Chapter 239: Chapter 239: Hundred Victory General
"Hahaha, did you hear that? Hurry up and release me!" The despondent look on Wei Hong’s face vanished, replaced by a wild laugh. "Commander Zhu, these people are impersonating the kingdom’s Imperial Guard! Arrest them all and execute them!"
This Zhu Jun was the very reinforcement he had summoned. He hadn’t expected him to arrive at such a critical moment, and he let out a long sigh of relief.
Seeing the situation shift once again, the experts from the City Lord’s Mansion who had been eager to side with Ye Xuan were all dumbfounded. They quickly switched allegiances again, roaring for Commander Zhu to arrest Ye Xuan and his people and interrogate them harshly.
They all knew that this Zhu Jun had been stationed in Tianxu Province for nearly a decade and had an unusually close relationship with Governor Wei Hong. Now that he had arrived with a large army, how could Ye Xuan’s group of a mere hundred men, no matter how strong, possibly stand against a force of ten thousand? Filled with regret over their foolishness, they all realigned themselves with Governor Wei Hong.
"Xuan’er, this Zhu Jun is clearly in league with Governor Wei Hong. It’s not wise to stay here. We should fight our way out," Ye Batian said, seeing that things had taken a turn for the worse, and he quickly warned Ye Xuan.
"Fight our way out? Why should we?" Ye Xuan gave a cold smile. The moment he finished speaking, the entire provincial city began to tremble violently.
"What’s going on?"
"What’s happening?"
"Is it an earthquake?"
Everyone looked around in astonishment at the violent tremors. Then, a thick wave of killing intent washed over them from the distance, accompanied by the panicked cries of the city’s residents.
A panicked soldier ran up to Zhu Jun, panting, his face filled with terror. "General, it’s bad! A group of soldiers suddenly appeared outside the city! They broke through our defensive perimeter and have us surrounded!"
"Soldiers? What soldiers?" Zhu Jun’s face darkened, and he roared in anger, "I stationed nearly a thousand men on the perimeter! How could so many of you be broken through by a ’group of soldiers’? Did you all eat shit for lunch?! Mobilize two battalions at once and take those people into custody! I’d like to see who dares to mess with my, Zhu Jun’s, troops!"
"But..."
"But what? Get going! I’ll give you two thousand men. Is that enough?"
With a tearful face, the soldier said, "General, there are at least a hundred thousand of them."
Zhu Jun’s expression froze. Then, in utter disbelief, he cursed, "A hundred thousand? Are you joking? Besides us, there isn’t a single army in the vicinity of Tianxu Province with more than ten thousand troops."
Before he could say more, the sounds of battle erupted. The troops he had stationed around the City Lord’s Mansion were collapsing one after another as people from outside surged in. Several of his trusted Captains ran in from outside, their faces contorted in terror, crying, "General, it’s bad! We’re surrounded!"
Zhu Jun’s heart instantly tightened. Pushing aside his doubts, he barked, "All troops, prepare for battle!" He stepped forward, staring coldly at the dust-filled sky, but his mind was still riddled with suspicion. ’This isn’t right. There’s only one defense force in Tianxu Province, and that’s the one I lead, with just under ten thousand men. So who in the world is this army...’
Just as he was thinking this, a thunderous BOOM echoed.
The gates outside the City Lord’s Mansion were knocked down, and a flood of warhorses charged through, fanning out in a line. Soon, several thousand cavalry had gathered outside the courtyard, each rider imposing and majestic. In their hands, they held standard-issue military battle lances of gleaming, refined steel—weapons only the elites of the kingdom’s army were qualified to wield.
More men and horses continued to pour in before Zhu Jun. The entire provincial city shook with a continuous, seemingly endless tremor.
Zhu Jun’s face changed drastically, becoming incredibly grim. He was a veteran commander and knew how to judge an army’s size by its momentum and sound. Based on this display, the enemy force truly seemed to number over a hundred thousand. How was this possible?
As the new army fanned out, Zhu Jun’s own troops were compressed into a small area within the City Lord’s Mansion. They were densely surrounded on all sides, a black sea of soldiers. Like a swarm of ants, the newcomers had enveloped his garrisons in layer after layer in the blink of an eye. The streets and alleys outside the City Lord’s Mansion were teeming with heads.
At that moment, a great banner was finally raised atop a war chariot. It depicted a baring, golden lion with a thick mane, majestic and domineering.
"The Golden Lion Corps!" Zhu Jun cried out in horror. "Why is the kingdom’s ace army, the Golden Lion Corps, here?"
Just then, a Martial Artist shot out from the ranks of the Golden Lion Corps. With a few flickers, he broke through the defenses of Zhu Jun’s army, arrived before Ye Xuan, and knelt on one knee. "Your subordinate, Liu Xiaolong, was late in coming to your aid. I ask for Young Master Xuan’s punishment."
"Which one of you is Master Ye Xuan? I have long heard of your great name. Let me see you for myself." At the same time, a resonant voice boomed. A grand general emerged from the main force. He wore a great cloak, exuded an air of absolute authority, and his gaze fell upon Ye Xuan’s group in the center as he strode forward with a bold and open gait.
"Halt!" Zhu Jun’s face was ashen as he shouted coldly, "This area is under the jurisdiction of my border defense forces! You may be from the famous Golden Lion Corps, but it seems you’ve crossed a line, haven’t you?!"
"Hm?!"
The general’s icy gaze fell upon Zhu Jun, a sharp killing intent radiating from his eyes. Everyone who felt this killing intent turned pale with fright. A powerful murderous aura erupted from the general, carrying an imposing might that seemed to blot out the sky. Two words were softly spoken from his lips: "Who the hell do you think you are, to speak to me, Li, in such a manner? Courting death!"
The general’s formidable might, combined with the presence of the hundred-thousand-strong army, crashed down like a monstrous tidal wave. It slammed into the few thousand remaining Tianxu Province garrison troops. These soldiers, stationed year-round in the province, had never experienced real war. Having never witnessed such a spectacle, their hearts were already pounding in their chests, and they felt an immense pressure that made it hard to breathe.
This was especially true for Zhu Jun, who was locked in the general’s gaze. Despite his strength reaching the level of Third Heaven Martial Master Peak, he was like a fish out of water, gasping for air, the undisguised terror evident in his eyes.
"A Tier Five Martial Sect!"
Cold sweat beaded on Zhu Jun’s forehead. His legs went weak, especially after hearing the general’s surname. ’This is bad,’ he thought, his pupils constricting. In a trembling voice, he asked, "Who are you people?"
The general gave a cold smile and said icily, "Are you even worthy of hearing my name? I was considering how to deal with you, but since you’ve delivered yourself to my doorstep, don’t blame me for being impolite. Men, arrest this group of traitors!"
"Yes, General!"
Several roars of affirmation rang out. Three more figures stepped out from the rear of the formation, each exuding an aura even more powerful than Zhu Jun’s. They felt like several great mountains pressing down on him, making his heart tremble violently.
Zhu Jun’s expression changed. He knew he was about to suffer a great loss today, but he still forced himself to argue, "I am a general of the kingdom, the commander of the border defense forces stationed in Tianxu Province, investigating villains who have stormed the provincial City Lord’s Mansion! On what grounds can you punish me?!"
Ignoring the potential consequences, he immediately tried to seize the moral high ground. If reason was on his side, there was room for discussion. They were both part of the Liuyun Kingdom’s military; even though the other party was the ace Golden Lion Corps, he was still a general defending a province. Surely they wouldn’t just arrest him without asking any questions, right?
"On what grounds? On the grounds that my surname is Li and my name is Yifeng! I am a Third-Class Duke of the kingdom, personally bestowed the title of Hundred Victory General by His Majesty! Forget arresting you—even if I killed you, you’d have no one to complain to," the general, Li Yifeng, said with a cold, domineering smile.
HISS!
The moment he announced his name, a series of sharp gasps echoed through the crowd.
"Li Yifeng... It’s actually General Li Yifeng."
"The Hundred Victory General of the kingdom! In the great war against the Fire Crow Kingdom, he was victorious in a hundred battles without a single defeat, rising to fame overnight and becoming the renowned Hundred Victory General, enfeoffed as a Third-Class Duke."
"General Li Yifeng may be a descendant of the kingdom’s meritorious Li family, but he didn’t rely on his family’s influence. He started as a common soldier and climbed the ranks step by step to become a general of the Golden Lion Corps."
The crowd chattered on in amazement. Li Yifeng’s reputation was simply too immense. As one of the sons of the old master of the meritorious Li family, he was now the kingdom’s most illustrious general, and his strength had reached the level of Tier Five Second Layer.
A great name casts a long shadow.
The moment Li Yifeng’s name was spoken, the eyes of all the soldiers under Zhu Jun’s command flickered with fear. They were like mice seeing a cat, their hearts trembling in terror.
"Grand General Li is here! Surrender at once!"
The soldiers of the Golden Lion Corps roared, their voices sharp and thunderous. Immediately, the continuous clatter of weapons hitting the ground could be a heard. Faced with the name of the Golden Lion Corps and intimidated by the Hundred Victory General Li Yifeng, the soldiers Zhu Jun had brought with him lost any will to resist and surrendered instantly.
Several burly Captains walked straight toward Zhu Jun, preparing to seize him.
Zhu Jun’s expression changed, but he still roared angrily, "Even if you are the Hundred Victory General, on what grounds can you punish me? What military regulation have I violated? If you dare touch me, I’ll take this fight to the Royal City if I have to!"
"On what grounds? I’ll tell you on what grounds."
A trace of Evil Qi flashed in Li Yifeng’s eyes. He hadn’t expected this minor border defense general to dare talk back to him even after he had announced his name. With a cold shout, he instantly shot into the air and threw a punch straight down, aiming viciously for Zhu Jun’s face.
Zhu Jun’s expression changed, and he was just about to resist. Suddenly, the aura of a martial spirit far beyond his own realm locked onto him. Li Yifeng’s gaze was ice-cold, overflowing with killing intent, his eyes glinting menacingly. It was clear that if Zhu Jun dared to resist, he would be killed on the spot. Terrified, Zhu Jun shuddered and didn’t dare to move, meekly watching as Li Yifeng’s fist grew larger and larger.
