him with his sword and continued to charge forward.

The battle at the breach has reached a fever pitch.

The Ming army and the Imperial Guards held the breach tightly. Although the Mongols outnumbered the Mongols, the breach was only so big that only a dozen or so could rush in at a time. Those in front were cut down, and those behind were blocked.

A Mongol centurion, brandishing a scimitar, slashed two Ming soldiers and was about to charge in when Sun Wenyuan slashed him. He screamed and fell to the ground, where he was trampled by countless feet.

The Ming army fought with increasing ferocity, and the bodies of the Mongols piled higher and higher at the breach, almost forming a low wall.

Finally, the sound of horns came from outside the city.

That was the order to withdraw the troops.

Upon hearing the bugle call, the remaining Mongols abandoned their attack, left their fallen comrades behind, and turned to flee.

The last Mongol was cut down with a single blow, and finally, silence fell over the breach.

Li Chun was covered in blood, leaning on the knife and panting heavily.

He glanced back to make sure the gap had been plugged, and then breathed a sigh of relief.

Just then, a loud shout came from behind.

"Get out of the way!"

Li Chun turned around abruptly and saw Zhu Houzhao rushing out with a knife in his hand.

"Your Highness!"

Li Chunhun was about to fly away, but it was too late to stop him.

Zhu Houzhao rushed forward and saw an injured Mongol limping away.

He gripped the knife with both hands and slashed down at the man's back.

The knife slashed into the flesh with a soft thud, and blood spurted out, splattering all over Zhu Houzhao's face.

The man screamed, collapsed to the ground, convulsed a few times, and then remained still.

Zhu Houzhao stood on the pile of corpses, covered in blood, panting heavily.

His hands were trembling, whether from excitement or fear, he didn't know.

"Your Highness!"

Li Chun rushed over, grabbed Zhu Houzhao from the pile of corpses, and shielded him behind him.

"How could you personally go into battle! If anything goes wrong, we, your subjects, will be condemned to death!"

Zhu Houzhao wiped the blood from his face and grinned, "I killed one too!"

His voice trembled, but his eyes shone.

Liu Xiang stumbled over, and seeing the Crown Prince unharmed, his legs went weak, and he knelt on the ground: "Your Highness! I failed in my duty to protect you, causing you to be in danger. I deserve to die!"

Sun Wenyuan also knelt down, covered in blood, without uttering a word.

Zhu Houzhao planted his sword in the ground, bent down to help Liu Xiang up, and said with a smile, "General Liu, please rise. Today's battle was entirely due to the bravery of our soldiers; you were all outstanding! When I return to the capital, I will personally recommend you all for your commendations!"

Liu Xiang knelt on the ground, his body stiffening slightly, before he kowtowed heavily: "Your subject—is ashamed!"

He raised his head, his eyes red-rimmed, and said in a hoarse voice, "Your Highness's benevolence is deeply appreciated by us. But although we held our ground in today's battle, our casualties were also very heavy—"

The smile on Zhu Houzhao's face gradually disappeared.

He stood beside the pile of corpses, looking at the bodies lying haphazardly all around him, at the wounded soldiers being carried away, and at the blood-soaked soil on the ground, and suddenly felt a tightness in his throat.

"When I was in the capital, I always thought about going to the front lines to kill the enemy, thinking it was the most exhilarating thing in the world. But now that I'm actually on the front lines, I know how cruel war is."

Zhu Houzhao's voice was very soft, as if he were talking to himself.

Liu Xiang was stunned for a moment, then looked up at the Crown Prince.

Zhu Houzhao continued, "I am now even more convinced that what Yang, the attendant, said is correct."

"Yang, the study companion?" Liu Xiang frowned slightly. "What did he say?"

Zhu Houzhao slowly said, "Win people over with virtue."

Liu Xiang:

Zhu Houzhao added, "Furthermore, 'If one hears the Way in the morning, one can die content in the evening!'"

Liu Xiang opened his mouth, thinking to himself, "What kind of time is this? Still trying to win people over with virtue?"

Look at all these corpses on the ground. Do you think the Mongols are trying to talk about morality with you?

But he didn't say it out loud; he just sighed heavily.

"Your Highness is right."

He reluctantly agreed, then said, "Your Highness, I will escort you back to rest first. I will leave things here to Wen Yuan."

Zhu Houzhao nodded, instructed Li Chun to stay and help, and then turned and followed Liu Xiang back.

Sun Wenyuan limped over to his personal guards and ordered, "You guys, go and retrieve those horses outside the breach. Be careful, don't let them fall into another trap."