At this time, it had been exactly eight years since the battle of Huoleiyuan. With the witness of the entire Yanbei, Daxia paid a devastating price for his actions that day.
That night, Zhao Yang, the fourteenth prince of Daxia, arrived with his troops, integrated the remnants of the Southwestern Army, and sent out 500,000 troops to once again surround Beishuo City.
At this time, in Menglai Province in the inland of Daxia, Yan Xun finally received the letter from Miss Yu sent by eagle. After reading the letter, he looked deeply at the ancient capital of Zhenhuang, which was no longer far away, and stood alone for a long time. Finally, he returned to the central military tent and issued an order that shocked everyone: "Move out camp overnight and return to Beishuo for support!" After returning to Beishuo City, Chu Qiao was treated like a hero. In addition to the necessary defense, the entire Beishuo City's military and civilians gathered at the city gate. For a moment, the place was crowded with people, the enthusiasm of the whole nation was high, and there was jubilation, as if the Battle of Beishuo had been won. When Chu Qiao led the army of the Southwest Town Governor and marched into the city gate, the welcoming crowd almost broke the team. The deputy commander of the Second Army, Lu Zhi, was dead. The new deputy commander Yin Liangyu led his troops to the front to restore order, but was quickly broken up by the crowd.
Chu Qiao looked calmly. Although the soldiers of the Second Army had reorganized themselves a little in order to welcome the friendly forces, most of the army had been damaged compared to when they left. The remaining soldiers were injured, their clothes were torn and covered in blood. They were tired, timid, afraid, confused, and exhausted. All kinds of uneasy emotions flashed clearly in their eyes. The dust concealed the paleness of their faces very well. Many of their swords had lost their scabbards and were just randomly stuck at their waists. Crisp collisions and the sound of swords could be heard as they moved, but they had no intention of fighting and only looked panicked.
Compared with these frightened Second Army soldiers, the officers and soldiers of the Southwest Town Government formed a sharp contrast with them. Although their armor was also stained with blood and their faces were covered in dust, they were confident and calm. They maintained neat formations and lines, observed strict military discipline, rode their horses steadily, followed Chu Qiao, and walked briskly on the long street. The north wind blew, blowing through their fluttering fur coats. The inky black cloaks were filled with the smell of blood, solemn and desolate. When they saw them, thunderous cheers suddenly rang out in the crowd. When millions of troops were defeated and the soldiers of Yanbei were fleeing, they were the only ones who threw themselves into death without hesitation and resolutely took on the responsibility of defending their country.
Yin Liangyu strode forward, and the chaotic crowd squeezed his helmet crooked. He didn't have time to straighten his hat. The young officer hurriedly said: "It is easy to add icing on the cake, but it is difficult to send charcoal in the snow. Lord Chu came to save Beishuo from the desperate situation. The whole Second Army is grateful for your kindness!"
Chu Qiao jumped off her horse, smiled quietly and said, "General Yin, you are too polite. We all serve in Yanbei, and the Southwest Town Envoy and the Second Army are of the same blood." As she spoke, the girl took off her hood. Even after experiencing such a brutal battle, she was still neat and clean. The military uniform made her figure tall and beautiful, full of the heroic spirit of a soldier and the charm of a woman. She had a beautiful face and fair skin. When she looked around, her eyes were like stars, her spirits were high, and she was full of confidence. Her voice was calm and friendly, full of sincerity.
Suddenly, there was a burst of incredible exclamations in the crowd. The soldiers and civilians who had never seen her talked about her a lot, and praises came like a tide. From the Zhenhuang Incident to the Northwest Battlefield, from the Bian Tang Mutiny to the Defense of Chidu, too many glorious battles adorned this woman. Naturally, people automatically ignored her age and appearance.
But at this moment, on this stormy battlefield, the beauty of the girl was like a bright lamp, shining above people's heads, and everyone couldn't help but exclaimed: "Is this Lord Chu? So young?"
"Yes! It's unbelievable, so beautiful!"
Although the Southwestern Field Army led by Zhao Qi and the Batuha Family Army were defeated, Chu Qiao knew that this battle did not touch the foundation at all. The reason why the Xia Army was defeated was only because the Xia Army had just launched the final intensive attack on Beishuo City. The vanguard corps and the cavalry regiment were all sent to the battlefield. In order to complete the battle before dark, out of absolute worry about their rear, they asked them to send several of their reserve troops. The rear was empty and full of baggage soldiers and chariots. The nearest cavalry regiment was separated from them by two baggage divisions. The Southwest Town Envoy was composed entirely of cavalrymen with extremely fast speed. When they charged, they were like a cheetah running into a herd of wild horses from behind. In addition, Zhao Qi died in his hands by accident. The Xia army was leaderless and the morale was broken, so he was able to take advantage of this.
However, Daxia's army of hundreds of thousands is not called that for nothing. Zhao Yang will arrive later. Chu Qiao was anxious but could not show it. She said to Yin Liangyu, "Where is General Cao? I have urgent military information and need to report it immediately."
Yin Liangyu said in a deep voice: "The general is in the conference room, please follow me, sir."
It was still the general's mansion that defended Beishuo City. The jet-black obsidian was laid neatly and evenly on the ground, towering tall. Torches were dim, and footsteps could be heard in the corridor, one after another, heavy and tired.
Finally arriving at the door of the conference hall, the two young guards saw Yin Liangyu, stood up straight, saluted in a standard military manner, and said loudly: "General Yin!"
Yin Liangyu nodded, stepped aside, pointed at Chu Qiao and said, "This is Mr. Chu from the General Staff."
The two guards had obviously seen Chu Qiao before, and they immediately smiled and saluted, saying, "Greetings, Master Chu!"
Chu Qiao nodded in return, "Thank you for your hard work."
"Is the General in there?"
"Yes, the general has been waiting for you two for half a day."
Yin Liangyu nodded and said, "Please inform us."
A guard nodded and knocked on the door gently, then said loudly: "Report to the general, General Yin and Mr. Chu from the General Staff want to see you for something!"
The draft blew through the corridor, making a humming sound. The corridor was very quiet, no one spoke, only the young guard's voice echoed in all four corners, drifting back and forth with the sound of the wind.
Yin Liangyu frowned, took a step forward, and said in a deep voice: "General Cao, Master Chu Qiao from the General Staff wants to see you for something."
There was still no one to answer. Yin Liangyu frowned more and more and continued, "General, are you in there?"
Chu Qiao raised her eyebrows, stepped forward and said, "Not good." Then, she pushed open the door of the conference room with force.
With a creak, the door slowly opened. A strong wind blew out from inside. The window opposite the door was not closed, and the materials and rice paper on the conference table were blown all over the floor, like a group of white butterflies with broken wings, fluttering underfoot. The huge conference hall was very empty, with the tables and chairs still in their original places. Cao Mengtong sat in his usual seat with his back to the crowd, motionless and silent, seemingly looking at the map hanging on the wall.
Yin Liangyu sighed, took two steps forward, and said respectfully: "General, Lady Chu is here. She said she has something important to report to you."
Cao Mengtong seemed not to have heard anything and did not even change his sitting position. Chu Qiao frowned and immediately walked forward. The guards following her were startled and hurriedly chased after him, shouting, "Master Chu..."
However, before he could finish, his voice stopped abruptly. He widened his eyes in horror, his mouth slightly open, but he couldn't utter a word.
Cao Mengtong was wearing a brand new uniform with his sleeves slightly rolled up, revealing half of his arm. There was an obvious scar on his left hand, which seemed to have been left many years ago, but it was not clear unless you looked closely. His clothes were very smooth, without even a wrinkle. Half of a white handkerchief, neatly folded, was visible from the left pocket of his lapel. Both sides of his black lapel were decorated with war eagles embroidered with gold thread, with patterns as big as nine thumbs, showing the noble status of this old man as the general-in-chief of the legion. He is no longer young. In his sixties, his face is covered with wrinkles, his muscles are sagging, the corners of his eyes and mouth are drooping, and his hair is full of gray, which, although combed meticulously, cannot hide his old age.
A dagger was inserted into his heart, and blood was flowing down and had already coagulated. The room was very cold, and the dark red blood was frozen and solidified into a cold line. Life had long since left this body, leaving behind only a lonely shadow, which looked old and desolate under the moonlight.
A huge map of Yanbei was hung in front of him, with thousands of ravines and undulating mountains on it. A thin line connected the place names on the map, starting from Meilin Pass at the northernmost end, all the way through Huihui Mountain, Shangshen Plateau, Siqiu Lanling, Sunset Mountains, Lancheng, Chidu, Beishuo, and then a large arrow was drawn with bright red cinnabar, pointing directly to the rich and vast East Land.
Yin Liangyu and the guards were stunned. Faced with the sudden death of their commander, they were at a loss and didn't know what to do.
Chu Qiao walked forward slowly, stretched out her hand, and gently stroked Cao Mengtong's eyes that were still open, leaving only a vast sadness in her heart.
For his own selfish interests, he ignored millions of soldiers and civilians, failed to recognize people and judge the enemy, was stupid and reckless, arrogant and pedantic. It was this man, because of his incompetence and arrogance, who completely ruined the favorable battle situation and caused the army to pay an immeasurable price. His crimes were too numerous to list in list, and even death was not enough to forgive him. Before coming here, Chu Qiao had thought of so many ways and strategies to take him down and take back the command of Beishuo City. She even thought of many sharp words to vent her anger. But at this moment, looking at the sixty-year-old man sitting quietly in the cold wind, all her anger suddenly went down the drain.
This was a brutal war, and everyone paid a brutal price for it, both living and dead.
"General, look!" The guard was sharp-eyed. He picked up a piece of paper on the table and handed it to Yin Liangyu.
Yin Liangyu took it quickly, took a quick look at it, then raised his head, gently handed it to Chu Qiao, and said, "Sir Chu, you are now the supreme commander of the Second Army. I, Yin Liangyu, report to you!"
Chu Qiao took the piece of paper and saw a simple handover of command of the Second Army and the Beishuo Army in a completely official tone. There were also a few words written on it hoping Chu Qiao would fight bravely and make contributions to Yanbei. It was like a handover ceremony that could not be more ordinary.
Chu Qiao took off her sword and put it aside, then slowly stepped back, stood up straight and saluted. "General Cao fought for the country, resisted the Xia army, and fought to the last moment of his life without retreating. He is a role model for the entire army. I will not let you down, I will be loyal and never retreat!"
That night, the following was recorded in the log of the military camp: In the Battle of Beishuo, General Cao Mengtong led the troops and fought on the city wall of Beishuo at the age of sixty. He vowed not to retreat and stubbornly resisted the Xia army. He was seriously injured and died in the conference hall on the evening of October 27. Before his death, he handed over the command of the Second Army to Lord Chu Qiaochu, the military advisor of the General Staff and the senior commander of the Southwest Town. General Cao was loyal and brave throughout his life. He devoted himself to the service of Yanbei, guarded the country's borders at the age of sixty, and thought of the country before leaving. He was a role model for Yanbei soldiers.