Chapter 2178: Chapter 2175: Shrouded in Horsehide

The Great Marshal waved his hand and said, "Enough, you don’t need to persuade me. This matter, aside from me, no one can bear the consequences. And... if it weren’t me, the Monarch wouldn’t have agreed either!"

As he spoke, the Great Marshal looked at Ling Feng. "Ling Feng, the future fate of the Chen Kingdom is in your hands now. This is your plan. You must shoulder this responsibility, understand?"

Ling Feng felt the heavy burden on his shoulders. He took a deep breath, then solemnly nodded.

"But we still have a tough battle tomorrow. This time we must win. Only if we win can we gain a moment to catch our breath, understand?"

"We swear to defend the Chen Kingdom to the death!" All the officers and soldiers half-knelt on the ground and shouted in deep voices.

...

The next day’s battle was indeed even fiercer than the first. This time Ling Feng led the cavalry in continuous charges against the enemy army’s flank, putting immense pressure on them.

The Jade-faced General within the enemy ranks requested to engage as soon as he saw this, and very quickly the two met again.

"Ling Feng, we didn’t get to fight to our heart’s content yesterday. Let’s go again today!" The Jade-faced General laughed loudly.

Ling Feng looked at him. "You’re pretty strong. What’s your name?"

"You don’t know me?" The Jade-faced General was somewhat surprised.

"Should I know you?" Ling Feng said coolly. "Those who died under my spear, I can’t be bothered to remember their names one by one."

The Jade-faced General burst out laughing. "Good, arrogant—I like it! Then remember this: your opponent is the Jade-faced Killing God, Leng Zhanjun!"

Ling Feng nodded slightly. In this world, to reach strength on par with this man was already quite something.

"Take my spear!" Leng Zhanjun shouted, and the spear in his hand thrust at a tricky angle straight for Ling Feng’s throat.

Ling Feng snorted coldly. The spear in his hand blocked Leng Zhanjun’s strike, then his own spear pressed down on the opponent like a raging storm.

Leng Zhanjun was greatly shocked. He hadn’t expected Ling Feng, who had been evenly matched with him yesterday, to erupt with such terrifying combat power today. For a moment, he was actually suppressed. This was almost impossible!

Ever since Leng Zhanjun first set foot on the battlefield, he had been virtually invincible!

Wuu—wuu—wuu! After the two fought for dozens of exchanges, both sides simultaneously sounded the retreat. Ling Feng could only pull back his hand with a trace of regret in his eyes.

To kill the opponent with his current suppressed strength was still somewhat difficult. After all, the man’s power was also top-tier.

"I’ve already submitted a memorial to the Monarch. I believe a reply will come very soon. Before that, our goal is to hold the line under pressure and protect our defenses!" In the post-battle council, the Great Marshal said in a low voice.

Three days later, the Monarch finally issued an order: "Launch a full-scale assault and block the enemy outside our borders!"

Everyone fell silent. After these days of battle, of the hundred-thousand strong army less than seventy thousand remained, and almost everyone carried wounds. Meanwhile the enemy’s first wave of reinforcements had already arrived. With their own losses and the enemy’s gains, they were simply no match for the Wolf Kingdom.

"Your Majesty..." The Great Marshal closed his eyes, disappointment written on his face.

He knew his own proposal was extremely risky, but it had been the only way. Now, the Chen Kingdom could no longer withstand the enemy’s iron cavalry.

"Since things have come to this, we can only offer ourselves up for the country." The Great Marshal drew a deep breath and said gravely, "Pass down my order: reward the three armies, and then... a fight to the death!"

Ling Feng exhaled and secretly shook his head.

The tide of the world truly is hard to defy. The trend of the Wolf Kingdom unifying the land had already become a great torrent. Though the Chen Kingdom was unwilling and wanted to hold out within this storm, it could not last long!

But did these people before him really not understand this? No, they understood as well. But the Chen Kingdom was their home, their roots. They would not abandon their country, their culture, their heritage!

They gave their heads and shed their blood; all they pursued was perhaps just freedom of the soul.

"Tonight’s battle will likely rewrite the history of the Chen Kingdom. But so what?" Ling Feng murmured to himself. "Knowing it’s a dead end, knowing it’s an unstoppable tide—why is it that... even I feel stirred?"

Ling Feng seemed to grasp something, yet at the same time as if he understood nothing. The feeling of being an onlooker and the surge of emotion inside him seemed completely at odds.

The final decisive battle began. It was fought fiercely, and it was brutal. Either the Chen Kingdom would stake everything on this struggle, or the Chen Kingdom would become history.

The nearly two hundred thousand troops of both sides were all thrown into the battlefield: slaughter, blood, severed limbs... countless warriors died on the field.

Ling Feng did not rush into the battle at once, but stayed by the Great Marshal’s side.

"Ling Feng, this is the battlefield." The Great Marshal said calmly. "On the battlefield, life is the cheapest thing there is. But because of our persistence and our beliefs, we can face death calmly, wrapped in horsehide as our shroud."

"With this decision, the Monarch has cut off the last sliver of hope for our Chen Kingdom." The Great Marshal sighed. "Our Chen Kingdom is now like a praying mantis trying to stop a chariot. We simply don’t have the strength to confront the Wolf Kingdom head-on."

"If nothing unexpected happens, today’s battle will be the Chen Kingdom’s last. You’re still young, and Leng Zhanjun holds you in great esteem. If it comes down to the very end, you can choose to surrender."

"Teacher..."

"Listen to me first. This is the tide of the world—we cannot disobey it. But within this tide, we must still carve out as much living space as possible for our people." The Great Marshal said in a deep voice. "If you can, in the future, look after the former subjects of the Chen Kingdom as best you can..."

Ling Feng smiled. "Teacher, we’ll talk about that when the time comes. Besides... I’m not someone who accepts fate so easily."

By this time, the Chen Kingdom’s front line had already collapsed, and the Wolf Kingdom’s army advanced like a hot knife through butter.

The Great Marshal drew the Longsword at his waist. "We have raised these troops for a thousand days to use them in this one moment. To die repaying our country—this is the time. Charge!"

Seeing the Great Marshal charge out, Ling Feng squeezed his legs, urging the warhorse beneath him to follow close behind.

Wuu—wuu—wuu—just then, the Wolf Kingdom’s reinforcements arrived as well, countless troops surrounding the Chen Kingdom’s forces.

"Kill! Kill! Kill!"

The chilling shouts filled the entire battlefield. The warriors of the Chen Kingdom fell one after another. The four veteran soldiers who had guarded Ling Feng before were also swallowed by the tide of the enemy.

The battle raged on for three full days and nights. In the end, only Ling Feng and a few other trusted aides remained by the Great Marshal’s side.

"Your Majesty, this old servant has failed your expectations. I’ll take my leave first." The Great Marshal looked at the approaching enemy, then laughed loudly, and swung his Longsword.

With a dull thud, the Great Marshal collapsed to the ground, life completely gone.

Ling Feng did not stop him. He knew this might well be the best ending for him.

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