Starting with a Wei Wu soldier

Chapter 243 The King of Chu is beheaded

The flames of Poyang Lake had not yet completely died down, and thick smoke still lingered between the vast expanse of water and sky. The Xingqi Army, advancing by both land and sea, with its iron hooves and warships, had already swept across the vast area east of Poyang Lake and south of the Yangtze River, riding the wave of its great victory. At this point, the battle was no longer a simple confrontation between two armies, but a complete pursuit and annihilation.

The routed Southern Dynasty army, like sheep driven by tigers, completely lost its organization and fighting spirit. After his defeat at Xingzi, Luo Heng rallied less than five thousand remaining troops, fighting and retreating, attempting to hold out in Duchang, hoping to buy time for the Chu King in Jinling. However, he faced the elite cavalry of Dian Xiong, riding high on their victory, and the valiant soldiers under Chen Wei, who had crossed the lake from the north bank of Hukou, their morale soaring.

Duchang City was small with thin walls, and the garrison was already small. Coupled with the panic caused by the influx of fleeing soldiers, they offered almost no real resistance and surrendered the day after the Xingqi Army's vanguard arrived. Luo Heng was unable to enter the city and had no choice but to continue his desperate escape eastward with his last two thousand or so trusted cavalrymen. His destination was another fortress on the south bank of the Yangtze River—Hukou. He hoped to receive help from Jinling there, or at least find a boat to escape into the Yangtze River.

But what he didn't know, or rather, didn't want to believe, was that Jinling was already in dire straits, in a state of panic, and completely unable to send reinforcements. Meanwhile, a light fleet of the Xingqi Army's Jinghai Navy, under the command of Vice Admiral Shen Qing, had sailed eastward from Poyang Lake and was patrolling this section of the Yangtze River, completely blocking north-south transportation.

On the 25th day of the twelfth lunar month, in the afternoon, thirty li west of Pengze, on the riverbank mudflats.

After days of fleeing, both men and horses were exhausted. Luo Heng's remaining troops were scattered, their armor and weapons discarded, their banners askew, and their ranks stretched out in a long, sluggish line, a far cry from the elite force once under the command of the "General Who Guards the South." Many soldiers had secretly slipped away during the escape, either hiding in the mountains or surrendering to their pursuers. At this moment, fewer than eight hundred cavalrymen remained with Luo Heng, and every one of them wore an expression of hunger and fear.

Ahead lay a wide, reed-covered mudflat, connecting to a muddy path leading to the riverside dock. The exhausted warhorse panted heavily, trudging through the mud. Luo Heng, anxious, urged the horse on, knowing the pursuers couldn't be far behind.

Suddenly, a flock of waterbirds, startled from the reeds on the flank, took flight and fluttered toward the gloomy horizon.

Luo Heng's heart tightened, and he abruptly reined in his horse, shouting sharply, "Be on alert!"

Before the words were finished, at the end of the mudflats ahead, a large black banner suddenly rose from behind a low hill, fluttering in the river wind. Beneath the banner, a dark mass of cavalry appeared like ghosts, silent yet exuding a suffocating sense of oppression. Leading the vanguard was a general, nine feet tall, broad-shouldered and thick-waisted, with a rugged face, wielding a thick, bowl-sized iron halberd, and riding an exceptionally swift warhorse—none other than Dian Xiong, the vanguard general of the Xingqi Army!

He actually went around to the front!

"Luo Heng, you brat! Grandpa Dian Xiong has been waiting here for a long time! Why don't you dismount and surrender? What are you waiting for!" Dian Xiong's voice was like a bell, echoing across the open mudflats, making the ears of the defeated Southern Dynasty soldiers buzz.

Luo Heng's face turned deathly pale instantly, and the last shred of hope in his heart vanished completely. He looked around; dust billowed behind him, indicating that pursuers were closing in. With a tiger blocking his path in front and hungry wolves chasing from behind, he was in a desperate situation.

A surge of desperate, violent rage welled up within Luo Heng. His eyes turned bloodshot as he drew his dulled sword and roared, "Brothers! There's no turning back! Fight to the death! Follow me and carve a bloody path! Our target is the riverbank; seize the boat!"

"Kill!" The remaining hundreds of Southern Dynasty cavalrymen, knowing there was no hope of survival, were infected by their commander's madness. They let out desperate howls, mustered their last strength, and launched a desperate charge towards the direction where Dian Xiong blocked their path. Hooves trampled the mud, splashing up filthy water, and the ranks were chaotic and ferocious.

"Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot, they're courting death!" Dian Xiong sneered, swinging his halberd forward. "Trapped Camp, follow me—crush them!"

"Wind! Wind! Wind!"

The Starrise elite cavalry, already poised for battle, roared in unison, their sound like a tidal wave. There were no complex tactics, no fancy formations, just the most direct and violent clash! The torrent of black-armored soldiers crashed head-on into the motley crew of routed troops!

The sounds of clashing metal, neighing horses, cracking bones, and dying screams echoed across the mudflats. It was a massacre with no suspense whatsoever. The Xingqi cavalry, in terms of stamina, equipment, morale, and tactical coordination, were far superior to these exhausted and terrified routs. In the instant of the clash, the Southern Dynasty army's charge was abruptly halted and shattered, then melted away like snow under the blazing sun.

Dian Xiong charged ahead, his halberd flashing, leaving a trail of destruction in his wake, with no one daring to challenge him. His gaze was fixed on the "Luo" banner that had not yet fallen amidst the chaos, and on Luo Heng, who stood beneath it like a mad tiger, hacking and slashing with all his might.

"You thief, don't run!" Dian Xiong roared, urging his warhorse to plow through the chaotic enemy ranks like a heavy chariot, heading straight for Luo Heng.

Luo Heng also saw this killing god charging towards him, knowing that he could not escape today. His ferocity was fully unleashed. Instead of retreating, he advanced, brandishing his sword to meet him: "Dian Xiong! Prepare to die!"

"when!"

The blades clashed, unleashing a deafening roar. Luo Heng's arms trembled violently, his tiger's mouth split open, and his sword nearly slipped from his grasp. Already exhausted, how could he possibly withstand Dian Xiong's long-awaited, all-out attack?

Dian Xiong pressed his advantage relentlessly, swinging his halberd to deflect Luo Heng's blade, then sweeping the halberd blade horizontally with lightning speed!

Luo Heng barely managed to turn to the side, the halberd blade grazing his breastplate, sending sparks flying and a screeching sound through him. It left a deep dent in his heavy, luminous armor. The force penetrated his body, making his internal organs feel as if they had shifted. He felt a sweet taste in his throat and spat out a mouthful of blood.

"Die!" Dian Xiong gave his opponent no chance to breathe. He retracted his halberd and then thrust it straight at Luo Heng with even greater force, like a poisonous dragon emerging from its cave!

This strike embodied the unparalleled strength and unwavering determination of Dian Xiong, honed through countless battles. Luo Heng had no way to dodge or parry, and could only watch helplessly as the cold blade of the halberd rapidly magnified in his pupils.

"Pfft!"

The sharp halberd blade pierced through the already damaged Mingguang armor without any hindrance, penetrating deep into Luo Heng's chest and emerging from his back, bringing with it a spray of blood mixed with fragments of internal organs!

Luo Heng's body stiffened abruptly, and the sword in his hand clattered to the ground. He lowered his head, staring in disbelief at the blood-stained halberd shaft in his chest, then struggled to raise his head again, staring intently at Dian Xiong's murderous face. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, only large gushes of blood gushed out.

With a twist of his wrist, Dian Xiong drew his halberd out.

Luo Heng's burly body swayed, as if all his bones had been removed, and he crashed to the ground, falling heavily into the cold mud, stirring up a cloud of filth. Blood quickly stained the mud beneath him, and his wide-open eyes, staring at the gloomy sky, gradually lost their luster.

The last valiant general of the Southern Dynasties who was still capable of commanding troops in open battle, and the right-hand man of Prince Xiao Jingyan of Chu, died on the banks of the Pengze River.

With their commander killed, the already collapsing Southern Dynasty remnants completely lost their will to resist, throwing down their weapons and kneeling to surrender. The battle on the mudflats quickly subsided.

Dian Xiong rode his horse to Luo Heng's corpse, used the tip of his halberd to knock away the tattered "Luo" banner, and then ordered his personal guards: "Sever his head and properly collect the body. Although this man was an enemy general, he was still a tough guy. Leave him a whole body and report to the king for a decision."

"promise!"

Dianxiong wiped the blood splattered on his face and looked eastward. There, beyond this mudflat, lay the mighty Yangtze River. On the other side of the river, the prosperous and ancient capital seemed almost within reach.

"Luo Heng has been beheaded; the remaining rebels at Poyang Lake have been wiped out." Dian Xiong said solemnly to his arriving deputy general, "Quickly relay the victory report to the King and Commander Chen. Reorganize the troops, replenish supplies, and await further orders!"

"Yes, General!"

The land-based pillar that had sustained King Xiao Jingyan of Chu during the decisive battle at Poyang Lake had now been completely destroyed. Jinling had become an isolated city, stripped of all its outer defenses and exposed to the onslaught of the Xingqi army. Xiao Jingyan's fate seemed to have been quietly sealed at that moment.