NOVEL NEXT Chapter 255
Chapter 255: Preemptive Attack
Juga-yul headed towards Yongning Province with the Jin army and the remaining women of Lee Cheol-soo.
Of course, she wasn’t the only one leaving.
The reigning Honggwangje.
Now merely a puppet preserved in the Imperial Palace, he was also forcefully attending the expedition to Liaodong.
Despite being reduced to a mere figurehead by Juga-yul, the Emperor of the Ming Empire was still the one and only Ten Thousand Victories Emperor, not her.
While she advanced to the front lines, what schemes Honggwangje might weave remained a mystery. Especially if he couldn’t notice that Hyeolgyo was infiltrating the palace, there was a chance they might conspire against the Ming from Beijing.
Thus, Juga-yul forcibly took the Emperor towards Yongning Province.
Upon arrival in Yongning, Juga-yul led an army of two hundred thousand imperial troops and twenty thousand allied forces as they forded the Yoa River at dawn, advancing towards Shenyang, the capital of the Qing Dynasty.
The Ming army consisted of superhumans, each soldier possessing at least mediocre martial skills. They moved in perfect harmony, traversing the muddy and marshy terrain near the Yoa River with remarkable agility.
The Ming officers transmitted orders from the command center in real-time, and the suppression forces moved efficiently and systematically.
Master martial artists from the Jianghu Martial World, along with the Joseon forces, formed a separate detachment within the operation. Perhaps due to the surprise attack at dawn, all advancing Qing outposts were quelled without significant damage.
The flags of the Ming Empire, emblazoned with the character for “Ming” on a yellow background, draped across the Yoha Delta Plain.
But then, standing in the path of the advancing forces was the Qing Dynasty’s Eight Banners Army.
Eight different flags fluttered across the horizon beyond the expansive fields and patches of marsh.
The Eight Banners Army of the Qing had emerged.
Originally established during the unification of Liaodong, the Eight Banners had transformed into a massive military organization, incorporating warriors from Mongolia through the northern conquest.
Amidst them, red like blood fluttered an ominous banner.
Hyeolgyo.
The elite fighters of Hyeolgyo no longer concealed their presence.
Fifteen thousand Qing troops, including Hyeolgyo and the Mongol and Manchurian warriors, now faced off against the Ming Empire’s suppression forces.
The overall commander of the Qing army was the emperor of the Qing Dynasty, Aisin Gioro Yincheng’s younger brother, Aisin Gioro Yinchang.
However, the practical leader was the last true priest of Hyeolgyo, Gi Hwanmajon.
Next to Aisin Gioro Yinchang was a gloomy-looking middle-aged man draped in a blood-red robe, who murmured in a low voice.
“······Juga-yul, you’ve schemed well. To interfere with the supremacy of Hyeolgyo.”
Gi Hwanmajon had served the true priest longer than any of the Four True Masters.
He had wished to witness the era of Hyeolgyo ascend from Changbai Mountain.
But that was not to be.
Juga-yul.
She had launched a surprise preemptive attack on Liaodong, where the true priest resided.
Even Gi Hwanmajon was aware that forces were gathering in Yongning. However, Juga-yul’s actions were far swifter than anticipated, leaving them in a pinch.
“If the true priest had fully resurrected, even those lowly bugs would have been nothing but rabble.”
But the true priest had not yet completely revived.
Hence, they needed to buy time. This was why Gi Hwanmajon had joined Aisin Gioro Yinchang to lead the Eight Banners into battle.
“Gi Hwanmajon. Can you truly bring back Juga-yul’s head, as you promised?”
Aisin Gioro Yinchang, watching the battlefield from horseback, questioned him.
Crown Princess Juga-yul.
The Crown Princess of the Ming Empire and the de facto highest authority.
If they could take her head, the centripetal force of the suppression army would dissolve.
“Of course. I’ll ensure thorough instructions on the use of Bi Hyeol Dan.”
A dry smile crept across Gi Hwanmajon’s lips.
The true priest had whispered.
The next mandate would come from the Jurchens. Three hundred years ago, the true priest had foreseen a future where the Ming Empire would fall, and the Jurchens would conquer the Central Plains. That’s why the true priest and Hyeolgyo had established themselves in Manchuria.
By covertly controlling the Jurchens, they aimed to seize the celestial mandate that would empower them to dominate the Nine Provinces and Eight Monarchs.
Originally, the grand plan was to secretly take control of the Ming Empire first, create chaos within the imperial court and the Jianghu Martial World, and then utilize the turmoil to subjugate the Central Plains with the Jurchens. However, that madwoman, Juga-yul, had disrupted the entire plan by purging all of Hyeolgyo’s influence in the Central Plains.
But still, the grand plan was not yet over. Everything lay in the true priest’s palms.
Gi Hwanmajon thought about it.
“I’ll bring Juga-yul’s head, so count on it. Everything shall return to its rightful order. Your Qing Dynasty will surely seize the celestial mandate in the wake of the fallen Ming Empire. And the true priest will be reborn.”
Upon hearing Gi Hwanmajon, Aisin Gioro Yinchang nodded in agreement.
The celestial mandate.
Indeed. The fate of the rising sun and setting sun, of the Qing Dynasty and Ming Dynasty, of the world itself hinged on this battle.
Victory was essential.
The fifteen thousand troops rallied for this battle were gathered from every corner of Manchuria and the north, forcibly conscripted as a last resort for the Qing’s fate.
The future of the Qing Dynasty lay here. They could not sustain these fifteen thousand troops for a prolonged period.
But they had no choice but to muster an army. Because of Juga-yul. That crazy woman had not only drawn out the full force of the Ming but also received support from surrounding tributary states, summoning an army of two hundred twenty thousand, charging towards Mukden without splitting her forces.
Had Juga-yul divided her armies, she could have utilized her geographic advantage and the mobility of the Eight Banners to launch guerilla warfare and take them down one by one. But she didn’t. Therefore, the assembly of a large force became unavoidable.
So, if they lost this battle, the future of the Qing would vanish.
Conversely, victory would result in the annihilation of the Ming’s main fighting strength, allowing rapid advancement to Shanhaiguan. In that way, the mandate would fall into the hands of the Qing.
They could restore the glory of the ancient Jin and Yuan Dynasties.
A gamble was unfolding that would determine the fates of two empires.
So, they had to win.
Even if it meant uniting with sects like Hyeolgyo, which had controlled the Jurchens in the shadows for three hundred years.
“All troops! Attack! The mandate belongs to our Daicing Qulun, not the Han’s Ming! Warriors of the Eight Banners! Brave souls of Manchuria and the North! Charge forth! Protect Mukden and dedicate victory to His Majesty!”
Dooong! Dooong! Dooong!
With Aisin Gioro Yinchang’s order to attack, the drums sounded like an echoing heartbeat. The Manchu Eight Banners at the forefront consumed the Hyeolgyo’s special drug, Bi Hyeol Dan.
“Uaaaaaaaah!”
“Uoooooohhhhhh!!”
The eyes of the cavalry of the Eight Banners, having ingested Bi Hyeol Dan, turned bloodshot. Their hidden potential exploded as they brandished their blood blades.
Bi Hyeol Dan.
An elixir manufactured by Hyeolgyo through the refinement of human essence. Those who consumed Bi Hyeol Dan, even if they were ordinary people, temporarily transformed into blood demons, achieving the power of peak masters.
However, they were doomed to die after just one use, a fate that was trivial in battle.
Flap!
The three distinct flags of Jeonghwanggi, Yanghwanggi, and Jeonglamgi fluttered. They were the elite of the elite, the Upper Three Banners directly assigned to the Qing Emperor.
Dudududududududu!
The cavalry of the Upper Three Banners, taking on the vanguard, galloped into the battlefield with the thunderous sound of horseback.
All of them rode black steeds, their eyes glowing fiercely, their mouths frothing. They had even drugged their mounts with Bi Hyeol Dan. As the warhorses, charged up, stomped their feet, the earth cracked beneath them.
“Ahhhhhhh!”
Under the influence of Bi Hyeol Dan, the body-swelling cavalry of the Eight Banners swung their lances with fierce force. Opposing them were the cavalry of Junghar, supported by Cheonma.
“Uaaaaagh!”
“Ahh!”
The cavalry forces of Junghar, dominating Xinjiang and the West, collided with the Eight Banners, who controlled Liaodong and the Northern region.
With the clash of cavalry, bodies and screams filled the air. Starting with the preemptive attack of the Eight Banners, large-scale troops tangled and fought across the Yoha Delta Plain.
Colors of diverse sword energy and various martial arts intertwined. Spear and blade clashed everywhere, sending martial energy flying in all directions.
Kwah-kwah-kwang!
With a resounding roar that shook the heavens, the Ming army’s “Bulangi” and “Hong Yi” cannons erupted in flames. Smoke billowed from the muzzles. The shells struck the Qing troops, ripping apart bone and flesh, scattering body parts. No master could withstand the assault of cannonballs.
But that was not all.
Tatang! Tang!
Gunfire rang out from all around the battlefield. The Ming army had developed and supplied their soldiers with the standardized gun, the Zi Mu Gun, which utilized a breech-loading mechanism.
Qing soldiers struck by Ming bullets fell like rotten straw.
The flag of the Joseon army fluttered as their cavalry faced off against the Qing’s Eight Banners. The gunners of Joseon lined up and unleashed their bullets upon the Qing troops. Far-off samurai from Japan wielded their katanas, while ninjas hired through the Edo shogunate hurled shurikens and brandished chain sickles.
Masters from the distant South Vietnam, the South Vietnam Savage Palace, unleashed leopards and elephants upon the battlefield, turning Qing soldiers into minced meat. Meanwhile, masters from the South Vietnam Ou Dong Men sprinkled poison over Qing soldiers, causing spots to engulf their bodies that resulted in instant death.
Masters from the North Sea Ice Palace unleashed ice energy, freezing the surroundings, while Lamas from the Western region wielded great power against the Qing forces.
The Jianghu Alliance, the Nine Great Martial Legends, and the Orthodox sect masters filled the battlefield with their blades. On the other side, the Eight Palaces of Sado and the Sado family, along with the unruly martial artists of the unorthodox sects, brutally slaughtered the Qing troops.
Under the command of Cheonma, the demons of the Demon Sect faced off against the masters of Hyeolgyo.
The six generals of the Ming army, who had reached the stage of transcendence, and the absolute masters of Hwakyung displayed their martial prowess, shaking the front lines.
The Qing army was outnumbered compared to the suppression forces. However, the Qing troops were not crumbling. When soldiers felt their lives threatened, they did not hesitate to consume Bi Hyeol Dan, transforming into blood demons. These blood demons, losing their sanity, took the lives of not just their comrades but even skilled masters.
Within the ranks of the Qing forces, lurked the masters of Hyeolgyo, who killed suppression forces’ masters with bizarre techniques.
The practitioners trained by Gi Hwanmajon chanted eerie incantations, calling down lightning from clear skies, igniting talismans to summon monsters, and casting curses that rotted the flesh from within.
The elite cavalry of the Upper Three Banners were rampaging through the enemy lines as grim reapers. The arrows released by Mongolian archers pierced through Ming soldiers’ bodies and necks.
The masters of Hyeolgyo unleashed blood demons created from the consumption of Bi Hyeol Dan into the battlefield. The frenzied blood demons tore through enemies with wild abandon.
The Hyeolgyo masters stirred chaos throughout the battlefield as their blood energies soared.
It was complete pandemonium.
Among those joining Juga-yul in battle were the women of Lee Cheol-soo.
Ptoo!
A cold beauty with striking golden hair, So Cheonma Baek Cheon-hwa spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva.
Her sword burned with a black aura. The cold green eyes of So Cheonma surveyed the battlefield.
“Die!”
A Qing soldier brandishing a spear lunged at Baek Cheon-hwa. She swung her sword, and the soldier’s head soon soared into the sky. Around her lay the bodies of countless Qing soldiers.
‘Not yet. Not yet…’
It was truly a bloody battle. Her Heavenly Demonic Destruction Technique was nearing completion as she gained real-world experience.
Soon, she felt she would be able to breach Hwakyung’s Wall. Once she reached the stage of transcendence, even Lee Cheol-soo wouldn’t be able to resist her charms.
Baek Cheon-hwa gripped her blood-dripping sword once more.
The So Cheonma of the New Religion advanced, followed closely by the demon practitioners of the New Religion.
But she wasn’t the only woman participating in the battle.
“Seo Sojeo. Aren’t there too many enemies?” “We’ve been surrounded.”
In the midst of the battlefield, a group of girls with swords in hand stood back-to-back.
A mixed-blood girl with striking platinum blonde hair, Seoharin, and the graceful Geombong Seomun Cheong-ha.
They were being surrounded by Qing soldiers and the masters of Hyeolgyo.
“Hand over your neck peacefully.”
A Hyeolgyo master spoke to Seoharin in fluent Central Plains dialect. Seoharin bit her lip and held onto her sword hilt tightly.
She regretted not following the Crown Princess into battle. Her beloved elder brother and the other elder brother had gone far away to eliminate the blood demon, the enemy’s leader. She couldn’t remain safely in the rear.
So she had followed her into battle. But she couldn’t die here. Just as Seoharin was about to gather her energy once more—
“Die!”
“Seo Sojeo! We’ve come!”
From afar, a familiar voice echoed. With it shone silver sword energy that sparkled like moonlight, which clashed against the dark aura of black swords, annihilating the encircling Qing soldiers.
“Gwaahhhhh!”
The Qing soldiers fell as the encirclement weakened, revealing two familiar figures.
A girl with striking black bobbed hair dressed in a dark robe adorned with a black dragon, Heuksaryong Wi Soryeon.
And beside her, a girl with hair mixed with black and silver, So Geom-hu Cheon Sobin.
Having narrowly escaped death together numerous times, Cheon Sobin and Wi Soryeon had raced to rescue Seoharin and Seomun Cheong-ha.
The gazes of the two girls fixed on the Hyeolgyo master.