Chapter 402: All Forces Break Camp, Pursue in Single File!

Zhong Lifang suddenly widened his eyes, his two thick black eyebrows arched, and the curved blade in his hand clanged against the ground.

He stepped forward two paces, yanked the Personal Guard's arm, his voice urgent and coarse: "Chen's battle banner?!"

The Personal Guard staggered from the pull, hurriedly nodded: "Absolutely true! The big 'Chen' on that banner can be seen from far away!"

Zhong Lifang's angry expression instantly turned to shock; he released his grip, stepped back half a step, and immediately guessed whose banner it was: "Chen Yan is coming?!!"

Su Hegui narrowed his eyes slightly, a hint of seriousness in his slanted gaze, twirled his sparse beard and slowly said: "For the Zhou State to raise this banner, and to be sent by Yuwen Hu..."

Then, pointing at the whistling arrows outside the tent, he said confidently: "It must be only him!"

As an enemy state, especially one with deep hatred, Su Hegui knows the Zhou State's court quite well.....

Since Chen Hu's death, among the Chen families of the Zhou State, there is only this one capable general left!

Xiahou Shun, looking down from his height, stared at the Personal Guard, his tone icy: "How many men and horses do they have?"

The Personal Guard covered his neck and coughed twice, cold sweat mixed with sand dripping from his temple, steadied himself and recalled: "At a rough glance, there are a little over a hundred riders, less than two hundred..."

Outside the tent, Fire Arrows kept firing intermittently, and the charred smell of the canvas grew stronger.

Zhong Lifang, after listening, sneered repeatedly, his thick black eyebrows raised high, and he slapped his palm hard with the curved blade: "Just a little over a hundred riders, and they dare to attack the camp?"

Speaking, he glanced at the sporadic Fire Arrows still falling outside the tent, his tone full of mockery.

Beside him, Su Hegui let out a cold snort, his slanted eyes narrowed to thin slits, his face full of anger: "That Zhou State's Chen Yan really doesn't consider us at all!"

We originally thought the Zhou State's soldier‑immortal was some famous general?

In fact, it's just an arrogant, overbearing, conceited junior officer!

Just a hundred riders daring to come to a four‑thousand‑strong elite camp—do they even know how to write the word "death"?

Or they were treated like the local chickens and dogs, the mob from Qinzhou?

Xiahou Shun suddenly raised his jade‑inlaid Horse Whip, snapping it in midair with a "Snap!" sound, and the flames inside the tent shook violently from the gust.

His eyes burned fiercely, a determined grin curled his mouth, and he barked: "Charge! All troops break camp, pursue in single file!"

"Make sure to capture alive the Zhou Army's great general Chen Yan!"

"Raise the prestige of our Tu Gu Hun nation!"

Saying so, he stepped forward, his voice brimming with unstoppable fervor.

The moment for Xiahou Shun to make his name known to the world had arrived!

Although the great foe Chen Hu is dead, stepping in as his heir, the illustrious eldest grandson, can also cleanse Tu Gu Hun's past humiliation!

Moreover, this military merit will further solidify his position as Crown Prince...

"At your command!"

Inside the tent, the three generals' voices rang like great bells.

Zhong Lifang's thick black face was full of urgency, the veins in his hand gripping the curved blade bulging.

He was already plotting how to be the first to intercept Chen Yan and claim the top credit.

Su Hegui narrowed his slanted eyes, a shrewd glint in his gaze, silently calculating how many men and horses to send for a rear encirclement that would both ensure capture and maximize his own glory.

Ni Luozhou also rolled up his fists, his eyes unable to hide his covetousness for this sky‑splitting merit.

Although the three bowed their heads to receive orders, the glances they exchanged bore a silent contest, each hoping to be the first to seize Chen Yan and earn an unparalleled feat!

Xiahou Shun flipped onto his horse, his dark cloak rustling in the dusk wind.

Zhong Lifang, Su Hegui, and Ni Luozhou followed closely behind.

Four thousand Tu Gu Hun cavalry surged out of the camp gate like a tide, their hooves kicking up dust and causing the ground to tremble slightly.

Zhong Lifang rode at the head of the formation, his curved blade pointing forward, and through the lingering twilight he could see, two li away, the fluttering "Chen" Commander's Banner.

Under the banner, over a hundred Zhou Army riders were arrayed, awaiting orders.

His eyes widened instantly, and he shouted at the top of his lungs: "Where the Chen banner stands, Chen Yan must be there!"

"Boys, follow me and slay them!"

"Anyone who captures Chen Yan alive will be rewarded ten thousand taels of silver and a hundred mu of land!"

"Kill!"

Before his words finished, he tightened his grip on the horse's belly and surged forward, leading the charge toward the Zhou camp.

The Tu Gu Hun cavalry behind erupted in deafening battle cries.

The "Aooo" roars mingled with hoofbeats and the sound of blades unsheathing into a clamor.

Like a black torrent, they swept toward the hundred Zhou riders.

The "Chen" Commander's Banner fluttered in the evening wind.

At the foot of the banner, Helian Shi tightened the Horse Rein, his gaze sweeping over the oncoming Tu Gu Hun cavalry that surged like a black cloud, a sly smile curling his lips.

He turned his head toward his side—Wang Xiong clad in the standard armor of a Grand General, even the red tassels on his helmet were specially dyed a vermilion hue for clear visibility, giving him an especially imposing and striking appearance.

Helian Shi raised his hand, smoothing his wind‑tossed hair, and said with a hint of mockery: "General Wang, the Tu Gu Hun cavalry have taken the bait..."

Wang Xiong clenched the Horse Rein of his fleeing horse, his gaze scanning the approaching Tu Gu Hun cavalry, his eyes growing more playful: "Fire another coordinated volley; when they draw nearer and can see the armor on my body, we will withdraw!"

After all, they're already here; if we don't kill them, it's a waste. Reducing Tu Gu Hun's numbers as a side effect is also a good thing...

Zhong Lifang, leading the vanguard cavalry, surged to within a hundred paces; when he saw Wang Xiong's armor and the vermilion tassels on his helmet, a wild joy ignited in his eyes, his roar growing louder: "It's Chen Yan! Don't let him escape!"

"Whoosh—"

Over a hundred arrows were released simultaneously, their whistling cutting through the air toward the Tu Gu Hun cavalry.

The few riders at the front couldn't dodge in time; arrows struck them, horses fell, the neighs and cries mingling, and the once orderly vanguard formation was thrown into disarray.

Before the Tu Gu Hun could react, Wang Xiong had already turned his horse's head and thrust his horse's belly hard toward the Huang River direction.

The "Chen" Commander's Banner fluttered wildly behind him.

Over a hundred riders followed closely, no longer lingering in battle, galloping along the predetermined route.

The hooves kicked up dust that, in the dusk, stretched into a long plume of smoke.

Zhong Lifang and Su Hegui, seeing the situation, not only didn't panic but grew even more excited, slashing a knife through the arrow lodged beside the horse, and roared, "Don't let them escape! Catch up with Chen Yan, the credit will be ours!"

Having said that, he led the charge, and four thousand Tu Gu Hun cavalry pursued relentlessly like wolves pouncing on prey.

The pounding hooves made the ground hum.

After a Half Hour Rest of pursuit, dusk sank completely, leaving only a smear of crimson on the horizon.

Zhong Lifang tightened the reins of his sweat‑soaked Warhorse, breathing heavily, and looked ahead; beyond were only endless sand dunes and sparse red willows…

Where could any Zhou Army cavalry be seen?

Even the Commander's Banner bearing the character "Chen" had vanished without a trace.

"Damn, they ran as fast as a rabbit…"

"That flash of smoke disappeared!"

Zhong Lifang hammered his fist onto the horse's back, so angry that his whiskered face trembled.

He drew his curved blade, swung it aimlessly at the empty front, and kept cursing, "Damned Zhou Army!"

"Damned Chen Yan!"

The Tu Gu Hun cavalry behind also halted, their Warhorses snorting loudly, the soldiers panting, their armor smeared with dust and sweat.

Su Hegui tightened the rein, brushed dust from his face, inhaled a gust of sand‑laden evening wind, and said gravely, "It's getting dark; we can't pursue any further…"

He pointed to the thickening night around them, his slanted eyes full of caution, "Lest we fall into Chen Yan's ambush!"

Although Chen Yan's brat was provoking, his reputation was nonetheless earned through real deeds…

We must hold a strict formation and not be careless.

"Su Hegui is right!"

Xiahou Shun tightened his horse, gazing at the direction where the Zhou Army vanished, his eyes filled with resentment.

But after glancing at his panting Warhorse and the weary faces of the soldiers behind, he finally clenched his teeth and suppressed the burning anger within.

"Cease the pursuit, set up camp here and rest!"

"When the next chance comes, we'll capture Chen Yan alive…"

Zhong Lifang, though still dissatisfied, only spat fiercely, dismounted, and ordered the soldiers to erect the felt tents.

The Tu Gu Hun cavalry, as if granted a pardon, shed their armor, busied themselves gathering dry branches for fire, and the once thunderous hoofbeats gradually gave way to the sounds of building the camp.

At dawn the next day, the sky just turned a pale fish‑belly white, the chill on the Gobi had not yet lifted, and a rapid gallop of hooves rushed toward the Tu Gu Hun camp.

Those over a hundred cavalry again brandished the "Chen" Commander's Banner and charged, and before the gate guards could react, they fired several volleys of Fire Arrows into the tent area, then turned and fled.

Xiahou Shun sprang up from his couch, seized his curved blade, vaulted onto his horse, and Zhong Lifang and the others followed closely, the four thousand riders howling as they gave chase again.

But this time, the Zhou Army still fled at lightning speed, only occasionally glancing back from afar to launch a couple of cold arrows…

They chased for a full hour, and just as they were about to plunge into the Gouhe ahead, the trail vanished completely.

"Damn, they vanished again!"

Zhong Lifang tightened the reins of his nearly exhausted Warhorse, his forehead veins bulging with anger, he slammed his curved blade into the ground and shouted, "The Zhou Army are all soft‑hearted cowards who don't dare to fight!"

He panted heavily, staring at the direction where the Zhou Army disappeared, his teeth chattering with hatred.

What trick is Chen Yan playing… Xiahou Shun tightened his Warhorse, gazing at the Zhou Army's silhouette disappearing deep within the Gouhe, confusion in his eyes, a mutter in his mind, then he ordered, "Stop the chase! Find a place to rest!"

After more than a dozen days, the Tu Gu Hun camp had long lost its initial vigor.

Inside the tent, Xiahou Shun was massaging his throbbing temples, and the Mamajiu on the table had long gone cold.

In this half‑month plus, those hundred‑plus Zhou cavalry have become like a festering sore.

Every day at irregular times they harassed the camp, firing a few volleys of arrows, hurling curses, then fled, unsettling the whole army's rest.

Suddenly, the tent flap was flung open, and personal guards with weary faces rushed in, kneeling on one knee, their voice irritable, "Crown Prince, the Zhou Army is raiding the camp again!"

"Ignore them!"

"And don't pursue them!"

Xiahou Shun's complexion darkened like the bottom of a pot, his knuckles whitened as he clenched his teeth and spoke.

Having returned empty‑handed this time, he no longer cared…

Beyond the sand dunes outside the camp, Dou Luling tightened the Horse Rein, his gaze fixed on the tightly shut gate of the Tu Gu Hun camp.

The tent area was silent; not even a sentinel peeking out could be seen, let alone cavalry that would surge forth at a signal as before.

"He Ba, after all this time, they still haven't ridden out…"

He furrowed his brows, turned to his side and looked at He Ba Le, his tone carrying a hint of uncertainty, "It can't be that they've seen through our plan and aren't preparing to chase, can it?"

"Possibly…"

He Ba Le nodded, a sly glint in his eyes, saying, "Then we should use that move next!"

"You all have memorized it, right?"

Dou Luling smiled knowingly, summoned the local troops who could speak Tu Gu Hun, and ordered, "Go forward and unleash the curses!"

He paused, then turned to the other Rear Guard behind him, continuing, "Also fire the pre‑written ones into the Tu Gu Hun stronghold!"

Over thirty riders immediately urged their horses forward, forming a line just outside the Tu Gu Hun gate, and shouted curses:

"The Crown Prince's fate is truly pitiful, his mother died before his step‑mother. Prince Xiahou is soft as cotton, his mother was poisoned and he dares not speak! The younger brother eyes the throne while the elder brother cannot rest, the children all die early. The turtle hides its head in the camp; have the nerve to draw a sword and fight!"

"You bunch of wild‑raised brats! Can't even hold a blade steady, yet you dare to tempt Great Zhou's bad luck? Hurry back and go suckle!"

"Prince Xiahou is a real coward! He dares not strike, dares not retreat, and after returning he'll soon be replaced by his brother!"

"Look at you, a spineless waste! Your brother watches your seat every day, and all you do is hide trembling in the camp—what else can you do? Get out early!"

"You spineless scum! You don't even dare avenge your mother's death, hiding in the camp like a shrinking bird, you've disgraced the face of Tu Gu Hun!"

The vulgar insults rose and fell, mingling with the Warhorses' whinnies, echoing outside the camp.

At the same time, the remaining troops removed their Bow and Arrow, binding wooden tablets bearing pre‑written insults to the arrow shafts.

With the command "Release the arrows", over a hundred arrow shafts bearing the tablets whooshed toward the interior of the camp.

Some are nailed to the felt tent, some fall on the open ground, and the characters on the wooden slips are especially eye‑catching in the sunlight.

Inside the tent, the insults from outside the camp are like needles, piercing Xia Hou Shun's ears.

Xia Hou Shun had been simmering with anger these days, and under the sting of those heartbreaking "truths," the last restraint in Xia Hou Shun's eyes completely shattered; Xia Hou Shun seized the jade‑inlaid Horse Whip and slammed it hard toward the tent door, the felt curtain shattering instantly.

"Chase!"

"All troops, obey! Give me the chase!"

Xia Hou Shun roared hysterically, his voice hoarse from fury: "We must capture Chen Yan; the Crown Prince will cut him to pieces!"