Zhu Yuanzhang: My second son is invincible!

The airship formation landed thirty miles inside Juyong Pass.

The fortress is built against the mountain, with walls ten zhang high, stretching like a dragon. The black smoke rising from the beacon towers goes straight up, which is particularly eye-catching against the blue sky.

Three hundred thousand elite Ming troops disembarked in single file and quickly set up camp on the plains within the Great Wall.

For a time, there were shouts of men and neighing of horses, and dust flying everywhere, but the order was well maintained, showing that they had been trained for a long time.

Xu Da's central command tent was set up first, followed by the tents of the various generals, and finally the soldiers' camps.

Zhu Hui's tent was arranged next to Xu Da's main tent. It was slightly smaller than the commander-in-chief's tent, but larger than the tents of other generals.

This was Xu Da's special instruction: His Highness the King of Wu may not understand military strategy, but he cannot lose in terms of pomp and circumstance.

Inside the tent, Qingmei and Qingzhu quickly and efficiently laid out the bedding, placed a low table, and lit incense.

Zhu Hui squatted at the tent entrance, looking at the Great Wall in the distance, with a blade of grass dangling from his mouth.

"Your Highness, won't you go inside and rest?" Zhang Han walked over.

"I'm not tired, Zhang Han. What did that big snake look like?" Zhu Li spat out a blade of grass.

Zhang Han thought for a moment and said, "The scouts reported that Xiang Liu has nine heads, each as big as a small mountain. When its body is coiled up, it can encircle half a mountain. The poisonous gas it spits out can rot rocks."

"Nine heads...won't it fight with itself for food when it's eating?" Zhu Li blinked, looking curious.

Zhang Han choked.

He had never thought about this question.

……

Inside the central command tent, Xu Da was listening to the latest military report from the front lines.

"The demon race launched three probing attacks last night, all of which were repelled by the Thunderfire Crossbow and the Buddhist Golden Light Mantra. However, the defending army has suffered heavy losses in arrows and talismans," said Vice General Fu Youde in a deep voice.

"How long can the grain and provisions within the pass last?" Xu Da asked.

"At the current rate of consumption, it will take at most half a month," Li Wenzhong replied.

Mu Ying added, "The most troublesome thing is that Xiang Liu's main body is hiding in the swamp a hundred miles away. It refuses to show itself and won't come out, so we dare not rush out of the pass to fight it."

Xu Da tapped his fingers on the map, lost in thought.

While the million demons were terrifying, Xiang Liu was the truly deadly one.

If this ancient ferocious beast were to break through the pass, the Great Wall might not be able to stop it.

The tent flap was suddenly lifted, and Zhu Hui poked half his head in, saying, "Uncle Xu, can I go out for a walk?"

Xu Da looked up and smiled, "Where would Your Highness like to go for a stroll?"

"Let's just look around from the Great Wall," Zhu Li said honestly.

Xu Da pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "Very well, let Zhang Han lead a group of men to follow. Your Highness, remember, do not leave the pass."

"Why!"

Zhu Li left happily.

The generals inside the tent looked at each other in bewilderment.

Li Wenzhong whispered, "General Xu, is it dangerous to let the King of Wu go up to the city wall?"

"Danger... for him or for the demon race?" Xu Da asked with a smile.

……

Half an incense stick later, Zhu Li climbed the western section of the Juyongguan city wall.

This section of the city wall was built between two mountains in a strategic location. Outside the wall was a steep slope, and below the slope were piles of demon corpses, including wolf demons, pig demons, and snake demons, most of which were charred black.

The soldiers guarding the city bowed to Zhu Hui when they saw him.

They had long heard that this Prince Wu possessed immense strength, capable of splitting half a mountain in two with a single axe stroke. Their eyes held not only respect but also a hint of curiosity.

Zhu Li walked to the edge of the battlement, shaded his eyes with his hand, and looked out.

On the distant horizon, a dark mass stretched out—that was the demon race's camp. The tents were made of animal hides and bones, crooked and twisted, but there were so many that they seemed to stretch as far as the eye could see.

Further away, a hundred miles away, a dark green demonic cloud shrouded the swamp, within which a huge shadow could be vaguely seen writhing.

"Is that Xiangliu?" Zhu Li asked.

Zhang Han nodded: "It should be."

Zhu Hui watched for a while, then suddenly said, "Is it sleeping? Its nine heads are swaying back and forth."

Zhang Han looked closely and, sure enough, the shadow in the demonic cloud rose and fell slowly, like breathing.

"Your Highness has excellent eyesight."

"I learned it from hunting," Zhu Li said proudly.

As they were talking, a commotion suddenly broke out in the demon camp.

A deep horn sounded, and then thousands of wolf demons poured out of the camp and lined up two miles outside the pass.

They were followed by hundreds of bear demons, each over ten feet tall, with paws bigger than millstones.

"Enemy attack! Be on alert!"

The commander on the city wall shouted loudly.

The soldiers quickly took their positions, the crossbowmen cocked their crossbows, the talisman masters prepared their talismans, and the Buddhist monks began chanting scriptures. Golden light shone on the city wall.

Zhu Li didn't move; he remained perched on the edge of the battlement, watching.

Zhang Han said urgently, "Your Highness, let's go down first, it's dangerous here."

"It's alright, let me see how they attack the city." Zhu Li said with great interest.

……

Outside the pass, a demon general in human form emerged from the wolf demon formation.

It has transformed into a human form, but retains its wolf head, wears simple leather armor, and carries a bone knife.

The demon general looked up and roared at the city wall: "Humans! Surrender and we'll spare your lives! If you resist, my king will come and devour you alive!"

The sound, amplified by demonic power, resounded throughout the city like rolling thunder.

The soldiers guarding the city walls turned pale.

Xu Da had somehow climbed onto the city wall and stood beside Zhu Hui, saying calmly, "It's a common practice of the demon race to challenge us before battle, trying to demoralize our troops."

"Oh! Uncle Xu, may I talk to him?"

Xu Da was taken aback and asked, "What does Your Highness want to say?"

"Just one question."

Xu Da thought for a moment and gestured to the messenger beside him: "Broadcast the message to His Highness."

The messenger handed over a copper megaphone with an amplification array engraved on it.

Zhu Li took the megaphone, cleared his throat, and shouted towards the area beyond the pass, "Hey! You wolf-headed guy!"

The demon general was taken aback, clearly not expecting the human race to respond.

Zhu Hui continued shouting, "Let me ask you, your King Xiangliu, with nine heads, doesn't he ever roll over onto the other heads when he sleeps?"

The city walls were completely silent.

The demons from beyond the pass were also stunned.

The demon general opened his mouth, but didn't immediately understand what the question meant.

Zhu Li patiently added, "Exactly, when it rolls over, what if one of its heads gets pinned down by the other heads and it can't wake up?"

"..."

The demon general finally understood that this was an insult!

Enraged, it pointed its bone blade at the city wall and roared, "You human brat! How dare you insult my king! Today I will break through this pass, eat your flesh, and sleep on your skin!"

Zhu Liang scratched his head: "I was just asking, what are you angry about..."

Xu Da couldn't help but chuckle and patted Zhu Hui on the shoulder: "Your Highness, we'll ask Xiang Liu about this ourselves after we capture him."

"That's true." Zhu Li put down the loudspeaker.

Outside the pass, the demon general was already enraged, brandishing his bone sword and shouting, "My men! Attack the city!"

The bugle sounds again.

Thousands of wolf demons charged forward, howling, followed closely by bear demons with heavy steps. The ground began to tremble, and dust filled the air.

The commander on the city wall shouted, "Prepare the ballistae...fire!"

"Old man..."

Dozens of Thunderfire Crossbows fired simultaneously, their bolts streaking across the sky in fiery trails before falling into the demon horde.

"Boom boom boom..."

Explosions rang out one after another, and flames engulfed the front row of wolf demons.

But there were too many demons, and those behind them continued their charge, stepping over the corpses of their own kind.

Buddhist monks chanted the Diamond Sutra in unison, and golden light shone brightly on the city wall, condensing into a semi-transparent light shield.

The wolf demon crashed into the light barrier, letting out a mournful howl, and black smoke billowed from its body.

However, the light shield also fluctuated violently, and it obviously couldn't hold up for long.

Xu Da calmly ordered, "Talisman Master, unleash three consecutive Fireball Talismans."

"yes..."

Hundreds of crimson talismans fell from the city wall and detonated simultaneously in mid-air.

A sea of ​​fire poured down, turning the area a hundred feet in front of the pass into a living hell.

The wolf demon rolled and howled in the fire, and the stench of burning flesh wafted on the wind.

Watching this scene, Zhu Hui suddenly asked, "Uncle Xu, why do they insist on climbing the wall? Can't they just fly up?"

Xu Da explained, "There aren't many flying demons, and when they fly, they become obvious targets and are easier to shoot down. In siege warfare, ground assaults are still the most effective."

"Oh..." Zhu Li seemed to understand but not quite.

Suddenly, an exceptionally tall bear demon charged out from the demon horde.

It stood upright, reaching a height of two zhang (approximately 6.6 meters), and slapped its bear paw onto the golden protective shield.

Click!

The protective cover has developed cracks.

The Buddhist monks all coughed up blood, and the golden light dimmed.

The bear demon roared and slammed down with its second paw.