Quick Transmigration: Why did you provoke him? He's love-struck!

Chapter 511 Relying on Favor (56)

Inside the Liang army's main camp, a young general spoke of the matter with great enthusiasm, laughing, "This Zhao Yuan is quite the master of intrigue."

Due to the harassment by the Tingzhou army, the Northern Jurchen army has had its supplies burned, its warhorses scattered, and several thousand people killed or wounded in recent days.

Coupled with the poisoning and night raid incidents, the Northern Jurchen soldiers were in a state of panic and had not attacked Tianyin City for three consecutive days.

This gave the people of Tianyin City a chance to catch their breath.

Compared to the relieved attitude of everyone else, Xie Ying looked solemn.

The battle lasted from February to April, and it was almost May. Although Zhao Yuan had helped to divert some of the Northern Jurchen army's attention, the situation was still challenging.

But continuing to drag this out would not benefit either the Liang army, the Tingzhou army, or the Northern Jurchens.

The number of people allocated from Tingzhou this time is only 100,000.

If the battle drags on to the point where both sides are testing their endurance, there is a risk that other foreign barbarians might take advantage of the situation and invade.

Therefore, it is best to resolve this quickly.

The Northern Jurchen army has clearly lost its morale thanks to Zhao Yuan's actions. Now is the perfect time to build up strength and deliver a heavy blow to them, driving them out of the country.

With this in mind, Xie Ying proposed to his generals to "take the initiative."

Three days later, the Liang army, having made thorough preparations, opened the city gates. Led by Xie Ying, 130,000 soldiers marched out of Tianyin City and headed towards the Northern Jurchen army's encampment, which had retreated to a location 30 miles away.

The Liang army mobilized all its forces to ensure that news of their engagement with the Northern Jurchens reached the Tingzhou military camp. Zhao Yuan had just finished writing a letter home.

He blew the ink off the letter, folded it up, put it in an envelope, handed it to the courier, then got up, grabbed his sword, and called to Chen He who had come with him, "Let's go, after this battle, we'll go home!"

On the battlefield, as the horn of attack sounded, the Liang army and the Northern Jurchen army clashed.

Xie Ying held the reins in one hand and a long spear in the other, spurring his horse forward at full gallop. At the same time, he bent down and thrust out his spear, piercing through three Northern Jurchen soldiers like a string of candied hawthorns.

Drawing his blood-stained spear, Xie Ying stared ahead—his goal was clear: to take down Ji Tu in this battle.

Once Ji Tu is killed, the Northern Jurchens, whose morale has been low due to Zhao Yuan's trickery, will be routed.

Ji Tu was tall and rode an equally tall steed. He wielded a large bronze axe with a sharp blade. Coupled with his immense strength, he could almost always cut a person in half with each strike.

This is not an easy opponent to deal with.

Xie Ying fought his way to Ji Tu and engaged him in fierce combat.

The Northern Jurchens lived on the grasslands year-round, drinking sheep's milk and eating mutton, which made them plump and strong. They were also skilled in riding and archery, giving them a natural advantage in warfare.

Xie Ying exchanged hundreds of blows with him, but was at a disadvantage in terms of physical strength.

Ji Tu swung his axe down, and Xie Ying, holding his spear with both hands, managed to withstand it, his hands going numb from the impact.

Seeing that Ji Sha was turning bloodthirsty and that he was gradually becoming outmatched, Xie Ying had no choice but to sidestep and dismount.

As soon as he dismounted, his horse was chopped in two by Ji Tu with an axe.

Blood splattered all over Xie Ying's face.

Seeing his disheveled appearance, Ji Tu burst into laughter and then swung his bronze axe down at his face.

Xie Ying dodged awkwardly, but the bronze axe slashed down on his cheek, shaving off a lock of his hair.

He staggered back several steps, panting heavily as he looked at Ji Tu.

Not only was he showing signs of weakness, but the Liang army on the battlefield was also gradually losing out to the fierce Northern Jurchen army.

Ji Tu had clearly grasped the situation on the battlefield, and fought with increasing ferocity, spurring his horse toward Xie Ying.

But the next moment, an arrow, carrying the force of thunder, shot towards Ji Tu.

Ji Tu was shocked and quickly dodged to the side.

An arrow grazed his scalp, knocking a soldier behind Ji Tu off his horse.

Xie Ying immediately turned his head. Not far away, a large number of Tingzhou soldiers rushed down the hillside and joined the battle.

The exhausted Liang army instantly felt as if they had seen their relatives, and shouted, "The Tingzhou army is here!" "Our reinforcements are here!"

This shout was like a shot in the arm for the Liang army. The Liang soldiers, whose morale was low, immediately perked up and continued to fight the Northern Jurchen army.

Xie Ying stared blankly at the Tingzhou army joining the battle, and saw Zhao Yuan among them.

Zhao Yuan rode a horse, wearing brand-new, gleaming armor. The hilt of his sword was inlaid with expensive gems. He looked more like he was there to show off than to fight.

Just as Xie Ying had this thought, he saw Zhao Yuan draw his sword and slice off the heads of four Northern Jurchen soldiers with a single stroke.

Xie Ying: "..."

Zhao Yuan rode his horse, hacking and slashing as he went, as if he were in an empty field. His ferocity was evident, and wherever he went, the Northern Jurchen army made way for him.

The Northern Jurchen soldiers, unable to evade, met a tragic end, their bodies severed from their heads.

When Ji Tu saw Zhao Yuan, he remembered the schemes and humiliations Zhao Yuan had inflicted on him over the past few days. As if seeing a sworn enemy, he roared with red eyes and charged at Zhao Yuan with his bronze axe.

Zhao Yuan was not intimidated at all and faced the enemy head-on.

Zhao Yuan was not as big as Ji Tu, but his strength was no less. After more than two hundred moves, Ji Tu gradually showed signs of fatigue.

Zhao Yuan seized upon a mistake by Ji Tu, risking having his arm chopped off by Ji Tu's axe, rushed forward, pressed the blade against Ji Tu's neck, twisted it, and severed Ji Tu's head.

Ji Tu was beheaded, his body still standing on the horse's back, blood gushing from his neck like a fountain.

This cruel and brutal scene sent a chill down Xie Ying's spine.

"Ji Tu is dead, and the Northern Jurchen barbarians who surrender will not be killed!"

As this phrase spread louder and louder across the battlefield, coupled with the fact that Ji Tu's corpse was still standing on his horse, the Northern Jurchen army suddenly lost its backbone and scattered like headless flies.

Before long, the Northern Jurchen army sounded the retreat signal.

The disarrayed Northern Jurchen army carried Ji Tu's corpse and retreated hastily like a tide, leaving only the Liang army and the Tingzhou army on the battlefield littered with corpses.

For the past half month, although the two armies were stationed only a dozen miles apart, and the Liang army had even sent envoys to Tingzhou Army, today was the first time the two sides had met face to face.

Now that they had repelled their common enemy, the two sides looked at each other, and the atmosphere on the battlefield suddenly became subtle.

Having repelled the external enemy, is it time for internal purges?

Many soldiers quietly gripped their weapons tighter, their gazes towards the enemy troops around them becoming wary and alert.

In this tense atmosphere where a conflict was about to erupt, Zhao Yuan sheathed his sword, held Ji Tu's head—his eyes wide open in death—in one hand, and rode his horse leisurely past Xie Ying.

As Zhao Yuan passed Xie Ying, whether intentionally or unintentionally, his horse paused for a moment. He then flicked the severed head he was holding, and Ji Tu's blood splattered all over Xie Ying's face.

Xie Ying: "..."

Zhao Yuan glanced down at him, let out a disdainful sneer, and then rode away.

"Retreat and go home!"

-

The Northern Jurchen army suffered a defeat, and Ji Tu was killed. They lost all will to fight and retreated overnight.

Xie Ying led his troops in pursuit, recapturing the lost city in one fell swoop and driving the Northern Jurchen army out of Daliang territory.