Yanmen Pass.
The north wind howled, and countless corpses, wrapped in ice, lay frozen outside Yanmen Pass not far away. Smoke billowed, and the scene was desolate.
When the northern kingdom invaded for the third time, General Lianjiang was on the front lines and almost didn't make it back. It was Xie Changling who broke through the enemy's encirclement and rescued him.
The old general of Lianjiang was seriously injured. He didn't trust anyone but Xie Changling. He handed him the tiger tally and gave him his instructions.
"We must not underestimate the enemy. The new emperor of the Northern Kingdom is warlike. Once he breaks through Yanmen Pass, he will head south and take Yanzhou and Jiang'an. If he breaks through a few more cities, he will endanger the capital."
Lianjiang's hair had turned completely white, and he was always out of breath after saying just one sentence. If Xie Changling hadn't returned in time to save him, he definitely wouldn't have survived.
"I have already reported to the court. If we can hold on for these few days, the Emperor will definitely send troops to rescue us. If we can't hold on, then you can forget about living and come to me with your head as soon as possible."
Lianjiang hadn't expected the new emperor of the Northern Kingdom to be so crazy. He had thought that the Northern Kingdom would experience internal strife, or that the court officials would be dissatisfied with the new emperor and would not launch a war so quickly.
Therefore, the battle report he wrote to Xiao Jin earlier was entirely due to his own misjudgment, and other generals probably didn't point it out because of their own pride, which almost led to a disaster.
Xie Changling, on the other hand, never slacked off, training his troops day and night. He repeatedly told him that the Northern Kingdom's movements might be a way to lull them into a false sense of security, but he didn't listen.
Lianjiang is now filled with regret. Yesterday, a total of 20,000 soldiers died, all because of his own misjudgment, which almost led to the annihilation of the entire army.
"I am guilty, but now is not the time to punish me. We must defend against the enemy, Xie Changling!"
"Your subject is here!"
"We must hold our ground and not underestimate the new emperor of the Northern Kingdom. Just hold on for these few days, and the emperor will surely send reinforcements."
"yes!"
Lianjiang looked at Xie Changling's resolute face and his bravery in saving him yesterday, nodded in satisfaction, and then waved his hand, ordering him to go down and deploy troops.
This training was different from the past. Lianjiang completely handed over the reins to Xie Changling and no longer interfered with Xie Changling's military operations.
In fact, Lianjiang also regretted it. Before, when Xie Changling discovered the Northern Kingdom's spies, he said that the new emperor of the Northern Kingdom was a wolf with ambitions and advised him to be more careful.
Unfortunately, he relied on his seniority and ridiculed Xie Changling as a mere youth, completely disregarding Xie Changling's advice, which led to his underestimation of his opponent today.
Thinking back to his brothers who died with him, each of them had a young face, while he was old enough to be their grandfather, yet he did not bring them back.
Lianjiang felt a lump in his throat, regretting his arrogance and even hating himself, but what good was it? The dead cannot be brought back to life!
...
Meanwhile, Xie Changling, holding the tiger tally, summoned his generals, emphasizing the urgency of the situation.
Although Xie Changling was not appointed by the emperor, after what happened yesterday, everyone admired Xie Changling's foresight and was willing to obey his orders.
Thanks to Xie Changling's deployment, they successfully annihilated 40,000 troops from the Northern Kingdom, eliminating nearly half of the Northern Kingdom's forces. Their morale soared, and they successfully forced the Northern Kingdom to retreat.
From then on, Xie Changling completely subdued the border forces and became a true uncrowned king.
He didn't even need to wait for the 100,000 reinforcements sent by Xiao Jin to finish the battle, which made him famous once again and caused a great uproar among the people.
Sure enough, Xiao Jin finally realized that Xie Changling was uncontrollable, changed his mind, and summoned him back to the capital to keep him under his watchful eye.
They even used the guise of a victory celebration to prepare a trap for him. It's just unknown whether Xiao Jin wants him to die on the spot or spare his life.
Regardless, Xie Changling smiled as he looked towards the capital.
Finally, it's time to go back.
...
The capital city was exceptionally lively today. People from all over the city stopped doing business and flocked to the main street, creating a dense, bustling crowd.
Of course, there were also onlookers who didn't know what was going on, but just felt that it was lively, so they crowded in.
"Hey, hey, hey, what are you all looking at? What's so interesting about the street?"
"you do not know?"
"Know what?"
"Today is the day General Huo Qubing leads his 100,000-strong army back to the capital. We just won a battle, and it's all thanks to General Huo Qubing!"
"What? You mean the General of the Flying Cavalry? He's an invincible war god, and we're actually lucky enough to meet him!"
"Good heavens, the General of the Flying Cavalry is here!"
Someone in the crowd shouted, and everyone turned their attention to the intersection, waiting for the God of War to descend.
Amidst the expectant gazes of the crowd, Xie Changling, clad in silver armor, wielding a red-tasseled spear, and riding a tall horse, appeared like a god descending from heaven, his entire body seemingly radiating a halo of light.
"General of the Flying Cavalry!"
"Thank you, General!"
"God of War! God of War!"
Amid cheers from the crowd, various sachets, pouches, and handkerchiefs were thrown at Xie Changling, but the man didn't collect any of them, sweeping them to the ground with a single palm strike.
The people lined the streets to welcome him. When Xie Changling reached a certain place, he suddenly stopped his horse, dismounted, and did so cleanly and nimbly.
"Father, Mother, your unfilial son has failed to fulfill his filial duties at home."
After Xie Changling finished speaking, he bowed deeply. Only then did the people realize that the Prime Minister and his wife were also on the street, dressed casually, welcoming the God of War together.
"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back."
The Prime Minister patted Xie Changling's shoulder with one hand, while clenching his other hand tightly, suppressing the surging emotions within him.
His eyes welled up with tears. The prime minister, who always wore a smile, suddenly couldn't smile anymore. He whispered in Xie Changling's ear as he hugged him.
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