"How about we give you another thousand men, and draw another two thousand from other counties?"
Qi Nuan thought for a moment before saying, "Okay."
Seeing her nod, Bai Jiao gestured for her to write down the pledge.
Qi Nuan walked over calmly. Not only did Bai Jiao have to win, but she did too; she could only win and could not afford to lose.
With the 4,500 men Bai Jiao gave her, plus the 2,000 drawn from various counties, and the 3,000 men she herself commanded, she already had nearly 10,000 men. If she still failed, it could only be because she was too incompetent.
Qi Nuan signed the pledge, and both of them were very satisfied with the result.
"If you have nothing else to do, you can stay for dinner tonight."
Bai Jiao casually remarked as he looked at Qi Nuan after she had signed the document.
Qi Nuan declined Bai Jiao's offer in a calm tone, saying, "I still need to go to the military camp. After all, we're about to attack Yizhou, and we need to make sure the soldiers are prepared."
Bai Jiao listened and said no more.
After leaving the county government office, Qi Nuan unfolded the letter in her hand.
Ayu and his men have returned to Shangjun from Julu and will soon send troops to Yanmen to compete with Wu Jiliang and others for control of Yanmen.
She was naturally well-prepared to take over Hedong in one fell swoop.
...
The autumn wind was bleak, and the air was bitterly cold.
Outside Yizhou City, the two armies faced each other, and war was about to break out. Qi Nuan led 10,000 troops and faced off against the enemy's 20,000 troops.
Both armies were filled with fighting spirit.
Ji Jin, mounted on his horse, glanced at the archers lined up on the city wall and took a few steps closer to Qi Nuan without making a sound.
Upon seeing this, the enemy general Lou Wan sneered and mocked, "How could that shameless bastard Bai Jiao send a little kid to play house? Be careful, he might not return alive."
"Why don't you lay down your weapons and surrender obediently? I'll give you some candy since you're still young, how about that?"
The enemy soldiers laughed and shouted, "Surrender! Surrender!"
Lou Wan laughed loudly, "What can a little baby who can't even stand steadily on a horse do? Do you want Uncle to carry you down?"
Although he spoke with a smile, he made no attempt to conceal his malice and hostility; his eyes were filled with murderous intent. On the battlefield, he never underestimated anyone.
Qi Nuan glared at them coldly and turned the tables on them: "Who told you to be so incompetent, only fit to fight against little babies!"
Seeing the enemy's angry face, Qi Nuan smiled and said, "That depends on whether you have the ability, Uncle. Don't die at the hands of this little brat, or you'll be too ashamed to face anyone in the afterlife."
Lou Wan was furious, "He's talking big without any substance."
With a wave of his large hand holding the spear, his voice resounded through the sky: "Kill!"
At the same time, Qi Nuan, holding a long sword, said to the soldiers behind her, "Kill them, or die."
"To live is to die, to live is to die..."
All the soldiers shouted in unison, their shouts carrying the force of an avalanche, as they charged toward the enemy.
Qi Nuan's longsword slashed through the veins of enemy soldiers one by one, the hot blood rushing to her face. She was like a ruthless machine; for a moment, she had neither pity for life nor the passion to gallop across the battlefield, only repetitive, fast, and fierce movements.
All I could hear were the sounds of flesh being torn apart, screams, and the muffled groans of soldiers falling to the ground.
This is war, this is the era of cold weapons, where everyone has to face bloody death, and only the courage to move forward without hesitation can overcome the fear of death.
In the rear, as the two armies clashed, Yan Gong ordered the crossbow carts, which had been aimed at the soldiers on the city wall, to begin firing arrows.
The archers on the city wall were shot down one by one by the ballistae before they could even fire their arrows.
Seeing Lou Wan constantly approaching Qi Nuan, Ji Jin's face turned cold. He dealt with the soldiers who were entangled with him and moved closer to Qi Nuan.
Qi Nuan met Lou Wan's bloodthirsty eyes and naturally knew his intentions: to capture the leader first. She knew he thought the same way, and with a swift sword, she dispatched the soldier on the ground. She gave him a provocative smile.
Lou Wan looked at her smile, his eyes darkened, and he gritted his teeth. "Well done!" he thought, and swung his spear even faster.
Lou Wan quickly dealt with the enemy soldiers around him.
A spear was thrust at Qi Nuan, but she dodged it. Qi Nuan then swung her long sword at Lou Wan, but missed.
The two exchanged dozens of blows.
Qi Nuan raised her long sword to block Lou Wan's red spear that suddenly attacked from the front. The moment the sword and spear collided, they emitted a piercing sound.
Qi Nuan felt a sharp pain in her hand from the impact and quickly withdrew her longsword.
He pushed off the stirrups with both feet, braced his left hand against the horse's back, leaped into the air, and used his right foot to step on the horse's head for leverage, soaring behind Lou Wan. His long sword was thrust straight towards Lou Wan's back.
Lou Wan turned around, leaned his body downwards to dodge, and the long sword slashed across his left cheek. He felt a slight stinging pain on his left cheek, and soon blood beads seeped out from the wound, turning into blood in a moment and flowing down his face.
He looked at Qi Nuan, his eyes filled with nothing but cold light.
He gripped the saddle with his left hand, spun around on the horse, and his attacks became increasingly fierce.
Qi Nuan knew that her strength was no match for Lou Wan's, but she was agile and constantly changed her position in the air, causing the opponent's attacks to miss.
When she saw that Ji Jin had arrived, she gave Ji Jin a wink.
He instructed Ji Jin to ride behind Lou Wan to cut off his retreat, while he himself leaped onto his own horse.
The two attacked Lou Wan from both sides, launching continuous assaults.
After a brief exchange of blows, Lou Wan's pupils shrank, realizing he was no match for the two. He roared and launched a frenzied attack on Ji Jin, attempting to escape their encirclement. He had always been self-aware.
He wouldn't be afraid if it were just one person, but it would be dangerous with two people.
Lou Wan ceased fighting and began searching for an opportunity to escape.
Qi Nuan saw through his intentions.
Shout to Ji Jin, "Stop him!"
As he spoke, he attacked him while he was entangled with Ji Jin.
His subordinates naturally realized his predicament.
His face was filled with anxiety as he rushed towards the three of them.
Seeing this, the other soldiers relentlessly pursued him, determined to hold him back.
He was anxious and looked at Lou Wan with ruthless force, but he was caught off guard and was slashed in the back.
He let out a muffled groan and thrust the knife in his hand backward. The soldier who was stabbed immediately spat out a mouthful of blood, and the weapon in his hand and its owner fell to the ground.
He also took the opportunity to rush out of Chongwen and get to Lou Wan's side.
He launched an attack on Qi Nuan, giving Lou Wan a chance to catch his breath.
By this time, both Lou Wan and he were injured.
The two exchanged a glance, then retreated while fighting, abandoning their offensive and prioritizing defense.
However, Qi Nuan and Ji Jin were unwilling to let the two leave easily.
Lou Wan was entangled with the two men here. Looking at the blood flowing from his subordinates' bodies and their slightly pale faces, he knew this couldn't go on. He glanced at Ji Jin and thought of the scene he had witnessed when the two armies were facing off.
A thought struck me.
He shouted to his subordinates, "Kill that girl!"
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