"A bunch of scoundrels!"
Li Xuanji drew her steel sword, its edge notched, and pointed it at the city wall, roaring, "We fought bloody battles in the north, where nine hundred and thirty thousand troops went, and only thirty thousand returned. You didn't reinforce us, and now you're blocking our escape route?"
At once, tens of thousands of Yunzhou cavalry drew their swords in unison, glaring at Guyao Pass.
On the city wall, a general clad in armor and a dark blue cloak stepped onto the parapet. He cupped his fists towards the remnants of Yunzhou and declared, "I am Li Chunyang, the Military Commissioner of the Western Shu Iron Cavalry of Shuzhou."
Ning Ze frowned, "Li Chunyang, what is Lord Wen thinking? Blocking Guyao Pass, is it to trap us and let us die?"
"No."
Li Chunyang's voice was humble. "Lord Wen is concerned that Lord Wu's army is deep in enemy territory and will surely be defeated. How many of the nine hundred and thirty thousand troops will return? And once the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry is defeated, the forces of the three northern prefectures will be depleted. The demon and devil cavalry will inevitably advance south. What will we use to resist then? Therefore, on the day Lord Wu marched out of the pass, Lord Wen ordered the construction of this Guyao Pass to prevent the demon race from advancing south."
"And the result?"
Lin Wuyang said bitterly, "The demon army is right behind us, and this Guyao Pass is about to become the burial ground for us. You, Li Chunyang, do you feel no guilt watching us fight to the death? We killed over a million demons in the northern frontier, and this is how you treat us?"
"Lord Lin Wuyang!"
Li Chunyang lowered his voice and roared, "Do you think I, Li Chunyang, don't want to draw my sword and fight the enemy to the north? Do you think we Western Shu Iron Cavalry are cowards? I don't want to be a turtle hiding behind this city wall either. If I had a choice, I, Li Chunyang, would rather die fighting alongside you outside the city, but Guyao Pass must be defended, and the Human Race's Fusang Great Wall and the three northern prefectures cannot be lost!"
...
Just then, a flying rider galloped in from the north, shouting, "The demon race is here! The Great Demon Yu Zhi is leading the army herself, with a force of two army tents!"
"Li Chunyang!"
Li Xuanji looked at Li Chunyang and roared, "For the sake of you being my cousin, save these Yunzhou Iron Cavalry... Leave a little bloodline for the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry, I beg you!"
"..."
Li Chunyang stood on the city wall, gritting his teeth, and turned to roar, "Guards, find all the ropes in the pass! Use ropes to pull people up from below!"
"Good!"
Li Xuanji quickly turned and said, "Come, let the wounded go home first! Brothers who still have strength, follow me north and prepare to face the demon race!"
"Yes!"
Nearly ten thousand Yunzhou cavalry, still with some fighting strength, turned in unison, their swords pointed north. Ropes were lowered from the city wall, first bringing back the body of Lord Wu, Yue Hao, wrapped in horse hides. Then came the wounded soldiers, their bodies bound by ropes, being slowly dragged up the city by people on the wall. In the distance, the demon army was approaching, countless demon soldiers surging like a tide!
"They're here!"
Li Chunyang watched the distance, gritting his teeth, and shouted, "Lin Wuyang, Li Xuanji, Ning Ze, command the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry to approach the city wall and form a defensive formation. I will have the archers on the wall shoot at the demon soldiers from afar to cover your retreat north!"
As he spoke, Li Chunyang personally picked up a powerful crossbow and roared, "Brothers, nock your arrows, aim at the demon race, and buy a little chance of survival for our Yunzhou brothers!"
On the city wall, dense rows of soldiers drew their bows, and arrows rained down.
Initially, the demon soldiers fell one after another, but when the demon race sent shield bearers to the front, the lethality of these arrows was greatly reduced. Below the city, wounded Yunzhou cavalry were still being dragged up the city. At this moment, whoever reached Guyao Pass could survive. Twenty thousand Western Shu Iron Cavalry were arrayed within Guyao Pass. Even if two army tents of the demon race attacked, they could put up a fight. However, Lord Wen clearly wanted to preserve the strength of this Western Shu Iron Cavalry, so he sealed off Guyao Pass completely, leaving no gate open.
Perhaps, in Lord Wen's mind, the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry had already been abandoned the moment they marched north.
...
Outside the city, the demon army swarmed in like a tide, their numbers growing. The Yunzhou Iron Cavalry were already exhausted, many falling with their horses onto the swords of the demon soldiers, their blood staining the battlefield.
"104!"
"105!"
"106!"
In the crowd, Lin Wuyang swung his sword wildly, while also glancing back at the wounded Yunzhou cavalry tied to ropes on the city wall. He was counting the number of wounded soldiers. How many wounded Yunzhou soldiers returned meant how much bloodline and seeds were left for the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry. It couldn't be that they would all be wiped out in the north, could it?
A vast, fifty-three thousand cavalry... those countless young faces.
Thinking of this, Lin Wuyang's eyes welled up with tears. As he cut down a demon cultivator in the middle stage of the fifth realm, he roared, "Ning Ze, lead the wounded brothers who can't escape with me to attack north! Li Xuanji, lead the brothers who still have strength and head east, escape the demon hunt, go east, and find a way to live!"
"Get lost!"
Li Xuanji fiercely decapitated a demon soldier with her sword, roaring, "You, Lin Wuyang, want to be a hero, and I, Li Xuanji, want to be a deserter? Bullshit! I will never be a deserter!"
Lin Wuyang said with tears in his voice, "You, Li Xuanji, know nothing! In terms of formations and strategy, you are not worthy to carry my shoes! I want you to get lost because I want to leave a spark for our Yunzhou Iron Cavalry. Hurry up and go!"
"Go!"
Ning Ze also glared at Li Xuanji and said, "Take the surviving Yunzhou cavalry and head east. Live on, Li Xuanji, you useless person, you must live!"
"Bastards... a bunch of bastards!"
Li Xuanji wiped away hot tears, pointed her sword eastward, and roared, "Brothers who can still run with their horses, follow me and break out to the east! Even if I have to risk my life, I will lead you to find a way to live!"
Thus, the more than thirty thousand Yunzhou cavalry split into two. The wounded were left to resist the enemy, while those who could still run followed Li Xuanji to break out to the east, disappearing into the snow curtain in an instant.
Outside the city, Lin Wuyang and Ning Ze led more than ten thousand wounded soldiers to fight the demon race. The defense line was constantly eroded and overwhelmed, until finally, a demon cultivator's steel sword pierced Lin Wuyang's heart. Ning Ze fell in the chaos, his neck bitten off by a great demon. The remaining cavalry wounded fell one by one.
"Fire arrows!"
Li Chunyang watched the tragic scene below the city, pointed his sword, and roared, "Shoot down all the demons near the city wall! Fire arrows!"
As he spoke, he turned and walked down dejectedly, slumping onto the accumulated snow under the battlements. The renowned general of Western Shu could not bear to look at the tragic scene outside the city. Filled with anger, hatred, and self-reproach, tears streamed down his face, and he could not help but burst into wails.
...
Evening.
Tianchi Town.
By the stone bridge over Baiyu Stream, Lin Zhao was practicing punches with Little Stone. He hadn't been back here to practice for a long time. But after a recent major battle, Chu Huaixi had given him some leave. If there was nothing important, he didn't need to go to the military camp. The Death Squad was managed by Zhu Zhi, Luo Yang, and Mu Zha, so there would be no problems. As for Lin Zhao's prestige in the Death Squad, that was even more undeniable.
The battle in the eastern region, passing through the Chilong Forest seven times and killing over a hundred thousand demon soldiers, was enough to establish Lin Zhao's prestige in the army, second only to Chu Huaixi. There were even rumors in the army that some called Lin Zhao "Young Marshal." After Chu Huaixi, Lin Zhao would inevitably command the Snow Region Tianchi.
"Lin Zhao!"
In the wind, a figure descended. It was Huang Tingyu.
"It's Old Huang..."
Lin Zhao frowned, feeling an inexplicable sense of foreboding. "Is it bad news?"
"Mm."
Huang Tingyu sat down on the bridge, "I just received a message from a spy from the direction of Guyao Pass. The remnants of the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry have been located."
"Tell me, what happened?"
"..."
Huang Tingyu hesitated for a moment. "Lin Wuyang, Li Xuanji, and Ning Ze led thirty thousand remnants of the Yunzhou Iron Cavalry to Guyao Pass. But Lord Wen Shuyang had long ordered Guyao Pass to be rebuilt, so a twenty-meter-high city wall stood on the old site of Guyao Pass, and there was no gate. The thirty thousand Yunzhou Iron Cavalry were trapped outside, and the demon race attacked directly under the pass."
"Ah?"
Lin Zhao's heart trembled, "Were they... completely annihilated?"
"Almost."
Huang Tingyu frowned. "Li Chunyang, the renowned general of Western Shu who defended Guyao Pass, ordered the use of ropes to rescue people. Several hundred wounded Yunzhou cavalry were saved. Outside the city, there were two army tents of the demon race, a total of four hundred thousand troops. In the end, Lin Wuyang and Ning Ze led over ten thousand wounded soldiers to hold off the demon race, while Li Xuanji led over ten thousand cavalry to break out to the east. As of the time the message was sent, Lin Wuyang and Ning Ze had both died, and Li Xuanji's fate was unknown."
"Two demon army tents..."
Lin Zhao gritted his teeth. "Can Li Xuanji and those ten thousand Yunzhou cavalry escape alive?"
"Difficult!"
Huang Tingyu said solemnly, "How many days and nights have the Yunzhou cavalry been fighting? Let alone people, even immortals on the mountain would not have that stamina. If two army tents of demon cultivators attack together, none of Li Xuanji's ten thousand Yunzhou cavalry will be able to escape. They will all die!"
Lin Zhao took a deep breath.
"Are you alright?"
Huang Tingyu patted his shoulder. "Do you need to be so sad about the life and death of the Great Shang Dynasty's army?"
"They are all human armies."
Lin Zhao frowned. "If they all die, it will be our turn..."
"I know."
Huang Tingyu stood up. "I don't have time to comfort you. I have to go back to the tent and await orders. You stay alone."
"Mm."
...
After Huang Tingyu left, Lin Zhao just looked at the flowing water under the bridge, lost in thought.
Just then, a pair of slender, shapely jade legs stepped onto the stone bridge. It was Leng Yan.
She sat silently beside Lin Zhao.
"Miss Leng."
Lin Zhao looked at her. "I'm a little sad..."
Leng Yan also looked at him, feeling he was slightly tired. Then, Leng Yan looked at her own shoulders, and then at her fair, snowy legs, unsure how to comfort him. Should she lend him her shoulder to lean on for a while, or lend him her legs to touch? Neither seemed quite right, appearing too flirtatious. For a moment, Leng Yan also became sad.
How could she enter his heart? The young girl's mind was in a state of turmoil.