Chapter 1444

When the wind swept through the stone crevices, it carried the smell of rust, so thick it could almost be pulled into threads.

Broken cavalry spears were stuck in the scorched earth.

Fragments of tattered leather armor were tangled with severed intestines among the gravel.

Dense crossbow bolts and arrows were stuck in the ground between layers of corpses.

The white warhorses had been dyed red with blood.

Gongsun Zan sat amidst the pile of corpses, one hand gripping a broken sword with a notched blade.

Around him were a dozen Great Halberd Warriors in heavy armor holding great halberds.

Three broken arrowheads were stuck in the gaps of his upper body armor, and the belly of the warhorse lying below him had been ripped open, its intestines spread across the ground like faded red silk.

Gongsun Zan lifted his head weakly, looking at the corpses and white horses scattered all around.

"White horses... my white horses..."

As he spoke, thick blood flowed from between Gongsun Zan's teeth.

Qu Yi, tall and clad in black armor, walked toward Gongsun Zan.

The Great Halberd Warriors surrounding Gongsun Zan automatically made way for Qu Yi.

Gongsun Zan, in his blood-stained white robe, and Qu Yi, in his black armor, formed a stark contrast.

"You are the White Horse General, Gongsun Zan?" Qu Yi looked down at Gongsun Zan from above.

Gongsun Zan, lifting his head, saw the cold face of Qu Yi and the victorious smile at the corners of his mouth.

With a violent cough, he spat out bile mixed with blood clots.

The crossbow bolt that had pierced through his chest armor had already punctured Gongsun Zan's liver and gallbladder.

But this pain was far less than seeing the white horses falling one by one around him.

Failure was already destined.

No amount of regret could cover up the arrogance he had felt when he first stepped into Mount Taixing.

Gongsun Zan knew he had lost.

"You... what is your name!"

Gongsun Zan, struggling to keep his head held high with pride, looked at Qu Yi.

"Vanguard General, Qu Yi is my name; remember it."

As Qu Yi spoke, he drew his long sword from his waist and raised it high.

The afterglow of the setting sun pierced through the withered branches of the forest, plating the long sword in Qu Yi's hand with a layer of golden light.

The long sword fell, and Gongsun Zan's head rolled away.

In the valley, as Gongsun Zan's head rolled, bursts of victorious cheers immediately rang out.

"Collect his head and send it to Chang'an." Qu Yi sheathed his long sword.

The mountain fire in the distance grew more intense, and the thick smoke from the burning withered branches and pine resin, mixed with the scorched stench, drilled into his nostrils.

Although this battle was won.

The road to Tianjing Pass was definitely impassable.

At the very least, for a long time, until the mountain fire was completely extinguished, this road could not be used.

It could only be said that this victory had wiped out the White Horse Followers.

But it could no longer be used for an offensive from Shangdang Jun to Henei Jun.

Before the mountain fire was extinguished, the army could only retreat to Gaodou County.

After ordering the battlefield to be cleared, Qu Yi turned back toward Gaodou County.

Two days later, Henei Jun, Huaixian.

Sima Fang, who had not slept well since Gongsun Zan left with his troops, finally received the battle report.

But the moment he saw the report, Sima Fang almost vomited blood.

Defeated.

Gongsun Zan was defeated.

Of the seven thousand cavalry, fewer than two thousand escaped back, and those two thousand were all Wuhuan cavalry who had been in the rear.

Gongsun Zan and his White Horse Followers were almost completely wiped out.

Even if there were survivors, they were still trapped in Mount Taixing.

But now, with the fire in the mountains, one could see the rolling thick smoke rising into the sky even from Henei Jun.

Those who had not escaped Mount Taixing were also destined to be in grave danger.

"Gongsun Zan has ruined me!"

The exasperated Sima Fang felt no pity for the total annihilation of Gongsun Zan and his White Horse Followers.

He only felt a sense of despair.

"Father, take care of your health."

Sima Fang's eldest son, Sima Lang, advised from the side: "Although Gongsun Zan's White Horse Followers have been wiped out, the road from Mount Taixing to Henei Jun has been blocked by a great fire, and the Liangzhou Army will not be able to attack for a short time."

"Father, why not immediately mobilize troops to repair Tianjing Pass and defend it with heavy forces?"

Sima Fang took a deep breath.

At this point, this was already the best of a bad situation.

Gongsun Zan not only lost his White Horse Followers but also took away the one thousand garrison troops of Tianjing Pass.

If the Liangzhou Army hadn't set the fire to ambush Gongsun Zan, I'm afraid Tianjing Pass would have been lost by now.

Subsequently, Sima Fang ordered troops to be assembled and rushed to Tianjing Pass, while sending this news to Luoyang.

In mid-April, Luoyang was warm and flowers were in bloom.

On both banks of the Luo River, the chirping of insects and birds in the weeping willows was endless.

Scholars and noble ladies took advantage of the early spring, when all things were reviving, to go out in groups for spring outings.

Horses fed three meals of forage and two meals of beans were groomed until their coats shone, pulling gilded carriages that declared the luxury and solid family wealth of their owners.

Noble ladies of various prominent families wore colorful silk and gauze robes, and the gold, silver, and jade ornaments among their black hair emitted crisp tinkling sounds.

This scene was like a painting of a prosperous age.

The smell of burning pine resin and the scorched stench of corpses blowing from Tianjing Pass in Mount Taixing did not affect the flourishing beauty inside and outside Luoyang.

"Imperial Uncle Liu, the daughter of Master Cai is just ahead, not far away."

On the north bank of the Luo River, Yang Zhi, son of the Minister of Ceremonies Yang Xu, pointed to a spot surrounded by a crowd not far away.

Beside Yang Zhi was Liu Bei, who had been granted the title of General of the Left and Marquis of Linxiang.

Besides being General of the Left and Marquis of Linxiang, according to the genealogy, Liu Bei had now officially entered the imperial clan, becoming the Imperial Uncle of the current Son of Heaven in Luoyang.

It could be said that Liu Bei's position was now approaching that of the former Grand General He Jin.

In some respects, he was even stronger than the former Grand General He Jin.

Because Liu Bei had troops in his hands, and an army of three hundred thousand at that.

Liu Bei's two sworn brothers, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, had also been granted marquis titles for their military exploits.

Even the Grand Tutor Yuan Kui, who was currently in the imperial court, showed Liu Bei three points of respect upon seeing him.

At this moment, Liu Bei was wearing brocade clothes, and his personal guard commander, Chen Dao, was following behind, leading two white horses.

A dozen guards stood far away, watching with vigilance.

Except for the leather cover on his ears, which looked slightly abrupt.

Liu Bei had an air of being bathed in a spring breeze.

Compared to when he first came out of Youzhou, he was already a completely different person.

"I heard that the daughter of Master Cai has inherited the true teachings of her father in zither skills and is known as a talented woman... it's just... alas... her life is bitter," Yang Zhi said, shaking his head.

Last year.

Cai Yong's daughter, Cai Yan, had already become engaged to Wei Xun, Wei Zhongdao of the Hedong Wei clan, and the wedding date had been set.

They were just waiting for the Wei clan to come and pick her up.

But because of the Yuan Shu incident, Duan Yu had slaughtered the gentry of Hedong Jun in one go.

This included the Fan clan of Fan Xian and Wei Xun of the Hedong Wei clan.

As a result, Cai Yan became a widow who had never even entered the groom's house.

And Cai Yong valued face and promises above all else in his life; since his daughter had already been promised, even if Wei Xun was dead, Cai Yan was already a daughter-in-law of the Wei clan.