Origin Paradise!

During the banquet, General Liu's eyes flickered. His uncle, Liu Taibao, had come to visit him outside the city before. He had inquired carefully about the location of the city's grain and military supplies, but had not learned of any underground granaries.

Gao Jie narrowed his eyes. "Brother Li, could this granary be in Lord Tie Duo's hands? Don't try to fool us."

For a moment, each of them had their own thoughts.

Li Tongyan said unhurriedly, "Someone, bring the location of the granary to the three gentlemen for their inspection."

A soldier respectfully carried the wooden table closer.

Seeing the other party leave his side, Li Tongyan's expression changed several times. Finally, he sighed and sat back down. The tent was only a dozen feet wide, and the three of them did not realize that they were in the territory of tigers and leopards.

Within three steps of him, the armored soldier suddenly looked up.

Gao Jie's heart skipped a beat; he had seen too many eyes that looked like they wanted to kill.

Jiang He swung his arm, producing a crisp crack, and with unstoppable momentum, he summoned the Long-Hate Spear and thrust it straight forward with all his might.

Close-quarters combat gun - Dragon Emerging from the Sea.

The force exploded, and the tip of the spear pierced Gao Jie's chest.

"You traitor, how dare you rebel and defy your superiors!"

The burly bodyguard leader beside him roared, not bothering to figure out where the other man had pulled out his spear, and immediately swung his iron mace down on his head.

Jiang He drew his spear and swept it horizontally, shattering the iron mace, and then smashed the head of the personal guard leader.

Changes occurred suddenly.

General Liu took off running, with his personal guards covering his retreat.

When he ran out of the tent, he found his personal guards foaming at the mouth and lying on the banquet tables outside, in complete chaos.

A long spear flew in, accompanied by a deafening whooshing sound, and shattered General Liu's chest with a single shot.

Inside the main tent, the veteran generals were horrified. Gao Jie and General Liu were dead, and the only remaining general, General Yan, had both his legs broken.

Li Tongyan stood up and dragged the wailing General Yan to the veteran generals.

"One person, one knife; no one is allowed to run."

Chapter 25 The Sixth Night

The city of Yangzhou fell on the sixth night.

The 50,000 surrendered troops outside the city were thrown into chaos.

General Li Tongyan's troops rebelled, launching a night attack that spread fire for ten miles, capturing more than 40,000 soldiers.

Rumors of an attack from the four towns north of the Yangtze River were rampant. Li Tongyan raised the banner that Tie Duo was dead and attacked Yangzhou City.

Tie Duo, who was stationed at Da Tai Temple, mobilized three thousand white-flag cavalry. In just one charge, they scattered the enemy's vanguard, forcing Li Tongyan to retreat from the city.

The city gates were closed by the halberdiers, and all the commanders received orders to immediately cease looting and return to their posts.

Upon realizing the enemy's intentions, Li Tongyan immediately led his personal guard to attack the northern city wall, and the battle raged on.

……

Southern city wall.

Jiang He climbed upwards along the gaps between the bricks and stones, the words of General Li echoing in his ears.

"Two hours. You only have two hours to carry out the assassination."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that the army hastily set out and caught the Qing army off guard. In reality, from outside the pass to inside the pass, from north of the Yangtze River to south of the Yangtze River, most of the generals and soldiers have been terrified. Unless you can provide enough military pay, I dare not say that we should fight head-on."

"Most importantly, we lack cavalry, and all our warhorses have been surrendered and supplied to the White Banner troops."

"Without Tie Duo's head before dawn, our army will surely be defeated."

Finally, Jiang He climbed onto the southern city wall.

Looking around, Yangzhou City had been ravaged by six days of massacre. The corpses piled up on both sides of the road were soaked in sewage, causing their skin to turn blue like drums, their flesh inside to rot and stinking. Because the martial law had failed, flames burned everywhere, filling the sky and the room was filled with mist, the stench of which permeated for miles.

Occasionally, one can see wandering citizens on the streets, disheveled, with broken arms and legs, covered in knife wounds and bloodstains, with soldiers still chasing after them with swords, like countless demons and ghosts pursuing and killing hundreds of lives. Now, hundreds of thousands have died tragically.

The entire city of Yangzhou seemed otherworldly.

Jiang He lay on the city wall, picked up the monocular telescope he had taken from General Li, and searched the city little by little.

The Qing army's white-flag cavalry were putting on their armor. They hadn't rashly left the city before because they didn't want to suffer heavy casualties.

The Halberd Battalion guarded the north city wall; these strongmen wielded halberds, and each one could hold a battlement.

In the direction of Da Tai Temple, groups of Zuo Ling (military officers) are gathering, with the Shenji Battalion positioned closest to the center. Its forty-two red-coated cannons once had the astonishing feat of breaching the city walls.

Jiang He suddenly stood up and moved quickly to the side, adjusting his angle to continue observing. He saw dozens of soldiers carrying shells and gunpowder out of a house in the center of the street.

Tie Duo led the White Banner troops across the Yangtze River southward. As an isolated force, they carried a large amount of ammunition for attacking cities and capturing strongholds. Nineteen years earlier, during the Tianqi era of the Ming Dynasty, an explosion occurred at the Wanggongchang gunpowder depot in the old capital, resulting in more than 20,000 deaths and injuries. This explosion is known as the Tianqi Explosion. The Qing Army's reserves of gunpowder probably did not amount to that much, but the power of the gunpowder was still worth anticipating.

"found it."

"The Qing army's suppression of the rebellion presents an opportunity."

"My advantage lies in my explosive power, which allows me to overcome my weaknesses with my strengths."

Jiang He descended from the city wall and sped through the ruins. His movements were like those of a cheetah, incredibly agile. The rare-grade armor he had borrowed from Chu Fuqiang was flexible and did not hinder his movements at all.

Fifteen minutes later, he returned to the central street. In the plan, General Li's rebellion was just to draw fire, and the real deciding factor was the assassination.

Around the houses, the Shenji Battalion had already left under heavy protection, and an entire Zuo Ling (military commander) was guarding the gunpowder depot. Not far away, there were also troops being mobilized.

Upon seeing this, Jiang He turned and left, heading to the Yan family cemetery in the west of the city. There, she found Chu Fuqiang on the roof beam of the old Yan family residence.

"Brother Mo Ke!"

The burly man landed, looking noticeably thinner from hunger.

Jiang He said briefly, "I plan to make another attempt. I need you to draw the attention of a garrison commander. Also, lend me that Stealth's Badge. If I'm not dead, I'll return it to you tomorrow morning."

Chu Fuqiang knew that the other party wanted to kill Tie Duo, and this alone made it worthwhile for the two sides to cooperate deeply.

"Time, place, and what I should do?" Chu Fuqiang readily agreed, displaying a military style.

"follow me."

The two left the Yan family's old residence and ran all the way to the central street. The people stationed here were Tie Duo's direct subordinates, and the Zuo Ling was even an "acquaintance". On the day the city fell, he ordered the four-man squad to be scattered. Because he took the blame for his subordinate, he could only watch helplessly as the enemy suppressed the rebel army.

"I'm going to steal the gunpowder inside. You try to stall for time. If things don't work out, retreat on your own. Let's add each other as friends now."

Chu Fuqiang roughly understood what someone meant. After submitting the Stealth's Chapter, he accepted the friend request. He then used his energy to summon the Stone Horse and prepared for battle.

Half an hour later, a man wielding an axe in one hand charged into the battle line on horseback, causing a series of disturbances.

Jiang He circled around to the back of the gunpowder depot, used the Stalker's Chapter to take out a group of guards, and blasted a corner of the brick wall with his gun.

The gunpowder storage room was very dark. Before storing it, the Qing army would use torches to dry the air to prevent the damp environment of the rainy season from ruining the gunpowder. A proper storage room required a lot of effort.

Jiang He ignored the dozen or so red-coated cannons. The gunpowder they carried was specially sealed in airtight wooden boxes to prevent it from exploding when exposed to open flame. There were a total of 102 wooden boxes. He couldn't estimate their power for the time being, but Tie Duo still had several important towns and vassal states to conquer in his southward march, so the stockpile was definitely not small.

The wooden boxes were placed into the item pouch one by one. Jiang He raised his hand and drew in the surrounding air. The item pouch was catalyzed by thermal radiation, and flames burned fiercely. Eventually, the oxygen was exhausted, the flames went out, and they turned into even more intense thermal radiation and shock waves.

Jiang He used the last tenth of the box of gunpowder to load the shells, and after firing the cannon, he destroyed the wall in front of the gunpowder depot.

Outside, Chu Fuqiang, who was engaged in a bloody battle, received the signal, stopped fighting, and immediately rode away.

The garrison commander realized what was happening, and with a furious rage, led his troops back to defend the city, only to find it deserted.

"Immediately inform Lord Tieduo!"

……

Leave the gunpowder depot.

Jiang He ran towards Da Tai Temple, his figure appearing as a dark shadow under the cover of night and the Chapter of the Stalker.

On her second visit to Slender Lake, Jiang He plunged directly into the water, surfacing only a few times to breathe before successfully reaching the shore.

Due to Li Tongyan's rebellion, both the Daji Camp and the Shenji Camp had left. However, when someone walked out of the garden, 1,500 personal guards seemed to have been waiting for a long time. They lined up in formation, and torches were lit in layers, making the three-mile distance look like a ghostly road in the underworld.

Beneath the Eight Treasures Pagoda, Tie Duo, dressed in a red brocade robe, stood calmly. Neither the rebellion outside the city nor the arrival of a certain person seemed to matter to him.

"Capture him if possible, with the premise of killing him," Tie Duo ordered.

The great shaman in yellow armor shouted, "If the enemy advances two miles, the entire camp will be slaughtered. Do not let him get close to the prince."

During the first battle at Da Tai Temple, the Great Shaman witnessed this ferocious land dragon use an unknown method to instantly kill the black-robed man, Luanxiang, with an effective range of at least twenty zhang.

Chapter 26 The Battle of Daitai Temple

A chaotic battle broke out at Daitai Temple.

Jiang He knew that the Great Shaman had a warning ability, and that the Zuo Ling had discovered their group of four before, so he simply put away the Stealth's Chapter and stuffed it into his clothes.

"Haha, little thief, you're beheaded!"

The arrogant Baturu, wielding a huge cleaver, came straight at them. He exuded a powerful aura, his muscles piled up like small mountains, and he walked like a bear, leaving a trail of footprints in his wake.

"clang!"

A massive cleaver came crashing down, but Jiang He raised his spear with both hands and used the close-combat spear technique, Overlord Lifting the Cauldron, to parry it. Sparks flew from the blade and spear as he suddenly kicked out, his foot stomping upwards with such force and speed that it gave no one a chance to react. His toes seemed like venomous snakes, ready to devour anyone, and he even used a close-combat technique recorded in the Mountain Spear Techniques—the Sleeve Kick.

Ancient people wore loose robes that covered their limbs, making their attacks concealed. Their kicks, delivered from under their sleeves, were incredibly powerful and fierce. When they attacked, dragons and snakes would rise from the ground, exuding a chilling killing intent and striking directly at the vital points, making them ruthless and vicious.

Seeing this, Baturu moved sideways, his knife following his movements, the cold, gleaming blade sweeping towards the enemy's gun-wielding hand, sparking a string of fire.

At the same time, Jiang He's lower leg bent straight outward, bursting out with astonishing speed once again, viciously striking the side of the enemy's knee. A crisp sound of bones cracking suddenly rang out beside the two of them.

This feinting kick caused Baturu's lower leg to immediately assume an unpredictable angle, and the immense force of the Ming Jin forced him to kneel on one knee.

The massive cleaver lost its power and momentum, and Jiang He pushed his gun with both hands, smashing the enemy's head apart with a horizontal strike.

The sounds of battle cries filled the air as four long spears thrust forward simultaneously.

Jiang He released his left hand, and the Long Hatred Spear, like a broken bowstring, immediately released a powerful force. With a sweep, the spear broke completely, and the weight of three thousand jin swayed out. The four green soldiers in front of him were like rag dolls, directly swept away, their bones rotten like mud.

A dozen or so hooks, specifically designed to deal with martial arts masters, came flying at them.

These hooks are covered in barbs. Once they pierce the flesh, they cause excruciating pain. If forcibly pulled out, they will inevitably bleed profusely. With the cooperation of more than a dozen people, even a giant bear in the mountains and forests beyond the Great Wall would be unable to advance or retreat.

Jiang He's hands flew, the spear shadows blurring, stirring up layers of qi that shook off all the hooks. He decisively activated Garuda Mode 3, accelerating the pumping of blood in his Pure Green Heart, significantly improving his speed and reaction time.

Immediately afterwards, Jiang He leaped up as lightly as a swallow, dodging an arrow shot from the shadows, while simultaneously unleashing a series of five consecutive kicks, each one faster and heavier than the last.

The heads of the two elite soldiers in full armor in front of him were severed.

Jiang He landed and plunged into the battle formation. He raised his spear and swept it horizontally, as if a truck was crashing through it. Instantly, a clearing was created around him, and twelve soldiers gathered on his left and right perished in an instant. Corpses flew everywhere, and blood splattered like rain.

Just as he leaned back, a Baturu leaped high into the air, his barbed sword slamming down like a mountain crashing down.

Jiang He quickly rolled over, his sword plunging a foot into the ground. Before he could get up, another Baturu brandished his spear and thrust it straight at his target's throat.

Jiang He activated Garuda Mode 1, raising a pure blue defense at his throat, forcefully breaking the opponent's spear shaft, and then thrusting out with his spear, piercing the forehead of this Baturu.

Two tribal warriors died one after another, but the soldiers were not afraid. Instead, they were filled with anger because of the tragic deaths of their comrades.

Spears and swords attacked from all directions. Jiang He kept moving to ensure his survival space. He thrust out his spear repeatedly, each strike easily piercing through the enemy's white armor and flesh.

The last remaining Baturu gripped his cleaver tightly with both hands, the blade flashing wildly three feet in front of him. He abandoned the fierce and concise fighting style of the Qingbing Army, becoming like a lump of mud stuck to the gun.

Jiang He retreated three steps, dodging the relentless attack. With his last step, he leaped forward to launch a preemptive strike. After creating distance, he regained the space to build up his momentum. The Long Hatred Spear unleashed unparalleled impact, first shattering the battle blade, then piercing through Baturu's heart. The remaining force was like a thunderclap, blood scattering and flying through the air.

Before he died, the tribal warrior clung tightly to the gun.

In the blink of an eye, the flashing blades struck someone, and a hidden arrow flew through the gap between the armor and the scale armor, leaving a half-inch deep bloodstain on the shoulder and arm despite the lack of armor.

This is a hidden arrow from the great shaman, containing a strange curse.

A chill ran through him. Jiang He deactivated Garuda Mode 3. He couldn't take off his armor now and could only endure the slight dizziness that was rising in his mind. He raised his hand and shook it, and the Baturu in front of him was dead without a complete corpse. He drew his Long Hatred Spear and struck it seven times in a row, and immediately the foreheads of seven Qing soldiers exploded.

Jiang He pushed forward relentlessly, his gunshots unstoppable. After walking half a mile, corpses piled up on both sides of the road, like a man-made dam, with blood flowing and pooling like a canal.

Beneath the Eight Treasures Pagoda, Tie Duo's eyes shone brightly. His personal guard had suffered two hundred casualties so far, but he had raised his soldiers like his own children and used them like mud. After many battles that swept across Jiangbei after entering the pass, the deaths of his soldiers were now just a number to him.

"With the help of this land dragon, thousands fewer people will die when we capture the capital of the Southern Ming. He is the one who will be the first to scale the walls, kill generals, and seize flags. Shaman, how is the matter I asked you to investigate going?"

The high shaman replied, "No such person exists."

Tie Duo remained silent, lightly tapping his folding fan. If he could find out this person's background, he could threaten him with his relatives, friends, wife, and family, and then promise him high-ranking positions, real power, and honors. He believed he would have a chance to make the person work for him, but unfortunately, things didn't go as planned.

In just a few seconds, Tie Duo's eyes turned murderous.

"Then he must die here. Let's send out the Floating Pagoda Camp."