The thirty-first day of the siege of Luoyan Pass.
With dark circles under his eyes and a weary expression, Yang Xin said, "Your Highness, the city's supplies are exhausted. Judging from the situation, the Hu people will launch a general offensive tonight."
"How many manpower do we have available?" Zhang Yun asked.
"Five thousand."
Even though Zhang Yun ordered them to rely on machinery to defend the city as much as possible, casualties were still unavoidable.
Of course, the number of Hu people who died was much greater, well over ten thousand.
The walls of Luoyan Pass are no longer recognizable as their original color, and the corpses piled up like small mountains beneath them.
After holding out for so long without any reinforcements arriving, even though Zhang Yun forbade the spread of the news, the garrison at Luoyan Pass had already realized that they had been abandoned by the imperial court behind them.
If Zhang Yun hadn't continued to patrol the city walls every day with a calm and composed expression, the morale of the army would have wavered.
"Pass down the order: abandon the city tonight," Zhang Yun said.
“Your Highness, we still have five thousand brothers to defend, and we can retreat to Luoyan Town and fight them in street battles…” a general advised with red eyes.
By abandoning Luoyan Pass, countless people will suffer as a result; those who do so are sinners for all time.
They not only had to face criticism from scholars across the land, but even ordinary people could verbally attack them to death.
"Do as I say! I will take full responsibility for any crimes you may commit!" Zhang Yun said.
"……yes."
...
That evening, when the vanguard of the Hu people stormed Luoyan Pass, they found it deserted, having climbed over the small hill of corpses piled up at the foot of the city wall.
"Report, Khan! The garrison at Luoyan Pass has abandoned the city. There is not a single Yun army left inside the pass!"
"Investigate further and report back!"
...
"Report! There are no Yunjun troops within a radius of fifty li. The garrison of Luoyan Pass has fled southwest, abandoning their armor and weapons."
Suddenly, Yan Zhuo burst into laughter, "Zhang Xianfeng's lifelong reputation is likely to be ruined by these two cowardly children!"
"My lads, follow me into the pass!"
"Yes, Khan!!"
...
In a forest north of Luoyan Town, Zhang Yun, along with Zhang Caixing and five thousand garrison soldiers, hid.
"The entire army will rest for one hour," Zhang Yun said.
Zhang Caixing sat down next to Zhang Yun. "Xiao Bao, what exactly do you want to do?"
Zhang Yun did not answer her question, but instead asked in return, "Third Sister, if you were Hu Yanzhuo, and after going through countless hardships, you finally conquered Luoyan Pass, would you send troops to plunder everywhere tonight?"
Zhang Caixing was taken aback, frowned and thought carefully before saying, "No, now that Luoyan Pass has been captured and the vast Central Plains are at our feet, why rush? Our army has been attacking the city for many days and is already exhausted. If it were me, I would choose to rest for one night in Luoyan Town and wait for the whole army to be fully rested before continuing the march."
“Yes, I hope Hu Yanzhuo thinks so too.” Zhang Yun clutched the ring around her neck, silently praying.
Qin Zheng, your protagonist's halo must bless me so that I can make the right bet this time!
An hour passed, and Zhang Yun ordered the entire army to regroup and silently approach Luoyan Town.
What exactly does the Crown Prince want to do?
Everyone was puzzled.
Hu Yanzhuo had 100,000 troops. Even though he lost more than 10,000 due to the siege, he still had more than 80,000 troops left.
They only have five thousand men, and even with the advantage of Luoyan Pass, they can't win. Going back like this is just handing themselves over to the enemy.
Also, why did we have to plug the horse's ears with cloth?
Once they reached the area patrolled by Hu Yanzhuo's scouts, Zhang Yun and his men stopped.
As dusk settled, all around became quiet.
Suddenly, a deafening explosion came from the direction of Luoyan Town.
Immediately afterwards, as if a chain reaction had occurred, a series of loud "boom boom boom" sounds rang out.
A firework shot up from the direction of Luoyan Town.
Zhang Yun's spirits lifted, and he shouted, "I, the Crown Prince, have already used the might of Heaven to severely damage the Hu army. The Hu are now like frightened birds. All troops, listen to my command! Follow me back to Luoyan Town and recapture Luoyan Pass!"
The tremors of the earth came from afar. The five thousand soldiers had not yet recovered from the shock of the explosion in Luoyan Town. Upon hearing the order, their bodies reflexively mounted their horses and charged forward with Zhang Yun.
This is... divine might!
"Kill—ah—"
Yun Jun's momentum was overwhelming.
Apart from Zhang Yun's two thousand elite guards, the others were in a very loose formation, each carrying a flag on their back and with tree branches tied to their horses' tails.
The sky was still not very bright, and looking into the distance, one could see banners fluttering and dust billowing, as if a thousand troops were charging.
Zhang Caixing rode a Red Star Erke, wielding a bright silver spear, charging ahead on horseback, his bravery unstoppable!
She was closely followed by Zhang Yun and his two thousand personal guards.
Zhang Yun's personal guards received the most professional training and were equipped with the best gear. Each of them had a new type of repeating crossbow, which the Divine Weapon Battalion could not yet mass-produce.
They used crossbows to cover Zhang Caixing, who had already charged into the enemy camp and engaged Hu Jun in battle.
The camp of Hu Jun stationed in Luoyan Town was already in chaos. The two thousand elite cavalry led by Zhang Yun and Zhang Caixing were like a sharp knife, piercing their hearts.
No one commanded them to form ranks and defend.
The great Khan of the Hu people, along with a group of high-ranking officials, slept last night in the garrison headquarters of Luoyan Town and the residences of nearby officials.
The naval base was located underground, which was the site of the initial explosion.
Hu Yanzhuo and the other generals went to see the great Eternal Heaven as soon as the explosion began.
When Zhang Yun was defending Luoyan Pass, he never had anyone take out the gunpowder to use.
Because their numbers were too small, they were like stones thrown into a lake, unable to make a ripple in the face of the Hu people's army of 100,000.
This was the first time gunpowder had been used.
The power, comparable to an earth dragon turning over, terrified the group of barbarians who had never witnessed such a scene.
The Hu people's warhorses were also startled by the explosion. After 100,000 warhorses were startled, the scene was unimaginably terrifying. Countless Hu people were trampled to death or injured by the horses.
The siblings only led their troops to charge and fight once, and before they could expand their gains, they witnessed the terrifying scene of thousands of horses galloping.
Zhang Yun decisively ordered a retreat, leading everyone to flee.
Just kidding, if he hadn't died under the barbarian's sword, but instead was trampled to death by a horse, that would have been the most ridiculous thing ever.
The army collapsed like a house of cards.
...
When it was fully light, Zhang Yuncai returned with his troops to clean up the mess.
The Hu people had too many remnants, more than 80,000 men. Even though nearly half of them were trampled to death by warhorses, there were still 40,000 to 50,000 men left. Most of them fled to Luoyan Pass, while more than 10,000 others fled in the vicinity.
Zhang Yun could only order his men to arrest and kill the large groups of deserters who had gathered together. As for those who fled alone or in groups of a dozen or so, he could only let them escape into the pass.
In addition, there were tens of thousands of warhorses running around everywhere. Zhang Yun and Zhang Caixing each led their men to try to control them, but they only managed to control more than 20,000. They simply couldn't take care of the rest.
They had only five thousand men, but tens of thousands of prisoners and warhorses!
Who can manage all of this?
Suddenly, the deafening sound of horses' hooves came from the direction of Luoyan Pass.
Anyone with a bit of military experience knows that this is the kind of sound that only tens of thousands of cavalry could produce.
"It's reinforcements, sir! The Prince's reinforcements have arrived!" The guard who had been sent out as a scout excitedly reported.
"Ah-Yun! Ah-Yun!"
Qin Zheng, clad in black armor, rode Wuxing Tayue at the forefront, urging his horse on while anxiously calling out.
When Zhang Yun saw Qin Zheng, the excitement and joy she had felt after winning the battle vanished instantly. Her nose stung, and a sense of grievance welled up inside her.
He suddenly dropped the gun in his hand, pushed aside the cheering crowd surrounding him, and rode up to meet Qin Zheng.
The moment the two riders met, Zhang Yun grabbed Qin Zheng's outstretched arm and leaped onto the horse in front of him.
Wu Xingtayue continued speeding into the distance, leaving his soldiers behind.
Zhang Caixing stared blankly at their departing figures.
Until a voice interrupted her thoughts—
"Greetings, Princess Changning. This humble general is Xue Gui, the commander of the Swift Wind Battalion under the Prince's command. General Qin has important matters to discuss with the Prince and has ordered this humble general to lead the troops to obey the Princess's orders!"
"This humble general dares to ask, Your Highness, what exactly has happened here?"
Xue Gui looked like a curious child.
...
A bright red sun hangs high in the sky, and on the vast plain, Wuxing and Tayue pause their steps.
Embraced by that familiar, warm embrace, Zhang Yun could no longer maintain the composure she had been trying to cultivate for so many days.
He raised his elbow and shoved it hard into Qin Zheng's chest armor, his voice hoarse and trembling with tears: "Why... did you take so long to get here!"
"I'm sorry, Ah Yun, I'm late..."
Qin Zheng held Ma Jiang with one hand and tightly embraced the person in his arms with the other, kissing his cheek repeatedly from behind.
Zhang Yun turned her head and kissed his lips.
The two kissed so passionately that they lost all sense of time until they could barely breathe before they finally let go of each other.
Zhang Yun leaned against him, panting, "You came from Luoyan Pass, did you encounter those deserters from the Hu tribe?"
Qin Zheng nodded, hugging him tightly with lingering fear: "When I saw that Luoyan Pass had fallen, I thought you... It wasn't until I saw those remnants of the army that I realized you were alright. A-Yun, it's all my fault. I will never leave your side again."
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry..."
Zhang Yun turned her head and silenced his apologetic mouth.
Qin Zheng tumbled off the horse while holding him, and the two figures disappeared into the knee-high grass.
...
Zhang Yun was carried back to the commander's tent by Qin Zheng.
He had barely slept these past few days, just kept pushing himself to the limit, and fought Qin Zheng for another three hundred rounds before falling asleep on horseback on the way back.
The finishing touches outside were handled by Zhang Caixing, Yang Xin, and Xue Gui; they didn't need to be there.
When Zhang Caixing saw Qin Zheng again, she had mixed feelings, but after her previous life-or-death experience, she had become more open-minded and simply smiled at him.
Qin Zheng knew that she had already tacitly accepted his relationship with Zhang Yun, and he clasped his hands in a slight fist salute to her.
Back in Zhang Yun's tent, Qin Zheng got into bed and held Zhang Yun in his arms.
The two bodies were pressed together in the warm blankets, and he couldn't help but yawn.
He first fought a fierce battle at Lanshan Fortress, and then rushed to support Luoyan Pass. Even with his iron body, he was starting to feel the strain.
Qin Zheng held the person in his arms tightly, pressed his face against his chest, felt his warm body and gentle, strong heartbeat, and slowly drifted off to sleep.
...
When Qin Zheng woke up, Zhang Yun was already awake, her eyes still a little dazed, clearly having just woken up as well.
Qin Zheng got up and had the guards outside the tent bring in some food. "Are you hungry? Want something to eat?"
Hearing about food, Zhang Yun finally woke up from her drowsiness, got out of bed, put on her clothes, and sat down at the table.
Zhang Yun hadn't eaten anything since leading his troops back to launch the counterattack last night, and he was starving at the moment.
It was already dark outside.
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Qin Zheng ordered someone to bring a hot bath tub for Zhang Yun to take a bath.
...
After Zhang Yun fell asleep, Qin Zheng got up and went out, found Zhao Xu who was still busy, and asked him about the specific details of the Battle of Luoyan Pass.
As a key participant in this miraculous counterattack where the weak triumphed over the strong, Zhao Xu had long been eager to confide in someone.
Unfortunately, Xue Gui and the others had already heard Zhang Caixing and Yang Xin speak during the day, and he arrived too late, losing many listeners.
Now that Qin Zheng had asked, he immediately launched into a long and detailed explanation, as if he had been given a gentle nudge.
The story begins with Zhang Yun arranging the evacuation of the people of Luoyan Town. When he saw that Luoyan Pass could not be defended, he arranged for Zhang Yun to plant gunpowder at the garrison headquarters and deliberately burned down the surrounding residential houses, so that the Hu Khan's temporary residence could only be concentrated near the garrison headquarters.
He spoke for nearly an hour, making no attempt to hide his admiration and fervor for Zhang Yun.
Even minor details like Zhang Yun ordering his men to start burning the grain and fodder before leaving, luring the enemy to extinguish the fire and buying time for the army's retreat, can be boasted about for a long time.
Qin Zheng listened with a smile at first, but as he listened, he felt a little sour.
After parting ways with Zhao Xu, Qin Zheng returned to Zhang Yun's tent.
Sitting on the edge of the bed, gazing at his sleeping face, I was momentarily lost in thought.
Perhaps his gaze was too intense, for Zhang Yunruo, who was fast asleep, opened her eyes as if she were awakened. After seeing that it was him in front of her, her sleepy starry eyes revealed a big smile.
Qin Zheng reached out and touched his face, and he rubbed his face against Qin Zheng's palm, like a lazy and cute little cat snuggling in its owner's arms.
Zhang Yun reached out and hooked his belt with her finger, "Don't leave, come and stay with me."
They assumed Qin Zheng had just gotten dressed and was about to go out to handle some business.
Qin Zheng chuckled, took off his clothes, and couldn't help but flick the tip of his nose as he leaned down, "You little pervert."
Zhang Yun lifted the blanket.
Qin Zheng squeezed in.
...
The next morning, Qin Zheng went out feeling refreshed and inquired about the aftermath, while Zhang Yun slept until noon before getting up to eat.
He was languid and exuded a lazy yet charming allure in every gesture.
But nobody thought there was anything wrong with what he did.
Those who used to think Zhang Yun was too handsome and had a somewhat masculine appearance have completely abandoned those ridiculous ideas.
With his own strength, leading 5,000 cavalrymen, he defeated the main force of the Hu people's 80,000-strong army without losing a single soldier, and also killed the Hu people's Khan Huyan Zhuo and a group of leaders!
Such achievements are unprecedented and will never be repeated!
The scariest thing is that Zhang Yun is only twenty-four years old this year!
Such a young and exceptionally talented general, his future achievements are immeasurable!
After this battle, Zhang Yun's prestige in the Northwest Army will be unmatched!
He is the only god in the Northwest!
A few days later, Zhang Caiyue and her husband actually arrived, bringing with them 6,000 reinforcements.
"Big sister, why aren't you at home taking care of your pregnancy? What are you doing here?"
Zhang Yun looked at Zhang Caiyue, who was riding on horseback with a slightly protruding belly, and said somewhat speechlessly.
"It's a good thing you and Changning are both alright, otherwise I would have blamed myself to death!" Zhang Caiyue's eyes were still red and swollen.
"Luckily, it was my third sister and I who guarded Luoyan Pass, otherwise you wouldn't have been able to do something so big!" Zhang Yun had been boasting about this to his subordinates these past few days, and he was starting to get a little smug.
Upon hearing this, Zhang Caiyue burst into tears and laughed, "Yes, yes, you're much better than my older sister now!"
Seeing that Zhang Caiyue looked unwell, Zhang Yun guessed that it was because she was pregnant and had been leading troops on a long journey to provide support, which had upset her. He quickly had a clean place prepared in Luoyan Town so that she could rest and recuperate.
Zhang Caiyue was aware of her situation. She brought her own doctor and medicine to help with the pregnancy, and her husband Xie Shujun took good care of her, so Zhang Yun didn't need to put in any extra effort.
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