Chapter 10, Hundred Refinements (Three)

This lunatic has gone mad once, and has surprisingly become so cruel

The sky shattered and the earth split apart. Hu Li Mi witnessed several soldiers collapsing not far from him, their bodies torn open with countless wounds. He pushed his loyal guard who was shielding him, intending to promise a reward, only to find his hand covered in blood. The loyal warrior had already been killed by the blast, sacrificing his body to protect him.

"Kill the Tartars!" shouted the soldiers of the Broken Army as they charged into the mountain stronghold to engage the enemy in hand-to-hand combat. Crossbows were withdrawn from the battlefield, and steel blades took center stage. More than 400 Song soldiers armed with willow-leaf sabers formed into groups of three, fearlessly lunging at the much taller cavalry of the Red Army.

The enemy descended from Baizhang Ridge, with their main attack direction aimed at the south of Taiping Stockade. The Khitan and Dangxiang soldiers, known for their skilled archery, crouched behind the parapets of the stockade, unable to lift their heads under the relentless rain of arrows

More than a hundred cavalrymen finally formed their ranks in front of the gate. Beside the broken gate, there were corpses of soldiers who had been killed by explosions and gunfire scattered everywhere. The enemy seemed to have made up their mind about Hu Li Mi, only shooting arrows and throwing fire meteors, without launching an assault on the city.

Brothers, follow me to slay the Tartars and avenge our fellow villagers!" A shout rang out in the air as the first deputy commander Zhang Tang led his fourth battalion into the stockade. With a swing of his steel knife, he cleaved a scout from the Red Army in half, along with his weapon.

Wen Tianxiang, there is no need to panic; even a scholar can lead troops. Hu Li Mi disdainfully donned his armor and calmly locked the door to the secret cabinet. If it were the notorious Chen Diao Yan or the She soldiers under the command of Madam Xu, the situation at the Taiping Silver Field would undoubtedly be critical. However, if it were Song soldiers, there is no need to fear their numbers. Wen Tianxiang's troops had just been defeated by Li Heng less than three months ago and had not yet recovered their morale. Moreover, the Taiping Silver Field is only sixty li away from Junshan, Nanfeng, and Guangchang, and reinforcements could arrive in an instant. Unable to win, they could simply close the gates of the stronghold; the tall walls would be sufficient for the over a thousand soldiers inside to hold out for a day. After a day, Wen Tianxiang would naturally fear being attacked from both sides and would withdraw his troops.

"Yes, it is the Song army, fighting under the banner of Wen Tianxiang." The centurion, who had just been slapped, said with grievance that he had borrowed the light of the fire just moments ago, risking his life to see who the opponent was, only to find that the information he had exchanged his life for received not a shred of appreciation from the commander

A very young Song person, accompanied by over a hundred soldiers with maps and books, quietly stood guard at the back gate of the mountain stronghold. The door remained shut, and without torches, they could not see the presence of the other party. However, at this moment, the warhorse beneath him was retreating repeatedly under the pressure of the opposing force, and his loyal and brave soldiers, under the threat of the gleaming crossbows, were uncertain whether to advance or retreat.

Daylight broke, and two newly attached troops, having traveled through the mountains all night, arrived at the Taiping Silver Field. They beheld the scattered rubble, with unextinguished fires emitting blue smoke from the debris. Over a thousand corpses of the reconnaissance troops lay scattered in the silver field, their wide-open eyes narrating the terror of the previous night

"Kill them, leave no survivors," Du Hu coldly waved his hand, and the Song army behind him pulled the trigger, causing the last few scouts of the Red Army to fall.

Boom, another thunderous explosion shattered the beautiful dreams of the soldiers in the tiger's den. Within the mountain walls, the valiant troops of Xia and Liao were howling like ghosts and wolves. The sounds of curses, moans, and fearful cries were expressed in various languages, spreading a chaotic wave of terror among the soldiers

Such a powerful crossbow; the last remnants of the enemy's contempt were shattered by this shot. Steady, precise, and ruthless, it even pierced through the battlements to strike a soldier inside. Zhebie's archery skills are nothing compared to this.

Some could no longer endure the pressure under the enemy's arrows, dismounted, and knelt on the ground. A few trusted aides of the Tiger Li faction looked at each other, sighed, dismounted, and handed over their weapons and warhorses to the Song army. With the commander dead, continuing to resist had already lost its significance

Only one match, and the tiger is bewitched. The scout of the Red Army, who fled with him, shrank back, as if the smiling Du Hu standing opposite them were a demon

"Ah!" The female slave lying on the bed cried out hoarsely, her voice shaking the windows with a buzzing sound. Huli Mi jumped up, raised his hand, and slapped both the female slave and the centurion. "What are you panicking about? Does Song's army dare to attack us? Let him have the audacity. Tell me, are they remnants of Chen Diao Yan's forces or the defeated soldiers under Madam Xu?"

"Mount up, mount up, charge out and cut down the stone cannons" Hu Limi shouted, enforcing military discipline with a curved saber. After cutting down several disordered soldiers, the morale of the Red Army cavalry was slightly boosted as they chaotically rushed towards the stables, forcefully calming the frightened and restless warhorses and leading them out. Hu Limi's judgment was correct; given the current situation, Taiping Stronghold would certainly not hold out until reinforcements arrived. Rather than huddling in the cramped stronghold and mine waiting for death, it was better to charge out and use the advantage of cavalry to disperse the enemy. Hu Limi's judgment was correct; given the current situation, Taiping Stronghold would certainly not hold out until reinforcements arrived. Rather than huddling in the cramped stronghold and mine waiting for death, it was better to charge out and use the advantage of cavalry to disperse the enemy

Wen Tianxiang mounted the warhorse he had seized, watching as the last miner disappeared beyond the ridge to the west. With a flick of the reins, he led the soldiers of the Song Dynasty into the enveloping darkness of the night

"May God bless Huli Mi" The scout of the Red Army, Huli Mi, murmured a low prayer and closed the bedroom door. He walked to the hidden compartment by the wall and, with a hand still warm from a woman's touch, turned the secret door open

"Zhi-ya" is a sound unique to the catapult, and the battle-hardened Huli Mi are particularly sensitive to it. As the Mongolian army advanced southward, this weapon destroyed countless famous cities. Before he could react, several meteors with sparks fell from the sky, and a bodyguard with slightly more combat experience rushed over, firmly shielding Huli Mi beneath his body.

The opposing general smiled faintly, took a step forward, gathered momentum, accelerated, and charged towards the warhorse like a shooting star. In the blink of an eye, the two crossed paths. Song general Du Hu leaped down gracefully, his sword held horizontally with a cold smile. Meanwhile, the centurion Hu Li Mi, after galloping over twenty paces on horseback, swayed and fell to the ground with a thud. Two Song soldiers ran over to hold the warhorse, standing behind Du Hu with cheerful smiles.

Hu Limi, accompanied by several trusted aides, retreated while fighting. Although the front camp had fallen, he could still escape through the back door. Women could be taken again, and money could be gathered anew; after all, the Song Dynasty had plenty of slaves to capture for mining. The only thing that must not be lost is life, as it is the capital for doing business

A great fire blazed in the Taiping Silver Mine, as miners and silversmiths, burdened with their belongings, hurried along the mountain path towards their respective hometowns. No one looked back with nostalgia, and no one lamented the silver mine. They were enslaved individuals who had been seized; regardless of how much treasure their masters possessed, it had nothing to do with them.

"Be careful, the Tartars are coming!" Near the mine, among the confined miners and silversmiths, someone shouted at the top of their lungs. Huli Mi made a gesture with his mouth, and several soldiers, fierce as wolves and tigers, charged towards the miners' shanty, causing a wave of screams.

Hundreds of silver ingots emitted a mesmerizing light, dazzling the eyes of the Hu Li Mi. Silver and women were his greatest loves. The Mongols were powerful yet rough, while the Song people were meticulous yet cowardly. In the land of Jiangnan, there were abundant opportunities for Hu Li Mi, a man of great appetite, to amass wealth.

The clash of steel blades between the Song soldiers and the Xixia soldiers produced a few sparks. Before the Dangxiang soldier could strike a second blow, another soldier's steel blade slashed diagonally across his abdomen. The double-layered leather armor, along with his intestines, was cut open in one stroke, and the Dangxiang soldier fell backward, facing the sky, never comprehending how such a narrow willow-leaf blade could possess such great power.

Renovating the residence, purchasing female slaves, managing superiors, sending trusted clan members to follow the Mongolian army to acquire spoils of war, profiting from the conflict, Huli Mi calculated, watching a road paved with silver gleaming before him... With money, one could also procure large ships to go on a pilgrimage to Mecca, and even venture to the South Seas to purchase spices

The tiger-like figure, realizing that he could not escape disaster today, let out a fierce roar and thrust his weapon into the horse's belly with force. The Turkic horse, unable to withstand the pain, let out a roar and charged towards the enemy general with him. Tall and large, the tiger-like figure aimed to leverage the horse's advantage to break through the encirclement.

The appearance of the two newly formed auxiliary troops was quite disheveled. After hearing the thunderous sounds from the Taiping Silver Market, they had made every effort to rush to the rescue. However, the journey was fraught with difficulties. It seemed as if evil spirits were lurking in the mountains and forests, taking the lives of soldiers when they least expected it. The most tragic incident occurred on a stretch of dirt road, where traps set for hunting beasts, bamboo stakes used for wolf hunting, and bamboo spikes for wild boar hunting left the soldiers in a state of panic.

The explosion illuminated the dark with its fiery glow, revealing the panicked eyes of the Red Army archers in the shadows. The soldiers of the Song Dynasty smiled faintly and fell to the ground. Blood flowed onto the fertile land that had nurtured them, gushing like a river

In the dark of night, the sound of the catapult was chilling. The terrified soldiers shouted in panic, searching for places to hide. In previous battles, the Song people had matchlocks, and the Mongols had fire oil eggs, but those only struck a single point, unlike the meteor of fire tonight, which exploded over a wide area.

Seeing the strange wounds on the vassals of those Mongolians, the newly appointed commander of the auxiliary army, Wu Zhong, suddenly shivered. He gazed at the vast Wuyi Mountains, reflecting on the endless disturbances encountered during the night march. The sweat on his back grew cooler and cooler.

In the blood-soaked ground, someone condemned Du Hu's cruelty. No one questioned why, as people from the Western Regions and Mongolians, they would fall on the land of the Song Dynasty

The soldier of the Great Song, after the breach, was struck by several arrows, bending his knee and kneeling down, yet he struggled to remain standing. With all his strength, he hurled a lit black ball towards the direction of the enemy archers.

The senior figure Pu Shou-geng has set an example by selling Quanzhou, exchanging over 3,000 heads of the Zhao clan for a political position in the Jiangnan West Road and the agency rights for maritime trade in the Yuan Dynasty. As a fellow Arab, Hu Li-mi cannot afford to lag behind his compatriots. Having finally acquired the management rights of the Taiping Silver Market through financial means, he intends to maximize the effectiveness of his power.

The Mongols are foolish, with fourteen thousand taels of silver, they only report half to them, and the rest, heh heh. Huli Mi is calculating in his mind, his face flushed with the silver's glow. Jiangnan is prosperous, although it has been ravaged by the Mongol cavalry, the remaining areas are still more beautiful than the other countries Huli Mi has traversed. He is a great food merchant who traveled thousands of miles by sea to make a fortune in the Song Dynasty, and unexpectedly, just after disembarking, he encounters the best opportunity to get rich: war. The Mongols are not good at financial management and instinctively distrust the Han people, which makes great food merchants like Huli Mi highly sought after. They are skilled in financial management, knowledgeable about identifying jewelry and antiques, and adept at pleasing their superiors. They buy off enemy generals, facilitate connections, and turn over spoils of war, their figures flashing everywhere in the sea of blood as they seek wealth.

Brothers, they are using the divine crossbow, which shoots slowly. While they are loading their arrows, let us shoot them back. An old centurion stood up, raising his voice to boost morale. As a seasoned veteran, he believed he had experience dealing with the divine bow. Before he could finish his words, two feathered arrows and a short crossbow bolt simultaneously struck his chest

The heavens seemed to be angered by Huli Mi's thoughts, and suddenly a thunderclap echoed in the clear sky, startling Huli Mi. Before he could regain his composure, the bedroom door was suddenly burst open, and a centurion rushed in, panting as he reported: "Report, the Song army is attacking and has already reached the outskirts of the city"

A spearman fell to the ground, as the enemy's arrows shot out from the dark corners, striking his thigh at an extremely tricky angle. A gap appeared in the shield wall, and the scouts of the Red Army seized the opportunity to shoot arrows through the opening

Just as Hu Li Mi was about to scold, a flash of white light suddenly appeared, and a soldier fell from the battlement, landing heavily at his feet. A short crossbow bolt pierced through his helmet, and white brain matter mixed with blood flowed out. The soldier, having lost control, convulsed and struggled, cursing in a dialect of an unknown Western region, visibly gasping for breath as his exhalations became more frequent than his inhalations

The thunderous explosions of fireballs were hurled in rows from the Song army, amplifying the achievements of the vanguard. The scouts of the Red Army were blown away, fleeing in panic. More soldiers from the Broken Captive Army surged into the mountain stronghold, engaging in a fierce exchange of fire with the scouts under the protection of their shield wall. Both sides continuously suffered casualties, yet neither retreated. In a situation where the numbers were comparable, it was the soldiers' willpower that determined the outcome.

"Let's go out and see what this madman Wen Tianxiang can do to break my Taiping Stronghold," Hu Limi said, frowning as he picked up the Hundred Refinements Blade and walked outside. Having managed finances for the Mongols for a long time, he was well-versed in the languages of various ethnic groups. The fearful discussions among the wounded soldiers left him feeling unsettled.

The centurion screamed as he fell from the top of the stockade. The soldiers, who had just gathered their courage, immediately lay down, refusing even to approach the parapet. Someone tentatively attempted to shoot a crossbow bolt; as soon as he showed his head, a volley of arrows turned his head into a porcupine's quills.

After the Jianchang Army was recaptured by Li Heng, all the stored silver in the Taiping Silver Field was entrusted to Huli Mi for inventory, which was indeed a substantial opportunity. Wen Tianxiang's defeat was too swift, and the income from the silver field remained almost intact in the treasury. Upon taking office, Huli Mi first sent trusted aides to move the refined silver ingots to his own residence

When the time comes, upon returning to his hometown, he will be the hero admired by all. As for the bones that lie along the path of the hero's triumphant return, who cares? God does not know, and the imam cannot see.

The Pulu army, having gained the upper hand, showed no mercy; a line of crossbowmen stood ready, executing a three-tiered volley that firmly sealed off the entrance. The open gate of the stockade resembled the gaping maw of a demon, devouring all nearby life. In a short while, there were no living Northern Yuan warriors left at the gate; the Pulu army's shield bearers raised their long rattan shields and marched towards the stockade entrance. A few scouts from the Red Army rushed forward to intercept, but before they could get close, they were shot down by the powerful crossbows hidden behind the rattan shields. In a short while, there were no living Northern Yuan warriors left at the gate; the Pulu army's shield bearers raised their long rattan shields and marched towards the stockade entrance. A few scouts from the Red Army rushed forward to intercept, but before they could get close, they were shot down by the powerful crossbows hidden behind the rattan shields.

Amidst the cries of despair, the gate of the stockade suddenly swung open, and four warriors from the Tangut tribe charged out at the forefront. "Bang, bang, bang," the sound of strings was sharp and discordant, and both the warriors and their steeds fell to the ground simultaneously. The warriors behind, unable to rein in their horses in time, continued to surge forward; within five steps, they too collapsed, their bodies and those of their horses blocking the gate. Blood flowed like a stream, spilling onto the grass on either side of the road.