Chapter 263: The War Begins

Since nightfall, Wen Ziduan led his men to the Qilan tribe three times, becoming more and more arrogant. The last time, Wen Ziduan fired a rocket and ignited the Qilan king's flag, causing the other side's morale to plummet.

"Hasn't he arrived yet?" Wen Ziduan glanced behind him through a telescope as he galloped towards Youlan Valley. The sky was breaking and the sun was rising. If they waited any longer, the mist would dissipate, and the ancient Qiang army in the valley would be difficult to hide.

Gu Guan casually pulled out the white feathered arrow from his arm, then tore off a piece of his robe and bandaged the wound tightly, suppressing the irritation in his heart. Even though Gu Qiang had brought the antidote for the poison, he still felt upset and uneasy. However, with the enemy at the door, he could no longer care about anything else.

"Here I come."

He twitched his ears, raised his hand and whipped Wen Ziduan's warhorse. The hundred or so men rushed all the way towards the valley. "You go first, I'll cover your retreat."

Gu Guan was the best in martial arts, and his archery skills were top-notch. He was the only one who could escape unscathed from Qie Lan's hail of arrows. He lightly kicked his stirrups, slowing his pace and gradually falling to the back of the group. He swung his spear, knocking down the deadly arrows one by one.

The Qilan army behind them had already set out, and the vanguard cavalry was now only an arrow's length away from them. Gu Guan cursed, "Li Fu said there were reinforcements, but where are all the people? I hope this kid is not afraid and has run away."

The group fought and retreated, disappearing into the valley and disappearing instantly. Lan's cavalry was blocked by several tripwires, suffering heavy casualties. Seeing them enter the poison barrier, Lan was momentarily unsure what to do and went to report back to Lan Yan.

"Leader, the Orchid Valley ahead is easy to defend but difficult to attack. I'm afraid there's an ambush. Should we still pursue them?"

Lan Yan whipped the scout fiercely with her horsewhip, leaving a bloody mark on his face. "Useless! There are less than a thousand of them, and they still think they can cause such a riot? I don't have any cowards in Qie Lan!"

At the command, the Qielan troops advanced towards Youlan Valley. Scouts repeatedly tried to stop them, saying, "Chief, the name Youlan Valley in Chinese is a huge obstacle for us Qielan. It's a bad omen. We must not go there..."

Qie Lan had been provoked three times by Wen Ziduan and had his royal flag burned. His morale was already low. When Lan Yan heard what he said, he couldn't help but get angry. He drew out his long sword and chopped it down without mercy, killing the scout with one blow.

"Anyone who dares to talk nonsense again will be killed without mercy! Enter the valley!"

Lan Yan knew in her heart that she had no way out. If she allowed the Third Prince to return to the Central Plains, not only the prefect of Jianwei County, but also the Qilan tribe would be wiped out. Therefore, Wen Ziduan must die today.

He Zhaojun stood halfway up the mountain, holding a stick of incense in her hand and a long fuse at her feet. When she lit a handful of gunpowder, the boulder would roll down the cliff, triggering the catapult accurately and throwing the burning material that was enough to ignite the gunpowder high up into the right place.

She waited anxiously, and from time to time she used a telescope to look down at the situation in the valley, but the poison barrier was so thick that visibility was too low.

Faintly, the sounds of fighting and killing could be heard. The two armies met and a very fierce conflict broke out. He Zhaojun knew that there was fog and the Lan tribe was unaware of the disparity in strength between the two sides. Otherwise, their morale would have been greatly boosted and Wen Ziduan would have no chance of winning.

When she was extremely anxious, He Zhaojun suddenly saw a crimson signal arrow, with a sharp whistle, circling up from the valley mouth and exploding a red cloud in the air.

"It's done, and all the Lan Da troops have entered the depression!"

"ignition!"