“What's going on? Why are the two Northern Dynasty armies fighting each other?”
“Hiss, that's the banner of the Jue Que Army. That unit is the Northern Dynasty's Jue Que Army led by Tuoba Guanghe. Has the capital been reached? Has Linxia fallen?”
The night was dark, bugles blared, and drums pounded. The guards responsible for the north gate watched in astonishment as the two armies outside the city fought.
One army had arrived beneath the city walls not long ago, surrounding it without attacking, and confronting the guards.
The other army had just arrived. Soldiers with good eyesight saw the banner of the Jue Que Army through the flickering firelight. They were terrified, and then they saw the two forces fighting outside the city.
It was less of a battle and more of a one-sided slaughter. The guards didn't understand the reason for the Northern Dynasty's infighting, but they were happy to sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight. They took the opportunity to beat the drums as a warning and prepared for battle.
The flames of war raged outside the city, and things weren't much better inside. The Tianji Building had become a ghost building, from which Yin corpses and spirit servants emerged, killing anyone they saw in the city with their bloodthirsty instincts.
Some broke into civilian homes and committed massacres, while others engaged in fierce battles with the city defense forces. The Huangcheng Si and some high-ranking members of the city defense forces, who had betrayed the Zheng family, were now in a state of confusion and entanglement because Zheng Wenhan was dead.
They knew Zheng Wenhan's treacherous intentions and knew that they were involved in a crime that would result in the extermination of their entire clan. Now that Zheng Wenhan had been executed, the emperor would definitely settle accounts with the Zheng family's followers, and none of them would escape.
But surrendering to the Northern Dynasty was equally risky, as Zheng Wenhan's agreement with Tuoba Guanghe was based on the Zheng family gaining power and controlling the Southern Dynasty.
Now that Zheng Wenhan and his brother Zheng Wenshi had been killed, the Zheng family was finished, and the agreement was naturally null and void.
If Tuoba Guanghe's Jue Que Army were to attack the capital, looting and arson would be inevitable, and even a massacre of the city. And their clans were all in the capital.
Zhang Yuanqing rode the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, soaring above the capital, looking down at the fiery battle outside the city. The Jue Que Army was like a sharp knife inserted into the city defense forces, crushing both men and horses wherever it passed.
This army was Yang's power, originally disguised as Northern Dynasty army to attack the city, containing the Zheng family's troops, but now they have become a sacrifice.
The limited defense force of the capital was weakened, making matters worse.
The soldiers of the city defense forces responsible for the outer city, like ants, swarmed up the city walls, holding torches, carrying siege equipment, and climbing the steps to the top of the wall.
In the inner city, Yin corpses and spirit servants smelled the scent of humans and committed massacres in the city. Blood flowed like rivers in some of the high-ranking mansions. Several city defense forces were fighting fiercely with the Yin corpses on the streets.
Fires broke out in many places in Guangping Street, Xiaguang Street, and Chengle Street, and they had not yet been extinguished.
In short, it was complete chaos. Looking in the direction of the imperial city, it was unusually calm. The Huangcheng Si's eight thousand elite troops seemed to have heard nothing and had collectively become deaf and mute.
How can we defend this? Tuoba Guanghe can break through the city in minutes!
Zhang Yuanqing sighed silently in his heart.
He had originally planned to kill the Zheng family and the national preceptor, then take over the capital, organize the forces to welcome back the returning troops from Linxia, and finally fight the Northern Dynasty to the death.
But unfortunately, things don't always go as planned. Although the national preceptor was defeated, his last-ditch counterattack plunged the situation that Zhang Yuanqing had painstakingly revived into despair once again.
Pure golden light shone down on the capital below, dispelling the darkness intertwined with fear and blood.
Zhang Yuanqing composed himself, condensed the divine power of the Sun, and formed a miniature sun above his head.
The Earth Yin objects and spirit servants raging in the inner city all rose with black smoke, crying and screaming, turning to ashes. The frightened civilians and the city defense forces in fierce battle looked up at the sky in confusion and astonishment, each using their hands to block the golden light, their eyes stinging. "Dragon!"
"It's a real dragon!"
"A real dragon has descended to earth, a good omen from heaven."
The city defense forces and civilians who were fortunate enough to witness this scene either exclaimed or knelt down, greatly shocked. Zhang Yuanqing took a deep breath and said loudly, "Citizens and soldiers of the capital, listen to me. I am the current Emperor Zhao Shun. A few days ago, I received a dream from the Hao Heavenly God, who bestowed upon me the divine beast Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, as a sign of divine favor."
There was an uproar below. The imperial city still didn't move.
Zhang Yuanqing continued loudly: "Twenty-one years ago, the Northern Dynasty launched a southern expedition, killing my people and seizing my territory, leaving the people displaced and nine out of ten houses empty. Twenty-one years later, they are still burning our homes, plundering women, and slaughtering children. This hatred is irreconcilable."
In the dark capital, a light was lit, and more and more people awoke.
Zhang Yuanqing's impassioned speech continued: "Right Minister, Zheng Wenhan colluded with the Northern Dynasty and summoned the Jue Que Army to the city. He has already been executed. As the ruler of the country, I will personally defend the country's gate to repay the country. The Zheng family's followers have been completely eliminated, and all that remain in the court are loyal ministers and good generals. Quickly join me in defending the country's gate and suppressing foreign enemies."
The Huangcheng Si's torches were blazing, and the army was quickly assembled.
The city defense forces of the inner city rushed towards the outer city. The entire city came alive at this moment. The people came to the streets, bathing in the pure sunlight, and kowtowed to the emperor standing on the dragon's back, worshiping the divine miracle.
Zhang Yuanqing finally breathed a sigh of relief and drove the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon to the north gate. His next task was to resist the Jue Que Army and delay time. The order in the city, the mobilization of troops, the supply of equipment... these were left to Yang Zheng and other court officials.
It wasn't something he needed to worry about. A four-hundred-man commander of the Jue Que Army rode his horse to Tuoba Guanghe and bowed his hand: "Commander, the three thousand Southern Dynasty soldiers have been annihilated."
Tuoba Guanghe's true form was a strong man of 1.7 meters, burly and round-waisted, wearing black fish-scale armor, with dirty braids under his helmet, and typical northern features: single eyelids, narrow eyes, a large face, and rough, dark skin.
He said "Mm" but did not order an attack on the city. Instead, he looked at the golden light in the distance and clicked his tongue, "Everyone says that the Southern Dynasty's ruler is a pleasure-seeking second-generation ancestor, one of the top three fatuous rulers in history books. Only today do I know that he is a genius who keeps a low profile."
As he spoke, the golden light swept over quickly and stopped above the city gate.
The young emperor stood proudly at the dragon's head, his sharp eyes swept over the Jue Que Army, and finally landed on Tuoba Guanghe, saying in a deep voice, "Tuoba Guanghe, I heard that you had a three-sword agreement with Yang Ce in Linxia City. I will also bet with you today. If you can kill me with three punches, the Southern Dynasty will be offered with both hands. If you can't kill me, how about you withdraw your troops?"
Seeing the ruler of the country arriving on the Five-Clawed Golden Dragon, the guards were greatly relieved, and the fear of the legendary Jue Que Army disappeared.
Tuoba Guanghe sneered, and the warhorse under him neighed and knelt, appearing on the city wall.
Bang!
Dozens of guards and civilians around him burst on the spot, and flesh and bone fragments splashed, staining the city wall red.
The guards "哗啦" retreated like a tide, and there was no one within thirty meters of Tuoba Guanghe.
The hands of the guards holding the knives trembled slightly, and the hands pulling the bows trembled slightly. No one dared to attack, and no one dared to step forward.
Tuoba Guanghe raised his head and sneered, looking at Zhang Yuanqing in the air: "Why are you standing so high? Are you afraid I'll hit you?"
"Just a Grandmaster, what can you bet with me? What do you have to bet with me?"
Too fast, can't see at all, feels like one punch can kill me, Zhang Yuanqing quickly calmed his emotions, and raised the corner of his mouth: "With the lives of your four hundred Jue Que Army!"
Woo...
A strong Yin wind was blowing, and dark and thick Yin Qi was surging from the wilderness. Wherever it passed, the Southern Dynasty soldiers who had just died tragically under the Jue Que Army's iron hooves opened their eyes.
They slowly got up, or sprang up straight, their necks creaking, extremely stiff.
Their eyes were empty and dead, fangs grew out of their mouths, their skin was pale, and their nails turned black. These corpses were corroded by Yin Qi and had turned into corpses.
Behind these Yin corpses, a beautiful woman wearing a white T-shirt and light-colored jeans stood expressionlessly, with a surging Yin Qi and a howling Yin wind in the background.
Tuoba Guanghe narrowed his eyes, and Zhang Yuanqing added calmly, "Or, you enter the city to kill people, and I slaughter your Jue Que Army outside the city."
The purpose of his proposal was not to delay time. In fact, it would be more cost-effective to let the soldiers defending the city die. He didn't care about the guards.
After all, he was in a copy, not the real world. The real reason Zhang Yuanqing proposed the bet was the main mission: to protect the Southern Dynasty from destruction.
There were only two ways to do this: one was to really defeat and kill Tuoba Guanghe, and the other was to defend the capital.
It was almost impossible to defeat Tuoba Guanghe, let alone kill him, so he took a step back and tried to protect the capital first.
If the capital fell or was slaughtered, the Southern Dynasty would be destroyed. Tuoba Guanghe pondered for a few seconds and sneered, "Killing you first is the same."
Zhang Yuanqing immediately drove the Golden Dragon, raising its altitude: "I'll accompany you to the end!"
He expected Tuoba Guanghe to agree. From Tuoba Guanghe's perspective, killing the Grandmaster-level emperor would surely collapse the belief in the hearts of the Southern Dynasty soldiers and people, and the capital would fall without a fight.