Damn it, I'm in the garbage book I wrote

Chapter 657 Forging Man into Gold
The mournful sound was like a death knell for the enemy; they were so focused on running that they didn't realize it was too late to run once they heard the sound.

A large number of fragmentation bombs exploded in the crowd. These vicious bombs could still pierce people even from a distance of more than ten feet, turning them into sieves. The tiny pieces of iron inside would pierce into the internal organs, causing people to die in agony.

In an instant, shouts and explosions blended together. Xiao Chenzi felt that the mud, blood, and black snow that had been blown away were mixed in front of him, making him feel a little confused for a moment.

But then a group of over a hundred cavalrymen appeared on a distant slope. The leader pointed ahead, and the small group of over a hundred men transformed into a gust of wind, rushing out on the momentum of their descent.

There were only a little over a hundred of them, but at this moment they were like giants splitting mountains, moving through the enemy ranks as if they were nothing. The enemy was already in a panic, and the addition of these heavy cavalry made them even more panicked.

"Those are the elite cavalry of the mountains and seas?"

Xiao Chenzi's mind raced for a moment, but he quickly dismissed his guess, because this was a cavalry force he had never seen before.

But soon, the heavy infantry following closely behind the cavalry appeared. Their formation, their bearing, and their superior equipment immediately dazzled Xiao Chenzi.

Once the heavy infantry joined the battle, the battlefield turned into a one-sided massacre. Although their numbers were small, their near-absolute defensive shells, their powerful firearms at both close and long range, and their hammering skills that could take down an enemy with a single blow were truly terrifying.

Arrows struck them like raindrops hitting a raincoat; even powerful crossbows were merely a dull thud against their armor. Swords and blades were impervious, and even the armor-piercing mace was of little use against their double-layered, cushioned armor, only resulting in a headshot.

They gained the upper hand right from the start, like an anteater charging into an anthill. Although there were many ants, they were just a meal for this behemoth.

"Training Corps!"

Xiao Chenzi suddenly spotted the heavy artillery regiment on the distant mountaintop and the iconic fiery red armor of the Jiangnan Training Regiment. He had once asked Xia Lin why they used such a conspicuous color, and Xia Lin, with a wicked sense of humor, said it was called a red scar, the son of the Republic.

The moment the training regiment appeared on the hillside, Xiao Chenzi's spirits instantly dissipated. He staggered a few steps and sat down on a nearby enemy corpse, which was still somewhat warm, making him a little more comfortable.

Unwrapping the scarf from my hand, I saw that the web between my thumb and forefinger of the hand that held the sword was torn, but the blood seemed to be frozen. I didn't feel much pain, just a very itchy, piercing itch.

He picked up the water bottle at his waist, only to find that the water inside had already frozen into ice. He laughed and shook his head, tossing the water bottle aside. He then grabbed a handful of relatively clean snow from the side and stuffed it into his mouth.

At this moment, the training regiment moved. Even more terrifying than the heavy infantry below, the training regiment had unparalleled killing efficiency. Their coordination was so good that only three of them could fight against a team of dozens or even hundreds of people. Their weapons were extremely sophisticated, and their combat skills were superb.

If ordinary imperial soldiers are like anteaters, then the training regiment is like a giant millstone to these half-baked enemies, and the enemies are like beans on the millstone. All you hear is the millstone humming and turning; no matter how much the beans resist, it's all in vain.

Yang Ying shouted at that moment, "Eight-Ox Crossbow! Hurry, the Eight-Ox Crossbow!"

But just as they adjusted the clumsy crossbow to its position, the whistling sound suddenly returned, this time aimed directly at Yang Ying. When he looked up, he could only see countless black dots rushing towards them.

"run!!!"

Yang Ying shouted at the top of her lungs, but it was the same old story: by the time she heard the commotion and shouted to run, it was too late. This time, however, the objects, slightly larger than fists, didn't explode when they hit the ground; instead, they clattered and splattered everywhere.

This scene gave Yang Ying a slight sense of relief, but he was clearly too happy too soon. Although the things that fell to the ground did not explode directly, they quickly began to emit white smoke. As the choking white smoke rose, the entire position was shrouded in it, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. The smoke was also choking, causing people to cough incessantly and their eyes to water.

Yang Ying covered her mouth and nose and rushed out quickly. As soon as she got out, she saw that their formation had been surrounded. Warriors wearing dark red armor looked down at them from above, and the leader was Xia Lin.

Xia Lin placed one foot on a large rock, leaned forward, and laughed as he looked at Yang Ying's disheveled appearance: "You must be Yang Zhuguo, right?"

Yang Ying was about to speak, but he felt a churning in his lungs and a violent cough made it impossible for him to utter a single word.

Meanwhile, the 15,000-strong New Army Mixed Training Regiment had already begun chasing down the fleeing soldiers all over the world. It wasn't because they couldn't win, since human physical strength is ultimately limited. Rather, the sense of oppression the Training Regiment exerted when it appeared was too strong, so strong that no one could muster the will to resist. Even if they knew that all they had to do to win was wear them down, no one wanted to be the first to have their head blown off by such a monster and their corpse used as a stepping stone for others.

After recovering, Yang Ying looked up at Xia Lin, nodded, and sat down on the ground: "Well done, Xia Daosheng, you won." He only knew that he had lost, but he wasn't worried about anything else. After all, Xia Daosheng was a person of some standing, and capturing him would bring a generous reward anywhere, which was probably the kind of money and fame that many people could only dream of in their entire lives.

But the next moment, Yang Ying felt a chill on his neck. In his astonishment, he felt dizzy and then landed on the ground. He then saw his own body and the person standing behind him.

Xia Lin lowered his eyelids and looked at the head rolling on the ground. Then he waved his hand to the side, and Yang Ying's banner was cut in half with a single stroke. Then the banner of the New Army slowly rose, and hanging on the flagpole, besides the banner, was Yang Ying's head.

Once the flag fell, everything was reduced to nothing. Whether it was two hundred thousand or several hundred thousand, when the military flag fell, they lost all will to fight, and everyone scattered like birds and beasts.

This is where it becomes clear that capturing tens of thousands of people is indeed much harder than capturing tens of thousands of pigs. The training regiment and the new army soldiers toiled away for a long time, their warhorses exhausted, and when they looked up, good heavens... so many people had vanished in the blink of an eye, as if melted into the vast天地 (heaven and earth).

Of course, a 100-man squad raiding an enemy command post would be called a decapitation strike in the future, but in today's terms, it's like taking the enemy general's head from among thousands of troops.

They've already taken the enemy general's head, what can those lowly soldiers who're paid to do their jobs do? They only get a few taels of silver a month, why risk their lives?

Seeing the enemy scatter and flee in disarray, the soldiers and civilians on the Huangyaguan city gate rose to cheer. But Xiao Chenzi was in no mood to be happy. He sat there and even vomited bile, which he thought must have been from when he fell off his horse.

At this moment, the new army emerged from the smoke-filled battlefield, their killing intent palpable. These guys were truly far more impressive than the rabble. The city's garrison dared not open the gates, fearing that the wolves had just left and tigers and leopards would soon follow.

But at this moment, Xiao Chenzi raised his hand and gestured for the city gate to open, and then the city gate was slowly lowered.

The new army and the training regiment entered the city in formation, their bodies still covered with frozen blood, brain matter, and severed limbs, looking exactly like evil spirits crawling out of the underworld.

However, their military discipline was exceptionally good. The soldiers of Huangyaguan once thought that they were the most disciplined and strict in the world, but after seeing these iron-willed troops, they realized that there are always people more capable than oneself.

At this moment, Xia Lin took off his gauntlets and walked up to Xiao Chenzi. He patted Xiao Chenzi's head and said, "Good job, big boy."

Xiao Chenzi was truly exhausted at this moment. He had used up his last bit of strength on the way to his final charge. He was already grateful to his brothers for protecting him with their lives. He really didn't have the strength to argue with Xia Lin now.

Fortunately, Xia Lin didn't say much. Along the way, he had already seen how fierce this battle was. The defending army was empty, and they even had to rely on the elderly, women, and children to defend the pass.

"take over."

Xia Lin's first order after entering the Light Card was to take full control of Huangya Pass. He didn't even need to discuss it with Xiao Chenzi. In order to prevent a possible sudden counterattack from the enemy, he needed to quickly establish a new defensive line.

Originally, all the soldiers at Huangyaguan were given leave to rest and recuperate, and all defense tasks were carried out by the new army.

Xiao Chenzi slept for three whole days before he truly woke up. He had a total of twenty-seven wounds of varying sizes on his body, the most serious of which had pierced through his stomach. However, he was lucky that only the skin and flesh were injured and his internal organs were not damaged. After disinfection and stitching, he is now out of danger.

However, looking around Huangyaguan, every household was draped in white silk and hung with banners to commemorate the dead. Less than one in ten of the garrison soldiers remained, a truly tragic scene.

Xia Lin has spent most of his time these past few days dealing with resettlement and compensation work. The efficiency of the new army is indeed far superior to that of the soldiers in this desolate place. Production and life have been quickly reorganized. Although it may take several years to return to the previous state, at least Huangya Pass has been saved.

"What are your plans now?" Xiao Chenzi, with bandages wrapped around his neck, sat on the bed while his wife fed him porridge. "Will those people fight back?"

"Ask the questions one by one." Xia Lin smiled while holding Xiao Chenzi's youngest son. "I don't know if they will fight back, but I have already sent Yang Ying's head to Handan. As for my plans, I'm going to take over Shanhaiguan."

"They took over Shanhaiguan?" Xiao Chenzi looked up at him in astonishment. "That's Li Jing's territory."

"I don't care who he is."

(End of this chapter)