Yangkou Pass, as its name suggests, is shaped like the two horns of a goat, hence its name.
The Yangkou Pass Valley is a strategically important location, with towering and steep peaks on both sides, resembling a natural barrier.
After careful consideration, Mingxuan decided to set up an ambush here in hopes of wiping out the elite troops of the northern border in one fell swoop.
However, while the plan seemed to have the perfect timing and location, it actually concealed enormous risks.
Once they successfully launch an ambush on the enemy, they can inflict heavy damage on the enemy in a short period of time.
However, as soon as the enemy has a chance to catch their breath, the main force will quickly react and form an encirclement and annihilation.
By then, the soldiers who participated in the ambush will be surrounded and isolated.
Therefore, this ambush operation was extremely risky, with only a slim chance of survival.
Mingxuan carefully selected a team and led them to quietly infiltrate the valley to carry out their deployment in an orderly manner.
Once everything was ready, Mingxuan sent someone to deliver the message to Lu Jingze, who was far away in the rear.
In the letter written to Lu Jingze, Mingxuan did not tell him when he would come to the rescue.
Instead, he instructed Lu Jingze to make full preparations for a direct confrontation, adopting a posture of being ready for battle, in order to confuse the enemy and prevent them from figuring out his true intentions and troop distribution.
And so, a thrilling battle was about to begin at Yangjiao Pass.
Among the generals of the North, Dakma was known for his caution, and he was especially careful with the notoriously dangerous Goat's Horn Pass.
Therefore, they hesitated at the entrance of the valley, never daring to enter rashly.
For a moment, a tense and oppressive atmosphere permeated the entire battlefield, as if even the air itself had frozen...
"Send the signal!" Mingxuan said in a low voice to the soldiers beside him.
As soon as he finished speaking, several well-trained soldiers quickly opened the cage, and several small and agile tits flapped their wings and flew out, swiftly gliding overhead.
At this moment, Dakma was anxiously trying to rejoin the main force.
When he caught a glimpse of living creatures hovering above the valley, he felt a sense of relief and ordered his troops to immediately prepare and move forward.
The group quickly entered the central area of the valley.
Suddenly, a series of loud noises came from both sides of the seemingly peaceful valley. The ground shook and countless boulders rolled down, causing the entire valley to tremble.
The Northern army had no time to react and was instantly engulfed and crushed by the surging rocks.
Just as Mingxuan had predicted, the ambush successfully dealt a heavy blow to the elite troops in the North.
But at the same time, their actions thoroughly enraged the enemy.
After a brief moment of shock, the enemy forces snapped out of their daze and launched a frenzied retaliation.
Faced with the overwhelming enemy forces, Mingxuan did not flee in panic, but led his ambush team in a desperate battle.
In an instant, swords flashed and shadows danced, and shouts of battle were deafening.
The battle was extremely fierce, but ultimately the enemy was outnumbered.
Mingxuan was wounded in many places, and blood kept gushing out, gradually staining the clothes under his heavy armor red.
Nevertheless, he gritted his teeth, braced his swaying body, and continued to fight the enemy, brandishing his weapon.
"Brothers, we killed a lot of northern barbarians in this battle! It was worth it! Everything after that is a bonus!"
"It was worth it! It was worth it!"
The soldiers shouted in unison, responding to Mingxuan's call, their fighting spirit soaring even higher.
In this life-or-death struggle, Mingxuan knew that the disparity in strength between the enemy and himself was too great, and that it would be almost impossible for him to escape unscathed.
Therefore, before setting out, he specially carried a large amount of oil in order to inflict maximum damage on the enemy at the last moment.
As the enemy forces drew ever closer and the encirclement tightened, a resolute glint flashed in Mingxuan's eyes.
Just as the kerosene was about to be ignited, a deafening battle cry suddenly came from not far away.
Upon closer inspection, everyone realized that reinforcements had arrived!
Lu Jingze led a large number of elite soldiers to the scene.
Reinforcements quickly rushed into the battlefield and engaged the Northerners in fierce fighting, plunging the two sides into a chaotic melee.
Lu Jingze dismounted and quickly ran to Mingxuan's side, steadily supporting the swaying Mingxuan.
"Why are you here? Didn't I tell you to stay home and behave yourself?!" Mingxuan rebuked him, disregarding his status and position.
"Don't worry, when I learned that you had brought men to Yangjiao Pass, I didn't sit idly by. While they were preparing to rescue you, I burned their grain and supplies camp. Now they are too busy to take care of themselves!"
Upon hearing this news, Mingxuan's previously dull eyes lit up instantly, and he even couldn't help but grin as if he wanted to laugh out loud.
However, this laugh accidentally aggravated his wounds, causing him to wince in pain and gasp for breath.
"Come on, I'll take you back to camp to treat your injuries first."
After saying that, Lu Jingze reached out to help Mingxuan onto his warhorse.
But at that moment, something unexpected happened!
A sharp, piercing arrow-like aura shot towards the two of them.
Mingxuan reacted quickly; he shoved Lu Jingze away with all his might and rolled away on the spot.
Immediately, the deadly arrow pierced straight into the warhorse in front of them.
The poor horse didn't even have time to whimper before it collapsed to the ground with a thud, raising a cloud of dust.
The two seized the opportunity and found a place to hide.
However, unexpectedly, despite their best efforts to conceal themselves, the mysterious figure in the distance wielding a sharp arrow seemed to possess extraordinary eyesight, always managing to pinpoint their hiding places with pinpoint accuracy.
What's even more terrifying is that this person has excellent aim, not only forcing the two men to have nowhere to hide, but also managing to shoot and kill several large soldiers who were engaged in fierce combat when he had a spare moment.
"This won't do! This man is the archer Darkma. Right now, the enemy is in the dark while we are in the light. We have no way to escape his pursuit!"
"What do you want to do then?"
"Dakma excels in long-range combat; his arrows can easily pierce even stones. The only way to kill him is to catch him off guard and intercept him at close range!"
Mingxuan quickly hid behind another cover and continued, "I'll distract him while you sneak up and kill him!"
“But…” Lu Jingze looked troubled, as if he still had some concerns.
"Don't hesitate any longer! I'm injured and my movement speed is much slower than before. Now, you're the only one who can give me a chance to survive!" Mingxuan interrupted Lu Jingze.
Upon hearing this, Lu Jingze knew that the situation was urgent and there was no time to lose.
Without further hesitation, he nimbly dodged to the side and sped off in the direction of Dakma as Dakma's arrow was aimed at Mingxuan again.
Seeing that Mingxuan's movements had slowed down, and that he even dared to reach out and wave at him in a provocative manner.
Dakma was stunned for a moment, then sneered, "You're asking for death!"
Having said that, he nocked the arrow and gripped the bowstring tightly with his fingers.
However, just as the fatal arrow was released, a dark figure rushed in like lightning.
Holding a sharp blade, Lu Jingze swiftly stabbed Dakma, piercing him through the neck.
In an instant, blood splattered everywhere, and Dakma felt a sharp pain.
He stared in disbelief, looking down at the blade in his chest, his face filled with terror.
In the instant that Dakma was stunned and dazed, Lu Jingze had already ruthlessly swung his weapon and cleanly and neatly severed his head.
The head rolled to the ground, its eyes wide open, dying with its eyes still open.
Lu Jingze then picked up Dakma's still-warm head with one hand and strode towards Mingxuan.
Throughout the journey, Lu Jingze kept replaying the thrilling scene in his mind.
As he walked, he pondered how to share everything that had just happened with Mingxuan.
During this time, the two fought side by side and went through countless life-and-death trials together, and had long since become brothers who had risked their lives for each other.
For Lu Jingze, this kind of pure brotherhood was something he had never experienced before.
His elder brother, Lu Nancheng, was carefully groomed as the heir to the empire from a young age.
The royal family is not very close-knit. Even though they are brothers born of the same mother, they would still have many reservations about each other before Lu Nancheng ascended the throne.
But now, through his time with Mingxuan, Lu Jingze finally understands that true brotherhood can transcend the constraints of identity, status, and blood ties.
When faced with danger, they trust each other and are able to entrust their backs to each other without hesitation.
Lu Jingze clearly saw Mingxuan smiling.
But in a moment of distraction, Mingxuan seemed to lose all his strength and collapsed to the ground.
Lu Jingze rushed over in a few big strides.
As they helped Mingxuan up, their gaze fell on his chest, where an arrow was deeply embedded.
"Mingxuan! Mingxuan! Hang in there, I'll take you back to find a doctor right away!"
However, at this time, Mingxuan was so weak that even opening his eyes was extremely difficult.
With great effort, Mingxuan finally managed to open his eyelids, but his eyes had become incredibly dim.
"Jingze... I know very well how powerful Dakma's arrows are... I'm afraid I won't survive..."
With each word Mingxuan spoke, a spurt of blood would gush from his mouth and flow down the corner of his lip.
Lu Jingze felt as if his heart was being torn apart, and futilely used his sleeve to wipe the blood from Mingxuan's mouth.
Mingxuan reached out a hand, trembling slightly, and loosely grasped Lu Jingze's wrist.
He gasped for breath, barely managing to gather a faint gasp: "Jingze... there's something... I must tell you before I die... Before coming to Lizhou... I met someone... he... he told me... the calamity that befell our Ming family... was caused by His Majesty..."
Upon hearing those words, Lu Jingze felt a buzzing in his head.
"No, no, it's impossible... How could this be?" Lu Jingze shook his head subconsciously.
"I wanted to wait until I had the chance to investigate, but now it's impossible. You are the Prince of Da Gan, and also my sworn brother. I can only entrust this matter to you to complete for me."
At this point, Mingxuan's voice grew weaker and weaker, as if it were a candle flickering in the wind, ready to be extinguished at any moment.
"I...I really have no strength left. The rest of what I wanted to say is in the storage box in your room. You must..."
Before he could finish speaking, the raised hand lost its support and fell limply to the ground.
This battle was a brilliant victory achieved with fewer troops, and it should have been a time for the entire army to celebrate and be inspired.
However, not a single person in the military camp showed a smile.
The sudden and devastating news of General Ming's death on the battlefield struck the hearts of every soldier like a heavy hammer, plunging the entire army into a somber atmosphere of despair.
Despite his grief and exhaustion, Lu Jingze, as the commander of the army, stood before his soldiers to boost their morale.
After everything was arranged, he returned to his tent alone.
The last breath he had been struggling to hold on seemed to be sucked away in an instant, and he collapsed to the ground.
And so he slept soundly in his tent for a whole day and night, which greatly frightened the generals below him.
Some even hired military doctors to wait outside their tents.
After an unknown amount of time, Lu Jingze finally woke up.
Looking at the worried crowd gathered outside the tent, he said, "I'm fine. I was just a little exhausted from overwork, but I've almost recovered now. You don't need to be so nervous. Go about your business."
After everyone had left, Lu Jingze propped himself up and carried out a slightly worn-out storage box from the corner of the tent.
This is what Mingxuan left in his tent before he left.
At that time, I was so busy with the military report to the capital that when Mingxuan came in, I just casually replied with "hmm".
Lu Jingze slowly opened the envelope with his name on it.
My brother, Jingze
By the time you read this letter, I will have already died in battle at Yangkou Pass.
I didn't want to make the atmosphere so sad and heavy, but knowing I still need your help with something, I felt that perhaps only this way could touch your heart.
Lu Jingze looked at the letter and gave a slight smirk.
Xuan is arrogant and calls himself "brother," I hope you won't take offense.
We have been fighting against foreign enemies together for several months now.
Having gone through countless life-or-death trials, they could be considered as close as brothers.
There is something I have never told you. I am truly being petty, so please forgive me!
Lu Jingze took a breath, carefully turned the first page of the letter, and continued reading.
Before we set off for Lizhou, a mysterious person came to see me.
He brought some evidence, which I have already placed in the box.
He told me that it was His Majesty's fear of the Ming family's growing power that led to their determination to eliminate them, resulting in the tragic death of the entire Ming clan in battle.
It is truly unbelievable that His Majesty would do such a cruel thing.
However, even faced with so much evidence, I, as the elder brother, still have reservations.
The Ming family is known for its unyielding spirit; even dying on the battlefield is nothing to regret.
But if you truly died because of the emperor's suspicion, then surely your Lu family's imperial ancestors should not have done so either.
After much thought, I've decided that after my death, the truth of this matter will be left to you to investigate.
If one day the truth is truly uncovered, I will not trouble you to reveal it to the world. I only ask that you remember to tell me the truth, so that I can die knowing the truth.
There is another matter I need Jingze's help with.
My wife, Yingxue, is currently five months pregnant.
She was extremely stubborn, and it's likely she never told her parents about this from beginning to end.
If my Ming family truly died for the sake of imperial power...
My wife and son are in danger
I hope Jingze will take care of it.
On behalf of my elder brother Mingxuan, I kowtow.
Lu Jingze stood in front of the table, his gaze fixed on the letter for a long time.
He could hardly imagine what complex emotions Mingxuan, who was usually so carefree, had when he wrote this letter.
He harbored many doubts about the massacre of his family, yet he still chose to sacrifice himself for his country without hesitation.
This loyalty and courage deeply impressed Lu Jingze, but also made him feel ashamed.
Now, faced with evidence that could reveal the truth, Lu Jingze doesn't even have the courage to touch it.
He was afraid that everything Mingxuan wrote was true, and even more afraid that his beloved elder brother would really commit such a grave mistake.
If that's the case, how should he face these Ming soldiers who have entrusted their lives to the country and the royal family?
That evidence has been shelved for a long time.
It wasn't until the war ended that Lu Jingze mustered the courage to open it and read it.
Anger burned within him like a raging fire.
The evidence is not only interconnected, but also corroborated by the testimonies of multiple witnesses, making it irrefutable.
Lu Jingze could no longer sit still, and he immediately dispatched several trusted confidants to investigate the matter.
However, the message that his confidant brought back was exactly the same as what he had read in the letter.
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