Chapter 857
Killed in Action
Pan Jun flew out into the air, leaving only the Three Treasures Cauldron flying forward in the sky.
Miaozhen instinctively tried to fly forward by holding onto the edge of the pot, but when she saw how high it was halfway up, she silently shrank back.
Miaohe relaxed her nerves and teased her, "Go ahead and jump! Go ahead and jump!"
Miao Zhen glared at her. The Three Treasures Cauldron, having lost its master's control, crashed to the ground with tremendous force. The four seized the opportunity, leaped into the air, and left first.
With a loud crash, the Three Treasures Cauldron slammed down on dozens of people, eventually creating a deep crater. Miaozhen and the others didn't even have time to glance at it before being attacked by arrows while still in mid-air.
After they shot down the arrows, kicked the Oirat cavalry off their horses, and seized their horses, they found that the Oirat cavalry had difficulty controlling their horses, let alone fighting the skilled Oirat archers on horseback.
The four had no choice but to give up and move nimbly on horseback. Xue Shao could only keep reminding them not to separate and constantly adjusting their direction of escape.
Finally, after maneuvering left and right, they joined up with the Ming soldiers. First, they helped the Duke of Yingguo take a blow, and then they pulled Wang Xi, the deputy commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, out of the enemy ranks...
They also saw Pan Yun trapped deep within enemy territory and that bright yellow figure. They wanted to rush over, but they could hardly move.
For the first time, they felt overwhelmed by the sea of people, completely overwhelmed and unable to move.
So this is what the masters meant when they said that an individual's strength cannot contend with the entire imperial court. Therefore, even though they are cultivators who have transcended the mortal world, they must still abide by the law.
Even someone as strong as Junior Uncle would find it difficult to succeed amidst a vast army.
Until another large army arrived.
Just when they were struggling to make any progress, this large army slipped through their ranks, wiping out most of the Oirat soldiers who had been fighting them to the death. They were now able to kill the enemy as freely as dragons.
The cavalry first dispersed the Oirat army, and the infantry following behind began to encircle and kill them one by one.
They not only had broadswords and spears, but also musketeers. With proper coordination, they worked in front and behind, in conjunction with the cavalry, and managed to leave many Oirat soldiers on the battlefield.
Only then did Pan Yun rush over, carrying the bright yellow-clad Chao Miao and Tao Yanbai, shouting, "Quick, save him!"
A knife was stuck in Xia Zheng's chest, the tip piercing through his back. Miao He touched the ribs around the knife, her fingers trembling slightly, and shook her head at Pan Jun.
Tao Yanbai said in a low voice, "Junior Uncle, this knife is right in the lungs. Once it's pulled out, the person will be gone."
Xia Zheng heard this, opened his mouth to speak, but then vomited large amounts of blood, which contained many blood clots.
His eyes searched anxiously through the crowd.
The civil and military officials and soldiers silently surrounded him, met his gaze, and then silently moved aside, making way for him.
As the British Duke led the crowd forward, Cao Nai stumbled forward and knelt on one knee on each side of him.
Cao Nai looked at him with some sadness and asked in a low voice, "Are you looking for us?"
Xia Zheng nodded slightly, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly before he finally managed to utter a mumbled sentence: "My lord, General, is His Majesty out of danger?"
How could Cao Nai know whether the emperor was safe? From last night until now, the enemy seems to be everywhere.
But in his final moments, Xia Zheng nodded and whispered, "Your Majesty is out of danger."
Xia Zheng breathed a sigh of relief and smiled slightly, his life force rapidly fading. He looked at the Duke of Yingguo, who was covered in blood. The Duke patted Xia Zheng on the shoulder and said, "You did a great job. You are worthy of being the Grand Steward of the Great Ming Dynasty!"
The light in Xia Zheng's eyes flashed and disappeared in an instant, his eyelids drooped, and the hand that was on his waist fell down instantly.
Everyone watched in grief, while the soldiers behind, unaware of what was happening, thought the emperor was dead and began to stir.
The Duke of England rose, turned to face them, and said loudly, "All soldiers, listen to my command! Xia Zheng, the Minister of the Imperial Stud, died protecting His Majesty. Now that His Majesty is out of danger, all the soldiers have made great contributions. When we return to the capital, I will definitely recommend you for credit. Even if I am gone, all the civil and military officials will never forget your contributions. The day is the day to make achievements and establish a career!"
Which soldier doesn't want to make a name for himself and become the next British duke?
The surviving civil and military officials all agreed with the Duke of Ying's words, and the soldiers were appeased.
Everyone finally realized that the emperor they had been protecting for a day and a night was actually Xia Zheng from the Imperial Stud in disguise, and the real emperor had already left the group and escaped.
Although the soldiers were dissatisfied, they were relieved to learn that the emperor was still alive and had escaped danger.
The Ming Dynasty did not lose!
After the Duke of England finished speaking, he could see people less and less clearly, but he still stood there and had someone take off Xia Zheng's imperial robe.
He asked, "Which army has come to our aid?"
Governor Liang Cheng said, "It is Chen Huai, who is left to guard Datong."
Before the words were even finished, Chen Huai, dressed in full military uniform, arrived on horseback with a troop of personal guards. He landed swiftly and ran over, kneeling on one knee with a thud: "Your Majesty, this humble general Chen Huai is late in coming to your rescue..."
He looked anxiously at the bright yellow figure lying on the ground, but was slightly taken aback when he realized it wasn't the emperor.
The Duke of England swayed slightly, and Pan Yun stepped forward to support him, grabbing his wrist with one hand. She was slightly taken aback and looked at the Duke of England in surprise.
Just as she was about to turn around to look for Miaohe, the Duke of England grabbed her wrist and shook his head at her with a light laugh.
His heart failure was at this point, a sign of utter exhaustion, yet he has managed to live to this day.
Pan Yun thought for a moment, fearing that even if his senior brother were here, he wouldn't be able to save him. So, with a flash of his hand, a chair appeared out of thin air.
The ministers watched as she flew down from mid-air, and although they were surprised to see her transform into a chair, they calmly accepted it.
The Duke of England was calmer than them. He sat down in the chair as she pulled him, and looked at the astonished Chen Huai: "His Majesty was protected by Li Zhen and Fan Zhong and broke through the encirclement. What is the situation in Datong?"
Chen Huai immediately said, "Guo Deng concealed the military situation in Datong. It wasn't until Lord Kuang took over the Datong defense line that he discovered that the Oirat army had already crossed the line and infiltrated the rear. He also promptly intercepted two other infiltrating armies. On August 26th, Esen personally led a large army to attack Datong City, but was repelled on the 29th. We received reports from scouts that the imperial carriage had turned from south to north, then south again, and finally turned northeast towards Xuanfu. Lord Kuang was worried, so he ordered me to lead troops to provide reinforcements. If the imperial carriage doesn't need us, we can take this opportunity to find the Oirat army that has infiltrated the rear..."
Therefore, Chen Huai set out with 30,000 troops, and now only 50,000 reinforcements remain in Datong.
If Kuang Ye hadn't concealed military intelligence like Guo Deng, then he would indeed have been more suitable to guard Dali than Guo Deng.
The Duke of England breathed a sigh of relief and dismissed the surrounding soldiers, leaving only a dozen or so civil and military officials.
Everyone silently surrounded him.
British Justice: "At that time, the imperial entourage was surrounded, and the best way to break out separately from His Majesty was to do so. However, I was always worried. The defense line at Datong had been reinforced, but the central route had made one mistake after another. I don't know what's going on in Xuanfu, Lord Cao..."
Cao Nai immediately stepped forward: "Your Excellency, Duke." (End of Chapter)