Chapter 150

The Nine Palaces and Eight Trigrams Formation was on the verge of collapse; the Western Xia commander roared a command and led his remaining troops toward Shangmu City. At that moment, Zhuge Yu, still lying on the ground, let out a cold laugh—he had been waiting for this very moment!

Seeing the Western Xia troops step into the trap, Zhuge Yu sprang up swiftly and swung his small flag with all his strength. The long-silent heavy drums thundered again; the Nine Palaces Formation instantly became impregnable!

The Western Xia commander's face turned ashen—he had been tricked once more! Zhuge Yu, dragging his wounded body, wore a faint smile of victory on his lips.

At that moment, Zhang Jiani in the forest suddenly understood—those arrows had not harmed Zhuge Yu at all; he had been in full control of the entire situation!

She couldn't help but regret her earlier recklessness. This man was clearly hiding his true strength; she should have trusted him more.

The Western Xia soldiers were trapped in desperation; their commander glared fiercely and declared with bold bravado: "Follow me! Charge! Take them down with us!" His voice cut off abruptly—his tone trembled in the cold wind.

Zhuge Yu lowered his flag in command; arrows rained down from all four directions, blotting out the sky. The Western Xia soldiers cried out in agony; within moments, the ground was littered with corpses.

Seeing half their force dead, Zhuge Yu retracted his flag and ordered: "Break formation!" The Western Xia commander rejoiced, dragging his wounded men northward in a desperate sprint.

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

The moment the Western Xia troops arrived, long knives, spears, and halberds surged forward in unison; the battlefield erupted in battle cries.

The retreating Western Xia soldiers fled in disarray, blindly choosing paths. Zhang Jiani frowned, spurred her horse to Zhuge Yu's side, and asked: "They're nearly wiped out—why did you suddenly break formation?" Since she had wrongly accused Zhuge Yu earlier, her tone was now relatively polite.

Zhuge Yu, who had been calm moments before, now spoke with visible tension: "Just now, I saw the scout's flag signals—Tukesiluo on the border is in trouble."

Zhang Jiani asked anxiously: "What happened to Tukesiluo?" Mentioning Tukesiluo, her chest tightened—Liu Yi's instructions and the glass ornament he gave her had made her deeply admire this dark-skinned giant. She knew better than anyone how perilous the border journey was.

Zhuge Yu's face was pale, his expression frantic: "The scout signals confirm something's wrong, but details are unclear. Li Goudan can handle the cleanup here—we must hurry to the border. Don't be too late!"

Zhang Jiani was filled with doubt but had no time to ponder; she hastily assembled her troops and rode with Zhuge Yu straight toward the border.

At that moment, farther away, Li Goudan fought with unmatched ferocity, slicing a Western Xia soldier clean off his horse with one stroke.

Murong Yunhai was also pressing hard, chasing the fleeing enemy relentlessly.

The Western Xia commander, now reduced to only twenty riders, galloped forward alone, knowing today was his last day.

He turned to look back—corpses littered the ground; his tears had long dried…

Watching their retreating figures grow distant, Li Goudan, his waist blade stained red, suddenly revealed a murderous glare and shouted: "Deploy the tripwires!" Chains clattered into view; the Western Xia commander fell from his horse with a crash, his body shattered.

The last man died like a dog eating dirt.

Li Goudan stepped closer, pressing his blade against the commander's throat, sneering: "Beast, didn't think you'd end up like this, did you?" He immediately ordered his men: "Take him alive! Bring him back for the commander to deal with!"

With that, he kicked the commander to the ground and roared: "If I don't cut you all to pieces, my rage won't be quenched!" The Western Xia commander's face was ashen—his fate had reached its end.

Li Goudan's eyes gleamed with cold ruthlessness; he swiftly scanned the surroundings, confirming the enemy army had been utterly crushed.

At the border, Zhang Jiani and Zhuge Yu arrived in haste—their eyes met a scene drenched in blood. Corpses lay everywhere; the air reeked of slaughter.

Zhang Jiani, panicked, searched frantically for Tukesiluo—but found no trace. Though proud and aloof, her heart was now filled with dread; she had already grown fond of Tukesiluo.

Now utterly alone, without support, her beloved missing, her tongue grew stiff, her face etched with sorrow. In desperation, she looked around—no one was there. Only Zhuge Yu gestured for her to examine the corpses on the ground. Her gaze fell upon the bodies: many of them bore the markings of the Great Feng, but far more were Western Xia soldiers.

Zhuge Yu spoke slowly: "From this scene, Tukesiluo was attacked by Western Xia forces—but he successfully repelled them."

Zhang Jiani felt slightly relieved, then asked in alarm: "Then where is Tukesiluo? Did he go deeper into Western Xia territory?"

Zhuge Yu paused, carefully studying the footprints on the ground. His expression turned grim: "Indeed! Tukesiluo must have seen an opportunity and led his men deep into enemy territory!"

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

Zhuge Yu gave a bitter smile and nodded slowly: "Have you forgotten his hatred for Western Xia? If he struck, he must have been certain of victory."

Zhang Jiani's face darkened with thought; she urged: "We must hurry to rescue him! If anything happens to him, the consequences will be catastrophic!"

At that moment, Jiang Mingyu strode forward and barked: "Saving him is urgent—we must leave at once! Tukesiluo is my brother—I cannot abandon him!"

But Zhuge Yu still hesitated.

"Master, you must think carefully. Once we cross into Western Xia, it's a declaration of war. War means certain defeat. Please consider the consequences…"

Jiang Mingyu's gaze turned icy; he waved sharply to cut him off: "Enough! Why should I tolerate Western Xia invading our border and not strike back? Today, even if I risk my life, I will rescue Tukesiluo!"

Jiang Mingyu's voice rang out across the heavens: "Brothers! General Tukesiluo hangs between life and death! Western Xia has always treated us as lambs to be slaughtered! Today, so many of our brothers have died—we cannot stand idle! Let us invade their land and demand blood for blood!"

Jiang Mingyu's voice rang with iron resolve—he swore to repay blood with blood. He knew well all that Tukesiluo had endured by his side; he remembered Tukesiluo's loyalty and righteousness. How could he stand by while his brother faced danger?

The soldiers, hearing Jiang Mingyu's words, surged with battle fury; their blades and spears gleamed, their shouts rose in unison. Filled with Rexue, they demanded only to follow Jiang Mingyu into Western Xia to rescue Tukesiluo and his men!

Jiang Mingyu's ferocious demeanor stirred Zhang Jiani, who immediately shouted her agreement.

"You corrupt official—I'm going with you."

Without hesitation, she cracked her whip and charged ahead, crossing the border between Western Xia and the Great Feng.

Her heart burned with urgency—she could not wait. She would avenge Tukesiluo.

Zhuge Yu sighed helplessly—he knew Zhang Jiani's resolve was unshakable. He could only spur his horse and follow.

Their hoofbeats echoed across the snowy plain, mingling with their inner urgency and tension.

Before them, the snowy plain was littered with corpses; Jiang Mingyu exhaled slightly, pointing to the remains: "Almost all are Western Xia soldiers—Tukesiluo wasn't ambushed; he counterattacked and annihilated them!"

"Follow the horse tracks—we'll find them!" He cracked his reins hard, spurring his steed forward. Zhang Jiani followed closely behind.

Before they had gone far, Zhang Jiani suddenly flicked her hand and shouted: "Stop!" She leapt off her horse, pressed her ear to the ground, and listened intently—her expression turned grim.

Jiang Mingyu's heart jolted—he sensed the situation had shifted.

If a large Western Xia force lay ahead, then Tukesiluo was already in grave danger! He clenched his fists, resolved to prepare for battle.

Zhang Jiani remounted; the three locked eyes. In each other's gaze, they saw deep dread. They all knew: this time, they must win—or Tukesiluo would die, and they would perish far from home.

Zhuge Yu gave rapid orders; soldiers swiftly formed their battle array.

They gripped their weapons tightly, hearts firm with conviction, ready to face the coming battle.

Hoofbeats drew nearer; Zhuge Yu sighed inwardly—he did not know if they could withstand the flood of pursuing Western Xia troops.

But he knew: as a commander, he must hold his ground, no matter the outcome.

Jiang Mingyu's eyes blazed with resolve: "They killed General Tukesiluo and fourteen thousand of our men! Today, if we don't kill one hundred forty thousand of them, I will not stop!"

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

She knew: if she could avenge Tukesiluo, she would burn everything to ash without hesitation.

At that moment, the hoofbeats were upon them.

Zhuge Yu raised his command flag, ready to signal the attack—when Zhang Jiani sharply whipped her reins and shouted: "Wait!"

In this tense, fiery moment, time seemed to freeze.