Chapter 1 The Sunset

Afternoon, the setting sun still lingered with the evening glow in the sky;

But in the Jin army camp, no one had the leisure to exchange amorous glances with the setting sun.

Jin was, to some extent, like Yan. The people here seemed to lack that poetic and romantic flair in their bones, just like the drawling tone of their speech, mixed with a sense of recklessness.

Xu Youcheng quietly cleaned his right arm. He had been hit by an arrow in the right arm during the morning siege. In fact, he knew that the barbarian soldier on the city wall had been aiming for his head. Luckily, he had dodged in time, otherwise, he would have been finished under the walls of that Wubao (fortified village).

But his brothers were not as lucky. Out of the three hundred or so men who went up as the middle tier, nearly a hundred were lost, and almost all the rest were wounded.

This Wubao looked small, but it was really hard to crack. Xu Youcheng was just an inflated chiliarch, not a famous general, but he could see that it was almost impossible to break the city simply by carrying ladders up.

Not only was the morale of the Yan soldiers in the Wubao high, but they also seemed to have no shortage of food and military equipment. If the two sides were to use lives to wear each other down under the walls of this Wubao, then the besiegers would suffer even more.

A soldier handed over a portion of dry food, a cornbread bun, frozen so hard it hurt to bite. He could only soak it in boiled water and eat it. Xu Youcheng didn't complain much. The brothers under him were also eating this kind of military food in silence.

In the past, this would have been unimaginable. Even on ordinary days, everyone's food was at least white rice with enough soybean paste. Once they set out and encountered something, wine and meat would be brought in every few days. Where would they suffer this grievance?

But wasn't the situation stronger than people now?

Xu Youcheng's unit was from the Wenren family. The Wenren family was known throughout the land for its wealth, and the supplies for its soldiers were always the best.

Who would have thought that these good days would be gone so quickly?

Originally, everyone was attacking the Yan kingdom with great momentum. The sixty thousand troops of the two families on the Mati (horse hoof) Mountain line were fighting with the Yan people.

The Yan people were capable fighters, but not as miraculous as rumored.

This was Xu Youcheng's true feeling at the time.

Although a commander in the army had once said that the Yan people's truly capable soldiers were trapped in the Qian kingdom, Xu Youcheng was still somewhat unconvinced.

The Jin soldiers were no worse than the Yan men. They could still ride horses and draw bows. The Jin children had been playing games of killing wild men since they were young.

The weakness of the Qian people was also something that the Jin people had always looked down upon.

Originally, the head of the Wenren family and several young masters had said that after winning against the Yan kingdom and entering its territory, the army would be greatly rewarded. With Xu Youcheng's level, with this merit, it would be easy to build a Wubao back home and be a local tyrant.

But just as they were dreaming sweetly, the Zhenbei (North-Pacifying) and Jingnan (South-Pacifying) armies of Yan suddenly attacked from behind.

It was rumored that the twenty thousand iron cavalry of Yan had used the black wind to attack from behind, causing the Jin army to collapse for thousands of miles.

But Xu Youcheng, as a personal witness, knew that this was not the case.

The Jin army had six hundred thousand troops, not counting the local garrison. It was impossible to pile so many troops on one battlefield. No general would be foolish enough to use troops in this way.

And the twenty thousand iron cavalry of Yan would not directly smash out all at once.

In the final analysis, where would such a large battlefield be available for nearly a million troops from both sides to fight to their heart's content?

The Jin army was divided into several parts, and the Yan army, which was at a disadvantage in numbers, was still divided into several parts.

In fact, at the beginning, the Yan army did catch the Jin army off guard due to their sudden appearance, and the Jin army did suffer heavy losses. But the Jin army was not the Qian army after all. In terms of field combat power, except for the Western Army of the Qian kingdom, no other troops could compare with the Jin army.

The Wenren and Helian families immediately organized a counterattack, and it was truly effectively organized.

But what happened next,

Left a deep shadow on Xu Youcheng, a soldier who had been in the army for half his life.

Ten days,

Seven battles were fought.

The battle line stretched for thousands of miles.

The Jin army was defeated, defeated again, and defeated all the way, and finally, it was completely crushed.

Xu Youcheng really couldn't imagine why there were such terrifying troops in this world. Whether it was cavalry archery, horse charging, or even foot combat, the Jin army was no match for the Zhenbei and Jingnan armies.

Even if the two sides could be deadlocked at the beginning, even if the Jin army had a numerical advantage, even if the Jin army had repeatedly gained the upper hand at the beginning, even if the Yan people were often in danger, the Yan people, even if they were divided on the battlefield, could reorganize their warhorses and launch a new round of charges, or gather together and form a battle formation to deal with the foot battle.

The Jin army was crushed time after time. The so-called sneak attack only accounted for a small part of the factor. The real reason why the Wenren and Helian families were directly destroyed was that the two families were superstitious about their field combat strength, and then were completely eaten up by the Yan army in one battle after another.

Sometimes, when he recalled those ten days and nights in his dreams, Xu Youcheng would subconsciously shiver.

Later, because his unit still retained many cavalrymen, when the Yan army had gained momentum, he led his soldiers westward, recruited by the Jin Emperor, entered the capital area, and was granted the title of Chiliarch.

Unexpectedly, not long after, he was pulled out again by Yu Huacheng, the marshal of the capital garrison, and what he faced was still the Yan people.

He had never really contacted this Yan army in the field, so Xu Youcheng was not sure about their specific quality, but the Yan people guarding the city had already shown enough combat power. The arrows they shot were really accurate!

At this time, Xu Youcheng would also think about whether it would be good to continue fighting against the Yan people like this?

This was a very tangled feeling. In his heart, there was a deep fear of the Yan people, and at the same time, he retained the pride of the Sanjin soldiers.

In the end, there was only this muddle-headedness of living one day at a time.

Fortunately, there were thousands of elite cavalrymen from the Situ family to support them. Fortunately, the number of defeated soldiers was only a few thousand. The imperial guards in the capital area still accounted for the majority, so the morale of the Jin army camp could still be maintained.

Although Yu Huacheng had stumbled under the Wubao for two days, his military management skills were sufficient.

Just as Xu Youcheng was thinking about these things in his mind, a scout's shout suddenly came from outside the military camp.

Xu Youcheng's unit was stationed in the southern military camp, not in the main camp, so he immediately scolded his soldiers to quickly accompany him out of the camp to check the situation if they could still get on their horses.

When he left the camp and saw the "enemy attack" reported by the scout, Xu Youcheng was stunned.

The Yan reinforcements, only three people!

But despite this,

Xu Youcheng still did not dare to slack off in the slightest. Even his calf began to tremble uncontrollably at this moment.

The body of the Pixiu (mythical wild beast) and the gilded armor worn by the person on it,

Undoubtedly very directly declared the identity of the comer.

"Jing… Jingnan Hou (Marquis)!"

Xu Youcheng did not order his men to rush over to kill and seize this great achievement, but quickly ordered the few riders around him to quickly go back to report.

The news was quickly spread out. Troops from various sub-camps came out and rushed here, but they all surrounded the three riders from a distance. No general really ordered to kill the Yan reinforcements composed of three people.

Finally,

The troops of the main camp also came out. The leader was naturally Yu Huacheng, the commander of the troops here, and beside him was Situ Jiangong.

"Are you sure you're not mistaken? The Jingnan Hou of Yan actually came in person?"

Although the messenger said it with certainty, Situ Jiangong still didn't dare to believe that the Jingnan Hou of Yan would dare to play this trick.

If the Jingnan Hou had come with an army, Situ Jiangong would not be surprised at all. What should come would always come. As a young generation of the Situ family, although he was not the son of his uncle, as a close relative, as long as he worked hard, his future development would naturally be limitless.

As the saying goes, a newborn calf is not afraid of a tiger. Even if Jingnan Hou had personally led his troops through Jin and destroyed the two major families in the Sanjin area in one fell swoop, Situ Jiangong was not intimidated by the other party's reputation, and even had some excitement in his heart.

However, what made him unbelievable was that the Jingnan Hou actually came with only two people. What was the reason?

Yu Huacheng had been shocked in the main tent before, and with the blessing of his brother, he had barely calmed down.

Moreover, he knew more about the current situation than Situ Jiangong, an excellent junior of the Situ family. He knew that the Situ family really didn't have many troops in the west. They had just reached a tacit agreement with the Yan people to cease fighting. Now was not the time to move and use a large army to encircle and kill Tian Wujing. If you dared to move the Jingnan Hou of Great Yan, would the Yan Emperor immediately order the iron cavalry of Great Yan to advance eastward regardless of the consequences?

At this time, the gate of the Wubao was suddenly opened from the inside.

This made the Jin army even more stunned, but soon several troops quickly left the military camp and began to approach the Wubao, but they did not take the opportunity to launch a siege, but seemed to be in a dilemma.

It was very funny that the Jin people clearly had an absolute advantage, and the Yan reinforcements were clearly only three people, but at this time, tens of thousands of Jin troops actually had the illusion that they had been attacked from both sides.

Zheng Fan rode on his horse and was the first to leave the Wubao. Behind him, the knights of Cuiliu Fort mounted their horses one after another, followed him out, and began to reorganize their ranks under the walls of the Wubao.

This, this is going to prepare for a charge!

Seeing this scene, Situ Jiangong couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He didn't believe that the Yan army in the Wubao didn't know how many reinforcements had come, because if a large-scale army appeared, the Yan army with the high advantage of the Wubao would not be unaware of it.

But the other party seemed to be simply because Jingnan Hou had come,

So he dared to directly lose the advantage of the Wubao's walls,

And all came out to form a formation outside the city walls!

This,

This is the Yan people?

Zheng Chengshou (garrison commander), who was always afraid of death and cherished his life,

After learning that Tian Wujing had come,

Thought for a while,

Even though he knew that the other party had only brought two riders,

He still suppressed the noises of the devils under his command as the main general,

And directly ordered:

"Form a formation outside the city!"

The blind man was slightly dissatisfied, but also somewhat understood. This was perhaps like those people who were usually stingy and seemed to be possessed by skinning ghosts, who suddenly one day went to destroy their homes to relieve the difficulties of the country.

Even the calmest person always has moments of impulsiveness,

When the blood rushes to his head, he suddenly makes a desperate bet,

And no matter whether he will regret it afterwards,

Anyway,

It feels good now.

Si Niang accompanied Zheng Fan with a smile.

Liang Cheng looked around silently, thinking about where to charge in the next charge to gain a greater chance of breaking through.

A Ming silently raised his waterskin again and took a sip. He usually drank more blood so that he would have enough to shed in battle.

Xue San sat on Fan Li's shoulders, and beside Fan Li, there was a coffin.

After leaving the city gate and forming a battle formation,

Zheng Chengshou suddenly felt a little panicked,

But after looking at the figure in the southwest direction,

He felt that it didn't matter anymore.

Zheng Fan didn't deliberately flatter him, nor did he think that Tian Wujing would look at him. In fact, he didn't have too many thoughts in his heart,

Only one thought remained,

Since Lao (Old) Tian is here,

Then no matter what,

I have to help him out.

………

And on the southwest side, Tian Wujing, surrounded by thousands of Sanjin knights, was still sitting on his Pixiu.

The Pixiu was sticking out its tongue, looking very tired.

It was indeed tired,

Originally, the journey that would take at least three days was completed in one day. The two soldiers carrying the flags behind him had exhausted two horses each.

Tian Wujing reached out and scratched the Pixiu's fluff,

Sensing that someone was approaching,

The Pixiu stood up again and let out a low roar in its throat, scaring many of the horses of the Sanjin knights in front to become restless.

Situ Jiangong watched Tian Wujing from a distance. He didn't dare to go forward because he knew that even if the person in front of him didn't bring a large army, he was by no means an easy character to deal with.

Leaving aside his identity as Jingnan Hou, he himself was a genuine third-rank martial artist, and he was in his prime!

Yu Huacheng didn't dare to go forward either, and silently stood under his banner.

Finally,

A figure in white clothes flew out from among the Sanjin knights like a startled swan,

Landing in front of the formation,

With just one glance,

The fierce Pixiu subconsciously suppressed its ferocity.

Seeing this person appear,

Situ Jiangong was stunned for a moment, and then immediately looked at Yu Huacheng beside him and said:

"I didn't expect that Sword Saint was always here."

Yu Huacheng smiled slightly and didn't bother to explain at this time.

Situ Jiangong wasn't annoyed, but turned to look at the front of the formation with even more interest.

The Sword Saint looked at Tian Wujing,

And smiled:

"It is said that Jianghu (Martial World) heroes like to walk alone with their swords, daring to stand alone and watch the stormy waves crashing on the shore;

I didn't expect that Marquis Jingnan would also have a Jianghu heart now,

Yu Huaping, a swordsman from Jin,

Please enlighten me, Marquis Jingnan!"

Tian Wujing leaned back slightly, his hand still gently rubbing the Pixiu's fur, comforting his mount's tension caused by the sword in front of him.

After a while,

Marquis Jingnan raised his eyes slightly,

Looking at this Sword Saint of Jin,

And pointed to the rear,

And said:

"Jianghu, after all, is too small, and this Marquis is too lazy to go down, and this Jianghu cannot accommodate this Marquis either.

Walking alone with a sword, that is the behavior of a Jianghu commoner. Behind this Marquis, a banner of the Great Yan King is in front, and a banner of the commander is on the side.

Where can it be considered coming alone,

This Marquis has come with an army."

Behind Marquis Jingnan, the two flag-carrying riders straightened their chests,

The Black Dragon Flag and the Jingnan Army Flag fluttered in the evening wind.

The Sword Saint was not angry when he heard this, but silently took two steps back.

Tian Wujing's meaning was very simple,

He was too lazy to talk to himself in a Jianghu posture,

The court, officialdom, and civil and military officials are the right way,

No matter how sharp the Sword Saint's sword is,

He is not qualified to talk to him at this time.

Finally,

Yu Huacheng rode out,

Came to his brother's side, came to Tian Wujing's front.

After cupping his hands, he said with the courtesy of a junior:

"Yu Huacheng, the Commander of the Capital Garrison of Jin, has met Marquis Jingnan of Yan. I wonder what is the purpose of the Marquis's visit?"

This was pretending to be confused when he knew the truth, but the embarrassing thing was that you had to pretend, otherwise it would be difficult to even speak.

Could it be that he really directly ordered the other party to be killed?

Jingnan Hou looked at Yu Huacheng,

Nodded,

And opened his mouth and said:

"This Marquis has come for only one thing."

Yu Huacheng's heart relaxed. Being able to talk was a good thing. It seemed that this Marquis Jingnan, who had a fierce reputation, was not so difficult to get along with. He immediately answered:

"May I ask the Marquis, what is it?"

Jingnan Hou's gaze slowly swept around,

Finally,

It fell on Yu Huacheng again,

One thing,

In fact, it was just one word,

Tian Wujing patted the Pixiu under his crotch and said very casually:

"Get lost."