Chapter 711
Chapter 711
"Kill them! Kill them all!"
Ying Qi and Nan Po charged into the cavalry led by the Crown Prince of Chu, and in an instant, they were swallowed by the enemy ranks. Ying Qi swung his greatsword, frantically cutting down his foes, but his warhorse was soon stabbed and killed. Dismounted, Ying Qi fought on foot, facing the enemy army with only Nan Po by his side.
His martial prowess was truly astonishing. In a very short time, the bodies of countless Chu soldiers piled up around him. The enemies killed by Ying Qi were dismembered beyond recognition, while those slain by Nan Po had their bodies crushed. But in terms of sheer numbers, Ying Qi had slaughtered far more of the enemy. The Crown Prince of Chu's cavalry relentlessly swarmed him. In moments, Ying Qi was so drenched in enemy blood that his own skin was no longer visible, making him look like a reaper from hell.
The Crown Prince of Chu watched this spectacle, utterly stunned.
*I never knew Ying Qi was this formidable.*
Countless eyes were on the Crown Prince, who had two thousand elite cavalrymen at his side, while Ying Qi had only Nan Po. If he didn't charge at Ying Qi in this situation, what right would he have to inherit the throne of Chu?
"Kill Ying Qi and avenge my father, the King!"
The Crown Prince of Chu, leading Duo Dai and Duo Yi, charged madly toward Ying Qi. His royal father had been treacherously assassinated by the enemy; as the crown prince, he had to personally avenge him. Only then could he legitimately inherit the throne. The moment the prince shouted, the blood of the surrounding Chu cavalry boiled, and they were struck by His Highness's bravery.
*Though the King has fallen, Chu has a worthy successor!*
In the blink of an eye, the Crown Prince of Chu charged right up to Ying Qi, and a five-way battle erupted. It was Duo Dai and Duo Yi against Nan Po, and the Crown Prince of Chu against Ying Qi. Although the Crown Prince was valiant, his martial skill was slightly inferior to Ying Qi's, and he was gradually forced onto the defensive. Seeing this, an expert by the prince's side quickly moved to protect him. The Crown Prince only needed to show that he didn't fear death; there was no need for him to duel Ying Qi one-on-one. Now, it was Ying Qi who found himself in a desperate struggle. He was surrounded by a dozen experts, all alone.
"Die, die!"
He killed until his eyes were bloodshot.
*Thwack!*
A sword struck him in the back.
"Agh!"
Without looking back, Ying Qi cut down the enemy behind him. The Chu expert who had attacked him was brutally sliced in two, along with his horse. At that moment, Ying Qi's mind was filled with nothing but battle and death, and an endless wave of resentment washed over him. Just as the Crown Prince looked down on Ning Yuanxian, Ying Qi, too, could not bring himself to think highly of him. But Ying Qi's feelings toward Ning Yuanxian were far more complex.
He was irked by Ning Yuanxian's flashy and extravagant nature, but he genuinely admired his willingness to take risks at critical moments. Moreover, though Ning Yuanxian was cold and harsh to many, his affection for Ying Yi and Ying Qi was real. All else aside, Ying Qi believed he was more suited to be a monarch than his father, Ning Yuanxian, and he wondered why his father had not chosen him.
*Before, Ying Yi was already the crown prince and had the Zhu Clan's support. But even after Ying Yi was finished, why did Father choose Ying Zheng over me? What did I do wrong? Was it because I made secret pacts with the Hidden Yuan Society, the Zhu Clan, and the Great Yan Dynasty? But all of that was to save the State of Yue. Does my father think I sold out our country?*
*But without those compromises, Yue would have been destroyed. I do not fear death. As long as the State of Yue is preserved, the territory we lose today can be reclaimed in the future. What did I do wrong? Do I have to be like Ying Zheng, charging to my death in a fit of passion to be considered brave? I have that same courage. I, Ying Qi, have it too!*
In that instant, another sword struck his back.
"Uwaaah!"
Roaring like a beast, he lunged at his attacker. The Chu expert was knocked to the ground, horse and all, by Ying Qi's charge.
*Stab!*
Ying Qi thrust his sword without hesitation, impaling the man and his warhorse in a single blow. More than half of the dozen Chu experts surrounding him had now been slain.
"Die, die!"
Seemingly on the verge of madness, Ying Qi charged at the Crown Prince of Chu again. The hundred cavalrymen by the prince's side felt a flicker of fear at the murderous aura radiating from him. Seeing this, the Crown Prince of Chu bravely charged forward once more to clash with Ying Qi. It was a critical moment; he could not show the slightest hint of fear. As expected, the prince's valor once again stirred the blood of the warriors around him, and they surged forward to surround Ying Qi.
"Your Highness, the Third Prince, I can't hold on! I cannot defeat these two; I'll be killed soon!"
Nan Po, fighting nearby, shouted. Duo Dai and Duo Yi were remnants of Jiang Li's faction, possessed a unique bloodline, and were twin brothers. Though a bit dim-witted, their combination on the battlefield was flawless. Even Big Dummy had initially been at a disadvantage against them, so it was no surprise that Nan Po couldn't win either. He had already been struck several times by the brothers' iron maces, sending crimson blood spraying everywhere.
"Your Highness, the Third Prince, I'm about to die! I can no longer protect you!"
Hearing Nan Po's cry, Ying Qi roared back.
"Then let's die together! Let's die together!"
"Then you shall die."
A cold voice rang out as Li Xuanqi, a Grandmaster of Chu and the Crown Prince's tutor, joined the fray. Sword in hand, he lunged at Ying Qi, intending to aid the Crown Prince. His plan was to first neutralize Ying Qi's martial abilities, allowing the Crown Prince to deliver the final blow himself. This would secure Chu's victory in the war and perfectly establish the Crown Prince's authority. Seeing him charge, Third Prince Ying Qi's eyes wavered.
*A Grandmaster-level expert has arrived. Can I retreat? No, it's gone too far. It doesn't matter if I retreat or not. Father, if I die here in battle, will you feel even a hint of regret?*
With another shout, Ying Qi raised his sword and charged at the Grandmaster of Chu, Li Xuanqi. This time, it was clearly a suicidal charge. But he did not die. A shadow suddenly shot in front of him with the speed of a galloping horse, intercepting Li Xuanqi's fatal strike.
"Master Li Xuanqi, it's a pleasure to meet you!"
It was Xue Che, the Marquis of Wu'an of Yue, the last major figure on Shen Lang's list of enemies. He had stormed the battlefield, leading several hundred experts from the South Sea Sword Sect. Xue Che's martial skill was, as expected, unfathomable. Despite his scholarly appearance, he followed a path of unyielding and ferocious martial arts, fighting the Grandmaster of Chu, Li Xuanqi, to a standstill.
"Your Highness, the Third Prince, we've come to help!"
With a short cry, another fierce general of Yue, Zhang Suo, arrived on the scene. He too was a man of peerless valor. Previously, on the battlefield of the Southern Barbarian Tribes, when Yue's army of two hundred thousand was on the verge of collapse against the barbarian forces, Zhang Suo had led a cavalry charge at a critical moment, turning the tide of the battle. Although this man lacked political savvy and had never been promoted, he was the most ferocious general on the battlefield.
Just moments before, Ying Qi had been so focused on his grand performance of shooting the King of Chu that he had charged in with only Nan Po, leaving the subsequent cavalry battle entirely to Zhang Suo. The ten thousand Yue cavalry had fought against Chu's thirteen thousand, and in the end, the Yue forces led by Zhang Suo had emerged victorious. Immediately after, Zhang Suo took the two or three thousand cavalrymen from the rearguard and charged toward Ying Qi, plunging the battlefield into a tense standoff once again.
Chu's central army was originally tasked with protecting the King of Chu, but now that the king was dead, there was no need for them to hold their position. The remaining ten thousand men charged forward valiantly, though they were all infantry.
The battle did not end with the King of Chu's death; instead, it grew even more intense. This was because the two young leaders, the Crown Prince of Chu and Ying Qi, had shown such remarkable resolve that neither army had broken.
Over there, the siege was still raging, with Zhong Yao leading the Zhong Clan's army in a frenzied fight against the enemy. Over here, Ying Qi and the Crown Prince of Chu were engaged in an even more brutal and fierce clash. Of the three thousand cavalrymen who had been with the King of Chu, only about a thousand remained, but ten thousand infantry from the rear had rushed to support them. In comparison, Ying Qi had only about three thousand men at his side, and with them, he had to face sixteen thousand Chu soldiers. Moreover, on such a complex and deadlocked battlefield, the cavalry could not execute a powerful charge; their only advantage was fighting from a higher position.
After the initial tense entanglement, Ying Qi's forces were quickly put at a disadvantage, and the battlefield became even more complicated. Nan Po was at an absolute disadvantage against Duo Dai and Duo Yi, while Xue Che was evenly matched with the Grandmaster of Chu, Li Xuanqi. Ying Qi, leading several hundred experts from the South Sea Sword Sect, held the upper hand in his clash against the Crown Prince of Chu's personal guard. However, on the broader battlefield, Zhang Suo's three thousand cavalry were at a disadvantage against Chu's army of over ten thousand. Surrounding and being surrounded, advantages and disadvantages shifted in an instant across multiple fronts.
Ying Qi knew that if he couldn't break this stalemate, defeat was certain. Once Zhang Suo's cavalry was wiped out, his own defeat would be inevitable. To turn the tide, he had to gain an advantage in the smaller skirmishes—in other words, there was only one way: capture the Crown Prince of Chu. Ying Qi closed his eyes for a moment, praying to his ancestors for aid. After just half a second, his eyes snapped open. Once again transformed into a beast of the battlefield, he charged madly toward the Crown Prince of Chu, and the disciples of the South Sea Sword Sect followed him.
The Crown Prince of Chu was terrified by the sight. He had an army of over ten thousand, giving him an absolute overall advantage, but in this immediate skirmish, they were at a disadvantage.
*What should I do? Run? No, I can't run!*
Ying Qi hadn't fled even when he was surrounded all by himself. How could he run now, with a thousand cavalrymen behind him? If the Crown Prince fled, the current standoff would collapse. What would be left of his honor and authority? And so, the Crown Prince of Chu once again led his thousand personal guards in an incredibly brave charge toward Ying Qi.
Ying Qi and his several hundred men clashed with the Crown Prince's force of a thousand. For a moment, it seemed as if they were the only two people on the battlefield. The Crown Prince of Chu had always been suppressed by the king, so despite his noble status, he lacked authority. He had suppressed himself for twenty years, all for the sake of proving himself to Chu. It was the same for Ying Qi. Before, he had been suppressed by Ying Yi, and now, Ying Zheng was his rival. His secret pact with the Great Yan Dynasty had branded him with the stigma of a traitor who sold out his country.
*I didn't want to do it either!*