The setting sun was as red as blood, dyeing the western sky red.
Zhao Tiangang was leaning on a dry branch, walking on the muddy path with one foot deep and one foot shallow.
His battle robe was already tattered and stained with mud and blood.
The once mighty commander of an army now resembles a beggar.
The dozen or so personal soldiers following behind him were equally in a miserable state. Each of them had bloodshot eyes and their faces were filled with fatigue and fear.
"General, the border of Youzhou is ahead."
A soldier with a dirty face said in a hoarse voice.
Zhao Tiangang looked up and saw the outline of Youzhou City vaguely visible in the distance.
His throat moved, but no sound came out.
The heroic spirit and ambition of the expedition are still ringing in my ears, and the scene of 40,000 troops with flags flying is still vivid in my mind.
Now there are only a dozen or so defeated soldiers left.
"General, do we...really have to go back?"
The captain of the guards, Wang Hu, hesitated and spoke.
"The court will not let us go..."
Zhao Tiangang looked haggard.
Doesn't he understand this truth?
The 40,000-man army was completely wiped out, and the commander fled back alone. According to the laws of the Qin Dynasty, this is a capital crime. But if he doesn't go back...
"My wife and children are still in the capital."
Zhao Tiangang's voice was so hoarse that it didn't sound like his own. "The monk may run away, but the temple cannot."
The guards were silent.
They were all veterans who had followed Zhao Tiangang for many years and knew that the general had an elderly mother and young children in his mansion.
If the commander-in-chief deserts the battlefield, according to the law of collective responsibility, his entire family will suffer.
It was getting dark and the group was tired and hungry.
They hadn't had a proper meal for three days and could only rely on wild fruits and stream water to fill their stomachs.
Zhao Tiangang felt a sharp pain in his stomach.
"Rest...for a while."
Zhao Tiangang finally gave in.
The bodyguards collapsed to the ground as if they had been pardoned.
Someone took out the last bit of dry food and carefully distributed it to everyone.
The amount of food was barely enough to fill their stomachs, but no one dared to complain.
Just when everyone was dozing off, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from afar.
"The barbarians are chasing us!" Wang Hu jumped up suddenly and his voice changed tone.
Everyone woke up instantly and looked in the direction of the sound in horror.
Zhao Tiangang's heart almost jumped out of his chest, and he subconsciously reached for his waist.
But he only touched the empty scabbard - his sword was lost when he jumped into the river.
"run!"
Zhao Tiangang roared, and everyone ran away regardless of their fatigue.
Sure enough, seven or eight Northern Barbarian cavalrymen jumped out of the woods. They were also dressed in rags and had looks of fear on their faces.
What was strange was that these barbarians didn't even look at Zhao Tiangang and his group, but just whizzed past them.
It was as if something terrible was chasing me from behind.
Zhao Tiangang and others stood there in a daze, looking at each other.
"What are they...running away from?"
"Didn't they see us?"
"It was just a fluke...Hide quickly!"
Wang Hu muttered in disbelief.
Before they could figure it out, the ground suddenly shook.
A black mass of cavalry rushed out of the woods, with flags fluttering and swords flashing.
Zhao Tiangang squinted his eyes, and when he saw the word "Qin" on the flag clearly, he could hardly believe his eyes.
“It’s our people!”
A guard shouted excitedly.
But their joy soon turned to fear - the cavalry had discovered them.
The archer has drawn his bow to its full length.
"Don't shoot! We're on the same side!"
Zhao Tiangang shouted with all his strength,
"I am the head coach Zhao Tiangang!"
The rain of arrows changed direction at the last moment and shot at the fleeing Northern Barbarian cavalry.
There were a few screams in the distance, and then silence fell.
A tall and thin general wearing light black armor rode up on horseback and looked down at the group of "beggars" condescendingly.
“Where do the refugees come from?”
Ming San asked with a frown.
Zhao Tiangang's expression changed, and he asked cautiously,
"Are you the Youzhou garrison?"
Ming San shook his head.
"The Youzhou rebels have long been wiped out by General Xia He, and now Youzhou City has returned to the control of the Qin Dynasty!"
Zhao Tiangang was stunned when he heard this, and he almost couldn't believe it.
"The Youzhou rebels were destroyed?"
"Xia He??"
"This is impossible!"
Almost instinctively blurted out, Zhao Tiangang immediately said,
"There are rebels holding on to Youzhou City, not to mention the majority of the barbarians who have fought their way back!"
"How can we take Youzhou with only a few thousand people in the reserve camp?"
How many people are there in the reserve camp? Five thousand at most?
But the barbarians and the rebels together number as many as 60,000 to 70,000!
Not to mention that there was a city called Youzhou which he couldn't capture even with his 40,000 troops!
It's simply a fantasy!
This news was like a bolt from the blue, and Zhao Tiangang staggered back two steps.
Xia He? The border guard he had always looked down upon? He actually took over Youzhou?
Ming San frowned and looked Zhao Tiangang up and down.
"Who are you?"
"I am Zhao Tiangang, the commander-in-chief of the rebellion. Please take me back quickly..."
Ming San and his subordinates were stunned at first, and then burst into laughter.
"Are you Zhao Tiangang?"
Several people laughed so hard that they fell backwards.
"The General Zhao who fled with tens of thousands of troops?"
The guards were filled with shame and anger, but they had nothing to say.
Zhao Tiangang's face turned from red to white, and then from white to blue, but he knew that now was not the time to care about his dignity.
"I'm asking you, are you the defenders of Youzhou?" Zhao Tiangang asked, suppressing his anger.
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