Chapter 394: Someone, change the map for the Emperor [Thanks! Bow again!]

Qingyun, He Guan, and the others on the mountain,

had faces full of confusion.

He Guan turned his head to look at Qingyun and said: "This, Qingyun, what kind of witchcraft does your young master know? Did he scare the person back?"

Just now, he almost followed Xu Zaijing down the mountain,

and at this moment, he was supporting the shield,

Qingyun, who understood his young master's abilities, raised his eyebrows and said: "This Iron Kite is quite smart! If he keeps going forward, he will definitely die."

The way to die would be either being knocked off the horse by his young master with a long spear or being pierced to death by his young master's fine steel long spear.

"Running backward also looks like certain death."

If Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding were here, he would definitely say: "Running backward, I won't die in fear!!!"

Xu Zaijing also had a face full of surprise,

holding the long spear somewhat hesitantly,

not knowing whether he should throw it at the back of the Iron Kite who wasn't wearing armor.

But,

watching the Iron Kite tearing the Bai Gao infantry into pieces,

Xu Zaijing danced another spear flower and signaled toward the mountain.

Subsequently,

He Guan and the others sent another wave of arrows.

"A-Lan!! Release them all!!"

Hearing Xu Zaijing's roar, A-Lan understood and hurriedly began to cover the horses' eyes again.

"Qingyun! Throw the shield down!"

Seeing Xu Zaijing beckoning to him, Qingyun hurriedly threw the shield!

He Guan on the mountain top, watching Xu Zaijing's direction of advancing instead of retreating, roared: "Fifth Young Master! What are you doing!!"

You have to know,

Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding was only the first person; behind him were other Iron Kites who were also accelerating and only wearing front armor.

Watching Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding charging back,

the Iron Kites behind didn't know what to do for a moment.

As a descendant of a Bai Gao noble family, Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding's tall and sturdy mount was undoubtedly among the top in the Bai Gao Kingdom, and now it was half-armored.

The mount, desperately accelerated by Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding, saw the Bai Gao infantry shield in front and jumped right over the top of the shields.

Watching the armored giant beast charging over, the infantry behind didn't know what to do at all.

The smart ones squeezed to the side of the road to avoid being trampled by this Iron Kite.

Those who were stunned were directly knocked flying by the tall horse.

There were also those who jumped into the deep ditch by the side of the road in a panic.

In short, Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding actually ran through this infantry formation like this, piercing and crashing.

Along the way, it was a mess, with people falling and horses flipping.

Wails and screams were endless.

At this time,

the two startled horses prepared by A-Lan charged over again.

Xu Zaijing hurriedly dodged to the side, organizing his armor while letting the startled horses that were running past from time to time pass.

With Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding leading,

the infantry archers were dizzy from being charged by their own Iron Kites and had no chance to shoot the galloping startled horses.

Some Iron Kites were knocked into the deep ditch by the side of the road by the Bai Gao infantry or startled horses.

From the mountain road to the deep ditch, the slope was very steep, and the Iron Kites and horses were wearing armor; seeing the mount flip over, it smashed onto the rider.

On the mountain road some distance from the Bai Gao infantry,

Xu Zaijing, wearing Great Zhou cavalry red military uniform and Great Zhou armor, appeared before the eyes of the chaotic Bai Gao infantry.

A smart Bai Gao infantryman hiding by the roadside saw Xu Zaijing walking over with a long spear, and without a word, he waved his long knife and pounced over.

"Puchi."

The long spear in Xu Zaijing's hand was pulled out from under the infantryman's armpit.

The Bai Gao infantryman's mouth gushed with blood, and he lay weakly to the side.

This infantryman hadn't fallen yet, and an infantryman not far in front of Xu Zaijing held a long spear and roared loudly while stabbing at Xu Zaijing.

Xu Zaijing blocked with the spear handle, waved the long spear lightly, and the infantryman's head, wearing a helmet, tilted to the side at a somewhat large angle.

By the deep ditch by the mountain road,

a half-armored Iron Kite climbed up with difficulty,

looked at Xu Zaijing before him, and without a word, picked up the knife and shield on the ground and charged at Xu Zaijing.

The long spear in Xu Zaijing's hand was waved lightly to build up force, then he slapped it forcefully.

The shield in the Iron Kite's hand shattered, and the left shoulder armor holding the shield was directly deformed by the long spear.

Under the intense pain, the Iron Kite, having lost his mount, retreated two steps uncontrollably and fell back into the deep ditch by the side of the road.

Xu Zaijing withdrew the long spear, walked forward, and stood the long spear upright.

Subsequently, the fine steel spear butt slammed down, and an infantryman who was lying on the ground pretending to be dead with his hands hidden under his body was hit in the back by the spear butt.

"Puff!"

A mouthful of blood was spat out, and the infantryman, who clearly wouldn't live, turned over painfully, revealing a bone mace for breaking armor.

Xu Zaijing walked all the way,

and the Bai Gao infantry who saw his god-of-slaughter-like appearance had the first one stop resisting and kneel by the roadside.

Seeing Xu Zaijing didn't deal with him again and walked past, the Bai Gao infantryman's eyes flashed with fierce light.

Subsequently, this first infantryman who surrendered picked up his weapon again and smashed it desperately at Xu Zaijing's back.

Before A-Lan behind could shout, he saw Xu Zaijing switch hands with the long spear and thrust it backward with slight force, and the infantryman flew from behind Xu Zaijing to A-Lan's feet.

The armor on his chest was already dented beyond recognition.

Xu Zaijing looked back and said to A-Lan: "Go, wait for your Brother Qingyun to come over, then follow."

The Bai Gao infantry behind saw all of this clearly.

Some had hands shaking so much they couldn't hold their weapons, while others swallowed hard, feeling their feet go soft.

Suddenly, two people threw away their weapons, and looking at the older one, he pulled at a young man who was unconvinced.

The two knelt on the ground with their backs to Xu Zaijing,

and both took off their helmets, revealing the backs of their heads.

In the distance,

General Ren Duo, who was knocked over by Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding, was stepped on the thigh by his own mount after falling off the horse.

General Ren Duo, who was held in the arms of a personal guard and sitting on the ground,

looked at the army not far away that was so frightened by Xu Zaijing that they dared not step forward and was already in a state of rout; his face, sweaty from pain, was filled with the pain of choice in his eyes.

He said to the personal guard beside him: "Let the archers to the side... cover that area with a rain of arrows!"

"General, our soldiers are still there."

"Shoot!!!"

"Yes!"

Xu Zaijing saw no one dared to step forward, so his attention was naturally placed in the distance.

Looking at the movement in the distance,

Xu Zaijing pointed to the distance with the long spear in his hand and shouted: "A-Lan! Run!"

A-Lan, who heard the shout, looked at the Bai Gao soldiers who were drawing their bows, and then looked at Xu Zaijing who had a large shield at his feet, and hurriedly led the horses to hide behind.

The Bai Gao infantry with their backs to the distance thought Xu Zaijing was provoking them and took another step back.

As a result, Xu Zaijing in their field of vision looked around, quickly bent down, and stood up a large infantry shield as tall as a person.

After Xu Zaijing took a step back, he took the opportunity to cover himself and the older Bai Gao infantryman who had just surrendered under the large shield.

Seeing Xu Zaijing's action, someone felt the time had come, waved the long-handled mace in his hand, and rushed over to smash Xu Zaijing.

"Shoo shoo shoo"

"Thud thud thud thud"

"Ah!"

"Pain!"

Xu Zaijing felt the force of the feathered arrows shot by the Bai Gao strong bows under the shield.

But the older infantryman behind him suddenly pounced toward the younger infantryman to the side.

Regardless of the arrows stuck in his body, he pulled the infantryman under himself.

Not far from Xu Zaijing's large shield,

many people lay on the ground in an instant.

There were also Bai Gao soldiers further from Xu Zaijing who had arrows stuck in their bodies but hadn't fallen; they looked at the back uncomprehendingly.

After seeing it was the Bai Gao soldiers shooting them, fierce fire instantly appeared in their eyes.

"The dog pups of the Ren Duo unit don't treat us of the Zha Jue unit as people!"

"Thieves of the Ren Duo unit, are you taking the opportunity to kill the soldiers of my Mie Mi unit?"

"After killing the Mi Mu family, you want to kill my Lian Nu family too?! The ancestors of the infantry are my Lian Nu unit!"

Huge roars spread through the mountains.

But responding to this group of Bai Gao soldiers was another wave of arrows.

Behind General Ren Duo,

the cavalry of various units like Zha Jue, Mie Mi, and Lian Nu who saw this scene turned their horses' heads and chased in the direction of Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding.

At this time,

He Guan and the others behind had already hurried over.

Looking at Xu Zaijing under the rain of arrows, Qingyun's eyes turned somewhat red.

Just as he was about to go over with the shield, he was pulled by He Guan!

"Don't go over! If you go, Fifth Young Master will have to be distracted to look at you!"

Qingyun: "I!"

"Looking at Fifth Young Master's expression, does he look like he's in trouble??"

Listening to He Guan's questioning, Qingyun scratched his helmet anxiously.

At this time, He Guan saw General Ren Duo who was being surrounded in the distance.

After estimating the distance, He Guan reached toward the quiver behind him.

"!!!"

He Guan turned his head and saw that his quiver was empty.

Looking at the last quiver of arrows remaining on the little Li horse's back not far away, He Guan walked over without a word.

After pulling five feathered arrows from the little Li horse's quiver,

He Guan walked back and stuck the five feathered arrows in the ground.

Nocked an arrow,

strong bow wide open,

after estimating the distance,

released the arrow!

Watching the feathered arrow fly much further than he estimated and nail into a Bai Gao soldier's thigh,

He Guan looked at the four feathered arrows before him in surprise:

This... this is the feathered arrow Fifth Young Master uses!?

I want to report to the Emperor,

I want to submit a memorial to the imperial court,

to impeach the Arrow Institute for being biased!

Compared to these feathered arrows, the arrows I, He Guan, use are garbage!

Qingyun to the side looked at He Guan's expression curiously and said: "Brother He, this is a feathered arrow my young master repaired himself, how is it to use?"

He Guan: "... Not bad."

Saying this, He Guan opened his strong bow wide again.

"Snap."

General Ren Duo, who was being surrounded by personal guards and was struggling to stand up with a limp, was instantly stuck with a feathered arrow in his back.

When He Guan's third arrow was shot over, General Ren Duo had already been strictly protected by shields.

Then, lying on the horse's back, he ran toward the rear of the army.

Behind the Bai Gao army,

by the roadside, which was much wider than the mountain road where they were fighting just now,

many Bai Gao soldiers who didn't know what had happened in front looked curiously at the roadside.

There, the mount that looked like an Iron Kite's finally stopped,

and Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding, half-armored, panted heavily, his legs somewhat soft as he dismounted.

After sitting down by the roadside,

his eyes filled with panic, he took off his helmet and threw it to the side, revealing a face dripping with sweat.

Having taken off his helmet, he was recognized by a Bai Gao general nearby.

"Zhejue Zhongding? What's wrong with you?"

The one speaking was Lian Nu Baihuo, a collateral descendant of the Lian Nu family, who had married a daughter of the Zha Jue family.

The Zha Jue family needed someone to control the infantry, while the collateral descendant of the Lian Nu family needed a bright future.

The two families hit it off; the life of the collateral descendant of the Lian Nu family was protected by the Zha Jue family, and he helped the Zha Jue family control one-third of the infantry.

"Baihuo, I've caused a great disaster!"

Lian Nu Baihuo pursed his lips, looking at the dejected Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding, and thought: "Caused a great disaster? Compared to the disasters you caused on the walls in Bianjing before, what else can be called a great disaster?"

Subsequently, he said in a low voice: "Zhejue Zhongding, what exactly happened?"

Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding looked at the long knife at Lian Nu Baihuo's waist, and his eyes lit up.

He grabbed the hilt of the knife and was about to slit his own throat without a word.

But it was snatched away by Lian Nu Baihuo: "What exactly happened? You aren't even afraid of death, what are you afraid of?"

Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding said with an extremely ugly expression: "No, no, he is more terrifying than death!"

Subsequently, Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding explained what he had done just now in a few sentences.

After listening,

Lian Nu Baihuo turned his head to the side in pain: It was my ignorance just now, you are truly worthy of being a descendant of the Zha Jue family.

"Regardless, with this action of yours, the Ren Duo family will not let you go! Even with your father's protection, after returning to Xingqing Prefecture, you can't escape the fate of being beheaded."

Lian Nu Baihuo: "Zhejue Zhongding, actually there is one place you definitely don't have to die!"

Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding raised his head suddenly: "Where?"

Lian Nu Baihuo pursed his lips forcefully, looked around, and seeing no one nearby, said in a low voice: "Great Zhou."

Hearing this, Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding felt his gray and defeated eyes suddenly brighten.

"But, how do I go to Great Zhou?"

At this time,

cavalry from the Zha Jue unit rode over not far away,

after a conversation, Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding and Lian Nu Baihuo looked at each other: "You say, after General Ren Duo was knocked over by me, he even shot and killed soldiers of our units?"

The cavalry nodded with indignation.

Lian Nu Baihuo leaned into Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding's ear and said: "Why don't we go all the way! I heard that before, the Li Chi Mei brothers were recruiting soldiers from the Zhenyan Military Division; speaking of which, Tao Tie and Li Chi Mei are the true Bai Gao royal family."

Looking at Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding's hesitation.

Lian Nu Baihuo continued: "Staying here is death, returning to Xingqing Prefecture is also death, only... can we live. Zhejue Zhongding, I am willing to help you!"

"Also! Zhejue Zhongding, mobilizing nearly one hundred thousand people to the north to Keyi Gate, do you feel other directions can still be defended?"

After a while, Zha Jue Zhejue Zhongding looked at Lian Nu Baihuo and said: "Let your archers come over and get ready."

The commander of the unit, General Ren Duo, was shot,

and the rain of arrows toward Xu Zaijing stopped.

Behind the raised shield, the elderly Bai Gao soldier had a feathered arrow stuck deep in his shoulder.

Standing up and looking at the young soldier who was safe and sound beneath him, the old soldier smiled, even though he was sweating from pain.

The young soldier looked at the tragic scene outside the shield, and then looked at himself and his relatives who were safe with minor injuries.

He knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Xu Zaijing.

"Fifth Young Master! The rain of arrows has stopped, come over quickly!"

He Guan's voice came.

This Bai Gao army just stopped by the mountain road.

Xu Zaijing, along with Qingyun, A-Lan, and He Guan, continued to confront the Bai Gao Kingdom army on the mountain to the side.

Not asking for anything else, just wanting to make the Bai Gao Kingdom army move a little slower.

Subsequently,

the Bai Gao horn in the distance sounded again, and Xu Zaijing could hear that the meaning of urging was very obvious.

The sun moved west,

around the Shen period (after 3:00 PM).

Suddenly,

the sound of Great Zhou war drums came rumbling from outside the mountains.

Beside Xu Zaijing,

He Guan looked at the feathered arrow in his hand with love, and his ears suddenly moved when he heard the drum sound: "Hiss! This war drum sound is so loud, I'm afraid there are one hundred thousand people."

Just as He Guan finished speaking,

in the distance on the narrow mountain road,

a rider walked toward the direction of Xu Zaijing and the others.

Because there were many corpses of people and horses blocking the way near Xu Zaijing and the others, the rider had to dismount and walk over.

He kept signaling that he had no weapons while walking.

Subsequently,

this rider came close, bowed and touched his chest, and said a few words in Great Zhou language.

He Guan, who was holding the feathered arrow, heard the rider's words, his mouth opened uncontrollably, his gaze was somewhat dull, and even the feathered arrow in his hand fell to the ground.

"Fifth Young Master, what is he saying?"

Three days had passed since the Great Battle of Keyi Gate, which began on the tenth day of the ninth month.

Bianjing,

Imperial Palace,

at the beginning of the Si period,

the morning court had already ended.

Zhao Zilong walked into the main hall holding the latest battle report, with a face full of incomprehension and disbelief.

The Emperor would take a look at the map every half circle he turned in front of it.

Seeing Zhao Zilong enter the hall with this expression,

the Emperor only felt his heart thump, his heart rose to his throat, and his brain was filled with the uncomfortable feeling of knowing about a great defeat when he was young.

Zhao Fang hurriedly supported the Emperor who couldn't stand steadily and shouted with concern: "Father! Father!"

The Emperor, who was steadily supported by his son, smiled at Zhao Fang and said: "Fang'er, Father has failed, you must continue! Do you understand?"

Zhao Fang nodded with a firm look.

The Emperor took a deep breath:

"Zilong, how many elites were lost? Is Marquis Yongyi alright?"

Hearing the Emperor's question,

Zhao Zilong then came to his senses, looked at the appearance of the Emperor and the Prince, and hurriedly knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, please forgive me, I was distracted and made Your Majesty worry! I deserve to die!"

The Emperor waved his hand: "This recovery of the Bai Gao ancestral land was my idea, what happens has nothing to do with you, Beloved Official!"

Zhao Zilong touched his forehead to the ground, holding the battle report in his hands: "Your Majesty, I... you should take a look yourself."

The Grand Eunuch hurriedly hurried over and took the battle report from Zhao Zilong's hands.

The Emperor took a deep breath again and began to read the battle report.

Then, the expressions of the Emperor and Zhao Zilong were much the same.

Zhao Fang leaned over to look, only to see written at the bottom of the battle report: Imperial Guard Captain He Guan shot the enemy commander with one arrow in the midst of ten thousand troops, the enemy army was in chaos, and later, together with the Fifth Young Master of the Xu family, pacified five thousand Bai Gao people before the formation.

"???"

Taking the battle report from his father's hands, Zhao Fang looked up: The fourteen-thousand-strong army, including five thousand Hengsai heavy cavalry, together with Marquis Yongyi's army, defeated the Bai Gao defenders before Keyi Gate, drove tens of thousands of Bai Gao soldiers into the Yellow River to drown, and even more died in the stampede to enter Keyi Gate; the chaotic battle at dusk intensified, and our Great Zhou army took the opportunity to capture Keyi Gate!

The meaning of the following sentences was: the specific battle results are still being calculated, first reporting the great victory to Your Majesty.

"Ah!!!"

Zhao Fang jumped up happily, shouting "I'm going to tell Mother," and ran out of the main hall screaming.

The Emperor looked at the Great Zhou map with incomparable comfort and said: "Zilong, get up! Order someone to change the map!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 395 =====

He Guan looked at the feathered arrow in his hand with affection, and his ears suddenly twitched upon hearing the drum sounds: "Hiss! These war drums are so loud, I'm afraid there are a hundred thousand people."

As soon as He Guan's words fell,

In the distance of the narrow mountain road,

A knight walked toward the direction of Xu Zaijing and the others.

Because the closer one got to Xu Zaijing and the others, the more corpses of men and horses obstructed the path, the knight had to dismount and walk over.

He kept signaling that he had no weapons while walking.

Subsequently,

This knight arrived nearby, bowed, placed his hand over his chest, and said a few words in Great Zhou language.

He Guan, who was holding the feathered arrow, heard the knight's words; his mouth opened uncontrollably, his gaze was somewhat dull, and even the feathered arrow in his hand fell to the ground.

"Fifth Young Master, what is he saying?"

Three days have passed since the Great Battle of Keyi Gate that began on the tenth of the ninth month.

Bianjing,

Imperial Palace,

Beginning of the hour of Si,

The morning court session had already ended.

Zhao Fang held the latest battle report in his hands, and walked into the great hall with a look of incomprehension and disbelief.

The Emperor would take a look at the map every half-circle he turned in front of it.

Seeing Zhao Fang enter the hall with this expression,

The Emperor only felt a thud in his heart, his heart rose to his throat, and his mind was filled with the painful feeling of knowing about a great defeat when he was young.

Zhao Fang at the side hurriedly supported the Emperor, who could barely stand, and called out with concern, "Father! Father!"

The Emperor, who was firmly supported by his son, smiled at Zhao Fang and said, "Fang'er, Father has failed, you must continue! Do you understand?"

Zhao Fang nodded with a firm gaze.

The Emperor took a deep breath:

"Zilong, how many elites were lost? Is the Marquis Yongyi well?"

Hearing the Emperor's question,

Zhao Fang then came to his senses; looking at the Emperor and the Imperial Prince's appearance, he hurriedly knelt on the ground: "Your Majesty, forgive me. Your subject was distracted, causing Your Majesty worry! Your subject deserves to die!"

The Emperor waved his hand and said, "This time, recovering the old lands of Bai Gao was my idea; how it turned out has nothing to do with you, my beloved minister!"

Zhao Fang's forehead touched the ground, his hands holding the battle report: "Your Majesty, your subject... you should take a look yourself."

The Great Eunuch hurriedly walked over with hurried steps and took the battle report from Zhao Fang's hands.

The Emperor took another deep breath and began to read the battle report.

Then, the expressions of the Emperor and Zhao Fang were much the same.

Zhao Fang leaned over to look, only to see written at the bottom of the battle report: Garrison Captain He Guan shot the enemy commander with one arrow in the midst of ten thousand troops, the enemy army was in great chaos, and later, together with the Xu family's Fifth Young Master, pacified five thousand Bai Gao people before the formation.

"???"

Taking the battle report from his father's hands, Zhao Fang looked upward: A great army of one hundred and forty thousand, including five thousand Hengsai heavy cavalry, together with the Marquis Yongyi's great army, defeated the Bai Gao garrison before Keyi Gate, drove tens of thousands of Bai Gao soldiers into the Yellow River to drown, and even more died from trampling while scrambling to enter the city before Keyi Gate; the chaotic battle intensified at dusk, and our Great Zhou army took the opportunity to attack and enter Keyi Gate!

The meaning of the following sentences is: the specific battle results are still being calculated, first reporting a great victory to Your Majesty.

"Ah!!!"

Zhao Fang jumped up with joy, shouting "I'm going to tell the Empress," and ran out of the great hall screaming.

The Emperor looked at the Great Zhou map with immense satisfaction and said, "Zilong, get up! Order someone to change the map!"

(End of chapter)