HMHSE - 90

Shen Rong looked at a piece of yellow hemp paper in her hand.

It was not yet fully bright. The Weizhou post house was quiet. She was sitting in front of her dressing table, doing her hair, and looking at the menu written on the paper by the light of an unextinguished candle.

Zirui was combing her shiny black hair and said, “Young Mistress, if you’re satisfied, this is what we’ll prepare when Messenger Shan arrives.”

Shen Rong saw that everything on the menu was what her father liked. She put the paper down. “Just do it this way.” She then looked up at the gloomy window and asked, “How is my father’s mood?”

“The Duke seems to be in good spirits,” Zirui replied. “He even wrote a letter to the Madam yesterday to report that he was safe. Everything is as usual.”

Shen Rong nodded. “That’s good. I’ll go pay my respects to him later.”

Zirui glanced at the paper and smiled. “Young Mistress, you accompany the Duke every day, but you even thought of such small details. If Messenger Shan knew how much thought you put into this, he would be overjoyed.”

In the past, her young mistress cared most about mountains and rivers and never bothered with such small matters.

Shen Rong thought of Shan Zong. She thought that if he knew, he would be smug. She twirled a strand of hair that hung down to her chest and smiled. “It’s a rare opportunity for my father to agree to see him. It’s not that simple.”

If this meeting went well, it would be easier for her mother to accept it. She was well aware of this simple fact and had to be careful.

Zirui couldn’t help but look at her and smile. “I see that the Young Mistress has been smiling more lately.”

Shen Rong’s smile faded. “You’re mistaken.”

Zirui had to hold back her laughter and obediently said, “Yes.”

Shen Rong quietly counted the days in her heart. According to the schedule, he should have set off from Youzhou and would arrive in two days.

After thinking about it, she caught a glimpse of the bronze mirror and saw the slight curve of her lips. She raised her hand to touch the hair at her temples, hiding it.

________________________________________

The mountain mist had not yet dissipated, and Shan Zong’s voice was still echoing.

“I’ve come for you.”

Everyone took a step back after his words and stood up straight.

Shan Zong scanned the area. The group of people was wearing rough and tattered clothes. Some were still wearing the thick leather armor of the Lulong Army from back then, which was already in a bad state. Others were only wrapped in animal hide armor, with messy hair and beards.

He could only see familiar faces.

The middle-aged man in front of him came closer, staring at him. His voice was still trembling. “You finally came. We all thought you wouldn’t.”

Shan Zong looked at him. In just four short years, his face was full of wrinkles, and he looked more than a decade older than he was. He was Bo Zhong, the commander of the cavalry camp that first joined the Lulong Army.

He nodded. “I’ve come to take you back.”

Bo Zhong also took a step back, and for some reason, he seemed a little hesitant. “Can we still go back? We are already rebels.”

More and more people walked out from the depths of the mountains. They were dragging their weapons, their bodies were thin like shadows, their cheeks were withered, their hair was messy, and they surrounded the area in a dense circle.

In the intertwined light of the gradually brightening sky and the torches, everyone stood straight and silent.

Shan Zong gripped his saber. “The Lulong Army could never betray the country.”

Bo Zhong was stunned. He threw his saber down and, with trembling hands, clasped his fists and knelt directly in the river. “Yes, we did not betray the country! The Lulong Army never betrayed the country!”

At that moment, the sound of weapons being dropped echoed one after another. Some people began to sob, suppressing their cries, holding on, and echoing the sound of the wind and the crows in the forest, their sorrow spreading.

Shan Zong stood tall and straight like a pine, with the tip of his saber touching the river. But his voice was hoarse. “How many of you are... left?”

“The Lulong Cavalry has a hundred camps, with five hundred men in each. There are thirty-seven camps here, three cavalry commanders, and one thousand eight hundred and ninety-one soldiers.”

The two middle-aged men who had walked out with him at the beginning also knelt down. They were the other two cavalry commanders.

Jia Chen San couldn’t help but walk over, his voice choked. “Is that all that’s left?”

So the fire dragon formation from earlier was just a bluff. There weren’t that many people at all.

Bo Zhong looked up at Shan Zong, tears welling up in his eyes. “When we broke out of Jizhou, we had already suffered heavy losses. There were no reinforcements, and all our escape routes were blocked. News couldn’t get in or out. At first, there were more than ten thousand of us. We occupied a small city and fought against them for several months. We were eventually surrounded and defeated. Since then, we have been scattered, and many died or were injured on the way. Only this group of us entered the mountains and could continue to evade them. We have been surrounded and hunted down several times over the years and could only go deeper and deeper.”

Wei Shen Wu gritted his teeth beside him. “And then?”

Bo Zhong choked. “The enemy built one fortified city after another nearby. We lived off the land in the deep mountains, but we still had to keep moving along the mountain range to hide. Many brothers died from injuries, illness, hunger, and cold. We finally arrived in this area closer to the Youzhou pass, but we were scattered even more. We couldn’t enter the pass either. We were all considered rebels and could only hide in the deeper forests.”

He paused, his eyes red. “Only the remaining Han people in the area helped us. They didn’t know our whereabouts, so they sent clothes and food to the mountain pass. Many people were captured and killed by the enemy because of this. It is said that some towns panic as soon as enemy soldiers pass by because they are afraid of being caught. They still hope that we can reclaim our homeland and they still believe in us! But no one came from the Central Plains. No one came! We did not betray the country. The Lulong Army did not betray the country!”

Everyone immediately knelt down.

Shan Zong’s lips were tightly shut. The knuckles of his hand on the saber cracked. Finally, he unclasped his teeth, his voice terrifyingly deep. “Can we still find the ones who were scattered?”

“They should all still be in the vicinity of the old city, but they might have changed their names. It would be difficult to meet them again,” Bo Zhong’s throat choked again. “I’m afraid even with them, the entire army would be less than five thousand...”

The fifty thousand strong Lulong Army was now only five thousand, and there were less than two thousand of them here.

Shan Zong closed his eyes, then opened them with a sigh. His eyes were red. He lifted his saber. “Follow me. I’ll take you back!”

“Can we really go back?” Bo Zhong asked.

“You must go back,” Shan Zong said. “The dynasty has a new ruler. The new emperor knows nothing about the events in Youzhou. This time, after this battle, I am being investigated. This is a rare opportunity. The Lulong Army must go back to clear its name and avenge its fallen comrades!”

Bo Zhong immediately stood up from the river. Everyone in the forest stood up.

To clear their names. Wasn’t this the hope they had waited for all this time?

Hu Shi Yi, who had been watching, was still in a state of shock. Many things were still unclear to him, but looking at Shan Zong, he felt as if he had been planning this for a long time.

No wonder he came as soon as he had the chance. He had probably been waiting for too long.

________________________________________

It wasn’t until dark that the group could move out again.

A team of two thousand people was considered long, but it was not conspicuous in the vast mountain range. At this time, they had reached the edge of the forest.

The eighty figures had already joined them.

After a long separation, the cavalry commanders couldn’t help but choke up and embrace each other. Some soldiers cried out as they chewed the long-lost, hard military rations.

But now, they were all silently following Shan Zong, ready to go out.

Night fell, covering the four fields.

Hu Shi Yi was squatting at the edge of the forest, taking care of his injured soldiers. He sent two more people to scout the way, then went to look at Shan Zong. He found that Shan Zong hadn’t said much and had been calm and silent throughout the journey.

For some reason, Hu Shi Yi remembered the situation when the military camp was first built. At that time, he had just been appointed as the commander of the Youzhou militia. He was cold and ruthless, training his soldiers brutally and brutally suppressing chaos. Over the years, he had always used ruthless methods and violence to counter violence, showing no mercy.

Thinking about it carefully, it seemed that he only showed a hint of humanity after Jin Jiaojiao came to Youzhou.

He scratched his chin, wanting to say something, but didn’t know where to start.

“Chief,” Bo Zhong came over and said in a low voice, “Those treacherous dogs have been watching us all these years. Sun Guozhe has taken over Jizhou and become the ‘Ni Li City’ lord. He is determined to wipe us all out. He also likes to capture our people alive. This time, as soon as we leave the mountains, we will definitely be intercepted.”

Shan Zong glanced at the sky outside the forest. The moon was dark and the wind was high. It was the perfect time to set off. “This time, no one’s interception will work.” He stood up, drew his saber, and went first. “Let’s go!”

The group immediately responded and started their journey.

The night wind blew, carrying dust and sand, hitting their faces. But this was the air outside the dense forest, the air of returning to the world of the living.

In the distance, the faint sound of horse hooves passed by. There were still enemy soldiers patrolling at night.

The team could only move along the edge of the forest, their footsteps hidden by the howling wind and dust, and headed back towards the pass.

Suddenly, firelight appeared in front.

Hu Shi Yi immediately turned back to warn. “Chief, there are enemy soldiers ahead.”

The sound of a cavalry team’s horse hooves was approaching. The Lulong soldiers behind them put their ears to the ground to listen and stood up. “About a hundred people are coming this way.”

This was more than the usual number, which meant they had been discovered.

A team of two thousand people would probably not be able to avoid their eyes.

Shan Zong’s voice was cold. “Avoid them if you can. If you can’t, send them to mourn the Sixth Cavalry Camp.”

Immediately, the eighty people behind him drew their sabers together.

The wind turned cold in the middle of the night, howling on the open land outside the pass like a ghost crying.

The team had just arrived near the town and was still far from the Youzhou city gate, but they had to leave the mountain ridge and had no place to rely on.

The enemy soldiers with torches were already close.

The wilderness was pitch black, with undulating dry grass. The horse hooves stepped on the ground, trampling everywhere, and the wide-backed curved sabers in their hands swung wildly.

Someone swung a torch and suddenly met a pair of sinister eyes in a patch of dry grass. The white scar on the left eye was chilling. Immediately after, a saber was wiped across his throat.

They had been discovered. There was no avoiding it now.

Suddenly, shadows rose from all around, surrounding the cavalry.

Thousands of figures appeared, but not a single sound was made. Apart from the rapid footsteps, only shouts in a foreign language could be heard.

The torches went out one by one, the voices gradually subsided, and the surroundings were neatly cleaned and buried, leaving only the smell of blood that the wind couldn’t disperse.

In the distance, however, a louder sound suddenly came.

A soldier said in a low voice, “Chief, there are more horse hooves.”

Shan Zong had already heard them. He held his saber and looked in the direction of the sound.

That was the direction of the desert to the north, the direction the enemy was retreating to.

Hu Shi Yi suddenly ran to him, panting. “Chief, the scouts have returned. They are changing their troops faster than planned. A large army is rushing back to defend without stopping day or night!”

Everyone gathered silently.

Once they were entangled with a large army, they might not be able to get away.

Shan Zong immediately turned with his saber. “Retreat with me!”

The next moment, the wind clearly carried the sound, heavy as thunder.

________________________________________

The weather in Weizhou had been clear and bright for several days.

Inside the post house, the Duke of Zhao had specially put on his heavy Duke’s official robe again. He sat down in the hall solemnly and took a cup of hot tea from the attendant. He glanced at the door and frowned. “What time is it?”

A guard outside the door said, “Reporting to the Duke, it’s already Shenshi (3-5 PM).”

The Duke of Zhao’s teacup paused in his hand when he heard this. He looked at the side.

Shen Rong was sitting next to him, her black hair in a cloud-like bun and wearing delicate makeup. She was fiddling with the light silk scarf draped over her arm, her lips pursed in silence.

The sun was already low. No guests had arrived at the post house.

The previous days, they had only asked if anyone had arrived. But today was the last day of the month. He had expected him to come, but even though he had waited until this time, no one had arrived.

“In my opinion, he’s not coming,” the Duke of Zhao said, putting down the teacup with a soft clatter. His face was grim as he stood up. “Does he think he’s so great? I’ve waited here until today, which has already saved us both face. What is he now? It’s clear that he didn’t cherish you back then, and he won’t cherish you in the future either!”

Shen Rong’s fingers were clenched, and she bit her lip.

They had agreed on it. She had arranged everything so carefully. How could he not come?

The Duke of Zhao paced back and forth, let out a cold snort, and was about to leave. “You’re better off without such a ‘rare talent’! You should just go back to Chang’an. I’ll personally take care of the matters in the mountains for you!”

“Father.”

The Duke of Zhao turned his head.

Shen Rong had already stood up, her expression slightly cold. “Please wait, Father. Give me a few more days.”

With that, she walked out of the door quickly.

Donglai was waiting outside the door. He had already heard the commotion. He suddenly saw Shen Rong come out and heard her say, “Get my horse ready.”

He knew the reason and quickly tried to persuade her in a low voice. “Young Mistress, why don’t you wait a little longer? Maybe Messenger Shan was delayed.”

“I set the date for the end of the month precisely because I knew things might come up after the war.” Shen Rong remembered her father’s words just now, and her chest rose and fell slightly. She flicked her sleeve and walked forward. “Get the horse ready. Let’s go now!”

________________________________________

A winding river circled around the mountains. Beside it was a wild forest, and within the forest were towering mountain ranges that were connected to the Youzhou city gate, which sat like a coiled dragon.

Countless people were hiding in the forest, panting.

“What day is it?” Shan Zong asked, propping himself up with his saber at the edge of the forest. His eyes were still fixed on the movements outside, and the smell of blood around him couldn’t be hidden.

In the distance, there was still the sound of troops moving and running around. Foreign languages could be faintly heard in the wind.

Hu Shi Yi was panting like a bull beside him. “I didn’t keep track. It’s been many days, anyway. I can’t remember the last time I closed my eyes.”

On that day, the large enemy army that had returned early discovered them, and they were delayed.

After who knows how many days and nights of fighting and running, they finally reached the mountains outside the Youzhou city gate. Some people were injured, so their speed was even slower.

Shan Zong looked up at the sky, his eyes narrowing. “It’s past the end of the month.”

A new moon hung overhead, curved like an eyebrow.

Hu Shi Yi also looked up. “Yes, it looks like it’s been several days since then.”

Shan Zong propped himself up with his saber, lowered his head, and panted. He suddenly let out a low laugh. “She must be furious.”

According to the plan, they should have had enough time for the round trip. But now that the large army had arrived unexpectedly, they were all stuck here.

Shen Rong was waiting for him, but he was still outside the pass.

Hu Shi Yi didn’t react. He was stunned. “Who?”

Shan Zong didn’t answer. His sharp ears heard the movement in the distance.

The sound of horse hooves came again, getting closer.

He looked up and suddenly called out, “Shi Yi, I have a few words to say to you.”

Hu Shi Yi immediately came closer. “Chief, tell me.”

Shan Zong lowered his voice. “They don’t have enough armor. Don’t fight them head-on. I will lead people to cover the rear and get them into the pass. There is a team ready to receive us at the city gate. You are responsible for leading them. You must bring them back into the pass.”

Hu Shi Yi took the order. “Yes.”

As he was about to get up and prepare for battle, Shan Zong stopped him again. “There are two more things.”

Hu Shi Yi squatted back down and listened to him finish...

When a large enemy army swept in, the moon was in the middle of the sky. The enemy soldiers on horseback were all disheveled. They wore foreign armor over their left-lapelled robes and held torches, riding fat horses with curved sabers.

They came searching and chasing, but they didn’t expect this group to be so good at fighting and hiding. After all this time, they had still not been able to see the full picture. Most of the time, they were small skirmishes, and the group was well-trained, with strange formations. They usually only appeared at night. At this moment, they still didn’t know how many people the other side had.

There were more than a dozen leaders. They were talking in low voices in the Khitan language on their horses.

“It might be that group of hiders who came out.”

“We must catch them. The city lord asked about them. We can’t afford to mess up.”

They were responsible for the defense and had taken on an extremely strict military responsibility. If they couldn’t solve this, they would be severely punished. Naturally, they were fighting with all their might, day and night.

After a rapid string of Khitan words, they split up and advanced in the direction of the pass city.

Suddenly, a loud scream. Someone had discovered some movement. The light of the torches nearby immediately surged in that direction.

A team of people silently moved, crossed the river, and entered the wild forest, running towards the steep mountain ridge of the pass city without stopping.

The cavalry behind them had already caught up, and a flurry of arrows was shot. However, in the darkness, the shadows of the trees were intertwined, and the figures were hard to distinguish. The arrows were useless.

The section of the mountain ridge outside the pass of Wangji Mountain stood quietly in the night.

The river that circled below was calm and still, but it was suddenly broken by the sound of horse hooves, and splashes of water several feet high rose up.

A team of enemy cavalry arrived first, finally catching up with the figures in front. But a group of people suddenly charged out from the side. Two of them were unexpectedly cut down, and their torches fell into the river and went out.

The enemy soldiers on the side charged over, but they quickly ran into the black wild forest at the foot of the mountain.

“Here!” a voice in the Khitan language said.

The enemy soldiers heard the voice and turned around. Suddenly, the arms of the people around them were cut, and their torches fell into the river. They let out a painful wail.

Finally, someone realized something was wrong. He turned around and saw that the people on horseback were not his companions at all. In the dim light, he saw that they were clearly two figures with Han hairstyles, riding the horses of the two men who had just been cut down. He then felt a chill in his chest and fell into the river.

Chaos erupted in the formation. The remaining torches were still held up, and it was hard to distinguish friend from foe.

In the chaos, another enemy team arrived and saw a long line of black shadows entering the mountain ridge in the distance. They immediately shouted that they had been tricked. Their team was about to enter the pass city.

Some cavalry wanted to ignore everything and charge straight for the pass city, but they were blocked by a horse that galloped towards them.

The horse was theirs, but the person on it was not. In the firelight, he was wearing a gray and black coarse cloth uniform, with a long and slender straight saber in his hand. He was imposing and as fast as lightning.

“Shan Zong! It’s Shan Zong!” someone shouted.

A clamor rose, and the horns to send a signal also sounded.

Countless troops galloped towards this place.

Shan Zong rode his horse and swung his saber. Behind him were the eighty figures who had gathered to cover the rear. Jia Chen San and Wei Shen Wu were on horseback, and the rest were behind.

He raised his hand. “You get ready to retreat too.”

They were the last remaining Lulong Army.

“We know what we’re doing!” Wei Shen Wu said, panting.

Shan Zong reined his horse and kept blocking them in the front.

He was surrounded by enemy soldiers. Suddenly, he felt a pain in his back. He gritted his teeth and turned back to swing his saber. His horse was also hit by a saber and neighed wildly.

He quickly flipped off his horse, stepped on the river, and ran into the forest. “Now! Retreat!”

More soldiers were rushing towards this place.

Shan Zong leaned against a tree and looked out coldly. He took off his arm guards, which were heavy with blood. He tore off a cloth strip and wrapped it tightly around the slippery saber handle and his hand.

The river water splashed. A large number of enemy soldiers charged in. Jia Chen San led the way through the forest, retreating towards the city gate.

Suddenly, he felt that the pursuers behind him were gone. He turned to look back. Through the trees, he could still hear the constant sound of horses galloping, but they seemed to have all been stopped.

Only Shan Zong was outside the forest.

The welcoming firelight had been lit on the city gate.

The two thousand people had been covered and were entering the pass.

Shan Zong finally came through the forest and arrived at the city gate, saying nothing.

Jia Chen San stepped forward and killed a pursuer behind him. He saw that the ground behind Shan Zong was littered with the bodies of enemy soldiers. He retreated and grabbed a rope. He then vaguely saw a puddle of blood on the ground.

Following the trail of blood, he saw Shan Zong clutching a rope, his body soaked in blood, and a curved saber that he had just pulled out of his chest.

________________________________________

At dawn, Zhao Jinkam received the news and rushed to the city gate, even putting on his outer robe on the way.

The city gate slowly opened, and a team of several thousand people stood outside.

He was stunned, looking at this group of people who were said to be the Lulong Army, as if he were looking at a group of wild people from the mountains.

The Lulong Army had once put down the rebellion in Youzhou. He still remembered it. It was rumored that they had already been incorporated into the Youzhou army and were no longer mentioned. How could they have come from outside the pass?

Behind them, dozens of people slowly moved forward. Shan Zong slowly walked out.

“Chong Jun, how could you...” Zhao Jinkam looked at his appearance in shock.

Shan Zong was holding his saber, covered in blood. He suddenly swayed and barely managed to stand still.

Someone on his side supported him. It was Jia Chen San and Wei Shen Wu.

After supporting him, Wei Shen Wu let go.

Jia Chen San also slowly let go.

In the distance, a fast horse galloped towards the city gate, followed by a dozen guards.

Shan Zong was panting. He looked up, seeming to see the figure of a woman on the horse. He squinted his eyes, but he couldn’t see clearly. The saber in his hand suddenly fell to the ground.

Shen Rong arrived on her horse, having rushed over without stopping.

Just as she arrived at the city gate, she reined in her horse. In her line of sight, she saw the man’s figure fall straight down.