Chapter 37: Breakthrough in All Attributes! Slaughtering Without Mercy! Storming the Guan Estate!
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All Attributes Break Through!
An indescribable sense of exhilaration surged through Zhu Zheng’s entire body.
His strength had soared, and every attribute had risen sharply.
Perhaps this was the thrill of breaking through a realm.
“Congratulations, host. All attributes have surpassed 700 points. You have been rewarded with one Tier-One Chest.”
As his attributes broke through, the system notification rang out.
But Zhu Zheng was not lost in the joy of his breakthrough. The great battle was not yet over, and the bloody struggle continued.
For Zhu Di, this was a battle for life and death.
For Zhu Zheng, it was the same.
If Zhu Di lost, Zhu Zheng was confident he could protect his wife and children, taking them with him as they fled for their lives—even escaping beyond the borders of the Ming Empire.
But he wanted to win.
He wanted to borrow Zhu Di’s momentum and grow stronger amid the War of Jingnan. He wanted not only authority, but strength as well.
Then, relying on everything within the Ming Empire, he would expand his own influence.
That was what Zhu Zheng desired.
With that, Zhu Zheng lifted the enemy commander’s severed head and hung it from his waist. His entire body was dyed red with blood, droplets still dripping from him, making him appear incomparably savage.
“The enemy commander has been slain by me!”
“Brothers!”
“Follow me and kill!”
With a thunderous roar, Zhu Zheng raised his sword and charged onward, launching a frenzied assault against the surrounding enemy troops.
Perhaps they were all Han Chinese.
But when it came to a struggle for imperial power, anyone caught within it had no choice but to take part.
Either you died, or I did.
That was the nature of war.
“The Military Marquis is mighty!”
“Follow the Military Marquis!”
“Kill!”
Seeing Zhu Zheng slaughter the enemy commander with unstoppable courage, the soldiers under his command were filled with tremendous excitement.
This was especially true of Zhu Gaoxu. He had been doing everything in his power to lead his troops and keep pace with Zhu Zheng throughout the assault. Such ferocity was already worthy of an overlord.
He was truly terrifying—slaying gods when gods blocked his path, and killing Buddhas when Buddhas stood in his way.
“Brother Zhu is truly an invincible warrior. With him assisting Father, Father will certainly succeed in his rebellion.”
“I wonder what expression Brother Zhu will have when he learns my identity in the future.”
Zhu Gaoxu was deeply stirred.
On one hand, he admired Zhu Zheng’s valor. On the other, he was delighted that his father had gained the service of such a fierce general.
“Brothers!”
“Kill!”
Zhu Gaoxu shouted himself hoarse as he followed Zhu Zheng into battle.
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At that moment!
Under Zhu Zheng’s fierce charge, the soldiers of the Military Marquis Camp beneath his command also surged forward in a frenzy, sweeping aside everything before them.
The first defensive line at the pass had already been shattered by Zhu Zheng and the troops under his command, but the assault continued.
This time, however, the Military Marquis Camp was not fighting alone.
After Zhu Zheng broke through the first defensive line, more and more soldiers of the Yan army poured into the city, engaging the defenders in fierce combat.
This battle—
With the defenders unable to retake the gates, the outcome may already have been decided.
The Yan army had no way to retreat.
The defenders did.
They would not fight to the death as the Yan army did. Although the supervising troops threatened them with punishment, even they could not prevent an army once routed from collapsing completely.
Throughout Juyong Pass, battle cries shook the heavens. Fighting raged without cease. Inside the pass, rivers of blood flowed and corpses covered the ground.
The Command Office!
“Report!”
“General, the gates have been breached by the rebels. They have already entered the city. The first defensive line has been destroyed, and General Wu has been killed.”
“The rebels have now completely entered the pass. I fear our second defensive line will not be able to stop them either.”
“Please make a decision, General.”
A deputy general hurried into the command office and reported to Song Zhong in a panic.
Upon hearing this, Song Zhong’s face darkened at once, and fierce anger appeared in his eyes.
“Fifty cannons.”
“One thousand firearms.”
“Every defensive line was guarded with the utmost care. How could the rebels have broken through?”
Song Zhong stared at the deputy general before him and demanded coldly.
“General…”
“It is not that our soldiers are incompetent. The rebels are simply too powerful.”
“General Wu held his position and personally directed the defense, but… but in the end, he was still killed by the rebels.”
“The rebels have now completely entered the city. Their morale and fighting spirit are both stronger than ours.”
“This subordinate proposes that you withdraw first. If anything happens to you, General, our army will suffer a devastating loss.”
The deputy general spoke in terror.
“I have already said it.”
“This battle is a fight to the death.”
“The six hundred thousand troops will fight to the death—and so will I.”
“I have already sealed the rear gate of Juyong Pass.”
“The rebels are running rampant, committing treason and rebellion. His Majesty entrusted me with guarding this place. How could I abandon the pass and flee? If I did, what face would I have left to show His Majesty?”
Song Zhong’s expression was fearless. His heart held only the determination to fight the rebels to the death.
“From this moment onward, I will remain here in the command office.”
“I will fight alongside all the generals and soldiers until the very last moment!”
Song Zhong’s voice rang out, filled with unquestionable resolve.
As for the situation—
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Song Zhong understood it perfectly.
Once Juyong Pass was lost, Zhu Di would have a path to survival. The entire Beiping Prefecture would fall under his control, greatly expanding the territory in which he could operate. In the future, it would become even more difficult for the imperial army to deal with him.
What Song Zhong had not expected was that the rebels would be so skilled in battle. Even after he had arranged such thorough defenses, and even with firearms protecting the pass, they had still managed to break through.
But now that matters had reached this point, Song Zhong had no way out.
There was only one choice—
To fight to the death!
Time gradually passed.
Within Juyong Pass, the bloody battle continued.
But no matter how well Song Zhong coordinated and directed the defense, he ultimately could not stop the Yan army’s advance.
By now, more than half of Juyong Pass had fallen into enemy hands. The Yan army had captured it and fought its way to the command office.
The bloody battle continued!
“Kill!”
“Kill!”
Outside the command office, battle cries filled the air, mingling with the clang of colliding weapons.
But by this point, the outcome had become completely one-sided. In the face of the Yan army’s savage assault, the defenders of Juyong Pass were being driven back step by step. Even the troops assigned to enforce discipline from behind could no longer hold them together.
After all, once the morale and fighting spirit of an army had collapsed to a certain point, coercion was useless.
As for Zhu Zheng—
He led the troops of the Military Marquis Camp and was the first to reach the command office.
“If the enemy commander did not escape, he must be inside this command office.”
“Killing him would be an extraordinary achievement on top of a great achievement.”
Zhu Zheng was covered in blood, yet remained as fierce as ever, continuing to carve his way forward. After half a day of slaughter, countless enemy soldiers had fallen beneath his sword, and all of his attributes had risen dramatically.
Many defenders were so frightened by his ferocious appearance that they retreated step by step before even making a move.
“Brothers!”
“Follow me and seize this command office!”
With a great shout, Zhu Zheng charged straight toward the main gate.
Naturally, he hacked down the enemy soldiers before him in a frenzy, unstoppable in his advance.
“Follow the general! Kill!”
Zhu Gaoxu and Tan Yuan shouted themselves hoarse.
It was easy to imagine how exhilarated they had been during this battle.
Following Zhu Zheng and leading their soldiers in the charge, they had fought from outside the pass all the way into the city, cutting down countless enemies.
Under such a terrifying assault, the defenders in front of the command office were once again forced back step by step.
…
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