Chapter 643

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The midday sun shone upon the vast battlefield before Yunzhou City.

A thick scent of blood, carried by the north wind, was clearly discernible. The once yellow land was now stained crimson by blood. The corpses of Yan and Liang soldiers were scattered across the boundless expanse.

In the sky, crows circled, their low caws seemingly singing an elegy for this war.

A portion of the remaining Black Armored Iron Cavalry still refused to surrender. They charged the chariot formation again and again, while some cavalry headed towards Niu Ben’s large column.

“Hollow Square Formation!”

At the high command, the original columns quickly transformed into one hollow square formation after another.

As the Black Armored Army charged, Niu Ben shouted, “Fire!”

“Bang, bang, bang…”

Several hollow square formations simultaneously emitted a puff of white smoke, and the charging Black Armored Army immediately collapsed, men and horses alike.

With Zhao Ang dead, few of the remaining Black Armored Army stubbornly resisted. The odds were overwhelmingly against them, and the outcome of the war was already sealed.

When the sun set, all the remaining Black Armored Army were annihilated.

“We won! We won!”

Suddenly, a soldier shouted loudly, followed by a huge cheer that echoed across the battlefield.

Facing the seemingly invincible allied forces of the three princes, they had fought a brilliant annihilation battle. 350,000 allied forces of the three princes vanished in the blink of an eye.

Eight days of fierce fighting, and the state had not lost an inch of land. The families behind them were also spared from the slaughter of the allied forces of the three princes.

The soldiers’ cheers, echoing through the sky, brought smiles to Niu Ben and the other generals.

Lu Fei wiped a bead of sweat. He said to Niu Ben, “General, we have defeated the allied forces of the three princes. Now Prince Yan, Prince Liang, and Prince Zhao will surely cry and beg us.”

“Hahahaha…” Niu Ben was elated. He had been on edge throughout this battle, as 350,000 allied troops was no small number.

But with the cooperation of the Yong army, they successfully prevented the three princes’ allied forces from invading the state. At the same time, just as he had promised Xiao Ming, this battle successfully annihilated the vital forces of the three princes’ allied forces.

Now, the battlefield, besides the surrendered soldiers, was filled only with the corpses of the three states’ fallen soldiers. Although the Second Prince Xiao Sa led the Liang army back,

However, Qi Guangyi and the Yong army had ambushed them halfway, and he believed that news of the Liang army’s annihilation would arrive soon.

Luo Hong, Bai Mu, Luo Xin, Ye Qingyun, and other generals also arrived at this moment. Their eyes gleamed with excitement as they exchanged the joy of victory.

They also understood in their hearts that this battle was the key battle that would determine the situation in the north. With their great victory this time, the decisive power in the north would shift into the hands of the state.

“Hehehe, wasn’t Yan very arrogant? Now let’s see how arrogant they can be,” Luo Xin chuckled.

Ye Qingyun echoed, “Exactly. The envoys sent by these three princes dared to flaunt their power before His Highness. It’s like an old woman eating arsenic; they’re tired of living.”

“What ‘His Highness’? It’s ‘His Imperial Majesty’ now!” Bai Mu reminded him.

Ye Qingyun was startled, and slapped his own mouth twice. “Loose tongue! Bai Mu is right, it’s His Imperial Majesty, it’s His Imperial Majesty!”

The others immediately burst into laughter.

At this moment, Luo Hong wiped the blood from his saber and said solemnly, “I truly wish we could fight my way back to Chang’an one day earlier.”

These words silenced the generals. Only then did they realize that the war had just begun. Although they no longer longed for Chang’an, it had, after all, once been the imperial city of the Great Yu Empire.

As long as the imperial city remained untaken, they would carry this regret.

Niu Ben looked towards Chang’an City and said, “With the elite forces of the three princes gone, the balance of power in the north has shifted. These rebels won’t live much longer.”

The generals nodded upon hearing this.

After a pause, Niu Ben said, “Although the battle is over, these captives still need to be dealt with. Now, you will lead your respective divisions to immediately clear the battlefield to prevent an epidemic.”

Lu Fei and the others’ faces instantly tightened.

The plague was something that made people’s faces change color upon hearing it, and it often appeared during times of war. They dared not be careless about this. Each of them immediately organized soldiers to collect and burn corpses.

At the same time, they also collected the weapons and armor from the battlefield. These items could be sent to the Qingzhou steel machinery department for steelmaking, to produce more firearms for them.

Having issued the order to clear the battlefield, Niu Ben immediately sent someone to convey the results of this battle to Qingzhou. This would be the greatest congratulatory gift for Xiao Ming, who had already ascended the throne.

And his mission was not yet over. He would seize this victory to attack Kaizhou and Bianzhou, two cities that originally belonged to the imperial family. After these two cities, they would successively recapture other prefectures and counties.

Three days later, Niu Ben’s battle report arrived in Qingzhou.

On this day, Xiao Ming was, as usual, discussing state affairs with his ministers in the council hall. Just then, an imperial courier loudly announced the great victory in Yunzhou and delivered the battle report outside the council hall.

The ministers who heard the news all showed shocked expressions. Xiao Ming was startled, then overjoyed.

He immediately had the imperial courier present the battle report.

Below the council hall, Pang Yukun and Fei Ji stood at the forefront, and behind them were officials from the six ministries, the Chamber of Commerce, and other agencies. After their initial shock, their faces gradually showed ecstatic expressions.

Although they were not on the front lines, they were equally nervous about the battle in Yunzhou, because this battle would determine the rise and fall of the state.

Taking the battle report, Xiao Ming immediately read it. The report detailed the situation of the battle, where the allied forces of the three princes were completely crushed in the decisive battle.

“My dear ministers, in this battle, the allied forces of the three princes were utterly defeated and suffered heavy losses. General Niu can be said to have won a great victory. From this, it can be seen that the allied forces of the three princes were nothing but paper tigers, easily defeated!” Xiao Ming said loudly, his heart filled with ambition.

First the annihilation of Prince Wei, then the defeat of the allied forces of the three princes. The advantage of firearms combined with strict training and discipline allowed the state’s army to easily defeat the traditional feudal armies.

This victory filled him with confidence. Prince Yan, Prince Liang, and Prince Zhao were no longer enemies to be feared. Now, he could finally turn his gaze northward.

The internal strife of the Great Yu Empire should also end. The mutual slaughter among kinsmen was meaningless. The true enemies of the Great Yu Empire were foreign tribes.

Those who are not of our kind are sure to have different hearts. Whether it is the barbarians, Japan, or the Western powers, their ambition to destroy the Chinese nation has never disappeared.

Whether in the past, present, or future, he, coming from modern times, could see the historical changes of these hundreds of years more clearly.

Now that he was here, he would seek eternal blessings for his country and nation in this world’s jungle.

And as the news of the battle reached Qingzhou, the news of the annihilation of the allied forces of the three princes also reached Bozhou and Chang’an.

When Prince Yan learned this news from a routed soldier, he slumped onto his throne, his face ashen like flour, and his eyes seemed to have lost their luster.