knife

Chapter 697 Head-on Challenge
(Tomorrow is New Year's Day, so we're taking a day off!)

A sharp, piercing whistle rang out from afar, soaring high into the sky before exploding with a loud crack, blooming into a dazzling flower in the air, standing out vividly against the backdrop of the azure sky and a few drifting white clouds.

On the towering watchtower at the edge of the camp, the lookout soldier immediately rang the alarm bell, and as soon as the bell rang, the entire camp sprang into action.

Amidst the resounding drums and horns, the duty teams assembled from various locations towards the front of the camp. Through the fence, crossbows raised their heads, their bolts gleaming with a dark light, aiming forward. More archers lined up at the officers' shouts, quivers placed in front of them, and each soldier began to carefully check their bows.

Inside the camp, elite soldiers began to don their armor, while auxiliary soldiers swiftly armored and saddled their warhorses.

In the central command tent, after three drumbeats, the generals and officers were already standing in two neat rows.

Only then did the sound of rapid hoofbeats reach out from afar, as scouts spurred their horses back in a frenzy, and on the horizon behind them, enemy flags could already be seen fluttering.

The scouts did not return to their unit from the front camp. Instead, following protocol, when they were still several hundred paces away from the camp, they spurred their horses to the sides and circled around to the rear camp.

If they dared to enter through the front door at this time, they would likely be shot into a pulp by their own people, even though the enemy was still far away.

But rules are rules, and they won't be changed arbitrarily based on the distance of the enemy.

In wartime, there are never any reasons given.

Whether it was the performance of the scouts, the level of camp setup, or the series of preparations made before the enemy attack, it all showed that this was an extremely powerful army.

The three thousand elite soldiers of the Li family in Guanzhong and the two thousand White Feather Army of the Yang family in Hong County were undoubtedly more powerful than the imperial guards of the past. Like the five thousand armored men of the Cui family, these highly capable armies were one of the assets that allowed powerful families to stand on equal footing with the imperial court.

By undermining the power of the imperial court, controlling the distribution of wealth, and possessing military force that prevents the court from taking any rash actions, aristocratic families gradually eroded the capital of the empire.

The saying "A dynasty lasts a hundred years, a family lasts a thousand years" vividly illustrates the relationship between aristocratic families and dynasties.

For those long-established families, dynasties may change, but the family line will endure forever.

Don't expect officials from powerful families to be very loyal to the court.

Unless this family is deeply intertwined with the country, sharing both prosperity and adversity.

Just like the Kou and Wei families.

They were not originally considered a top-tier aristocratic family, but in this generation, they rose rapidly with the help of one or a few outstanding talents, and in a very short time, they surpassed those first-tier aristocratic families.

They engaged in a brutal struggle with the top-tier families, and the prize, of course, was the empire itself.

Whoever wins will once again control everything in this empire.

In the Qin Dynasty, if Kou Zhong and Wei Zhengdao had won, they might very well have formed a top-tier aristocratic family.

Unfortunately, the knife they chose, though sharp, was double-edged; it could injure both the enemy and themselves. After paying a heavy price, the first-rate families finally came to their senses and regained the initiative.

The commander of this army was Li Cunxiao, an officer who had served in the border army for nearly twenty years and had extremely rich combat experience. As one of the elders of the Guanlong Li clan, he was invited back to serve by the clan head. Li Cunxiao was qualified, capable, and brave. Moreover, he had worked with Linghu Ye before Linghu Ye rose to become the commander of the border army, after which Li Cunxiao retired from the guard army as a general.

He also had a relationship with Linghu Ye.

With such a status, as long as he appears in the military, he can easily suppress others and independently command an army.

In fact, just as Li had planned, although Li Cunxiao did not gain command of the entire army, he still won the right to lead this detachment out of Huoshanbao.

Although Yang Rong of the Yang family was a master of innate martial arts, he was far inferior to Li Cunxiao in terms of troop deployment and battlefield experience. Moreover, Li Zhengtai, whom the Li family sent this time, shocked everyone.

A person who practices the Blood Jade Technique is enough to arouse the vigilance of all martial arts practitioners.

The tragic fate of a martial arts master who falls into the hands of someone practicing the Blood Jade Technique is well-documented in history.

Historically, the Dayong Dynasty of the Duanmu clan faced a collective rebellion from all martial artists in the world at its final moments, precisely because of this.

Every practitioner of the Blood Jade Technique will treat other practitioners cruelly in order to rapidly advance their own power.

Li Cunxiao, fully armored, strode out of the tent. To his left and right, a middle-aged man with a pale face lagged behind. Upon closer inspection, the man's face was abnormally pale, like a piece of crystal-clear jade, with even the finest blood vessels clearly visible inside.

This man is Li Zhengtai. He looks to be only in his forties or fifties, but in reality, he is already over sixty.

Behind Li Zhengtai was Yang Rong of the Yang family, who seemed extremely wary of Li Zhengtai, or perhaps even disgusted by him. He kept several steps away from Li Zhengtai.

In the distance, the black Qin army flag fluttered in the wind, while beside it, a large black banner with the character "Xiao" in white characters indicated the identity of the newcomers.

"It's Xiao Changche! She actually came in person!" Li Cunxiao's face lit up with joy. This was something he hadn't expected. He had thought that when their army attacked, the Beiting army would definitely defend the city walls to the death. He never expected that the enemy would actually attack, and that it would be their commander-in-chief who came.

If we can defeat the enemy in one fell swoop, or even kill or capture Xiao Changche alive, then this war can end ahead of schedule.

"Xiao Changche is truly arrogant. Does she think the area inside the pass is like those Northern Yuan barbarians she used to deal with?" Li Zhengtai laughed. "Gentlemen, it seems we can finish this battle in one fell swoop!"

"Three thousand men, and they think they can challenge my army head-on?" Looking at the black-armored cavalry that had stopped in the distance, Yang Rong nodded and said, "Indeed arrogant!"

Although they had 3,000 elite soldiers and 2,000 white-feathered soldiers, when you add the other aristocratic armies and auxiliary troops assigned to them, there were nearly 20,000 people here.

“That’s precisely Xiao Changche’s cleverness. In such a direct field battle, auxiliary soldiers and able-bodied men are of little use. The only ones who can truly exert their fighting power are our elite soldiers and Yang’s Bai Yu. She is under less pressure!” Li Cunxiao said, “Gentlemen, the border army is indeed very strong, but if we can take down Xiao Changche in one fell swoop, it will greatly reduce our own casualties!”

Li Zhengtai smiled and said, "Leave it to me! To catch a thief, first catch the king; to shoot a man, first shoot his horse. Once we capture Xiao Changche alive, we'll see if Li Dachui will bow his head."

"Thank you for your trouble!" Li Cunxiao said, cupping his hands in greeting.

"

(End of this chapter)