Quickly conquer the martial arts world, and let your fists dominate the heavens!

Chen Zhan stood on an open ground not far from the new city of Zhuozhou, the lingering energy of his body causing the surrounding dust to scatter.

Dozens of feet away, the walls of the Liao army's new city stood tall and majestic, with soldiers standing on the battlements, their armor gleaming coldly, bows strung, swords drawn, and spears pointed directly at the city below, ready for battle, even their breathing exuding a tense killing intent.

Beside Chen Zhan, however, a completely different scene unfolded.

Within a ten-foot radius of his feet, the ground was spotless, but within a dozen feet around it, arrows and the corpses of Liao soldiers littered the ground, and blood flowed into puddles, soaking the yellow earth beneath his feet.

In the distance, several warhorses, having lost their masters, neighed and paced restlessly in place, occasionally pawing the ground with their hooves.

Upon seeing this, Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu quickly dismounted and, surrounded by a dozen elite guards, strode up to Chen Zhan.

The two men stared in shock at the corpses scattered on the ground.

Li Guanglu spoke first, his voice filled with undisguised astonishment: "Lord Chen, this is..."

Chen Zhan said, "It's alright. Just now, when they saw that I was alone here, they sent over a hundred elite soldiers out of the city to meet me in battle. They also fired several volleys of arrows, so I had no choice but to kill them all."

He lightly flicked the hem of his shirt with his fingertips, and the few drops of blood on it instantly fell off.

The two men were shocked to hear this. Hundreds of elite Liao soldiers, along with several volleys of arrows, had not even managed to touch Chen Zhan's clothes; instead, they were all killed.
Just then, on the city wall, a pair of fierce eyes stared intently at the three people below. It was Yelü Yuan, the garrison commander of Zhuozhou New City.

Yelü Yuan was a burly man with a full beard and fierce eyes like a tiger. He looked at Li Guanglu beside Chen Zhan with a murderous glint in his eyes.

For many years, the Song and Liao dynasties had been locked in a standoff. Although the Treaty of Chanyuan had prevented large-scale wars from breaking out, small-scale border raids had never ceased. He had long recognized this general of Xiongzhou.

"Bring me my tiger bow!"

Yelü Yuan shouted in a deep voice, and the guards behind him immediately handed him a thick, black longbow. The bow was made of animal bone and the bowstring was as thick as a finger. It was the Tiger Power Bow specially made by the Liao Kingdom, which ordinary people could not draw.

Yelü Yuan took the tiger bow, bent down and picked up three iron-feathered arrows, the arrows were sharp.

Drawing the bow, nocking the arrow, and pulling it fully—the movements were executed in one fluid motion, and the three arrows, arranged in a three-star formation, were aimed at Li Guanglu below the city.

"Whoosh-!"

Three iron-feathered arrows, carrying a sharp gust of wind, shot out of the air with lightning speed, heading straight for Li Guanglu's heart.

Upon seeing this, the guards cried out in unison, "Sir, be careful!"

Several loyal guards immediately leaped forward, wanting to shield each other with their bodies and block the fatal arrow.

Chen Zhan smiled faintly, his tone tinged with coldness: "You still dare to fire arrows? Not only do you not surrender, but you even dare to fight back?"

As soon as he finished speaking, his gaze sharpened, and his profound energy field instantly expanded, a pale red aura covering an area of ​​several dozen feet below the city.

The three iron-feathered arrows, imbued with internal force, slowed down abruptly as soon as they entered the field, as if they had sunk into a viscous quagmire. They struggled to move forward for less than three zhang before completely freezing in mid-air.

Chen Zhan raised his hand, and with a flick of his fingertips, three iron-feathered arrows obediently fell into his hand.

His blood and qi surged within his dantian, and a wisp of pure blood and qi flowed down his arm to his fingertips. He grasped the arrows, flipped his hand, and threw them. Three iron-feathered arrows shot out again, several times faster than before, with a sharp whooshing sound, heading straight for the city wall.

Yelü Yuan was no fool. He had already realized that Chen Zhan was a formidable opponent, as hundreds of elite soldiers and several volleys of arrows had failed to subdue him.

Seeing the arrow return, he immediately shouted in a deep voice, "Crouch down!"

As he spoke, he took the lead in crouching down, and several of his personal guards quickly followed suit, pressing themselves tightly against the crenellations of the city wall.

According to Yelü Yuan, the arrows were shot from outside the city towards the city wall, with an upward trajectory.

He crouched down and hid behind the crenellations. No matter how powerful the arrows were, they couldn't possibly shatter the sturdy city wall, let alone injure him.

As he expected, the three iron-feathered arrows grazed the crenellations of the city wall, neither hitting anyone nor striking the wall itself, and flew straight to the back of the wall.

Yelü Yuan felt relieved, slowly stood up, and reached for the arrows again, wanting to fire another volley.

Chen Zhan turned to Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu beside him and said with a smile, "The bandit leader has been eliminated. You two, give the order to the soldiers to follow me in attacking the city."

Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu were both taken aback and subconsciously looked up at the city wall.

Yelü Yuan was still standing there perfectly fine, so how could he say that the bandit leader had been eliminated?

The two were puzzled and about to ask when a loud noise suddenly rang out.

"boom--!"

The three iron-feathered arrows that were originally flying towards the back of the city wall suddenly changed direction, turned back from behind the city wall, and, carrying a powerful force of blood and qi, directly pierced the spot where Yelü Yuan was.

The three arrows exploded simultaneously, creating a deafening explosion that sent shockwaves soaring into the sky.

The bricks and stones on the city wall were sturdy, and only a small piece was shattered.

But Yelü Yuan and several personal guards who were standing in place were blown into countless pieces, and blood and limbs splattered, staining the city wall in front of them red.

Upon seeing this, the Liao soldiers on the city wall were instantly thrown into chaos.

The defending general, Yelü Yuan, was a highly respected commander in the army. Now, he was blown up in full view of everyone, without even a complete body. This was undoubtedly a fatal blow to the morale of the Liao army.

The soldiers were in a panic. Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu looked at the chaos on the city wall, then turned to look at Chen Zhan, who stood calmly beside them, their eyes filled with awe.

Li Guanglu exclaimed excitedly, "This...this is truly miraculous! Lord Chen's martial arts are unparalleled; I am in awe!"

Wang Guangzu also came to his senses and hurriedly ordered in a deep voice: "Pass down the order, attack the city immediately! Sound the horns and beat the drums!"

The messenger beside him immediately turned and ran away. Before long, the sound of horns and drums rang out at the same time, resounding throughout the heavens and the earth.

The drums sounded.

Fifty thousand Song soldiers shouted in unison, brandishing their weapons, and charged straight toward the city wall of Zhuozhou New City.

Chen Zhan turned to Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu beside him and said calmly, "You two are in charge of the rear command and control. Just watch my actions. There's no need to worry."

Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu exchanged a glance, their hearts filled with doubt.

What do you mean by "watching his actions"? Does it mean Chen Zhan doesn't intend to participate in military command and wants to act alone?

As the two were pondering, Chen Zhan suddenly erupted with endless blood light. His crimson blood surged like magma and solidified into a thick blood-red armor on the outside of his body. The armor's patterns were ferocious and lifelike, gleaming with a cold, chilling light.

Immediately afterwards, his ten-foot-tall blood-red wings suddenly unfurled, the air currents from the flapping wings exploding and kicking up clouds of dust, startling the two of them into taking several steps back.

His warhorse was so frightened that it neighed repeatedly.

"boom--!"

With a deafening roar, Chen Zhan vanished from his spot, leaving behind only shattered yellow earth and lingering shockwaves. At this moment, the Song soldiers had only just crossed a few dozen feet and were still some distance from the city wall.

The Liao soldiers on the city wall, who had barely managed to regain their composure, had already drawn their bows and aimed their arrows at the charging Song soldiers, waiting only for the captain's order to unleash a rain of arrows.

The next moment, blood wings pierced the sky, and Chen Zhan descended from the sky, his body flashing with blood light, and stood steadily at the highest point of the city tower.

The blood-red wings on his back flickered and disappeared, “Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!”

With a flick of his finger, Chen Zhan's blood wings flapped violently behind him, sending countless sharp blood feathers shooting out like a torrential rain across the city walls.

These blood feathers seemed to possess sentience, specifically targeting Liao soldiers who were preparing to draw their bows and arrows, move rolling stones, or pour tung oil.

Each blood feather pierced the vital points of the Liao soldiers with precision, and screams of agony rose and fell, instantly echoing throughout the city walls.

Some Liao soldiers tried to raise their shields to defend themselves, but the Blood Feather contained immense blood energy, which easily pierced through the shields, penetrating both the soldiers and the shields.

A captain desperately swung his sword to cut off a few blood feathers, but the next moment, more blood feathers enveloped him, and he was instantly riddled with bullets.

In a short time, most of the Liao soldiers who were preparing to defend the city wall fell.

The Song soldiers charged all the way to the city, but found that no arrows fell from above, and no stones or tung oil were poured down from the city walls.

Even with barely any resistance, they couldn't help but stop in their tracks, their faces blank with surprise.

Having fought for many years, they had never seen such a bizarre siege scene. The new city of Zhuozhou before them was clearly a heavily fortified city, yet it was as quiet as an empty city.

Just as the Song soldiers hesitated, Chen Zhan stood on the city wall, gathering true energy in his palm.

He raised his hand and threw it, his true energy soaring into the sky before suddenly plummeting down, crashing down like a meteor onto the massive city gate of the new city.

"Boom—!" The deafening roar blew open the city gate instantly, sending wood chips and bricks flying everywhere.

The Liao soldiers lying in ambush behind the city gate were blown away by the impact of the blood orb before they could react. They suffered heavy casualties, and blood flowed like a river. The city gate was completely opened up and unobstructed.

"The city gates are open! Charge!"

Someone shouted first, and the Song soldiers instantly snapped out of their daze, their morale soaring, and they shouted in unison.

They abandoned their plan to build a ladder and rushed straight towards the city gate.

With this kind of siege, there's no need to risk your life climbing the city walls or enduring a hail of arrows and rolling stones; you can simply charge in through the city gates. It's an unprecedentedly easy siege.

Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu, standing behind, were already dumbfounded. Their warhorses were still restless, but the two of them were completely unaware of it.

Li Guanglu's lips moved slightly: "Lord Chen, is this his method of attacking cities?"

Wang Guangzu took a deep breath, his eyes filled with shock and awe, and muttered to himself, "Is this still considered a large-scale siege? This is practically a massacre by Lord Chen alone. He broke through a city by himself and didn't need our help at all."

Only now did the two truly understand what Chen Zhan meant by "advancing all the way, crushing one city after another."

The so-called crushing victory means that one can sweep away all resistance with one's own strength, allowing the army to move as if it were in an empty field.

While the two were still in shock, Song soldiers were already pouring into the city gates and charging into the city.

Some soldiers were far from the city gate and did not see that the gate was open. They were still working hard to build ladders and climb the city wall. No matter which method they used, they could easily climb the city wall and enter the city.

The Liao soldiers on the city wall were already in chaos, only concerned with fleeing and had no intention of resisting.

Chen Zhan's killing speed was too fast; the Liao soldiers on the city wall had no time to organize an effective resistance, let alone pay attention to the situation below and inside the city.

Countless Liao soldiers fled in all directions within the city, and the Song army easily stormed into the city with almost no significant resistance.

The Yan-Yun region was originally the homeland of the Han people, and for a century, the Han and Khitan people lived together.

They even intermarried, and many Khitan people had long been accustomed to living with Han people and had no ill feelings towards either country.

Therefore, after the Song army entered the city, the people stayed indoors and did not show any signs of resistance.

Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the routed Liao soldiers laid down their weapons and knelt down to surrender.

Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu then entered the city and immediately issued orders to the entire army, strictly prohibiting soldiers from harassing the people or looting property.

Throughout history, siege warfare has always been brutal, resulting in countless deaths and injuries.

Once a city is breached, soldiers who have endured the agony of life and death often lose their minds, looting civilians and venting their frustrations. Very few manage to remain undisturbed after entering the city.

But this time was different; Chen Zhan single-handedly wiped out all resistance.

The Song soldiers had hardly experienced any bloody battles, so they naturally had no intention of looting to vent their anger. In addition, Wang Guangzu's command was appropriate, and order was quickly restored in the city.

Wang Guangzu ordered all the surrendered Liao soldiers to be brought together and placed under strict guard. He planned to use these Liao soldiers as the main force in the next siege, letting them lead the charge. This would reduce the casualties of the Song army and also deter other Liao troops.

After that day, Wang Guangzu immediately mobilized troops, sending 50,000 soldiers from Xiongzhou to provide reinforcements.

He left 5,000 troops to garrison the new city of Zhuozhou, to appease the people, and the next day he led the main army to continue attacking the next city.

Chen Zhan's siege tactics were endlessly replicated. Whenever he arrived at a city, he would strike first, wipe out the Liao soldiers guarding the city, open the city gates, and then the Song soldiers would follow. He could take the city with almost no effort, and the effect was excellent.

In just ten days, the Song army captured seven cities in succession.

The reason why only seven cities were captured was not due to insufficient combat strength, but because three days were spent on the march. If the journey had been smooth, it would have been possible to capture one city per day.

With each city they conquered, Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu grew increasingly respectful of Chen Zhan. Their past doubts vanished, and they were all smiles all day long, obeying Chen Zhan's every word without daring to disobey in the slightest.

On this day, the army was resting in a city they had just captured. Chen Zhan summoned Wang Guangzu and Li Guanglu and asked casually, "Have the carrier pigeon messages and the urgent 800-li courier messages been sent out as I instructed?"

Wang Guangzu bowed respectfully and replied, "Lord Chen, they have all been sent off. They set off yesterday and will arrive at the Western Xia border and Kaifeng by tomorrow at the latest."

"Hmm, not bad."

Wang Guangzu asked, "My lord, shall we continue the siege tomorrow?"

Chen Zhan looked at the map and realized that the entire southern part of Zhuozhou in Nanjing Province had been captured by them.

Further up is the northern part of Zhuozhou, including the prefectural capital Fanyang and the county seat Gu'an.

"The Liao Kingdom should have realized this by now. They certainly won't give up Fanyang easily, and they'll definitely try to gather experts to deal with me."

Li Guanglu's heart tightened, and he quickly said, "My lord, since that's the case, why don't we first prepare the army and rest for a few days?" (End of this chapter)