On the Snowfield less than thirty li from the main peak of Great Snow Mountain.
Zhu Zhanjun tightened his reins. The Wuzhui Horse beneath him snorted, blowing out a cloud of hot white breath.
Three thousand Great Snow Dragon Riders stood silently behind him, arrayed in a massive square formation.
Snowflakes fell on their black armor and melted instantly, only to quickly freeze into a thin layer of ice.
A scout responsible for reconnaissance appeared beside Zhu Zhanjun and dropped to one knee. "Your Highness, Arutai's main force is encircling the area ahead."
"They've split into five camps, supporting one another from the flanks and trapping the main Ming army in the valley."
"Our position faces their right flank from behind. It's also their weakest point."
Zhu Zhanjun said nothing. Before his eyes hung a real-time 3D map that only he could see, glowing with a pale blue light.
This was the battlefield analysis feature built into the "Imperial Army Summoning System."
On the map, the red dots representing the enemy were densely packed, forming a huge circle around the small cluster of dim yellow dots representing the Ming army in the valley.
At the center of those yellow dots, a particularly brilliant golden dot was moving slowly.
[Target: Zhu Di. Vital signs: Weak. Status: Preparing to break through.] [System analysis: Breakthrough direction: due east. Target: Arutai's Golden Tent. Success probability: 0.01%. Expected to encounter the enemy vanguard in half an hour; the entire army will be wiped out within the time it takes an incense stick to burn.]
The system's analysis made Zhu Zhanjun's heart sink.
His dear old grandpa really was a hard man.
Even with his back against the wall, he wasn't thinking about how to escape. He actually wanted to risk his life fighting the enemy commander.
This kind of suicidal attack would serve no purpose beyond showing the Ming army's last scrap of mettle.
"We can't wait any longer."
Zhu Zhanjun drew a deep breath. The irreverence vanished from his eyes, replaced by a frigid killing intent.
His original plan had been to use the cover of night and snow to slip behind the encirclement and launch a deadly strike from a place Arutai would never expect.
But now Zhu Di's "reckless gamble" had completely thrown his plans into disarray.
He had to attack at once, before Zhu Di's forces collided with Arutai's main force, and tear open a gap from behind enemy lines!
"Pass down my orders!"
Zhu Zhanjun's voice rang clear through the snowstorm, reaching every Great Snow Dragon Rider.
"Everyone, switch to Armor-piercing Heavy Arrows!"
"Mo Dao troops, prepare for close combat!"
"Target: the enemy camp straight ahead, on their right flank! Give me... a breach through it within the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"
"Yes!"
The three thousand riders answered as one, without a sound to spare.
Silently, they pulled rows of specially made heavy arrows from the quivers beside their saddles. Several times thicker than ordinary crossbow bolts, the arrows had triangular, spiral-shaped heads. They loaded them into the Shenbi Crossbows in their hands.
"Vmmm—"
The sound of bowstrings drawn taut joined into a single low, powerful hum.
The Commander of a Hundred beside him asked, "Your Highness, are we skipping a long-range volley and charging straight in?"
"There's no time."
Zhu Zhanjun shook his head, staring fixedly at the golden dot on the map as it drew ever closer. "Grandpa's running out of time."
"We have to create the biggest possible disturbance, as fast as we can!"
He slowly raised the Horse Spear in his hand. Its black blade gleamed with a bloodthirsty light beneath the gloomy sky.
"Great Snow Dragon Riders!"
He swept his Horse Spear forward and let out a thunderous roar.
"Charge with me!"
"Thud!"
With a muffled thump, the Wuzhui Horse beneath Zhu Zhanjun was the first to step forward.
"Thud! Thud! Thud!"
Then three thousand steeds and three thousand armored riders began to accelerate as one!
There were no war drums, no horns—only the increasingly swift, increasingly heavy thunder of hooves!
The earth trembled beneath them, and the snowstorm parted before them!
An aura forged from pure slaughter and iron will surged into the sky, ready to freeze the world itself!
Inside Arutai's camp on the right flank.
Tens of thousands of Mongol cavalrymen lounged around the campfires, roasting Dried Meat frozen as hard as stone.
They had been besieging the main Ming army for seven days.
As far as they were concerned, the southerners in the valley were little more than turtles in a jar—grasshoppers they could crush whenever they pleased.
Their khan had said he wanted the Ming troops to die slowly in despair. Only then could they wash away the humiliation of being defeated by Zhu Di time and again.
A Mongol commander of a hundred chewed on some Dried Meat and mumbled, "You hear? Old Zhu Di's about to kick the bucket."
Another soldier snickered in agreement. "About time! In weather like this, even the gods couldn't hold out. Once they're all dead, we can march through the pass and take the southern women and gold!"
Just then, a sentry keeping watch at the edge of the camp came tumbling over, his face etched with terror.
"E-enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
"Enemy attack? Where'd they come from?"
The commander of a hundred rose impatiently and kicked the sentry. "We've got the southerners trapped in the mountains. Where'd any other enemies come from?"
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