dognovel Chapter 2164 The Advantage of the Mo Dao!
Chapter 2164 The Advantage of the Mo Dao!
Chu Ning's words of advice made Guan Yun nod emphatically:
"This subordinate understands! The essence of the Mo Dao lies in being as immovable as a mountain and as swift as thunder. If it does not engage the enemy, all is well; but once it does, the blade will surely strike and the man will die!"
"Exactly that."
Chu Ning nodded in satisfaction: "Go. Tell the soldiers of the Mo Dao Brigade that after this battle, anyone who beheads three enemies will be rewarded with one hundred taels of silver, and anyone who beheads ten enemies will be promoted one rank. If they can capture Guo Ziyi alive—"
His voice suddenly rose: "To be granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!"
Inside the imperial tent, all the generals held their breath.
Marquis of Ten Thousand Households!
In the hundred years since the founding of the Great Chu Dynasty, no more than ten people have received this honor.
His Majesty has gone to great lengths, demonstrating his determination to capture Guo Ziyi!
The flames in Guan Yun's eyes burned even brighter.
He abruptly stood up, turned to face the ten captains of the Mo Dao squad, and his voice boomed like a bell:
"Did the soldiers all hear that?"
"We heard you!" the ten men responded in unison, their voices echoing throughout the camp.
"What are you waiting for?"
Guan Yun narrowed his phoenix eyes, pressed his left hand on the hilt of his sword at his waist, and swung his right hand sharply towards Jianghuai City outside the tent.
"Follow me into Jianghuai City and capture Guo Ziyi alive!"
"Charge into Jianghuai City! Capture Guo Ziyi alive!"
The roar came from the imperial tent and quickly spread to the 20,000 Mo Dao soldiers who had already assembled outside the tent.
These soldiers were all over seven feet tall, with arms as thick as their legs. They carried three-meter-long broadswords and wore double-layered heavy armor. Standing in the night, they looked like a moving iron forest.
Guan Yun mounted his horse—his warhorse was also a specially selected fine steed from the northern frontier, a full head taller than the other warhorses.
He took the longsword handed to him by his personal guard. The handle was made of century-old ironwood, the blade was four feet long and one hand wide, and weighed thirty-six pounds, but in Guan Yun's hands it was as light and agile as an ordinary spear.
"Mo Dao Camp—"
Guan Yun pointed his sword toward the east gate of Jianghuai City, where flames soared into the sky and the sounds of battle could be faintly heard: "Advance!"
"Roar--!"
The 20,000-strong Mo Dao team responded in unison and marched forward.
Their steps were perfectly synchronized, each step causing the ground to tremble slightly, and the rustling of their armor plates blended into a deep and terrifying roar, like the breath of a giant beast.
The army was not moving fast, but its momentum was astonishing.
The various Chu army units along the way made way, casting awe-inspiring glances—the Mo Dao team was the elite of the Chu army, never to be deployed in ordinary battles.
Tonight, His Majesty has deployed this trump card in street fighting, clearly intending to decide the fate of the world in one fell swoop.
Outside the East Gate, Ran Ming's vanguard battalion was still entangled with the Tang army's street fighting forces.
When Guan Yun's Mo Dao team arrived, the bald, blood-soaked general had just pierced the chest of a Tang army captain with a spear.
"Guan Yun!" Ran Ming pulled out his spear, spitting out a mouthful of blood: "You finally came, you son of a bitch!"
Guan Yun rode forward, glanced at the horrific penetrating wound on Ran Ming's left shoulder, and frowned slightly:
"General Ran, your injury..."
"I can't die!"
Ran Ming grinned: "The Tang army has set up three barricades on the first three streets. Archers are hiding in the buildings and shooting arrows from the shadows. My men have charged three times, and more than a thousand have died, but we still haven't made it through."
He paused, staring at the Mo Dao in Guan Yun's hand: "Can your Mo Dao team handle this?"
Guan Yun narrowed his phoenix eyes, offering no reply, but slowly raised his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword), its blade pointing towards the barricade of the first street:
"Mo Dao Battalion—First Strike, advance!"
Five hundred Mo Dao (a type of Chinese swordsman) stepped forward. They formed ten rows of fifty men each, creating a wall of steel, and slowly advanced.
Heavy infantrymen held up their massive shields to provide cover in front, while shield bearers protected the sides.
The Tang troops behind the barricades had clearly never seen such a formation before.
They watched the long swords slowly approaching like a forest, the cold glint of their blades reflecting in the firelight, and the indifferent faces of the towering soldiers...
"Fire the arrows!" the Tang army commander roared, giving the order.
Arrows rained down, but most were blocked by the giant shield.
A few arrows that flew over the shield wall struck the heavy armor of the Mo Dao soldiers, making a clanging sound, but they were difficult to penetrate.
Thirty steps, twenty steps, ten steps...
"Spearmen! Thrust!" Seeing that the arrows were ineffective, the Tang army commander hurriedly called in spearmen.
But it's too late.
Guan Yun, positioned at the rear of the formation, suddenly pointed his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) forward:
"Mo Dao—Slash!"
Five hundred long-handled swords were swung out simultaneously.
That wasn't a slash or a sweep, but a downward strike that carried the force of the whole body.
The blade sliced through the air with a piercing shriek.
The first rank of Tang army spearmen were cut in two, spears and all.
The second row wanted to back up, but the third row was still pushing forward. The barricades were narrow, and there was nowhere to retreat.
"The second strike!"
The long-handled sword was raised and then brought down again.
A wave of blood surged into the sky.
With just two strikes, a painstakingly constructed barricade, along with the three hundred Tang soldiers guarding it, was reduced to pieces.
Ran Ming watched from behind, dumbfounded.
Guan Yun rode forward slowly, blood dripping from the tip of his Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword).
He glanced at the barricades on the second street, his voice remaining calm:
"Mo Dao Battalion - Second Formation, advance."
Under the cover of night, this terrifying army continued its advance deeper into Jianghuai City.
Their target was the inner city, Guo Ziyi, and the final victory in this decisive battle.
When the Mo Dao (陌刀) is drawn, rivers of blood flow.
The street fighting in Jianghuai City will become even more brutal and bloody with the addition of this army.
But it will also come to an end much faster.
Inside the inner city's general's mansion, the candlelight was almost gone.
Guo Ziyi sat on the grand chair, closing his eyes to rest, but the sword that had been with him for thirty years was always held across his knee, never leaving his hand.
The sounds of battle outside the city grew closer and closer; the clashing of weapons, the roars of soldiers, and even the wails of the wounded could be clearly heard.
The east, south, and west gates have all been breached, and now the Chu army is surging into the inner city like a tidal wave.
Hurried footsteps sounded outside the door, this time without even knocking.
"Commander!"
A captain covered in blood stumbled in, his helmet nowhere to be seen, his face blackened by smoke, only his eyes still gleaming with fear.
"Guan Yun... Guan Yun's Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) team has been mobilized!"
Guo Ziyi slowly opened his eyes.
The captain gasped for breath, his voice trembling with fear: "They...they stormed in from the east gate and advanced along the main street."
"This humble general was ordered to set up fortifications on Chang Le Street to block the attack, but... but those Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword) are just too terrifying!"
He stretched out his arm; a smooth cut ran across his armor, deep enough to expose the bone.
"Our armor was like paper in front of that weapon! One slash and it cut us and our armor in half!"
"The brothers fought desperately, but they couldn't even get close! From twenty paces away, a long-handled sword could strike, and our spears couldn't even reach their men..."
The captain's voice choked with emotion: "The three road fortifications were all breached in less than half an hour, and the defending troops... the defending troops were almost all killed or wounded."
"Right now, Guan Yun has led the Mo Dao team into the outer perimeter of the inner city and is advancing towards the commander's mansion!"
The mansion was deathly silent.
All that remained was the crackling of the burning candlelight and the increasingly clear shouts of battle in the distance.