Dream of the Red Chamber: Start by gaining Zhao Yun's martial prowess, and be ennobled in a sin

"Chief of Ten Thousand..." Bayar's voice was hoarse, his face pale.

"Go...go quickly...it'll be too late if we don't leave now..."

Bayar struggled to squeeze out a few words through his teeth.

Seeing Bayar's wretched state, Tuotuo Buhua's eyes flashed with contempt.

Having spent these past few days together, he had initially thought the Crown Prince was a good person with an extraordinary demeanor, a good successor. He never expected him to be so cowardly when faced with a real problem.

He did not want to agree to retreat at this time. Having served in the military for many years, he knew that if the commander-in-chief retreated now, it would only hasten the defeat of his own army.

The morale of the 50,000-strong army has been shattered by the Han generals' onslaught. If they lose their composure, they will suffer a crushing defeat in an instant.

Moreover, he believed that there was still a chance to turn the tide. Perhaps the Han general was exhausted and was just one last attack away from turning the tide.

As a veteran general on the battlefield, Toghtogbuhua also had his own set of principles to uphold.

He can be more cautious than anyone else when caution is needed, but when it's time to take a gamble, he can be more courageous and decisive than anyone else.

At this point, he only had two choices: retreat or continue the attack.

Retreat would mean the complete failure of this operation, while continuing the offensive might come at a great cost, but there is still a sliver of hope.

After a moment's thought, Tuotuo Buhua's eyes hardened, and he decisively gave the order:

"Shieldbearers, come and protect the Crown Prince!"

He didn't want to retreat, but the crown prince also needed protection. He was the future Khan of the Northern Yuan, and nothing could go wrong.

Of course, he himself wouldn't hide behind the shield.

He is the courage of the army. At this time, the army has been terrified by the Han generals. He must maintain the dignity and courage of the commander-in-chief and stabilize the morale of the army.

At Toghtogbuqa's command, a dozen Northern Yuan soldiers immediately surrounded Prince Bayar with heavy cowhide shields.

Bayar felt much more at ease, like a chick hiding in a turtle shell.

He thought for a moment, then took off his golden crown and armor and ordered his attendants and guards to put them on, while he himself put on the armor of an ordinary soldier.

Tuotuo Buhua's expression grew even colder, revealing a resolute determination to gamble everything, and he shouted:

"Push all the catapults over here and smash them! Smash this Han general to death!"

"I refuse to believe he's invulnerable! I refuse to believe he won't run out of strength! I refuse to believe that 50,000 troops can't defeat one man!"

His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping against stone, carrying an uncontrollable coldness and murderous aura.

The Northern Yuan army's catapults were all placed near the central command post to prevent them from being destroyed by a surprise attack from Han light cavalry. This had become the only way for Toghtoa Bukha to break the deadlock.

"General, the Han general has already entered our vanguard and is using catapults... Could this accidentally injure our own men...?"

The expression of the thousand households headed by Tuotuo Buhua changed, and he whispered his advice.

Catapults aren't that precise; if multiple catapults were launched at once, it was entirely predictable that they would kill one's own men.

"We can't worry about that now! If we don't kill this Han general, our army will only suffer more casualties if we are defeated."

"Our army has already lost so many brothers today; we must seize this opportunity to capture this man. Otherwise..."

Tuotuo Buhua didn't finish his sentence, but the apprehension in his eyes was almost palpable.

Such a valiant Han general, if not eliminated during this opportunity when the enemy is outnumbered, will surely become a nightmare for the Northern Yuan!

He said without exaggeration that this one man alone could be worth 100,000 Han soldiers!

This person must not be allowed to live!

Tuotuo Buhua's expression was cold and stern. He suddenly drew his precious sword from his waist, pointed it at Jia Jing in front of him, and shouted:

"The Han general is dying! Smash him to death!"

At Toghtog Bukha's command, the Northern Yuan army's accompanying catapults were pushed forward.

This is a light catapult used by the Northern Yuan army to attack the city. Its main purpose is to throw stones to disrupt the Han soldiers defending the city.

At this moment, they were all pushed forward to the central army banner, lined up in a row 600 paces away from Jia Jing.

"Fire!" More than ten catapults launched simultaneously.

Millstone-sized stones and bags of crushed stone and caltrops soared into the air with a whistling sound, tracing parabolic arcs as they crashed down on Jia Jing's head.

Tuotuo Buhua couldn't help but stand on the high platform where the banner was erected, his fists clenched tightly. He wanted to be the first to see the tragic scene of the Han general being crushed to death.

"Order the soldiers to prepare! Once the Han general is killed, immediately annihilate the remaining Han troops!"

"Without this Han general, those Han soldiers are like toothless tigers, easily wiped out."

"Once we occupy Yulin Garrison City, we will be invincible! All the gold, silver, and women in the city will be yours!"

Encouraged by Toghtog Bukha, the soldiers of the Northern Yuan central army around them, though still trembling, had regained some of their morale compared to the vanguard.

The huge rock, carrying immense kinetic and potential energy, hurtled toward Jia Jing's head.

Both the Han army and the Northern Yuan soldiers stared intently at the stones, their expressions shifting between worry, excitement, and anticipation.

"Is the Marquis alright? Should we go up and help him?"

Ma Guocheng felt a pang of anxiety seeing this scene; such heavy stones were not like light arrows.

Even if the Marquis can hold off the attacks for a while, can he withstand the continuous onslaught?

Even if it's possible to precisely block all the stones, its strength will eventually run out.

Feng Tang, Han Wu, and the others all looked at Zhuque, knowing that only the most trusted subordinate of the Marquis of Jingwu could conveniently give the order to attack at this time.

Zhuque's expression was solemn. He slowly shook his head and said:

"We trust the Marquis! Military orders are absolute! We'll do whatever the Marquis says!"

Zhuque was the only general present who had witnessed Jia Jing smash through the gates of Jizhou, and he had absolute confidence in Jia Jing.

At this moment, Jia Jing simply looked up calmly at the stone flying in the air, and then at Tuotuo Buhua standing under the banner of the Northern Yuan central army.

The time has come; this battle should end!

He raised the gleaming silver spear again and swung it upwards... A flash of silver light appeared.

The first stone, the size of a millstone, was hit by his shot and shattered into pieces with a "bang".

The second piece, the third piece, the fourth piece...

Jia Jing unleashed seven consecutive spear thrusts, shattering seven nearby boulders into dust. The fragments rained down, yet they did not harm him or his Red Hare horse in the slightest.

The flying pebbles actually killed many Northern Yuan soldiers who couldn't dodge in time.

Jia Jing took the opportunity to ride his horse for another hundred paces before putting away his spear.

He touched the Overlord Bow for the third time, and this time he did not hesitate and directly took it off.

The moment he picked up the Overlord Bow, a feeling of invincibility welled up within him.

With the archery skills of Zhao Yun, Lü Bu, and Xiang Yu enhanced, techniques like shooting an arrow through a halberd at the gate, hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces away, and shooting a stone and drinking its feathers are all too superficial to him!

With the Overlord Bow in hand, within range, he could shoot exactly where he pointed, without missing a beat. It would not be an exaggeration to say that his archery skills were divine!