Northern Prefecture Rivers and Mountains

Chapter 330 Shun

Even though war raged in Jiangzuo, it did not affect the prosperity of Yandu.

Especially after Guangling was blocked by the Xifu navy, merchants moved here and continued their business and lives as usual.

When Liu Yu arrived at Yandu, he immediately received support from Zhao Lunzhi, who prepared six merchant ships for him. They followed the salt smugglers by sea, landing in Piling County without anyone noticing, and then circled around to the east of Jingkou.

These salt smugglers did not disperse; they followed behind Liu Yu.

At this time, Jingkou was completely surrounded by Wang Yu and Diao Kui.

However, due to the resolute resistance within the city, and the fact that Wang Yu and Diao Kui's troops were mostly household slaves and servants who were no match for the families of the Northern Army, the Chu army lost its desire to attack.

They blocked the city walls, waiting for Huan Xuan to free his hands so they could attack the city together.

"Wang Yu and Diao Kui are both good-for-nothings. They will be terrified and run away when they hear my name. All generals, listen to my command and follow me to attack Diao Kui first!" As soon as Liu Yu saw Diao Kui's banner, old and new grudges immediately surged into his heart.

Liu Yu didn't know how strong Wang Yu's troops were, but he knew better than anyone what kind of person Diao Kui was.

Bullying unarmed civilians is one thing, but encountering the elite troops of the Northern Army is basically suicide.

"Ji Nu, your injuries..." Meng Longfu's face was full of worry.

"It's his skill that Diao Kui was able to injure me. Speed ​​is of the essence in war. The faster we defeat Wang Yu and Diao Kui, the more we can deter Huan Xuan. The life and death of the Northern Army depends on this battle!"

Liu Yu ripped open his clothes, revealing a muscular physique. His wounds, treated both internally and externally by Liu Juanzi, had already scabbed over.

"Then what are we waiting for? My brother and I are willing to lead our elite troops as the vanguard!"

Shen Tianzi bowed and left.

It wasn't that he was arrogant, but these Tiger Warriors were truly powerful. Each of them was broad-shouldered and burly, and each of them wore either bright or black armor. They carried a spear, short axes and hammers, and other heavy weapons, along with a repeating crossbow.

Only a pair of murderous eyes were visible, and his entire body was shrouded in a faint aura of malevolence.

It is terrifying to look at.

This equipment is superior to that of many generals.

Although Liu Yu's former troops and the Wu Xing youths who came with him were poorly equipped, they were all elite warriors who had fought many battles.

Gazing at the distant, sprawling enemy camps, he showed no fear, but rather an air of excitement…

Liu Yu laughed and said, "You two brothers have followed me in battle for many years. When have you ever seen me fall behind? My men, follow me to defeat the enemy!"

"kill!"

The crowd cheered and followed Liu Yu.

"Hahaha, General Liu is a true hero! The Western barbarians have invaded our Jiangzuo region, taking advantage of our lack of manpower. We are willing to fight them!"

The smugglers behind them were also excited.

The six or seven hundred soldiers raised their weapons—swords, crossbows, axes, shields, and armor—their equipment was not much inferior to that of the Northern Army.

They followed in groups of three or five behind the five hundred Northern Army soldiers.

The most righteous are often the lowly butchers. These people had long been bound by their interests with Liu Daogui, admired the reputation of the two brothers, and were all just trying to make a living in Jiangzuo. They couldn't stand the Western Army showing off their power in the Northern Army's territory.

When Liu Yu raised an army, these people generously offered their assistance.

"Excellent! There are many righteous men in Jiangzuo!" Liu Yu's fighting spirit soared even higher.

Every soldier following him was inspired by his boldness and courage, and their eyes became even more murderous.

Even the hundred-plus tiger warriors followed him with heartfelt admiration.

A tall banner bearing the character "Liu" stands between heaven and earth, looking down down at the enemy army ahead.

More than a thousand men, like a vast army, charged directly towards Diao Kui's camp.

"Liu Yu is here! Diao Kui, come and face your death!"

The soldiers shouted loudly.

The enemy troops on the other side were unprepared. Upon seeing the banner and hearing Liu Yu's name, they were initially silent, then suddenly erupted into chaos with a loud "boom".

Diao Kui's retainers were all from Jingkou, and everyone knew perfectly well who Liu Yu was.

Many people even secretly admired him.

Now that Liu Yu is alive and well behind them, how could they not be terrified?

At this moment, the defenders on the walls of Jingkou saw Liu Yu's banner and cheered with joy. Regardless of how many reinforcements there were, they opened the city gates and a cavalry force of more than a hundred men charged out.

One after another, infantrymen charged out. The ones in front were still elite soldiers in armor, but the ones behind them were strong women and boys, with all sorts of weapons in their hands, including ring-pommel swords, woodcutting knives, kitchen knives, and wooden forks.

Their advance was quite methodical, with long weapons in front and short weapons behind.

"Ji Nu has arrived!"

"The tiger is coming!"

In Diao Kui's camp, screams of terror filled the air, and chaos erupted. Soldiers scattered in all directions, some even fleeing to surrender under Liu Yu's banner. When Liu Yu's banner appeared beneath Jingkou, it was like boiling water splashed on snow, unstoppable.

Occasionally, a few servants would muster the courage to step forward and stop them, but Liu Yu didn't even need to lift a finger. With a series of thrusts from his Tiger Warriors, these men would fall like wheat.

The infantry spear is not a long spear; it is a heavy weapon specifically designed for infantry to break through armor and deal with cavalry. Only strong and brave men can wield it.

Dealing with the Diao clan was like using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

In the blink of an eye, a bloody path was forged.

After the "Liu" banner advanced into the Chu army camp, the Chu army completely collapsed, leaving only Diao Kui and a little over a thousand armored soldiers in the central camp.

Liu Yu swaggered forward, sword in hand, and declared, "Today we will only arrest Diao Kui; the rest will be left alone. Go."

With just one sentence, half of the armored soldiers left.

"Liu Jinu, you...you wretched slave, I shouldn't have spared your life in the first place!" Diao Kui knew he was doomed, yet he remained defiant.

Liu Yu sighed, “I only owe you 30,000 coins, yet you wanted my life and beat me half to death. If it weren’t for the plea of ​​the princes, I would have been a skeleton long ago.”

Diao Kui remained defiant, saying, "You are a lowly slave, and I am a nobleman. What difference would it make if I killed you?"

The Diao family schemed and plotted everywhere, only to be scorned everywhere, until they joined Huan Xuan and were finally able to hold their heads high, rising to the rank of General of the Western Central Army. Other members of the Diao family also became Huan Xuan's lackeys and henchmen.

However, as a powerful figure in Jingkou, his joining Huan Xuan's forces was extremely unpopular.

Therefore, the morale of the army collapsed as soon as Liu Yu arrived.

"So what will you do now that you're a prisoner?" Liu Yu said calmly.

"Hmph, you only have a few hundred men. Who will win or lose is still unknown!" Diao Kui drew his sword.

There are still 10,000 troops under Wang Yu's command to the west. If they can hold out for an hour or two, reinforcements will arrive.

Liu Yu, however, laughed as if he had heard a joke, "We have been fighting for at least an hour. If Wang Yu's troops were coming, they would have arrived much sooner. Today, not only will you die, but your entire Diao family will also perish!"

With a clang, Diao Kui's long sword fell to the ground, his face turning ashen.

Wang Yu knew better than anyone else what kind of person he was, and he had never given Diao Shi a second glance.

Liu Yu waved his hand, and more than a hundred elite warriors raised their spears, formed a battle formation, and charged forward.

Those who were still willing to follow Diao Kui at this time were all extremely loyal and disregarded their own lives.

However, the gap between the two sides was too great. One side consisted of warriors selected from the elite of a hundred battles, while the other side consisted of the troops of powerful clans who had never experienced bloody battles. Although some of them were fearless, they were like moths to a flame under the fierce attack of the Tiger Warriors.

In less than an hour, the four or five hundred armored soldiers of the Diao clan were almost all killed or wounded, while the Tiger Warriors only injured twenty-seven men and had no dead men.

"Kill me!" Diao Kui was dragged before Liu Yu like a pig being slaughtered by a Tiger Warrior.

Liu Yu laughed and said, "I want you to live so you can see with your own eyes how the Diao family is torn apart, their wives and children scattered, and their home destroyed!"

Diao Kui seemed to have his bones removed, and collapsed to the ground.

The great battle is not over yet.

More and more people poured out of Jingkou, shouting, "Ji Nu is back! A Gui is back!"

The villagers wept with joy, and men, women, and children, carrying weapons, joined Shen Tianzi, Shen Linzi, and others in charging westward toward Wang Yu's camp.

Following them were salt smugglers and the defecting servants of the Diao family.

Wang Yu, being from the Wang clan of Taiyuan, had a stronger force than Diao Kui. After Diao Kui was attacked, they immediately prepared for battle.

But as the saying goes, "Many ants can kill an elephant," and the people of Jingkou had gone mad, while Liu Yu's army was at the height of its power.

The brothers Shen Tianzi and Shen Linzi bravely took the lead, tearing open a gap and charging into the enemy ranks.

A storm of swords and blood raged.

Wang's troops were indeed stronger than Diao Kui's, but no matter how strong they were, they couldn't compare to this pack of tigers and wolves that had returned from the north.

The fleeing soldiers retreated step by step, yet they still held on.

"Wang Yu—"

Hundreds of people shouted at the same time, like thunderclaps, crashing onto the battlefield.

Liu Yu led his troops, carrying large banners, charging into the enemy camp with the ferocity of tigers, making them too intimidating to look up at.

At that moment, chaos erupted in the enemy camp's central command tent, as Wang Yu had actually managed to escape in a chariot with several hundred men...

Although Wang Yu would eventually lose if the fighting continued like this, his escape caused the Chu army, which was still resisting, to collapse immediately.

"Rat!"

Liu Yu looked disdainful. He had been feigning friendship with these people in Jiankang for more than two years and knew exactly what kind of people they were.

That's why he was so aggressive, daring to cross the river and attack with only five hundred men...

(End of this chapter)