183: Chapter 183 utterly vulnerable

“Run!”

Panic, like the most terrible plague, spread wildly throughout the entire Eastern Hu Tribes camp. All the Eastern Hu Tribes soldiers dropped their weapons and fled in all directions across the vast snowy plains like headless flies.

The army collapsed like a falling mountain!

A battle for dominance on the grasslands that was originally evenly matched came to an end in such a dramatic and shocking way. The fifty-thousand-strong Eastern Hu Tribes army disintegrated overnight!

Zhao Yu, with this earth-shattering battle of “Breaking the Eastern Hu Tribes on a Snowy Night”, completely cemented his unshakable, god-like reputation across the entire grassland!

From then on, no one on the grassland dared to underestimate this young general whose spear skills were like a Dragon and whose command was divine!

Because of this decisive and exhilarating victory, the Northern Border completely eliminated all threats from the north and could finally focus all its energy on the upcoming final showdown with the King of Wei, Cao Meng!

Inside the central command tent of the Wei Army camp, the atmosphere was so oppressive it felt as if it could drip water.

Cao Meng sat high on the commander's seat. His face, usually full of great strategy and supreme majesty, was now filled with gloom and violence. The white jade wine cup in his hand had long since been crushed into powder by his palm, which contained terrifying strength!

Before him knelt several defeated generals who had just fled back in embarrassment from the front lines of Yanmen Pass.

“Trash! A bunch of trash!”

Cao Meng's voice was cold and emotionless. He looked at the generals, who appeared like dead dogs in his eyes, his gaze filled with endless rage and murderous intent as if he wanted to tear them apart alive!

“One hundred and fifty thousand troops! A full one hundred and fifty thousand troops! To be beaten into such a disorganized mess by a mere child! What face do you have left to see this King?!”

“Your Highness, calm your anger! Your Highness, calm your anger!” One of the surviving vice-generals knocked his head against the ground, his voice filled with endless fear and sobbing.

“It is not that we fought poorly, but that the sorcery of the Panshi Army is too bizarre! Their trebuchets have a range more than double ours, and the power of their ballistae is unimaginably great, capable of piercing our heavy armor from hundreds of paces away! Under their city walls, they have buried a terrifying demonic object called a ‘Ground-Stepping Mine’ that can explode on its own. Thousands of our elite troops didn't even touch the city walls before being blown to pieces by that demonic object! Even more hateful is their elusive cavalry, which was able to detour a thousand miles to raid our grain supply route! Such tactics are unheard of and unseen!”

Listening to the report from his subordinate, which was filled with horror and despair, Cao Meng's heart, which had always been as hard as iron, gradually sank to the bottom. He knew that he had, after all, underestimated that young man from the grassroots.

Just at this moment, a messenger ran in from outside the tent with a panicked expression. His voice carried an imperceptible tremor: “Report—! Your Highness! Urgent news from the northern front! The King of Donghu has been defeated and captured! The entire army of fifty thousand cavalry has been wiped out!”

“What?!” As soon as these words were spoken, the entire command tent fell into a deathly silence!

Cao Meng stood up abruptly from the commander's seat. He grabbed the messenger by the collar, his bloodshot eyes staring fixedly at him, and roared hoarsely: “You, say it again?!”

“Re...reporting to Your Highness,” the messenger was scared out of his wits by the terrifying Aura of predation radiating from Cao Meng, unable to even speak clearly, “The Panshi Army general Zhao Yu launched a surprise attack on the Eastern Hu Tribes camp on a snowy night, beheaded several Eastern Hu Tribes generals, captured the King of Donghu alive... The fifty thousand Eastern Hu Tribes troops collapsed overnight...”

“Pfft—!”

Another mouthful of blood sprayed wildly from Cao Meng's mouth. His burly body swayed violently, and he fell heavily back onto the cold commander's seat, his eyes filled with endless disbelief.

He lost!

His pincer attack strategy from the north and south, which he thought was flawless, had actually failed so completely!

And it was such a clean, crushing defeat!

Grain supplies burned, allies wiped out—he had fallen into a desperate situation with no way forward or back!

“Hahaha! Good! A good Gao Feng! A good king of the northern border!” After a brief moment of loss, Cao Meng suddenly let out a terrifying laugh filled with endless madness and violence!

His eyes, which had originally carried a trace of hesitation and struggle, were at this moment completely replaced by a monstrous gambling instinct of burning the boats and throwing caution to the wind!

He knew he had no way out. Withdrawing now would not only cause all his previous investments to be lost, but would also ruin his reputation before all the lords of the world! He couldn't afford to gamble!

Since that was the case, he might as well put all his chips on the table and use a decisive, head-on battle to determine the final ownership of this world!

“Pass my royal order!” Cao Meng slapped the table, his roar filled with endless determination and madness echoing throughout the entire camp! “The whole army will rest for one day! Tomorrow morning, we will array our forces before Yanmen Pass! This King will have a final showdown with that brat Gao Feng! In this battle, if we do not win, we die!”

Just as Cao Meng was forced into a dead end and prepared to launch his final, crazy gamble, a top-secret piece of intelligence, delivered by a “Sky Net” spy who risked their life to get it out of the Wei Army camp, was silently placed on Gao Feng's desk.

“A final showdown?” Gao Feng looked at the intelligence, a bloodthirsty smile filled with endless coldness and cruelty appearing on his usually calm face.

“Well come, this King has been waiting for this day for a long time.” He slowly stood up and walked to the huge military sand table, his eyes, deep as stars, gazing quietly at the place of the decisive battle that was about to be completely swallowed by blood and fire. A corner of his mouth curled into a relaxed arc filled with endless confidence and mastery. “Since you want to play, then this King will play a big one with you.”

He picked up the command rod and drew a huge trap filled with an Aura of endless death and destruction on the plains in front of Yanmen Pass, where the terrain was flat and open, most suitable for a large-scale decisive battle.

“Pass my command!” His voice was cold and filled with supreme majesty that brooked no question, “At this location, pre-set the ‘Vanguard Camp’! This King will use Xiang Hao's Divine Power Battalion as bait to have a head-on final showdown with Cao Meng's three hundred thousand troops! This King will make him die convinced!”

That night, in the central command tent of Yanmen Pass, a top-level pre-battle military meeting that would determine the future destiny of the Northern Border and even the entire world was held in an atmosphere filled with solemnity and dignity.

Gao Feng sat high on the main seat, his gaze sweeping slowly like the sharpest hawk over every core general of the Panshi Army under the tent, who were already brimming with Battle Intent.

“Gentlemen,” his voice was calm yet filled with a terrifying power that could change the color of mountains and rivers, “Tomorrow is the moment for our final showdown with Cao Meng. This battle concerns the life and death of our Northern Border, and whether we can gain a foothold in this chaotic world! In this battle, only victory is allowed, defeat is not!”

“I order you, Grand Governor Du Wei!”

“This subordinate is here!”

“I order you to lead the Tiger Guard Battalion, to sit in the central army, and to be the courage of the entire army! No matter how the battle situation changes, you must nail yourself here like a nail for this King! Can you do it?!”

“This subordinate, obeys the order!!”

“Zhao Yu! Ma Qianli!”

“This subordinate is here!”

“I order you both to lead your respective cavalry, and line up on the left and right wings! When the battle is in a deadlock and the enemy's Formation is in chaos, you will be like the two sharpest daggers, and you will stab them fiercely into the enemy's flanks for this King! Tear them to pieces!”

“This subordinate, obeys the order!!”

“Wulu! Gu Shenwei! Xue Biao!”

“This subordinate is here!”

“I order the three of you to command all the infantry under your command as the second echelon! After Xiang Hao's Divine Power Battalion tears open the enemy's line, you will swarm up like a tide for this King! Reap the fruits of victory!”

“This subordinate, obeys the order!!”

Finally, Gao Feng's gaze fell on Xiang Hao, who was already eager to fight, his whole body exuding a terrifying Battle Intent like an ancient Vicious Beast.

He slowly walked down from the commander's seat and personally poured a cup of “Panshi Burned Blade” liquor, which exuded a mellow and rich aroma, for this burly, mountain-like Southern Chu warrior.

He personally handed the cup of strong liquor, filled with endless expectations and trust, to Xiang Hao, his deep eyes gazing quietly at him, his voice filled with unprecedented solemnity and appreciation.

“Xiang Hao, your bravery as an Overlord is unparalleled. In tomorrow's battle, the life, death, glory, and shame of the one hundred thousand soldiers of our Panshi Army, and the future hope of the millions of people in our Northern Border, are all entrusted to you alone! This cup, this King toasts you!”

Xiang Hao looked at the young monarch before him, who had unreservedly handed over such an important, core decisive battle task that could determine the entire national destiny to him, a “surrendered general”. Looking at the mellow, strong liquor flashing with amber light under the candlelight, his heart, which had always been as hard as iron, was at this moment completely filled with an unprecedented, huge emotion and supreme honor called “a scholar dies for his bosom friend”!

His eyes, usually honest and simple, instantly turned red. He suddenly knelt on one knee, his burly body, like a small mountain, trembling violently.

He did not say any impassioned, grand words, nor did he make any ethereal military vow. He just used all his strength to squeeze out eight blood-red words from between his teeth that could move heaven and earth!

“Your Highness! This subordinate! Will not shirk even if I die ten thousand times!!”

After speaking, he took the cup of strong liquor and drank it in one gulp, then slammed the empty cup onto the ground!

“Bang!” A crisp shattering sound, like the clarion call for the final showdown!

The next morning, when the first ray of blood-stained sunlight pierced through the thin morning mist and sprinkled onto the vast, boundless plains in front of Yanmen Pass, the earth-shattering war drums, filled with endless solemnity and tragedy, sounded simultaneously from the Formations of both armies!

Hundreds of thousands of iron-blooded troops, clad in heavy armor and wielding sharp blades, collided like two torrents of black iron capable of destroying heaven and earth upon this ancient battlefield, long stained by the blood of countless ancestors!

Cao Meng, wearing a suit of golden Dragon scale armor, personally presided over the commander's platform in the center of the army.

He looked at the Panshi Army opposite, which was equally imposing in military appearance and strict in its Formation, and a trace of cold madness flashed through his eyes, which were filled with endless ambition and monstrous gambling mania!

"Gao Feng, you brat! I want to see exactly what kind of ability you have to dare contest this world with me!"

He violently drew the Emperor's sword from his waist and swung it fiercely forward!

"All troops! Charge!!"

"Kill——!!!"

Hundreds of thousands of Wei Army soldiers, like a flood released from a dam, let out deafening, frantic shouts and launched a tidal, destructive charge toward the seemingly thin Panshi Army line!

However, just as they charged into the area of the Vanguard Camp already set up by Gao Feng, a sudden change occurred!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

A series of dull, thunderous, and terrifying explosions erupted without warning from beneath their feet!

The tens of thousands of Ground-Stepping Mines that had been pre-laid revealed their ferocious and deadly fangs at this most critical moment!

Countless iron shards and steel beads, mixed with a terrifying shockwave capable of tearing even steel into fragments, swept frantically in all directions!

The several elite Wei Army phalanxes charging at the very front did not even have a chance to react before they were blasted into a blur of flesh and blood by this sudden, terrifying explosion!

In an instant, the entire vanguard line of the Wei Army fell into unprecedented, massive chaos!

Just then, "Divine Power Battalion! Follow me! Charge!!" A terrifying roar, filled with endless violence and wildness, like that of an ancient Vicious Beast, erupted from within the ranks of the Panshi Army!

Three thousand heavy infantrymen of the Divine Power Battalion, clad in super-heavy plate armor and wielding giant maces, led by their commander Xiang Hao, who looked like a demon god, strode forward with legs like pillars supporting the sky, launching the most primitive and unreasonable savage charge toward the Wei Army vanguard, whose Formation was already in chaos and whose morale had collapsed!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

With every step they took, it seemed as if they would crush the entire earth beneath them!

The terrifying Aura, gathered from pure and unreasonable absolute power, was even more heart-stopping and desperate than the charge of a thousand cavalry!

They were like a black torrent composed of pure steel and destruction, smashing fiercely into the already chaotic Wei Army ranks with a terrifying posture that was unstoppable and destructive.

"Boom——!!!"

A terrifying, thunderous sound, as if it were about to shatter the entire world, erupted!

The seemingly impregnable Wei Army shield Formation, in the face of such a terrifying impact like the collision of an ancient divine mountain, was as fragile as paper, easily smashed to pieces and collapsed on the spot!

Countless Wei Army soldiers did not even have the chance to scream before they were mercilessly crushed into a sky full of flesh and blood by the ruthless steel torrent!

This was not a battle between evenly matched opponents; it was clearly a one-sided, bloody crushing of ordinary Mortals by a group of war beasts wearing human skin!

Xiang Hao took the lead, his mountain-like, burly body swelling even further under the full activation of his "Overlord Bloodline", and every swing of his specially-made giant hammer inevitably brought forth deafening sonic booms!

Any Wei Army soldier who dared to stand in his way, whether it was a battle-hardened Centurion or a highly skilled Chieftain, was like a fragile ant before his terrifying giant hammer capable of splitting mountains and cracking rocks, easily smashed into a blur of meat and mud along with their armor!

He was like a walking god of war, leaving corpses everywhere and rivers of blood in his wake!

"Where is He Chongshan?! Do you dare to fight me?!"

Xiang Hao let out a terrifying roar filled with endless arrogance and monstrous Battle Intent, pointing his target directly at He Chongshan, the vanguard general who was also famous for his outstanding bravery within the Wei Army!

He Chongshan was a rare and fierce general under Cao Meng's command; he was born with Divine Power, and his mountain-splitting axe technique was masterful and unstoppable by ten thousand men!

At this moment, looking at the terrifying demon god rampaging through his ranks as if entering an empty land, his heart, usually filled with courage and pride, was completely ignited by an unprecedented, massive anger and endless Battle Intent!

"Southern barbarian brat! Do not be arrogant! Watch as I, He Chongshan, take your head!"

He let out a terrifying roar, also filled with endless violence and chilling murderous intent, and carrying his 180-jin mountain-splitting axe, he charged fiercely toward the demon-like Xiang Hao!

Two war beasts, both known for their strength, collided on this Shura battlefield where corpses had already piled up like mountains and rivers of blood flowed!

"Clang——!!!"

A terrifying, ear-piercing sound of metal clashing, loud enough to shatter eardrums, exploded; Xiang Hao's giant hammer and He Chongshan's mountain-splitting axe collided fiercely in mid-air!

A terrifying energy storm, indescribable in words, swept wildly outwards with the two of them as the center; all soldiers within several dozen zhang, whether from the Wei Army or the Panshi Army, were forcibly blown away on the spot by this terrifying energy storm!

In the center of the energy storm, He Chongshan felt a terrifying, irresistible force erupting from the opponent's seemingly unremarkable giant hammer!

His natural Divine Power, of which he was so proud, appeared so fragile and vulnerable in the face of this unreasonable, absolute power!

"Crack!" A crisp sound of bone breaking came, and his arms holding the axe handle were actually snapped on the spot by this terrifying rebound force!

Xiang Hao did not even lift an eyelid; his honest face revealed a hideous smile filled with endless disdain and cruelty as the giant hammer in his hand pressed down violently!

"Boom——!!!"

A thunderous sound, duller and more terrifying than any previous collision, echoed!

The peerless fierce general He Chongshan, known in the Wei Army as an "enemy of ten thousand," was actually smashed by Xiang Hao's hammer, filled with endless violent aesthetics, into a blur of flesh and blood embedded deep into the ground, along with his axe!

This scene was the final straw that broke the camel's back, completely shattering the last shred of resistance in the hearts of the Wei Army soldiers, whose morale had already collapsed and whose Formation was in chaos!

"General He is dead! General He has been killed!"

"Run! That... that's a monster! It's a devil!"

Panic spread wildly through the entire Wei Army ranks like the most terrifying plague!

On the commander's platform, Cao Meng watched the invincible army collapsing before his eyes, watching the terrifying figure slaughtering everything in his ranks like a demon god, and all the color drained from his face, which was usually filled with great talent and strategy, in that instant!

He drew his sword and shouted, "Those who retreat will be executed!!!"

He then led his personal guards to hold the line, which finally stabilized the army and prevented a rout!

However, at this moment, the three thousand heavy infantrymen of the Divine Power Battalion, like war beasts, did not stop their steps filled with death and destruction!

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"

They continued to stride with heavy, uniform steps that seemed capable of shattering the earth, like an insurmountable black wall made of pure steel and death, slowly crushing toward the Wei Army, whose morale had greatly diminished, with an unstoppable and terrifying Aura!

With every step they took, the entire battlefield shook violently!

The dull, thunderous sound of footsteps gathered into a terrifying wave of sound that would make even ghosts and gods tremble, striking fiercely at the already collapsed hearts of every Wei Army soldier, crushing their last shred of luck and hope into dust!

They did not chase, did not shout, and did not even make any unnecessary movements; they simply Advanced, using the most primitive and unreasonable way to mercilessly crush everything in their path—whether it was soldiers who had abandoned their armor or panicked warhorses—into pools of blurred flesh and blood!

This was no longer a war; it was a natural disaster, an irresistible apocalyptic disaster created by human power!

On the tower of Yanmen Pass, Gao Feng watched the epic, grand picture unfolding before his eyes, and a trace of cold, extreme cruelty and indifference flashed through his eyes, which were as deep as the stars.

He slowly raised the black command flag in his hand, and then, in a tone devoid of any emotion, as if announcing a truth, he gently waved it downwards.

"Encircle."

At the command!

"Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong! Dong!"

The tens of thousands of troops already assembled and waiting on the two flanks of the Panshi Army simultaneously let out a deafening, frantic roar!

"Kill——!!!"

On the left flank of the army, the three thousand Tiger Guard Battalion, personally led by Grand Governor Du Wei, roared in unison like tigers descending from the mountain!

They did not launch a rapid charge like cavalry, but instead formed an airtight Great Wall of steel constructed from hundreds of giant tower shields!

They marched with uniform steps, like an insurmountable mountain slowly moving, crushing fiercely toward the already chaotic right flank of the Wei Army!

They were the most impregnable iron wall in that web of death!