Chapter 99

When Gu Fuzhou arrived at the camp gate, it started to snow lightly. This was undoubtedly his quietest expedition. There were no gongs and drums, no waving arms and shouting, not even the sound of flags waving - the snow had turned to frost, and the flags were frozen and could no longer flutter.

Gu Fuzhou and his entourage left in a low-key manner, with no one seeing them off. Shi Pei and Wu Youyuan each led an army, the former attacked the city and the latter set an ambush, leaving only one general to guard the camp.

They rode slowly towards Zhuo County along the predetermined route, leaving a trail of horse hoof prints on the snow.

A deputy general said, "It's so quiet, so quiet that I'm not used to it."

Gu Fuzhou said casually: "Huai Shi should be used to this kind of silence."

"Oh, that's right, Brother Shen was born a secret guard, so he must have been active at night and hiding during the day."

Shen Huaishi smiled and nodded. The deputy general asked again: "Can you see very far and clearly at night?"

"Yes, seeing at night is a skill that a secret guard must have."

"It's a pity that the enemy doesn't have such good eyesight." Gu Fuzhou said, "Let's light the torches. If reinforcements from Xixia arrive, it would be best to lure them along as well."

In the silent night, bright lights lit up on the winding mountain road, as if to inform the enemy where they were. Anyone with a little common sense could see that they were luring them in intentionally, but the Western Xia army, who had been trapped in the isolated city for many days, had no choice but to jump into it even though they knew it was a trap.

It was only because the trap contained Gu Fuzhou, the war god Dayu who had killed their crown prince, dozens of generals, and countless Xixia soldiers. Rather than starving to death or being captured after the city is broken, it is better to fight to the death and drag Gu Fuzhou to hell with him. Zhao Mingwei was already dead, and with Gu Fuzhou's death, there was no general in Dayu's army who could stop the Western Xia from occupying the Central Plains.

Gu Fuzhou led his troops to Hulukou, but there was still no movement around. The quieter it is, the more danger is approaching. The snow was getting heavier, falling all over the bow and sword.

Soon, the sound of horse hooves came from afar and made the ground tremble slightly. Just by listening to the deafening sound, you could tell how many people were coming from the other side.

The deputy general couldn't help but ask in surprise: "Why do they still have so many people? Don't they want to leave anyone to guard the city?"

Gu Fuzhou was not surprised: "Since you know you can't defend it, why bother defending it?"

General Gui is worthy of his name as General Gui. He was able to lead such a large number of cavalry out of Yongliang without anyone noticing. I believe that at this time, Shi Pei had already taken advantage of the enemy's exit from the city to attack the city. The more enemy troops there are here, the fewer enemy troops will be left in Yongliang.

"Don't panic," Gu Fuzhou comforted everyone, "Even if they come out in full force, they won't be our match. It's better for them to come together, so that we don't have to spend time chasing after the remnants."

The sound of horse hooves was getting closer and closer. Looking up, I saw black cavalry rushing in like a flood, raising waves of snow foam. Immediately afterwards, shouts and cries of killing were heard everywhere, and swords and knives shone coldly under the moonlight.

Shen Huaishi said: "General, don't underestimate the enemy. These people are obviously desperate. Once they are not afraid of death, they can do anything."

Gu Fuzhou nodded, tightened the reins, and said, "Pass the order down, fight and advance, lead them to Hulukou."

The cold wind was howling and complaining, the valley was filled with the harsh sound of weapons clashing, and the nose was filled with the strong smell of blood. The sharp blade mixed with blood splattered out, the blood red almost covered the sky and the sun, it seemed that only this color was left between heaven and earth.

When the enemy was led to Hulukou, there was a sudden earthquake that was ten times more powerful than the previous one. The deputy general was overjoyed: "It must be General Wu who brought the ambush troops——"

Shen Huaishi stared into the distance and whispered, "No, it's——"

The voice stopped abruptly, the deputy general's eyes widened, and the smile on his face was replaced by shock: "It's Xixia, the reinforcements from Xixia have arrived!"

The sound of horse hooves made a loud rumbling sound, several times louder than the previous noise, shaking the snow on the mountain to pieces and raising snow waves several feet high.

"This is a good thing." Gu Fuzhou pretended to be relaxed. "The Xixia reinforcements have arrived here, proving that Yongliang is safe. The reinforcements have traveled a long way, and we are well rested. I can't say that we can fight five at once, but fighting two at once is no problem."

Seeing Gu Fuzhou so calm, the others felt relieved. The deputy general shouted, "Brothers, charge in. General Wu is waiting for us in the gourd!"

Gu Fuzhou's prediction was correct. The Xixia reinforcements arrived in a hurry and had already run hundreds of miles in the ice and snow, and had lost more than half of their physical strength. Even though they knew the chances of winning were slim, they still came.

They were not thinking about winning the battle or defending Yongliang City. They only wanted Gu Fuzhou's life, and they would not hesitate to exchange the lives of tens of thousands of Xixia soldiers for Gu Fuzhou's head.

Shen Huaishi quickly realized that something was wrong: "General, there are many assassins with high martial arts skills among these reinforcements, and they must be coming for you."

Gu Fuzhou sighed helplessly: "They are trying too hard to take my life."

"General, please stay by my side. I will not give the Xixia assassins any chance to get close to you." As soon as Shen Huaishi finished speaking, his brows suddenly frowned even tighter. He lowered his head to look at the place where he was injured before, and quickly raised his head again to concentrate on fighting the enemy.

Dayu's army fought and retreated, and finally led them into Hulukou, but they waited for a long time for the ambush troops to attack.

"What's going on?" The deputy general came back to Gu Fuzhou after killing a group of people, "Where are General Wu and the others?!"

Gu Fuzhou's face was solemn. He looked at the snow-capped mountains on both sides and finally couldn't help but curse: "Fuck."

"It's an avalanche." Shen Huaishi whispered, "General Wu was dragged down by the avalanche."

Not only them, but others were also worried about why the ambush was not there. However, swords have no mercy and a moment of distraction can cost them their lives.

"It's a bit unlucky, brothers. But it doesn't matter, Wu Youyuan must be trying to come, we just have to wait for him." Gu Fuzhou suddenly smiled, his smile was wanton and ostentatious, "The landscape is picturesque, and the beauties are so charming - it would be a pity if they died here."

After saying that, Gu Fuzhou snatched the bow and arrow from the deputy general, and shot the arrow at an enemy general in one go.

The arrow flew out like a meteor, and they could not see where it would end. But this arrow was like a signal, and the soldiers responded and stood up, no longer worrying about where the ambush was, and fought hard, killing as many as possible.

In order to make the enemy think that they could fight, Gu Fuzhou led only 3,000 cavalry. Without Wu Youyuan's ambush, they were greatly outnumbered, but no one retreated. They believed that an ambush would come, and the only thing they had to do was to hold on.

Gu Fuzhou, who had always been planning and strategizing in the rear, stood on the battlefield for the first time. The Qingyun Jiuzhou Spear reappeared after three years of silence. Isn't it just about killing people? He has already learned it.

The battle lasted from dusk to dawn, from heavy snow to the stopping of snow, from a mighty force to corpses everywhere. The cavalrymen blocking Gu Fuzhou fell one after another. Of the three thousand cavalrymen, only thirty were left.

Gu Fuzhou's Xiaobai had died in the rain of arrows. Like the remaining infantrymen, he was wearing iron armor and holding a long spear, facing the remaining hundreds of enemy troops. But it doesn’t matter, Wu Youyuan will be here soon.

Wait a little longer. Wait a little longer.

Suddenly, Shen Huaiyu caught a glimpse of a ghostly figure approaching silently. He stepped forward decisively and sealed the other person's throat with a dagger.

He used his Qing Kung Fu too hastily, which affected his old injury, so he stopped briefly. In this extremely brief moment, a cold arrow flew out from behind him and pointed directly at Gu Fuzhou.

Shen Huaishi shouted: "General!"

Gu Fuzhou heard Shen Huaishi's shout, but did not stop waving his gun to block the sharp knife for a soldier.

A sharp pain came over him, and before Gu Fuzhou realized what was happening, he saw Shen Huaishi running towards him with a pale face. He then slowly lowered his head, looked at the arrow stuck in his chest, and twitched the corner of his mouth belatedly.

No one can win every battle. He won so many battles by luck, but he still lost to luck in the end.

Immediately afterwards, the second, the third... arrows flew towards Gu Fuzhou from all directions.

The Qingyun Jiuzhou Spear was heavily stuck in the snow, supporting its owner from kneeling down until Shen Huaishi arrived and supported the shaky Gu Fuzhou.

A hint of fear finally showed on Gu Fuzhou's face, which had always been at ease.

It was not death that he feared. He died twice, he has experience. Death is nothing to be afraid of for him.

What he feared was that Lin Qingyu was facing his death.

This fear even overshadowed the physical pain. I'm sorry, he is not a real general who protects the country, nor is he a great hero. At this critical moment of life and death, he only thinks of Lin Qingyu.

At this moment, he vaguely heard someone shouting: "Great victory in Yongliang—Great victory in Yongliang!"

"General Wu is here!"

After a bloody battle all night, Shen Huaishi was finally able to put down his sword. He held Gu Fuzhou's hand tightly. He saw Gu Fuzhou laugh and said, "It hurts."

It hurts more than the previous two times.

Shen Huaishi is a martial artist who has been on the brink of life and death for many years, but he has never felt so helpless. He hated himself for being so tongue-tied that he couldn't even utter a word of comfort.

Gu Fuzhou's mouth was bleeding as he asked, "I seemed to hear... win?"

"Yes." Shen Huaishi tried to force a smile, "We won, we won."

"Then, can you save me now? I...I can't die." Gu Fuzhou leaned on Shen Huaishi, his eyes widened, and he begged in an almost embarrassed manner, "He is still waiting for me. I wrote him a letter of guarantee. I can't lie to him...Don't let me die, he will cry."

Shen Huaishi was already crying: "I will save you, General. Hold on, Doctor Hu will definitely have a way, I will take you to find him."

Hearing the word "doctor" vaguely, Gu Fuzhou's mouth corners slightly raised. He was about to say something, but suddenly he vomited a large mouthful of blood with a "hmm". Even with Shen Huaishi's support, he could not hold on and his body slowly slid down.

"General!" Shen Huaishi knelt in the snow and held Gu Fuzhou in his arms. He covered Gu Fuzhou's wound with his hand. Blood flowed out from between his fingers and continuously into the snow, creating a peach forest in full bloom in winter, which was inappropriate but warm as spring.

No matter how hard he tried, Gu Fuzhou's blood kept flowing out.

Can’t cover it, can’t stop it, can’t stop it.

Gu Fuzhou's vision gradually became blurred, his chest was pressed so heavily that he couldn't breathe, and every breath was a heart-wrenching pain. The flowing blood seemed to take away his body temperature, and his body became colder and colder, chilling to the bone.

Is he...going to die again?

He lied to Lin Qingyu. He was going to die and he couldn't go back.

If he had known it would end the same way, he shouldn't have confessed to Lin Qingyu, shouldn't have kissed him, shouldn't have dirtyed him. He made Lin Qingyu sad once, and he wanted to hurt him a second time. He was so bad.

He understood Lin Qingyu. Lin Qingyu could not forget him, and Lin Qingyu would not do such a foolish thing as committing suicide for love. He would live, cold and unconscious.

If... if Lin Qingyu could lose her memory, forget these years, forget him, maybe she could live a happier life. We have drugs that can cause people to fake their death, so maybe we also have drugs that can cause amnesia?

After all, his wish is that Lin Qingyu will always be happy.

It has always been like this, from the age of seventeen to now.

Hmm...my eyes feel so heavy, this dark dizziness seems to be the same as last time. He remembered that at that time, Lin Qingyu did not stop him from closing his eyes. Then this time, can he also -

"General!" Shen Huaishi choked and shouted, "General, hold on, Doctor Hu will be here soon. Don't close your eyes, Doctor Lin - Lin Qingyu is still waiting for you!"

Gu Fuzhou suddenly opened his eyes wide, and he regained the strength to hold Shen Huaishi's hand.

He can't close his eyes, he will definitely be able to be rescued. Just wait until the doctor comes, they will cure him.

Lin Qingyu would not be happy if she forgot him. Lin Qingyu will only be happy if he is alive.

So he couldn't die...he had to survive.

Thanks to his efforts, his vision became clear again. He saw a beam of light, a beam of light breaking through the clouds. He murmured softly, "Is it dawn?"

Shen Huaishi nodded with tears in his eyes: “Yes, it’s dawn.”

"That's great." Bad things usually happen at night, and dawn always symbolizes hope. Maybe he really was going to be saved, and as long as he didn't close his eyes, he would survive.

Gu Fuzhou just stared at the beam of light in the sky with reluctance and attachment, his pupils reflecting the light source, motionless.

"General... General!"

Then, the last bit of light disappeared from Gu Fuzhou's eyes. In those eyes that used to be as bright as stars and always filled with smiles, there is now only endless silence.

But he still kept his eyes open.

——At the beginning of the third year of Chu Xi, Gu Fuzhou waited for reinforcements for a long time but they did not arrive. He was killed by thousands of arrows piercing his heart outside Yongliang City.