I Can Strengthen Infinitely

Chapter 428 - 278: One Man Against Thousands_3

Hearing that the White Saintess was actually coming along, Cao Mengda was instantly overjoyed. With such a powerful expert holding down the fort in the army, he naturally felt as steady as Mount Tai in his heart.

By then, he feared that once the White Saintess made her move, Yangzhou Prefecture would easily fall into his hands.

"At your command!" Cao Mengda immediately kowtowed and thanked her.

...

Within three days, Cao Army’s power was fully unified. The generals under Wu Bao were either killed to the last man or surrendered sensibly. With the Wu Army merging with the Cao Army, their strength was added upon strength—now truly the first army of Jiangnan.

Cao Mengda stood upon the troop-counting platform and issued an order to the four corners. Ironclad riders on red warhorses were assigned as vanguard, sixteen generals were granted the honor as pathbreakers, each leading five thousand flying cavalry to charge straight down sixteen official roads toward Yangzhou Prefecture.

After them, a grand army of one hundred thirty thousand marched slowly forth; along the entire route, mountain passes and city gates welcomed them, encountering no resistance or obstruction whatsoever.

At last, with the way wide open, they approached the very gates of Yangzhou Prefecture. Along the road, every city had been swiftly seized by Cao Mengda’s army, while a considerable amount of territory had also been annexed.

Now, with only this final city left to conquer, Cao Mengda would soon be able to occupy Yangzhou Prefecture and proclaim himself King of Jiangnan.

Watching over one hundred thousand troops marshaled on all sides outside Yangzhou Prefecture, their murderous aura pierced the clouds, a chill and solemn killing intent rushed forth; many new recruits, seeing such a spectacle, couldn’t help but go weak in the knees, their mouths dry, hearts pounding.

A wise man does not stand beneath a crumbling wall; neither should a commanding general expose himself at the front of the formation, lest there be a master archer hiding in the shadows, taking aim with a deadly shot—that would be disaster from nowhere.

On today’s battlefield, everyone of sound mind knew Cao Mengda’s victory was certain—ten chances out of ten. Even if Sanhuang’s side fought until rivers of blood flowed, they would most likely stand no chance against Cao Army.

If Cao Mengda were still to appear at the front, that would indeed be a completely needless risk.

Thus, an old general rode forth to the front of the army on horseback to speak on Cao Mengda’s behalf. Whipping his horse, he pointed his crop at the city walls of Yangzhou Prefecture and shouted, "Our army has come in person, strong in men and horses. Would you still not throw open your city gates and surrender to General Cao, for a chance at survival? Delay any longer, and even if you wish to regret it later, it will be too late."

This man’s voice was full, roaring like thunder. In an instant, his words rolled out and echoed, so all the Sanhuang soldiers atop the city walls could hear him clearly.

Among these soldiers, quite a few seemed to have small thoughts in their minds, looking left and right, eyes flickering, who knows what they were thinking.

But just then, a cold flash suddenly shot out from within Yangzhou Prefecture, flying straight at the general who had just shouted.

Although the man was skilled in martial arts, he still could not block or evade the cold gleam; in a flash, a flying dagger pierced through his brow, then continued to shoot through another seventeen soldiers behind. Even those wearing armor had no defense, as if their gear were made of paper.

This soaring blade was as fast as lightning, a fleeting glimpse. When that old general’s corpse toppled to the ground, only then did Cao Mengda’s great army erupt into uproar—shocked and furious.

Standing afar, Cao Mengda witnessed this scene and could watch no longer. At once he shouted in a great voice, "Attack!"

Instantly, the soldiers alongside began to wave their banners, the standard bearing the character "Cao" rippling again and again—invisibly, Cao Mengda’s order was delivered forthwith.

Wuu! Wuu! Wuu!

The deep sound of the attack horn instantly resounded; in that moment, all soldiers charged forward as one toward the city walls of Yangzhou Prefecture.

Many among them were assault troops bearing scaling ladders and battering rams.

In the normal course, with Cao Army attacking, the defenders of Yangzhou Prefecture ought to have resisted with fire oil, rolling stones, and volleys of arrows—such was what should have happened.

But just then, a figure abruptly leapt out from within Yangzhou Prefecture, landing steadily on the ground ahead just as the massed soldiers neared the city walls.

It was only a single person, wielding a single blade.

Qin Yuesheng, calm and unhurried, wrapped his throat guard around his neck, then spoke plainly to those ahead: "Danger!"

Immediately, a tidal wave of sound swept forth; within it, one could vaguely see countless ghosts and monstrous spirits, like death’s usherers come from the depths of the underworld.

Where the sound wave swept, every Cao Army soldier collapsed and turned to ash. Their faces peeled away and drifted down like shredded paper.

At last their flesh and blood vanished, leaving behind only shattered skeletons crashing onto the earth.

Three thousand soldiers died in a single instant.

No one could have anticipated such a thing. With a single shouted word, one person wiped out a wide swath of soldiers in the blink of an eye.

Suddenly, so much space was emptied that the nearby Cao Army troops, horror-stricken, couldn’t help but halt where they stood.

But just so, those behind—unaware of what had happened—did not stop in time, resulting in a pile-up right there on the spot; who knew how many would be trampled to death or injured in this sudden chaos.

Elsewhere, Cao Army soldiers, ignorant of the happenings here, continued their assault on Yangzhou Prefecture as before. Though Qin Yuesheng had the heroism to take on thousands of enemies, he could not possibly defend all fronts at once.

At once, he drew the Celestial Fire Blade from his back—like a fire god descending upon the world—and charged toward the massed soldiers, plunging into the crowd for a slaughter without mercy.

Under the Celestial Fire Blade, how could ordinary men possibly survive? On this section of the field, mournful wails rose to the heavens—Cao Army soldiers were either split in twain by the sword qi, forged of Qin Yuesheng’s Inner Strength, or else scorched and charred by the raging flames of the Celestial Fire Blade.

The blaze soared to the sky, and the situation instantly drew the attention of the White Lotus Saint Sect experts within the Cao Army. Soon, three of them appeared, each wielding a weapon—spear, halberd, and hammer.