Chapter 150: Capture the Enemy Leader, Enter Xi Xia

And the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array was already tottering; the Xi Xia commander let out a loud shout and led his remaining troops to charge toward Shangmu City. Just then, Zhu Ge Yu, still lying on the ground, let out a cold laugh; he had been waiting for this very moment!

Seeing the Xi Xia forces step into the trap, Zhu Ge Yu suddenly rose, swiftly waving the small flag in his hand. Only then did the heavy drums, silent for so long, boom again, and the Nine Palaces Great Array instantly became as solid as gold and stone!

The Xi Xia commander's face changed drastically; he had fallen for the trick again! Zhu Ge Yu, dragging his wounded body, held a victorious curve at the corner of his mouth.

At this moment, Zhang Zhang Jiani in the forest also suddenly realized the truth—the single arrow had failed to harm Zhu Ge Yu in the slightest; he had been controlling the entire situation all along!

She could not help but feel some regret for her own rashness just now. This man must be deeply hidden and unassuming; she should have trusted him even more.

The Xi Xia soldiers were trapped in a desperate situation; the commander's eyes narrowed, and with great spirit he roared: "Charge with me! Drag them down with us!" But his words cut off abruptly; in the cold wind, his voice was already trembling.

Zhu Ge Yu waved the flag to give the order, and arrows from all four directions and eight sides swarmed forth, blocking out the sky and obscuring the sun. The Xi Xia soldiers cried out in agony at the sound, and in moments, corpses littered the fields.

Seeing that more than half were dead or wounded, Zhu Ge Yu lowered the flag and said: "Withdraw the formation!" The Xi Xia commander rejoiced greatly, dragging the wounded as he fled north at full speed.

Two li away in the forest, Li Goudan and Lord Murong Murong Yunhai's army of twenty thousand had been lying in ambush for a long time.

As soon as the Xi Xia people arrived, long blades, spears, and halberds struck together, and a roar of battle filled the air.

The defeated Xi Xia troops fled in a wretched panic, choosing their path in haste. Zhang Zhang Jiani frowned, spurred her horse quickly to Zhu Ge Yu's side, and asked: "They are about to be annihilated; why did you suddenly withdraw the formation?" Since she had wrongly accused Zhu Ge Yu just now, her tone was now relatively polite.

The Zhu Ge Yu opposite changed from his previous calm; he said somewhat nervously: "Just now, from afar, I saw the scout's flag signals; Tu Tu Kesiluo at the border is in trouble."

Zhang Zhang Jiani asked anxiously: "What has happened to Tu Tu Kesiluo?" Mentioning Tu Tu Kesiluo, her chest tightened involuntarily; Liu Liu Yifei's instructions and the glass ornament he had given her made her feel admiration for this black-faced giant. She also knew clearly that the journey to the border was fraught with extreme danger.

Zhu Ge Yu's face was pale, his expression anxious: "The scout's flag signals show something has happened over there, but the specifics are still unclear. Li Goudan and others will clean up the mess here; let us hurry to the border to check, and do not be too late!"

Zhang Zhang Jiani's heart was filled with shock and doubt; she had no time to think further, quickly assembled her troops, and followed Zhu Ge Yu straight for the border.

At this time, Li Goudan, even farther away, was fighting with unmatched bravery, slicing a Xi Xia soldier from his horse with a single blade strike.

Lord Murong Murong Yunhai was also pressing hard, desperately pursuing the fleeing enemies.

Only twenty riders remained; the Xi Xia commander fled forward alone, knowing well that death was unavoidable today.

He looked back; corpses littered the fields, and his tears had long since run dry...

Watching their backs grow farther and farther away, Li Goudan, his waist blade stained with blood, suddenly revealed a ferocious glare. He ordered the horse-tripping rope raised; with a clatter, iron chains suddenly appeared. The Xi Xia commander fell from his horse at the sound, smashing to pieces.

The last one died with his face in the dirt like a dog eating mud.

Li Goudan advanced step by step, the blade tip pressing against the commander's neck, and sneered: "Beast, did you ever think you'd see today?" He then ordered his men: "Seize him and bring him back for my lord to deal with!"

Having spoken, he kicked the commander over onto the ground and roared: "If I don't chop you up, my hatred in my heart will not be appeased!" The Xi Xia commander's face was ashen; his fate had reached its end.

A cold light flickered in Li Goudan's eyes; he quickly scanned all four sides, confirming the enemy army had been completely crushed.

At this moment, in the border region, Zhang Zhang Jiani and Zhu Ge Yu arrived in a hurry; before their eyes was nothing but a bloody, gruesome scene. Corpses littered the fields, and the aura of slaughter struck them in the face.

Zhang Zhang Jiani was in a panic, searching everywhere for Tu Tu Kesiluo's whereabouts, but found nothing. Although she was proud and willful, her heart was now filled with worry; she had already developed feelings for Tu Tu Kesiluo.

At this moment, she was isolated and without support, having lost her reliance; her beloved was nowhere to be seen, her speech became awkward, and her face was written with sorrow. In her anxiety, Zhang Zhang Jiani looked left and right; all four sides were empty of people, except that Zhu Ge Yu signaled her to examine the corpses on the ground. Her gaze fell upon the ground, where she discovered many corpses of the Feng Kingdom, but even more densely packed were the corpses of the Xi Xia.

Zhu Ge Yu slowly spoke: "Judging from this situation, although Tu Tu Kesiluo suffered an attack by the Xi Xia, he has successfully repelled them."

Zhang Zhang Jiani felt slightly relieved, then asked in shock: "Then where has Tu Tu Kesiluo gone? Could he have gone in the direction of Xi Xia?"

Zhu Ge Yu pondered for a moment, carefully examining the footprints on the ground; his face suddenly became solemn: "Indeed so! Tu Tu Kesiluo must have seen a good opportunity and led his subordinates deep into enemy territory!"

"How is this possible? How could he be so reckless?" Zhang Zhang Jiani widened her eyes in disbelief.

Zhu Ge Yu smiled bitterly and slowly nodded: "Have you forgotten his hatred with the Xi Xia? Since he has already taken action, he must have a near-certain chance of victory."

A thoughtful expression appeared on Zhang Zhang Jiani's face; she urged: "We must hurry to save him! If anything unfortunate happens, the consequences will be unimaginable!"

Just then, Jiang Jiang Mingyu strode forward and said sternly: "Saving people is the priority; we must depart immediately! Tu Tu Kesiluo is my brother; how can I abandon him!"

Zhu Ge Yu, however, remained hesitant.

"Master, you must consider this clearly. Once we cross the border into Xi Xia, it will be equivalent to declaring war on them. Starting a war means we will surely lose! Please think of the consequences..."

A cold light flashed in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes; he waved his hand to stop him and said: "Enough! On what grounds should I tolerate the Xi Xia violating our borders but be unable to counterattack? Today, even at the risk of my life, I will rescue Tu Tu Kesiluo!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's voice rang out through the clouds again: "Brothers, General Tu is hanging between life and death! The Xi Xia people have always treated us as lambs to be slaughtered, killing us at will! Today, so many of our brothers have died; we absolutely cannot sit idly by! Let us also kill into their territory; blood debts must be repaid with blood!"

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's voice was powerful and resonant; he issued a declaration of his determination to repay blood debts with blood. He knew well that too many things had happened since Tu Tu Kesiluo followed him; he remembered Tu Tu Kesiluo's righteousness and loyalty to him. Today, when Tu Tu Kesiluo encountered danger, how could he stand aside?

Hearing Jiang Jiang Mingyu's words, the soldiers' fighting spirit soared; their blades and spears gleamed grimly, and shouts rose and fell. Their hearts were filled with hot blood, seeking only to kill into Xi Xia with Jiang Jiang Mingyu and rescue Tu Tu Kesiluo and his subordinates!

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's ferocious appearance made Zhang Zhang Jiani, whose heart was burning with anxiety, immediately shout in agreement.

"You corrupt official, this Miss will go with you."

Without hesitation, she waved her whip, charging first across the border line between Xi Xia and Great Feng, galloping forward.

Her heart burned with anxiety; she could not wait; she wanted to seek justice for Tu Tu Kesiluo.

Zhu Ge Yu helplessly shook his head; he knew Zhang Zhang Jiani's determination could not be changed. He could only follow closely behind, urging his horse forward.

Their hoofbeats echoed across the snowfield, accompanied by the urgency and tension in their hearts.

Before them, corpses littered the snowfield; Jiang Jiang Mingyu breathed a slight sigh of relief and pointed at the remains: "Almost all are Xi Xia people, indicating Tu Tu Kesiluo was not attacked, but counterattacked and annihilated them!"

"Follow the horse tracks; we will surely find the people and horses!" Having spoken, he whipped his mount fiercely with both reins, chasing straight ahead. Zhang Zhang Jiani followed eagerly.

Not having advanced a few li, Zhang Zhang Jiani suddenly used her skilled hand to make a slash, urgently ordering everyone to stop advancing. She quickly dismounted, pressed close to the ground to listen carefully, and her face immediately became solemn.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart trembled violently; he realized the situation might have changed.

If the front held the Xi Xia main army, then Tu Tu Kesiluo had already encountered danger! He clenched both fists, secretly resolving to prepare for battle.

Zhang Zhang Jiani remounted; the three of them exchanged glances, seeing deep concern in each other's eyes. They all understood that this time they must achieve victory, otherwise Tu Tu Kesiluo would not survive, and they themselves would perish in a foreign land.

Zhu Ge Yu repeatedly gave orders; the soldiers quickly formed a battle formation.

They tightly gripped the weapons in their hands, holding firm beliefs, preparing to welcome the coming battle.

The hoofbeats gradually drew near; Zhu Ge Yu sighed inwardly, not knowing whether they could withstand the swarming Xi Xia pursuers.

But he knew that as a commander, he must persist, regardless of the outcome.

A light of determination and fortitude flickered in Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes; he shouted loudly: "They killed General Tu and our fourteen thousand men! Today, if I do not kill one hundred and forty thousand of them, I will not cease fighting!"

Zhang Zhang Jiani tightly gripped her sword hilt; her face was resolute and calm.

She understood in her heart that as long as she could seek justice for Tu Tu Kesiluo, even if everything were burned to ashes, it would be worth it!

Just then, the sound of hooves was already right before their eyes.

Zhu Ge Yu raised the command banner high, just about to signal the start of battle, when Zhang Zhang Jiani urgently cracked her whip and shouted him to a halt: "Wait!"

In this tense, blood-pumping moment, time itself seemed to freeze.