“What happened up ahead?”
Seeing the chaos in front, and a banner that didn't belong to their army, caused the Eighth Prince to feel uneasy.
Zhang Qing, the main general of the Jiangnan Camp, immediately said to the soldiers beside him: “Go and investigate immediately.”
Sending someone to scout, Zhang Qing said to the Eighth Prince: “Your Highness, the situation is still unclear, please…”
Swoosh swoosh swoosh
Before Zhang Qing could finish speaking, dense showers of arrows came from both sides.
The soldiers guarding them on both sides fell like grass.
“Kill!”
Imperial guards wearing the same black iron armor charged out from both sides, drawing their steel blades and slashing at the Jiangnan Camp soldiers in a frenzy.
Most of the Jiangnan Camp soldiers had never seen real battle. Their training in the camp was just for show.
After all, no one had led them into battle for decades. They were just inheriting their fathers' positions and working for a living in the Jiangnan Camp.
Faced with the wolf-like Imperial guards and their sharp steel blades, they were powerless to resist.
Even if a few brave ones managed to land a blow, their blades only sparked off the guards' iron armor, with no other effect.
Instead, it only angered the Imperial guards even more.
The defensive lines on both sides were like paper, easily breached by the Imperial guards.
“Protect His Highness and retreat!”
Seeing the charging Imperial guards, Zhang Qing was terrified.
He immediately led the Eighth Prince on horseback towards the rear main force.
Earlier, they had noticed a large number of Imperial guards in the buildings on both sides.
They assumed it was a precaution taken by the Emperor Emeritus to prevent them from spreading chaos among the civilians.
They never imagined these Imperial guards would attack them, leaving them caught off guard and forced to retreat.
Jia Yu wouldn't let them retreat. Under their command was the Jiangnan army, 100,000 strong.
Even if the number was inflated, and half of them were deducted, they still had 50,000 men.
These 50,000 were possibly the Great Zhou's army, pure Great Zhou people.
If these 50,000 were Mongols or the Jurchen people from the Liaodong region, Jia Yu wouldn't feel a pang of guilt if he slaughtered them all.
But these 50,000 were the Great Zhou's people, the army of the Great Zhou's Jiangnan region.
He happened to have a large amount of Kill Value left. By killing their main general, he could then convert them into his soldiers.
According to the system, the commander of the Three Thousand Camp could have 20,000 cavalry, 40,000 auxiliary soldiers, plus various other types of troops. At full strength, the Three Thousand Camp could reach 70,000 men.
Therefore, this battle had to be quick!
Wherever Jia Yu went, blood rained down. But the spies from various forces watching from the buildings on both sides could only sigh in dismay.
At the same time, they felt a chill down their spines.
If they were to become enemies with such a person, his terrifying combat power displayed on the battlefield could effortlessly break through any army.
And the black iron cavalry following close behind, sweeping through everything in their path, was a foe no one would want to encounter on the battlefield.
All the forces wanted to know who the leader was.
Jia Yu was somewhat famous in the capital. He had shone brightly during the defense of the capital.
But that was all.
Rip rip rip...
In the blink of an eye, Jia Yu had charged several hundred meters into the Jiangnan soldiers' formation, leaving the Xuanjia Cavalry two hundred meters behind.
If this was on a vast battlefield with a large army, there might be problems.
But this was in the streets, and the enemies on both sides had been mostly killed by the Imperial guards.
Seeing the Eighth Prince's banner only a hundred meters away, Jia Yu couldn't help but speed up.
The warhorse was panting heavily but still ran forward with all its might.
Seeing Jia Yu charging toward them, the Jiangnan cavalry, already demoralized, scattered to both sides, unwilling to confront him.
The infantry on the ground automatically stepped aside, creating a path.
“Hahahaha!”
Jia Yu couldn't help but laugh at the Jiangnan soldiers' compliance. He shouted, “Those who surrender will not be killed!”
The Imperial guards on both sides followed suit, roaring: “Those who surrender will not be killed!”
“Those who surrender will not be killed!”
...
The deafening roar, accompanied by the Imperial guards' blades and Jia Yu's reckless charge, caused the Jiangnan soldiers to drop their weapons and kneel down.
The Imperial guards and Jia Yu, who seemed like gods descending to earth, extinguished any desire to resist in these Jiangnan soldiers, who had never seen real battle.
They knelt down, begging for mercy.
The heavy scent of blood smothered their ambition to achieve glory.
Glory had to be earned while they were still alive.
Zhang Qing fled quickly with the Eighth Prince. The higher-ranking officers of the Jiangnan Camp, who had been left behind, saw Jia Yu, who was riding towards them, wielding a horse lance.
They exchanged glances and immediately jumped off their horses and knelt down.
One of their most valiant generals had just volunteered to block the silver-clad general, and he was killed just like an ordinary soldier.
His heavy armor was like paper, easily crushed by the enemy.
Witnessing this, they had no heart to fight.
As these high-ranking officers knelt down, their soldiers simply dropped their weapons and knelt down on both sides of the road, making way for him.
Cold weapon warfare was all about morale.
“Damn it, those two are moving fast.”
The Eighth Prince and Zhang Qing ran very fast ahead. Jia Yu's warhorse was exhausted from the intense fighting.
Jia Yu thought about it, raised the horse lance in his hand, and threw it forward with all his strength.
Swoosh!
Sizzle.
The lance pierced through Zhang Qing's chest, nailing him and his warhorse to the ground.
Neigh!
The Eighth Prince's white warhorse panicked and stopped, rearing up its front legs.
The Eighth Prince on horseback lost his balance and fell.
His silver helmet rolled on the ground.
“Your Highness!”
The others who followed the Eighth Prince rushed to his side, seeing him fall.
“Those who surrender will not be killed.”
Jia Yu, a demon in their eyes, had already charged into their ranks, wielding a steel blade.
The personal guards who protected the Eighth Prince, fearless of death, charged at Jia Yu.
After a fierce battle, the banner representing the Eighth Prince fell.
The streets were covered in blood.
There were severed limbs and body parts everywhere.
The Eighth Prince sat slumped in front of a tavern, several eunuchs bravely standing in front of him.
Of course, in front of these eunuchs was a pile of corpses.
One body piled on top of another.
The blood flowed through the gutters and into the sewers.
Jia Yu's armor was like scrap metal, full of holes.
During the battle, someone had attacked him with crossbows, and someone had used a spear or halberd to strike him when he was attacking.
Each of the Eighth Prince's guards was incredibly strong. They could be considered top-notch martial artists in the world.
But now they were all dead.
The broadsword the Emperor had bestowed upon Jia Yu was covered in nicks and dents.
Blood was still dripping from his armor onto the ground...