Chapter 26: The Lu Family Army Fled, But a Son
Kunxu Realm, Hulao Pass
On the southern city wall, a middle-aged general stood proudly—he was Xue Hai, the banner of the Hexi Militia, commanding over six thousand men, among the most formidable in the militia.
His ancestors were the famed Fubo General who shook the Four Directions at the founding of the Daqing Empire; his family was loyal and heroic, with three generations bearing military merit.
At this moment, Xue Hai’s gaze pierced through layers of smoke and fire.
The cries of battle below shook the heavens; the pass would fall within half a day.
“We can’t hold on any longer!”
Xue Hai’s heart grew heavy.
“Why hasn’t the Lu family army arrived yet?”
“What of the others?”
He murmured to himself, his voice laced with worry.
Without timely reinforcements, Hulao Pass would surely be lost.
Behind Xue Hai stood his only son, Xue Zhen, his young face filled with panic and fear.
“Father, could Lu Jiaxuan already have…” Xue Zhen’s voice trembled; he dared not speak the word “fled.”
Xue Hai turned to face his son.
“Impossible.” He shook his head.
“I’ve known Lu Jiaxuan for years; I know his character. Even if he dies, he will die on the battlefield—he would never abandon this pass and flee.”
Yet.
Below, the Northern Wind troops surged like a tidal wave, their countless figures swarming the walls like locusts.
Each assault on the gate made the sturdy barrier tremble, as if it might collapse at any moment.
Xue Zhen, witnessing this, felt his panic ignite, growing harder to control.
He clenched his fists, his voice trembling with tears: “Father, are we really going to stay here and wait to die? I’m not even twenty-five!”
His eyes were filled with fear and resentment.
Xue Hai fell silent for a moment.
He was over fifty, already elderly, having endured countless storms and wars, long since resigned to life and death.
Yet.
Facing his son’s gaze.
As a father, his heart ached.
“Zhen’er,” Xue Hai looked at his son kneeling on the ground, his tone heavy with helplessness.
“Father, I haven’t married or established a household—if I die here, the Xue family will have no heir. How can I face our ancestors?”
“We’ve done all we can. Perhaps Hulao Pass’s fate is truly spent…” Xue Zhen continued.
“The other militia forces from Pohu have already planned to retreat. We don’t have to die here with Wang Yang.”
Xue Hai’s once-straight back seemed to collapse under weight.
“But can our Xue family’s century-old reputation be stained? The Xue family cannot have cowards—do you understand?”
“Father, don’t worry—no one will know. Once Wang Yang dies, who will care where we went?”
Xue Zhen urged urgently, “In this chaotic age, only the victors are remembered.”
“As long as we live, there’s hope to rise again. As long as the green mountains remain, if we can rebuild, future scholars will defend our names and restore our honor.”
Xue Hai let out a long sigh, as if aged decades in an instant.
He forced out the word.
“Fine.”
With his father’s consent, Xue Zhen’s face broke into a relieved smile.
He quickly rose, his gaze fixed beyond Hulao Pass.
On the battlefield, corpses piled like mountains, rivers of blood flowed.
A fierce resentment surged within Xue Zhen.
He was a member of a noble family, born into wealth, raised amidst silk and splendor, wandering through bustling prosperity.
He should have been surrounded by beautiful wives and concubines, enjoying the world’s luxuries.
How could he be buried in the northern sands?
He refused to die alongside these so-called “mud-footed peasants.”
At this moment.
The western gate suddenly swung wide open, the heavy iron gates crashing with a thunderous roar.
The guards on the southern wall cried out in shock.
This sudden turn stunned the Northern Wind soldiers, halting their assault.
Xue Zhen, seeing this from the southern wall, burst into laughter.
“Father, see? Even Lu Jiaxuan’s Lu family army is no better.”
“They’re running too.”
The Lu family had produced two generations of Metropolitan Graduates, were regional magnates—Xue Zhen refused to believe they’d abandon such wealth and glory.
“Let’s go, Father,” Xue Zhen urged.
Xue Hai still couldn’t believe it—Lu Jiaxuan was not this kind of man.
But the gate was open!
The truth lay before him: the Lu family army had fled.
One stone stirred a thousand waves.
The news reached General Wang Yang, who refused to believe it.
“No, he wouldn’t—he couldn’t!”
He had suspected Xue Hai, suspected everyone—but never once suspected Lu Jiaxuan.
This news struck him like a blow; Wang Yang nearly staggered.
Unthinkable!
The first to flee was the Lu family army.
The other militia forces were stunned—some furious, others sneering.
Yet all were shocked and bewildered by the Lu family’s flight.
This act directly shook morale at several gates.
Even!
Tuoba Shuyi, commanding from afar, was taken aback—he had chosen to attack the southern gate while feigning assault on the western gate precisely because the Lu family army was fearless and the strongest.
The hardest to break.
The southern gate had the most militia, the easiest to breach, the weakest will.
Unexpected!
The western gate opened—and the Lu family army fled first.
In Tuoba Shuyi’s eyes, Lu Jiaxuan was a man who faced death without flinching.
After the last deception, he had been surprised again.
In the command tent, the atmosphere shattered; mockery rose in waves.
“What Lu family army? Just cowards afraid of death.”
“Hahahaha! The Daqing people are spineless.”
Tuoba Shuyi rose, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes.
“No.” He spoke low and firm.
Look!
Outside the western gate, the Lu family army was forming ranks, a chilling aura rising.
Eight thousand Lu family soldiers surged forth like a flood, banners snapping fiercely in the cold wind.
The banners flew proudly, embroidered clearly with the character “Lu.”
Three riders broke forward.
Lu Jiaxuan in the center, flanked by Lu Yu and Lu Chen.
Lu Jiaxuan sat atop his horse, looking back at his eight thousand soldiers—each face bore resolve, not fear.
“Good!”
All fine sons of men, unafraid of death.
He shouted:
“Brothers! The time to win glory has come!”
“Twenty years of humiliation and loss! Twenty years of shattered mountains and rivers!”
“A man’s heart is iron till death—I, Lu Jiaxuan, will not flee again.”
Eight thousand Lu family soldiers roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
Tuoba Shuyi, seeing this, felt all doubt vanish.
He silently shook his head.
Inside the tent, mockery rose again.
“Lu Jiaxuan is a fool—infantry marching out to face our steppe warriors and His Highness’s elite Iron Cavalry.”
“This isn’t seeking death—abandoning the city, haha.”
Tuoba Shu flicked his horsewhip.
“Iron Floater Battalion, obey my order—charge from the West Gate.”
“It’s time to end this. Take Hulao Pass, then march south to capture the dragon.”
Cheers erupted inside the tent; their eyes burned with fervor.
Marching south to capture the dragon—the highest honor for a North Wind man.
Twenty years ago, they still remembered the fall of the capital; now they too would march south like their fathers.
Go to the Jiangnan water towns, savor the gentle women.
“Has Lu Jiaxuan gone mad? This is suicide!” Xue Hai cried in fury.
Xue Hai could not help but turn his gaze to the eight thousand Lu Family troops, his eyes trembling.
The Lu Family has actually left the city to face the enemy!
The North Wind’s Iron Floaters are not something human strength can oppose.
Xue Hai sneered, “This Lu Jiaxuan—his actions are nothing but self-destruction.”
Xue Zhen whispered, “Father, this is a divine opportunity—now is our chance to leave.”
Xue Hai sighed again.
……
……
Lu Yu stared ahead at the Iron Floaters surging like a tide of molten black iron.
His gaze shifted to the South Gate of Hulao Pass.
And behold!
The Xue Family’s righteous army fled in chaos; many seized the chance to escape the battlefield.
“Brother, you predicted it perfectly—these righteous troops are useless.”
Lu Yu nodded slightly: “No matter. Eight thousand against a hundred thousand—that’s all.”
(End of Chapter)
End of Chapter
