dawn.
Muqiaokou.
Although it is summer, the morning breeze by Wei Lake still makes one's skin feel cold.
Unless there are special circumstances, Yuan Zhang's daily routine has remained stable for decades. He naturally wakes up at this time, and just as he is about to get out of bed, the sound of fighting suddenly comes from outside the door.
Tuo Tiewuhua burst through the door, shouting, "Your Highness, enemy attack! The Southern Zhou army has landed!"
Yuan Zhang suddenly sat up and shouted, "There are troops stationed at the Muqiao Bridge. How could the Southern Zhou army only come to report after they have already stormed ashore?!"
Tuo Tiewuhua said, "The Southern Zhou army didn't come from Muqiao; it was them! They came from the dirt road!"
"What?!" Yuan Zhang quickly dressed and put on his armor, saying, "This dirt road is impassable; how did they get here?"
Tuo Tiewuhua quickly went over to help Yuan Zhang put on his light armor, saying, "The water level has receded a lot overnight, and those Southern Zhou soldiers are crossing over with only their eyes and noses showing!"
"Outrageous!" Before he could even put on his light armor, Yuan Zhang grabbed his spear and ran outside.
Looking around, the Southern Zhou army and the Da Jing army were locked in fierce fighting, and more and more Southern Zhou troops were crossing the small dirt road in Wei Lake.
Those soldiers who came from the soldiers' march, with only their eyes and noses showing, looked like water ghosts crawling out of a lake.
"Who is the general in charge of the troops?" Yuan Zhang asked.
Tuo Tiewu pointed to a general directing the soldiers to land on the shore and said, "There he is!"
Yuan Zhang followed the gaze and saw a tall, slender general from the Southern Zhou Dynasty. He widened his eyes and said, "It is Li Yunqing, the adopted son of Yang Zhanbei."
"A top-tier expert!" Tuo Tie Wu Hua said anxiously, "Your Highness, you go first, I'll hold him off!"
Just then, Li Yunqing turned his head and saw Yuan Zhang's figure in his field of vision. He immediately raised his spear and shouted, "Yuan Zhang has appeared! Hurry up, capture that old thief Yuan Zhang alive!!"
As he spoke, Li Yunqing stopped giving orders and ran towards Yuan Zhang.
Yuan Zhang grabbed Tuo Tiewuhua, who was about to run over, and said, "Muqiaokou can't be defended anymore. Even if you can hold him off, you'll just be throwing your life away. Come with me and escape!"
"Can……"
"I still need you to command the retreat of the Northern Guards. Every one more who escapes is a good one!"
"yes!"
After removing his black cloak, he helped Yuan Zhang onto his horse, then mounted his own and shouted, "Everyone, turn around! Retreat!"
Yuan Zhang said, "Retreat to the woods to the west."
Tuo Tiewuhua paused for a moment, then asked suspiciously, "Not going to the central army camp?"
“The road to the central army camp is flat, making it easy to be caught up.” After saying this, Yuan Zhang spurred his horse and galloped towards the distant woods.
Although Tuo Tiewuhua was puzzled, he had to obey Yuan Zhang's orders and shouted sternly, "To the woods to the west! Quickly!! Retreat into the woods!!!"
Tuo Tiewu and Yuan Zhang had worked together for many years, and they could act according to Yuan Zhang's ideas without needing to explain the details.
He commanded the garrison at Muqiaokou to hold off the Southern Zhou army and do his best to preserve the number of the Northern Guards. When he and Yuan Zhang finally escaped into the woods, only two or three hundred of the thousand garrison troops remained, and the total number of the Northern Guards was less than eight hundred.
The casualties of the 5,000 Southern Zhou soldiers led by Li Yunqing were negligible.
Li Yunqing dragged his spear and ran to the edge of the woods. He looked up at the dense canopy of trees and said, "Yuan Zhang, even you have been driven to the brink. If I capture you, I will be the number one general of Southern Zhou!"
The lieutenant suggested, "Let's set this forest on fire; they'll have no chance of survival!"
"Have you forgotten the young commander's orders?" Li Yunqing glared at his deputy and shouted, "Capture him alive! He is the Imperial Uncle of the Great Jing Dynasty, and a living Imperial Uncle is more useful than a dead Champion King!"
"Yes, sir!" The lieutenant said no more and immediately directed the troops into the forest, shouting, "Change formation! Follow me in!"
After the Southern Zhou army entered the forest, they could only see two or three hundred soldiers from the Muqiaokou garrison fleeing in a frenzy. The five hundred Northern Border Guards, all cavalry, were nowhere to be seen.
Li Yunqing shouted from the central command: "Speed up, don't stop! Cavalry has no advantage in the forest!"
They pursued and killed hundreds more garrison troops until all five thousand Southern Zhou soldiers entered the forest. Suddenly, the Three Guards of the Northern Border appeared behind the Southern Zhou army.
Yuan Zhang and Tuo Tiewuhua rode their horses to the front.
Yuan Zhang raised his hand and shouted, "Strong wind!!!"
Whoosh!
Swish swish swish——
In an instant, countless arrows rained down on the Southern Zhou army from all directions. Caught off guard, a large number of Southern Zhou soldiers fell, and even Li Yunqing's deputy general was hit in the shoulder by an arrow.
Li Yunqing then turned his horse around and looked around. He saw countless archers emerging from the grass, trees, and far away at the optimal shooting range.
"We've been ambushed! How is that possible?!"
Yuan Zhang laughed loudly, "Why is it impossible? If you can get the news that I have arrived at Muqiaokou, why can't I get the news that you are going to launch a surprise attack?"
Li Yunqing brandished his spear, pointing it at Yuan Zhang, and shouted, "Yuan Zhang! We are both spearmen, do you dare to have a contest with me?!"
"Why do young people today like to compete? Just like Wen Pojun back then."
Yuan Zhang said arrogantly, "I recently met a young man who wields a spear, but unfortunately he's not here, otherwise I could have had a match with you. But now, you're a cornered beast fighting for survival, and you have no right to make demands of me!"
"You old thief, I'll kill you!" Li Yunqing ran wildly and charged towards Yuan Zhang.
Tuo Tiewuhua immediately spurred his horse and blocked Yuan Zhang's path.
“He can’t get here,” Yuan Zhang said confidently, then raised his hand and shouted, “Strong wind!”
"Strong wind!"
"Strong wind!!"
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