I, Am a Living Yama; Empress Advises Me to Stay Calm

Zhangjia Agui stared in disbelief at the explosions in the distance. His Iron Pagoda soldiers, once feared as an unstoppable force, had been blown to pieces by the sudden and violent onslaught.

His heart pounded in his chest, blood rushing to his face.

“What’s happening?” he bellowed.

“What is this?”

Zhangjia Agui’s eyes were bloodshot with fury. Damn it. Those were Iron Pagoda soldiers—warriors crafted with immense effort and resources.

Each one was handpicked from hundreds of soldiers for their strength, capable of donning the heavy armor that made them the terror of battlefields. When they charged, they were like a torrent of steel, crushing all flesh and bone in their path.

But now? They were reduced to nothing more than pieces of charred flesh.

Zhangjia Agui’s head buzzed with disbelief. His deputy generals stood frozen, shock plastered on their faces. None dared answer him.

All eyes were fixed on the battlefield, where this terrifying new force from the Zhou army had unleashed hell upon them.

Zhangjia Agui, though seething with rage, was a battle-hardened general. His voice dropped into a low, controlled growl.

“Spread out immediately! Keep your distance from those men!”

His orders were swift, and the Qing cavalry quickly began to scatter.

…

On Yucheng’s city walls, Guo Jingzhi’s face paled.

“General Heichi, the enemy has spread out. What should we do now?”

The Zhou soldiers, too, looked on with concern. They hadn’t fully understood how these reinforcements had managed to cause such destruction, but it was clear the enemy had realized the danger and was moving to avoid it.

Heichi Changzhi, fists clenched, was about to issue an order when Guo Jingzhi gasped. “Look…”

All heads turned. Below the city, the Zhou soldiers mounted on horseback were charging again—straight into the scattering Qing forces. The enemy’s retreat was too slow to escape the speed of the Zhou cavalry.

Each Zhou soldier was strapped with black explosive packs, and they charged into the heart of the Qing ranks without hesitation.

Moments later—

Boom! Boom! Boom!

A series of deafening explosions tore through the enemy lines. The flames erupted with the force of thunder, engulfing dozens of enemy soldiers at once.

Nails and shards of iron, hidden within the explosive packs, shot through the air like deadly projectiles, tearing into flesh and bone.

In an instant, hundreds of Qing soldiers were obliterated.

Heichi Changzhi and the other Zhou soldiers stood on the walls, watching in stunned silence as one explosive-rigged soldier after another charged into the enemy and detonated, turning the battlefield into a sea of fire and death.

“Prepare to open the gates!”

Heichi Changzhi ordered, his voice fierce with newfound resolve.

“We’re charging out to attack the enemy from both sides!”

“Yes, General!” came the roars of Guo Jingzhi and the others.

In the next moment, the gates of Yucheng swung open. Heichi Changzhi led tens of thousands of Zhou cavalry through, their spears glinting in the sunlight as they plunged into the Qing formation.

The Qing soldiers, already disoriented by the explosions, were thrown into further chaos by the sudden assault from behind.

Heichi Changzhi’s men sliced through the enemy ranks like a sharp blade. Qing soldiers fell by the hundreds, unable to defend themselves against the relentless onslaught.

On the other side of the battlefield, Zhangjia Agui’s commands were becoming increasingly frantic, but the tide of the battle had already shifted.

The terrifying explosions grew louder, and the Qing soldiers were fleeing in droves.

“Retreat!” Zhangjia Agui bellowed, his voice hoarse.

He turned his horse and fled, his personal guard following closely behind.

With their general fleeing, the rest of the Qing army crumbled. Men dropped their weapons and ran, desperate to escape the hellish battlefield.

Heichi Changzhi’s eyes gleamed with triumph as he saw the enemy breaking.

“Charge!”

…

Three hours later, the battlefield was littered with the remains of a once-mighty army.

“General Heichi,” Guo Jingzhi reported breathlessly, “in this battle, we killed over 60,000 Qing soldiers and captured 30,000, including 8,000 Iron Pagoda soldiers. The enemy has been gravely weakened!”

The Zhou soldiers stood in awe of their victory, their chests heaving with exhaustion and exhilaration. Never in their wildest dreams had they imagined such a triumph.

Heichi Changzhi, though victorious, remained solemn. His heart was heavy with the knowledge that more battles awaited them. He had barely begun to process the victory when a towering figure approached.

It was Xu Chu, his broad chest streaked with blood, his face hardened by battle. The surrounding soldiers parted, eyeing him with awe.

Xu Chu saluted Heichi Changzhi.

“I am Xu Chu, here to greet General Heichi.”

“General Xu, you’re too modest,” Heichi Changzhi replied quickly, returning the salute.

“Without your help, we’d have been slaughtered today.”

Xu Chu’s voice was steady, his gaze firm.

“I was only carrying out my master’s orders.”

He reached into his armor and produced a small brocade bag, handing it to Heichi Changzhi.

“This is from Minister Yang Yi. He instructed me to give it to you once Yucheng was secured.”

Heichi Changzhi took the brocade bag, his heart pounding as he untied the delicate ribbon and peeked inside. His face immediately paled, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

Seeing his reaction, Guo Jingzhi stepped closer, concerned.

“General Heichi, what is it?”

The other soldiers, curious, edged forward. They, too, wanted to know what had shaken Heichi Changzhi so badly.

Heichi Changzhi swallowed hard before speaking.

“Minister Yang has ordered us to break the siege of Yucheng… and pursue the Qing army to inflict even heavier damage.”

A murmur rippled through the soldiers. Their confusion was evident. Hadn’t they already done enough?

Guo Jingzhi frowned.

“Minister Yang overestimates us. We only have seventy to eighty thousand men left. How can we possibly counterattack?”

The others nodded in agreement.

Xu Chu’s expression remained firm.

“I’ve come with orders to support Yucheng. An additional army of nearly 100,000 men will soon join us.”

Even with this news, Guo Jingzhi scratched his head, still doubtful.

“That’s still not enough to seriously damage the Qing army, is it?”