Fearing being killed for his overwhelming merits, the empress decided to marry him.

"General, our eastern outpost has been attacked by the enemy, and our men have suffered heavy casualties!"

"General, something terrible has happened! Two strongholds in the north have been attacked by the enemy. The fortresses have been destroyed, and General Quan Xiancheng is buried under the fortress. His fate is unknown."

"General, the warhorse has been startled and is running amok, trampling countless soldiers!"

Inside the command post, Fu Heng, with dust constantly falling from his head due to the roar of artillery fire, listened to the bad news coming from various strongholds and finally understood the Chu army's intentions.

"Damn it, how can the Chu army's firearms shoot this far?"

He brushed the dust off his head and leaned out the window to look into the distance.

In the darkness, clusters of light could be seen shooting in from the direction of Coal Hill.

"Coal Hill is at least seven or eight miles away from Purple Mountain. How could their firearms hit that far?"

Fu Heng was utterly shocked.

He was filled with regret. He had planned everything, but he hadn't anticipated that the Chu army's firearms would be so formidable, resulting in a complete one-sided crushing defeat.

Now, he finally believed that the battle reports from those places, which said that the Chu army's firearms were sharp, were absolutely true.

If he hadn't experienced it firsthand, he really wouldn't have believed that all of this, so dreamlike and unbelievable, was actually happening.

"General!"

Suddenly, a military officer, his face blackened by gunpowder smoke, ran into the command post crying.

"General Baijiang and General Aorui were hit by firearms and died on the spot. I searched desperately, but only found their buttocks. I just can't tell whose buttocks they are..."

Fu Heng's mind went completely blank.

Baijiang and Aorui were first-rate cultivators and seasoned vanguard generals.

Now, they've disappeared without even showing the formidable strength they were supposed to have?

The general continued to lament, "General, please go and see! The strongholds are in complete chaos. Soldiers are either dead or have fled, and even the warhorses are terrified and won't obey orders."

Fu Heng clenched his fist tightly: "Pass on my order, the entire army must immediately organize a counterattack and break out of Zijin Mountain at once!"

The situation was beyond saving, and Fu Heng had no choice but to issue this almost impossible task.

We must ensure that at least one person escapes; we cannot allow this main force to perish here. We must at least leave some seeds for the survival of the Wu Zhao Kingdom.

However, in the Wu Zhao camp, which was already in complete chaos, how easy was it to get the message to officers at all levels?

The Chu army's artillery fire continued to roar wildly, reaping the lives of officers and soldiers of all ranks in the Zijin Mountain garrison.

Right now, this elite force of the dynasty, which once fought for Li Hong in the north and south and made great contributions, is like a lamb to the slaughter, living in constant fear.

Stepping out of the command post, the scene before him made Fu Heng's heart sink to the bottom.

Shouts and roars filled the air, along with the thunderous roar of iron hooves. Flames covered the entire Purple Mountain, as if they were about to burn everything to ashes.

"Retreat, retreat quickly!"

"Fu Long! Where are you? Show yourself to this general!"

"I order you to immediately lead the elite troops to withdraw from Zijin Mountain."

In the chaos of the battlefield, even with his extraordinary abilities, Fu Heng was unable to organize the disorganized army to launch a counterattack.

Fortunately, Mingrui, Huli Guang, and Lou Shide's combined forces of over ten thousand men managed to retain a significant number of troops despite the Chu army's artillery barrage.

"Don't hesitate, retreat immediately."

boom--

Another cannon shot rang out, and the high-explosive shell exploded three hundred meters in front of Fu Heng.

By the light of the fire, he witnessed pieces of limbs flying through the air before quietly landing on the ground.

Fu Heng closed his eyes in pain.

This battle was truly the most humiliating one ever.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately and head towards Qingcheng."

Now, Fu Heng had no time to worry about anything else. With the idea of ​​minimizing casualties, he quickly led his troops to retreat outside Zijin Mountain.

Just then, the Chu army's artillery fire suddenly ceased.

Lu Meng, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately patted his ear canals, which were ringing from the vibrations, and decisively pointed.

"All troops, listen to my command: fix bayonets!"

The next moment, six thousand bayonets were simultaneously attached to the gun barrels, and another thousand soldiers, armed with light machine guns or submachine guns, had a resolute expression on their faces.

"Guards, attack!"

"Drink~"

After a series of unified shouts, seven thousand Chu soldiers decisively stepped into the heart of Zijin Mountain and launched a new offensive against the already routed Wuying outer vassal troops.

Da da da--

dong dong dong-

The sounds of machine guns and submachine guns firing rose and fell, cutting off and surrounding the scattered and disorganized soldiers of the military camp, annihilating them one by one.

"You traitor Chu, take this!"

Suddenly, a valiant soldier from the military camp, wielding a flail, roared and blocked the path of a group of Chu soldiers.

He swung his fiery rat tail, repeatedly brandishing the flail in his hand, striking a pose as if he were about to fight to the death, and began to dance on the spot.

Bang~

Unable to bear it any longer, a soldier raised his hand and fired a shot, hitting him squarely between the eyebrows and killing him instantly.

"Tch, what era are we living in? Still performing shamanistic rituals? They're really courting death."

As the soldier stepped over his body, he spat at him.

As the Chu army continued its advance, its victories grew ever larger.

Fu Heng's main forces were blocked by the chaotic rout during their retreat.

In order to escape, Fu Heng had no choice but to order his men to kill their own comrades and use their blood to clear a path for him.

Even so, the narrow road still prevented the accompanying cavalry from passing through in large numbers.

Left with no other choice, Fuheng reluctantly ordered his men to abandon their horses and proceed.

The soldiers of the military camp, having lost their horses, remained inefficient in their operations, and the constant gunfire from all sides further agitated their nerves.

"Halt! Disarm and you will be spared!"

Just then, a group of Chu soldiers arrived, led by Jiang Qin.

Fu Heng glanced back and his heart leaped into his throat.

"General, you must go quickly! I'll cover your retreat!"

Just then, Mingrui stepped forward and led three hundred elite soldiers to block Fu Heng's path.

"Mingrui!"

"General, hurry! Go back and tell the Emperor that Mingrui has given his life for the Wu Zhao Kingdom today! Go now!"

Mingrui was determined to die, his face full of resolve.

"Take care of yourself!"

Fu Heng, despite the pain, patted Mingrui on the shoulder and immediately led the remaining troops to retreat swiftly towards the outside of Zijin Mountain.

Upon seeing this, Jiang Qin immediately shouted in a cold voice, "Trying to leave? Not so easy! Fire!"

bang bang bang-

The moment the gun fired, more than a dozen soldiers from the military camp fell to the ground.

Mingrui roared, "Warriors of Wuzhao Kingdom, the time has come to serve our country! Let us fight these Chu barbarians!"

"Fight!"

Three hundred soldiers shouted in unison, brandishing their weapons and charging into the hail of bullets from the Chu army.

"Grenade!"

Jiang Qin coldly issued the battle orders.

The next moment, 120 grenades were simultaneously thrown at Mingrui's troops.

Boom boom boom——

The grenade exploded in an instant, covering the entire wave of three hundred people in the blink of an eye.

"shooting--"

bang bang bang-

Then another burst of gunfire followed, and then everything returned to calm.

The three hundred elite soldiers were wiped out in less than five minutes by the firepower of a company of Chu troops.

Mingrui was shot multiple times and had already fallen on the road ahead, his eyes never closing until his death.

"Keep chasing!"

After dealing with this group of soldiers, Jiang Qin continued to coldly issue orders to encircle and annihilate the enemy once again.

At this moment, looking out from Coal Hill, the entire Purple Mountain was shrouded in flames, casting a reddish glow on the sky.