HMHSE - 80

In the latter half of the night, the autumn wind carried the sounds of fighting and shouting across the Hebei plains, ceaselessly.

A disheveled cavalry unit from outside the pass, detached from the vanguard attacking Youzhou city, headed directly towards the towering and continuous mountain range.

The light from roaring torches almost illuminated half the world outside the mountain. Horses neighed, men howled, and curved sabers swung, deliberately sending menacing roars into the mountain.

The envoy was killed, Youzhou refused to surrender, so they would immediately attack the city and the mountain.

There was no movement in the mountain, only a few sporadic torchlights shining. From the distance, mixed with the wind, came only the incessant urgent drumming from the Youzhou city wall.

A Khitan military order sounded. The disheveled cavalry dismounted and charged directly towards the faint light in the mountain.

On the long mountain path, entering it was like being enveloped in thick ink. The leading man had yet to figure out the way when a cold light suddenly flashed before his eyes. He only clearly saw a lean youthful figure before he fell to the ground, eyes wide open.

That was Donglai. After a single strike to kill the enemy, he quickly retreated deeper into the mountain.

The enemy soldiers behind immediately chased him, shouting continuously. Suddenly, one of them stepped into thin air, realizing he had fallen into a trap.

Several terrifying dark figures approached head-on, sabers falling and heads rolling.

Groups of three to five men successively entered the mountain. Their menacing roars, however, turned into continuous screams of agony.

Soon, a roar from outside the mountain. The enemy soldiers who had entered the mountain no longer dispersed but gathered and charged straight ahead.

What awaited them was a valley at the foot of the mountain by a shallow stream. Suddenly, a volley of arrows flew, only for a moment, but just as they gathered in the nearby wilderness to avoid the arrows, human figures suddenly moved out from the forest, the clinking of chains, and saber gleams reflected in the firelight.

After one strike, several people were killed, and they retreated in time, disappearing into the mountain.

The enemy soldiers didn’t even have time to pursue before more arrows came.

Chains clanged, figures reappeared, killed several more, and quickly retreated.

Finally, some enemy soldiers realized they had entered a Han army formation. They shouted in Khitan, warning their companions to retreat out of the mountain.

“Form up!” From behind, Shan Zong’s voice came, cold as a blade.

Chains clanged, figures moved about, cutting off their retreat path. The few who fell behind and couldn’t retreat in time were all killed...

Near the pits of Wangji Mountain, torchlight flickered.

Shen Rong saw the remaining few soldiers put away their longbows and retreat. Donglai also returned with his guards.

She walked out from behind the tree, looking at the figures not far away.

When the formation opened, figures swiftly moved through the forest, alternately emerging, with a person always guarding beside the one striking. When the formation closed, they struck and immediately retreated to a narrow open space in the mountains, gathering to defend.

It seemed chaotic but was actually perfectly orderly.

Just from watching, she could believe that these people were indeed his Lulong Army.

________________________________________

The sound of horse hooves rapidly approached from in front.

Shan Zong suddenly spurred his horse to her, reining it in and turning it sideways. He looked her up and down several times, as if confirming she was unharmed.

Only now did Shen Rong fully regain her senses. She turned to look for the figures who had just been fighting and killing not far away, and asked softly, “Only these people, can they hold them off?”

Shan Zong’s chest heaved, his blood-stained saber pointing towards the sky. “They can fight a hundred each. At least, it’s impossible for the enemy outside the pass to take Youzhou in one night.”

Shen Rong looked up at the sky. Clouds rolled, the grey sky receded, and dawn broke.

“Pah!” The figures successively walked back into the mountain forest. Weishen Wu, dragging his severed wrist and ankle chains, grinned sinisterly towards them. “You might not be good at other things, but you should respect yourself when it comes to training soldiers. We can only fight one against a hundred? We can fight one against a thousand!”

The others following behind echoed his words with strange laughs, now filled with an unprecedented sense of elation.

Even the taciturn Jiachen San, who followed behind, dragging his saber, spat out a mouthful of blood and let out a laugh.

Suddenly, a sharp whistle pierced the air, like a sweeping gale. Shan Zong quickly pressed his horse to its knees. “Get down!”

The next moment, Shen Rong was embraced by him and pulled to the ground, her face buried in his chest, her body firmly in his arms.

After the sound passed, he released her and looked up.

Almost everyone had instantly prostrated themselves on the ground. Now, the surrounding trees were covered with arrows that had been shot.

Weishen Wu opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of dust. “Those bastards are getting desperate!”

That was a volley of blind shots from below the mountain.

A soldier jogged over, panting as he reported, “Boss, they have several thousand vanguard troops outside the mountain, and the rest of the vanguard has gone to attack the city. There are also more coming into the pass, continuously reinforcing this area!”

Shan Zong embraced Shen Rong and stood up. “They’re preparing for a full-scale assault on the mountain.”

Shen Rong pressed her rapidly beating heart. She felt the scroll in her embrace and suddenly thought of something. “They want the gold mine, but they don’t know the exact pit. They probably won’t actually burn the mountain.”

“No, so they’ll only gather their forces for a direct assault.” Shan Zong glanced at the increasingly bright sky above. “It’s dawn. We can only rely on the terrain of the mountain to defend.”

“That’s right,” Shen Rong touched the scroll again.

Shan Zong suddenly lowered his head, looking into her eyes.

She glanced at Weishen Wu and the others, then met his gaze. “Do you remember the East Corner Riverbank, the place where they encountered danger back then?”

The group of men uniformly turned their heads to look.

“I remember,” Shan Zong lifted the corner of his mouth. “Excellent, that’s the place!”

He turned to look at Donglai.

Donglai looked at Shen Rong, understood, and quickly stepped forward to receive his orders.

In an instant, the soldiers used wooden planks and straw to cover the pit entrance.

Donglai led the Changsun family guards and rushed towards the mountain path, deliberately shouting loudly, “Quick! They’re about to break in! Quickly follow me to protect the gold mine!”

Outside the mountain, the enemy troops had already entered in large numbers, breaking through the mountain mist. The sound of their footsteps alone almost filled the mountain forest. Hearing this sound, they pursued the noise, solely to find the mine pit.

No one knew that behind them, the eighty figures were following closely, like ghosts.

Shen Rong remained standing where she was.

Shan Zong swung himself onto his horse, leaned down, and grabbed her arm. “Get on.”

Shen Rong was pulled up, stepping on the stirrup onto the horse’s back. He embraced her from behind, spurred the horse to leave, and ascended a high slope.

At East Corner Riverbank, a corner of Wangji Mountain hung silently.

The several hundred enemy soldiers pursuing them were joined by two other groups, forming a pincer movement.

Donglai led the guards and quickly ran to a depression between the riverbank and the mountain range, an uneven area several zhang in diameter, covered in weeds.

When the enemy soldiers pursued, they were vigorously cutting down weeds, using their sabers to dig at the earthy mountain wall. A gap in the mountain wall was already wide enough for two people to pass through.

Immediately, they turned to find the pursuing enemy soldiers. The guards instantly scattered, while Donglai immediately ducked into the gap.

The disheveled enemy soldiers, hearing their leader’s beckoning shout, immediately charged towards the gap, convinced it was the mine pit.

Those who rushed in continuously did not come out. Instead, horrifying shouts and screams echoed.

The enemy soldiers behind them halted. Some craned their necks, trying to peer inside, but suddenly, arrows flew from behind them, shot from among the mountain forest and weeds, forcing them to take cover. They had no choice but to duck into the gap, and screams of agony followed.

The arrows only lasted for a moment, and finally, those who hadn’t entered yet lay by the gap, clearly seeing the situation inside. It was a bottomless mud pit, like a bucket. At this moment, it was filled with their men, struggling and screaming as they were swallowed by the mud.

Donglai clung to the mountain wall by the gap. When he leaped out, there were still nearly two hundred people remaining outside, all trapped in this sunken area, and they successively fell down.

The eighty men who had come from behind seemed to sweep across. Their eyes didn’t even blink as they killed, seemingly holding endless fury, disregarding their own lives, incredibly fierce. Sabers were weapons, and even broken chains were weapons. Their eyes were only filled with killing, red with bloodlust, making grotesque sounds.

The originally resisting enemy soldiers gradually retreated in battle, blood splashing everywhere.

One person still remained at the very rear, having just dismounted from his horse, standing with his saber. He was Shan Zong, his Youzhou uniform fierce in the wind.

________________________________________

An urgent horn call sounded, retreating from the mountains, gradually fading into the distance.

A bow-wielding soldier quickly ran to East Corner Riverbank, urgently reporting, “Boss, they’ve retreated out of the mountain and are regrouping!”

The several hundred pursuers were completely annihilated. The two enemy forces in the rear finally learned their lesson and retreated in time.

Shan Zong cleaned his saber by the river. He raised a hand, and the soldier retreated.

He stood up and looked to the side. Shen Rong was sitting on a large rock nearby. Hearing the soldier’s words, she looked towards him, her fair face reddened by the wind, captivating his eyes.

Shan Zong stared at her, his voice involuntarily softening. “It’s alright for now.”

Shen Rong had just relaxed a little, then frowned again. “Just for now?”

Shan Zong glanced at the sky. From night to day, from sunrise to sunset, this entire defense had lasted several hours. A delicate person like her, who hadn’t had food or water until now, had endured this battle simply by being by his side.

He chuckled, nodding. “If I’m not mistaken, they’ll attack again after regrouping.”

Shen Rong’s face remained composed, only slightly paler.

Shan Zong looked at her face. “Now there’s only one way out.”

Shen Rong immediately looked up at him.

He held his saber, his deep eyes gleaming, his voice deep. “Sun Guozhe is skilled at inciting people. He suddenly has 100,000 troops, so he must have used some conditions to ally with other surrounding barbarian tribes, perhaps the gold mine. His sending an envoy overnight was probably just to buy time for his main force to enter the pass. This shows that these 100,000 troops might not be a solid alliance.”

Shen Rong thought for a moment. “Then what do you plan to do?”

“Only a surprise attack,” he said.

By the river, a strange grunt, seemingly a mix of laughter and mockery, came from Weishen Wu who was squatting there cleaning himself.

Dozens of people squatted by the river, and even the river water was stained red by the blood on their weapons.

Weishen Wu turned to look, grinning, “A surprise attack? With only a hundred or so men left in this mountain, what confidence do you have?”

Shan Zong stood coldly. “How will we know without trying?”

Weishen Wu immediately spat, a fierce look on his face. “Since we might not come back if we go, why should we follow you to fight? Do you really think we’re impressed by you? We might as well take your life now, avenge ourselves first, then we can go out and kill Sun Guozhe!”

Before his words finished, he had already sprung up like a spring onion in dry ground, drawing his saber from the water. Chains clanged, and he charged over.

Immediately, the rest of the men surrounded them.

Shan Zong, quick as lightning, pulled Shen Rong behind him. His saber flashed horizontally, separating them. “You can touch me, but not her.”

Weishen Wu retreated two steps, grinning sinisterly as he gripped his saber. “Don’t worry, if the little beauty gets hurt, this old man will repay her with his life. She’s the apple of your eye, isn’t she? If I don’t touch her, I can get to you? Once you’re dead, she’ll be fine!”

As he spoke, he was about to raise his saber again, but his face suddenly darkened, for he had heard the taut sounds of bows being drawn from his left and right. The soldiers had rushed over, aiming their bows at them.

Donglai, saber drawn, stood by, and with the guards, watched closely, ready to charge at any moment.

In an instant, they were at loggerheads, confronting each other.

“Is this the so-called Lulong Army?” Shen Rong, shielded behind Shan Zong, gripped her palm, coldly watching the group of people, restraining her increasingly rapid heartbeat. “Since you are the Lulong Army, why have you become like this? What kind of grudge is so deep that you must take his life at this critical juncture?”

Weishen Wu glared at Shan Zong, grinning menacingly. “Yes, how did we become like this? You should ask your man!”

Shen Rong subconsciously looked at Shan Zong. Only his back was towards her, firm and straight, always firmly shielding her.

“I’m asking you, why aren’t you speaking! If you’re so brave, tell her!” Weishen Wu gnashed his teeth fiercely. “Anyway, we’re all going to die, what’s there to hide? Tell her! Your Lulong Army has already defected and betrayed the country!”

A deathly silence fell over the surroundings in an instant, leaving only the heavy, uneven breathing of the group of convicts.

Shen Rong couldn’t help but widen her eyes, thinking she had misheard. “What?”

Shan Zong finally moved. His hand gripping the saber tightened, veins protruding on the back of his hand, his eyes cold as he stared at Weishen Wu. “The Lulong Army cannot betray the country.”

Weishen Wu’s face actually stiffened for a moment. Not just him, but the others were also noticeably stunned. Jiachen San’s murky, weathered eyes had long been fixed on Shan Zong.

“You actually have the nerve to say the Lulong Army couldn’t betray the country?” Weishen Wu quickly grinned sinisterly again. “Easy for you to say. What did you do! To clear your name, you turned around and sent us to prison! The eighty-four of us became traitors and serious offenders, while you transformed into the Youzhou Commandant! You let the brothers of the Lulong Army never return! For this alone, we can kill you ten times over!”

Shen Rong watched Shan Zong silently, unable to say anything, only shock remaining in her heart.

She couldn’t make out his expression, only seeing his shoulders slightly heaving, his hand gripping the saber, knuckles cracking, indicating immense force.

Weishen Wu glanced around, the white scar on his eye twitching, then looked at Shen Rong, suddenly feeling incomparably elated. “Little beauty, you finally see what kind of person he is! Don’t be afraid, we were also blind back then, but now we can finally take revenge!”

Shen Rong felt a sudden tightening in her body. She looked up, and it was Shan Zong shielding her even more completely, almost entirely covering her.

The surrounding bows were instantly pulled taut again, aimed at the group of men.

Suddenly, a cold laugh was heard. She froze. It was Shan Zong, but she couldn’t discern its meaning.

He looked up, staring at Weishen Wu, his eyes bloodshot, his tone chilling. “You’re right. Anyway, we’re about to die, so fine, I have nothing to hide either.” He reached into his embrace, pulled out something, and threw it over.

Shen Rong caught a glimpse. It was that piece of tattered leather, the one the lunatic had given him when they met him near that town outside the pass.

Jiachen San picked it up, his eyes suddenly fixed, and he looked up at Shan Zong. “Where did you get this?”

Shan Zong said, “Outside the pass.”

Jiachen San’s hand trembled. “You’ve been looking for them?”

Shan Zong suddenly laughed again, his voice cold and strained. “They are my soldiers. If I don’t look for them, who will!”

Weishen Wu snatched the leather away, panting heavily, his gaze sweeping over Shan Zong, flickering uncertainly. “I don’t believe it! He wouldn’t be so kind as to look for other Lulong brothers!”

“Believe it or not,” Shan Zong said coldly, “I told you, I only care about the outcome. Are you going to wait here to die, or will you fight with me and save your lives to go find them? Choose for yourselves!”

Suddenly, the others all took a step back, their sabers lowered.

Weishen Wu’s eyes were bloodshot, like a wild beast, but he was restrained by Jiachen San.

“He’s right.” This was indeed the only way out. As a former soldier, Jiachen San understood clearly.

He snatched the leather from Weishen Wu’s death grip, his murky eyes red, and threw it back to Shan Zong. “I believe you. If I find even a single false word one day, I’ll be the first to kill you!”

Shan Zong caught the leather, clutching it tightly.

Jiachen San pulled Weishen Wu. “Let’s go.”

All eighty men retreated. The surrounding soldiers, who had been holding their bows taut, then stepped back, already too stunned by what had just happened to say anything.

Donglai also only glanced at the Young Mistress, then led the guards away.

Only then did Shan Zong loosen his saber. He turned and embraced Shen Rong.

Shen Rong trembled slightly in his arms. Only now did she clearly see the tattered leather in his hand, grey and dirty. Two characters were embroidered on it, already worn white, clearly “Lulong.”

“Are they telling the truth?”

Shan Zong slowly released her, the redness in his eyes not yet faded, his throat moving. “I once swore a solemn oath before the late emperor that I would never again mention a single word about the Lulong Army to anyone, otherwise not only I, but anyone who heard it would be punished. Now, it seems, this is probably fate.”

Shen Rong suddenly understood why he had said he could only reveal so much at that time. “The crime for which you were specially pardoned, was it this?”

He actually chuckled softly. “This was the gravest one.” He lowered his head. “You only need to know that the Lulong Army cannot betray the country. One day, I will bring them back.”

In an instant, she remembered everything. When she went to that town outside the pass, he said he wasn’t looking for one person; he was looking for his Lulong Army.

“Are they... still alive?”

Shan Zong suddenly fell silent, then after a pause, said, “This is the fourth year. I’ve only found this clue. I believe they are still alive.”

Shen Rong could no longer speak, only looking at his unusually calm face.

No wonder he had said that what happened outside the pass was a secret between them.

Perhaps if it weren’t for this battle, he would still be keeping his solemn oath before the emperor, never revealing the identity of those Lulong Army soldiers.

________________________________________

When the pale sun had completely set in the west, the enemy forces outside the mountain also seemed to have finished regrouping.

The distant pass had been delayed long enough. The sounds of fighting still spread, and the drums of Youzhou city continued to beat urgently, ceaselessly.

Weishen Wu and Jiachen San exchanged glances, the redness in their eyes completely faded. They rose, preparing for battle.

Twenty or thirty soldiers brought over the only remaining warhorses in the mountain, unloading a pile of soft armor from their backs and tossing it to them.

These were the same soldiers who had previously aimed arrows at them, and who normally oversaw them with whips. But now, they were about to go to the same battlefield, to launch a surprise attack together.

“The Boss has ordered us to dress properly and wait for him for a moment.”

Jiachen San looked for a moment, then bent down to pick it up, his fingers touching the soft armor. The leather on it was even thinner than the piece Shan Zong had thrown earlier.

He suddenly realized that the current Youzhou army’s armor was far less complete than that of the former Lulong Army, but they still hadn’t retreated. Even with only these few men, they were still willing to fight to the death with Shan Zong.

Weishen Wu used a ragged cloth strip to wrap the “Lulong” tattoo on his right arm, seeing that Jiachen San was already the first to put on the soft armor. His white scar twitched, and he grinned strangely. “How does it feel to wear battle armor again?”

Jiachen San picked up a piece and tossed it to him. “Put it on. This time, I believe him.”

Weishen Wu’s face changed several times, but he finally gritted his teeth and put it on.

As dusk settled over the mountain forest, Shan Zong was still at East Corner Riverbank. He had put on soft armor under his Youzhou uniform, the straps tightened, and one hand was tightly bound to his arm guard.

Shen Rong stood by, silent. She only noticed that one part of his arm guard seemed not to be properly tied, and unconsciously reached out to touch it.

Her hand was immediately clasped by his. She looked up, finally unable to resist asking, “Are there any reinforcements?”

“Yes.”

She was a little incredulous. “Really?”

“If I say yes, there will be.” Shan Zong cupped her chin. “Haven’t you always been very bold?”

She frowned. “I’m not scared.”

“Then dare you be even bolder?”

Shen Rong’s gaze fell on his face. “What?”

Shan Zong’s eyes were deep. “No need to wait until Chang’an. We’ll get married right away.”

Shen Rong was startled. She was already pulled towards him.

He pointed to the Wangji Mountain in front of them. “This mountain will be our witness. We will get married here today.”

She stared at him. “Are you serious?”

He curled his lips. “Serious.” Then, he lifted the hem of his robe and knelt down, pulling her to kneel with him.

The towering Wangji Mountain stood silently in the twilight. The air around them was filled with dust and the smell of blood. The East Corner River rushed beside them.

Shan Zong raised three fingers to the sky. In the wind, only his clear voice could be heard. “Today, here, with the mountain as witness and the water as betrothal, I, Shan Zong, am willing to marry Changsun Shen Rong as my wife. Heaven and earth bear witness.”

Shen Rong’s heart pounded like a drum. She turned to look at him, and in an instant, she was embraced tightly by him, her lips completely sealed.

Shan Zong held her lips, kissing her forcefully. He lifted her with his arms, carrying her to stand, stopping only when pressed against a large tree, fiercely sucking at her tongue.

Shen Rong felt a jolt throughout her body, as if all her senses were heightened. She lay limp in his embrace, breathing in gasps.

Shan Zong rested his nose against hers, panting. “If I don’t come back, consider this my personal act, to be dealt with as you wish; if I return, then you will be my wife from now on.”

With that, he released her and strode away, quickly swinging onto his horse.

Shen Rong’s breath was uneven. “Shan...”

She only managed to utter one word as the horse galloped away, the man disappearing into the twilight.