Chapter 151: The Hero Returns

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's brows were tightly furrowed, his voice cutting through the battlefield's clamor with a trace of urgency.

"Miss Zhang, with a great enemy at hand, why have you stopped the arrows?" Alertness and confusion flickered in his eyes.

Zhang Zhang Jiani's face was pale, her hands gripping the bow tightly, her palms already slick with a layer of cold sweat.

She wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes with all her strength, forcibly suppressing the grief in her heart, then she could not help but look toward the distance again, even though the tears at the corners of her eyes had already blurred her vision.

Suddenly, a look of surprise spread across her face, as if she had seen the dawn of hope; she shouted loudly, "You dog official, look quickly! It is Tu Tu Kesiluo; he has brought people back." Her voice carried an excitement that was hard to conceal, the excitement of a survivor struggling back from the brink of death.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu immediately raised his head, his gaze sweeping rapidly across the battlefield, and then he saw that familiar figure.

An indescribable surge of excitement instantly flooded his heart; he could not help but shout loudly, "That's right, it is Tu Tu Kesiluo; he is fine; they have returned." His voice was even more excited than Zhang Zhang Jiani's, the excitement of seeing hope amidst despair.

Zhu Ge Yu stood silently to one side, his own excitement hard to conceal. What he saw was not only Tu Tu Kesiluo, but a brave army. They were covered in blood, yet their eyes were filled with determination and courage.

Like an invincible iron army, they charged forward with an unstoppable momentum.

Tu Tu Kesiluo, covered in blood and sweat, looked resolute and steadfast in his eyes. He looked at Jiang Jiang Mingyu, then stepped forward; his voice was full of surprise. "My lord, how did you come here?" His words were filled with surprise, but even more with an excitement that was hard to conceal.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu did not answer his question; he pressed on directly. "What is going on? How did you even break into Western Xia territory? What exactly happened?" His eyes were filled with tension and urgency, and his heart was filled with unease.

Tu Tu Kesiluo smiled; his laughter was full of a warrior's boldness and pride. "My lord, it is like this." His words were filled with resolve and conviction, and his eyes were filled with fearlessness and bravery.

As Jiang Jiang Mingyu and the others listened to Tu Tu Kesiluo's account, a tense atmosphere permeated the air. They were all worried about Tu Tu Kesiluo's life and death, but at the same time, they understood the full story of events.

After the people of Western Xia entered the Nine Palaces Eight Trigrams Array, Tu Tu Kesiluo used a strategy of luring the enemy to regroup once more, gathering over ten thousand men. Subsequently, he handed the battlefield over to Zhu Ge Yu and, according to the prior agreement, led his troops to the Western Xia border.

Not long after arriving at the border, the scouts sent by Wu Xiaoer rushed back, frantically delivering important intelligence. Tu Tu Kesiluo immediately realized that nearly twenty thousand people were heading toward the border from within Western Xia territory. Their purpose was clear: to follow the vanguard and attack Dafeng together to carry out plundering.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu did not quite understand this; he asked, "Since they all intend to plunder Dafeng, why split into two groups instead of attacking simultaneously?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo struck the pose of a master storyteller and said with a smile, "My lord, please be calm; I will explain to you slowly." Zhu Ge Yu could no longer wait and quickly interjected, "Enough, stop wasting words; this is not the place to discuss problems; we must leave as soon as possible."

"Yes, let us withdraw back to Dafeng immediately; we can talk on the way." The great army returned by the original route. Tu Tu Kesiluo's enthusiasm for telling his story was interrupted, but he still maintained his bearing.

"My lords, our previous speculation was correct; the reason the people of Western Xia crossed the border this time is because of the cold weather and heavy snow, which cut off their food supply." Tu Tu Kesiluo pointed to the message brought by the scouts to prove their guess. "The first group of Western Xia people to reach Dafeng was the only one nearby that could eat their fill, while those who came later were almost all starving; they were just waiting to break into Dafeng to enjoy a sumptuous meal."

Because his clothes were soaked with blood, Tu Tu Kesiluo involuntarily shivered, but he continued his account: "Such a good opportunity, I certainly would not miss. Therefore, I sent men to lie in ambush in the heavy snow at the border, waiting for the unprepared Western Xia people to cross. As soon as they crossed the border, my soldiers blocked their path. After a fierce battle, I personally cut off the head of the Western Xia leader. The other Western Xia cavalry, stunned and starving, almost immediately turned and fled. The tactical opportunity was fleeting; I felt it was time to teach them a lesson, so I led men to pursue them."

He looked proudly at Zhang Zhang Jiani, clearly showing off his bravery to this powerful female general.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes were as if bewitched; he gazed at Tu Tu Kesiluo, feeling the intense killing intent and the pride of victory emanating from this man.

Tu Tu Kesiluo's figure was straight and tall; his face was overflowing with fanaticism and war spirit, and his whole body seemed to be permeated with a bloodthirsty aura that made one's heart tremble.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu could not help but ask excitedly, "What happened next? Where did those twenty thousand people go? Did they run?" His voice carried expectation and curiosity.

Tu Tu Kesiluo sat on his horse, a trace of cruel smile flashing in his eyes. He said slowly, "What happened afterward was much simpler; your subordinate chased and killed all the way." His voice was full of pride and excitement.

"After advancing thirty li into Western Xia, we finally wiped out the twenty thousand Western Xia soldiers, not leaving a single one alive." As he spoke, he pointed with his finger at the weapons of the soldiers behind him.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu followed Tu Tu Kesiluo's finger and saw that on the weapons of almost every soldier following Tu Tu Kesiluo hung one or two human heads.

Blood-stained weapons and mangled limbs formed a terrifying scene.

At the same time, Jiang Jiang Mingyu noticed Zhang Zhang Jiani beside him. Although she did not say much, satisfaction and pride shone in her large eyes.

Her gaze met Tu Tu Kesiluo's, as if there was some tacit resonance between them.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's heart boiled; he could not imagine that Tu Tu Kesiluo could be so fierce and ruthless.

He hurriedly asked, "What were our casualties?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo's smile became even more gentle; he answered with full confidence, "To tell the truth, my lord might not believe it; in this battle, our army lost fifty-two men and forty-eight were wounded."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu's eyes bulged like an ox in rut; he was completely shocked by this number. He asked in surprise, "Just that?"

Tu Tu Kesiluo's expression was matter-of-fact; he stated firmly, "Just that! Fighting these things that can't even get enough to eat, such casualties are already considered not small."

Jiang Jiang Mingyu felt as if he had entered an absurd dream; he had never thought the combat power of the city defense camp soldiers could be so terrifying.

His heart was filled with incredulity and admiration.

Zhu Ge Yu had remained silent all along, but at this moment he too was deeply shocked.

Exchanging only one hundred casualties for the destruction of twenty thousand elite Western Xia cavalry; such a result was truly hard to believe.

Li Goudan and Lord Murong Murong Yunhai, with beaming smiles, praised Tu Tu Kesiluo's bravery; they were very happy about this victory.

Tu Tu Kesiluo's unapologetic remarks made everyone feel pleased; Jiang Jiang Mingyu even laughed heartily and praised, "Good, well done; indeed, you live up to the name of the Black-faced Yama. From now on, who will dare to look askance at this official? We in Shangmu can finally live a few peaceful days."

However, while everyone was talking loudly and rejoicing, Zhu Ge Yu's face was covered with worried wrinkles.

Jiang Jiang Mingyu noticed his expression and could not help but ask curiously, "Our army achieved a great victory; why do you not have even a trace of a smile?" Zhu Ge Yu slowly sighed; his voice carried deep concern. "Master, do you think the matter ends here?"