Cultivation Begins with Caring for Sister-in-law-Chapter 480: Breaking the Jin Xia Army

Soon, Tuoba Zhu led the cavalry of the first battalion safely through Shishan.

"General, the Prince and his men have already passed through." A personal soldier came to Tie Muer and reported.

"I think the Prince is overthinking it." The general who suggested the ambush earlier said.

"Perhaps he was spooked by the Chen Army these days." Tie Muer sighed and then said, "But it’s not wrong to be cautious. Let the main army pass."

"Understood."

...

"Their main force has entered." Xia Zhining squatted behind a large stone, clutching the sword at her waist, speaking in a deep voice.

From afar, the cries of men and horses echoed, as imposing as a mountain, the flags blocking the sun, the cold glint of steel—although this Jin Xia Army had suffered successive defeats, their combat strength was still formidable.

The thousands of horses trampled the earth, making it tremble, the sound of hooves like thunder, the clash of weapons rang out as metal collided, dust engulfing the official road.

In the center, a pair of brightly armored spear-wielding warriors patrolled cautiously, surveying their surroundings.

"Shao Jinneng."

"Here I am."

"Once the fighting starts and the front is sealed, after they are ambushed and panic, you will see the enemy retreating. Lead a battalion to attack from the right flank, remember, lead them in and out, but don’t get bogged down in battle." Chen Mo instructed.

"I obey." Shao Jinneng accepted the order and retreated, his chest filled with excitement and courage. The Xiaoqi Guard’s battalion had just a thousand men, yet they were charging against the tens of thousands of Jin Xia troops—what boldness!

"Wei Qing."

"Here I am."

"You will lead a battalion to attack from the left, just like Shao Jinneng, keep a close watch, and make sure nothing goes wrong."

"I obey." Wei Qing then retreated.

"Sun Meng, Xia Zhining."

"Here we are."

"The two of you will lead the remaining soldiers of the Xiaoqi Guard and the Personal Guard Battalion. After Shao Jinneng and Wei Qing attack, amidst the chaos on the enemy’s side, join me in striking at their central force, aiming for a decisive blow."

"Understood."

"Understood."

...

"Whew..."

Watching the Jin Xia Army continuously marching in, stretching over several miles, the Chen Army ambushed at Shishan held their breath.

Earlier, when viewing from outside, Tie Muer really didn’t feel anything amiss.

But upon entering, he found the surroundings unsettlingly quiet.

Though he thought he might be overthinking it, Tie Muer still ordered, "Pass the order, increase the marching pace, and get through here quickly."

As the vanguard delved deeper, the subordinates carrying heavy supplies had just lifted their feet when the soil beneath suddenly collapsed. They screamed in agony as dozens of soldiers fell in, horses and men tumbling over.

This was a trap that Chen Mo had ordered to be dug beforehand. It would only collapse under a certain weight.

The reconnaissance troop that passed earlier consisted only of light cavalry.

"Ah..."

"It’s a trap..."

The sudden appearance of the trap caused panic in the vanguard, stopping them in their tracks. The vanguard halted, leaving the rear and central troops unsure of their actions.

As the cavalrymen still alive in the pit attempted to climb out.

With a "boom," a loud explosion, the cliff wall burst apart with flying debris, and a huge boulder, standing about two zhang high, came crashing down from Shishan.

"Not good..."

The Jin Xia vanguard, hearing the noise, looked up to see a massive dark shadow that sent terror to their soldiers beneath, pupils dilating in fear.

In the next instant, with a "bang," the falling boulder smashed into the trap below, and the Jin Xia soldiers who hadn’t climbed out were likely reduced to pulp.

The boulder also completely blocked the official road.

Neither man nor horse could advance.

The dust raised caused the warhorses to neigh in distress.

"Retreat, retreat quickly, there’s an ambush..."

The vanguard, looking at the boulder blocking their front, shouted in terror.

Yet, just as the words were uttered.

"Whoosh...whoosh..."

Several dozen piercing sounds swept from overhead.

Looking up by the noise, they saw pottery-like objects emitting a strong smell of sulfur.

Amid confusion, the soldiers quickly scattered to dodge.

But soon, these pottery jars fell at their feet or nearby, bursting explosively, sending shards of iron and wood mingled with acrid smoke flying outward.

Horses, pained by injuries, reared loudly, throwing their riders off, and, before dodging, a terrified horse stomped viciously onto a soldier’s belly.

"Boom...boom..."

This commotion occurred not just in the vanguard, but also in the central and rear troops.

After the boulder smashed down, the accompanying pottery bombs launched by the Chen Army from Shishan exploded into the Jin Xia Army below.

Hundreds of explosive jars detonated within the Jin Xia ranks, causing a mix of chaos and horror, making it impossible to escape.

Within moments, disorder reigned.

But this was not all; after tossing the pottery bombs, the Chen Army ambushers on Shishan began hurling stones down.

Shishan, as its name suggests, never lacked stones.

"Ah...dodge..."

"Help, ah, quick...retreat..."

"Strange Thunder, it’s the Chen Army..."

The narrow official road at the foothill of Shishan, flanked by cliff walls, transformed into chaos with people and horses milling in panic, unable to advance or retreat.

Severe trampling incidents erupted.

At this moment, the rumbling of drums and deafening battle cries rose from Shishan, resounding like countless soldiers. With cliffs so high, the terrified soldiers gazed upwards, feeling as if a mighty army approached.

This wasn’t a Chen Army assault command; it was entirely intended to confuse the enemy.

Indeed, upon the ambush and the drum sounds, the Jin Xia Army sank into despair, its courage bottoming out.

In actuality, from the moment the "Strange Thunder" echoed, Tie Muer ordered the rear troops to rotate to the front and retreat. Yet, the thunderous roars and the endless screams prevented his orders from being transmitted.

Watching his soldiers fall into blood-shrouded chaos, Tie Muer felt a deep regret.

They should not have entered.

Simultaneously, he was astounded—where did this Chen Army originate?

"General, retreat now..." A general chopped through an incoming stone, shouting to Tie Muer.

Underneath Shishan, with such imposing cliffs, counterattacks were impossible.

If they didn’t withdraw, they would perish inside.

In the chaotic crush of men and horses, men trampling men, horses trampling men, the remnants of the Jin Xia Army slowly shielded the central forces, retreating backward. 𝙛𝒓𝒆𝙚𝒘𝒆𝓫𝙣𝓸𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝒄𝒐𝓶

The slowness resulted from utter chaos; speed was impossible.

Hefty stones incessantly plummeted from above.

Apart from martial artists, who could barely protect themselves, ordinary soldiers who failed to dodge suffered at least severe head wounds, if not death.

"Release arrows, release arrows..."

Seeing the stones exhausted, Chen Mo roared.

"Whizz, whizz, whizz..."

Countless arrows swiftly shot toward the Jin Xia Army.

"Thud, thud..."