novelden Chapter 2186 Hate!
Chapter 2186 Hate!
Chu Ning did not pursue them.
He reined in his white horse, his imperial sword pointing diagonally at the ground. His gaze swept over Li Shimin, who was fleeing in panic, and then over the Tang soldiers around him who looked terrified. A mocking smile slowly crept onto his lips.
"how?"
Chu Ning's voice, amplified by his inner strength, reached the ears of every Tang soldier clearly: "Is this all the Great Tang Emperor is capable of?"
He paused, his laughter filled with contempt: "I thought that someone who dared to personally lead an army of 100,000 to attack, who dared to charge into battle, must be a hero."
"Unexpectedly, after only five rounds, he vomited blood and fell off his horse, and his subordinates had to risk their lives to save him."
"Is this all you've got the right to contend with me for the throne?"
Every word was like a slap in the face, landing hard on Tang Jun's cheek.
The soldiers, who had just been riding high on their morale after breaking through the Dragon Gate Formation, were now completely stunned.
They watched helplessly as their emperor was defeated by Chu Ning in five moves, spitting blood as he retreated.
The shock of that collapse of faith is more deadly than any sword.
"You...you..." Xue Che trembled with anger, but didn't know how to refute it.
"What, 'I'?"
Chu Ning raised an eyebrow, slowly raising the Shangfang Sword and pointing it at Li Shiming, who was being supported by his personal guards in the distance.
"Emperor of the Great Tang, are you still able to fight? If not, why not surrender the city now, and I might spare your life?"
"Cough cough...cough!"
Li Shiming coughed violently in the midst of the battle, each cough bringing up a large amount of blood.
He wanted to speak, to refute, to maintain his imperial dignity, but the excruciating pain in his chest prevented him from uttering a single word.
He could only stare intently at Chu Ning, his eyes filled with humiliation and resentment.
This scene was witnessed by countless Tang soldiers.
Morale began to crumble.
First came whispers, then panicked stares, and finally… some people started backing away.
"His Majesty is seriously injured..."
"The Chu Emperor's martial arts are too high; we can't defeat him..."
"How about... we retreat first?"
Panic spread like a plague.
The soldiers, who had just been driven mad by the huge reward, were now completely demoralized by the emperor's crushing defeat.
They could accept casualties, they could accept a bitter battle, but they could not accept that the emperor they served was so humiliated and crushed in front of everyone.
"Hahahaha!"
Chu Ning suddenly threw his head back and laughed loudly, his laughter filled with arrogance and disdain:
"Is this the army of the Tang Dynasty? Is this the 100,000 elite troops that Li Shimin was so proud of? They can't even protect their own emperor, do they deserve to be called the world's strongest?"
His laughter abruptly stopped, and the imperial sword suddenly pointed forward:
"Soldiers—have you all seen this? The Tang Emperor is nothing but this! The Tang army is nothing but this!"
"Now--"
Chu Ning's voice suddenly turned fierce, like a thunderclap: "Follow me—to counterattack! Whoever crushes the Tang army and captures Li Shimin alive will be made a king!"
The moment the words "bestowing the title of king" were uttered, the Chu army went completely mad.
The emperor personally led the expedition, defeated the enemy in five rounds, and his words became law—all of this brought the morale of the Chu army to an unprecedented peak.
"Protect His Majesty! Slaughter all the Tang dogs!"
Tears streaming down his face, Xue Huaide led his remaining troops in a flanking attack.
This fierce general no longer possessed the composure of a corps commander. He pounced into the enemy ranks like a mad tiger, each sword strike carrying the determination to die.
Feng Mulan had a clear view from the top of Jianghuai City. Although she was far away, she could still see the situation clearly.
She made a decisive decision: "Open the city gates! Han Xing, lead 10,000 troops out of the city to meet His Majesty! Guan Yun and Ran Ming, stay with me to continue defending the city, to prevent the Tang army from resorting to desperate measures!"
"Order!"
The gates of Jianghuai City burst open with a roar. Han Xing personally led ten thousand well-rested and vigorous troops out, like a sharp dagger, piercing straight into the flank and rear of the Tang army!
Meanwhile, Chu Ning had already led three thousand White Dragon Riders in a charge.
This is not a test, not a stalemate, but a crushing counterattack!
The White Dragon Cavalry, like a silver torrent, galloped freely through the Tang army's ranks.
Chu Ning charged ahead, and wherever his imperial sword passed, men and horses fell. He specifically targeted Tang army generals; with each flash of his sword, a general's flag would fall.
The Tang army's formation began to collapse.
First the vanguard collapsed, then the flanks faltered, and finally even the central army began to fall into chaos.
Xue Che desperately organized a resistance, but the army suffered a crushing defeat, especially with the emperor seriously injured and morale collapsed, making any military orders seem pale and powerless.
"Hold on! Don't retreat!"
Xue Che roared and cleaved a fleeing soldier in two with a single stroke: "Those who retreat will be executed!"
But it's too late.
The Chu army pressed in from three directions simultaneously—Chu Ning's White Dragon Cavalry in the front, Xue Huaide's remnants on the left flank, and Han Xing's fresh troops on the right flank.
The Tang army was attacked from three sides, and its formation was cut into pieces.
Even more fatally, the Chu army inside the city also began to fight back.
Although Feng Mulan did not leave the city, she ordered archers to fire a rain of arrows from the city walls, covering the rear of the Tang army.
The siege equipment and ladders that were originally intended for attacking the city have now become obstacles hindering the Tang army's retreat.
"Your Majesty! Let's go!" The captain of the personal guard was so anxious his eyes were red. "If we don't leave now, it will be too late!"
Li Shiming was helped onto his horse, and then spat out another mouthful of blood.
He stared intently at the battlefield, at the black dragon banner that moved through the chaos of battle as if it were nothing, and at the young emperor who was as arrogant as a god of war.
hatred.
An overwhelming hatred.
But more than anything, it was...fear.
For the first time, he realized that he might really be wrong.
They underestimated Chu Ning, an opponent who was only thirty years old but had already demonstrated terrifying strength.
"withdraw……"
Li Shimin finally forced out the word through gritted teeth, each syllable dripping with blood: "Order... the entire army... to retreat to the northeast..."
"His Majesty has ordered! The entire army must retreat! Retreat to the northeast!"
The retreat signal sounded urgently, but it was too late to stop the rout.
The Tang army began to collapse completely.
The soldiers abandoned their armor and weapons and fled in all directions. The generals tried to organize a rearguard action, but under the relentless pursuit of the Chu army, any resistance proved futile.
Chu Ning led the White Dragon Cavalry in pursuit, chasing them for three miles before finally reining in their horses.
He gazed at the fleeing Tang army in the distance, and at the large banner bearing the character "Tang" that was struggling to maintain its position amidst the chaos, and slowly raised his Shangfang sword.
Blood was still dripping from the sword's edge.
There is the blood of the Tang army, and also... the blood of Li Shimin.
"Issue the order to the entire army."
Chu Ning's voice was calm, yet it carried across the battlefield: "No need to pursue relentlessly; be careful of Tang ambushes."
He turned his head and looked at the majestic Jianghuai City standing tall in the morning light:
"Everyone, turn around and follow me into the city."
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Great Chu!"
The roar, like a mountain collapsing and a tsunami crashing, echoed across the Jianghuai Plain.
This battle lasted from dawn to morning, and then from morning to dusk.
Li Shimin personally led an army of 100,000 in a surprise attack, first breaking through the Dragon Gate Formation, but ultimately suffered a crushing defeat in the duel with the emperor. His army of 70,000 was routed, and he himself was seriously wounded and fled.
Chu Ning, with three thousand White Dragon Riders, charged into the enemy formation and defeated them in five rounds, turning the tide of the battle in one fell swoop.
The two dragons have met, and the outcome is already decided.
Next, all he needs to do is enter the city, kill all the Tang soldiers inside, and he can completely secure the victory.
From this moment on, the sky over the Central Plains will be completely changed.