Under One Person: The Sea Emperor Who Shattered Heaven and Earth

The originally twisted sides were forcibly flattened and driven deep into the soil of Zijin Mountain, serving as a foundation. The steel keel of the ship's bottom was dismantled into several diamond-shaped shields, which were arranged in a row along the edge of the trench, reinforcing the originally thin earthen and wooden bunker.

In addition, materials such as tracks and gun barrels salvaged from the wreckage of those two tanks were used to reconstruct an automatic mechanism.

While Ma Ben and others were modifying the terrain, the main force of the canal gang had already completed its initial deployment.

Seventy thousand men, most of whom were ordinary gang members, were inspired by Jiang Zhen's earth-shattering punch. These men, who spent their days fighting against the great rivers and waves, displayed unprecedented discipline at this moment.

Master Feng, Bai Fu, and Zhao Yuan quickly divided their men into three teams, distributing them neatly and orderly across the battlefield.

The entire first line of defense was like a giant millstone full of steel teeth, with the Canal Gang members, with Jiang Zhen as their backbone, firmly nailed to this scorched land.

Just as the defenses were being set up in full swing, several figures silently appeared at Jiang Zhen's location.

"Hmm? What are you all doing here?" Jiang Zhen asked, puzzled.

The newcomers were none other than the members of the Tang Clan.

Tang Jiaren looked at the huge pit in front of him, his pupils contracted slightly, and then returned to normal.

Tang Jiaren's voice was calm. "Chief Jiang, when we were chasing down the ninjas of Mount Hiei, we extracted some useful information from them. The last remaining forces of those rats hiding in the gutter have been drawn into the Japanese army, and it seems they want to use those evil arts against you."

Jiang Zhen sneered: "Trying to deal with me? Let them come at me."

"That won't work."

Tang Jiaren waved his hand and took a step forward, his figure appearing somewhat blurry in the daylight.

"Wherever Bihe Ren is, our Tang Clan should naturally be there as well. This is our sect's mission."

Then he looked at Jiang Zhen and said, "Chief Jiang, we can't help you in a direct battle. But those scoundrels, those thugs, those who want to play dirty tricks in the Japanese army... leave them to us."

Jiang Zhen looked at Tang Jiaren, and the two stared at each other for a moment. Jiang Zhen could feel the resolute determination to kill emanating from the other man.

"it is good."

Jiang Zhen nodded: "Then I'll have to trouble the Tang Clan members."

"Focus on killing your enemies." Tang Jiaren waved his hand, his figure fading rapidly. "As long as our Tang Clan has a breath left, not a single Japanese monster will be able to breathe alive."

After saying that, the dozen or so figures vanished instantly into the smoke-filled forest, as if they had never existed.

The arrival of the Tang Clan seems to be just a signal.

In the following period, more and more sects of extraordinary individuals began to appear on Zijin Mountain.

The first to arrive were a group of Taoist priests dressed in robes. The old priest at the head of the group was over seventy years old and carried an ancient long sword on his back. With each step he took, the grass and trees under his feet seemed to be parted by a gentle force.

Fang Dongtian saw the newcomer and hurriedly called out, "Master."

"Chen Dao of Quanzhen Sect has brought thirty-six disciples to assist my junior brother."

Jiang Zhen was taken aback at first, then realized that he was now considered a member of the Quanzhen School. He walked up to Chen Dao and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute:

"Senior brother, you are very righteous. Thank you all. Time is of the essence, so let's skip the pleasantries. There is a high ground on the left side of the front line. It is easy to defend and difficult to attack, but we need someone with extremely fast agility to hold the position and prevent small groups of Japanese troops from sneaking up on us. I wonder if you would be willing to take on this task?"

"It's our duty!" Chen Dao shouted, and he and his disciples and Fang Dongtian disappeared into the forest mist in an instant.

Immediately following was a series of soft, tinkling bell sounds.

A dozen or so Miao women came out.

"I am Wei Shufen, and I come here uninvited with the lineage of Gu poison. We want to see if the blood of the Japanese devils can sustain my babies."

Another one of the Thirty-Six Thieves, Jiang Zhen nodded:

"Thank you, Miss Wei. On the battlefield, heavy weapons are everywhere, and Gu worms are most afraid of high temperatures. If you don't mind, please take some people and deploy them in the dense forests on the left and right. Please use your methods to let them know what it means to wish they were dead."

"Chief Jiang is generous." Wei Shufen chuckled.

Subsequently, more than a dozen more groups of extraordinary individuals arrived. Among them were shamans from beyond the Great Wall, the strikingly different Liu Yun Swordsman, members of the Four Families, Wudang, Buddhism, Sanyi Sect, Longhu Mountain, and even martial arts masters who had hidden their identities in the city.

Jiang Zhen personally went forward with each group, thanking each one, whether they were famous sects or unknown small sects, and assigned them to various defensive nodes according to their abilities.

...Time gradually passed...

"Master..."

Zhao Yuan's voice trembled slightly. He stood on a high place, holding a telescope in his hand, pointing it in the northwest direction.

Jiang Zhen stood up and walked to the very edge of the steel bunker.

At the edge of the horizon, the horizon appeared to be cracked open with a yellowish-brown slit.

The gap was rapidly widening, turning into a vast, sweeping wave—the true main force of the Japanese army was arriving one after another.

The roar of the engine could be heard from miles away, making the rocks rustle.

Even more chilling were the heavy artillery units, including howitzers, mountain guns, and field guns, pulled by horsemen or even towed by tractors.

"Boss... how do we fight this?" Zhao Yuan's hand holding the machete was trembling slightly, and his palms were covered in cold sweat.

Although the Canal Gang members were initially full of vigor, their cheers gradually subsided when they saw the surging torrent of steel like a tidal wave. Fear is a human instinct.

Jiang Zhen looked at the endless enemy army and slammed the Heaven-Shaking Sword in his hand hard onto the ground.

"clang--!"

A dull thud echoed throughout the arena, shattering the oppressive silence.

Jiang Zhen stood at the very front and spoke calmly.

Are you scared?

No one answered, because everyone felt their throats were dry.

"What's there to be afraid of!" Master Feng suddenly spoke, spitting fiercely into his palm, his eyes turning ferocious. "Being able to encounter a scene like this, even if I die, it's worth a hundred or two hundred bucks!"

Then, one voice after another rang out.

Jiang Zhen suddenly turned around, facing the members of the Canal Gang behind him and the various hidden figures, and said with great pride:

"It's alright if you're afraid."

"Fear is a human instinct, but courage is what can overcome fear."

"I, Jiang Zhen, am right here!"

"I'll start with myself, I'll lead the way, I'll charge forward."

"I will first eliminate all your powerful enemies!"

"Since they're here, let them all rot in this Purple Mountain!"

The men of the canal gang all let out a deafening roar:

"kill--!"

Chapter 63 One man walks alone, and ten thousand armies are terrified; this is the aura of a hegemon (4000)

Beyond the first line of defense at Zijin Mountain, the earthen-yellow waves had completely spread out.

Unlike the previous vanguard force that was only there for the assault, the main force of the Japanese army no longer charged forward recklessly.

The massive crater left by that punch lay between the two armies, a silent warning. The mud at the bottom of the crater hadn't completely dried, and the edges were littered with the wreckage of tanks and torn uniforms. When the high-ranking Japanese officers who arrived later saw the crater through their binoculars, everyone fell silent for a moment.

Two miles from the front line, armored vehicles formed a semi-circular defensive position, creating a temporary steel line of defense. Infantrymen were frantically digging trenches, the sound of shovels digging into the earth rising and falling. The soil was turned over and piled up in front of the trenches to form a high wall. Behind them, even larger field tents had been erected, antennas standing tall.

But what really sends chills down your spine is that open space further back.

Artillery position.

Large-caliber howitzers were being unloaded from trucks. The gun barrels were lifted by cranes and slowly moved to the gun mounts. The artillerymen were busy around the gun mounts; some were tightening screws, some were moving ammunition boxes, and some were using measuring instruments to point in the direction of Zijin Mountain.

The ammunition box was pried open, revealing a neatly arranged array of various types of grenades.

There are at least thirty such cannons, and the number is still increasing. Each additional cannon means that the Zijin Mountain defense line will have to withstand an additional devastating amount of firepower.

Three miles from the front line, on a high mound, the Japanese army's temporary joint command post had been set up. Camouflage netting covered the top of the mound, beneath which sat a command platform made of several folding tables, with maps weighed down by stones at the corners. Several field telephones sat on the corners of the tables, their lines extending out of sight behind the enemy lines.

Several high-ranking officers were observing the movements on Zijin Mountain with grim expressions through binoculars. At the front was a lieutenant general with a mustache, followed by two colonels and several staff officers. No one spoke.

Behind these officers, Major Sato knelt on the muddy ground.

His military uniform was disheveled, the collar button was off, revealing a dirty shirt underneath, his hat was nowhere to be found, his hair was stuck to his forehead with sweat, his forehead was pressed tightly to the ground, his whole body was trembling uncontrollably, the soil under his knees had been warmed by his body heat, but the chill still seeped out from between his bones.

"Major, you're saying... nearly ten thousand brave warriors from the vanguard, along with two tanks, were all wiped out by that man with a single punch?"

The speaker was the lieutenant general with the mustache. His voice wasn't loud, but it was as cold as ice.

Sato replied in a trembling voice, "General, that is the power of a demon! That is a monster beyond reason! Please use all firepower and heavy artillery to completely destroy that person before he gets any closer!"

“We also need support from the navy, long-range naval gun coverage, otherwise—” His voice grew more urgent and shrill, until it sounded like a scream.

"Snapped--!"

A crisp, heavy slap interrupted Sato's pleas.

The lieutenant general withdrew his hand, the movement neither fast nor slow. He disgustedly took the white handkerchief handed to him by his adjutant, wiped his palm, and then threw the handkerchief on the ground.

Sato was slapped so hard he rolled on the ground, half his face instantly swelling and reddening, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth. But he didn't even dare to cry out in pain, and scrambled back to his knees, pressing his forehead to the ground again, this time even harder, until the tip of his nose was buried in the mud.

"waste!"

The lieutenant general coldly uttered two words, "Nearly ten thousand warriors, even if they were ten thousand pigs, you could kill them for three days and three nights and still not catch them all! And you're telling me they vanished in an instant?"

“General! It’s true! Those…” Sato raised his head, his eyes bloodshot, his voice trembling with tears.

"Enough!" The lieutenant general abruptly drew his saber from his waist. The sharp, grating sound of the blade being pulled from its sheath was piercing. The tip of the blade pressed against Sato's throat, the cold steel against his skin. Sato's Adam's apple bobbed, and he dared not move again.

"The empire's advance must not be stopped by anyone. Your defeat has not only disgraced the empire but also cost us nearly ten thousand troops. Even so, I will still send you to the front lines to atone for your sins against the Heavenly Locusts!"

"But you actually dared to say something like asking those idiots in the navy for help, that's an utter disgrace!"

"Take him out and execute him."

The lieutenant general sheathed his sword with swift, decisive movements. No matter how desperately Sato screamed, "That's a devil!" or struggled to prove the truth, the two tall military police dragged him behind the mound like a dead dog.

A moment later, a muffled gunshot rang out, and the commotion subsided into silence.

The lieutenant general turned his head and looked at several figures standing in the shadows to his side and behind him.

Those people were dressed in dark kimonos or ninja robes, which seemed out of place with the somber military atmosphere around them.

They stood in the shadows, like a few ink stains blending into the darkness. These were the remnants of the Hiei Ninja Clan. Since the ninja leader was killed and the Tang Clan continued to hunt them down, the Hiei Ninja's power in China had been severely damaged, and the remaining members were incorporated into the special operations force of the Japanese Army.

"Since you say that person is one of the best among the extraordinary, then use your strength to kill him at all costs." The lieutenant general gave the order. "The heavy artillery positions will be set up in 30 minutes."