Chapter 1715: On the speed of changing faces, Lu Zhen's excitement!

"You brat, I'll screw your grandfather!"

"Screw your ancestors!"

"If I go to hell, I'll be the first to find your Gao family ancestors and make them pay!"

"You brat... I really can't hold on anymore. I'm afraid this old life is going to be lost here."

Under the night sky.

Lu Zhen's voice rang out, carrying an unmistakable weariness.

He stood on a hilltop, looking into the distance, sighing.

This place was called Iron Stone Valley, the designated meeting point between him and Gao Yang, and also the place where he was besieged by the armies of the Zhenyue King and the Langya King.

Nearby, the Da Qian generals under his command were leading their soldiers to divide into camps and rest.

However, the army's morale was very low and they were in a sorry state. Some soldiers not only had faces full of exhaustion, but their armor also had traces of dark red blood.

The entire army was shrouded in a visible gloom, a far cry from the high spirits they had when they first charged out of Mount Canglan.

"Grand General, tomorrow is the tenth day, but we still haven't seen Minister Gao's falcon. Can Minister Gao arrive in time?"

"The brothers' morale is very low right now, relying entirely on the Grand General's promise that if we hold out for ten days, reinforcements will arrive!"

"If there are no reinforcements, I'm afraid the army's morale..."

Beside him, a deputy general who had followed Lu Zhen for many years stepped forward, speaking with worry. By the end, he didn't even continue, but Lu Zhen could see the worry in his eyes clearly.

Lu Zhen scanned the entire camp, silent for a long time before speaking.

"Iron Stone Valley is over 1,200 miles away from the Xiongnu's Crescent Spring. According to the established plan, when our army crossed Mount Canglan, Minister Gao was leading his army to force a crossing through the core area of the Sudan Desert!"

"If everything goes smoothly, it will take seven days to reach the Xiongnu's Crescent Spring. By then, the news of our army's breakthrough will have spread throughout Hexi, and the Zhenyue King and Langya King will lead their armies to encircle us. This time difference is the time given to Minister Gao to raid the Hexi land!"

"A distance of 1,200 miles requires at least twelve days, and that's in the most ideal state. To kill his way here in ten days... there is absolutely no possibility!"

"It will take at least half a month!"

"Our army must hold on for at least another five days!"

At this point, Lu Zhen's eyes flickered.

The deputy general beside him turned extremely pale upon hearing this, as if struck by a heavy blow.

His mind was filled only with Lu Zhen's last sentence: hold on for another five days!

"But the Zhenyue King and Langya King are closing in, gradually compressing our escape route!"

"The entire eight tribes of Hexi are listening to their orders and have completely mobilized. While our army avoids pursuit, we also need to search for supplies. These past two days, Xiongnu tribes have become fewer and fewer, and the army has begun killing horses!"

"Now our army has been trapped in this Iron Stone Valley for two full days, exhausted and hungry... wanting to hold on for another five days, how is that possible!"

The deputy general's face was taut, filled with despair.

Lu Zhen looked into the distance, clenching his fists, "I didn't expect the Zhenyue King and Langya King to come so quickly, and their encirclement tactics are step-by-step, not the work of fools, which is why our army has fallen into this situation!"

"But... we must hold on even if we can't. We hold on as long as we can!"

"The Sudan Desert is extremely dangerous. Even that brat, how could he rush out in six or seven days? I must buy him time!"

"Pass on my order: tomorrow at dawn, the army will split into two paths, charging out from the left and right wings of Iron Stone Valley. The 3,000 on the left wing will be a feint to attract the Xiongnu main force, and the right wing will charge out with me!"

"The more momentum the Xiongnu have, and the harder our army's situation, the more empty the Xiongnu's rear must be. As long as we take the Hexi land, even if the army is wiped out and we pay a huge price, it will be worth it!"

Lu Zhen's voice rang out, carrying a sense of determination.

"Yes!"

Following Lu Zhen's voice, the generals under his command also left. They knew clearly that tomorrow would be a brutal battle!

For a moment, some wounded old soldiers secretly wiped their broken blades, and the cook camp began silently collecting horse bones to boil soup.

The entire army was permeated with an atmosphere of determination.

If they could break out of the Xiongnu encirclement, there was still a glimmer of hope. If they couldn't...

Then on this vast grassland, once the army collapsed, it would be absolutely catastrophic!

Either live, or die!

But at this moment.

Above the nine heavens.

A falcon flew past, wings flapping high, circling above Iron Stone Valley, then landed.

Lu Zhen watched from afar, his pupils shrinking suddenly.

"This... this is..."

"Report!"

"Reporting to the Grand General, a message from Minister Gao via falcon!"

The deputy general held a secret letter, walking over quickly in excitement.

"Prepare to decode!" Lu Zhen's eyes flickered, speaking excitedly.

"Yes!"

Before the army set out, while at Yanmen Pass, Gao Yang had given him a codebook. ===== CHAPTER 1717 =====