“What?” Ashina Helie stood up in astonishment and asked the scout, “Are you saying they’re just doing these things?”
The scout nodded and replied, “Our men disguised as local villagers have been observing outside the military camp for a while. Xiao Du and his men drink and revel every day, showing no signs of urgency. Despite daily drills, there’s no indication of a plan to attack the city.”
“What about their rations? Have they decreased? Are they eating porridge or rice?”
“No, all soldiers still receive three meals a day, all with white rice, and there’s been no reduction.”
Ashina Helie furrowed his brow and sat back down, continuing, “Isn’t this highly unusual, Second Prince? After all these days, Xiao Du’s supplies should have run out long ago. Without replenishment, they would starve outside the city. Yet they remain composed, showing no concern for provisions. Do you think they’re waiting for reinforcements?”
Dian Yun also found it peculiar. He tapped his fingers lightly on the table, pondering, “Perhaps this is just a ruse by Xiao Du. Even if reinforcements come from the capital, how could they bypass Pingdu Pass and deliver supplies directly outside the pass? Let’s observe a few more days before making any conclusions.”
Ashina Helie nodded but still felt uneasy. He continued, “Also, there have been soldiers killed in the city these past few days. I can’t rest until those responsible are found.”
At that moment, a scout hurried in and whispered something to Ashina Helie. His expression changed abruptly. Dian Yun recognized the scout they had sent to watch Zou Wu and felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding. Ashina Helie’s face darkened as he said, “Good! Bring him in! And where’s Zou Wu? Bring him in too!”
Thus, Zou Wu, utterly bewildered, was brought before them and shoved to the ground. When he noticed a soldier, dressed in Xiao’s army uniform and covered in wounds, standing beside him, he exclaimed in shock, “Your Highness, Second Prince, what’s going on?”
Ashina Helie glared coldly at him and said, “I should be asking you what’s going on! This man was found in your room, about to deliver a secret report to you. He was caught red-handed. What do you have to say for yourself?”
Zou Wu fell to the ground in fear, trembling as he protested, “Your Highness, I swear I don’t know him, nor do I know anything about a secret report!”
But the soldier showed remorse and said, “Zou, I’m sorry. It’s my carelessness that has implicated you.”
Zou Wu, trembling, pointed at him and said, “You! You’re lying! Your Highness, don’t believe him!”
“Oh?” Dian Yun produced a letter and said, “Then how do you explain this letter written in your handwriting?”
Zou Wu, seeing the handwriting, cried out, “I didn’t write that! I swear I didn’t!”
“Silence!” Ashina Helie slapped him across the face, then grabbed his collar, snarling, “The handwriting on this letter matches that of the secret letters you sent us. How do you explain that?”
Zou Wu dazed from the blow, spat out a tooth stained with blood. Despite the pain, he cried out hysterically, “Someone must be forging my handwriting to frame me! Your Highness, you mustn’t fall for their scheme!”
“Enough!” Dian Yun waved his hand coldly. “Whether it’s a frame-up or not, let Anjiu Camp investigate and we’ll know the truth!”
Zou Wu collapsed on the ground, his face twisted in extreme fear. Anjiu Camp was a unit in the Wujun army that specialized in interrogating spies. It was said that once someone entered, they never came out alive.
At that moment, the soldier who was involved cried out and rushed over, bumping into Zou Wu, “Captain Zou, save me! I don’t want to die!”
Zou Wu, now completely terrified, curled up on the ground, shaking uncontrollably. He looked up and saw the soldier’s eyes fixed on him like daggers, mouthing the words, “Traitor! This is your fate!”
Zou Wu shivered uncontrollably. Before he could cry for help, he was dragged away. Ashina Helie and Dian Yun waited for a long time until finally, the captain of Anjiu Camp walked in and reported, “Both couldn’t withstand the torture and died!” He remembered Zou Wu’s scene of urination and defecation during death, couldn’t help but frown with disgust, then continued, “But there was some gain. The soldier from the Xiao family intended to commit suicide but was intercepted by us. Under torture, he revealed the contents of the secret report.”
“What does the report say?” Ashina Helie asked eagerly.
Approaching, the captain said, “Smoke rises, the plan is successful!”
Just as Ashina Helie pondered the meaning of these words, Luo Yuan stood with his hands behind his back, facing fifty soldiers solemnly, “Remember well, in groups of ten, set up your ambush where I instructed earlier. Act upon seeing the smoke signal. There must be no mistakes!” After a moment of silence, he continued, “If discovered by the Black Cavalry, you must hold them back, disguising our true numbers. Fight to the death if needed, never retreat, understand?”
“Understood!” The fifty soldiers of the Xiao family stood tall, their voices resounding like bells. Though they faced a battle they knew would lead to death, there was no fear or hesitation on their faces, only unwavering determination.
The civilians in the cellar silently watched. An old man trembled as he stood up, taking a string of prayer beads from his neck and tying it around the wrist of a soldier. He said, “Brave child, may you return safely.”
Then others followed suit, presenting their belongings to the soldiers, murmuring prayers of blessing. These soldiers, who had never shed a tear even in the face of death, finally couldn’t hold back, lowering their heads to hide the tears in their eyes. Luo Yuan also felt his eyes burning, but he knew it wasn’t the time to cry. He wiped his face harshly, walked to Xiao Zhu’s side, and squatted down, asking, “Would you dare to accompany Uncle to find the place where the bad people hide the food?”
Xiao Zhu stared at him with dark eyes, then nodded vigorously. Luo Yuan patted his head affectionately, softly saying, “Don’t worry, Uncle will bring you back safely!” Then he stood up straight and exclaimed, “It’s getting late, let’s go!”
The soldiers, who had just been grieving, immediately straightened their faces, gripping their sabers tightly. They stood in formation in front of Luo Yuan. He nodded approvingly at them, then pointed to one of the teams and said, “You come with me to the grain camp. The others, follow the plan and ambush at the city gate.”
Just as he turned to lead the team out, he suddenly heard a voice softly calling, “Young Master.” Yuan Xi put down her task, walked up to him, and untied her hairband, tying it around his wrist. She earnestly said, “Young Master, you must come back!”
Luo Yuan touched the soft ribbon on his hand, took two steps back, and bowed deeply, showing her a graceful smile as usual.
Yuan Xi’s eyes blurred as she remembered the first time she saw Young Master, smiling and bowing to her just like this, pure and untouched by the world.
Several hours later, while still in discussion with Dian Yun, Ashina Helie finally received a report from outside the pass. Xiao Du and his army destroyed their camp, smashed all the stoves, and plunged into the mountains. Ashina Helie listened with trepidation. Just as he was pondering, he suddenly heard someone outside shouting: “Smoke signal! Smoke rising in the mountains!”
Ashina Helie and Dian Yun paled in shock and quickly rode to the city tower. Indeed, they saw a green smoke rising from the distant mountains. At the same time, there were several loud noises in the city, and fires broke out everywhere. Someone hurriedly ran up the city tower, reporting, “Bad news! The grain camp is on fire!”
But before they could send anyone to check, soldiers kept rushing up, shouting that fires had broken out at several city gates too. It was said that soldiers in Xiao’s army uniforms were ambushing the city gates and grain camp. They rushed in like ghosts, regardless of their lives, catching the Black Cavalry off guard. Amidst the chaos, it was impossible to discern their true numbers.
Ashina Helie slapped his thigh, saying to Dian Yun, “Oh no! We’ve been tricked! There’s indeed an ambush in the city!”
Dian Yun was also at a loss, saying, “What should we do now? What’s their purpose in luring us into the city?”
Ashina Helie was about to speak when he suddenly widened his eyes, seeing rolling yellow dust gathering, forming a dark cloud moving rapidly towards them. He gasped, “This can’t be, there’s no way there are only thirty thousand people. Where did the others come from? What’s going on?”
Dian Yun was also drenched in cold sweat, kicking the scout beside him and saying, “Hurry, go and find out how many troops Xiao Du has!”
At this moment, someone finally recognized the banners carried by the vanguard and exclaimed, “It’s the flag of the Southern Yue tribe!”
Only then did Ashina Helie and Dian Yun notice that the flag representing the Southern Yue tribe was flying high in the wind. They couldn’t help but step back in shock. They never imagined that Xiao Du would join forces with the Southern Yue tribe to attack the city. Now they couldn’t gauge the enemy’s numbers. If the Xiao family army from Qingzhou attacked from the rear, they would be surrounded, not to mention the unknown number of enemy ambushes in the city. Ashina Helie sighed and pounded the city wall fiercely, saying, “Abandon the city! Head for Qingzhou!”
“No!” Dian Yun still had some sense left and shouted, “We can’t abandon the city!”
Ashina Helie pointed at the fires rising in the city and said, “The Second Prince still hasn’t realized it. We’ve fallen into their trap! What is this? This is trapping a turtle in a jar! Now we can only fight our way to Qingzhou. There are only sixty thousand remnants of the Xiao family army there, twice our forces. If we can break through, we can advance into the Central Plains. Staying here any longer might mean the annihilation of our entire army!”
Dian Yun gritted his teeth and sighed reluctantly. Finally, he had to give the order unwillingly, “Sound the drums, abandon the city immediately, and focus all efforts on taking Qingzhou.”
Just as Dian Yun and his men decided to abandon the city, Luo Yuan led ten soldiers in a fierce battle at the grain camp. They wielded their short knives, slashing left and right, causing chaos and bloodshed. Amidst the thick smoke, angry roars and screams echoed continuously. Their reckless fighting style threw the Black Cavalry into disarray, hesitating to approach.
At that moment, the horn for retreat sounded from the city. Although the Black Cavalry were unwilling to let them go, military orders were like mountains, so they had to dismount and regroup with the main army immediately. Seizing the opportunity, Luo Yuan hugged the pillar tightly, whispering to the few remaining soldiers, “Let’s go!” However, as the smoke gradually cleared, the last group of Black Cavalry finally noticed that there were only a few remaining soldiers. They shouted, “There are only a few of them left, kill them, kill!”
But they soon regretted it. The soldiers before them seemed like demons crawling out of hell, ignoring the blades cutting into them, relentlessly fighting until they used up their last ounce of strength, plunging their knives into the enemy’s chest until the blades curled up, and then desperately biting and tearing with their teeth and hands, strangling the enemy with their lives.
After this fierce battle, a whole unit of Black Cavalry was annihilated, leaving only one soldier from the Xiao family army. He dragged his battered body, protecting Luo Yuan and the pillar, fleeing to a hidden place. Unexpectedly, a surviving Black Cavalryman flanked them from behind, swinging his sword towards Luo Yuan. The soldier shouted, threw himself on Luo Yuan and the pillar, taking the blow for them, then grabbed the attacker’s throat with all his strength until the enemy stopped breathing.
Luo Yuan quickly got up, supporting the soldier whose body kept falling. He tried to use his hands to cover the bullet holes on his body, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t stop the bleeding, only feeling desperate tears streaming down his face.
The soldier spat out blood, saying, “Sir, don’t worry about me. I’ve killed so many Black Cavalry today, I’ve redeemed myself in this lifetime.” His body began to grow cold, his gaze gradually drifting away. “Just remember, my name is Meng Qi. I’m from Tongcheng in Shuzhou. I hope someone can tell my parents that their son died on the battlefield, a hero who protected many civilians. And, please give them the salary I’ve saved over the years…”
His voice grew weaker and weaker until it disappeared. Luo Yuan cried and nodded continuously, closing his staring eyes. Then he took a deep breath, turned around, hugged the trembling pillar, and carried him to a nearby haystack. But at this moment, he suddenly heard shouts not far away, mingling with the shouts of the Black Cavalry. The voices were getting closer, about to reach them…
Meanwhile, with the flames soaring at the city gate, Xiao Du had led thirty thousand soldiers to successfully enter the city. Behind them were several thousand crazily running plows. This was Xiao Du’s strategy. He had heard that Ashina Helie, the leader of the Great Mu Army, was suspicious by nature, so he deliberately pretended to be confident, making Ashina Helie suspicious. Then, he used spies in the city to frame Zou Wu, making the Black Cavalry think they had easily breached the city, falling into the trap of the Great Mu Army. Then, when the spies contacted Luo Yuan in the city, he lit the signal fire, and both sides acted simultaneously. He sent out a team to carry the flag of the Southern Yue tribe at the forefront and then used the sand raised by thousands of plowing cattle to make Ashina Helie unable to gauge the number of attacking troops, and also worried about the ambushes set in the city. In the chaos, they decided to abandon Pingdu Pass and directly attack Qingzhou.
Xiao Du easily recaptured Pingdu Pass without expending a single soldier, but he didn’t dare to slack off. He first ordered several teams to firmly guard the city gates, then dismounted and rushed to the city tower. Looking at the densely packed Black Cavalry in the distance, he took the iron bow handed over by his deputy, drew an arrow, and shouted, “Those who dare to invade my territory…” The soldiers below the city tower echoed in unison, “Kill!”
Xiao Du shouted again, “Those who insult my compatriots…” “Kill!”
“Those who kill my brothers…” “Kill!”
The soldiers below the city tower reminded of their compatriots who died at the hands of the enemy, couldn’t help but feel their blood boil, continuously shouting “Kill! Kill! Kill!” The deafening shouts surged like a tide, rushing into the sky. The Black Cavalry, already fleeing the city in panic, were terrified by this earth-shattering roar. They forgot their formations and kept colliding with their troops.
Seeing the situation turning unfavorable, Ashina Helie hurriedly waved his hand and ordered the drums to be beaten, rearranging their formation. Xiao Du smirked coldly, aiming at a black figure beside the fluttering flag, drew his bow, and shot two arrows in succession. The iron bow in his hand weighed more than ten kilograms, requiring all his strength to shoot, but its range was astonishing. The jet-black arrow feathers whistled through the air, just as the first set of feathers was about to fall, they were hit by the second set, piercing through Ashina Helie’s armor and shooting him off his horse. Fortunately, his bodyguards rushed to him in time and pulled him up, preventing him from being trampled to death in the chaos.
The Black Cavalrymen, seeing their leader shot down from several dozen miles away, were horrified. But what awaited them was even more despair. Zheng Long had secretly ordered the destruction of the embankments upstream of the Wei River, causing the river to rise by a meter, and making it impossible for ordinary horses to cross. Then, rockets began to be fired continuously from Qingzhou City on the opposite bank. The Black Cavalry suffered a major defeat today and had no resistance at this moment. They were surrounded and lost tens of thousands of troops. Fortunately, Dian Yun personally carried the flag and commanded the Black Cavalry to retreat to the mountains by the Wei River, avoiding total annihilation.
With the overall situation settled, Xiao Du finally relaxed slightly. Just as he walked down from the city tower, he saw the figure he had been longing for. He quickly strode forward and hugged her tightly. Yuan Xi, held in his arms, finally felt her anxious heart settle down after days of worry. Then, with a trembling voice, she said, “Xiao Du, he took people to the grain camp and hasn’t come back!”
Xiao Du’s expression changed, gripping her hand reassuringly, he said, “Don’t worry, I’ll bring him back!” Then, he mounted his horse and galloped towards the direction of the grain camp. Yuan Xi was escorted back to the Prefectural Governor’s Mansion by two attendants, but she remained restless, anxiously looking outside.
After a long time, she suddenly heard cries in the distance. Her heart clenched, and she rushed to the door, only to see under the setting sun, Xiao Du slowly walking towards her, leading a horse. Seated on the horse was the little boy, Pillar, but he was carrying someone on his shoulder. His green robe had long been dyed crimson, and his gentle eyes would never open again.
Yuan Xi felt her body go weak, needing to hold onto the door frame tightly to keep herself from falling. But she still refused to believe it, staring at Xiao Du with hopeful eyes, hoping he would tell her that the little master hadn’t died, that he was just seriously injured.
Xiao Du, with red eyes, dared not look at her, gently placed the body of Luo Yuan on the ground, and took Pillar down from the horse. “He hid this child in a haystack and used himself to lure away the enemy. I searched for a long time before finding him in the pile of corpses…” His throat choked up, unable to continue.
Yuan Xi felt her vision darken, and finally couldn’t hold on, collapsing to the ground. Xiao Du hurried over to help her up, letting her bury her face in his chest and vent. At this moment, Pillar, who had been standing by, suddenly walked up to them and tore open his shirt. On his undershirt, written in blood, were the names of each fallen soldier, written with vigor and vigor. This was the last thing Luo Yuan did before the arrival of the Black Cavalry.
At the last moment, he wrote down the name of each fallen soldier, the only thing he could do for them, and the promise he kept even in death.