On the first day of the 6th month, the tightly shut city gates of Ji County finally opened.
2000 Da Wei soldiers were the first to enter the city and surrender to the Uto soldiers.
After the death of Guide Lieutenant General Yan He, the remaining Yan Family Army was like a sheet of loose sand. They were unable to deal with the attacks launched by the Uto. Now that they had lost and had no reinforcements, it was only a matter of time before they surrendered. The Uto did not suspect anything. The Uto soldiers on both sides of the city gates all held their blades and mocked the weakness of the Da Wei soldiers.
He Yan was hiding in the ranks of the Da Wei soldiers. Her face was covered in dust and her original appearance could not be seen. She was mixed in with the troops.
These two thousand people were all personally selected by He Yan. The majority of them were from the Fuyue Army. There was no other reason. She had not gotten used to the Yan Family Army yet. The Fuyue Army had fought alongside her for a period of time and had a tacit understanding. This time, entering the city would be very dangerous. Nothing could go wrong.
After Yan He's death, the only person who had a say in the Yan Family Army was his lieutenant, Chen Cheng. At the end of the road, Uto General Sha Ji Te saw Chen Cheng walk forward and laughed, "Da Wei is a coward. That's all there is to it!"
Chen Cheng lowered his head and asked, "If my army surrenders to the Uto, can you let my soldiers live?"
"Of course, of course." Sha Ji Te was very muscular and mocked, "Since you have surrendered to the Uto, from now on, you are the Uto. We will not attack our own people!"
"Then, Sir Sha Ji Te, please open the city gates and accept Da Wei's surrender," Chen Cheng replied.
Sha Ji Te's eyes flashed, "Opening the city gates is a small matter. However, the surrendered soldiers must be like you." He pointed at the troops, "Put down their weapons and tie their hands. That is the only way."
He still did not trust Da Wei.
Chen Cheng said, "That is not a problem." He said, "Please allow me to send someone back to explain this matter."
Saget: "Alright!"
Chen Cheng walked to the side of a soldier and whispered a few words into his ear. The soldier nodded and turned to walk towards the city gate. Halfway through, a Uto standing at the side suddenly nocked an arrow and shot it through the chest of the soldier who went back to pass the order.
The soldier didn't even have time to cry out before he fell to the ground and stopped moving. Chen Cheng was furious. "What's going on? Didn't you tell him to go back and pass on the order? "
"You're all captives now. How dare you raise conditions with us?" The Uto who was holding his bow said with disdain, "If you spout any more nonsense, I'll kill you as well!"
Shargit smiled and said, "Why are you angry? He's just an ordinary soldier. Can't you just send another person?"
Their attitude was clearly to provoke Da Wei's soldiers. He Yan knew that something was wrong. Before he could say anything, a soldier from the Yan Family charged towards the Uto in front of him and shouted, "I'd rather die than be humiliated. Let's fight them to the death — —"
He Yan sighed in his heart.
The style of a general would affect the actions of the entire army. Yan He was direct and courageous, and the soldiers under him were the same. They could not be provoked. Now, all their previous preparations were useless.
But so what?
The soldiers in front of him had already exchanged blows with the Uto. Before they entered the city, they had already taken off their weapons. Now, they could only snatch the blades from the enemy's hands with their bare hands.
It was tragic and dangerous.
He Yan kicked away the Uto that was charging towards him and snatched the long blade from his hand. He shouted, "Boys, follow me!"
On the battlefield outside Yun Zi City, the golden cavalry was covered in blood.
The Uto soldiers outside the city were beaten until they covered their heads and ran away like rats. The reason why the "Killer General" was called the "Killer General", the "Nine Flags Battalion" was called the "Nine Flags Battalion", and the "Nan Fu Soldiers" were called the "Nan Fu Soldiers" because those who had fought with them had mostly died on the battlefield. Bystanders could only hear from the mouths of those who had escaped with their lives that this army was invincible. But when they actually faced them on the battlefield, they would know that the rumors were not even one-tenth of their strength.
Among the thousands of soldiers and horses, the black-armoured youth with a long sword was like an emissary from hell. His sword was as cold and indifferent as his gaze. His jade-like appearance brought with it endless killing intent.
And he wasn't fighting alone.
The cavalry behind him was like his shield, but also like his spear, making this army seem invincible and intimidating at first glance.
The soldiers of one person were like wolves and tigers, like wind and rain, like thunder and lightning. They shook the world and shocked the world.
This was a crucial battle and also the final battle to besiege the city. As long as they won this battle, they would be able to take back Yun Zi. The rest was just to clean up the mess.
But for this battle, Xiao Jue and the Nan Fu Soldiers had been waiting for a long time.
The Uto in Yun Zi were not willing to open the city gates to face the Nan Fu Soldiers. They were afraid of the reputation of the Nan Fu Soldiers and the Nine Flags Battalion. They still had reserves in the city of Yunzi, but the Great Wei soldiers and horses stationed outside the city would run out of rations one day.
Xiao Jue ordered people to carry rations outside the city every day. He purposely let the Uto who came to investigate in secret see him. One or two days was fine, but after a long time, the Uto would also become suspicious. Seeing that the Da Wei soldiers had sufficient rations and high morale, they could not help but be alarmed and fearful.
But that was not all.
Long before coming to Yunzi, Xiao Jue had already arranged for a few skilled craftsmen in the South House Army to follow them. After arriving at Yunzi, he sent the army and the craftsmen to secretly dig a tunnel that led to Yunzi City. He also ordered people to use crossbows to shoot stone arrows into the city to harass the Uto. After a long time, the Uto were on tenterhooks. Even though their leader ordered them not to leave the city, their morale was shaken.
The battle of wits between generals was sometimes just a competition of who could keep their cool. Whoever could not keep their cool first would lose.
The Uto that occupied Yun Zi fell for Xiao Jue's psychological trick. This morning, they went out of the city to fight the Nan Fu Soldiers.
After a long period of preparation, the victory of this battle was a matter of course.
Tens of thousands of enemy soldiers were captured, and numerous war horses and weapons were obtained. The remaining small portion of Uto fled in panic.
At this point, the situation in Yun Zi was set.
It was rare for the Nan Fu Soldiers to celebrate in the city. From spring to autumn, close to half a year had passed. Although it looked easy, only they knew that the days were tough. Yun Zi was near the ocean, and the nights were humid. Many soldiers had red rashes on their bodies, and once night fell, they would feel unbearably itchy. There was also army grain, which was not enough for them to eat. The buckets of white rice that the Uto saw every day were actually the same buckets.
"We can finally go home!" A slightly younger Nan Fu Soldier grinned, "I've spent enough time in Yun Zi, so I'm going back to the capital!"
Chi Wu walked past him and wanted to scold him. However, when the words reached his mouth, he did not say anything. Instead, he let out a smile.
To be able to go home alive, just hearing about it made one happy.
Within the tent, the military doctor was treating the injuries of the main general.
The young man's shirt was pulled down to his shoulders, and his chest was wrapped in a thick cloth. Since he was the commander of the right army, he was naturally the target of all the attacks from the Uto. He was injured in the end. However, the black armor covered his wound, so no one saw him bleeding. Hence, people always thought that General Fengyun would not be injured.
"Commander, don't do anything too serious these few days." The white-bearded old military doctor reminded, "Although the arrow did not hit any vital parts, the wound is very deep. It's best to rest for a few days to prevent any problems in the future."
Xiao Jue pulled his outer robe over his wound and nodded, "Thank you."
Just as the old military doctor left, someone came in. It was Fei Nu. He held a letter in his hand and walked over quickly. He had a rare anxious expression, "Young master, there's a letter from Ji County."
Ji County was far away from Yun Zi. When the letter was sent, a few days had already passed. The last time they received a letter from Ji County, it was when they learned of Yan He's death. Jiuchuan had already received the news that Ji County had lost its main general. He Yan had led the Fuyue Army to help.
This time, the letter was sent after He Yan had arrived at Ji County.
Fei Nu passed the letter to Xiao Jue. His expression was ugly. Although he did not open the letter, he had already heard the news from the person who delivered the letter.
It was not good news.
Ji County was easy to defend and hard to attack. The Yan Army had lost their main general and their morale was not stable. If they did not end the war quickly, it would only be disadvantageous to Da Wei. He Yan brought two thousand soldiers and horses and pretended to surrender to enter the city in an attempt to break through the Uto's formation. When the city was in chaos, he would take the opportunity to open the city gates and let the Fuyue Army and the rest of the Yan Army work together to kill the Uto.
There were no problems with the plan. Unfortunately, during the execution of the plan, one of the Yan Army soldiers could not resist the provocation of the Uto and attacked. The plan was disrupted. He Yan led the Da Wei soldiers to fight with the Uto. Although they opened the city gates and won the battle, He Yan was seriously injured and his situation was not good.
Xiao Jue stared at the letter in front of him.
The letter was written by Lin Shuanghe. The handwriting was very messy. It could be seen that when he wrote the letter, the situation was very urgent. Although the higher-ups did not say how bad the situation was, it was easy to imagine.
Two thousand soldiers entered the city. If they attacked first, it would be like a sheep entering a tiger's den. They did not have any weapons and were already at a disadvantage. Furthermore, it was difficult for two fists to fight against four hands …
What was more serious was that although they won the battle, once the Uto knew that their general was injured, they would definitely counterattack. Lin Shuanghe did not understand the situation of the battle. The letter was also unclear. He did not know what the situation was like.
Fei Nu looked at Xiao Jue's expression.
Honestly speaking, this letter came at the wrong time. The battle at Yunzi only needed to be wrapped up. This letter would definitely cause Xiao Jue to panic. But Yunzi and Ji County were not in the same direction. Even if they turned around and went to Ji County to help, they would not be able to make it in time.
They could only watch helplessly. How difficult was that?
"Young Master, should we go to Ji County …"
"No need." Xiao Jue interrupted him.
Fei Nu did not dare to speak.
Xiao Jue stood up and walked out of the tent.
Outside, the west wind blew against his face. It was almost the beginning of autumn. All the heat in the night had faded away, leaving only the cold air.
In the distance, the sea was vast and the sound of the waves was fierce. The clear moon reflected in the clouds and dyed the sea white.
The night at the border had always been like this. The sun was cold and the grass was short. The moon was bitter and white. But what was the difference between the moonlight in the desert and the moonlight by the sea?
There was a faint pain in his chest. He did not know if it was a wound or something else. He looked up and quietly looked at the cold moon in the sky. A woman's clear voice floated in his ears.
"I want you to promise me that if there is news, no matter what it is, do what you have to do. Do not affect the overall situation. Do not stop. Continue to move forward."
Continue to move forward.
After a while, he retracted his gaze and turned to walk in the direction of the tent.
The deputy general went forward and asked hesitantly, "Commander in chief, next …"
"After daybreak, head north to clean up the remaining soldiers," he said.
The summer heat in Jiyang was finally blown away by the autumn wind and rain.
In the morning, under the parasol tree outside the palace hall, a thick layer of golden leaves fell into the pond. Occasionally, fish swam to the surface of the water and lightly poked at the leaves before quickly swimming away. Only the ripples created by the fish's tails were left.
Mu Hongjin walked into the courtyard.
A servant said, "Your Highness, Lord Cui is here."
Cui Yuezhi walked in from outside. He had lost a lot of weight over the past few days and looked more energetic than before. When Uto invaded Da Wei's territory, Jiyang City's army was not strong. Previously, because of Xiao Jue and He Yan, they won despite being outnumbered. Now, Xiao Jue and He Yan had gone to their respective battlefields. Although Jiyang City was safe now, the previous incident was a lesson. After the end of the year, Cui Yuezhi stayed in the training field every day to train Jiyang City's army. He wanted to be strong and confident when facing the enemy if they came one day.
He bowed to Mu Hongjin and handed her a scroll. "Your Highness, this is the battle report from Ji County and Yunzi."
Mu Hongjin reached out and took it.
She had also aged a little, but now, she did not let the servant pull out the new white hair on her head every day. Therefore, there were specks of white in her hair. However, she did not care. Mu Xiaolou had gradually grown up, and Jiyang City would be handed over to the new princess sooner or later.
Everyone would grow old, and growing old shouldn't be such a scary thing.
She opened the scroll and looked at the words on it for a long time. Then, she closed the scroll and sighed.
"Jiuchuan and Yunzi have been taken back. Everything is fine in Bingjiang. There is also good news from Ji County. Your Highness, are you worried about Miss He?" Cui Yuezhi asked.
He Yan's life and death were unknown. This was indeed a matter of concern. Cui Yuezhi still remembered the last time he saw He Yan. When she was not holding a weapon, she was like an ordinary girl. She loved to smile brightly and was very bright. When she picked up a weapon, it was as if she was born for the battlefield. Although at that time, they were very clear that He Yan was not an ordinary girl, when they heard that she led the Fuyue Army to Jiuchuan alone, they could not help but be shocked.
That young General Feihong was also a girl, but the one in ten thousand woman in that world was no longer in this world. How lucky they were to be able to see another person in their lifetime.
But now, could it be that this female general was also going to fall early like General Feihong?
The woman dressed in a wide-sleeved red robe gently shook her head. Her gaze was a little disappointed. "This Highness just did not want …"
She did not want to see a lover like her, unable to have a good ending.
It was too difficult to have a perfect ending in this world. She was already like this, so she really did not want to see the disciple of her sweetheart embark on the path of separation between heaven and earth like her.
In the Buddhist temple in Rundu City, the Golden Buddha looked kindly at all living beings. The women in the temple were kneeling on the haystacks, closing their eyes and praying for blessings for people far away.
These were the female captives that He Yan rescued from Uto during the battle in Rundu City. If He Yan had not stopped them at that time, they would have been a pile of bones by now. They would not be alive today. Since He Yan left the Rundu City, the county magistrate of Rundu City, Zhao Shiming, was entrusted by He Yan to help take care of these women. Most of them were not recognized by their families. Some of them even thought that their families had died in the hands of Uto. Zhao Shiming found an embroidery workshop in the city for them to do embroidery work on a daily basis to make a living.
For these women, being able to do so was already a pleasant surprise. Although they had not completely walked out of their inferiority complex, in the end, they already had the courage to face the future again.
When the news that He Yan led the troops to help Ji County and was seriously injured spread to the Rundu City, these women were all burning with anxiety. They only wished that they were men and could go to the battlefield together with the heroine to kill the enemy. Now, they could only pray for He Yan in the temple. They prayed that the young and brave girl would recover soon and return safely.
Outside the temple, the county magistrate who was dressed in a long robe sighed: "Look, they are so sincere. In their hearts, they really respect Xiao He."
Beside him, Li Kuang looked at the women in the temple and did not speak.
It had been almost a year since Yi Luo passed away. Even so, sometimes when he spoke or did something, he would subconsciously look for that delicate figure. Countless nights, he would wake up from his dreams. He would always remember that day when Yi Luo looked at him.
There was no resentment, only doubt and confusion.
He Yan was right. He was indeed wrong. Therefore, from then on, until now, he had spent more time training the Rundu City Army. The mistake he made could not be made up for. The only thing he could do was to prevent such a mistake from happening again.
"Lord Li has seen it now. They have survived and are living well," Zhao Shiming said.
When He Yan saved these women, everyone thought that she was just wasting her energy. Because women who had been humiliated by the enemy, even if they were lucky enough to survive, they would not be able to fight against the eyes of the world. The criticism and ridicule behind their backs would be the last straw that broke their backs. Leaving this world was their choice sooner or later.
Before He Yan left, she told Zhao Shiming how to settle these women. She even left a sum of money for herself. She was sincerely thinking for these women. And now, these women did not let her down.
Li Kuang lowered his head and laughed self-deprecatingly: "I am not as good as her."
"How many people in this world can be compared to Xiao He?" Zhao Shiming stroked his beard: "I hope that Xiao He can turn misfortune into fortune in Ji County. If she is here, these women will have a place to belong in their hearts."
Zhao Shiming looked at the distant sky. A group of autumn geese flew by. He looked for a while and said in a low voice: "I hope so."
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